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Old 11-01-2013, 11:16 PM   #1
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Sorry ending

You do your homework and pick a company to build you your motorhome. You do your research and pick a dealer to take care of the process. All this from 2,000 miles.
The home is ordered in August, with a date for delivery to the dealer in October. I chose the 2014 model chassis because I had learned of the new safety changes on the new MB 2014 chassis. In late October,You call the dealer, he has no idea for the delay or so he says. He will look into it. You join the forum and in your reading the site you discover that the manufacture discontinued your model at about the time you ordered it. The factory rep in a post ( Sept 3) states that they got two 2013 chassis to meet orders in the pipe line, but that's all. The factory rep in Sept., on the forum first says that they will build a new design on the new MB chassis but continue the old 24 Murphy bed to see which sells better, (yet he has already stated that there are no more 2013 MB chassis available). The dealer says the RV is held up waiting for "missing parts". A few days later in Sept, on the forum, the factory rep who says he takes part in the design process and says that the 24 Murphy bed will is discontinued. I run the VIN for my coach and learn that it is on a 2013 MB chassis. Now I know that you can have a 2014 home on a older chassis. But the factory rep had said none were available any more.

Who is at fault for the misinformation to the waiting buyer, the dealer or the factory rep. The bottom line is that the buyer has lost confidence in both the dealer and the manufacture and decides to not buy the motorhome. We really wanted that RV and had grand plans to use it and show it off as we traveled. Forest River, If you can change your design completely to meet the use of the 2014 MB chassis, why we're you unable to solve the Murphy bed problems or at least tell waiting buyers that the 2014 MB chassis would not work. Why the different explanations by the factory rep in his post on the forum, if he so involved in design changes. Based on his information on what had to be done, it could not be done in a week or two. Yet they managed to build the new model on a 2014 chassis in time for a September RV show. Did the really drop the 24 Murphy because of the problems with the bed, or because it was a slow seller' only Forest River knows and they aren't talking.

PS the factory rep says they can build 12 to16 units a day, why a three plus month delay?

Happy trails to all
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Old 11-01-2013, 11:53 PM   #2
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That's a good story and hopefully someone important in Forest River reads this thread and takes action.
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Old 11-02-2013, 02:16 AM   #3
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It is quite frustrating when you've gone to such efforts and for what????? Ugh ~ wish you well; keep us posted.
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Old 11-02-2013, 04:12 AM   #4
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The factory rep in Sept., on the forum first says that they will build a new design on the new MB chassis but continue the old 24 Murphy bed to see which sells better, (yet he has already stated that there are no more 2013 MB chassis available).

Yep, he said that on 9/8 on the forum. But you took out the first part where he said I'm guessing they will... Guessing. Then on 9/30 (a month before you joined) he said it won't fit in the same thread. Not guessing this time. Won't fit. Clear as mud?

One of the nice things about this forum is BClemens is willing to disuss things NOT set in stone on the build and let customers comment on what they like. I would hate to think he needs to back away because some folks search the archives hoping to hold his feet to the fire on an unrealized design.
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Old 11-02-2013, 04:17 AM   #5
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Originally Posted by GeoffG View Post
You do your homework and pick a company to build you your motorhome. You do your research and pick a dealer to take care of the process. All this from 2,000 miles.
The home is ordered in August, with a date for delivery to the dealer in October. I chose the 2014 model chassis because I had learned of the new safety changes on the new MB 2014 chassis. In late October,You call the dealer, he has no idea for the delay or so he says. He will look into it. You join the forum and in your reading the site you discover that the manufacture discontinued your model at about the time you ordered it. The factory rep in a post ( Sept 3) states that they got two 2013 chassis to meet orders in the pipe line, but that's all. The factory rep in Sept., on the forum first says that they will build a new design on the new MB chassis but continue the old 24 Murphy bed to see which sells better, (yet he has already stated that there are no more 2013 MB chassis available). The dealer says the RV is held up waiting for "missing parts". A few days later in Sept, on the forum, the factory rep who says he takes part in the design process and says that the 24 Murphy bed will is discontinued. I run the VIN for my coach and learn that it is on a 2013 MB chassis. Now I know that you can have a 2014 home on a older chassis. But the factory rep had said none were available any more.

