It has been a long time since my last post and a lot has happened since then, but quite frankly I haven’t had the heart to share this until now. Usually I’m sharing beautiful pictures of the amazing places we have been. It’s really hard to share a post like this instead. I’ll warn you — the pictures aren’t pretty.
Our living and traveling in our beloved home on wheels came to an abrupt halt last month on a lonely stretch of highway in rural Maine. We had just finished visiting Acadia National Park which I haven’t had a chance to blog about yet. I will eventually, but first…this:
We noticed another stress crack in the sidewall of the RV. If you remember we had one of these repaired back in 2016. I sent the pictures to our contact at Heartland to ask for help since he helped us find a place to have the first crack repaired a couple of years ago.
My Heartland contact never answered me so we talked to some repair centers near us in Maine and although none of them could fix it for us, they said we should be fine to wait until we could find a repair center in Canada where we were headed next.
We left Acadia and headed towards Canada where we had planned to spend a few weeks exploring and visiting family up there. My parents were flying up to meet us in Nova Scotia.
The roads in Maine were pretty rough and bumpy and after several miles of that we stopped at a rest area. Someone pulled in after us and said that he had been behind us for several miles and he thinks something is wrong with our trailer. He said our trailer shifted to the side and the wheels didn’t look quite right. Chris looked around and noticed the wheels protruding out too far on the driver’s side and the frame looked bent.
Frame shifted to side and wheels protruding.
Frame shifted to side and wheels protruding.
Bent frame.
We also noticed the crack in the sidewall had gotten worse and we had 3 new cracks on the opposite side!
Passenger side crack.
Passenger side crack.
Chris broke the bad news to me that we weren’t going to make it to Canada and we just needed to find the nearest campground so we could figure out what to do. We called Good Sam Roadside Assistance, but they were not able to send someone to help us. They actually told me that if we can’t tow it neither can they. Well, we couldn’t very well live at the rest area so we had no choice but to move on. So I searched on my phone and found the nearest campground in Calais, ME called Keene’s Lake Family Campground. It was about 30 miles away so we put on the hazard lights and drove slow. By the time we got to the campground the initial crack had gotten so much worse that the roof was starting to separate.
Passenger side crack with roof separating.
Passenger side crack gets worse each time we move it.
I know the passenger side crack is pretty bad which is why I share the most pictures of that one, but I don’t want to ignore the other 3 cracks on the opposite side of the RV.
Driver’s side crack #1.
Driver’s side crack #1.
Driver’s side crack #1 interior.
Driver’s side crack #2.
Driver’s side crack #3.
The campground owners were very accommodating and kind to us while we were there, letting us stay as long as we needed while we sorted things out. Once we were set up in a campsite and opened the slides we noticed further damage on the inside: the crack goes all the way through to the kid’s bedroom, paneling fell off the ceiling, a wall separating in the kid’s room as well as the floor separating in their bathroom.
Passenger side crack interior.
Bathroom floor and kid’s bedroom floor separating.
Bathroom floor and kid’s bedroom floor separating.
Bathroom floor separating exterior.
Bathroom floor separating exterior.
Kid’s bedroom wall separating.
Kid’s bedroom wall separating (close-up).
Chris called our insurance provider to file a claim. They sent someone out a few days later to take pictures and inspect the unit. Unfortunately they did not cover the damage because they said the damage is due to “frame failure” which is a manufacturing defect. I guess rough and bumpy roads should not cause an RV to literally fall apart without there being a weakness somewhere in the build of the unit.
I started conversations with the manufacturer Heartland to see if they would help. Heartland only offers a 1 year warranty and our unit is 3.5 years old. Still, I had hoped that since there was such extensive damage to a relatively young RV that Heartland may step up and do the right thing. I had wrongly hoped they would agree that an RV they built should not fall apart after just 3.5 years.
