Forest River really stepped up

[jaymz]

I don’t mean to rain on the parade, but two months to get warranty/recall work completed is completely unacceptable in my book.

[Fiveaday]

I’m happy to hear that someone somewhere got good customer service. Unfortunately I have found FR to be unresponsive. I ended up having to replace two axles and four tires after less than 3000 mile of use. The 3500 axles are far to light for a camper that has a total weight of around 7200 pounds. You talk with the company and they want to keep talking in circles and tell you how sorry they are that you have a problem. No more FR products fo me.

[LynnGlaze13]

Awesome!

[dmdomokos]

The really good experiences posted and the really bad experiences posted make me wonder why. Is it the particular brand? We have a Rockwood trailer and have had two big warranty items handled very well. I am on the side of receiving great customer service. I wonder why other experiences are so vastly different. Also as a note, I did not go through a dealer. I went through an RV repair shop and then got reimbursed by Forest River for the work. Could that be it? No Dealer involvement? I would buy another FR product.

[Englund]

I have a 2015 Legacy RB. Same issue with seats flaking off, made a call and got new covers without getting my blood pressure up! I was ready and they just took care of me!!! I was completely taken back and left with an empty feeling from not getting to fight!! LOL. Guess what, FR will be my first stop for the next upgrade which is almost here. Thank You FR!!

[Crusadernoob]

I just can't believe how some people end up getting assistance out of warranty and so many others like myself can't get them to do �� When it's under warranty. It's like night and day response from FR and no consistency, oh well, as for this household, never a FR product again.

[jaybe]

Originally Posted by dbareford

With all the complaints about the manufacturers and I know others have had bad experiences, but FR really have taken care of my Georgetown.
We went to the Goshen rally last year and when they came by to do a couple things on our rig, we showed them our back wall as we thought we were having some problems with the wall paper. They determined that we had had some water damage due to the recall (which we had already had fixed). They confirmed no new water was getting in. They brought Brian Knight the service director out and he looked at it and said we are bringing this back to the factory and will replace the back wall. They said finish your camping season, and look the unit over for any other items that you want addressed and we will come pick it up and fix all of it. They did just that. They picked it up in December and we got it back a couple weeks ago. Everything looks great. The took care of everything on the list of about 10 additional things. They were great to work with and kept me well informed. I am a "Happy Camper".

I have been really impressed with the quality of my Rockwood 2507. Since purchase in April 2018 and after 4000 miles contacted Forest River with two nearly insignificant issues and thereby added to the amount Forest River and the customer service and tech support folks impressed me. My wife and I are really glad we chose a Rockwood.

[Dovidas1944]

I have a similar good news story. It was dark and stormy day on the way to Goshen for last years FROG rally when I heard a loud bang on the roof of my 2017 Forester GTS 2801 as I was driving down the turnpike. A passing car motioned me to slow down and told me our fan cover had blown off. I stopped as soon as I could and sure enough, the whole fan was missing and I was looking up at the sky through a hole in the roof. (Luckily I had a big roll of the RV’er friend, duck tape to cover the hole that night.) When we got to the Rally the next day we told the check in team that we had an emergency repair to add to our list of warranty fixes. One of the FR management team came over that evening to see what the problem was and determined that the fan had never been screwed down when it was installed. It took a couple days for them to find a replacement because the factory had stopped installing MAXXFAN Deluxe vent fans on Foresters in 2018. By the time we left the Rally my fan was replaced and the shower skylight it had broken was replaced, plus my list of fixes was accomplished. All in all we were very pleased with FR response. Although, I don’t know how things would have worked out if it had happened during our six week trip to the Grand Canyon the previous year.

[dbareford]

Originally Posted by jaymz

I don’t mean to rain on the parade, but two months to get warranty/recall work completed is completely unacceptable in my book.

If you've spent much time on the forums, you'll find out that is lightening fast in comparison to going through the dealer.

[obed]

Originally Posted by dbareford

With all the complaints about the manufacturers and I know others have had bad experiences, but FR really have taken care of my Georgetown.
We went to the Goshen rally last year and when they came by to do a couple things on our rig, we showed them our back wall as we thought we were having some problems with the wall paper. They determined that we had had some water damage due to the recall (which we had already had fixed). They confirmed no new water was getting in. They brought Brian Knight the service director out and he looked at it and said we are bringing this back to the factory and will replace the back wall. They said finish your camping season, and look the unit over for any other items that you want addressed and we will come pick it up and fix all of it. They did just that. They picked it up in December and we got it back a couple weeks ago. Everything looks great. The took care of everything on the list of about 10 additional things. They were great to work with and kept me well informed. I am a "Happy Camper".

I will NEVER buy another one

[obed]

Had so many issues I had to write the head warranty guy .. he never replied . They suck

[jcarenz]

I'm glad you had a good experience. However, I think Forest River customer service is lousy. My camper has an obvious design flaw in the way the external front deflection shield is sealed to the camper. After less than 15 months of service, my floor had to be replaced at a cost of over $5K. The cause was a faulty seal on the front of my Surveyor SP240. The aluminun shield on the bottom front of my camper that is supposed to deflect road debris overlaps the external skin of the camper. However, the quality of the sealant below the screwed threshold on my camper was poor. It was not visible when inspecting. The result - water running down the front of the camper (rain / melting snow) worked its way to the floor, then spread through the styrofoam that makes up the core of the floor.