Who is at fault for the misinformation to the waiting buyer, the dealer or the factory rep. The bottom line is that the buyer has lost confidence in both the dealer and the manufacture and decides to not buy the motorhome. We really wanted that RV and had grand plans to use it and show it off as we traveled. Forest River, If you can change your design completely to meet the use of the 2014 MB chassis, why we're you unable to solve the Murphy bed problems or at least tell waiting buyers that the 2014 MB chassis would not work. Why the different explanations by the factory rep in his post on the forum, if he so involved in design changes. Based on his information on what had to be done, it could not be done in a week or two. Yet they managed to build the new model on a 2014 chassis in time for a September RV show. Did the really drop the 24 Murphy because of the problems with the bed, or because it was a slow seller' only Forest River knows and they aren't talking.

PS the factory rep says they can build 12 to16 units a day, why a three plus month delay?

Happy trails to all
Orders placed ahead of you.
In this case I say the factory rep is at fault.
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Old 11-02-2013, 06:37 AM   #6
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I do not think the factory rep is at fault. BClemens has gone out of his way to help and provide information. Even if the info is not set in stone yet. Please quit taking out all the frustration you are feeling on him. He is here to help because he believes in his product and wants things to go smoothly with every purchase. Again, not his fault. IMHO
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Old 11-02-2013, 07:34 AM   #7
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I do not think the factory rep is at fault. BClemens has gone out of his way to help and provide information. Even if the info is not set in stone yet. Please quit taking out all the frustration you are feeling on him. He is here to help because he believes in his product and wants things to go smoothly with every purchase. Again, not his fault. IMHO
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Old 11-02-2013, 08:40 AM   #8
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This forum would not be the same without bclemens!
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Old 11-02-2013, 10:14 AM   #9
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I am relatively new to this forum but have to say, the fact that bclemens participates as he does is going to be a major factor when I retire and make my purchasing decision for a motor home.

IMO it is a very unfortunate situation that you find yourself in, that being one of an expectation that cannot be met. Therefore I understand your disappointment. But having been in both engineering design of consumer products (big boy's toys) and responsible for manufacturing operations for the last 32 years, I have some insight into the challenges builders like FR have when it comes to supply of components and the insignificant influence they have on a "big player" supplier like MB. I suspect FR is at their supplier's mercy on delivery schedules and component availability. Also note that the engineering process is not static, it evolves in the pursuit of improvement or to address constraints that present themselves during a product's life cycle. There are many balls in the air so to speak, and unfortunately a few sometimes hit the floor.

If I may provide a suggestion. I noticed that in your post you did not mention trying to make direct contact with bclemens via email or phone. I am sure he would have welcomed the opportunity to follow up early on in your situation to ensure you had the appropriate information as the facts became available so you could make an informed buying decision. All is not lost yet if you can now give him an opportunity to address your issue personally, an opportunity he did not have previously.

Why I make this recommendation of contacting bclemens is because of my recent experience with him. I live in Canada and had noticed that no Canadian dealers were listed for the Solera a few months ago. (This has since changed BTW. ) I therefore made contact with my closest dealer at the time which is 4.5 hours away in North Dakota. To my surprise, I received a response directly from Mr. Clemens and not the dealer. Through a series of email exchanges he was able to educate me of the status and what steps were being taken to sign up dealers in Canada. This was an important issue for me from a warranty persective since it turns out that if I had imported from the US into Canada as I originally intended, I would have had no warranty coverage on the home or chassis. I appreciated his honesty and patience during the email exchange. I suspect he does it with others that contact him and would do the same for you.

I hope all can be resolved to your satisfaction. Good luck.
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Old 11-02-2013, 01:38 PM   #10
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One thing my sales rep. told me about ordering is people expect the product yesterday. I too started getting bend so to speak when the delivery date came and went, started thinking bad thoughts and the like. But things finally happened and our MH was delivered. One thing that I've noticed from this forum and it's not a lot. BUT some people probably should not own an RV they want one because of things they've seen about them but in reality they have no clue what they're getting into.
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Old 11-02-2013, 06:37 PM   #11
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I do not think the factory rep is at fault. BClemens has gone out of his way to help and provide information. Even if the info is not set in stone yet. Please quit taking out all the frustration you are feeling on him. He is here to help because he believes in his product and wants things to go smoothly with every purchase. Again, not his fault. IMHO
X3

