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Old 10-06-2009, 06:38 AM   #1
ww2
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Angry SV 264 Bad Workmanship- FR wont back

We have a 09 SV 264 that we purcahsed last summer. Overall and functionality wise, its been fine. However the lack of quality workmanship has shown itself. I noticed after purchasing it that the LP tank cover was cracked (replaced by dealer) and the stereo had multiple issues (also replaced by dealer, all good now)... My real complaint is that the decals on the side were not installed straight and even worse, the outside speakers are off from being level by a couple of inches. They are off really bad. The dealer (Crisp RV, Washington NC) informed me that they had contacted Forest River about correcting this and they were told NOT to touch the speakers and that if they attempted to correct the issue it would void my structure warantee...

WOW, the company says "we know they were installed crooked but thats just too bad, live with it or void your warrantee"

I realize it's only a cosmetic issue, but that's not the point. If you step back and look at it, it looks terrible. I can't believe Forest River will not stand behind their product... I guess we will have to live with it, I just hope they are not like this on other issues that could come up...
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Old 10-06-2009, 10:09 AM   #2
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YOUR SPEAKERS AREN'T LEVEL!!!! Good god the world is coming to an end! Are you serious? I just spent nearly $900 on two new front tires for my one year old Georgetown because FR didn't re-align the front end after the coach was built on the chassis and furthermore FR says they only warranty issues like that for the first 90 days, and your complaining about your stinking speakers? You know how petty this kinda post makes you look compared to the people here that have had REAL ISSUES?

One other memeber here had his tounge on his trailer BREAK! Yep the welds broke, and your complaining about your speakers?

GET OVER IT.....
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Old 10-06-2009, 10:27 AM   #3
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ww2,

The crooked decals and off level speakers just add "character" to your trailer.
It's a "one of a kind" trailer.
You can hear the music outside equally no matter how short or tall you are.
And finally, if you have one leg shorter than the other you can see the decals as they should be without tilting your head and you can hear "true stereo sound".

I know the small stuff can get under your skin, but as NWJeeper pointed out, things could be alot worse.

Enjoy your camper for what you bought it for. I doubt the speakers or decals have any impact on whether your camping trip is enjoyable or not.
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Old 10-06-2009, 11:13 AM   #4
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Originally Posted by NWJeeper View Post
YOUR SPEAKERS AREN'T LEVEL!!!! Good god the world is coming to an end! Are you serious? I just spent nearly $900 on two new front tires for my one year old Georgetown because FR didn't re-align the front end after the coach was built on the chassis and furthermore FR says they only warranty issues like that for the first 90 days, and your complaining about your stinking speakers? You know how petty this kinda post makes you look compared to the people here that have had REAL ISSUES?

One other memeber here had his tounge on his trailer BREAK! Yep the welds broke, and your complaining about your speakers?

GET OVER IT.....
No, I don't think you should get over it!

I too am VERY disappointed with the quality ( or lack thereof ) of forest river products. If these are better built trailers...

What does it say of the caring and concern put into their trailers if they can't even do something so simple as Make a jig to install speakers in the same spot on each and every trailer. I have an '09 235 rks and am very fearful of all the problems that I will have in the future (the slide is a mess already, other people with the same model have had major problems already...) I guess $25,000++ is NOTHING to some people.

IF YOUR GONNA DO IT, DO IT RIGHT! Small issues like this really highlight the lack of quality control displayed by forest river. I don't care if they are "better" than most... Comparing the company to crap is not a good place to start.

One can only assume that if they can't do the easy stuff right what the heck is the rest of the trailer like? Major, minor issues... they all say the same thing, a company that doesn't really care...

As grhodes50 said "things could be alot worse" I wouldn't be surprised if they did get worse for both of us...

quality? where? Does anyone have a concertcrap stereo that actually works? They still put this junk in every trailer... Why even bother?


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Old 10-06-2009, 11:44 AM   #5
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If we had bought a new car or truck with cosmetic issues, we would insist that they be corrected. I can understand the bashing from NWJeeper. If I had the issues that he has had, my cosmetic issues would mean nothing.

That being said, any defects in a 20k + product are unacceptable...PERIOD !!!!

The worst part is the "too bad, you will just have to live with it" response from Forest River.

These campers seem to be very well designed and then just "THROWN TOGETHER"....

Are there any brands that have high quality control, nearly all the ones I have seen fail to impress me....
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Old 10-06-2009, 11:50 AM   #6
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And if you read the latest copy of Good Sam's Highways magazine an owner of a 5 year old Forest River trailer who had a weld break on the leaf spring holder for his axle, stood behind their product and paid to have it fixed and two new axles installed.

Speakers installed "off level" are not indicative of the entire build quality or FRs willingness to stand behind their product. Yes the individual who installed the speakers could have spent a little more effort in doing his job correctly but you will find this kind of stuff in EVERY RV out there.

