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Old 03-18-2019, 05:44 AM   #1
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So many Negative Comments? Any Good?

I read here daily and there are so many negative reviews and comments is there anyone that even likes there camper ?? How is FR still in business?? Wait I do understand the are problems and people need to vent... I would just like to see a little balance ... if you like your FR camper maybe you could leave a brief comment .... as I sit here waiting to pick mine up in 4 days ...
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Old 03-18-2019, 05:52 AM   #2
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Human nature. People will always vent about the negatives and you'll rarely hear about the positives. When people are happy about their RV's....they don't vent about being happy.
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Old 03-18-2019, 05:52 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by frank4711 View Post
I read here daily and there are so many negative reviews and comments is there anyone that even likes there camper ?? How is FR still in business?? Wait I do understand the are problems and people need to vent... I would just like to see a little balance ... if you like your FR camper maybe you could leave a brief comment .... as I sit here waiting to pick mine up in 4 days ...


Very satisfied, I've had new trucks that were far more of a pain in the rear.

Do a thorough pdi (walk through inspection of your camper) at the dealership. We had a couple minor things that needed attention. One I took care of myself the other I let the dealer fix and it has been flawless since.

Good luck with the new camper.
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Old 03-18-2019, 05:55 AM   #4
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I think a lot of people say how much they like there FR product. Most problems are not FR they are vendor problems. Also you really can't judge your opinion on someone venting. I don't know of how many trailers or RVs that FR sells a year, but this forum is very small compared to real ownership. I could guess hundreds of thousands a year. I know I have bought 5 FR products, if they were that bad I don't think I would keep buying them, but then I don't know...[emoji23][emoji848]
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Old 03-18-2019, 06:25 AM   #5
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In all of my years, I have never known of a more appreciated and respected brand than Forest River. I am not speaking of just my opinion, but also of others I have met and spoken with over the years — on forums and while camping. Of course there have been people who didn’t have a good experience, and there always will be. There are also some people who exaggerate and lie, but, for me, it is easy to discern, for the most part, what is real and what is not. When people are frustrated, they tend to vent, which leads to exaggerations and lies. You need to work out the real story in these cases.

This forum is great for people looking for help when they are having problems with their Forest River product, so you will see many posts regarding “problems”, but there is almost always a solution, and in most cases, what was first perceived as a big problem is taken care of with an easy solution — usually taken care of by the person with the problem with help from people here, and sometimes by Forest River or a dealer or service company when it’s something more than the person with the problem can handle.

It is my experience that Forest River tends to go above and beyond (before and after the sale) what is normally expected to make sure their product is better than the others.

Bruce
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Old 03-18-2019, 06:28 AM   #6
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Here is some reading.....

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...rv-139109.html
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Old 03-18-2019, 06:29 AM   #7
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We had an FR product for 11 years and outside of plain ordinary maintenance we had Zero troubles. All appliances work well without any problems. It is very helpful to be handy with some mechanical knowledge and keep up with maintenance. If you aren't mechanically inclined then find a shop or someone you can trust.
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Old 03-18-2019, 06:30 AM   #8
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There is always gonna be some issues with anything you buy. Some people have bigger problems than others. From what i have learned, you need to be somewhat handy and willing to fix the problems that arise. Luckily i have had to major issues. I have a nail that poked threw on the ceiling in the dining area. Contacted forest river, they said the nearest repair place is 3 hrs away 4 tolls. You know that nail doesnt bother me and its painted white lol.
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Old 03-18-2019, 06:38 AM   #9
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Oh, and let me add that I found more information on this forum that helped me with ownership and maintenance. This forum probably saved me $$ over those 11 years. I still refer to this forum for all the great ideas and solutions.
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Old 03-18-2019, 06:43 AM   #10
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I guess some look at their RV like a boat. The two best days in the life of a boat are the day you buy it and the day you sell it. I am on my 3rd FR trailer (2 travel trailers and now a 5th wheel) and have owned at least a dozen total. The FR are by far at the top of the list and my next trailer will probably be another FR product.
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Old 03-18-2019, 06:50 AM   #11
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Love our Cardinal (by Forest River) and our previous fifth wheel (Columbus by Forest River) and the one before that (Sandpiper by Forest River). That's why we've owned nothing but Forest River products since 2005 - and likely won't ever own any other RV brand.

