Our Saga

ShoganCO

Member
So I honestly hate having to come here and vent but I can’t seem to get across to Heartland CS how disappointed we are with the coach we purchased. We upgraded from a Arctic Fox 1150 to a 5th wheel because we wanted the comfort it afforded. We went with the Big Country 3250TS because we really like the floor plan. Well, it is a nice floor plan.
We purchased it in May of this year. To date we have had the following repairs:

1.) Dining Chair, attached, as in it never had screws holding it to the wood. (fixed)
2.) Fresh tank leaking, literally the first day we took it to a camp site. (Fixed)
3.) Interior trim coming loose in the main living area along the ceiling. (Fixed)
4.) The finish on several cabinets’ doors looked like I did it, I’m no carpenter. (Fixed)
5.) Decal is peeling on the passenger side. (Fixed)
6.) The skin under the hitch is coming loose, rather looks like it wasn’t even cut to fit so we have a gap that cannot be closed without pulling the front cap off and replacing the entire sheet.
7.) Bathroom door leading to the bedroom is actually mounted in a wall that was installed crooked. The lower portion of the leading edge of the door hangs into the bathroom and the upper portion of the trailing edge leans into the bedroom. The door lays flat on the ground, it isn’t the door.
8.) Globs of sealant stuck to the window dressings in the bedroom, and I mean globs.
9.) The exterior hydraulic jack switch literally broke on its third use. (Fixed)
10.) Basement wall pulled loose just on the trip down from Montana to Colorado. The wall near the dump control station. (fixed)
11.) Slides were out of adjustment to the point that when extended they “walked” out. (Fixed)
12.) Misc other items like staples sticking out of the wood and interior wood in the bedroom closet just “popping” loose.

All this and we have literally not gone much of anywhere except down from Montana and to Eleven Mile state park….once.
Does Heartland not look at their products before shipment or train their people to do at least a half-assed job in building these things? I’m beginning to think we should have gone with Northwood. At least our camper operated flawlessly for over two years. My biggest gripe is how in the world does a product go out like this? We were rushed when we picked it up and sadly, I’ll admit we didn’t look very hard at it, our mistake. Anyone else have problems like this?

Even though some of this might be considered cosmetic or minor, who buys a new car with the trim falling off and the gas tank leaking?
 

donr827

Well-known member
That is totally unacceptable. Sounds like there was NO quality control done on the trailer. Hopefully all will be good from now on.
Don
 

codycarver

Founding Wyoming Chapter Leader-retired
Anyone else have problems like this?

Not us. Our experience has been quite the opposite. Our dealer took as much time as I needed to look over everything. I found a few cosmetic things and they were taken care of by what I call the pit crew. They went through everything I found with NASCAR crew speed and precision.

Please don't take this the wrong way but You stated you were rushed... were you in a hurry or did the dealer rush you? a good PDI makes a world of difference.

On a side note. My dad was a custom home builder when I was growing up. He built what were considered expensive homes and I don't remember a single time we didn't have to go back and take care of a "punch list" most of the items were minor but once in a while we had leaky plumbing, bad wiring etcetera and our house were on foundations.

I hope you get these things worked out so you can enjoy your Big country. There is a rally in Colorado in Sept. //heartlandowners.org/showthread.ph...ns-9-20-2012-to-9-23-2012?p=237223#post237223

I hope you'll give some thought to joining us.

Good Luck!!!
 

tmcran

Well-known member
Sogan, sorry to hear of your problems. I have had my issues with QC with HL also. (,I did a three hr PDI) Great Dealer. I have been impressed with HL CS. I agree QC is not great. However, it amazes me how some folks on here want to blame the buyer,the dealer or whomever. When I have a problem with car and etc I don't blame the dealer. From the time I got my Sundance in 09 QC issues continue . Good luck.
 

danemayer

Well-known member
So I honestly hate having to come here and vent but I can’t seem to get across to Heartland CS how disappointed we are with the coach we purchased.
Hi ShoganCO,

First of all, let me say that I hope everything gets fixed to your satisfaction and that everything settles down. Once that happens, you'll be spending most of your time fulfilling your dreams and enjoying life. It's frustrating when things get turned upside down and you spend more time worrying than enjoying.

It does sound like most of the problems have been fixed. As you've probably noticed, this forum is filled with people who have had very positive experiences with Heartland Customer Service, even when their trailers started out like yours. We've had our own share of exciting/disappointing moments, but Heartland has always been helpful in getting things turned right side up again. In some cases, they've done way more than they had to do. For example, when Dometic told us we'd have to drive 90 miles through snowy mountain passes to get to a dealer for a thermostat replacement, Heartland persuaded Dometic to just send us the parts; and next day air to boot. Another time, we were having problems with a two of the fluorescent lights in our coach - Heartland replaced all nine with fixtures from a different vendor.

So when you say you can't get across to Heartland how disappointed you are, I'm not sure what you mean. Is there something they won't do for you?
 

ShoganCO

Member
All I can say is Kudo's to Pikes Peak Travel Land. Yes things are getting corrected, my main point of contention is, most of these items should have been caught at a QC. Fixing things done wrong after the fact is acceptable but it would seem the proper thing to do would be to catch these types of things prior to the sale. Maybe it's my upbringing but I am a firm beleiver in doing something right the first time.

@Danemayer - My point with Heartland is that yes, they are correcting these items, but why would they allow this many defects to go out to begin with. A couple things here and there sure, but a crooked wall and a under sized front panel? I literaly clipped close to 50 staples in the coach in the wood work after my wife poked herself twice on them.

