Quality? Hmmmm.....

[Mizmary]

I recently visited a friend who is living in a house that is less than a year old. It is a VERY LARGE, VERY EXPENSIVE house. As I was visiting I was thinking about all of the quality control complaints people have made regarding our rolling condos.

She has a huge amount of settling cracks. In one place it looks as if the built in ledge (it's a pass through from the living area to the kitchen) will fall off at any minute. She has spent thousands of dollars making upgrades to her house- in ground sprinkler system, landscaping, adding a fireplace, etc. Much of her wood trim is already showing wear. Her bathroom surrounds are very cheap looking as are many of the fixtures (I think we have a better shower surround in our bathroom than she does.) Her house is about 3000 square feet. She is already needing to replace her counter tops.

After looking around at all of these little things - and I don't even live there to know the crazy things that don't work, etc - I don't feel bad about many of the issues that are happening on the quality control side here. I get the safety things- electrical and propane. But looking at how the finish work is done on a house - it isn't much different than our camper. And the thing is - I paid a lot less for my house than she did -- and I can bring mine with me when I move every year with minimal packing.

Just consider that nothing is made to a high level of quality anymore. But at least when we call Heartland the customer service is worthwhile. Nothing beats calling and getting a live human answering the phone and a call back within hours at the very latest.

 

[alex00]

Customer service is my most important issue. I realize that as soon as human hands are involved in the process, failure is an option. What a company does when the failure occurs will make or break my perception of that company. This is one of the deciding factors in my decision to seek out a Heartland product. There are many companies making similar products, but everything I have read, here and elsewhere, leads me to believe Heartland is a company that will stand behind their product. I know that every time I have called the factory to ask a question I have gotten put directly through to someone. If the question required follow-up, they were calling me back or emailing me really quick. I may not be an owner yet, but I've made my decision so far site unseen, based on the customer service reputation.

 

[jmgratz]

We have stayed with the Heartland brand for a long time due to the Customer Service. We had numerous issues with our previous Landmark but Heartland always stood behind their product. When you realize that no matter if you buy an inexpensive travel trailer or a several hundred thousand dollar fifth wheel the products used are the same; such as converters, water heaters, refrigerators, lights, thermostats, axles, tires/wheels, brakes, hitches (pinboxes) etc. Home construction has many more choices. So when looking for a recreational vehicle the most important thing to look at is customer support after the sale, whether that support come from a dealer or the manufacturer. If you have ever owned an RV and had a manufacturer tell you they won't fix it (like Alfa Leisure did to us) while it is still in warranty you will just look elsewhere for a new purchase. Can the final product be better...sure... but all of them can be. The bottom line in my rant is Heartland Customer Service is what sets them ahead of all of the other manufacturers in our humble opinion.

 

[Ladiver]

When Sonja and I were looking at trailers, we knew they would all have problems, regardless of brand. What we really looked for was a manufacturer who would stand behind their product. That is why we are happy owners of a Cyclone. Thank you Heartland.

 

[wrgrs50s]

Well I wish my experience with Heartland was as good as all of yours. My rig went back to the factory for repairs with frame flex at the pin box and came back with the bedroom slide, out of square with the opening, causing the seals to be torn out. Their fix was to glue a board to the underside of the floor to lift the side that was out of square. The paint and fiberglass work was terrible. You can see everywhere it was cut and put back together. When I called to voice my opinion I was treated as though I was being unappreciative of all the hard work and dedication that they put into my repairs. Eric did offer to send me some new decals and have the paint buffed out, I can give him credit for that, but that was not going to fix the unsightly seams. So far the repairs have worked and I have not had any further problems with those issues and I really enjoy my rig. However, I am really dissapointed with the appearance of the repairs, as I know it will hurt my resale if I sell to an individual.

My living slide floor came loose (broken welds) after the warranty expired and I repaired that myself !

I have also read many success stories from persons who have had similar repairs. I dont think Heartland is terrible with quality control, or any worse than any of the others in the industry, I just think they are about average, and as the industry as a whole they all need to look into their quality control standards.

Of course, my point of view is based on my experience, and those that have not had any major problems or shoddy repairs will automaticaly think Heartland's quality control is excellent. It's a two sided road and everyones opinion is based on the side of the road your on.

What I think is great, is this forum. The manuals available here, and the quick responses you get when asking questions are a real asset to Heartland and it's members.

 

[jmgratz]

Well I wish my experience with Heartland was as good as all of yours. My rig went back to the factory for repairs with frame flex at the pin box and came back with the bedroom slide, out of square with the opening, causing the seals to be torn out. Their fix was to glue a board to the underside of the floor to lift the side that was out of square. The paint and fiberglass work was terrible. You can see everywhere it was cut and put back together. When I called to voice my opinion I was treated as though I was being unappreciative of all the hard work and dedication that they put into my repairs. Eric did offer to send me some new decals and have the paint buffed out, I can give him credit for that, but that was not going to fix the unsightly seams. So far the repairs have worked and I have not had any further problems with those issues and I really enjoy my rig. However, I am really dissapointed with the appearance of the repairs, as I know it will hurt my resale if I sell to an individual.

