Forester Quality

Keithe · 05-09-2016, 11:20 PM

I guess after reading some of the issues other are having with their RV's, I should feel lucky that I only have a few issues but when I see what I consider poor quality or lack of care, it makes me frustrated.

Here's what I've found so far.

The skylight over my dinning table has hand prints on the outside. I've tried to remove them with Windex and rubbing alcohol but neither would work. It looks like someone had some type of glue or sealant on their hands when then installed the skylight, getting their hand prints all over the clear plastic. It's very unsightly...

Many of the doors for my exterior storage compartments are crooked. For example, the door for the large compartment in back is tight up to the door frame on one side but has about a 3/8" to 1/2" gap between the door and the frame on the other side.

To me, these type of issues are just sloppy workmanship that should never occur. I know these RV's are put together pretty fast but these kinds of sloppy workmanship should never happen.

gandb26 · 05-11-2016, 04:33 AM

I don't blame the workers, I blame top management. Just like my job, "goals" are set very high, almost unobtainable. In order to get a good year end review and "crank out" the number of units that they want to do so, corners have to be cut. Unfortunately customer service suffers for that. It's the "do more with less" mentality. If a worker got into the business of making campers, I'm sure it's someone who enjoys working with their hands and creating something. There's no way they have the time to be as meticulous as they would like I am sure. I would love to make small talk and build comraderie with my customers, but I'm expected to make a certain number of calls and appointments everyday and I would never make that goal if I spent more time talking with the customers. Sad but true. Big business and bottom line. Sad state of affairs. Ok, stepping off soap box now. Lol.

GL1800Rider · 05-11-2016, 05:58 AM

Agreed, both those items are minor. Your dealer can adjust the doors and replace the skylight under warranty.

**Joshua Cavitt** · 05-11-2016, 08:03 AM

All of our units are built by human hand which allows for human error. The only way to get rid of human error is to get rid of the human.Whether a mistake is made or not, we go above and beyond the call of duty when it comes to customer service.

Our GM, Sales manager, Regional Managers, and Office Managers are all in the same office and enjoy hearing from customers whether it's negative or positive. We all stay engaged in our product and keep up to date with what's happening in the field.

gandb26 · 05-11-2016, 08:13 AM

I, in no way, wanted to come off bashing Forest River. I have seen people blaming the workers for "shoddy workmanship" from time to time in posts and I just don't believe that's the case. I feel that most workers want very much to do an excellent job and have pride in what they are making and turning out. Most people in general do the best they can within the bounds that they are given to perform. Companies are in business to make a profit. That's how it works. So far, I have been pleased with the responsiveness of any questions that I had directed to Forest River directly.

vwexpert · 05-11-2016, 09:37 AM

I believe the complaint is more about quality control. The coach should not of left the plant in that condition.

Steeljag · 05-11-2016, 04:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vwexpert

I believe the complaint is more about quality control. The coach should not of left the plant in that condition.

X2 !

Keithe · 05-11-2016, 04:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joshua Cavitt

All of our units are built by human hand which allows for human error. The only way to get rid of human error is to get rid of the human.Whether a mistake is made or not, we go above and beyond the call of duty when it comes to customer service.

Our GM, Sales manager, Regional Managers, and Office Managers are all in the same office and enjoy hearing from customers whether it's negative or positive. We all stay engaged in our product and keep up to date with what's happening in the field.

Joshua, for the most part, I'm happy with the quality of the RV we received but I do think it's frustrating when I see things that I believe should have been caught at the factory or never should have happen. We do have other minor issues such as loose pipes and screws that I'm addressing myself as I find them. BTW, if you'd like to know who installed my skylight, I have their finder prints permanently etched into the skylight.

caesar101 · 05-12-2016, 05:20 PM

You might try some 3M adhesive remover on the finger prints its very good stuff.

Geri · 05-29-2016, 08:56 AM

To those that excuse poor workmanship based this and that reason; I have owned four RVs over a 30 year period, made by three manufacturers. The one thing that they all had in common was that with only a cursory examination one could easily tell what was original to the base chassis and what was added by the RV mfgr

newRVer · 06-03-2016, 09:52 AM

Got my 3011 out of storage last night to get ready for our second trip and when I got home I noticed the counter top cover for the trash can missing. I thought it was there when I got in. After a few minutes of looking around I happened to find some trash under the couch so I went over to put in the trash can and low and behold there was the missing counter top cover and the lip flange it sits on in the trash can! Really? The vibrations from driving the RV 1 mile back home caused the flange piece to fail?

After looking at the flange it appears that they put one or two drops of thin glue on it and slapped it on the plywood under counter. After seeing that I was surprised that it had not fallen off earlier. So now I have one more item for the warranty repair list!

Also discovered the reason the outside door needs to be shut firmly otherwise it will not catch. It appears that the two metal studs on the door that go in the door jamb are actually hitting the jamb slightly. Since I cannot reduce the length of the studs, the only fix is to shave down the metal on the jamb slightly. This should not be an issue since the jamb was cut out anyway to accommodate. It's a shame though that this has to be done after a purchase....

Creativepart · 06-05-2016, 12:06 AM

The way the RV industry works the initial buyer is considered the final stage in quality control. And the one year warranty is designed to allow the manufacturer to only pay to fix the issues found during that first year. Works out good for them.

The auto industry it is not.

newRVer · 06-06-2016, 10:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Creativepart

The way the RV industry works the initial buyer is considered the final stage in quality control. And the one year warranty is designed to allow the manufacturer to only pay to fix the issues found during that first year. Works out good for them.

The auto industry it is not.

I just thought of a new part time job for when I retire. FR can loan me an RV every weekend or so and maybe a few weeks of the year. We take it out for a short trip and then provide feedback on the things that work/don't work and/or need to be redesigned or fixed. That should help with quality control for models coming off the assembly line.

PS. They can label them as "road tested" thereby assuring less pain for the new first time owner. #WinWin

Creativepart · 06-06-2016, 06:49 PM

Some of the country's biggest RV dealers are wise enough to establish a PDI Center where all RV's are shipped to one location for a dedicated PDI staff to go over everything and fix it BEFORE they put the RV on the sales lot. I'd guess they bill the manufacturer for the repairs???

Here's a good video on the shady truth of RV buying. It touches on quality issues:

https://youtu.be/No6ZKDaBpTg

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