Heartland's Warranty is questionable

[Bogger]

I have been using e-mails because the dealer is still "involved", or at least he makes it sound as if he is still dealing with Heartland. So, my e-mails can be sent to both parties in hopes of getting things done. My issues are not even big. I could easily afford to just get it fixed and be done with it, but if that is what ends up happening, I can tell you I will be one very unsatisfied customer. Heartland is offering to pay for half of our repair, with us covering the other half. The dealer says he is trying to work it out with Heartland to cover the whole cost. I am not in a huge hurry because we are still using it and will be until early November. So, I have been patiently waiting for the dealer to come up with answers. There are other minor issues that I have not even yet discussed with Heartland that the dealer has agreed to take care of.

I am probably in the minority in not getting complete satisfaction from them, but I honestly think it is 100% their responsibility to take care of our bumper issue, and anything less than that is going to leave a bad taste in my mouth.

Thanks for all of your insight and suggestions on how to get things done. It really is appreciated.

 

[Bobby A]

To all:

As a product manager at Heartland RV I would like to expound on some of the questions and comments of this blog.

1) In my 13 years of doing business in the wholesale side of the RV business I have always taken care of customers to the fullest extent that I could, this may come to a surprise but not all instances can be handled to suffice the customer, albeit most cases do, however there are some items that we as a manufacture can not take care of.

2) It is better treating people the way YOU would want to be treated. The people that ask for help or talk about things will always be thought of as 1st priority and probably will be treated more than fairly. Those that start by yelling will always cause the other person to fight back or put a wall up.

3) This may come as another surprise but I have been involved in many cases that you the retail customers have called me and said we are not responding to the dealers calls and emails....guess what.....after further investigation I almost always find out majority of the time we have never recieved a call or email from the dealership.

Finally, I am not saying that our products or customer service is a 100% all of the time, but my and most everyone would say that Heartland truly cares about our customers and treats them VERY fairly. How many other companies have a owners forum and are getting responses from the product managers of different brands?

Heartland has grown extremely fast and that is due to our attention to detail listening to our customers needs as well as taking care of our "family members"!

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Kevin Finn
Product Manager
Bighorn/Landmark

Thanks Kevin, hopefully that will clear up some things for those skeptics.

 

[RVerFulltime]

Heartland Called Today

Chris from Heartland called me today (Oct 14) in regards to the SLAM DOORS. Just as the dealer told me, Chris from Heartland said on the phone today that they prefer the customer to call Heartland before the customer goes to the dealer for warranty work. Then Chris told me that there are FIVE people in the office to handle these calls. I am even more baffled at the concept of Heartland wanting every customer to call Heartland about warranty work before the customer goes to the dealer.

Maybe this is a new Heartland policy? I do not know. But for future reference, if anyone out there needs warranty work done on their unit, call Heartland first before your go to the dealer.

Back to the conversation with Chris. He asked about the SLAM DOORS. I told him the outside metal skin is separating from the door. By my definition, this is a manufacturer defect. Then I asked him about the other warranty issues on our RV and Chris was not aware of them but said Heartland would find out what other defects the Dealer had on the list.

We really just want the warranty defects fixed. Overall the fifth wheel is well built (that's why we went with Heartland for the stronger structure) but we just have these few minor details that need fixed. Please Heartland, if you are reading this forum, then we would appreciate if you would warranty our manufacturer defects in a timely manner.

Ted

 

[KENNY COCHRAN]

Glad you are getting some action on your rv.
The slam doors are a given, they were designed wrong from the start and they have been replacing them on the early 2010 models. They will take care of you!

 

[iefpro01]

I have to say that in my experience Heartland will do what is right in the end. It may take a little negotiation, and patience.

We purchased a 2007 Bighorn, which in the first year of ownership was in the shop for warranty work for 9+ of the 12 months. There were many-many problems, but the predominate one was the frame was warped.

While there seemed to be a lot of wrangling between the dealer, heartland and the frame manufacturer, Heartland in the end did make it right. They allowed us to order a brand new 2009 model with our specifications and replaced the lemon unit.

Now of course this short note makes it sound like it was easy – let me say it was not. We missed a lot of vacation time and planned trips in 2008 because of the issues. At one point there was even insinuation that it was my fault; that I did not know how to level the trailer correctly and offered to “teach” me how to level the trailer. As a 20+ RV owner who has owned a class C, a Bus and two fifth wheels prior to this purchase, well you can imagine that did not sit well….

But we kept our cool, kept accurate records, talked to a lawyer and made sure we understood fully what our rights were; in the end Heartland came through in a big way. We realized that Heartland is in business to make a profit, they are human and make mistakes, we are human and we make mistakes – lol.

