I just need to rant. And give a shout out. I bought my new Heartland Pioneer travel trailer in May from Camping World of Kingston. The kids and I took it out on a few short overnight trips, not long enough to really find out all the issues with the camper.
The first thing I noticed was that the water heater didn’t work on propane—only electric. I checked the fuse on the electric ignitor and it was fine, but there was no spark in the tube. I thought, “Okay, fine. It’s a small glitch, but I still have hot water via electric. I’ll get it taken care of down the road.
In the beginning of August, I secured a seasonal campsite for the camper at Waubeeka Family Campground in Copake (pro ratedas we were over halfway through the season). We had never used the refrigerator as we were never really camping long enough for it to cool down, but now on the permanent site, I discovered the main fridge didn’t work! The little mini fridge in the outdoor kitchen worked, and I still had an ice chest, so again I didn’t jump on it.
A couple weeks later, the kids and I were spending the weekend at the camper. Anna said she was going in the shower, so I decided to drive the golf cart over to the bath house rather than waiting. I had just gotten lathered up when I heard a banging on the bathhouse door. Anna was yelling that I need to come quickly. I rinsed off, through on my shorts, and ran out. We jumped on the golf cart as she explained that she was in the shower when Markus started yelling that water was running out of the bathroom. It turns out that the PVC part that connects the drain pipe to the tub drain had split in half.
By this point, I have a water heater that doesn’t work on propane, a fridge that doesn’t work on electric nor propane, and a busted tub drain! There were a couple other small issues (loose trim, a GFI series that initially confused me, a small leak in the water hose to the toilet), but these were negligible.
I called Camping World and was informed that I had to bring the camper to them for repairs as they have no mobile repair service. I don’t comprehend how a business of their size wouldn’t have a mobile service. I just paid good money for my site; there was no way I should have to have the camper out of service for the end of the season. They suggested I call the manufacturer, Heartland, as the warranty is through them.
So I called, but they, too, have no mobile repair service. They gave me a couple of names and numbers, and eventually I was referred to Diedrich’s RV Mart, who has a mobile repair service. Melissa (of Diedrich’s) told me that they don’t work with Heartland directly; I would have to pay for services and get reimbursed by the manufacturer.
Heartland informed me they would pay for parts and labor, but not the service calls (eighty bucks a pop). They also needed an estimate which they needed to approve before any repairs were done. I called Melissa and we arranged for a mechanic to go to Waubeeka and work up said estimate. Once she sent it to me, I forwarded it to Heartland.
They informed me that they would only pay for a half hour of labor to repair the drain (I don’t see how that job could be done in thirty minutes based on the pipe’s location and lack of accessibility), and that the servicer would have to contact Dometic (the manufacturer of both the fridge and the water heater) and go through them for payment. And they want a revised estimate.
I called Melissa, quite frankly freaking out at how complicated this was all getting. She was soothing and considerate and assured me that she would talk to her people and help get this sorted out, and she would also call the Heartland rep and begin an email chain so we could work together.
I feel much better after talking to Melissa and hope this all gets sorted out soon, as the campground closes in mid-October. Diedrich’s has been bending over backwards to help me as much as possible. Camping World just passed the buck. Heartland has not been making sure their customer is satisfied nor are they making the process easy.
I know this: the next camper I buy will be from Diedrich’s, and I’m pretty sure it will NOT be made by Heartland.
The first thing I noticed was that the water heater didn’t work on propane—only electric. I checked the fuse on the electric ignitor and it was fine, but there was no spark in the tube. I thought, “Okay, fine. It’s a small glitch, but I still have hot water via electric. I’ll get it taken care of down the road.
In the beginning of August, I secured a seasonal campsite for the camper at Waubeeka Family Campground in Copake (pro ratedas we were over halfway through the season). We had never used the refrigerator as we were never really camping long enough for it to cool down, but now on the permanent site, I discovered the main fridge didn’t work! The little mini fridge in the outdoor kitchen worked, and I still had an ice chest, so again I didn’t jump on it.
A couple weeks later, the kids and I were spending the weekend at the camper. Anna said she was going in the shower, so I decided to drive the golf cart over to the bath house rather than waiting. I had just gotten lathered up when I heard a banging on the bathhouse door. Anna was yelling that I need to come quickly. I rinsed off, through on my shorts, and ran out. We jumped on the golf cart as she explained that she was in the shower when Markus started yelling that water was running out of the bathroom. It turns out that the PVC part that connects the drain pipe to the tub drain had split in half.
By this point, I have a water heater that doesn’t work on propane, a fridge that doesn’t work on electric nor propane, and a busted tub drain! There were a couple other small issues (loose trim, a GFI series that initially confused me, a small leak in the water hose to the toilet), but these were negligible.
I called Camping World and was informed that I had to bring the camper to them for repairs as they have no mobile repair service. I don’t comprehend how a business of their size wouldn’t have a mobile service. I just paid good money for my site; there was no way I should have to have the camper out of service for the end of the season. They suggested I call the manufacturer, Heartland, as the warranty is through them.
So I called, but they, too, have no mobile repair service. They gave me a couple of names and numbers, and eventually I was referred to Diedrich’s RV Mart, who has a mobile repair service. Melissa (of Diedrich’s) told me that they don’t work with Heartland directly; I would have to pay for services and get reimbursed by the manufacturer.
Heartland informed me they would pay for parts and labor, but not the service calls (eighty bucks a pop). They also needed an estimate which they needed to approve before any repairs were done. I called Melissa and we arranged for a mechanic to go to Waubeeka and work up said estimate. Once she sent it to me, I forwarded it to Heartland.
They informed me that they would only pay for a half hour of labor to repair the drain (I don’t see how that job could be done in thirty minutes based on the pipe’s location and lack of accessibility), and that the servicer would have to contact Dometic (the manufacturer of both the fridge and the water heater) and go through them for payment. And they want a revised estimate.
I called Melissa, quite frankly freaking out at how complicated this was all getting. She was soothing and considerate and assured me that she would talk to her people and help get this sorted out, and she would also call the Heartland rep and begin an email chain so we could work together.
I feel much better after talking to Melissa and hope this all gets sorted out soon, as the campground closes in mid-October. Diedrich’s has been bending over backwards to help me as much as possible. Camping World just passed the buck. Heartland has not been making sure their customer is satisfied nor are they making the process easy.
I know this: the next camper I buy will be from Diedrich’s, and I’m pretty sure it will NOT be made by Heartland.