My initial conversations with an employee at Heartland ended with this email:
He said this has nothing to do with manufacturing but he thinks something was “drug down the top of the sidewall”. Well, if that was the case then our insurance provider might have covered it. Then there would have been an actual incident that caused this. However, this explanation makes no sense because it does not take into consideration all the cracks on the opposite side of the RV and the interior walls and floors separating. So we did not just go away with this explanation as I’m sure they hoped we would. After pushing them further, 2 employees at Heartland said they would send someone to inspect the unit.
Email asking me for the unit location so a frame vendor can come to inspect it.
Email from our selling dealer letting me know someone is coming to inspect it.
Well it turns out they lied about sending someone to inspect it because about a week later I spoke with Anthony Roberts (from 2nd email) on the phone and he told me he does not believe anything is wrong with the frame and he will not be sending anyone to inspect it.
Chris decided to contact him after that to which he replied that they would inspect the unit if we bring it to them in Indiana. Seriously?
Email telling us to bring it to Indiana if we want it inspected.
We had previously told them the unit is unsafe to tow. We had to move the RV from a campsite to a storage area within the same campground and in doing so some of the cracks got worse and the hole in the side opened up even larger. Also one of the slides doesn’t even go in correctly anymore. Do they really want us driving this down the road??
Slide goes in at an angle.
Slide goes in at an angle.
Does Heartland really think it is reasonable to ask us to tow this all the way from Maine to Indiana? Do they really want that liability on their hands if we were to have a serious accident on the way?
Anyway, after informing Heartland that I would be publishing this story on social media, they finally decided to send someone to inspect it. But guess what? The inspector was a paid employee of Heartland and so I’m sure you can guess how that turned out.
Notice that this inspection is for the “Benefit of Heartland”
Here is a picture from the inspection report basically claiming that we hit a tree.
This totally disregards the fact that the crack was there in June long before our incident in July on the road when the unit just basically started falling apart. We did not hit a tree or anything other than maybe pot holes in the road. This sidewall crack was already there before we moved from Acadia. On that drive the crack got so much worse and the roof began to separate. The inspection report also totally disregarded the 3 cracks on the opposite side of the RV. He didn’t even mention those! Obviously that’s what happens when a manufacturer sends their own guy out to inspect a unit. Whatever it takes to swing it in their favor!
I used to give positive feedback about Heartland because we experienced great customer service through them in our first year. You may remember I blogged a couple of years ago about a previous crack we had in the sidewall and how Heartland took care of us and helped us find a place to have it repaired: RV Repairs in Louisiana. Back then I was so impressed with how Heartland took care of us when our selling dealer (Dick Gore’s RV World) in Jacksonville did not.
I didn’t realize when I used to praise them for their great customer service that it only lasted while we were under the 1 year limited warranty. I guess they don’t care about keeping customers for life. We had been looking into upgrading our RV to a toy hauler at some point, and had considered another Heartland. Not anymore — now we will never buy another Heartland because we know from experience that they do not stand behind their product. We will also discourage anyone we know from purchasing a Heartland.
I realize that not every Heartland will fall apart the way ours has, but wouldn’t you like to know when you buy an RV that the manufacturer stands behind their product when something this extraordinary happens? Even though we are well past the 1 year warranty, if they were a company that cared at all about maintaining customers for life they would have done something to make this right. The frame should really have a longer warranty than 1 year anyway — I mean who buys an RV and doesn’t expect it to last longer than 3-4 years?
Unfortunately many RV manufacturers have a reputation of making poor quality units, but I have been researching and asking other RV friends for feedback to find out if there is any manufacturer who truly stands behind their product. I have been consistently hearing great things about Grand Design. All of my RV friends that have a Grand Design rave about their excellent customer service. Perhaps our next RV will be a Grand Design and if so, hopefully we will experience much better customer service with them than we did with Heartland.
So, that’s the story of our life for the past month or so. The good news is we were able to make it to Canada. We moved all of our stuff out of the RV and into a storage unit and then stored the RV at the campground.
Our last night we spent in the RV. Still smiling and looking forward to seeing the grandparents in Canada.
