Dealer Rant

[BillandKathy]

I don’t know if this is the right forum, but here goes.

Start rant.

After a lot of research and looking, narrowing our choices to the North Trail 21FBS or the JayFlight G2 23FB, we decided to go with a North Trail for our first RV. This choice was aided by the way the North Trail is praised on this and the North Trail forums.

That being decided, we went to a dealer who had one on his lot he tried to sell us. This unit had trim hanging off the bottom rear, likely easy to repair and you wouldn’t even know it had been damaged. Except that we always would. I wouldn’t buy a car with that damage visible and I’m surprised the dealer let it sit on his lot like that.

We called another dealer but he wanted $500 to bring one from another of their locations and he wasn’t sure if it had the options we wanted.

A third dealer said he didn’t have one in stock, would check availability at the factory. He called two days later, said the factory had two on the lot, they would change the wheels, swap out the mattress and ship it. After three days I called, (he said he forgot to call us) was told the factory decided to just build a new one, they were doing a run anyway and would put our name on the next one. Four days later - with no calls – I called again and was told it just needed to be tested, that it would be shipped on Friday 08/22/08 or Monday 08/25/08. As of today he hasn’t called or returned our calls.

I thought dealers wanted to sell RV’s and after reading this forum we had the impression that North Trail dealers were customer oriented. I have to wonder, if we still decide to buy a North Trail will the factory be easier to deal with. And is there a dealer anywhere near SE PA that will treat us with some respect even though we’re newbies.

The Jayco dealer we went to last month has been in touch with us several times. It seems he does want our business.

End of rant.

 

[jmgratz]

I bet if you went over the saleman's head to his supervisor you would have your North Trail tomorrow.

 

[CampingJunkie]

Bill and Kathy, please don't let an incompetent salesperson hurt your chances of owning the best RV (IMO). Contact the factory if you need help locating another dealer closest to you. They would be more than happy to do that for you. Also keep in mind, if you have to travel far to pick up a North Trail, that does not mean you have to return to that dealer for warranty work. Any dealer that works on a Heartland product can do work on your North Trail.

Good Luck, keep us posted.

 

[BillandKathy]

I bet if you went over the saleman's head to his supervisor you would have your North Trail tomorrow.

The salesman we were dealing with at the third location is the owner.

 

[Mcreech]

Bill / kathy

As much as I would like to control our dealers, we the factory just don't have that ability. However, I can tell you that Heartland will stand behind your North Trail and our customer service is second to know one...I have been on the factory side for 11 years at 3 different manufacturers and i can tell you know one does it like Heartland...Please I want you to feel confident in your purchase of a North Trail and if you ever have any problems and your local dealer isn't getting it done for you, we the factory will assist you however we can.....North Trail is always adding new dealers around the country, so rest assured we are here for you....
Mike C

 

[jmgratz]

The salesman we were dealing with at the third location is the owner.

Then I would certainly go to another dealer. If the owner acts like that during a sale he will not give you good service. As a suggestion, find a sales location reasonably close to you that has the product you want. Travel there, make the purchase and plan to stay there for several days in the TT. This will give you enough time to stay in the TT and work out any "bugs" you might find and you can then let the dealer take care of them for you. Many dealers have facilities you can stay at right at the dealer and they welcome you to stay a day or two after the sale. Remember it is your money you are spending and you have the right to get what you pay for. (The preceeding is my opinion and everybody has an opinion.)

 

[BillandKathy]

The dealer called about noon today in response to messages and I guess he didn’t like the vibes he was getting from us. At 2PM a factory rep, Bryan, called. He assured me the TT was on the way to the dealer and barring any problems should be there Friday PM.

It seems this dealer has a good reputation with Heartland. If that’s true he just needs to improve his communication with customers.

I have to say I was impressed that a Heartland representative took the time to call and explain what was going on, give me his number and ask to be kept up to date. It’s even more impressive when you consider that the TT we’re interested in is only an entry-level product.

At this point we’ll just continue with this dealer, instead of starting the whole process over. If it’s just communication problems we can probably work with a different salesman. If we have to we can always do what some of you suggest, go elsewhere for warranty work.

 

[snuffy]

We as consumers sometimes expect instant answers. Our timetable and others are not always the same. Take a deep breath and show some patience. That's what I have to do sometimes.

 

[leftyf]

Dealer problems seem to be rampant today. I read continually about dealers and their lack of follow through. MY purchase was easy...the delivery and dealer prep left more than a little to be desired. Thank heavens for my delivery driver he set the whole thing up and walked me through all the systems.

The dealers read these posts. I know because my salesman thanked me for the very positive words I had posted about him and the dealership (heavy sarcasm here. The salemen seem to feel that after the sale you are someone elses responsibility. What would help if they would tell you who is responsible for you after the sale. And, getting $2000* of aftermarket stuff was even worse. I researched them pretty well...but, it would seem that only the good reviews made it. There is no way you can tell me that with the other complaints that I have read about that they can legitimately claim 100% feedback.

You paid big bucks for an RV...and I think that should qualify you for the big support.

