My disappointment in Heartland

[camr]

His rig was not in the shop for XXX days.....it was in the shop for XXX MONTHS. A quarter of a year!!!! A huge difference!!! Not even close!!!!

 

[RollingHome]

Winsurfer76, I am so sorry for your problems. It sounds like many have dropped the ball. Keep up your fight and I hope you win ! I hope you can store your unit inside somehow, that seems to be the root cause of your problems... Tom

 

[RoadJunkie]

So, when does the "huge" difference take effect? One month? Two Months? Etc. Each circumstance is different and if a person were full-timing should HL pay for lodging during repair? Consumer expectations can go on and on regardless of their commitment at purchase. I think it becomes more about winning, or a feeling of not being cheated, then the actual warranty issue. Which, of course, no one wants to feel like they are being cheated. Money comes hard to most.

 

[Dave012]

So, when does the "huge" difference take effect? One month? Two Months? Etc...

Obviously there are no brightline tests on these issues. But if it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, its probably a duck. In my view, not having your unit for 3 months after 3 days of ownership has crossed a line of reasonableness, and at a minimum means that the OP's disappointment is legitimate. Whether the situation warrants a remedy, and what that remedy is, is another matter.

 

[jmgratz]

Many of us have had the same or similar situations as the OP. In our first 2 months of ownership (8 weeks) our unit was in the shop for 6 of the 8 weeks. The larger issue is how long RV Repair shops take to repair a unit. The purpose of a warranty regardless of what type of product is to give the owner a reasonable amount of time to address issues which may have been overlooked in the manufacturing of that product. If you were to buy a new product and then store it for the first year without use would you expect the 1 year warranty to be extended because you did not use the product. Again, reasonableness would be the issue. I think we can beat this issue to death and never resolve it as everyone has an opinion on it. IMHO the bottom line is how will Heartland treat their customers. It has been my experience they will bend over backwards to make their product right when issues are found. Let's all go out there and enjoy the units we have bought and hold the RV Repair shop 'feet to the fire' so they will get our units repaired and back to us in a reasonable amount of time. 3 months is not reasonable.

 

[BruteForce]

Do u want and extra year for everything that u find wrong the first year? If u find a company that will do that please post thier name!

Kawasaki and Dodge did this for me. My Kawasaki ATV was in service for almost 6 months for a defect that was discovered on my machine. They extended my warranty an extra 6 months. Dodge did the same due to a Turbo issue..

 

[Tankie]

did the dealer not repair your rig as soon as the parts came in or did they let it sit?

 

[lhetsler]

Bottom line, you have to be aggressive with dealers. Don't let them keep your rig while parts are on order. I never do. Yes it means I have to take my rig in and then return it to them when the parts come in, but I get to go camping while they wait for parts. Some dealers are better than others, but some don't seem to have a problem parking your rig for a couple of months while you wait, Take control and don't let them do it. If they tell you it will take 3 weeks to get parts, count on triple that and pick up your rig and enjoy it. If you let them keep it while parts are ordered then I just don't think you get to whine about it.

 

[Tankie]

if I understand it correctly wasn't it tore apart to find the problem?
also do u know how long it sat on dealers lot before u purchased it? I would think they would inspect their inventory for any issues after all they own it until they sell it. mold don't grow over nite and floors don't rot in 1 day.

 

[GETnBYE]

did the dealer not repair your rig as soon as the parts came in or did they let it sit?

Sometimes the dealer does not even order parts for a very long time, they will tell you that they did and that is the delay. +as was my case.
I didn't even know that the parts were not ordered until I spoke with CS.
Please everyone call customer service, don't wait and believe the dealer, call, call call
Like I said above, there are good dealers, but they are few and far between. RV World of GA
Not to get off topic, Winsurfer76, I feel your pain and feel for you and wish you the best.
Was telling hubby about your problems and how it was somewhat like what happened to us. And now, and only now can we say, "that we think maybe all the problems the first year make us appreciate our camping time even more"
Not everyone will be able to understand, but I think most will try.

 

[wdk450]

Bottom line, you have to be aggressive with dealers. Don't let them keep your rig while parts are on order. I never do. Yes it means I have to take my rig in and then return it to them when the parts come in, but I get to go camping while they wait for parts. Some dealers are better than others, but some don't seem to have a problem parking your rig for a couple of months while you wait, Take control and don't let them do it. If they tell you it will take 3 weeks to get parts, count on triple that and pick up your rig and enjoy it. If you let them keep it while parts are ordered then I just don't think you get to whine about it.