We have friends who have had HORROR stories with other brands, and yes...we've read about some issues here. But on the whole, my feeling is that Forest River is the best out there and for a company to have the strong financial backing of Warren Buffett as Forest River does (owned by his Berkshire Hathaway company) that is some peace of mind.
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Old 03-18-2019, 07:30 AM   #12
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We are on our second FR unit and have been very pleased with both, were they perfect NO, but all issues were well taken care of, the dealer and the factory on our first and our second unit has only seen the dealer for delivery. Yes we had a few minor issues on the new one but all were addressed by the factory either at the FROG Rally in Goshen or by great contacts that have sent me needed parts to fix myself and that only might have been twice.
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Old 03-18-2019, 07:38 AM   #13
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We have had some problems with our Cedar Creek, cap problems mostly. Cedar Creek doesn’t build the caps. Been treated super by the factory.
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Old 03-18-2019, 07:40 AM   #14
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Completely happy with my 2015 233s. Bought it gently used 1year ago and it’s been flawless. Owned a 1998 Flagstaff popup previously, towed it around 50,000 miles and it was near flawless too!
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Old 03-18-2019, 07:42 AM   #15
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We bought our ceader creek used. It is a 2011 and it was previously loved for sure. We have had very little trouble and 99% what can go wrong I can do myself.
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Old 03-18-2019, 07:47 AM   #16
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Although I have only owned one FR, I am very satisfied with the product and quality. My Roo is not perfect, but overall, big improvement over my Dutchmen. As some have mentioned, do improvements to your unit and let us know. We might just do those same changes to make our units better.
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Old 03-18-2019, 08:10 AM   #17
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Other than some very minor issues (like cabinet doors rubbing together when closing) ours has been trouble free and we’re happy with the purchase. The minor stuff was collected as a list and we brought the unit back in the fall to have everything fixed under warranty.

I think 95% of the troubles people have are poor dealer, poor or no PDI and it being their first RV issues. We did a VERY thorough PDI based on the info from this forum and didn’t find anything that wasn’t tested already by the dealer (we tested it anyway) and every question we had was answered. This was our first hybrid but we’ve had a couple popups in the past so the experience wasn’t new to us and helped us be prepared.

Some of these horror stories make me question the validity of some of the tales. Either the dealer purposely sabatoged stuff or the transporter people trashed the place because it just doesn’t seem possible to leave the factory in that condition without some other explaination.

Is ours perfect? No. Is it great for the price? Definitly. Would we buy again from FR? Absolutely.
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Old 03-18-2019, 08:14 AM   #18
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I had the toilet water line come loose when we arrived at Stone Mountain Georgia last April. Twice the cold water line came undone in the bathroom sink. The switch for the rear leveler fell off as the wire nuts were not tightened correctly in Kansas. The ports for the TV are backwards. My heater won't work on the first night night of camping. One bolt on the back right leveler is put on crossed threaded and I cannot fix it.
The radio does not work correctly and I had to add new wire caps as the old ones had falling off. Loose screws in walls and drill pilings laying all over.
Workmanship is definitely not a priority with FR.
Then after learning some things here, the water lines are rocking back and forth driving down the road so while this should not be expected don't be surprised if it does.
The switch, well that is poor quality control. But I pre-planned and bought the crank handle just in case. I also have the crank handle for the awning and trailer jack. I relabeled the ports and the furnace is a work in progress. Plus I have I my DW as my own personal heater. Damn I love that woman 😀
As for the bolt it is in there tight so it's not going anywhere. I never listen to the radio and will fix it if we sell it.
The forums here have been a blessing with tons of info and people willing to help.
Overall I am very happy with my FR and will buy another.
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Old 03-18-2019, 09:08 AM   #19
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Having owned several RV's from different manufactures, I believe most are built pretty well. Have any of them been perfect? No. But I always have felt I got good value for the money I spent.
One thing I do have a problem with is the people who want to give them a pass because they dont build the AC unit or some other component. They are the ones who chose to use that vendor. There are a lot of components in our tow vehicles that are not manufactured by Ford, Chevy, Ram, or whatever brand it may be. We don't allow them the excuse that they didn't build that component.
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Old 03-18-2019, 09:13 AM   #20
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My last RV ownership was in the '80's when I pulled a Fleetwood product. It was a great trailer because no one had a Fleetwood forum on the internet to complain about them.
Me thinks RV's have always had problems, we just didn't know about them until the internet exploded.
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