Is it a Heartland issue or a dealer issue? I'm getting conflicting messages.

[mrendahl]

We were super excited to pick up our 2011 Road Warrior 405 last Friday. Before our purchase, we noticed a couple of "issues", which we asked the dealer to remedy. However, as we did our PDI walk-through on our day of purchase, our list of concerns got longer. This is where we started to question if our dealer was ethical and telling us the truth or if perhaps we should question the quality of the Heartland products and the customer service we should come to expect.

1. The awning was broken when we originally looked at the coach and the dealer replaced it with what they state is the exact same awning. I am curious who the original manufacturer is of the awning that came on the coach to verify this.
2. Along with that, on the day of our walk through our hydraulic jack switch was removed and being replaced, as they stated it was faulty coming from the Heartland. Even though we saw that it had been moved four times on the lot with no issue.
3. We had some off brand television, not the Sharp Aquos 32” that we had seen in other RW products. When we pointed this out, the dealer argued that it was a 32” TV that came with the coach and it should not matter. When they realized we would not sign without the TV we expected, they did a due on sale to include the Sharp TV (which we have yet to receive). <O</O
4. We were also told by the dealer that the iPod option on the Jensen stereo was us buying an AUX cord and plugging into the front headphone jack (which by the way will not allow you to run the iPod through the stereo, so it is not really iPod ready as advertised). It wasn’t until we got home and removed the stereo from the entertainment center that we found the iPod cable to which you plug in your iPod to work it from the console. The dealer stated that is how the coaches come, which seems odd if Heartland advertises the iPod ready system, yet you have to take the stereo out to even reach the cord.
5. We were told that the coach comes with a 50-30 amp converter, which was not the case. Our dealer stated that is what the Heartland rep originally told her, so they must have been wrong.
6. We had no ladder for the rear electric queen beds in the garage. We were first told it did not come with one. Seeing how that did not make any sense, our rep grabbed a ladder from SOB coach and gave it to us. Once we were home, the ladder was much longer than what we needed when the bed was in its lowest position and created a 50-degree angle to climb up, which dug the top of the ladder into the side of the bed. It was also very dangerous for a child to climb as you were not climbing upward. Would love to know if anyone else had this issue and if someone could confirm the color/length of the ladder they received with their coach.
7. We were told our PDI price included the purchase of the 12V battery in our coach, yet other marketing material for Heartland shows that the battery is included. Did they just jack up the PDI price to make it look like we were getting something we were not?
8. We were told our 2011 405RW would have an LP quick connect on our coach, again based on what our rep said the Heartland rep said, yet this was not on our coach.
9. The black “whip” antenna (which I believe was for the radio) was on the coach when we purchased it, yet when we got home it was no longer there. The dealer states that no coach has a black antenna near the rear garage door. They stated that they checked the ones on the lot and none of them has this. Do they think we made this up to get something that wasn’t there? When we are on the roof, we can see the base where something has clearly broken off. Can anyone confirm what that antenna is so I can properly describe it to the dealer for replacement?
10. Our garage and main door deadbolt locks do not fully engage into the frame. They only turn about 90%, so you do not have a full extension of the lock. I assume this is a manufacturing issue, which I hope will be resolved.
11. On our sofa, one of our armrests has a cup holder in the center of it and it has been covered over with fabric. When you go to use this armrest, your arm sinks into the hole and will eventually cause a tear in the fabric that covers it. This seems to be a manufacturer defect, yet our dealer states that Heartland will not replace the armrest as we accepted it as is. Why would all of the armrests in our coach be either cup holders or normal armrests…yet the But I one that is defective we are told is our issue to live with? Again, is this what we should expect as service from Heartland for such a simple thing to remedy?

I’m not trying to bag on either Heartland or the dealership, however some things just don’t make sense and I’m not certain if others have run into this issue with Heartland, or if we just have someone that is making Heartland look bad. I would appreciate any feedback on some of our issues to help us determine if we need to pursue these items more directly with the dealer versus them telling us it is a Heartland issue.
<O</O
<O
Thanks in advance!<O</O
<O
Cheryl & Mark<O</O
2011 405 Road Warrior<O</O

 

[SouthernNights]

That is quite a list of issues.
I am not familiar with the specific options on the RW but a few of the things such as a ladder for the bunk beds, the TV, and the whip antenna sound very much like a "snow job".

What would have been the first red flag is the dealer charging for a PDI.

I dont belive the battery is included from HL but a dealer installed item.

The sofa cup holder sounds like a Flair (or whoever the manufacturer is) problem, but it should have been caught at the HL factory.

