Unhappy Camper

Couldn't be more unhappy with the heartland product and service or concern I have received from them in the past 1 1/2. I have a 33ck greystone and have had multiple issues overall with my trailer. My first major issue has been the front nose cap oxidizing. Originally they covered the dealer to fix the issue in an incorrect way and now that they know it was fixed incorrectly, they wont stand behind their product and pay the dealer to fix it the right way. All they did was scuff it up and put automotive clear over the gel coat. That is not the correct way to fix it. It has now developed multiple fish eyes and pitts all over the front nose cap and they told my dealer that they are no longer covering the nose cap in a warranty issue. Now I am going to be stuck paying out of pocket for an originally admitted factory defect, as they have attempted to correct their blunder once already.

Second major issue has been an overheating of my outdoor fridge. Really an idiotic design as they install a rear vent fridge in a space with no air gap behind the fridge and not allowing to vent. I was plugged in this past year while camping and the fridge got so hot you could not put a bare hand on the side of the fridge without burning yourself. I put a heat temp gun on the side and it read 162* F on the side of the fridge. My kid sleeps in the bunk house and as a professional FF I have concerns of overheating and worst case a fire, my child is 2 and obviously would not get out on his own. Ive attempted contact with heartland over this issue through the dealer and on my own, really because my lazy *** dealer didnt want to deal with it, and every time I speak with them I get no where and only get more upset.

Ive obviously had many other small issues, as I might expect from any other RV of some sort but its the lack of effort to send parts in a timely manner or the constant questioning on whether or not it should be fixed under warranty when until recently I had always been covered, so I thought.

Bottom line a Heartland was sold to me on their exceptional service, to which I have not ever seen yet. No product is going to be perfect and Im not expecting that. All I ask is that when I have an issue with the product the manufacturer stand behind it and at least provide some service and give 2 s*#t's to a customer who spent 40k on a trailer. This probably wont ever be read by heartland but I had to vent somewhere. **** if I wasnt upside down in it Id sell it. But Im sure they could care less as Ive already moved their product off the lot.

You need to contact Heartland customer service directly...sounds like your dealer is your problem. Their number is 574-262-8030...have your VIN# ready.

I think the dealer got you on the fix for the faded cap...in the past Heartland has paid to have faded caps completely painted....Good Luck!

Hi Malbright,

Sorry you're still having problems. I see that you originally posted about these problems in September 2012.

As was discussed then, there were some people who had problems with the gelcoat fading and Heartland paid to have the caps repainted. It sounds like the dealer got paid by Heartland to repaint your front cap, but you're not satisfied with the quality of their work. Have you asked the dealer to take responsibility for the quality of their work?

Did you ever ask Heartland directly about the 162 degree reading on the side of the fridge while it was still in warranty? What was the response?

Don't know all the details here, but we had a problem with an incorrect warranty repair done by a dealer. We didn't discover the incorrect repair until a week later. My first call was to Heartland customer service. After I told them the details of the repair, HL advised that the repair was not according to their standards and to contact the dealer first for correction, and to call them back if the dealer didn't correct the repair. I contacted the dealer, they first said the repair was according Heartland standards, until I informed them of my contact with Heartland. At that point they told me to bring it back and they would fix it, which they did, no more argument. Like others, I can't emphasis how important it is to keep HL customer service in the loop.

Right on about keeping Heartland CS in the loop. RV dealers aren't like car dealers, they can buy from whoever, whenever, they want. Some smaller ones are better and represent only one manufacturer but others are more like used car dealers. They do not have the same Franchise rules and obligations that car dealers do. I've read many stories on the forum if people that were dealing with a selling dealer that never bothered contacting Heartland over warranty issues. It seems to be best practise to involve CS and the dealer to ensure things are done quickly and properly. That way you can be sure CS has a record of the repair being made in case the same issue crops up once the warranty expires so it will be fixed properly even after the year is up.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Heartland has treated me well while the dealer was friendly but incompetent. I did all my warranty repairs myself while Heartland supplied the parts. I don't think I would trust my dealer to properly wash my rig BTY the OP never mentioned the proper way to repair the fading problem--- so what is the proper way...? I don't know if we are talking about full body paint or gel-coat. To minimize fiberglass fade one must use titanium oxide in the mix to control fade. It appears as though Heartland or many other manufacturers do not add that extra expense of titanium oxide in the mix.