Brian has been a great help. We are blessed to have his participation on this forum and his personal involvement in problem solving.
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Old 11-04-2013, 10:46 AM   #12
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The home is ordered in August, with a date for delivery to the dealer in October. I chose the 2014 model chassis because I had learned of the new safety changes on the new MB 2014 chassis. In late October,You call the dealer, he has no idea for the delay or so he says. He will look into it. You join the forum and in your reading the site you discover that the manufacture discontinued your model at about the time you ordered it. The factory rep in a post ( Sept 3) states that they got two 2013 chassis to meet orders in the pipe line, but that's all. The factory rep in Sept., on the forum first says that they will build a new design on the new MB chassis but continue the old 24 Murphy bed to see which sells better, (yet he has already stated that there are no more 2013 MB chassis available). The dealer says the RV is held up waiting for "missing parts". A few days later in Sept, on the forum, the factory rep who says he takes part in the design process and says that the 24 Murphy bed will is discontinued. I run the VIN for my coach and learn that it is on a 2013 MB chassis. Now I know that you can have a 2014 home on a older chassis. But the factory rep had said none were available any more.

Who is at fault for the misinformation to the waiting buyer, the dealer or the factory rep. The bottom line is that the buyer has lost confidence in both the dealer and the manufacture and decides to not buy the motorhome. We really wanted that RV and had grand plans to use it and show it off as we traveled. Forest River, If you can change your design completely to meet the use of the 2014 MB chassis, why we're you unable to solve the Murphy bed problems or at least tell waiting buyers that the 2014 MB chassis would not work. Why the different explanations by the factory rep in his post on the forum, if he so involved in design changes. Based on his information on what had to be done, it could not be done in a week or two. Yet they managed to build the new model on a 2014 chassis in time for a September RV show. Did the really drop the 24 Murphy because of the problems with the bed, or because it was a slow seller' only Forest River knows and they aren't talking.

PS the factory rep says they can build 12 to16 units a day, why a three plus month delay?

Happy trails to all
Oh my goodness where to begin. I will say, it is things like this why reps do not participate on forums. (I think that's a shame too).

One of the reasons I left my former RV employer, was that they treated reps like children. They did not give us ANY information because they were afraid we would stop selling RV's to dealers waiting for the "new changes". But what that meant is that we were not involved in picking those changes. Changes were made without our input and so we built a product that did not fully fill the customers needs, but the engineers desires.

At Forester River I have access to way more info. I still have to be careful with what I release...but if I see a customer say "I'm not going to buy because of this..." and I know we are coming out with that, I will tell them there is hope. I often give too much information and that has sometimes gotten me in trouble. But that is a line I am willing to walk, because it is what I would want if I were on the other side. I also give out things we are "thinking about" so that I can get feedback before we finalize that decision.

Now on to the OP.

1. I would be curious as to the major safety updates from the 2013 to the 2014. Also remember we use a cutaway chassis and it is not always the exact same as the van version (different speedo set up, different options). Most of the changes I have seen were cosmetic.

2. On 9/3/13 on the Murphy bed post I stated "we stopped building it" "IF we can figure out how to make the murphy bed work we would build it"

3. I don't see where I said we would continue to build the old 24M and see which one sells better? If someone can direct me I'm guessing that is out of context.

4. I said none were available anymore....but I had also said that (2) units were bought to complete retail orders. Why would you not assume that one of those was YOUR retail order?

5. I gave ZERO mis-information. I gave the information I had at the time as it became available. If your dealer mislead you, that is on your dealer. I see no erroneous statements in my posts.

6. As I stated before. The 24M was 3rd in sales by a long shot. So we did not want to spend a ton of time redesigning that floor plan to account for 5% of our Solera sales. I also mention that in a post.

7. As for telling waiting buyers that the 2014 would not work. I think I said that several times on this forum. We also told our dealers. It was up to them to pass that info on to you.

8. I don't recall different explanations by me.

As for 3 month lead time, let's do the math.

We are currently building 14 units a day right now. If you order a unit today...I can't put it online tomorrow. We need to order parts and there are other units in the system. Currently (at 14 units a day) our schedule of units already goes to the offline date of December 23rd. If you order a unit today it would go in that next weeks schedule. If it comes in at the end, it would be offline on the 30th (let's pretend there are no holiday's). That is 8 weeks to offline. If you want full body paint, it then goes to the paint shop. Add another 2-3 weeks. (11 weeks total). The it comes back from paint, gets sealed, QC inspected, rain tested and missing parts installed, etc. etc. Could be another week. (12 weeks total). Then if all goes well it heads to the delivery yard where it may sit for a day or two, then heads out (in my case 5 day trip). Now we're at 13 weeks and that is if everything has gone smoothly and the order was placed by the dealer the exact same day you say "yes" to the dealer.