The door locks I would put squarley on HL. But the dealer should have found it and corrected it before you ever knew about.

But again, the dealer charged for the PDI? I dont buy trailers everyday, but I would think that would be a "service" provided by the dealer for the oppurtunity you provided to him by purchasing a trailer from him. If he wants to charge you for a battery, fine, then call it that. The trailers I have bought, there has always been a "starter kit" included. It consisted of a battery, a sewer hose, fire extinguser, etc.
I am sure I paid for it in the trailer price, but it's nice to see "free" on the invoice.

 

[Bobby A]

Call Heartland Customer service and explain every issue you have mentioned above, they are dedicated to make the customer happy, if your getting a snow job by your dealer, Heartland will get to the bottom of it.

 

[mrendahl]

We tried to research dealers charging for the PDI, but nobody seems to disclose that from a dealership standpoint. The PDI was $695 (which we were taxed on at 8.25%). Their justification for the charge is that they install the battery, give you a battery box, clean the coach and fill both propane tanks. Of course they didn't mention it to us until we were sitting down signing the paperwork. It is sad that a poor transaction such as this can really take the excitement out of the new purchase.

 

[Yianni]

I have heard some dealers charge for a pdi, and if that were the case, they would not be my dealer. Since you are in Ca, would you care to disclose the dealer name?
I can help you with the ipod setup. The stereo is ready but you need to buy and extension cable for the back of the radio. Here is the link http://www.jensenrvdirect.com/ I called the number for Jensen on the homepage and they gave me this link and a discount code for 15% off. Give them a call. On the website, click on accessories and you will see 1 ft. or 12 ft. extensions and also a "pocket" you can mount to plug your ipod in and hold the ipod. This will also charge your ipod or phone. I bought both and will install soon.
We have a Cyclone 3010 and it did not come with a ladder.
All the items you mentioned are fixable. Enjoy your new RW. We really enjoy our Cyclone.

 

[mrcomer]

I am sorry to hear of your issues. Unfortunately your dealer is not making this a great experience for you. Base on what you have told us I do believe your dealer is not stepping up to the plate for their customer. They have their money and no longer want to deal with you. You may want to call Heartland dealer services, calmly explain your situation and see what kind of help you can get. As for the couch armrest with cup holder issue, this can be and will be resolved somehow. You have a 90 day cosmetic type warranty for these type ittems. Actually seeing how this is really a defect yuo should be able to get it fixed regardless of the time period. As for items not as shown in a pamphlet well you may just be out of luck as Heartland can change this at anytime. Batteries are always put in by the dealer. They do not come from Heartland.

Good luck,
Mark

 

[jimtoo]

Hi Mark and Cheryl,

After reading your post, I would suggest you call Heartland Customer Service, 877-262-8032 / 574-262-8030, and explain your problems. In my opinion you did not get a proper PDI and you accepted the trailer. The problems you have posted should have been resolved before you took delivery by your dealer.

Jim M

 

[vangoes]

IMHO any dealer that tries to slip in a charge for a PDI at closing is untrustworthy..........the same as a car dealer trying to slip in those "Prep fees" at signing. In all cases I will walk away from the deal!

 

[Jellystone]

Mrendahl,

I hate to hear of your problems. We have the 2010 RW. Here is my take on your issues- #1-Carefree brand power awning on ours. #2-Jack switch is dealer problem to fix. #3-Ours came w/Jensen 32" tv #4-I pod is a input jack to use. #5-We have 75 amp convertor. #6-No ladder came in ours. #7-Battery missing-Dealer issue. #8-No LP, but not option on 2010 models. #9-Ours has whip antennae-Dealer issue to replace broken one. #10-Door deadbolt-Heartland qc issue, but dealer must fix. #11-Armrest-Heartland qc-Dealer/Heartland must fix or ship new ones.----Anyhow, I really do understand your frustration because these units are not cheap ($$$$$). Also, i'm not harping on you but, you should have not accepted the trailer from the dealer w/those issues. A proper PDI could have found almost all of those. Call Mike A. at Heartland's toy hauler division & let him know whats going on and he will surely get the ball rolling to satisfy the deficiencies on your unit. Let us know the outcome.

 

[westxsrt10]

Did you know there was a $695 charge for the PDI when you bought the unit?
If a dealer tried that move on me all they would see is a cloud of blue tire smoke!