The seal breach is not obvious when checking seals, as the aluminum flashing has an overlaying strip that is screwed on, through the flashing , into the camper body. The strip at the threshold appears to be sound, but when the strip was removed we were able to see that the sealant was applied poorly and there many gaps where no sealant was present. When my dealer showed this to Forest River, they immedialty noted the warning posted on the side of the camper, that all external seals should be inspected every 90 days. The thing is, it's kind of hard to inspect a seal that is hidden beneath a strip of trim between the aluminum shield and the camper exterior wall.

I've been a loyal forest River customer for 30 years, having bought 3 campers, two of which I or my family members still use. However, the response from FR when requsting assistance to repair my floor due to this issue was blown off, I have decided to take my loayalty to another manufacturer.

[OFD firefighter]

I, too, have had very positive assistance and feedback from Jeff. I’ve also had occasion to speak with him on the phone as he “walked” me through a water tank issue. His responses have been quick, professional, and courteous.

[pojp58]

I think a dealer can make or break any problem. Service is everything. I mean real service not just nice people on the phone.
Love to see people getting great service. Also hate to see people getting bad service.
As stated before, Its a pain but don't quite if you have a problem. I had one issue so far and the dealer helped greatly.
Its all about the service department for me.

[270S]

Originally Posted by obed

Had so many issues I had to write the head warranty guy .. he never replied . They suck

Unfortunately, THAT IS WHAT THEY DO! Reread my post #19. The ONLY time they will even entertain a response is when litigation is on the horizon.

All, not just FR "suck". I reviewed other forums (after the fact once knowledgeable) and it is SOP for the industry. Tiffin owners "love" Tiffin because they are willing to drive from anywhere in the country (hundreds to thousands of miles) to get a "free" 4 hrs. to fix anything time slot or get in line literally (no place holders - if you leave, get to the end pf the line again) and wait weeks for them to fix what should never have left the factory in the first place.

So to quote properly, "The RV Industry sucks as a whole!" Some call me names, but I achieved results through litigation. It is the only way to go with this unprofessional bunch of Liars, Thieves, Conmen, _______, .... I have never seen such an unprofessional organization in all my years on this planet. "Newbies" customer prospects and their dreams is what they prey on to keep this industry alive. NO one expects the product to be this atrocious, customer service to be nonexistent, and warranties to be never fulfilled. This is the 21st century and no one expects this stuff is going on, much less tolerated by government oversight. They obviously have a better lobby than the medical industry.

I just wish I had known before, ….That is someone that owns/knows would spread the word. Be forewarned, … If one still wants to OK, but at least I feel that I am doing my part to assist others with their decision. Biggest take away - Before ANY $$$$$$ is handed over, perform a multi day PDI that covers EVERYTHING, including items one would never even think one should check, such as everything! To perform what is required, literally it takes 3-6 days depending on what you know and how thorough you are. If the dealer is resistant, be prepared to walk, fast!

[jsables]

They did a great job repairing or delamination problem. Picked it up in January 2 weeks later it was back. They even put in a new door with better design. We are very happy

[Chester Hill]

Own a 2011 Berkshire 390QS. Bought it last March. I am the 3rd owner. Had issues with seat covers in cockpit. New ones are on the way. Have had multiple questions about certain issues and all have been answered. Cannot complain about Forest River. They have responded quickly & correctly. Have owned a few of their units over the years & have been happy with all of them.

[nomad297]

Originally Posted by dbareford

With all the complaints about the manufacturers and I know others have had bad experiences, but FR really have taken care of my Georgetown.
We went to the Goshen rally last year and when they came by to do a couple things on our rig, we showed them our back wall as we thought we were having some problems with the wall paper. They determined that we had had some water damage due to the recall (which we had already had fixed). They confirmed no new water was getting in. They brought Brian Knight the service director out and he looked at it and said we are bringing this back to the factory and will replace the back wall. They said finish your camping season, and look the unit over for any other items that you want addressed and we will come pick it up and fix all of it. They did just that. They picked it up in December and we got it back a couple weeks ago. Everything looks great. The took care of everything on the list of about 10 additional things. They were great to work with and kept me well informed. I am a "Happy Camper".

This IS Forest River.

I have heard and read about this type of customer service from Forest River, time and time again.

I participate in numerous RV forums and Facebook groups and I know Forest River far exceeds the competition in product and customer service with all of their brands.

Of course there is the odd case here and there where somebody will claim the complete opposite of what I just posted, but I can usually work out why they claim this to be so just by the tone of their story and how they handled their situation with Forest River.

Bruce

[Scotty2]

We have a 2014 Georgetown, everyone in the Georgetown service and parts division has treated us well and have always been responsive and helpful.

[nc91]

I've got to say that I have had NOTHING but GOOD from Forest River. We've owned 2 new Forest River Travel Trailers and bought a new Forester Motorhome this past year. Unfortunately for me, I thought that buying a Motorhome instead of a travel trailer from a dealer would change the way we were dealt with locally (man was I wrong. The rv service industry sucks!) I have had nothing but bad luck from 3 separate local dealers on our purchases in relation to service, but Forest River has stepped it up every single time. Our reps (Travis Bird and Dennis Brooks) have been excellent and never let me down. They are ready to help even when the local dealers could care less. I have numerous friends with rv's from other manufacturers and they have had nightmares. Forest River is excellent!