One other thing comes to mind, Did either of you two even look at the trailer you bought before you bought it. You complain of poor build quality but did you not have a chance to walk through the trailer and inspect it before you put an offer down on it? Why did you even buy a Forest River product in the first place if you are so down on their build quality?

There are just as many people here if not more who have been well treated by Forest River for REAL PROBLEMS with their rigs and not this piddly crap like poorly installed speakers, off level stickers or one shade cord being shorter than the other, blah, blah, blah.

Don't sweat the small stuff and you will be a lot happier! If something serious does happen with your rig and FR refuses to do something with it then you will find a lot more sympathy here, but save us the tears and the rhetoric over "build quality" by using crooked stickers and speakers as your examples.
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Old 10-06-2009, 12:05 PM   #7
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All of the complaints and issues posted whether it's a Concertone or Executive HTS or shotty workmanship all boil down to one thing. All the manufacturers are very weak when it comes to quality control. Water lines that leak, crooked speakers or in my case an oval mirror that was 2" off center, as well as front ends not realigned, all just prove that it's an assembly line. There's no testing or pressurizing lines to check for leaks. There's not a walk through before it leaves the factory. They completely forgot to install my counter extension and then took 3 attempts to get the color correct. Until we do our walk through and then take delivery there's really nothing checked very well. The sad thing is FR is not alone in this practice, read some other forums, different manufacturers, same issues. Although I believe the CONCERTCRAP & EXECUTIVE HTS are in a league of their own when it comes to quality. Maybe they're another Warren Buffett company, who really knows, but FR is still using this sub-par equipment.
As for commenting on anyones complaints, it's my opinion that some complaints may seem petty but we all paid hard earned money no matter what the amount is for a product that should be 100% PERFECT. They didn't discount anything for installing the drawer that fell out on the floor or the mirror that fell off the wall. We're supposed to be helping each other out here, not pointing fingers about the extent of a complaint. Is there a way to invite the FR reps into this forum just so they could see what their problems are. I sent them a letter asking them why they don't send out survey cards to their customers. Never received a reply. It's this kind of attitude that irritates me, until you find out what you're doing wrong or right from your customer will you ever provide a quality product. The RV industry as a whole needs to wake up to the quality issues they have. Made in America should stand for a good quality product, built well and without the ridiculous quality issues we all have faced.
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Old 10-06-2009, 12:20 PM   #8
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And if you read the latest copy of Good Sam's Highways magazine an owner of a 5 year old Forest River trailer who had a weld break on the leaf spring holder for his axle, stood behind their product and paid to have it fixed and two new axles installed.
My wife showed me the same article. Impressive, maybe - Covering their butts, most likely. After reading about some of the bad welding practices of very thin steel from FR or their subcontractors (Lippert). My money goes to avoiding a big time lawsuit.
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Old 10-06-2009, 02:50 PM   #9
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I just spent nearly $900 on two new front tires for my one year old Georgetown because FR didn't re-align the front end after the coach was built on the chassis and furthermore FR says they only warranty issues like that for the first 90 days, and your complaining about your stinking speakers?
90 days on a vehicle that cost over 110k dollars. That's pretty ridiculous unless you were 4 wheeling or would that be 6 wheeling and jumping over school buses with it. I can't understand their position about this. Either FR or Ford,the chassis maker, should stand behind their product. Does anyone know if any manufacturers realign the front end once the coach is built or is it possibly a problem from the start from FORD? $900 for tires in the first year really stinks due to the negligence of the manufacturer or the chassis supplier?
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Old 10-06-2009, 03:28 PM   #10
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All of the complaints and issues posted whether it's a Concertone or Executive HTS or shotty workmanship all boil down to one thing. All the manufacturers are very weak when it comes to quality control. Water lines that leak, crooked speakers or in my case an oval mirror that was 2" off center, as well as front ends not realigned, all just prove that it's an assembly line. There's no testing or pressurizing lines to check for leaks. There's not a walk through before it leaves the factory. They completely forgot to install my counter extension and then took 3 attempts to get the color correct. Until we do our walk through and then take delivery there's really nothing checked very well. The sad thing is FR is not alone in this practice, read some other forums, different manufacturers, same issues. Although I believe the CONCERTCRAP & EXECUTIVE HTS are in a league of their own when it comes to quality. Maybe they're another Warren Buffett company, who really knows, but FR is still using this sub-par equipment.
As for commenting on anyones complaints, it's my opinion that some complaints may seem petty but we all paid hard earned money no matter what the amount is for a product that should be 100% PERFECT. They didn't discount anything for installing the drawer that fell out on the floor or the mirror that fell off the wall. We're supposed to be helping each other out here, not pointing fingers about the extent of a complaint. Is there a way to invite the FR reps into this forum just so they could see what their problems are. I sent them a letter asking them why they don't send out survey cards to their customers. Never received a reply. It's this kind of attitude that irritates me, until you find out what you're doing wrong or right from your customer will you ever provide a quality product. The RV industry as a whole needs to wake up to the quality issues they have. Made in America should stand for a good quality product, built well and without the ridiculous quality issues we all have faced.
NWJeeper, there is unquestionably something wrong when a person spends $100k plus on an RV and it has such costly issues to start... I think we are all trying to say the same thing here... quality control seems to be non existant ( even if f.r. is one of the better builders ). The worst part is that most of all the problems ( big or small ) could have been avoided in the first place if the company CARED. What about the p.d.i. that the dealership performed? I got a good idea what that consists of... And as far as me finding problems... the dealer said I must have went through it with a fine tooth comb to find some issues. The fact of the matter is that people don't buy r.v.'s and such every day... I don't think it is too much to expect a product be put together with some care and consideration ( keeping past mistakes in mind - concertcrap etc. ).