 

[Bob&Patty]

Mark Im a little confused about this. $695.00 to install a $40.00 battery, vacumn out the coach, and give the 5ct tour? I think I read here on the forum that HL in the 2011 coachs are installing a battery at the factory. You might also check to see if HL pays the dealer to clean the coach, fill the propane tanks and so forth. I know that car dealers are payed by the factory to PDI their cars and fill them with gas at delivery. Maybe someone from HL will chime in here on your thread. Hate to see people get ripped off. Bob

 

[wdk450]

Regarding item #2: Most dealers move 5th wheels and ball hitch trailers around their lots using fork lifts with a modified fork to fit the hitch pin/ball. They don't need to retract the landing gear each time this way.

Regarding item #5: A 50 amp to 30 amp adapter plug can be bought at Wal-Mart for about $10.

I didn't recall us having to pay for the PDI, but the dealer did install 2 batteries, and filled the propane tanks. Included in my fixed price deal (tax and dealer charges included) was a 5th wheel hitch and brake controller for my truck.

We were super excited to pick up our 2011 Road Warrior 405 last Friday. Before our purchase, we noticed a couple of "issues", which we asked the dealer to remedy. However, as we did our PDI walk-through on our day of purchase, our list of concerns got longer. This is where we started to question if our dealer was ethical and telling us the truth or if perhaps we should question the quality of the Heartland products and the customer service we should come to expect.

1. The awning was broken when we originally looked at the coach and the dealer replaced it with what they state is the exact same awning. I am curious who the original manufacturer is of the awning that came on the coach to verify this.
2. Along with that, on the day of our walk through our hydraulic jack switch was removed and being replaced, as they stated it was faulty coming from the Heartland. Even though we saw that it had been moved four times on the lot with no issue.
3. We had some off brand television, not the Sharp Aquos 32” that we had seen in other RW products. When we pointed this out, the dealer argued that it was a 32” TV that came with the coach and it should not matter. When they realized we would not sign without the TV we expected, they did a due on sale to include the Sharp TV (which we have yet to receive). <O</O
4. We were also told by the dealer that the iPod option on the Jensen stereo was us buying an AUX cord and plugging into the front headphone jack (which by the way will not allow you to run the iPod through the stereo, so it is not really iPod ready as advertised). It wasn’t until we got home and removed the stereo from the entertainment center that we found the iPod cable to which you plug in your iPod to work it from the console. The dealer stated that is how the coaches come, which seems odd if Heartland advertises the iPod ready system, yet you have to take the stereo out to even reach the cord.
5. We were told that the coach comes with a 50-30 amp converter, which was not the case. Our dealer stated that is what the Heartland rep originally told her, so they must have been wrong.
6. We had no ladder for the rear electric queen beds in the garage. We were first told it did not come with one. Seeing how that did not make any sense, our rep grabbed a ladder from SOB coach and gave it to us. Once we were home, the ladder was much longer than what we needed when the bed was in its lowest position and created a 50-degree angle to climb up, which dug the top of the ladder into the side of the bed. It was also very dangerous for a child to climb as you were not climbing upward. Would love to know if anyone else had this issue and if someone could confirm the color/length of the ladder they received with their coach.
7. We were told our PDI price included the purchase of the 12V battery in our coach, yet other marketing material for Heartland shows that the battery is included. Did they just jack up the PDI price to make it look like we were getting something we were not?
8. We were told our 2011 405RW would have an LP quick connect on our coach, again based on what our rep said the Heartland rep said, yet this was not on our coach.
9. The black “whip” antenna (which I believe was for the radio) was on the coach when we purchased it, yet when we got home it was no longer there. The dealer states that no coach has a black antenna near the rear garage door. They stated that they checked the ones on the lot and none of them has this. Do they think we made this up to get something that wasn’t there? When we are on the roof, we can see the base where something has clearly broken off. Can anyone confirm what that antenna is so I can properly describe it to the dealer for replacement?
10. Our garage and main door deadbolt locks do not fully engage into the frame. They only turn about 90%, so you do not have a full extension of the lock. I assume this is a manufacturing issue, which I hope will be resolved.
11. On our sofa, one of our armrests has a cup holder in the center of it and it has been covered over with fabric. When you go to use this armrest, your arm sinks into the hole and will eventually cause a tear in the fabric that covers it. This seems to be a manufacturer defect, yet our dealer states that Heartland will not replace the armrest as we accepted it as is. Why would all of the armrests in our coach be either cup holders or normal armrests…yet the But I one that is defective we are told is our issue to live with? Again, is this what we should expect as service from Heartland for such a simple thing to remedy?