So far I've found the problem mostly lies with dealers. In my case my dealer simply wants to sell units. The more the better. Once sold its like pulling teeth to get any repairs done and done right. When I spoke with Heartland they said I can call their warranty department and deal directly with them on issues. The only disadvantage was I would have to pay for the service call to travel to my rig (not parts and labor for the repair but basically a travel fee). I think I would rather pay this fee than waste gas and time driving my rig to my dealer. After watching my dealer make two simple repairs I know for certain I don't want them doing anything to my rig without oversight.

I have a 2012 Cyclone 4014 HD with the grey front. Mine was faded also prior to my purchase (it sat on the lot for a few months before I bought it). I did not purchase from my local dealer but have used them for all my warranty service as well as non warranty service. My dealer called Heartland and got approval to repaint my front cap. While the repair was ongoing it was determined that the rear cap needed repainting also and Heartland approved. My dealer did a great job. I think you may have a dealer problem. Call Heartland Customer Service and they may help you in getting the dealer to repaint your cap. As far as the outside refer, that sounds very serious. I would also call Heartland Customer Service as well as the refer manufacturer to get advise on that repair.

Malbright

Don't give up on Heartland, we have had 2 other brands, mid priced units and had similar issues. We have done a lot of research before purchasing a Heartland unit, service is definitely a make or break satisfaction on any purchase. As others have said, making that positive attitude call to CS will go a long way, and then finding a new dealer is next.

Enjoy life RVing

1. The proper fix to the cap is to take it completely down and reshoot the paint with a completely new clear coat, as opposed to my dealer who just put the wrong clear over the original gel caot.

2. I have contacted CS and keep getting referred back to the dealer which is the most frustrating part. Ive mentioned the fridge as well and again referred to the dealer as if Im not trustworthy to tell them the issue.

I do agree that a huge problem exists with the dealer, undeniable in every sense. I cant say that Ive had the same luck and service back from Heartland that other members here have had. I also cant say that other manufacturers wouldnt be the same. I guess it is frustrating that the fit finish and quality of RV's can be so poor at times and we all accept it as thats the way it is. Im done venting and I appreciate everyones advice. Monday I will be contacting CS again to explain my issues and hopefully get some resolutions to my issues soon. Thank you for the replies and advice.

It would be nice if you just had to worry about one warranty and one (CS) customer service dealer. NOT, Do I go to Heartland, do I go to my dealer or maybe do I go to the appliance agent direct? I wonder if they ever considered one stop CS warranty shopping?

On so many postings, it seems the customer gets referred back and forth and all over totally frustrating the customer.

My dealer just sent me notice of a six year warranty opportunity and I have until March 7th to pay up our 2100 bucks for this warranty. Looking at all the warranty problems, I think I will just fix mine myself. $2100.00 bucks just seems like a lot to a fixed income couple like ourselves right now. Someone must pocket a lot of cash on these warranties! Then when something does happen, they refer the **** out of the customer until the customer is totally fed up from the run around.

my vent

DonnyB007 said:

It would be nice if you just had to worry about one warranty and one (CS) customer service dealer. NOT, Do I go to Heartland, do I go to my dealer or maybe do I go to the appliance agent direct? I wonder if they ever considered one stop CS warranty shopping?

On so many postings, it seems the customer gets referred back and forth and all over totally frustrating the customer.

My dealer just sent me notice of a six year warranty opportunity and I have until March 7th to pay up our 2100 bucks for this warranty. Looking at all the warranty problems, I think I will just fix mine myself. $2100.00 bucks just seems like a lot to a fixed income couple like ourselves right now. Someone must pocket a lot of cash on these warranties! Then when something does happen, they refer the **** out of the customer until the customer is totally fed up from the run around.

my vent

Click to expand...

Donny you hit the nail on the head... I could not have said it better myself. Yet I believe all manufacturers know this and yet not a single one of them ever seems to make a change and try to improve it. It would take a miracle to get me to plop down a wad of cash again for a Heartland in the way Ive been treated. Again there isnt going to be a perfect one out there however if I could and I will when I can, there is one made her in California 20 min away from me. At least then I could walk in the owners office and have a chat if Im unhappy.

I sounds like the OP unit has been painted rather than color pigment mixed into the resin. If that is the case, I would think that Heartland did not either apply the proper amount of clear coat or did not use any clear coat. Auto mfgs. use anywhere from 2 to 7 coats of clear coat. I would think at 2 coats would be the minimum to provide enough UV protection to last several years. If the color pigment was mixed into the resin then UV protection was not mixed in. So in my opinion this is a warranty issue and Heartland should not let the customer at the mercy of the dealer..... Come on Heartland belly up to the bar