Disappointing First Outing with Salem 179DBK

[itat]

No one should be suggesting that the bunk collapsing is your fault. Small kids aren’t going to make up the bed so they have to be able to support the weight of an adult.

Good luck with your warranty repairs. Take a deep breath and just try to remember...honey, not vinegar. The warranty rep wasn’t the one that screwed up building it. Hopefully, at the end of this process, you’ll have formed a good relationship with your dealer and Salem. Please post updates here on your progress so others can learn from your experience. You can also post a review of your experience with the dealer in the Dealer Reviews section.

[firemedicmark]

Sorry to hear about the issues with your unit. We purchased the same model in November and so far have not had any issues thank goodness. I hope you get everything fixed correctly and in a timely manner. Good Luck

[Schaef291234]

Originally Posted by firemedicmark

Sorry to hear about the issues with your unit. We purchased the same model in November and so far have not had any issues thank goodness. I hope you get everything fixed correctly and in a timely manner. Good Luck

Thank you!

[RussPastuch]

Sorry, but I have to agree with the others. You are the one who bought the trailer and you should have gone over it from stem to stern. We did and found things that the dealer was happy to correct.

[Nickrenfro]

Originally Posted by Schaef291234

I fully understand the concept of "buyer beware", but some of these things can't be noticed upon buyer inspection. You have no idea how many screws are in a bunk bed support until it collapses on you and you see that there were only 2 put in. You just expect the people who put them together to take some pride in their work, but maybe that's too much to ask?

I'm expecting the manufacturer to stand behind their product and I'm expecting the dealer to fix it. I did, however, make it clear to them that they need to do something extra to ensure the top bunk has proper support. Regardless of what they do I think I am going to install strong L brackets on every stud and some aluminum braces that run the width of the bunk just for extra support. I don't even want to worry about this being an issue in the future.

Thanks for the comment!

I found that if you pay for it ,you can have quality--OUTDOORS RV-Timberidge--very well made --made tough

[clockdoctor]

Originally Posted by nhpfood

I too just got a Salem 179DBK and have yet to take it out. I am over 200lbs and have not gotten up on the top bunk yet. Will it collapse with me?? How am I supposed to know? This particular model has DOUBLE size bunks (full sheet size). I would hope that they would hold at least 200lbs!

Exactly. Combined weight of two kids could easily tip the scales over 200 lbs

[Wildhood37]

I just took two bunks out of my new 2019 Wildwood 29 QBLE, because with no kids it makes for good office space. It took me all afternoon to get them out, they screwed them in every 3 inches with a deck screw lol!! Glad they did thoroughly zap it in with all those screws, and the supporting structure was double laminated, unreal. Guess I got lucky. This TT does have all the left over tell tale signs of a rush job, saw dust and the metal drill debris, but most of that is behind cabinets. So far really love this unit. sorry to see your situation, like you said, what if your child was on that bunk, that is a serious safety hazard the need to look into.

[alain h]

Originally Posted by Wildhood37

I just took two bunks out of my new 2019 Wildwood 29 QBLE, because with no kids it makes for good office space. It took me all afternoon to get them out, they screwed them in every 3 inches with a deck screw lol!! Glad they did thoroughly zap it in with all those screws, and the supporting structure was double laminated, unreal. Guess I got lucky. This TT does have all the left over tell tale signs of a rush job, saw dust and the metal drill debris, but most of that is behind cabinets. So far really love this unit. sorry to see your situation, like you said, what if your child was on that bunk, that is a serious safety hazard the need to look into.

I agree 100% when it come to safety
I’m a safety officer myself and any company have to do there Due Diligence when it comes to safety
Rush or no rush they have to take responsibility when it comes to safety specially kids, they don’t know any better

[REL]

I watched your video on your PDI. The one thing that struck me most was that a lot of it was not done because the camper was winterized from the factory. My dealer was actually pretty thorough. We picked up our TT in November so it was already winterized. However, on our arrival, it was hooked up to city water, a 30 amp service and there was about 15 gal in the fresh water tank. All water systems were tested.
Once. PDI was over they winterized it again showing me how to do it..Honesty if I couldn't verify all systems and they said " Well it's already winterized," I would not have left with the camper...

[Bora Boy]

Originally Posted by JohnD10

That person is not an FR employee...only posing here as one.

Well this is the best response yet

I had issues with my first hybrid purchase and the local dealer ( I did not purchase there) and FR went out of their way to make it right. As absolutely devastating as it was it was fixed to the best of their ability. Sent back to be factory for repairs to the tents and floor, not a small trip either.

More than 5 years down the road and the only other issues I have are stove not lighting and decal stickers coming off.

[RobertJ]

How could he check for defects prior to delivery ???
Dealers fault...plain and simple!
I have experienced the same with my FR trailer.
Fighting it and don't forget to document everything.

