QC Discussion - General Dis-satisfaction

[jpmorgan37]

Hello Trap;
I'm going to be sorry to see you go. You not only lurked but asked some great questions and gave some valuable suggestions. We looked at many different RV's before we decided on the Grand Canyon and we have not been sorry. Working in a RV park, I get a chance to talk to many owners of different brands and as billd says, they all have their problems. Pick the floor plan, amenities and colors that you want and go for it. It is a big investment and don't settle for something that is "almost" because you will have regrets long after the newness wears off. This is our third fifth wheel and probably our last and we love it. One last thing. Go back and reread Jim Beletti's post on the QC that is being done at the factory. Hopefully, that will resolve many of the new production problems that Heartland has had on earlier production.
Take care, good luck and keep in touch.
John

 

[ChopperBill]

Lack of QC is an unfortunate RV industry problem. Read this link.
http://www.rvhighway.com/photo_RI.htm

 

[svd]

Trap,
Hope my post wasn't the one that "broke the camels back" for you. To put things in perspective, I am happy with the Bighorn, and would buy one again. I have friends with a Montana, and Flagstaff that all have their problems. As Jim B. posted earlier, these are houses that travel down the road, with electrical, water, heating and cooling systems. Things get loose and need repair with them all. Good Luck!

 

[Trap]

It has not been any one post that has swayed our decision. I just feel that the growing pains that Heartland is experiencing is keeping there focus on increasing production rather than resolving issues with there product. i.e. The Fireplace sitting on Carpet still happening. Problems with the water holding tank, plus many other. So many problems mention on this site when I first joined have not been dealt with. While I know growth is important for every Company so is QC and fixing production problems. This is what iis swaying our decesion. The hardest part is we have met and chatted with a great bunch of people and that is something I personally will really miss.

Thanks Trap

Trap,
Hope my post wasn't the one that "broke the camels back" for you. To put things in perspective, I am happy with the Bighorn, and would buy one again. I have friends with a Montana, and Flagstaff that all have their problems. As Jim B. posted earlier, these are houses that travel down the road, with electrical, water, heating and cooling systems. Things get loose and need repair with them all. Good Luck!

 

[billd]

Trap,

When you get your new 5th wheel, you need to come back and let us know how it is. It is always good to see how other manufactures products turn out.

Bill

 

[cdbMidland]

Forrest Feterolf states:

"I also toured the Bighorn facility and now I can understand why owners have problems. They build 7 units per day."

I toured seven factories before deciding on our Bighorn. We had been very serious about a Cedar Creek and visited that factory first. Two years ago 13 units/day were being produced and once that number was reached, the factory closed for the day. They started about 6 AM and were gone by 1 PM. I don't think the number of units produced per day is a fair indicator of the quality behind a unit.

I also have had problems with my unit - some I fixed myself, most by LSI when they repaired some accident damage and one problem fixed by my dealer (after two attempts). Still, I think my unit is as good if not better than any other unit that made my shortlist.

 

[Chulinw]

Jim Beletti if you give your address I will send you a letter that I sent to the factory with so many things wrong and pictures to prove a point that I have the problems with my Bighorn RL3400. Lets face it you are being the policeman for Heartland. When they will not answer phone calls or letter then I guess the only thing left is get a attorney. Let's face it if they would do a better job in the QC area customers would be a lot happier.

 

[svd]

Chulinw.
What did Heartland say when you called the number that Scott gave you in an earlier post?

 

[jbeletti]

Chulinw,

While I may be an ambassador of sorts, I am not a Heartland Policeman. In no way am I or have I been blocking your attempts to contact them directly. To the contrary, I strongly urge you to phone Scott Tuttle first thing Monday morning. His calls are not screened and I get through nearly everytime without announcing my name. Heartland's main number is 574-262-5992.

If you've attempted contact with the warranty and/or parts departments and they are not contacting you back, Scott should be able to make certain that you get a return call. Please be sure to update him with your current contact info.



Jim​

 

[Chulinw]

I got a voice mail box. I sent a email to Davidp Friday night and will wait for a answer sometime next week. I will let you know what they tell me.
I called Coley Bradey on Dec 11 and left voice mail for him to call back. Never got a call yet. I wrote a letter on Nov 14 about some problems and still have not got a letter or a call. I wrote a letter in Aug 05 and sent picture to document everything and still no response. I called the factory and talk with them about part in Sept 05 and ask please send the parts so I can get back on the road an not miss trips I had planned along with paid reservation. Money non refundable for deposit etc. 5 1/2 month at the dealer ship and still have most of the same problems. YES, I frustrated......

