As far as Earthquakes go, my Tow Vehicle does not have a frig with a Ice Maker, A toilet or shower or Washing Machine and Dryer either. With all the plumbing that is needed to make those things work, you are trying to compare apples to bananas.
It doesn't???? Wow, you didn't order any options. Actually, my tow vehicle has plumbing for flammable fuel, oil, coolant, air conditioning gas/liquid, windshield washer fluid, brake fluid, transmission fluid, power steering fluid and lots of other things that if they break the way Heartland trailers fail, would kill us all.
If an employee gets fired or decides to leave the Heartland assembly line, chances are that next week he/she will be on the line building Montana's for Keystone.As you mentioned, they MUST improve their QC - hopefully before we, the customer, become so disgruntled that we go elsewhere. In economic terms there are substitutes out there and we will move on! Off my soapbox.
In my humble opinion this thread has about run it's course. Trace
If ya'll have forgotten I am the poor guy that started this thread sometime back. During this time my Big Horn is still in the shop for repairs. I did ask to borrow it for the weekend and they patched it up so we could use it but, after the trip and stopping by my house and unloading the refrigerator I took it back to my RV repair shop. The replacement wood parts are supposed to be in this week. A decision from Heartland warranty coverage is still pending. I am looking at about $2500, - mostly labor - not parts - and to add insult to injury we discovered over the weekend the door of the refrigerator was damaged during removal for the icemaker line repair. Not Heartlands fault - but if the icemaker line had been properly installed the water damage and door damage would not have occurred and we would be somewhere camping,
In reading many comments on this thread I know many of you have had good luck and don't understand my frustration, and some of you just are understanding and accept it, to me I think Heartland builds these things in high production with a minimum of cost to amplify profits, and accept a certain amount of Warranty as the cost of doing business. The best Quality thing Heartland has going for it is the Heartland Owners Club and for that I am greatful and to have a forum to express my feelings - it's a shame the factory is not pro active from feedback in trying to improve Quality Control.
A I have stated this was my second Heartand purchase and last.
If ya'll have forgotten I am the poor guy that started this thread sometime back. During this time my Big Horn is still in the shop for repairs. I did ask to borrow it for the weekend and they patched it up so we could use it but, after the trip and stopping by my house and unloading the refrigerator I took it back to my RV repair shop. The replacement wood parts are supposed to be in this week. A decision from Heartland warranty coverage is still pending. I am looking at about $2500, - mostly labor - not parts - and to add insult to injury we discovered over the weekend the door of the refrigerator was damaged during removal for the icemaker line repair. Not Heartlands fault - but if the icemaker line had been properly installed the water damage and door damage would not have occurred and we would be somewhere camping,
In reading many comments on this thread I know many of you have had good luck and don't understand my frustration, and some of you just are understanding and accept it, to me I think Heartland builds these things in high production with a minimum of cost to amplify profits, and accept a certain amount of Warranty as the cost of doing business. The best Quality thing Heartland has going for it is the Heartland Owners Club and for that I am greatful and to have a forum to express my feelings - it's a shame the factory is not pro active from feedback in trying to improve Quality Control.
A I have stated this was my second Heartand purchase and last.
Larry,
I think everyone on the forum can understand your disappointment and frustration. You make a large purchase and expect everything to be perfect. When your expectations fall far short in reality of course you're angry.
Yes, it's difficult for many owners on the forum to relate to your feelings because we haven't experienced both a.c. units and a refrigerator's icemaker to go sideways in just a few months time. The a.c. unit failures were felt across the entire industry using those units, so not isolated to Heartland.
Manufacturer's side: Yep, the goal for all companies no matter the size is to build or produce services at as low a cost as possible to produce profit. Yep, potential warranty claims per unit produced are factored into calculations. Now the hopes are that there will be no warranty claims, but they happen. I've also read that there is a severe shortage of qualified experienced workers in the Elkhart area which leads to the building errors all the manufacturers are experiencing. Keep in mind that each warranty claim has to be examined six ways from Sunday to determine if the fault lies with Heartland, a supplier, the purchaser (results of misuse, abuse, or accident), or even the dealer.
Purchaser's side: I've done a lot of research, purchased an expensive TV, and either plunked down a chunk of money or signed a bunch of papers committing me to a bunch of payments for a trailer. Is it too much to ask for a trailer with no problems that I can just enjoy?
I'm certain that Heartland doesn't intentionally build defective units in the hope that problems won't be found until the warranty period is long gone - no manufacturer of any product does because their reputation is on the line - reputation for shoddy goods = sales falling into a death spiral.
If you're not in conversation directly already with Heartland about your issues, I'd suggest you do so. We hope that all gets resolved soon and that you're able to have some good times with your trailer.
Safe travels, Martha