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Old 09-10-2016, 02:50 PM   #21
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Originally Posted by TURBS View Post
Grand design is not high end lol.
My boss paid less then 10k less then what I paid for my Columbus and his has had a multitude of issues.
Cheap components and very plain.
Looking at their website it appears Grand Design uses the same components as all other manufacturers. Maybe they have better quality control or more marketing hype I don't know, either way hardly worth a 50% price increase.
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Old 09-10-2016, 02:51 PM   #22
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Drrayrn, you are on my wavelength. As to the disparager of Grand design, go check out the new Imagine 2950RL and search for complaints. I spent time with my dealer prep team yesterday and if they missed something I would be surprised. Theyn even educated me on why on now need a weight distribution hitch. I have had Johnnie's RV doing all my repairs, warranty or not, since my first R-POD. They are awesome and when their service department strongly suggests I look at Grand Design for my purposes I have confidence in that recommendation. I have just lost confidence in FR. Yes, they are immediately approving repair of my issues but I am concerned about being miles from anywhere and something else happening.
My father was a craftsman who never let a piece out of his shop that wasn't perfect. A lot of companies have lost that drive to excel. I'm afraid FR, especially since Warren Buffet, is one of them. Dealers should stand for service quality and integrity. IMHO Country Creek could learn a lot from Couch and Berryland.
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Old 09-10-2016, 03:10 PM   #23
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IMHO, a "low-end" TTYL should be "low-end" because of lack of bells and whistles - not because of poor workmanship. I owned a Wildwood bunkhouse - it was simple but well-built. Now own a Rockwood - more bells and whistles, but a Frig that freezes our food, a slide out that squeals when deployed, and several workmanship issues that would have cost nothing for Forest River to have done right in the first place.

When I buy a $99 mattress, I don't expect it to feel like or last as long as a $500 mattress, but I do expect the covering to be sewn on and the springs to be inside.
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Old 09-10-2016, 03:14 PM   #24
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Drrayrn, you are on my wavelength. As to the disparager of Grand design, go check out the new Imagine 2950RL and search for complaints. I spent time with my dealer prep team yesterday and if they missed something I would be surprised. Theyn even educated me on why on now need a weight distribution hitch. I have had Johnnie's RV doing all my repairs, warranty or not, since my first R-POD. They are awesome and when their service department strongly suggests I look at Grand Design for my purposes I have confidence in that recommendation. I have just lost confidence in FR. Yes, they are immediately approving repair of my issues but I am concerned about being miles from anywhere and something else happening.
My father was a craftsman who never let a piece out of his shop that wasn't perfect. A lot of companies have lost that drive to excel. I'm afraid FR, especially since Warren Buffet, is one of them. Dealers should stand for service quality and integrity. IMHO Country Creek could learn a lot from Couch and Berryland.
You must admit, even Ford, Chevy BMW and Mercedes have a lemon once in a while. So will EVERY RV manufacturer.

It seems to me the vast majority of your complaints are with the dealer and yet you still blame Forest River.

The simple solution is to buy from Berryland or Couch next time.
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Old 09-10-2016, 03:16 PM   #25
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As for XtraRide, I was not told that I would have to pay for roadside service and then send the bills incurred to some god forsaken place in Missouri so that they might reimburse all or a part of the costs?


Good Lord, what did Missouri do to piss you off?
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Old 09-10-2016, 03:26 PM   #26
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Originally Posted by rockfossilman View Post
IMHO, a "low-end" TTYL should be "low-end" because of lack of bells and whistles - not because of poor workmanship. I owned a Wildwood bunkhouse - it was simple but well-built. Now own a Rockwood - more bells and whistles, but a Frig that freezes our food, a slide out that squeals when deployed, and several workmanship issues that would have cost nothing for Forest River to have done right in the first place.

When I buy a $99 mattress, I don't expect it to feel like or last as long as a $500 mattress, but I do expect the covering to be sewn on and the springs to be inside.
For those of us who grew up in the sixties.... "RIGHT ON!!!" FR has lost my support as well. Cheap and shoddy materials and workmanship throughout. Winnebago, here we come!
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Old 09-10-2016, 03:41 PM   #27
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As for XtraRide, I was not told that I would have to pay for roadside service and then send the bills incurred to some god forsaken place in Missouri so that they might reimburse all or a part of the costs?

I HARDLY think that an elite suburb of St Louis is a "god forsaken place"! Do your homework before you think we all live in a backwoods area!
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Old 09-10-2016, 03:59 PM   #28
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and I forgot the kitchen floor is buckled all over. I am sure there is more. Cadillac? more like a ghetto cruiser

What model were you told was the Cadillac? We generally trade every 4 years. Current 5er came with nearly zero problems. We went from a F250 to an F350 this year and were thinking of an upgrade and longer 5er ~~ a 2018 model when the 2019 models arrive. Small items I can handle but thinking I just may keep the one I have a long time.
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Old 09-10-2016, 04:22 PM   #29
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we had a 25ks all the big things worked , refer , a/c , furnace , but i was allways fixing loose or striped screws , adjusting slide out , our shower was not caulked at bottom seam , that way it drained better no mold in seam , just make sure shower door is caulked well .. we had the 25ks for two years . tradedup to a 3010ds sunseeker , and i have fixed lots of things on this unit to.i think if you own a rv you better know how to repair things , have fun
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Old 09-10-2016, 04:59 PM   #30
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FR evo 2016