 

[Tom of Ypsi]

Chulinw
Do as Jim says and call Scott. I went through the same thing with what I thought was Heartland's fault. I too could not get parts, missed camping trips (one was the rally), all because of my dealer. When I called Scott he put me in touch with Jim Fenner within a few hours of my call. I was told one thing by my dealer and after talking with Jim Fenner I was getting another story. Going back to my dealer I found out the real truth and it was not Heartlands fault. I also needed two new tires for my coach which took a week to get (dealer could not find any) then they put LT tires on therepaired side and left the original ST tires on the other side. I was told by forum members that you are suppose to run like tires on each axle. So much for dealer knowledge.
GIVE SCOTT A CALL. 574-262-5992

 

[Scott]

Just thought I'd chime in a little. Obviously, I appreciate a lot of the comments I see on here about how Heartland stood behind the product for you and made your coach right. Remember, there are over 6,000 Heartland fifth wheels out there. The relatively few customers that for whatever reason, we have not been able to satisfiy represents a very small percentage of our overall units on the road. Do we try to satisfy them all? Absolutely. Do we succeed? Unfortunately not. I will say this, when someone claims that their fifth wheel has been "in the shop" for six months straight - that tells me that someone is not telling the whole story. We have had one warranty rep that we had to let go because they were slacking in return phone calls and emails - but his replacement, as well as the rest of the team, as responding to dealers and retail customers calls everday, processing parts orders for them and following up with the dealer to make sure they get what they need. When a warranty issue or question from a dealer approaches a week old - it raises a red flag around here. There are rare exceptions, but we track all parts orders and as of Friday, the average turn around time on parts is 4.3 days, with the longer lead times being for parts that had to be ordered and could not be taken from production.
I'm just telling you how it works. Are their exceptions? Yes. But they are not the "rule".
I appreciate the comments that I am seeing on here. Some of you know exactly what you are talking about, and I know that the majority of the forum members really appreciate your insight and input.
No one. No one, can make a legitimate claim that Heartland doesn't care about our customers and refuses to respond to their inquiries. Not while I am here. Most of the time, I see the frustration coming in the area of communicaiton. What is the dealer telling the customer vs. what they are telling Heartland vs. what they are actually doing.
Believe me, we don't delay warranty approvals or parts shipments on purpose. We have sixteen people now in Customer Service who are working hard every day to improve our ability as a company to service our dealers and customers. I apologize that some of you still are experiencing problems, but we will do our best to rectify them with some expediency. The customer service number is 574.262.8030. Jim Fenner and David Partin are two key players in handling hot units. Take a minute to talk with them about your coach if you feel that you are not getting the kind of service you deserve.

ST

 

[elwaller39]

Scott,
Well said and well explained, this is the Heartland I know best from the time we purchased our RL3400 Bighorn nearly 2 years ago when Bighorn was very new to Heartland. Everyone must remeber that this is a moving home on wheels. As this coach begans down the road for the first time everything begans to settle into place and that was not like it was when it left the factory. Screws and bolts all shake into place and become loss or set into place tight as they were to be. So wires, water lines, and slidouts all move into place that may or may not be the same as it left the factory. Now Scott will try to put your house in order from that point. Good Job Scott!! Evans & Lana

 

[jpmorgan37]

I think that any of us that have issues with our RV's or Heartland, would go back and read #36, 37, 38, 39 etc in this thread and then reread Scott's post #72, any intelligent person would realize that stating the same thing over and over would not do anything to promote the good will of the other members of the forum. Just my opinion.
John

 

[Uncle Rog]

Right on JP.............

 

[sailorand]

I have to agree with Scott. My dealer is very good, but I find out now someone there was telling me a story. I have emaile Scott on a few occassions and he has got right back to me and forwarded my concerns on to the apporpiate people who have phoned me and told me thier truth, which was right. With that info I went to the service manager and things are going my way.

 

[katkens]

I think that any of us that have issues with our RV's or Heartland, would go back and read #36, 37, 38, 39 etc in this thread and then reread Scott's post #72, any intelligent person would realize that stating the same thing over and over would not do anything to promote the good will of the other members of the forum. Just my opinion.
John

John well put--nuff said