Fat Cat hid in a moving box to make sure we didn’t forget her. 🙂
We met up with my parents in Nova Scotia and visited several places with them while staying in VRBO rentals and with friends and relatives. It wasn’t quite the same as having our home on wheels, but we made the best of it.
After a vacation in Canada with my parents we headed back to Maine, loaded everything we own into a Uhaul trailer and headed south to regroup and start over.
We came to Maine with our home on wheels and left with a Uhaul trailer. 😦
I will write later about our travels in Canada and also about our time in Acadia before this disaster happened.
I will end this with a reminder, please think twice before purchasing a Heartland RV. Remember, when we had trouble, they left us homeless and refuse to accept any responsibility.
UPDATE: an update to this post can be viewed here: Heartless Heartland RVs.
4 Radical Roadschoolers and a Fat Cat 
I would file a complaint with the better business bureau and department of transportation on this. Worst case scenario is that they do nothing or do a full investigation. There are laws and rules on which rv and trailers are made.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Bret,
I would change your focus to the frame failure and report is, as recommended, to the Department of Transportation and Better Business bureau as there could be a real safety issue here. DOT should be concerned, don’t just walk away from this as someone somewhere could get hurt.
I suspect that most of your other issues with cracks and separations are related to the frame failure and I believe the frame failure progressed over a period of time and did not happen at the time you finally noticed it. Feature and focus on those photos of the frame and wheel positions.
LikeLiked by 2 people
And file a complaint with Consumer Affairs and the Attorney General. This kind of shoddy workmanship needs to stop before someone is killed in an accident! Did you share on their Facebook page if they have one?
LikeLike
The current boom in the RV industry has manufactures shoving RV units out the door at a record pace. To keep up with demand, manufactures are quickly hiring more workers. Finding skilled
workers for this kind of assembly are not that easy to find. Consequently workers that are being hired have minimal training and low time experience. Because of this, the craftsmanship and quality of workmanship has gone way down; not a priority with many of today’s RV manufactures. These companies will get weeded out and when the RV boom bubble bursts, which it will, the doors of many RV manufactures will close.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Don’t BOTHER with the Better Business Bureau, they are useless as Tits on a Boar Hog and will do nothing to help this situation.
You need to get an Attorney and Get involved with the Lemon Laws! They Do have Lemon Laws that cover RVs and the RV Industry knows it!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Lemon Laws depend on you state. I live in FL and we have none covering RV’s.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Fleetwood Homes are just like Heartland , dont buy either!!!
LikeLike
Lance makes a good unit also.
LikeLike
This is a common theme with all Thor products. There is poor craftsmanship and Thor denies any responsibility. We had a leak around both windows in less than one year and Thor said it was our fault for not checking the caulking. The Thor Vegas sat at camping world for months waiting for repair. RV market is 80% controlled by Thor and Forest River. Buyer beware.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Our Thor is great. We also had a leak around the front side window which we found right away and recalled it and have not had any more problems. Thor tells you in advance that you need to check the calming at least evey 3-6 months and it is the owner’s responsibility. That also goes for the roof. I’m sure most if not all manufacturers have the same policy.
LikeLike
We have had noting but trouble with our Thor Motor Coach Challenger. Just yesterday we had traveled to another spot about 90 miles away, and my husband found the back ladder half way detached. They had screwed right thru the pipes and and finally the pipes split and half!! We have had to replace both slide motors on one slide. A sway bar on rear drivers side axle was never installed, the passenger window leaked the first night it rained! We have to bring in the big slide whenever it rains as it leaks. I can’r even remember all the things we have had fixed. Every RV repair person says that there are many problems with these coaches!! Today’s RV’s are put together very poorly!1
LikeLike
We had a Thor unit. It was pure trash. It had a hidden leak in a corner where the roof met the side. Over the years it developed a slow undetected leak, until the whole back rotted out and had to be rebuilt. My husband was meticulous looking for leaks and recaulking all cracks. We will never own a Thor product again.
