Not Going to lie, pretty dissapointed with Heartland's North Trail product

[Nathan]

Another thing, Nathan, I think I just figured out why you're having problems with towing; you're driving a Chevrolet. LOL Sorry about that but I couldn't resist. I used to be a "Chevy" man. Love my Ford.

So far so good with my Tahoe! Although, I would like an F250 crew cab, but that is a year or 2 down the road yet!

 

[Nathan]

Well, I will be taking the newly fixed rig to Washington D.C. This week. I will let you all know how she Tow's. BTW, I am running the Marine Corp Marathon. Can't wait!

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

Have a great trip and good luck in the Marathon!

 

[ZNK]

Love my F250 Crew Cab!

So far so good with my Tahoe! Although, I would like an F250 crew cab, but that is a year or 2 down the road yet!

 

[azdryheat]

Threads like this one don't bode well for people, like me, who are looking to buy a Heartland product. It sounds like there is absolutely zero quality control at the factory and the line workers are not at all supervised to turn out a quality product. If Heartland would spend as much time overseeing the build quality of their product on the assembly line then, perhaps, they wouldn't need to spend so much time fixing things in post-delivery.

My idea of the Heartland assembly line is an atmosphere of "hurry up, put it together any which way and shove it out the door - we'll fix it later".

Frankly, I don't give a rip how well Heartland handles post-delivery complaints, I expect a quality product at the time of delivery. Yep, sure makes me want to buy a Heartland.

 

[danemayer]

Threads like this one don't bode well for people, like me, who are looking to buy a Heartland product.

Hi azdryheat,

It may be helpful to put some of this in perspective. Heartland sells many tens of thousands of RVs and the vast majority of Heartland owners are happy with their purchase and are enjoying their RVs. This forum has over 17,000 members. Of those 17,000 or so, a much smaller number are frequent forum visitors. An even smaller number are frequent posters. Naturally, when things go wrong, people have reason to post to the forum. So you're hearing from a small percentage of owners and the forum posts are disproportionately about problems.

People post about problems either to ask for help, or to share what they've gone through in order to help others, or to complain about what they're going through. I've noticed that when people are complaining, they often post repetitively about their complaints; again disproportionately tipping the scales toward a negative view of quality.

You might wonder why Heartland would allow this. Heartland understands the value of community. There is a great community of people here who are enjoying their rigs, and who enjoy socializing with each other. They also reach out to help one another. It's a real community. While many people greatly benefit from information posted about problems and fixes, the price paid for this freedom is that it can create a distorted view of quality.

If you want to balance your view of forum posts, under the EVENTS tab, browse some of the threads about rallies that have recently been held. You'll get an entirely different sense of how Heartland owners feel.

 

[codycarver]

Threads like this one don't bode well for people, like me, who are looking to buy a Heartland product. It sounds like there is absolutely zero quality control at the factory and the line workers are not at all supervised to turn out a quality product. If Heartland would spend as much time overseeing the build quality of their product on the assembly line then, perhaps, they wouldn't need to spend so much time fixing things in post-delivery.

My idea of the Heartland assembly line is an atmosphere of "hurry up, put it together any which way and shove it out the door - we'll fix it later".

Frankly, I don't give a rip how well Heartland handles post-delivery complaints, I expect a quality product at the time of delivery. Yep, sure makes me want to buy a Heartland.

I would hope anybody considering a Heartland product (or any other SOB) would do plenty of research. With over 28,000 threads and a quarter million posts the info is here for anybody that wants to use it. The fact that threads like this one remain on the forum says a lot about Heartland's commitment to it's customers. This forum and the folks on it played a big part in us choosing to buy our Bighorn

BTW. We have some friends that recently sold their ten year old Wildcat to some neighbors of ours and bought a 2012 Keystone. In his words it has been "one problem after the other" so it would seem to me how a manufacture handles post sale repairs should be of interest to prospective buyers.

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

My idea of the Heartland assembly line is an atmosphere of "hurry up, put it together any which way and shove it out the door - we'll fix it later".

Frankly, I don't give a rip how well Heartland handles post-delivery complaints, I expect a quality product at the time of delivery. Yep, sure makes me want to buy a Heartland.

danemayer's reply was really a great perspective for you to use. I'm not quite as eloquent so I invite you to find a manufacturer in the same price range that builds a better trailer. In addition, find a manufacturer that will give you the same level of support.
Our Bighorn is in it's 6th year of use (4 yrs full time) and been to the dealer twice. Once for a reefer repair and again because I screwed up my awning. All of the other minor stuff was easily repaired by me. If I could afford a new one, it would be a Heartland.

 

[Nathan]

Well, The North Trail towed well on the way down to DC. Finally, after having the unit for six months I was not white knuckled driving. Unfortunately, on my way home after the Marathon a woman side swiped my trailer and it was totaled. I really wish I could consider another Heartland product but sadly I can not. The lack of actual customer service from real people was terrible. Empty promises and lack of sensitivity, and a severe lack of follow up were the reasons for my decision. Heatland lost me as a product owner and frankly lost some of my camping friends who were also considering new units.

I will still try to stay on this forum to help others with any issues and after this will not anything more derogatory about Heartland as that will be "beating a dead horse". I like the concept and details of my North Trail but the performance was nothing short of poor at best. I am usually a glass half full kind of guy but am a definately "negative Nelly" on these issues. I even sent Heartland a last ditch email and recieved no response from them. If anyone would like to see the email let me know and I will email it to you.

 

[NWILSON]

Regardless of your feelings about the Heartland brand I am glad to hear that you are safe after the accident!
Everyone has a different experience with large purchases whether it's a house, car, boat or RV. It is unfortunate that you look back on your experience with Heartland in a negative way. I can only hope that you find satisfaction with your next purchase, whatever brand you choose.