Is it my imagination or just a cycle?

[Wobbles]

I have never seen so many complaints with FR products as I have these past two weeks. Is it a cycle or have I been blind since January?

[PolarisGuy]

Yeah it's been pretty crazy for sure. Even my new 2016 Stealth has a few issues but not enough for me to go off about it on the forum. We are all here because we are proud FR owners....well most of us anyways. Granted, yes there are owners with some serious issues. Even owners I've made friends with here on the forums that have other Stealths and are having some very serious issues. I just simply usually fix what I can and move on.

[doc73]

I think it is a cycle... Someone read another post and needs to make their own and so on and so on.... With the camping "season" winding down for the weekenders I am also guessing a few more people are getting their TT now as well which means more potential unhappy folks.

[JLeising]

Severe heat wave during peak camping season? 100 degree + temps would stress air cons, refrigerators, tires at a minimum.

[SuicideSaints]

My thoughts are... RV sales are up this year over previous years. A lot of new owners out there, now that people have had time to use their units over the summer they are finding the problems. I think PDIs are getting worse and new buyers do not know or understand the business and they don't realize the power of a solid PDI until it is too late. I am sure there are other reasons but I am with you, I too notice a lot more posts about problems, it does seem there are only a few brands that are posting heavily. Stealth being a big one lately. I havent seen one bad post on an EVO yet.

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by doc73

I think it is a cycle... Someone read another post and needs to make their own and so on and so on....

Agreed. I think the other side of the coin is that some threads get started in an effort to disprove someone else:

Thread 1: FR is crap
- someone replies that they think that people are generally happy

Thread 2: Let's prove that most people are unhappy

Thread 3: My brand of FR is crap

Thread 4: These threads are stupid, let's talk about how great they are

And it goes nuts.

The problem is that these threads are often times divide the membership and cause ill feelings among groups of people. You have the "FR cheerleaders", the "Debbie downers", and "oh, he's a troll" labels that get applied.

I would honestly believe that this was the middle of winter and folks had the camping blues. I'm surprised to see this level of angst in prime camping season.

[DocsDad]

Love my FR. No issues, no complaints.

[Bama Rambler]

I've owned 3 FR products and have been pretty pleased with them all. I've also owned a couple of other brands and have no complaints about them either.

It's a cycle, and some of it is like ependydad said it's some back and forth trying to outdo each other.

[Wobbles]

Originally Posted by Wobbles

I have never seen so many complaints with FR products as I have these past two weeks. Is it a cycle or have I been blind since January?

I started this thread to get an answer for my observation, from cooler heads. What I am taking away from the posts so far, is that it is perhaps a seasonal thing, with some exceptions.

If this thread goes the way of complaints, may the moderators delete it. It was never my intention to open another line of venting.

ependydad, have you made it out of the hotel yet?

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by Wobbles

ependydad, have you made it out of the hotel yet?

Nope. Work schedule, selling tires, and craziness has us here until tomorrow.

We're supposed to head to St. Louis sometime. We can't decide when we want to go.

[Oaklevel]

I think also with a lot of new owners that have never owned a RV before do not understand that RVs are not houses and are not built to the same standards. They just do not know what to expect. Also some do not understand their operation so they are all crap.......... not me I did not break it......

I do not like this lets bash it........

Are there some issues Yes are they as bad as we are lead to believe I doubt it.

I have owned a 1973, 1988, 2006 and 2013 they were all built basically the same but with many improvements over the years.

[spock123]

I have owned four FR products, a Sierra travel travel, a wildcat Sterling and two Cedar Creeks. The Wildcat Sterling was a piece of crap and I got no help from Wildcat, that camper should have never left the factory. It was a beautiful camper outside, to me it looked better than a Cedar Creek, it was built just like I wanted but it just had to much wrong with it. The two Cedar Creeks have been great, very few problems. I have called the factory once or twice and for the most part have been looked after


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[larryo]

We purchased a 2011 Puma 295kbh this spring and we have ONE BIG PROBLEM........we can't get enough of the dam thing. Over the past 10 years I have pulled thousands of trailers as that's what I do for a living. I pull pretty much all brands and have had very few issues but when I do it is usually poor workmanship by Lippert. And they pretty much make the frames and undercarriages for all brands.

[DDC]

Going on a factory tour while production is in progress will show you why you may own a less than good trailer, building as fast as they do is just a problem waiting to happen piece work is not conducive to quality in any field and really comes out in RV production.

[Papa GLS]

Seems as though there are brands under the Forest River umbrella that have far more problems than others. I've never counted, but there are quite a few different manufacturers & obviously they are of different quality. Even so, the blame still falls on FR.

[Wobbles]

Originally Posted by Wobbles

If this thread goes the way of complaints, may the moderators delete it. It was never my intention to open another line of venting.

I understand the issues that have been spoken to on other threads. My intention was to see if other members thought that currently a lot of above normal negative product commenting was going on. It appeared to be so to me.

This was meant to be a yes or no kind of thing. True or not true, just wanted to communicate without throwing stones.

[aceinspp]

Originally Posted by doc73

I think it is a cycle... Someone read another post and needs to make their own and so on and so on.... With the camping "season" winding down for the weekenders I am also guessing a few more people are getting their TT now as well which means more potential unhappy folks.

X2 Later RJD

[Iwannacamp]

One thing to remember....fast as you can is normal. I cannot think of many industries that does not apply. Henry Ford started this in the U.S. a long time ago....
You ever watch modern marvels or how it's made? Factory production is what it says. With that being said, the are SUPPOSED to have QC. Not slop.


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[RETCHIEF]

Really? Do some think this is a social experiment on why people express their opinion? Get a shorter horse and read the consensus. We are a forum and not a pool of agreement. Some gain insight by the posts and then see if their rig has the same problem. I have learned much here, but do not analize the posters or their motives.

[Wobbles]

Originally Posted by RETCHIEF

Really? Do some think this is a social experiment on why people express their opinion? Get a shorter horse and read the consensus. We are a forum and not a pool of agreement. Some gain insight by the posts and then see if their rig has the same problem. I have learned much here, but do not analize the posters or their motives.

Sorry brother, did not mean to go that way.