LikeLike
Here is a post in RV Travel Newsletter. It may give you some ideas on how to proceed.
http://rvtravel.com/845-when-the-dealer-hands-you-a-lemon/
LikeLiked by 2 people
Great idea. My thought is contact Motorhome magazine. They have a special section where they will help you.
LikeLike
RV Travel also has a new Facebook group called RV Horror Stories. There may be someone on there who can also advise you how to proceed and certainly this would be one of the worst stories. So sorry it happened to you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ken Summer that is a great link, thank you for posting it!!
LikeLike
I wish this heap could have been towed to the RV show and put on display in a booth.
Large reader boards with the info contained in this post.
This is total bullshit and should be widely shared in the RV community in an attempt to hold Heartland RV responsible and to sway buyers away from purchasing one of their shitty RV’s.
LikeLiked by 2 people
A suggestion……Trailer Life magazine has a “RV Resolutions” section for problems such as this. They handle items that are way past warranty that deal with poor craftsmanship. I would suggest you contact them. They have great results helping the consumer.
Send a typed letter include copies of appropriate bills, photographs and correspondence along with a self addressed stamped envelope to:
TrailerLifeRVResolutions
2750 Park View Court
Suite 240
Oxnard, CA 93036
Hope this helps!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Lynn, Trailer Life is part of Camping World…..it is published to serve the manufactures and not consumers.
Only possible thing to do about this is find a good attorney who is meaner than a junkyard dog.
Hit them where is hurts the most…their bank accounts.
Sorry to hear your tale of RV Horrors !
LikeLiked by 2 people
Also hit your local media , if that doesnt work , start talking to national tv stations ….that’ll get Heartlands attention!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I would recommend you hire a structural engineer one who has knowledge of RV construction to do a
Do a failure analysis on the damage to your trailer. Based on that report I would then consider sueing heartland and your insurance company.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Can’t you get an unbiased inspection then sue them? This is rediculous No gauranteed hope for anyone if they treat one customer like this. I’LL NEVER BUY ONE FROM THEM. And I’m looking now for future purchase. SORRY THIS HAPPENED TO YOU BUT THANKS FOR POSTING. IT HAS DEFINITELY ALERTED ME
LikeLike
Thanks for the info about Thor. They are now off the list of dealers. I will forward this info to all of my RV buddies. They will not buy Thor either.
I will e-mail Thor and inform them of my position. Others should do the same
LikeLiked by 1 person
You can clearly see that the axle support has failed and that has everything to do with how the trailer is supported. Just like the foundation of a house if it is compromised the walls inside and out start to crack and doors become hard to open and close and things separate.
LikeLike
Sue their socks off!
LikeLike
Please have someone explain how hitting a tree branch way up bends springs and shackles way down there. I would put that thing on a lowboy trailer and drop it at the factory. That kind of junk build has to stop. If I owned the factory and someone posted this, I’d do anything to repair it before too many people saw it. Stuff like this could really hurt business, so I’d take care of it quick. AND hire a person to do quality control inspection.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Thank you. I appreciate hearing what you have gone thru; only wish Heartland would have helped you. I keep a list of the brands with unresolved issues and ones from Trailer Life that are resolved only after the magazine advocates for the owner. Heartland is now at the top of my ‘will never buy list’ along with Forrest River.
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a horrible experience! And I am astounded by Heartland’s awful customer service (or lack thereof)!
Regarding manufacturers with a rep for exceptional customer service, we had heard from numerous RVer’s that Tiffin was the way to go. We did purchase a 2015 Tiffin motorcoach this past Feb. There were a half dozen issues that occurred on our first trip! Tiffin did indeed make it right. They and/or the dealer reimbursed us for all of the repair work.
I will never buy a Heartland, and will advise others as well.
I hope you’re able to recover from this terrible situation.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Leslie Shofield , Long time rv’rs are telling people to buy older used ones because the new stuff is just junk!!! So this Heartland has proved!
My husband worked for Fleetwood Homes for 25 yrs (it was mobile homes but they do RV’s too) I thought
Fleetwood was the only chincy company but i guess not. No one should buy a Fleetwood ‘ANYTHIING’!