My living slide floor came loose (broken welds) after the warranty expired and I repaired that myself !

I have also read many success stories from persons who have had similar repairs. I dont think Heartland is terrible with quality control, or any worse than any of the others in the industry, I just think they are about average, and as the industry as a whole they all need to look into their quality control standards.

Of course, my point of view is based on my experience, and those that have not had any major problems or shoddy repairs will automaticaly think Heartland's quality control is excellent. It's a two sided road and everyones opinion is based on the side of the road your on.

What I think is great, is this forum. The manuals available here, and the quick responses you get when asking questions are a real asset to Heartland and it's members.

I can tell you our previous Landmark had many many many issues. As an example it was back to the factory 3 times for frame issues as well as an out of square bedroom slide. One time the front cap was removed and the skin also almost back to the door to fix frame issues. It was repaired and put back together and you could not tell it. Some of these major repairs were done out of warranty at no charge to me. I just wanted you to know a company that would go that far to me is a cut above the rest.

 

[wrgrs50s]

I can tell you our previous Landmark had many many many issues. As an example it was back to the factory 3 times for frame issues as well as an out of square bedroom slide. One time the front cap was removed and the skin also almost back to the door to fix frame issues. It was repaired and put back together and you could not tell it. Some of these major repairs were done out of warranty at no charge to me. I just wanted you to know a company that would go that far to me is a cut above the rest.

Jim, you must have, as the sayin goes, "The patience of Job" ! I pray to have that much patience some day. If I would have had to take my rig back to the factory 3 times I would have probably had a stroke over it !!! I'm saying this jokingly !

I admire your loyalty to Heartland for the great job they've done for you. I'm not meaning to sound as though I think Heartland is that bad. As I stated earlier I have read many success stories. Just wish I would have had better results with my repair. I was heartbroken when I saw the state of my rig when it was returned, therefore I'm still on the fence over their quality control due to my experience.

I have owned several other brands, been involved with numerous camping clubs, and have three friends with newer Heartland rigs. Fortunately, my other Heartland friends have had minor issues, other than everyone who is having BLOW MAX tire issues. Already done that too !

Hey I'm still loyal to chevrolet after having a truck with the vortec engine that knocked for the whole 140,000 miles I owned it, so what do I know !!! LOL !

I do know that the wife and I are having great times with all our camping friends and have not had any new rv related issues in the last 6-months "knock on wood".

 

[JanAndBill]

One previous poster compared our 5th wheels, to a stick and mortar house , and granted there are quality issues that can and do affect both. However the key point missing in his comment is that unlike the 5th wheel which depreciates every year, a house has historically appreciated during ownership. Modifications to a house add to it's long term value while modifications to a 5th wheel do little to add to it's value in the long term. We've owned other brands over the last 20 years and each had their share of "minor" issues, which based on the comments on this and other forums, makes us fortunate. What is really needed in the industry is a better method of handling those "major" issues that occur. A customer who has spent thousands of dollars on a new recreational vehicle has a reasonable right to expect it to perform as advertised, and at some point there should be a "replace the unit" rather than repair.

 

[dave10a]

The American auto industry produced products with a lot of manufacturing problems until the Japan proved that a product can be built without many problems. Consequently the American auto industry started to build products that had fewer problems while the products have become much more complex. Looks to me like competition is the answer. I have had far too many problems with my 5th wheel that should not have happened if the QC at Heartland was doing its job-- if there is a QC. It is most inconvenient to have work done and I feel sorry for those who are not able to correct the problems themselves. I wished Honda or Toyota would enter the RV market. I think things would change to the good.

 

[cookie]

The American auto industry produced products with a lot of manufacturing problems until the Japan proved that a product can be built without many problems. Consequently the American auto industry started to build products that had fewer problems while the products have become much more complex.

I believe that the improved quality was the result of the use of robotics. No more human error.

Peace
Dave

 

[dave10a]

I believe that the improved quality was the result of the use of robotics. No more human error.

Peace
Dave

They did not have many robots in the 70's-80's. They learn QC from our schools, but they actually applied what they learned. I was part of that training.

 

[tmcran]

I can tell you our previous Landmark had many many many issues. As an example it was back to the factory 3 times for frame issues as well as an out of square bedroom slide. One time the front cap was removed and the skin also almost back to the door to fix frame issues. It was repaired and put back together and you could not tell it. Some of these major repairs were done out of warranty at no charge to me. I just wanted you to know a company that would go that far to me is a cut above the rest.

I guess the only thing better than your experience would have been a good build and QC that would have caught these things and keep you from going through all this in the first place.

 

[jmgratz]

I wonder what is an acceptable margin of error in manufacturing? I know the goal is for zero defects but in reality that is an impossible task due to hum an error. It would be interesting to know realistically what is the margin of error per manufacturer as they all have problems or defects in manufacturing. Just some more than others. Then beyond that, what is the rating of customer service per manufacturer. Hmmmm