 

[Shadowchek]

When I brought my BH in for all the stuff I found wrong including salt and rust on the frame about 2 weeks later I called to check on it and they said it was done they were just closing the work order on it. When I got there about half of the stuff wasn't done. The roof wasn't patched the entertainment slide wasn't adjusted so the outside wiper would hit the slide and there was still salt and rust all over the frame. I pointed these things out and they said they hadn't figured out what to do about the salt and rust and just missed the rest. Well it was all on the work order they just closed. They told me to make an apointment to bring it back in the future and they would have it figured out. I said it isn't leaving here untill everything is done. so 3 weeks later after many unreturned phone calls I finally got ahold of them and they said it was done. So I went down to check it out they had removed the underbelly and sanded the frame reprimered it and painted it. They put on a new underbelly also. That part looks good. I checked the roof where there were 3 little rips that were there when we bought it. They had put some sealer on them then they told me the only good way to do it was replace the roof or secondly put patches on those spots. I asked why they didn't at least patch it and they said they didn't have the patch material and would have to order it so it would have delayed me. What dealer would not carry epdm patch material these days. My question on this is the sealer good enough? would the patches be good enough or should I push for a new roof. This is a new unit. Ok on to the slide out it hadn't been touched even though they said they did it. I told them about it and they said I will get a mechanic out here because we need to get this out of here. The Mechanic came out and adjusted it and it is fine. After looking around I saw a scrape in my door side feder well 1/8" by about 3 inches and a dent about 4 by 10 inches on the lower portion of the sheet metal near the back on the side. They said they had noticed it but didn't mention it to me or do anything about it. Makes me wonder what they do with these things to cause that damage while it is in there. I waxed the whole thing before I took it in so I knew what it was like before it got there. They said they would order a new fender skirt and a new piece of sheet metal and that it would take a couple of weeks to get. at least they say they are going to repair that. Well the BH was filthy with dirty water spots on the sides it was a mess. So I washed the roof and the rest of it and found a lot of black overspray on it. So I proceeded to remove the overspray and wax out the dity water spots. All of that was a full days work. Everything else is working good now. So now I just have to get the Body work done and figure out what to do about the roof. Anyone have experience or suggestions on the roof. I love my big horn just will be glad when this is over.

Greg

 

[jmgratz]

I had a rip on the roof of my Alfa (my fault) and I got the edpm patch and patched it myself. When I sold the Alfa 5 years later it was still fine with no leak. It is your unit so do what you think is best. I just wanted to tell you how I dealt with a rip in the roof. (the rip was about 10 inches long.)

 

[davelinde]

We began our purchase process with a local dealer who seemed very responsive while we were in the showroom but couldn't manage to communicate via e-mail, fax or the phone. We managed to get to the point of placing an order and when they sent the contract I did a review and e-mailed them a list of 12 questions. After a day I called and they said it was hard for them to print e-mail to read the questions... so I FAX'd them. After a day I called and was told they were really swamped with customers and would call me at the end of the day. After another day I called and was told that I asked a LOT of questions and they needed to investigate some before answering.

A week after I asked the questions I told them I would not be signing a contract with them. I ended up buying from a national on-line dealer who was VERY responsive and helpful. AND I saved several thousand dollars.

 

[major]

R.V. Dealers

Anyone close to the state of Missouri or liviing in the Show- Me State, that is shoping for a new or used R.V. .Should vist Beilstein Camper Sales in LaGrange, Mo. My wife and I traded for a RL3300 Big Country with them. There Sale team is the best I have found to work with and there service dept exceed the best of them all . On A scale of 1 to10, with 10 being the the best , I would have to give them a 15. I live approx. 70 miles from LaGrange and there are several dealers A lot closer, But I found it well worth going the extra miles.
Major!!!!!!!

 

[davidalison]

It definitely pays to shop around. We shopped online and actually drove 1,000 miles (in August) to the Chicago area to purchase our new Big Country (a 4-day road trip with 2 teenage girls). Our local dealer - 10 miles away - wouldn't budge on price. And he kindly said he would not service another dealer's rig. If you like the product, then don't give up because of the "used car salesman" mentality. This is the 2nd time we have purchased out of state and would recommend it to all.

 

[BillandKathy]

We were assured the TT would be at the dealer by Fri Aug. 28th. The trailer never showed up on Fri. Aug. 28th or Sat. the 29th. We were told it was supposed to have been shipped but no one knew where it was. It finally showed up at the dealer on Tue. Sept. 2nd after the holiday weekend needing another mattress. We decided we didn’t want that particular unit and started looking again.

We went to the Hershey RV Show on the 10th, and after getting a good look at several TT’s returned to the Heartland site and put a deposit on a North Trail 21FBS. The dealer is in South Central PA. Now we’re waiting for the trailer to arrive at the dealer, hoping we can get a few trips in before Thanksgiving.

While there we met Mike Mcreech, Bryan Walczak (who we had talked to on the phone), Chad Martin ( a new sales rep) and Dan Saltzgiver (owner of Reicharts Camping Center). All were helpful and part of the reason we bought the NT 21FBS.

 

[Hart]

Just wanted to encourage you to be patient while waiting for your North Trail.
You have ordered the better product!! Just purchased North Trail after looking at many units. Previously owned a Jayco unit which was a total disaster. The company reputation has gone way downhill & their customer service folks are not at all helpful. We had to involve a state atty. general's office to resolve our problems with them. The North Trail will be worth waiting for!! So glad you did not go for the Jayco. The fit and finish on ours is far superior to Jayco and better than Trail Lite which we just traded. (An 08 Trail Lite we saw was not put together as well as our '03.)
Good luck & sorry you've had a rough start!

 

[azbound]

I read it stressed over and over on this and other forums, the dealer is extremely important. You need to find a dealer that instills confidence. I would hate to see you settle for something else because of a poor dealer. I would keep looking for a good Heartland dealer. You may find a heartland dealer that doesn't normally deal with the North Trail line that may be able to order one for you. Find out who the Heartland Rep. is in your area he can be a great help.

Good Hunting