LikeLike
Until a company of this size is presented with a class-action suit (e.g., Norcold refrigerators), they will dump you like a redheaded step-child. Unless you find a layer willing to take your case on a contingency basis, I would ‘let it go.’ However, keep up the media campaign – that will cost you little financially. Sadly, only people who research their RV purchase know about Thor and its horrible reputation for build quality and service after the sale. In fact, most camper trailers are of poor build quality. Ever see the YouTube video that an employee made during the construction process? I feel for the poor souls who are now gleefully buying RV’s at the Hershey show. Most do not have a clue – they see the bling and the easy payment plan. We need a lemon law for RV’s.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I would suggest you contact NHTSA …. Federal Agency for this type of safety problems with vehicles
https://www.nhtsa.gov/
LikeLiked by 1 person
A really sad story. It makes one question things when boasting about “American Made” when you see this shoddy build of an RV.
LikeLike
Bought a Heartland about 5 – 6 years ago. After 4 months traded it. No major problems but it did not feel right. My best 2 units were a Cougar and the current Montana HC. A dealer makes warranty good or just ok to bad. At times post warranty help 1 dealer can get several others cannot ~ volume sellers.
OHJ,, I have a photo of as Grand Design that did not make it home from the dealer before the rear wall fell out. Not all are the same but nearly all are. Try New Horizons if you have $200K plus for a 5er. They can also get you a great deal on an F450, the smallest tow vehicle that can pull it.
LikeLike
It would be nice if you could afford a lowboy trailer to put this on and drag it around the country and park it in front of Heartland dealers lots for week at a time with “lemon” in big yellow letters all over it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Heartland RV frames aren’t made by heartland events. They are made by lippert.
LikeLike
Really the main frame is made by Lippert, the folks that make all the hardware for a ton of slide outs. Hmmm thats not good as on my ’17 Forest River 34QS the kitchen slid has issues since I bought & now out of warranty, it has stopped working all together!
LikeLike
Ya those slime bags are all over Indiana in every RV factory. My ’17 Forest River had the roof peeling off & they said it was impact damage & call my Ins. Co. they said there was no impact damage. I paid for a new roof. Oh ya as far as LEMON law goes where I live in Ca they are the best, but may take TWO years to go to court, & you might loose. By the way you can’t use your RV for that time! I sure hope that what goes around comes around!
So Sorry about your troubles
Dave
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m searching for an RV myself. This write up certainly takes Heartland off my list. Whether it’s a day old or 3 years old Heartland should be a bit more sympathetic and help you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Marsha Sherman buy it used the new stuff is junk!
LikeLike
Tiffin is the way to go…we bought a 2008 Phaeton in 2014 and Tiffin actually replaced the roof rails and wet bay as that year model had problems. And we are the third owners!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ditto on the low boy idea ,start a “go fund me ” and raise the money a d tow that mess around to major cities . I bet you wouldn’t get far befor they took care of it! God bless you I hope this all works out for you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Robin Canfield, a gofundme is an excellent idea and with just one or two of the pictures here it wouldnt take long to build up a fund to either hire a good lawyer or buy something different!! Then leave their piece of junk on their own doorstep ~
LikeLiked by 1 person
In my area there are people with the local news channel that will bring to light this kind of shoddy way to do business with consumers. The company should have taken more interest in your complaint and if nothing else offered some kind of compensation for your inconvenience.