So in summary; keep good records, understand your rights, be kind and patient with everyone you deal with, in the end this recipe will get you what you should get. Heartland will come through for you, but they will not just roll over and play dead...

Oh BTW the same dealer that was involved with the first unit, who blamed most of the issues on Heartland, well we had some minor issues with the new trailer that required warranty work. The dealer made us make an appointment for when we could bring in our trailer, then 8 weeks later we finally was able to pick it up. A very familiar excuse was used, we are waiting on Heartland to respond… LOL…

 

[FennerJ]

Let me clarify what phone calls we want coming into Heartland. Our team is set up to aid the dealers in the repairs and paying for these repairs to be completed. We do field calls from retail customers when the retail feels as though they are not getting satisfaction from the dealer. We cannot field calls from all of our retail customers, which is what our dealer network and the service centers at their facilities are for. It is always recommended to work through your dealer first.

Jim Fenner

 

[AL KADEY]

This is our 2nd Bighorn, the first one (2006 BH 3600RL) was a previous- owned unit and did not qualify for manufacture warranty, and there were some issues I had to deal with myself, and my calls to c/s (Jim Fenner) were always helpful, even though there was no warrenty the e-mail and phone calls were answered promptly. I bought a bill of goods from the dealer( not a Heartland dealer) as to previous type and amount of use, reason for unit being traded in, etc etc.
Had to replace the trailer 18 months later as the 06 was stolen, damaged to the extent it was written off by insurance company, and decided to go with a 2009 3670RL from a Heartland dealer and have had a few minor problems but EVERY ONE handled promtly, ready when promised, and with one exception, to my satisfaction. That problem was resolved with a return trip. The dealer even replaced the 1/2 time oven due to scratches THEY noticed on pdi that WE had not noticed until our first trip.We were informed upon our return that the replacement 1/2 time oven was in and would be replaced at our convenience.I guess we are fortunate to have a good dealer, and Heartland approved all our request without delay. I,for one am, satisfied with Heartland c/s.

 

[RVerFulltime]

An update on the warranty issues we have. According to Desert Coach RV in St George, UT, Heartland has authorized the parts and labor on the different issues. The bulk of the parts were ordered and are suppose to be here approximately Nov 2, 2009. The dealer did on Oct 12, take our Sealand 210 toilet out of the RV and said they fixed it. The toilet did not hold water. Well, the fix lasted one day probably because the dealer put a bunch of grease around the seal to keep the water in the bowl. After the grease wore off, the water leaked out of the bowl. I decided I should call Sealand (800-321-9886) and ask why we are having problems with a new toilet. WOW! I was surprised. Sherly (I may have her name misspelled) finish my sentence with the problem we are having as soon as I told her what model we have. She then said Sealand put in a bad seal and she would be happy to send out a new one - NO questions asked. Now I am at the point that Desert Coach RV probably warranty charged Heartland for repairing the toilet but failed to repair it and I have to repair it myself. Lori and I both are hoping that the rest of the warranty work that Heartland is going to pay for will be done correctly by Desert Coach RV.

Ted

 

[mrcomer]

Ted,
Good to hear Heartland is getting your warranty issues addressed. As for your dealer not properly repairing the item regardless of whether or not they get paid from Heartland you should make sure you get what you want. If they do a poor job then let them know so they have a chance to make it right. I would tell them about your particular issue with the toilet, what you have done to fix it and hand them the repair kit when you get it. I personally do not care who pays for what, the repairs better be done correctly, period. If the dealer did get reimbursed from Heartland on a poorly repaired toilet and the dealer refuses to make it right, then I would definitely call Heartland directly and let them know. Heartland unfortunately has to "trust" the dealerships with warranty items and I can absolutely see Heartlands side on this. I really hope everything works out for you but I would keep on those service guys to make sure everything is done to your satisfaction.

Good luck,
Mark

 

[kkamshop]

Ted, your experience shows why it is a good idea to contact the manufacturer of the problem component rather than Heartland first.

The numbers are posted in the closet or somewhere near the entry.

 

[RVerFulltime]

Warranty Parts are in Limbo

It was back on October 12 when we took the Big Horn in for warranty repairs. It is now November 2 and Heartland has not shipped the warranty parts. From the conversation today, Heartland still is not sure when they will ship the warranty parts to the dealer.

As we think back over the last 3 weeks of waiting for warranty work to be performed we realized that we should have micro-managed this whole situation. It is probably our fault for NOT calling Heartland everyday to make sure that the parts are being shipped out in a timely fashion. We now realize that letting the dealer and Heartland schedule the warranty work was the WRONG way to handle the situation. We suppose that we will need to call Heartland on a daily basis until the warranty work is completed. We can't believe we have to micro-manage a large Company such as Heartland, but if we want the warranty work completed obviously this is what we have to do. For those that need warranty work, be sure to call Heartland on a regular basis until the warranty work is completed.