You don't strike me as a person that would make the same mistake twice... Why should manufacturers continue to do things the same crappy way over and over? Why would f.r. not even feel a tiny bit guilty about putting stereo's in their products that obviously are crap? THEY DON'T CARE...

That being said, a surveyor trailer (mine) starts out with a solid list of materials (no particle board at least. There it is again, the better of the bad..) and decent layouts. It just seems to me that the ball got dropped when it came to putting it all together... (quality control).

Again, I have nowhere near the money into my rig that you do, but I still believe that I could expect better execution in the build quality area.

Yes, I was told by the dealer that I would have "live with that problem cause there is nothing we can do". Just writing this is ticking me off and I think I will take my concerns to the dealer owner where I bought my trailer from. I am going to demand that they be fixed... see where that gets me... I bet I already know.

Guess I will "have to live with it" or trade it and let my wallet do the talking next time. I would love to buy a trailer twice in one year... I bet the dealer would end up telling me to get lost with the list of problems I would find on the initial p.d.i. for the second trailer... live and learn, I won't make the same mistake twice.

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Old 10-06-2009, 04:16 PM   #11
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Look at the North Americam Auto industry. They almost blew it years ago with Japanese competition before quality became #1. Now everyone I know seems to buy everything but the big 3.
Never discount the fact that someone offshore is not looking at the RV industry. If they start shipping these things from overseas the North American builders can kiss their jobs good bye
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Old 10-06-2009, 07:23 PM   #12
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90 days on a vehicle that cost over 110k dollars. That's pretty ridiculous unless you were 4 wheeling or would that be 6 wheeling and jumping over school buses with it. I can't understand their position about this. Either FR or Ford,the chassis maker, should stand behind their product. Does anyone know if any manufacturers realign the front end once the coach is built or is it possibly a problem from the start from FORD? $900 for tires in the first year really stinks due to the negligence of the manufacturer or the chassis supplier?
cfoistman, you are entirely correct and I feel the same way. I can also appreciate Ford's position here that they simply provide the chassis and it is the manufacturer's responsibility to have the rig re-aligned once the weight of the coach is built on it. Each rig is different in weight as you know so it wouldn't make sense for Ford to even try to align just the chassis. Rest assured I am taking steps to follow up on this further and I am not going to just leave it at what FR has said. Unfortunately I am finding out that you can't take a rig of our size to just any mechanic for an alignment. I have however been well taken care of by FR for the things that did go wrong on my rig during the warranty period.

I also agree that there isn't much quality control in the RV industry, it's the nature of the beast. We have owned and my father has owned products from Winnebago and Fleetwood in the past and they have all been built the same way. I have never known anyone who bought a new RV who didn't have a host of issues with it. We even ran an RV rental company for several years and I have seen a lot. And as you point out if anyone spends time on other forum groups you will see a heck of a lot more problems (and I mean real problems) with Fleetwood, Coachman, Georgie Boy and a lot of the others out there. Before we bought our Georgetown we looked for all the forum posts we could on FR and found that the complaints were few and the issues in essence were as I said before "petty"

Believe me there are some right here on this group that are having issues with delamination, water leaks, and stress cracking that would absolutely LOVE to only have a set of incorrectly installed speakers to worry about.

Should we expect more for so much money spent? Sure we should, but am I gonna get all wrapped around the axle because of poorly installed speakers? NO!

I would suggest that if someone isn't getting the answers they expect from their dealer or from Forest River directly that you contact an advocate like Action Line at the Good Sam club or through several of the other publications out there like Trailer Life or Motorhome magazines and have them act in your behalf.
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Old 10-07-2009, 08:09 AM   #13
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My earlier post was meant to try and put a little smile on the face of ww2. He's having enough problems as it is. If I failed to do that, I appologize.

