Concerned about a purchase! HELP!!

Bs_rvers · 03-15-2017, 02:00 PM

Hello all.. I am new to this forum so thank you in advance for any advice. My wife and I found the 323QBS at an RV show and immediately fell in love with the floor plan because we have 5 children and while the chances of them all coming at once are slim even 3 of them with a friend or two require the large bunk house so we were sold. Last weekend our RV finally arrived at the dealer and so we drove up to take a look at it. . . I was seriously disappointed!! The level of craftsmanship on the RV was horrible. There were staples sticking through the finishing and the particle board was showing through the finishing in several locations. The floor was dirty and had saw dust all over it I was appalled I can not understand how this RV was allowed to leave the factory looking the way it did never mind be presented to the customer this way!! I immediately started doing some research and found numerous complaints, including some on this board, about the quality of the Vibe product. The floor plan is ideal for us and we absolutely love it but I can not buy a product if I am not sure it will not be anything but a continuous problem because of faulty craftsmanship. I am looking for any honest opinions from people with experience about the quality of the Vibe product line. Thank you in advance!!

Tapex · 03-15-2017, 02:11 PM

Welcome to the forum,
Congratulations on your new Vibe. Not knowing anything about the Vibe line on quality or reviews I can't give answers to your questions. Have fun with your family and friends and hope that you did get a great product, regardless of the visual aspect. Once you are able to get out and try it out it maybe a different ball game on how it preforms. Stay safe and Happy RVing from Farmer NC

**Flybob** · 03-15-2017, 02:47 PM

Currently the RV industry is enjoying record sales. This has resulted in some of them being built with a little less care than normal. I am not condoning this but this is the how the industry is. If you really like the Vibe and the issues are minor I suggest you have the dealer correct the ones you can not handle and fix the ones you can. Sawdust is pretty much a given and can be cleaned up easily. You will see people that take pride in the size of their punch list, however my philosophy has always been fix what I can and have the dealer fix only what I can't. Not right, but most efficient. The longer your unit stays at the dealer the more things can happen. I am not defending the industry in any way, just being realistic and want to use the RV I bought to enjoy.

Edit: My comments above were based on my assumption that you had already purchased the unit. I see in a follow on post that you only have a deposit.

Bs_rvers · 03-15-2017, 02:53 PM

Thanks Fly for the reply. I have not purchased the unit just yet I told them I needed to think about it. My concern is not necessarily the condition of the unit, although I was surprised by that, my concern is if these issues were so apparent what does that say about the things that I can not see that could turn into long term issues such as a bad roof or bent axels or other things that are well beyond my scope of ability to fix myself?

MT Biker · 03-15-2017, 03:08 PM

I would put most of the blame on your dealer.
A reputable dealer would have gone through the trailer before presenting it to the customer, especially if it was one someone had intended on buying.
We purchased our trailer new last year, it was already on order before we had expressed interest in it.
When the trailer arrived they called us and told us we would have to wait until they had time to prep the trailer before we could view it (couple of days)
Our trailer was spotless, we bought it on site.
Even at our walk through upon purchase they had everything working and gave great detailed instructions on how everything worked.
They even handed us a list when we got done of items they had already ordered for us because they didn't like how they operated or had a defect in them.
(A blind and a vent cover).
I still have not put the replacements on our trailer because I think the ones they are to replace work fine and don't look damaged, at least not enough for me to worry about changing them.

BamaBob · 03-15-2017, 03:16 PM

First off, welcome to the forums and the RV lifestyle BS RVers!

Currently the Vibe is Forest River's #1 selling towable. As such, they are really cranking them out at a record pace. Debris and "oops" in fastening items together are more common when their is production pressure.

OK that is the "Why"

I am one of those folks, respectfully, at the other end of the spectrum from Flybob. IMO, accepting a substandard unit only reinforces the sloppy assembly behavior that is trending in the industry. Worse, consider this:

Why ever did you dealer allow the unit to be shown to you before the dealership's tech and PDI (Pre-Delivery Inspection) team went over the unit? Something is not right here. I guess we are blessed by a couple of outstanding RV dealers in our area, of whom I am personally familiar with, and I can guarantee you that a unit in that shape would never have been shown to a customer!

Are you already financially committed to purchase? If so you are going to have to work with the dealer. if not, you may want to consider walking away and finding a more reputable dealer. Or -- holding the dealer's feet to the fire and telling them that you will not accept a unit in this condition.

Best of luck - RVing is a fantastic lifestyle and you will have great memories of your times on the road. My hope is your experience will not be marred by this most unfortunate incident.

Bs_rvers · 03-15-2017, 03:53 PM

Thanks Bob that is kind of what I was thinking actually. Luckily we are only into the unit for a $500 deposit which I am sure I could get back if I really wanted to fight with them. I am kind of of the same opinion in that the dealership here holds a large amount of the blame that these items should have been found before we were even allowed in the trailer. We live in Colorado so we have an RV dealer on every corner some obviously better then others so it is likely we will spend this weekend not only shopping for units but shopping for dealers as well. I appreciate all the responses.

wahoonc · 03-15-2017, 04:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bs_rvers

Thanks Bob that is kind of what I was thinking actually. Luckily we are only into the unit for a $500 deposit which I am sure I could get back if I really wanted to fight with them. I am kind of of the same opinion in that the dealership here holds a large amount of the blame that these items should have been found before we were even allowed in the trailer. We live in Colorado so we have an RV dealer on every corner some obviously better then others so it is likely we will spend this weekend not only shopping for units but shopping for dealers as well. I appreciate all the responses.