LikeLiked by 1 person
your first paragraph prevents you from getting warranty coverage. You have absolutely no warranty when using a recreational vehicle as a permanent residence. they are not made for that. read your warranty policy. no warranty for residents, rentals, or leases. Heartland doesn’t have to do anything legally. just an FYI
LikeLike
Joe, they have no warranty anyway the vehicle is 3 or 4 yrs old
LikeLiked by 1 person
We have a heartland. It was a year old when we bought it 2016 purchased in 2017 36’ bighorn. We think we have the bugs worked out of it but it’s been a battle for the 1st year. The slide leaked called the dealer and called heartland only response was the 1 year warranty had exspired. Leaking plumbing everywhere at least 5 different issues some roof leak issues been caulked, repaired and fixed and I did it all. A real pain in the neck. Not quite a bad as your issue but have spoke with a lot of heartland owners and a lot of similar problems. Glad you were able to keep smiles on your faces for the family picture posted.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love my Grand Design. I live in it full time and knock on wood, she is handling it beautifully. I am so sorry this has happened to you. Keep persuing this, dont just let them win!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It may be frame failure. I had one of my rear spring hangers split and pull off. The welder, who did a great job, found frame cracks that I did not even notice. He welded them and told me to watch for this. After my trip across the county, I am bring it back to him for inspection just to make sure. So far so good, but he warned me that frame cracking will cause what has happened to you. He does a lot of repairs for fifth wheels and it is not manufacture specific. He owns a fifth wheel as well, but from what he has seen the frames are under designed for high millage traveling. The manufactures need to specify much stronger frames. They are under designed for high millage. Full time units are not designed for a lot of road travel.
LikeLike
The insurance company thinks it’s due to a manufacturing defect and therefore won’t pay.
The manufacturer of the trailer thinks it’s due to a collision with a tree and therefore won’t pay.
It seems to me that if you were to take the manufacturer’s tree collision statement to the insurance company, the insurance company might be obligated to pay. “Gee, until Heartland pointed it out to me, I never realized that I must have hit a tree, leading to all this damage.”
But if you stick with the insurance company position that it’s a manufacturing defect, the trailer and frame manufacturers can both simply decline to help because the warranty has expired – and you get nothing except some satisfaction out of posting on social media how you’ve been wronged.
I’m pragmatic so I think I know which way I’d go.
And I’d start by erasing this entire post before the insurance company uses it against you.
LikeLike
Wow! I was thinking the same thing! Heartland handed you your insurance claim on a silver platter!!!!
LikeLike
I recommend contacting Lippert, also I have a friend in the same boat with his toy hauler. I believe it is a forest river product. Right front side of wall came off about 4’ long of it top to bottom. In a rain storm with lots of wind, while he was traveling down the rd. His insurance company said same crap that it was a possibly a defect.
LikeLike
Grand Design is partners with Winnebago! Winnebago customer service complains are as bad as heartland! Heartland is subsidiary of Thor Industries. Thor has several subsidiaries Airstream is one of them. My point when RV companies where independent and manufactured their own products. They built decent RV’s, and stood behind them! I own a 2017 Gulfstream and so for it’s had a few minor problems that I was able to repair myself. But I too plan on living full time starting in 2021. I’m looking for an RV manufacture who will stand behind their product. Riversidetrailer.com looks like a possible RV manufacture to check out
LikeLike
We purchased a new Tiffin motorhome 2 years ago at the Hershey PA show. As others have written, all RV’s have some initial bugs and require ongoing maintenance. Tiffin’s customer service and technical support has been excellent. They respond quickly and never quibble about warranty parts or service. They have even provided parts & reimbused me for items that most manufacturers would not cover. For troubleshooting, they provide phone & email access to their technicians and systems specialist. Bottom line, Mr. Bob Tiffin & company want to retain their reputation for superior quality and service. If you purchase new, go watch your coach being built in Red Bay AL.
LikeLike
Please, people, before you buy an RV… new or used… do yourselves a favor. Spend a few bucks and join the RV Consumers Group. Read their material, which will allow you to do your research on types, manufacturers, brands, and models. You may change your ideas about what you really need in an RV after reading the RV Consumers Group info. There actually are manufacturers out there who still make RVs that don’t fall apart as you drive down the road! Whatever you do, become an educated RV buyer. You won’t get the information you need from RV dealers, that’s for sure.
LikeLike
OK!! I’ll certainly never even consider a product from Heartland! I’m SO sorry for your awful experience! Thank you for sharing it – it must have been hard to do!
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is probably the worst thing i have ever seen in rvs’. My god. IS this where it is at now? Few years ago(2015) we bought a new “old” rv. we did this because the notes seemed outragously long and the price did not seem justified. we also did this because we wanted to buy pre lippert components.