I'll agree that it is frustrating to pay good money for bad workmanship. I have always been "Buy USA" and the quality in todays RV's doesn't speak well for the American worker. Maybe it's not the fault of the guy on the line but that of management pushing the manufacturing process to save a buck. Whichever it is, we all deserve better.

More than likley if the industry took steps to improve quality they would pass the cost on to us and that $20,000 tt would then cost $30,000 or more.

However, except for those who are new to RV'ing, we knew what to expect and we bought anyway for whatever reasons we may have.

I bought because I enjoy the time out with my family and friends. So to me if I have a cosmetic problem with my tt I can either fix it myself, have my dealer fix it, or just live with it. These kind of problems will not prevent me from enjoying a good camping trip with family and friends.

If the problem is one that prevents proper operation or creates safety concerns, then I either must fix it or have my dealer take care of it. Those kind of problems are the ones that may ruin a camping trip. I am fortunate enough to have a dealer that does their best to keep their customers satisfied.

Bottom line is, remember why we bought our rv's and if you can, don't let the poor quality stop you from enjoying your time camping.

For those with problems that prevent you from using your rv, you have my sympathy and I hope your problems get resolved quickly and with minimum expense on your part.

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Old 10-07-2009, 08:24 AM   #14
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sorry, messed up.
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Old 10-07-2009, 09:15 AM   #15
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did it again!
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Old 10-07-2009, 11:01 AM   #16
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I can't believe I did it again. I kept getting an error message when I tried to post. I didn't think it was posting so I kept trying. Sorry about the mess up.
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Old 10-07-2009, 11:53 AM   #17
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Originally Posted by cfsoistman View Post
90 days on a vehicle that cost over 110k dollars. That's pretty ridiculous unless you were 4 wheeling or would that be 6 wheeling and jumping over school buses with it. I can't understand their position about this. Either FR or Ford,the chassis maker, should stand behind their product. Does anyone know if any manufacturers realign the front end once the coach is built or is it possibly a problem from the start from FORD? $900 for tires in the first year really stinks due to the negligence of the manufacturer or the chassis supplier?
cfsoistman, You are correct and I don't agree with FRs assessment or policy in my case. Most RVrs will not see any wear on their tires even in several years of use so their 90 day policy seems arbitrary and a way to keep them out of paying out, I will be following other avenues to pursue this issue. That said all my other issues with my rig were taken care of quickly and without hassle during our warranty period.

I can also see Ford's stance on this as they only provide the chassis. As all the rigs built on a given chassis (like ours) have different weights after completion there is just no way that Ford could set an alignment on just the Chassis. It is therefore FRs responsibility to do this for each motorhome after it is built.

If anyone isn't happy with the answer you get from your dealer or FR then I would urge you to contact someone like Good Sams Action Line for someone to intervene in your behalf. Trailer life and Motorhome magazines have similar services which have been very successful in dealing with issues that RVrs have.

Consider though that there are members here that have new rigs with delamination issues, water problems, stress cracking, etc. and I am sure they would love to only have a set of incorrectly installed speakers as an issue to contend with. Given the fact that there are millions of Americans right now who don't have jobs, can't feed their families and don't even have a home to live in, we are fortunate to be able to afford an RV and complaining about a set of off-level speakers as I said before is just petty. Look at the bigger picture and consider how much worse you could have it. If I was close enough to WW2 I would gladly come over an fix his speakers for him (or fix it so no one can fix it as my signature says) if he wanted to pay my bill for my tires. Things could always be worse....

Well said Grhoads....
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Old 10-07-2009, 06:11 PM   #18
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I concur with ShineySideUp and WW2.

I have to agree that these "cosmetic" things are concerning. If FR does not put the proper quality control into the things you can see. You have to wonder about the things you can not see. The guts of the trailer under the "cosmetic" crap - quality of framing, welding, ...

But I guess with some people taking pride in your work is well behind earning the almighty buck. You can do both.. ;-) Same people who call themselves carpenters and framing but use chainsaws to build tract housing developments.. We should get what you pay for..

Best of luck WW2...
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Old 10-08-2009, 09:36 AM   #19
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Maybe Forest River is right. Have you seen your trailer with siding off? Could be a structural thing that prevents the speakers from being mounted the way you would like them. May be some wall studs, or structural supports in the way, and that's why Forest River told your dealer not to touch them. Just because you don't like the answer, don't go bashing the company, whether it Forrest River or anybody else. If you are so concerned about the amount of cash you paid for the product, maybe you should have taken a little more time to inspect it. From what I can tell, Forrest River is one of the better companies to deal with. Just think, you could have a trailer with a manufacturer that just went belly up, then who would you ask?
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Old 10-08-2009, 11:19 AM   #20
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Is anyone else having problems with this thread? I can see people have replied but when I click on the title the new posts do not show... The last post I can see is my own!

what the heck?

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