Warranty Service

[sje4034]

I Took delivery of a 2012 Sundance 3300ck two weeks ago and love it. We just went on our first trip and discovered some issues. I called the closest HL dealer (All Seasons RV, Yuba City, CA). Was told they would not do the work because I did not purchase my 5th wheel from them. I was prepared for this response as this is their typical attitude and why I did not buy from them. I was wondering if anyone could recommend a good service center in the northern California area. I live in marysville, ca and I'm looking for somewhere nearby. I have a phone call into HL to see if I can get some additional help. Also is there a specific person at HL I need to talk to for this. Thanks for any and all help.


Sam

 

[jimtoo]

Hi Sam,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and family. We have a great bunch of people here with lots of information and all willing to share their knowledge when needed.

It's a shame that dealers do that, warranty repairs pay money also... maybe not as much as what a dealer can gouge from a paying customer thou. When you contact Heartland Service ask for an independent shop in your area. With PROPER PRE-AUTHORIZATION Heartland will pay. I think they have a list of shops and repair folks they have dealt with before.

Enjoy the forum. Check out the Portal Page for a rally in your area and also the national rally in Gillette, Wy.

Jim M

 

[MaryandSteve]

I have the same problem here in Indiana. Thatcher RV is .5 miles from me and was told since I didn’t buy from them that they would not do warranty work on my unit. So my solution is to take it to CW in Indianapolis which is a Heartland shop. Yes its 63 miles away but they are glad to work on it. IMHO Id rather take it to them for all my work and service than Thatcher. When you get it fixed call All Seasons and thank them for saving you from there service Department. Good Luck

 

[CliffP]

Hi Sam,

Congratulations on the new Sundance and welcome to the forum! How far away is the dealer where you purchased it? Did you leave your VIN number with your message? Just in case, Heartland's customer service number is (877) 262-8032. You can also email them at service@heartlandrvs.com . (not sure if the link will work but thats the address). They should be able to figure out a nearby dealer that'll get things taken care of for you.

Good luck and happy camping!

Cliff and Mindy

 

[ziggy]

Sam, I sent you a pm.

Kristy

 

[KiwiRVer]

In my opinion Heartland are not controlling their dealer network the way I would. If it were my company and a dealer refused to give service to any of my customers, they would not be a dealer for long.

 

[wdk450]

Sam:
I would suggest you give Heartland Service a call, and ask them to recommend a 3rd party servicer in your area. They keep a list of companies they have worked with and have a good relationship with.
If you want to drive the 60 miles to Sacramento, I use RV Dr. George (he has a website) who has said that he has no problems doing Heartland warranty work.
There is a Heartland dealer within a few blocks of RV Dr. George, but I had them refuse me warranty service after my local Heartland dealer went out of business (and they took over the Heartland line locally).

 

[GOTTOYS]

In my opinion Heartland are not controlling their dealer network the way I would. If it were my company and a dealer refused to give service to any of my customers, they would not be a dealer long.

RV dealers are different than auto dealers. They are not obligated to perform warranty work on units they did not sell. I believe all brands are the same. This is one reason you will see manufacturers trying to convince you to buy locally. Often on the first round of warranty adjustments and repairs there is no factory reimbursement for many of the items. Like in the car business, no returned part and no new part charged out, equals no warranty time can be billed. Usually the dealer will just eat this as part of the deal. If they didn't make a profit on the sale...they won't be willing to make any of these "free" adjustments. I don't necessarily agree with all this, but I'm afraid it's how it all works. After my initial service visit and the marginal service I received from my selling dealer, I simply decided it was easier to make the repairs and adjustments myself. If you're on the road a lot this becomes almost a necessity. I hate to see the manufacturer getting beat up over what is pretty much an industry standard....Don

 

[Bob&Patty]

What Don said....but....a few dealers have been fired by HL. I know of one here in Socal.

 

[babs8290]

We purchased a 2012 Big Horn fith wheel at the end of May 2011. We love the camper but have come to realize that the quality is just not there in this camper. We owned an Everest for 8 years and never had the problems that we are having with this camper. Kitchen chairs are coming apart. Finish comes off the cupboard doors when water drips on them. Some have never been sanded before they were stained. Rough cut lumber perhaps, some are falling apart. I have taken pictures of everything and sent to the dealer and they will be replaced when we go for service in May. We recently had trouble with our slide out. It would not go in we had to have someone come and fix it. Our furnace and hot water heater did not work, took to a dealer for warranty work twice. They said it was fixed and it wasn't and they were trying to charge us the second time as they said Heartland would not pay because they fixed it once. We are beginning to get discouraged. We paid alot of money for this camper and the workmanship is just not what it should be for the price.

 

[CliffP]

Welcome to the forum BABS8290. That's a lot of problems. Have you talked directly with Heartland?

 

[babs8290]

My husband has called several times and talked to someone in customer service regarding some issues. When we first got the camper, I was doing dishes and the kitchen sink fell down. Very little caulking used to hold it in place. When he called he was told that usually happens when it is being transported from the factory to the dealership. If you know this, fix it at the factory. The door knobs keep falling apart. My husband has to keep fixing them. I can't get the oven to light. I try to light the pilot light and you have to practically stand on you head to see where it is. Our toilet foot pedal broke off but the manufacturer sent us a new toilet. I have come to believe that everything today is pass the buck or it is not our problem. There is little pride in workmanship today.

 

[alrmel]

I have a Sundance 285BH that I bought from a local dealer two miles down the road. Their customer service is non-existent. We've had the unit almost a year and problems that were wrong with the unit at delivery just got turn into heartland a couple weeks ago and still never fixed. Most everything wrong with it the dealer just gives the run around and avoids doing anything. We got authorization from Heartland to take it to the next closest dealer and they seemed happy to help at first, but now after having it over 3 weeks still haven't done ANYTHING to it and just keep saying "I don't know why your selling dealer can't do this. Calls to Heartland customer service have brought no action and little satisfaction. If I'd have know warranty coverage was this bad I never would have bought new. I've never been so ticked off over something new in my life. I wish I could make them take it back. I know the frustration you are going through with your rv. Quality control: 0, customer satisfaction: 0, purchase again: not on your life.