LCI makes all the frames now for every rig on the road. Wasnt so pre crash. in fact LCI was barely present because they were cheap. I think new rvs are one of the scariest things out there on the road now. they have also gobbled up massive other things in rvs that used to be made independently. its really terrible.
Our coach has no component on it made by lippert. not one. Its Dexter for all the running gear, our frame is solid not “light tow rv” here.and the rest is Atwood 2002-2003 components. We have fiberglass melded onto vaccume sealed non wood walls, to 1/8 ply on the inside. Marine 1″ ply floor and roof. Our unit is 14 YO now. No wood save for the 1/8 interior melded to the fiber melded to the non wood core. leaks make little trouble, we dont have anymore, we had few 2nd yr we quickly got rid of though.
Insurance ,
If you had indepentdent insurance (not insurance extended from the truck) it should have all been covered(hence full coverage). What Insurer did you have? Seems like that should be reported to the insurance commision a denial of coverage for cosmething that should have been clearly covered.
It would have been covered under comprehension side of the policy.
Now, when we first stared rving we learned alot, mostly we learned that any cheap insurance has out clauses on just about everything. we had usaa for long time but moved on from them because their list of exclusions was considerably more each year that the pages covering the coach.
We have the coach on Agreed Value Policy, which took some time to get one but worth it. its 2K year give or take. Guaranteed payout of 25K for the coach in the event of total loss, 20K personaly property, 1 mil/1 mil/1mil liability and some others but thats the highlights. comprehension and collision . Progressive Agent. Full Timers Policy.
Truck is on Geico for maxxed out policy coverage. We buy everything they sell. 433$ 6 months. The gieco policy also has coverage for the coach up to policy limits . Then we carry an umbrella through geico as well for 2 Mil 176$ yr.
Even so, we worry. But we are in a much better slot having bought pre crash. No we cant roll into the “not over 10 yr old parks” but it doesnt matter. At the end of the day, 10 year old or newer is not better for the owner, its better for the parks, the manufacturers, the dealers, and financers. The owner is the only one who looses out.
After that I might never buy another rv for any reason at all. If you still consider it, but pre 2008, probably closer to 2004(keep in mind the dozens of 2005/2006 model yr Katrina Toxic Trailers out on the market), later than 1993. These will have been made with Dexter Running gear before it was bought out (several years back 2015 i think the yr we bought our rig), and most all parts will have been made here in the us(not import china contract from LCI). We did a full tear down of alot of things in the coach to remodel(installed a marine stove from Dickenson, we got rid of the doemtic fridge installed a 5.8 CF freezer, we got rid fo the glass surround around the shower, we pulled the pan and refinished the tub/shower, installed new china toilet, pulled the sink and put in a 10″ deep single basin hand welded stainless professional, we pulled the wood floors(nice but aged after 12 yrs) and installed new floors, new furnace,new water heater, new batteries, add water softner system, add StABIL stabalizer system, pulled table and chairs, converted to game room, and in all our travels, not once did we see poor build, or poor build issues. We actually havent had to do much “fixing ” at all, we have just really done upgrading, the foundation so far has been solid, it pulls nicely, and its 38 ft long 14K lbs. We paid 16K in 2015.
We almost financed. But decided against it and saved up.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I just came back from the factory in July where they fixed my frame and there were several cracks in the sidewall and while there 3 other rigs made in 2015 where getting frames fixed. I looked at the owner’s website and found where there were many 2015 rigs being fixed. I have the same model. They are responsible they need to replace your rig. Do your homework and file a lawsuit.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Talk to a lawyer.
LikeLike
May I suggest an attorney that deals with cases such as yours? Burdge Law out of Ohio. Look them up on the internet. They will review your case and if you have a strong case, they will represent you. Good Luck!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Had a Thor Chateau class C. Was in for repairs more than at home. Finally traded it for a Phoenix Cruiser 3100. Did the Phoenix Cruiser factory tour. Very impressive engineered design, great manufacturing. Drove it to Alaska from Florida. Gone 5 months, 15,000 miles, drove many VERY rough roads. Only problem was connection in microwave vibrated loose. Also, will never again do business with Camping World from whom we bought the Chateau and who was terrible at getting repairs done!
