Hallmark let me down

Mickey Bitsko

Adventurer
If I'm not mistaken, most If not all rv mfrs do not warranty ,
Appliances, water heaters, refrigerators, ac units etc..
On another rv forum I have read horror stories about high dollar rvs
and their lack of customer service. I'm sure there are exceptions.
They Only warranty, imo , not very good workmanship is, their coaches, mh, trailers...
 

geodasher

Observer
In 2014 Hallmark had a 5-year structural guarantee including their top. I don't know about now. My impression is that the last few years took a lot out of them.

Even the very expensive EarthCruiser has only a 3-year guarantee although I would take their Terranova in an instant if cost was no object. I've visited their factory and they are top-notch.
 

seeNik48

Adventurer
We have a 2013 Hallmark Ute purchased in October 2012 so we are coming up on ten years. We have probably explored our way around the western states for about 75,000 miles, many on gravel roads.

We had several issues, several of which happened within several days if purchase. The first was a leak under kitchen sink which they repaired onsite, the second was losing the hardware which attached the Fast Guns to the rear bumper (we found a better part in Grand Junction and although Hallmark said they would cover the cost, it never happened), and the third was the privacy curtain catching on the bars that raise the top.

The biggest issue, thankfully, happened within the warranty period for the mechanism that raises the top: it started raising just one side. I always watch outside so was able to cut the power. We had to drive from Page Springs campground (south of Burns, Oregon) to the factory for repair. The problem was faulty installation. They also added the door stop which they forgot and the insulation curtain for the door.

Since then, we have had no issues and we have travelled on some gnarly roads like Jumbled Rock Gulch and the road to Delamar ghost town, both in Nevada.

I think the RV industry has trouble attracting quality workers because they pay so poorly. Americans want cheap so….. I can see the appeal to build your own, especially if you have the skills.

All in all, we are happy with our camper and have travelled in relative comfort to some amazing places. For us, it is nimble enough to go off road to secluded areas without listening to the big rigs and their obnoxious generators who have bigger quality control issues. They couldn’t go where we go without rattling something loose. Photo is from a few weeks ago at McLaughlin Canyon south of Tonasket, WA. 70B6CF8B-74F8-4D7C-B787-FD5C6C86A6B9.jpeg70B6CF8B-74F8-4D7C-B787-FD5C6C86A6B9.jpeg
 
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vintageracer

To Infinity and Beyond!
My 1993 Bronco specific Hallmark camper as purchased several years ago with the Bronco out of the Boulder CO area after 2+ years of searching for one. Still no leaks or issues going on 25 years old.

FINALLY getting ready to transfer this Hallmark camper to my 4 Door C350 Diesel Centurion Bronco to complete my original dream.
 

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sn_85

Observer
We all shop for the lowest price. To expect after sale service costs money and no one is willing to pay upfront for the investment to insure great after sale service.....nothing new here it has been part of the RV industry for 100 years. Pick almost any RV name and the stories will pile up or.... those finding great after sale service were willing to pony up the $$$ when they bought that RV and they ognored the RVs built to attract the masses.

PS.... RVs change every year. RV parts suppliers change even faster. Companies go bankrupt. They buy from off shore suppliers in countries which might not even exist in 5 years. Made in the USA is a feel good topic but we buy at Costco and WalMart who only care about the price today.

That's not true in this particular case though. The OP went directly to Hallmark to have the install done on one of their campers. This should have been an easy install for them and they should have made it right to the OP after the error. I think cheaping out would have been to have some local big box RV store install the faucet. If the customer drove 1000 miles directly the camper manufacturer to have a sink installed then I would absolutely EXPECT it to be done right and in the event of a faulty install I would expect after purchase warranty/compensation.

none...although I have looked at Overland camp X's and they look pretty nice but are $$$

If you cross shop similar models the OEV is actually much cheaper Hallmark and IMO looks much better. The Hallmark has that old school camper look going on and what's with their lifting mechanism with the exposed metal bar going across the camper? The interior is still trapped in the 80's IMO.
 
What truck camper manufacturers would now make the top of the list for reliability and customer support?

OEV looks like a great, newish line of campers, with modern, wood free designs and state of the art materials. Also, AluCab certainly has a good reputation for quality products.
 