I’m not trying to bag on either Heartland or the dealership, however some things just don’t make sense and I’m not certain if others have run into this issue with Heartland, or if we just have someone that is making Heartland look bad. I would appreciate any feedback on some of our issues to help us determine if we need to pursue these items more directly with the dealer versus them telling us it is a Heartland issue.
<O</O
<O
Thanks in advance!<O</O
<O
Cheryl & Mark<O</O
2011 405 Road Warrior<O</O

 

[JohnDar]

I had a similar problem with the dead bolt on our entry door as your Item #10. Fixed it myself by drilling a hole into the framing member so the dead bolt could extend securely. But that is something that should have been caught at the factory. That and hiding broken trim by mounting the fire extinguisher over it. Fixed that, too.

 

[mrendahl]

Mark Im a little confused about this. $695.00 to install a $40.00 battery, vacumn out the coach, and give the 5ct tour? I think I read here on the forum that HL in the 2011 coachs are installing a battery at the factory.

Exactly our point!! We saw that in 2011 models HL was including the battery from the factory, but our dealer keeps telling us that is not the case for this particular 2011. They state HL changes what they do with their coaches with each release. Normally we wouldn't have paid the PDI fee, but through our four weeks of looking at coaches, there were very few dealers that carried the HL toy haulers, yet alone, had any in stock. Had we had the time to wait for one to be ordered, we would have purchased from our local dealer in Simi and avoided a lot of this headache.

 

[mrendahl]

Mrendahl,

I hate to hear of your problems. We have the 2010 RW. Here is my take on your issues- #1-Carefree brand power awning on ours. #2-Jack switch is dealer problem to fix. #3-Ours came w/Jensen 32" tv #4-I pod is a input jack to use. #5-We have 75 amp convertor. #6-No ladder came in ours. #7-Battery missing-Dealer issue. #8-No LP, but not option on 2010 models. #9-Ours has whip antennae-Dealer issue to replace broken one. #10-Door deadbolt-Heartland qc issue, but dealer must fix. #11-Armrest-Heartland qc-Dealer/Heartland must fix or ship new ones.----Anyhow, I really do understand your frustration because these units are not cheap ($$$$$). Also, i'm not harping on you but, you should have not accepted the trailer from the dealer w/those issues. A proper PDI could have found almost all of those. Call Mike A. at Heartland's toy hauler division & let him know whats going on and he will surely get the ball rolling to satisfy the deficiencies on your unit. Let us know the outcome.

Thanks on confirming the awning brand. They did replace with a Carefree, so I feel better about that. They have "fixed" the jack switch, but I certainly don't hope we have future issues with it. That is one component you don't want to fail. When you say no ladder came with your coach, is that for your rear queen bunk beds? We have two and it seems awfully high for someone to get into the second bunk without a ladder.

We thought we had covered all the issues during our PDI, but some of them we didn't find until we were home and using the coach. Thanks for the suggestion on reaching out to Mike A. I will keep you posted.

 

[mrendahl]

Thank you ALL!! While our purchase transaction hasn't been all that great, getting feedback and prompt responses from all of you has been a sense of relief. We have put a call into Mike A. in the toyhauler division, so hopefully he will be able to assist with our few remaining items.

We figured out the iPod thing, but were bummed to learn that the Jensen cord doesn't support the newer iPods. Only one out of our five iPods will work with the cord to allow control through the stereo/remote. Figure we will just have to connect through the AUX port and manually change things no our iPod instead of the stereo unit. This was a helpful document to see if your iPod is compatible - http://www.asaelectronics.com/techpdf/TBJENiPOD0908-003.pdf

And for those of you wondering, while I don't typically speak poorly of places I do business with, I certainly wouldn't recommend McMahon's RV in southern California. I wish we could have found another dealer that had the same product so we wouldn't have had to deal with them.

 

[jbeletti]

Heartland has supplied a single 12 volt battery for each coach that has hydraulic landing gear. In the past, this was only Landmark. With the 2011 model year, this now also includes Bighorn and Cyclone.

Jim

 

[Jellystone]

Mrendahl, to clarify the ladder topic, yes I am talking about the ladder for the electric queen beds in the garage. Ours did not come w/one from the factory but our dealer told us this up front when we inquired about it during initial viewing of the coach. We thought it strange also at first because our previous toyhauler (Weekend Warrior) came with a ladder from the factory for the queen bunks in that unit.

We bought a nice foldup 3 step ladder that locks securely in place when opened up. It has wide steps w/rubber grip covering. It is actually safer and more sturdy than a typical RV bunk ladder.