[Mr. Dan]

Originally Posted by Bora Boy

Well this is the best response yet

I had issues with my first hybrid purchase and the local dealer ( I did not purchase there) and FR went out of their way to make it right. As absolutely devastating as it was it was fixed to the best of their ability. Sent back to be factory for repairs to the tents and floor, not a small trip either.

More than 5 years down the road and the only other issues I have are stove not lighting and decal stickers coming off.

You may think that's the best response ever but it's not true. Start reading at post #47 and see the dialogue (except for a deleted post or 2).


Site Team

[ARICE]

Originally Posted by Chuck_S

YOU were the inspector. As noted earlier the final inspection is your responsibility. Certainly the dealer should have caught these before he presented the trailer for your inspection. But you accepted the trailer in this condition. Dealers usually have a statement for you to sign that you've inspected and accept the unit.

Unlike automobiles the dealer really is the last quality control point but that doesn't relieve you from inspection before acceptance.

Hard lesson that's been hammered here and other RV/Camper websites. The pre-delivery inspection (PDI) is the buyer's responsibility.

-- Chuck

Chuck that concept and experience work well for us folks who have owned RVs for 25 years plus but not so much a brand new RV owner.
While I fully agree buyers should be informed and participate in the process, especially new owners, that bunk scenario is just wrong.
We shouldn't have to place "load test weights" on bunks and furniture to "test and inspect them" prior to acceptance and we shouldn't have to disassemble anything to see it's installed correctly.
A falling down bed should not have made it past two levels of quality control and 225lbs didn't do it.
I've got a 6'4 245lbs 19 year old that sleeps on the top bunk in my Salem Hemisphere 356qb all the time....no issues.
I weigh 208lbs and have slept there myself when in the dog house with my Chief of Staff as well😁😁😁😁

[Luisde]

I spent 2 years looking for a Fifth Wheel RV. A dearler near me was a Salem dealer. I looked at the 5ers there’s and was not impressed! I noticed cheap workmenship. I ended up visiting another dealer and found a 2014 KZ 23 footer. Looked it over thoroughly and I was pleased. A perfect Match for my Nissan 2012 Titan! It’s 5 years now and no problems. This is my first RV and I will be keeping it until my camping days are over. Maybe I got lucky, but as I said I checked many Salem’s and they seem to be the cheaper of the RV’s out here. Good luck with yours, and I hope you end up enjoying camping as much as I do we do.

[itat]

Originally Posted by RussPastuch

Sorry, but I have to agree with the others. You are the one who bought the trailer and you should have gone over it from stem to stern. We did and found things that the dealer was happy to correct.

Would you have tested the bunks by jumping up on them yourself?

[NC Bill]

It’s sad, but the state of the RV industry is currently that the buyer needs to do a thorough inspection, as the consistent quality isn’t there. Not everyone has the knowledge and ability to do such an inspection.
Blaming the customer for the quality defects sure sounds backwards. I’ve never had to do this with a car or any major appliance.

But that is the way it is. Wall Street Journal had a great article on the problems RV manufacturers were having in Elkhart, IN finding and keeping good employees. The assembly is no so automated like the car industry. So there’s room for lots of variance.

Some niche RV manufacturers are not located in Elkhart and have a shot at getting a stable, skilled workforce. If I was dropping major $$ into a new RV, i’d try to take s factory tour first. I am a retired factory manager (not RVs) so I kind of have an eye for a better shop floor. Simple things like housekeeping, lack of clutter, and organization can be good signals.

Don’t count on the dealer to do a thorough inspection either. Friends of mine bought a new RV last year from the largest RV dealer chain in the US. Parts fell off just in their drive home. Stuff didn’t work and was not tested as they had been told. Once they got home, I walked them through their trailer, how stuff worked and what wasn’t right.

[frank4711]

Inspection by the buyer should be as complete as possible but in no way can the buyer be expected to find all flaws and poor manufacturing issues. In my business and in service/product providers I have used I have found few that are perfect my company included. Research today is simple but far from perfect, example reviews on a Amazon product that has a 4.5 out of 5 rating but has 15% rating of 1 ?? and many perfect 5's. I expect issues, what I look for is service follow up by the seller, did they fix it and their attitude. We made mistakes in my Lawn business but I never let those follow up's/fix it wait even a day, which built a very positive view of my business. The service business here in Florida is a joke and any business that fixes their mistakes and makes fast repairs will have more work than they can do. My first year in business 93,000 in revenue the last year 20 years later $875,000 when I sold it ... no advertising no name on my trailers or trucks. word of mouth that's it....

[sunnyinfla]

Had a Salem Hemisphere FW...one of the worst rig i've owned...workmanship was really,really bad....never again...

[Crabman]

The bunks in my previous Jayco were rated to 300 lbs,and I have slept in them, a 220 lb adult. There is no reason why an adult should not be able to access the bunks if they are within the weight rating. With only two screws that bunk could well have fell under its own weight in travel. IMO the OP has every right to be disconcerted by this failure, and obviously this would not be caught during the PDI.