This supports my contention that if your dealer service isn't stellar, you should take your rig to an INDEPENDENT RV servicer who doesn't sell RV's. Why? Because their ONLY source of income is from the COMPLETED jobs they do. Your rig sits, they don't make money! Heartland will approve any servicer you desire for warranty work, as long as you contact the Heartland Service department and get prior authorization.

 

[JohnDar]

And nowhere is there mention of having done a thorough PDI before signing the papers and driving away with it. That mold and water damage didn't just sprout up in 3 days. Opening all storage compartments, even removing basement walls, is part of a thorough CUSTOMER inspection before pulling it off the lot.

 

[Dave012]

And nowhere is there mention of having done a thorough PDI before signing the papers and driving away with it. That mold and water damage didn't just sprout up in 3 days. Opening all storage compartments, even removing basement walls, is part of a thorough CUSTOMER inspection before pulling it off the lot.

Really? The customer is to blame? Quality control is the customers responsibility?

I have never spent a day crawling through the many vehicles, houses or the two trailers that I have bought prior to taking possession. There have been other threads were folks have commented that this is necessary, but I think its excessive. Some may have the time to do this, or a dealer who is fine with this, but for most people the PDI process is a matter of an hour or two to familiarize themselves with unit, and do some basic checks. We shouldn't have to open basement walls, check for water leaks, bring a circuit tester or a mold sniffing dog.

I don't think it would be reasonable for any manufacturer to fault the consumer for something that is defective at time of purchase (I'm not suggesting that this is HL's view). Ford's slogan was Quality is Job 1. Imagine if it was "Quality is Job 2", and then in fine print "so you better bring your mechanic when you buy a new vehicle because some of them don't work that well".

To imply that the OP is somehow at fault for not having done a thorough enough PDI seems like you are blaming the victim. I don't think that would be HL's view.

 

[RoadJunkie]

I did not get the impression that "JohnDar" was referring to quality control as the customer's responsibility, but rather the customer--as the end user--should do a comprehensive inspection of the unit prior to acceptance of a unit. Many problems, whether QC or dealer-caused can be identified and resolved quickly through such an inspection. How does anyone know how a unit has been stored or otherwise treated once it leave the HL factory? Many dealers leave the slides open without proper leveling and water can easily penetrate under those conditions. It could be HL is a victim (as well) due to shabby dealer inventory maintenance.

 

[jmgratz]

Don't forget that very few motor vehicles get driven 2000 miles prior to being delivered to the purchaser. How many of you have bought a mobile home (manufactured home) and found water leaks, cracked walls, etc that were caused during transport. They worked 2 weeks getting our manufactured home setup and repaired and ready for occupancy. I think many of those who posted here were alluding to the fact that 3 months for the repair was excessive and shows how poorly the repair facility takes care of their customer. I have seen many RVs which have sat on a dealers lot without any type of preparation for delivery other than washing the outside. How many dealers verify caulking has not dried out or cracked since manufacture? How many dealers even verify all of the systems work unless you demand it from them? I was with my daughter when the dealer did the PDI for her Trail Runner. The man doing the PDI pointed at the bicycle rack and said, "There is the built in bicycle rack". He made no attempt to show them how it worked until I said "Aren't you going to show them how it works?" My point is all of the blame cannot be put on the manufacturer, regardless of who ithey are. The dealer and even the transport company share in this. And when a unit goes into the shop for a repair, whether it be a warranty repair or not, the repair facility is responsible for completing, the repair in a timely manner. I have had repair shops lie to me, saying parts have been ordered when in fact they had not been ordered.

Excuse my ranting and raving but put the blame where it should be. Partly on Heartland and mostly on the repair facility. Do you think the OP would have been as upset if the repair was made in 2 or 3 days I think not. Maybe we all should get happy and enjoy what time we have left on this piece of ground. HAPPY CAMPING. NOW LET'S GO GO GO RVING

 

[Mystriven]

I do agree on what your saying JMgratz but...

Sorry to burst your bubble but pull open your tip-outs/pull-outs and look at the side lower molding near your trlr, lift the rubber seal so you can see further at the molding...OHHHH what do I see......no silicone behind there on that same molding, Every new trlr I looked at in the camsite mostly friend that bought new trlr's had the same problem.

If you unscrew that same molding behind it is a putty seal like so water does'nt get to the floor board ...the putty des'nt do its job properly so you have to use the white trlr silicone caulking and caulk behind there also.