Mickey Bitsko

Adventurer
It's time to start letting manufacturers/ dealers know about their quality.
I don't understand why a person would buy a new rv thinking it would be any better than a well taken care of 5-10 yo rv.
Fit and finish (lipstick on a pig) Has gotten prettier. Build Quality is no better.
On another rv forum, complaints on all of the high end rvs, Dutch star, Integra,
Tiffin, they all have their issues.
Spend your money wisely unless money is no object.
 

billiebob

Well-known member

billiebob

Well-known member
If the customer drove 1000 miles directly the camper manufacturer to have a sink installed then I would absolutely EXPECT it to be done right and in the event of a faulty install I would expect after purchase warranty/compensation.
You need a reality check. For 40 years we have been shaming the trades and pumping IT education. It has come full circle, everyone knows how to complain on the net but no one has the skills do do anything manual today.....

30 years ago we were already short of trades people and the college I went to added a massive addition, I thought fabulous but no, it was a new computer technology faculty..... and today we complain about the lack of skilled trades people.

Businesses are there to make money..... China and WalMart are proof there is zero skill needed to do that. Yet we all shop there. And everything
"Made in the USA" has to compete with them.
 

Victorian

Approved Vendor : Total Composites
You need a reality check. For 40 years we have been shaming the trades and pumping IT education. It has come full circle, everyone knows how to complain on the net but no one has the skills do do anything manual today.....

30 years ago we were already short of trades people and the college I went to added a massive addition, I thought fabulous but no, it was a new computer technology faculty..... and today we complain about the lack of skilled trades people.

Businesses are there to make money..... China and WalMart are proof there is zero skill needed to do that. Yet we all shop there. And everything
"Made in the USA" has to compete with them.

fully agree. We kind of gave up on made in North America products. It seriously is a hit and miss. im not blaming it on the actual business owners… it’s more like the people building it. As a manufacturer myself I could tell you many stories about staff that didn’t give a rats ass…. I now work full time in my shop to assure the promised quality. On the other hand, our suppliers in Europe and Asia have been delivering consistent quality.
I don’t think that this situation about quality in North America will change as long as we are not investing in proper hands on training like they do in other countries. Heck, I had to go to woodworking school for 3 years before being able to work as a furniture maker. Here, guys walk in for interviews with zero experience and a $30/hour expectation.

about warranty: it’s a very difficult topic as a manufacturer. our lawyers recommended 2 years for liability reasons. I would like to offer lifetime… I think at the end it doesn’t matter what it says on paper, it’s up to the manufacturer to stand behind the product and make a case by case call.
 

billiebob

Well-known member
our lawyers recommended 2 years for liability reasons. I would like to offer lifetime… I think at the end it doesn’t matter what it says on paper, it’s up to the manufacturer to stand behind the product
until they go bankrupt

I agree completely with everything you say. I run a small. tiny business, one employee just me. My work is all references. I get a complaint a year, I don't argue, I go fix it.... period. I will explain what/why especially if the fault was another contractor but I never charge for the fix. I fix it often the next day and move on knowing I generated a fabulous reference.

I have no written warranty..... just great references for a tiny sole entrepreneur shop with no staff which makes life real simple.

On the "Made in the USA" thing, I'm Canadian but all my products are either "Made in BC" or they are "Made in the USA" and distributed in BC. I sell, install, inspect solid fuel burning systems, fireplaces, wood stoves, furnaces, so in order to insure it everything I do MUST have CSA Certification. Which really limits the market. Europe has some very cool high tech solid fuel systems but the cost of CSA Certification vs the potential of the Canadian market means few of those very cool appliances get to Canada.... home insurance eliminates anything without CSA Certification which makes my job real simple.

I wish everything were so simple.
 
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billiebob

Well-known member
I think the RV industry has trouble attracting quality workers because they pay so poorly.
you may be correct about the pay.... but the real issue is a lack of qualified people to drive the wage up. Canada and the USA gave up on building trades skills 40 years ago. Unlike the 1930s after during the Great Depression when the USA became the industrial powerhouse which won WWII thanks to the New Deal, we no longer value or invest in trades. Tell yer family you want to be a plumber and there is zero enthusiasm.... tell them you are entering the gifted kids program for IT Gaming and they all are giving high fives. we have lost the focus on what really matters.
 

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