My 2¢...

Find the floor plan you like
Find a dealer that you can work/live with
Do a THOROUGH PDI before signing on the dotted line
Make sure everything on your PDI list is corrected before leaving the lot
Go camping have fun and expect a few bumps along the way

Aaron

SidecarFlip · 03-15-2017, 05:10 PM

If you follow along on RV Industry News like I do, you'll quickly see that RV manufacturers are running at or over capacity and because of that plus the acute lack of skilled people to put them together, quality of new units is suffering.

Not sure what the answer is other than the industry in general needs to re-evaluate it's commitment to overall quality in assembly.

Put another way. personally, I would not be buying a new unit right now and I'm glad mine is a couple years old. I've had no issues with mine what so ever, fit and finish is perfect, and everything functions as it should.

I also think that if buyers started playing hardball with dealers and manufacturers, instead of accepting (and then fixing) defective wiorkmanship down the road, after the purchase, the industry would improve. Until then, nothing will change.

I'd leave the unit there and not buy it myself, but I'm not you.

Slapped together isn't about longevity, it's about getting it out the door and leaving you, as the purchaser, holding the bag in the end. If I were you, the asking price would become even more negotiable as issues were found.

Just my 2 cents.

doc73 · 03-15-2017, 05:22 PM

Problem is if you make them accountable for the damages it will sit at the dealer for months while you're in line with everyone else!

W5CI · 03-15-2017, 06:04 PM

If you haven't made a deposit I would walk away, even with a modest deposit I would still walk rather than be hooked with a piece of junk as you described.

B and B · 03-15-2017, 06:16 PM

In all Fairness to FR here.

The Dealer has dropped the ball. They should have looked at it. As far as sawdust that is easy to clean up! It is possible the delivery driver walked through with muddy shoes going for a nap along the way!

I would ask the dealer to represent the trailer for your inspection prior to moving further. I have been there with my first FR Rookwood, dealer did not do their Job! At home the first night I was fixing some major trim and issues with the hidden TV mount that fell off. Sawdust, will be there for a while.

There are many Pre Delivery Inspection forms available. Go thru every item, leave the kids at home, ask question, make a punch list to be repaired prior to leaving with the trailer.

SidecarFlip · 03-15-2017, 06:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by doc73

Problem is if you make them accountable for the damages it will sit at the dealer for months while you're in line with everyone else!

Good reason to leave it there and shop elsewhere. I'm sure whomever buys it will be on here complaining about it and trying to figure out how to get it fixed.....

Nurek · 03-15-2017, 06:25 PM

Good thing the OP didn't find the styroballs in the lamps yet. :P

doc73 · 03-15-2017, 06:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nurek

Good thing the OP didn't find the styroballs in the lamps yet. :P

or in the water pipes clogging up the faucet aerators.

SidecarFlip · 03-15-2017, 06:34 PM

...or the wad of chewing tobacco on the closet floor......

doc73 · 03-15-2017, 06:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SidecarFlip

Good reason to leave it there and shop elsewhere. I'm sure whomever buys it will be on here complaining about it and trying to figure out how to get it fixed.....

Oh I hear you.. But you know after waiting for weeks or more for a delivery, emotion takes over and bad choices can be made. That is the first thing I get out of the way.. The salesman can try to get me emotional but not going to happen.

doc73 · 03-15-2017, 06:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SidecarFlip

...or the wad of chewing tobacco on the closet floor......

I did find enough screws to rebuild my trailer. I did also find several nice snap on tools in my new Chevy I had bought many years ago. Went in to vacuum it one day and found them all under the seats.

SidecarFlip · 03-15-2017, 06:39 PM

I apply the walk away to car shopping as well. Amazing how congenial the finance manager gets when you are headed out the door. I love to do that. My wife spent 3 hours haggling with a new car sales manager and when they would not budge on the 'included rustproof' she told them to take it off the car.

We walked out btw. Went down the street and got a better deal...and no rustproof either.

KatanaPilot · 03-16-2017, 09:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by B and B

In all Fairness to FR here.

The Dealer has dropped the ball. They should have looked at it. As far as sawdust that is easy to clean up! It is possible the delivery driver walked through with muddy shoes going for a nap along the way!

I would ask the dealer to represent the trailer for your inspection prior to moving further. I have been there with my first FR Rookwood, dealer did not do their Job! At home the first night I was fixing some major trim and issues with the hidden TV mount that fell off. Sawdust, will be there for a while.

There are many Pre Delivery Inspection forms available. Go thru every item, leave the kids at home, ask question, make a punch list to be repaired prior to leaving with the trailer.

While it's clear the dealer didn't clean up the vehicle before inspection, I can't fathom how you can defend FR with staples through the floor, exposed particle board, etc. I guess I didn't realize it was the dealers job to be the factory QC and fix the defects that should have been dealt with on the factory floor.

I'm also not defending the dealer, although I will say if they were to reject every trailer or motor home sent to them with major defects, they would have a lot less units to sell.

I just don't understand the acceptance of poorly built units and the blaming of the dealers for selling them. We clearly continue to buy them in record numbers.

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