Appalling Customer Service.. .. and I'm 82

[MarySuePaulson]

I'm an 82 year old woman. I've worked my whole life. When i got my brand new Trailrunner in July of 2019, I figured that I was finally going to get to spend a lot of time down on the coast.
I took my first trip at the end of 2019. When i hooked the septic system up, i heard a loud boom and discovered that the sewage had backed up into my new camper all the way into the bedroom. It was such a mess.
I live in East Texas and bought it at Funtown RV in Rockwall, TX. On my trip i was closer to Funtown RV Giddings, TX, so i took it there mid December. IT IS STILL THERE and hasn't been repaired.
Mid January Funtown told Heartland that the entire septic system fell into the under belly of the camper and it was too big of a repair for them to do. They were trying to arrange for it to go back to the Heartland factory in Indiana for repairs.
Heartland kept coming up with delays on dealing with it. We have copies of the communications between Funtown and Heartland. They finally conveniently said they were going to be able to take it, but, alas, the factory was closing due to COVID. This was mid March.
They had already had my camper for two months. It is unreasonable to blame their slow response on COVID. This is the worst customer service I have experienced in my 82 years. Mind you, I'm not a young woman and Heartland has robbed me of nearly a year of camping due to their lack of common decency.
Well, on Jun 19 I received yet another form for me to sign to authorize Heartland to pick up my camper and take it to Indiana for repair. Heartland's communication stressed that if all the tanks weren't empty, they would charge me fees. The tanks are clearly a mess. That is the issue. Also if any of our belongings are in it, I'd be charged a fee.
This is a day late and a dollar short. I am appalled and heartbroken in the face of such disrespectful customer service. I bought the camper mid Jul 2019. It has been at Funtown since December. Now that the one year warranty is going to expired and it is due for state inspection and tags, they want to take it to Indiana.
.... Again, i am not a young woman. If i had it to do over again, i would buy ANY CAMPER OTHER THAN HEARTLAND. At this rate i will be in a nursing home before i ever get a chance to camp on the beach again. Be forewarned.

 

[danemayer]

Hi MarySuePaulson,

Sorry to hear about your problems and your disappointment.

I'm surprised that it can be transported prior to cleanup of the sewage. If when the tank fell, sewage made its way into your bedroom, I'd think the underbelly also had sewage spilled in it. Hopefully Funtown cleaned this up. I'm not sure about Federal or State regulations, but I'd guess that if the trailer is leaking sewage on the way to Indiana, the transport driver could get pulled over en route and not allowed to proceed. You might want to call Heartland and ask them to check on this beforehand or you could have further delays.

And I do know that the repair facility in Elkhart was closed from mid-March thru the end of May. I got in there on June 1 and they had just re-opened.

Also, I've edited a few words out of your original post in order to comply with forum rules. Some discussion topics are not permitted.

 

[RickL]

I’ll share my experience with the service center in Elkhart, last year I went in for repairs as a result of a malfunctioning washer drain that flooded our unit. Both slide floors required replacement. The facility manager Ron was exceptional in handling my warranty issues. One of the other issues I had the service center look at was a buzz in our rear A/C when it kicked on. When I picked it up after all the warrant work was completed all issues seemed to be resolved. Unfortunately after a 1500 mile trip, I kicked on the A/C and sure enough the rear A/C buzz was back.

Then I experienced a grey water tank failure which I decided would be best repaired at the service center in Elkhart. So I had an appointment in April this year but it was canceled due to the shutdown. Fast forward to the last week in June and I was back in Elkhart for my repairs. They replaced my grey tank and looked at the buzz in the rear A/C which like a toothache decided not to buzz. Ron personally got involved and took down the ceiling panel. What he found was that the two ceiling joists that were riveted together had the rivets popped. This is what was creating the buzz. The service center took care of the issue and everything is working great.

Long story, but what I have tried to explain is that based on my experience the manager Ron and his crew have been nothing but professional. They have taken care of my issues without any disagreements or problems. In my opinion you will be in good hands having the service center address your issues.

 

['Lil Guy']

I'm glad you had a great experience with the service facility. I've had great luck with HL also but I sure wish someone could help get this lady back on the road. Hopefully, someone with a little stroke can help her out.
One piece of advice would be to not carry over your frustrations from your dealer to the service center. Be nice.lol Hopefully this will all get resolved. Keep us posted as to your endeavor. Don't give up on Heartland yet.
Later and have a great day.