I bought a 2016 evo by FR, we took it on a maiden voyage toS Dakota 4,00 miles. Had the switch on the rear stablizer go out, the vent on the roof over the refrigerator blew off and the plastic laminate on the counters and table started coming up. When we got back I took it to the dealer I bought it from, they had it for 6 weeks before they even contacted forest river. Getting frustrated I emailed FR complaining, got a response in about a week saying they got the request to do the repairs on the 23rd and approved all work on the 24th. They told my dealer to order all new counter tops, table top and any other parts needed to repair my trailer. I am a very satisfied FR customer, not so much with my dealer.
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Old 09-10-2016, 05:21 PM   #31
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This is the body of an email I had to send to Forest River:
FR, Flagstaff Micro-Lite 25DKS


Our third FR RV and our most disappointing experience yet. It makes me wonder what Warren Buffet taught y'all about cutting corners for profits. We have been in it on our maiden voyage for two weeks: poorly sealed or not sealed at all interstices between the bathtub/shower and the wall; blackwater tank leak; greywater tank drainage; bathroom sink drainage. This is not only totally unacceptable, it reeks of lack of attention to detail and makes me question the overall quality of this RV. I am very close to trading it in at a loss to cut my losses and I shouldn't have to do that with a brand new RV. Also, you may want to pull Country Creek's (Mississippi) sales ability. They provided virtually no dealer prep, were not honest about a number of things including the extended warranty contract they sold me. IMHO if you want to maintain a reputation for the quality we experienced with our prior 2 RV's you need to pay attention to detail. Bob Byrne knows me and I'm sure he would not be happy with my experience. Could you handle a swap plus cash for a better RV in Indiana? I shouldn't have to lose money if I do that for another FR RV. I am disappointed and very concerned.

Since the FR response did not provide for a full credit and swap I discovered the Grand Design line. I took a $4K beating on the trade but I believe obtained a much better constructed RV.

Having said that I would caution Forum readers about buying from Country Creek in Hattiesburg MS. IMHO if they had provided thorough dealer prep most if not all of these problems would have been discovered.

The next caution is if anyone tries to sell you an "extended warranty" from "XtraRide". The promised roadside assistance is a joke. You can cancel as I am doing but it must run through the selling dealer and will take 4-6 weeks to process a check. I find this totally unacceptable. Country Creek expected me to drive from Mobile AL to Hattiesburg to sign a form and getting them to send me one was like pulling teeth. Three days later no form. I complained to the owner and demanded he FedEx one to me and the piker refused to spend $15 to do it. Then he said 4-6 weeks because he has to wait for XtraRide to send him payment. He's too cheap to front the money - only $1800. Some businessman! Oh, BTW, the XtraRide "protection" is underwritten by Protective Life....not a great company IMHO.

I am now beginning to believe the lack of attention to detail by FR. I will never buy one again. And, IMHO avoid Country Creek.

Henry Schwarzberg JD
No matter the price, brand new should not have these problems. Just because one doesn't pay tens of thousands of dollars for a unit doesn't mean they get poor workmanship. They just don't get the bells and whistles as someone else mentioned. And, the manufacturer should stand behind their product...maybe try camping in this unit!
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Old 09-10-2016, 06:12 PM   #32
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UpHillRacer is a little too wrapped around the axle at the moment but I agree with his basic point. While for some $15 is a weekend in Vegas, for other it represents a sufficient investment to expect quality workmanship. This is not a used unit bought on the cheap, but a new TT. FR is not a fly by night outfit and has indicated a willingness to make repairs. I do not think that having an expectation of good workmanship on a FR product is unreasonable. On the other hand, I guess these days there is no expectation that people do their job correctly, only that they whine about automation and imports.
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Old 09-10-2016, 06:20 PM   #33
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Been RVing for 30 years and the last two have been FR Products. The first was a Flagstaff ......relatively low end and it showed. Not in shoddy workmanship but in general quality of fixtures etc. ( you get what you pay for) The one we have now is a 2011 T28RKS Wildcat. We have put it to the test on some tough pulls..... last year to the Arctic Coast and back (15000+KM) with 1600KM of that on gravel. NO issues with anything! So my MHO is that , like all products, RVs, vehicles
Clues etc, there are lemons but generally speaking FR build pretty good product. They do , however need to be aware if they have a dealer out there that is running a shoddy operation and , although I have no idea who they are , sounds like they are not dotting all the "I's" and crossing the "T's". Over the years, I have been much more aware of being proactive on PD walk through and make sure I have a written list of things I want covered .
I spent 40 years in sales looking after customers and I proved over and over again it's not having a problem that's an issue with customers, it's how they Are dealt with after the fact. Good luck with your Grand Design......nice units.
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Old 09-10-2016, 07:03 PM   #34
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For those of us who grew up in the sixties.... "RIGHT ON!!!" FR has lost my support as well. Cheap and shoddy materials and workmanship throughout. Winnebago, here we come!

Ok. Bye!



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Old 09-10-2016, 07:04 PM   #35
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Lawsuit to follow. More as the world turns. Thank all of you for your comments.
This thread is now closed since a lawsuit is pending . To the OP, Please do not try to reopen another one as this is against the site guidelines now.

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ork&page=rules

Dealer/Vendor and Customer Disputes: This forum is not intended to be a mechanism for people to vent frustrations about vendors or sales from private parties. Please settle your differences with sellers, manufacturers and dealers through the long-established legal or arbitration systems or the Better Business Bureau but not through our community.

This thread really explains FRF position:

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...tml#post665355
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