@Codycarver - A good PDI would have been good but yes, the dealership in Billings rushed us thru it and the individual who took us thru the coach wasn't even familier with it. Sorry we missed you on our trip down, we had planned to stop by but one of those spring snow storms hit us. :) By all rights, the dealer should have gone thru and inspected and fixed most of this before we even took delivery. The folks here in Colorado Springs sure seem like the type of people that would have taken that extra step. At least they are making all the warrenty work on it at a higher level of quality.
 

TravelTiger

Founding Texas-West Chapter Leaders-Retired
Scott and Kim, welcome to the forum!

Please make sure you visit Dave and Amy in Wyoming, they are great folks! ;)

I just wanted to let you know, you are not alone. Unfortunately, the towable trailer industry as a whole seems to have far less QC than expected. Many folks come to the internet to express their disapproval with their new units... ALL BRANDS. It's unfair to compare to "the way things used to be" Because nothing is the way it used to be!

The good news is Heartland monitors and participates in this forum, which I believe is rare in the industry. It also seems you have found a good dealer now in CO that is helping you, and I hope they get everything corrected. If you have any issues, you can call HL direct, and they can help you as well.

One of the things that has aided me in my assessment of the towable RV industry, is to change the perspective. Some folks tend to think, "Wow, I just bought an expensive vehicle, it should be perfect!" When it really should be, "Wow, I just bought a really cheap home on wheels, built in a few days! I'll be surprised if it's perfect!"
This assessment has helped me understand why some things are not as we had hoped. But HL is trying to improve, as well as turn a profit and be cutting edge in a very fickle market. I'm sure it's a tough balancing act.

I hope you can put the frustration in your rear view mirror and find a way to get out there and make memories, going places and seeing things in your new home on wheels!

Please continue to come and share your experiences. We're glad you are one of the family!

Erika
 

GOTTOYS

Well-known member
We bought a 3250 in the Fall of 2010. Brought it back to our selling dealer with a list of things that needed attention. Not as long a list as yours. Some got fixed, some didn't get fixed, some were worse when we picked it up than when we dropped it off. It's very discouraging to say the least, to have the factory overlook things, then when you point them out to your dealer, they don't get the job done either. I am no longer concerned with it. I just fix it myself and get on with life...They're easy to work on and I can usually fix it in less time than it would take to get it somewhere to have it repaired. But yes, it is discouraging...Don
 

ShoganCO

Member
@Erika - Wifes name is "Kum" not "Kim" but that is a common thing, folks think I misspell her name, I'd get railed if I did that. :) Your statement on perception is spot on. It is exactly why we were not so much frustrated but disappointed. It is good that the dealer is working hard to rectify the issues and they almost act as if they are taking it personal. I am sure that once all of this is fixed we will be down to fixing little things on a wear and tear basis. I do still believe that Quality Control is a major aspect of anything and I hope that HL is truly working to improve thiers.

@Don - Yeah it is generally easier to fix some things and I've already done my share with this coach as well and I'm sure I'll continue to do so going forward. Wife and I are both cursed with a strong attention to detail, I think I gave it to her, I seem to remember our house being alot less orginized. :)
 

TravelTiger

Founding Texas-West Chapter Leaders-Retired
Whoops, soooo sorry Kum!

I totally misread it, typing what I thought it said. Lol!

A dealer that takes your issues on and cares, that is very special.

Take care!
 

ShoganCO

Member
No worries, :) we are planning on heading to Texas in October for a couple weeks at "On the Beach RV park" in Port Aransas and then a week in San Antonio to see our youngest graduate from USAF BMT. We are looking forward to it!

Whoops, soooo sorry Kum!

I totally misread it, typing what I thought it said. Lol!

A dealer that takes your issues on and cares, that is very special.

Take care!
 

jayc

Texas-South Chapter Leaders
Scott and Kum, since you're coming to Texas in October, how about if you stopped by at the So. Texas chapter rally in Borne (just outside of San Antonio) or Canton in NE Texas? We'd love to meet you and you'd meet a lot of good people too!
 

readytohitheroad

Well-known member
wonder what day(s) of the week the rig was built?

heard stories years ago that if your vehicle came off the assembly line on certain days of the week it was prone to more issues.

have no idea if this is true or not
 

ShoganCO

Member
@ Jayc - We would love to if it is when we will be in the area. As it stands we will be in Port Aranas Oct 21st - Nov 3rd and then in San Antonio at Lackland AFB Nov 4th - Nov 12th. We are also trying to figure out a way to go to the ralley at Fort Collins next month, problem is September is the end of the fed fiscal year and I'm sure I'll be pretty busy. Hope to be there too though even though I'll probably have to work thru the stay.

wonder what day(s) of the week the rig was built?

heard stories years ago that if your vehicle came off the assembly line on certain days of the week it was prone to more issues.

have no idea if this is true or not

Lol that would not be good.
 

ShoganCO

Member
Just a quick update, nearly everything is now repaired and HL has agreed to the hours of labor Pikes Peak Travelland was asking for to repair the front skin. Now it's just a matter on waiting for the parts to come in. Still no update on the crooked wall but I can't see HL not offering to cover that correction as well. Although I was initialy dissapointed in having so many issues I am very impressed with the attitude that HL has taken in ensuring it is all repaired and brought up to standard.
 

jbeletti

Well-known member
Scott and Kum,

Thank you for circling back here with your update. Thank you for your patience thus far and I am pleased to see that we have stepped up to make this right for you. Happy camping and hope to meet you at a rally in the near future.
 

mnkamper

Founding MN Chapter Leader-retired
Right on with what Jim said! Patience can have it's frustrations but also very pleasant rewards and kudos to Heartland and Pikes Peak Travelland for taking care of those things that needed taking care of!
Enjoy your coach.... it will be well worth it!
 

JohnDar

Prolifically Gabby Member
Some time ago, it was brought up that HL was instituting a random QA audit at the end of the lines. How's that going?
 
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