LikeLike
Had a very similar issue many yearswith a mobile home that was being moved. Frame buckled and the unit was basically left stranded. Manufacturer and dealer bothignored me, basically told me too bad. No problem I contacted an attorney and told him to get it fixed. Boy did they ever. He even charged them all his fees plus my costs of living expenses while it was repaired. Only thing I was out was time. If you’ve contacted both Rv mfg. andframe mfg. and they blew you off, don’t waste another minute fooling with them. Just my advice.
LikeLiked by 1 person
How awful! Thanks for the warning. That Heartland company is heartless…and shortsighted. Do they not realize how much business they could be losing bc they are not standing behind their product? Sheesh. Hope your insurance company will reconsider coverage!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think the RV industry is pretty much the same. We have a Forest River 5th wheel purchased new. Ever time we use it something breaks or stops working. It’s not even 2 years old.
LikeLike
Just for clarity, Northwoods, makes their own frames for the Arctic Fox 5th wheels and trailers, not LCI. They are extra heavy duty and are a certified steel structured chassis.
LikeLike
Sorry to hear of your problems with Heartland. We have a 2009 HitchHiker Champagne which is built as a full timer 5th wheel. We’ve made the decision to keep this rig due the great build quality compared to other RV’s today. We just remodel things as you would in a regular home. In 9 years of fultiming we have had hardly any issues.
LikeLike
You should post a contact email so we can all go ahead and just let heartland know (specaificallu the people you spoke with) that we read this arrival and found it disheartening so they can go ahead and know the reason that we will not be doing business with them. That is how company’s change. Get 200 short emails about it and maybe it will make them think a little more about how they treat customers.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Kiera, just look at the emails she has in the post , you can see their names and email!!! I think I may send them a few , not so nice , lines myself~~!!! ;oP
LikeLiked by 1 person
Here is the email address for the president of Heartland: chris.hermon@heartlandrvs.com. He has never bothered to reply to my many emails, but it’s worth a try. And thank you for emailing on our behalf. 🙂
LikeLike
I have a 2008 Big Country 3300RL.
Our bed room slide out started cracking right at the cut out point and we found out all the manufacturers do is just cut out the hole for the slide out with no reinforcements around the cut out at all. Some in that respect while driving the camper all twist and move. This is why cracks develop at these location. All campers manufacturers are made like CRAP.
Sorry for your misfortunes
LikeLike
Can’t you get an unbiased inspection then sue them? This is rediculous No gauranteed hope for anyone if they treat one customer like this. I’LL NEVER BUY ONE FROM THEM. And I’m looking now for future purchase. SORRY THIS HAPPENED TO YOU BUT THANKS FOR POSTING. IT HAS DEFINITELY ALERTED ME
LikeLike
Don’t know what to say other than you folks are amazing people. So sorry this happened to you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for the info,I was about to buy a Heartland, not any more.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I work in an RV dealership and we sell Heartland units. I know many dealerships take the manufacturer’s word for their inspections and don’t provide a full inspection of their own. If we were to do the same nearly every unit sold would be falling apart like this. I haven’t seen one unit come in that didnt need a list of warranty repairs. I would guess that this could be one of many possible reasons why this happend. It’s sad that a manufacturer would simply rather wash their hands of this instead of properly looking into it. I have seen many RV’s damaged by trees or even a house. This looks nothing like that. Besides that a hit to the top corner would not bend the frame like that. With my experience in the shop at our dealership, no matter how nice the units have been fixed up. I would never own one. Let alone anything from Heartland. They are often the units we end up doing the most work on right from the factory. My heart goes out to the family.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pingback: Nova Scotia: Peggy’s Cove | 4 Radical Roadschoolers and a Fat Cat