When we had to have a new rearend put in our GM Pick-Up under warranty, the dealer had the new parts the next day. When we need a part for the Freightliner, the dealer has the part in the next day or two. But when we need parts from Heartland, it takes over a month to get them? WOW!!!!

 

[biggziff]

Ted, your experience shows why it is a good idea to contact the manufacturer of the problem component rather than Heartland first.

The numbers are posted in the closet or somewhere near the entry.

I'm confused by your statement. When the ABS system or radio in an automobile fail are we expected to call Bosch or Delphi?

 

[jbeletti]

I'm confused by your statement. When the ABS system or radio in an automobile fail are we expected to call Bosch or Delphi?

biggziff,

With a decent RV dealer, the RV owner usually "does not" have to bird dog them to ensure parts get ordered and work gets done timely. But like some auto dealers, some are better than others in terms of their service department.

In terms of comparing the RV industry to the auto industry as it relates to an occasional contact with an OEM supplier - yes, the industries are a bit different in this regard.

In my personal opinion, if the RV dealer to RV manufacturer relationship was the same as the auto dealer to auto manufacturer relationship, then the two industries would operate in a more similar manner. Since these relationships are only vaguely similar, they do not operate in a similar manner.

I am moving this thread out of the ATF as the OP, RVerFulltime has been given the answer to his question on a phone number he can call to scream at someone.

Jim

 

[jmgratz]

It was my experience that a dealer (who shall remain unnamed) told me they had ordered a warrantied part from Heartland (this occurred over a year ago). After 3 weeks the dealer told me they had not received the ordered part. After 4 weeks they told me the same story. I then called Heartland parts and was told by Susan in parts they had never received an order for my RV. I then personally went to the dealer and they told me in person they ordered the part. I asked how they ordered it and was told they faxed the order to Heartland and showed me a copy of the faxed order. I asked if they followed up the fax with a phone call to confirm the fax was received and was told they did not have time to do that. When I told them Heartland did not have the order they acted surprised and faxed the order to Heartland again while I stood there. I requested they call Heartland to confirm the receipt of the fax. When she called Heartland she was told the faxed order was not received again. She then faxed it 2 more times while on the phone and they finally received it. Now I am not blaming the Heartland for not receiving the fax or the dealer for not sending the fax. What I tried to do is use my experience as a learning opportunity for the dealer. Just because you fax something does not mean it was received. Much like emails sent and not received you do not know if it is received on the other end if you do not follow it up with a telephone call. It is simply good business practice.

Sorry this is long but maybe that is what happened in your case. Moral - If a dealer tells you a part has been ordered and some time has passed without the dealer receiving it, make a call to Heartland Parts to see if in fact the order was received by Heartland. If it has then find out if the part is on back order and when the estimated shipping date (etd) is. Then follow up again on that etd.

 

[Heartland Service]

I wanted to provide some facts since there has been a lot of speculation posted. Desert Coach faxed the parts order into Heartland Service on October 13th. A purchase order was placed with Mor Ryde on October 16th for delivery on October 28th. Mor Ryde back ordered the 4 doors and bundled them with current production orders. This is a normal occurence since they are not set up to build one or two of a specific size door at a time. Mor Ryde is scheduled to deliver the doors by November 6th and they will ship the same day as long as they are received before 3pm EST. We apologize for the length of time it has taken to get this order processed but it will receive special attention the moment the parts arrive.

 

[DMitch]

Heartland Service provides a perfectly resonable explanation for any delay that may have occured. My guess is, that if this information was passed along to the customer as soon as it was available there would not have been a problem. Sometimes, just that extra 10-15 minutes it takes to communicate is well worth the time.

 

[wdk450]

Regarding FAX machines

Jim Gratz:
I am really perplexed as to what happened in this particular FAX transmission. From my experience in electronics I know that FAX transmissions involve electronic communication "handshakes" in which the transmitting instrument asks the receiving instrument "are you ready to recieve a FAX?" (if not, the transmitting unit does not send data), "did you receive that block of data correctly?" (if not, the block of data is resent), "did you receive the entire transmission?" (if not, a transmission failure should be indicated at the sending unit). A FAX will not be sent if the receiving instrument is out of paper due to these handshakes.
A sending FAX machine should indicate that the receiving unit has received the entire signal by spitting out your original, and indicating FAX transmission successfully completed.

 

[bill40]

You are correct Bill they should receive a report from the receiving machine a that it was received

 

[JohnDar]

And I do believe you can turn off the confirmation print function in order to save wasting paper/ink. The digital display may indicate sent or error, but if no one's there to see it, who knows?