That IS manufacturers defects , YES I agree that the Dealer should look in to that , but they all have the same problem ,the dealer is always too busy because rush rush rush the new trlr's have to get out as soon as possible.

So if we do all have the same molding problem's would'nt that be the manufacturers problem???

 

[JohnDar]

A comprehensive customer PDI does not take all day. This forum is loaded with posts on doing a PDI and things to look for. Removing a basement panel, partially, to look behind takes less than 5 minutes. Lo and behold, you might find a leak if the dealer did more than just squirt the outside to make it look pretty. Opening cabinets, running appliances and water through the rig before you leave the lot, operating slides and having the dealer explain operations to you is part of the purchase. I did my PDI in less than 3 hours and the dealer's service tech was more than happy to spend the time with me. Some things got fixed on the spot, a couple of minor items requiring parts got taken care of later at my convenience. And yes, there were a couple of minor items I found later that I fixed myself.

But if you run in, sign the papers, hand over the check, then hitch 'n git, then you've left yourself open to the dealer's mercy and largesse. Perhaps he cares more for cash repair work than he does for warranty jobs.

Is it the OP's fault that the unit has some kind of defect? Of course not. Is part of the current situation the result that he didn't do a PDI? Could well be.

And, yes, I check everything I'm putting megabucks into with as fine a comb as I can find.

 

[BruteForce]

And nowhere is there mention of having done a thorough PDI before signing the papers and driving away with it. That mold and water damage didn't just sprout up in 3 days. Opening all storage compartments, even removing basement walls, is part of a thorough CUSTOMER inspection before pulling it off the lot.

While I agree with this, and being a new 5th wheel owner, I was never informed as to an inspection list during our PDI. In addition, and as I've ranted to several times, I was REQUIRED for pay $900 for our PDI (by Sierra RV in Sunset, Utah). The PDI (during latter half of winter) was conducted in about 30 minutes by the service tech walking us through the 5th wheel (slides out, heater on, lights on) and showing us the "features". Since we never bought a 5th wheel before, we didn't know what to look for, nor were educated on what to look for (but still had to pay $900 for the courtesy walk-through). Since it was Winter, we never found the water leak issues, determined that the roof-top AC was defective and a few other things.

The PDI process should be explained in depth to a customer before hand-off of the vehicle. The dealer should do a better job in educating the consumer on things to look at prior to receipt.

/rant

 

[jmgratz]

Requiring a customer to pay anything much less $900 for a PDI is a red flag to those of us who have been there. If a dealer tried to charge me for a PDI I will run as fast a I can from that dealer. It screams of rip-off. BTW there are numerous sources for PDI lists that you can use to do the walk-through.

 

[JohnDar]

Well, just lucky me, I guess. My dealer held our BH from October, when we agreed to buy it, until the following March, when we agreed to take possession. In the interim, they installed some items we wanted and I found this forum and loaded up on as much info as I could, including doing the PDI and things to look for. Having owned a pop-up and a travel trailer, I wasn't exactly a "babe in the woods." More like a semi-old coot with a wary eye. But, unlike some, my dealer; General RV of Birch Run, MI, was upfront and above-board all the way. When we came to pick it up and finalize everything, they had it inside, hooked to water and electric, and had already done their inspection. What they missed was minor, but they had no problem taking as much time as I felt I needed to go over the rig. They installed the hitch in my truck while we did the inspection. They actually saw the dining table was damaged and made arrangements to get a replacement, which they installed at our convenience. The folding black metal stove cover was missing, they gave us a wooden cutting board stove cover that looks a heck of a lot better. The service tech made it a point to show me all functions and then have me operate them, including hitching and unhitching. Open up the basement wall...no problem. That's how we found the sediment filter on the water pump was loose and had leaked on top of the Gray #1 tank. Then just before we left, they had me drive around their large parking lot and try manuevering forward and back with it, just to get a feel for it. All in all, it was a pleasant experience. And yes, I opened every cabinet, drawer, and compartment and looked inside with my flashlight.

And in my itemized sales paperwork, there is no charge listed for doing the PDI.

So, what's the moral to all of this? If you're going to plunk down (or sign a note for) $30K, $40K, $50K, or more for one of these rigs, you need to do more than just oogle the paint and kick the tires. I try to be an informed consumer, no matter how much I shelling out for something.

I will now step down from my pedestal and put my high horse back in the stable. Getting ready to head back up to the BH at Camp Gotchurwallet tomorrow for another stay.