As for "Forest River knows and they aren't talking" it's the first time I've ever been accused of that. Normally I'm accused of talking too much.

At the end of ALL OF THIS, when you say you checked the VIN on your coach, It sounds like your unit was one of the ones we stole a chassis for. So you wanted a 24M, the dealer got you a 24M (happened to be on a 2013 chassis), ordered the coach, delivered the coach and you refused the coach. I was not involved in the sales process so I have no idea if you stated 2014 Solera or 2014 Solera on a 2014 chassis. That is between you and the dealer. But I know that I clearly stated that the 2014 Sprinter would not work with the 24M and clearly stated that we bought (2) 2013's to fill retail orders. Refusing the unit is solely on your and your dealer. I see no reason that I am getting singled out when I have been nothing but forthcoming.
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Old 11-04-2013, 11:08 AM   #13
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OK, so I found the post. It was on 8/8/13. That is the info I had at the time...
"I agree, this is a great floor plan. Big bath, good storage, etc, etc. Which is why we're not deleting it. The only thing we're doing is creating a new option for the power Murphy bed. I'm guessing we'll offer both in tandem for a while and the most popular will remain."

At the time they were trying to sort out what we would do. I also post somewhere else that we worked on the 24R first and then the 24S (new heights etc, since those were the #1 and #2 selling floor plans) Once we started redesigning the 24M it became pretty clear it wasn't going to work.

Then on 9/3/13 I confirm that it is no longer being built.
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Old 11-04-2013, 12:01 PM   #14
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I'm getting close to a purchase and was told 10 week minimum plus holiday time amounts to mid January. I think I'll wait a little so not to get a Christmas Eve built unit.
Seems to me the only one telling half truths is the one who started this thread.
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Old 11-04-2013, 12:11 PM   #15
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Yes, even without paint, the earliest a unit would be offline right now is the 23rd...actually I think we're shut down that whole week, possibly two due to where the holiday's fall. So realistically you're looking to the week of Jan 6th as the absolute best case scenario if the unit has not been ordered.

Now before someone says, "well my dealer told me..." If a dealer has something on order already that he can match up, then it could be sooner. This would only apply to new factory orders.
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Old 11-04-2013, 12:30 PM   #16
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I personally resent op using info gained on this forum to throw it in the face of FR or to denigrate the company to others.

Input from the factory on this forum is meant to be informal. Do not force FR to curtail a very valuable service.

Do us all a favor and buy something else and save your misplaced rants for another forum
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Old 11-04-2013, 12:31 PM   #17
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This is none of my business BUT I can say after a lot of issues with my MH a 2011 Berkshire that I have never had any misleading conversation or false excuse given from anyone at FR. They have said they didn't know or weren't sure but never misleading and always found the answer for me. The first answer wasn't always the final answer because they sometimes had to change to make the fix but I have never been "lied" to. Also important to note the answer they came up with wasn't always the answer I wanted but so far everything has worked out.I also think its great that you take time out of your day to participate on this forum.



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Old 11-04-2013, 02:05 PM   #18
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If there is still time, you can always go back and take the 24M that the dealer ordered for you. I say this because in regards to the big "safety features" for the 2014 Sprinter, I pulled this from their site...

"Mercedes-Benz’s biggest improvements for the Sprinter, however, come by way of a fresh batch of five new safety features. The first is van-specific and called Crosswind Assist, and it works with the (tall and slab-sided) Sprinter’s electronic stability-control system to mitigate the effects of crosswinds. Crosswind Assist will be standard in Europe, but won’t hit our Sprinter for another year, arriving in the fall of 2014 on the 2015 model. The other four upgrades—blind-spot monitoring, a Collision Prevention Assist collision-warning system, Highbeam Assist automatic high-beam control, and Lane Keeping Assist—are part of the optional Safety Assistance package and will be available on the U.S.-spec 2014 Sprinter from the get-go. Mercedes also will offer three-quarters of the Safety Assistance kit (minus Collision Prevention Assist) in the Lane package."

The first one, Crosswind assist is van specific and will not be available until the 2015 model in the US. The other 4 items are all options and I can confirm at this time none of them are on the Cutaway build that we are getting.

So the major changes from 2013 to 2014 are aesthetic.
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Old 11-04-2013, 03:15 PM   #19
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Nicely done bclemens.
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Old 11-04-2013, 03:23 PM   #20
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Nicely done bclemens.
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