New Forest River Wolf pup 2023 Catastrophic Failure :(

[jebsurf]

Long time lurker of the forum, sorry this has to be my first post. My wife and myself decided to buy our first camper and we are beyond bummed. I am not here to bash anyone, but more less share our experience so others can make an informed decision when it comes to purchasing what was supposed to be one of the best investments/hobby's of our lives. I will share our story and let you make a decision for yourself. It's long, detailed, and I will make it as informative as possible with proof to back our story.

My wife and myself as a wedding gift to one another (we just recently got married a couple months ago) decided to build a hobby we could both enjoy together. After a first time camping tent experience in the Shenandoah's the wife decided we needed a camper haha. So after leaving on the way home "the camper talk" started and how she loved the hobby of the outdoors, BUT she liked some basic amenities of society today lol. As we traveled down i95 home, I knew there was a huge place McGeorge's Rolling Hills RV (a Camping World Company) right off the interstate in Ashland Va.

We decided to drop in and see what they had to offer. We looked at a couple used units with no warranty, but for a few thousand more....we decided to get into a brand new 2023 Forest River Wolf Pup Black label 14CCBL. We choose that one because of the layout and most importantly, we wanted something that came with a warranty so we could start our journey with a brand new unit and make it "ours" from brand new, and having the piece of mind that we'd have a warranty if a couple small things broke like sensors or the microwave or something, and we didn't have to worry about moister damage etc. Little did we know less than 3 WEEKS after our purchase of a BRAND NEW unit, we'd have a CATASTROPHIC MANUFACTURE FALURE!

When we purchased the unit they needed a couple days to get it ready and to do a pre-delivery inspection, clean it up. We drove back to McGeorge's Rolling Hills RV in VA and took delivery of our Wolf Pup on 6/22/2023. We drove it home to the Hampton Roads area (about 1.5hrs away) and parked it in the driveway. As we parked it in the driveway there was water all in the floor. We found strange as that was not there when we picked it up. Thinking that it was a fluke thing or someone may have left some water in the toilet or something and it possibly splashed out with our tow home, we cleaned it up and didn't pay it much mind.

On 7/2/23 we took our first little rundown trip to KOA in Virginia Beach. We wanted to stay close to home to get to know our camper and see what we'd change to "make it home" etc. Within our stay we noticed some minor things like one of the exterior lights had moister inside the lens of the light fixture (that was first sign now we look back on it). Not the end of the world I thought, just something to note and to bring up when we were to have our trailer serviced. We also had a couple electrical bugs it seemed, like the exterior house outlet plug wasn't working sometimes, our grey tank meter inside would show 3/4 full when I was sure it was 100% empty (we were hooked to a discharge at KOA). Thought it was weird, but noted it to bring it up with Camping World, but it would be nothing to hinder us from still using the unit. We checked out of KOA on 7/5/2023 and took camper back home to get it ready for our next adventure.

Fast forward to the end of our trip at KOA, both myself and my wife seemed to have contracted an upper head cold so we though, but we didn't pay it much mind (we'll get back to that later). While we were Camping we had bought a digital temperature thing that measured the temp and the humidity. I previously had a sailboat and I know how important airflow and running a dehumidifier is when the camper is not in use to prevent mold. One of the first things I did when we bought the camper, on 6/27/2023 I bought a new dehumidifier and box fan in it to keep it dry and airflow when not in use because I suffer from serious allergy issues, and last thing I wanted was MOLD in our brand new RV (another reason we bought brand new).

On 7/13/2023 we spent a $1,000 on a yearly membership at Indian Cove in Virginia Beach so we could get as much use as possible out of our camper.b As we arrived at Indian Cove we had some minor water in the floor again, but thought we had maybe tracked it in or something. Looked up at ceiling to inspect, seen nothing suspicious to my eye, we cleaned it up, hooked everything up to the site and stayed the night. The way the membership works at Indian Cove is you can keep it there for 2 weeks, then you have to move it for a week. So we left the camper there hooked up with expectations to keep it there the two weeks. Unfortunately we had to work and I had a minor surgery so I knew I would have a week off work to recover. So I thought I'd recover at the camper/campground while I was out of work. After my surgery we went there stayed the night or two, and we started feeling sick again. Thinking it may had been from the surgery (wife was stuffy too) so we went back home and kept camper there at site. While we were home, we had a good down poor of rain. Started feeling better again (both wife and I), so we decided to go back. When we got there, the spot we were in was a little wet and muddy, so I asked if we could move to another site that had concrete and new rocks. They agreed, so I hooked up trailer towed it like 10 spots down, and that's when it all came together! Water was pouring out of the walls of our BRAND NEW camper, down the thermostat, lights in ceiling and more!

Needless to say, my wife and myself were and are heartbroken! As I understand things happen, this is completely unacceptable. Only god knows how long this camper has been leaking, because if you remember back in my story, we found a puddle of water from day 1 when we picked up the unit and got it home. Not only did we buy brand new and spend thousands more to assure we didn't have this exact problem, we have a unit that has been holding water and been growing mold from the day it left the factory!

Makes totally sense why we've been feeling sick! Coincidentally the surgery I had was on the inside of my nose and my ENT dr couldn't understand why I wasn't healing and still inflamed up in my sinuses. Totally makes sense now, because my body was trying to recover in a mold box. I swear I can't make this stuff up :(. Every reason we decided to buy a new camper so we wouldn't have these exact issues, it even had been making is sick. I know I wrote a book, but I wanted to be up front from A-Z. I know some will doubt it, I know some will bash or say I should have done this, or I should have done that, but with a brand new unit we shouldn't have to deal with this with a 3 week old camper that we haven't even made our first payment on yet.

Of course I took it to the dealer (Camping world in New Port News) and they were VERY helpful, took moister readings of the walls which are at 99% moister, but their hands are tied as they said "well it has to go through the manufacture" and we're pretty backed up, and this is going to be no easy job as the mold had to come out of the walls etc. Not even to mention, I work with fiberglass and I know once moister gets behind it, it's only a matter of time before it delaminates. And its not going to happen right away, it will happen I'm sure not long after my warranty is up I'm sure :(.

Since its a brand new unit and not even a month old, of course I told them just swap us out for another unit and as it's a pain, I think that's fair. Then we don't have to wait possibly months for all this to pan out, we can go about our camping, start fresh, no hard feelings. Not to mention the $1,000 we just paid for a membership at Indian Cove that's now wasting away by the day. Of course they said it's not that easy, that option would have to come from Corporate Camping world. And I even told them we didn't have to have the same model, just something comparable trying to be super flexible.

At this point, I'm not sure to just hand it off to an attorney, or what. Just supper bummed and heartbroken. First ever camper, first hobby to build in our new marriage together, and now this. Anyways, again I apologize for the book, I just wanted to be as through as possible a nd tell our story. Super Bummer and even "if" we get it back, I'll never have the confidence that the mold won't come back, or that I will not have fiberglass delamination issues shorter than what I should due to a factory default.

[trailer_newbe]

Obviously a trailer swap is really the only correct solution here as the contaminated trailer should be considered “totaled” by the insurance company. My advice is whoever you speak to at Camping World or Forest River just repeat the words; “Health and Safety Hazard”. In the corporate world this scares the hell out of them because of the potential liability compensation that can follow.

[Grit_dog]

Here’s hoping jebsurf is making good headway with a reasonable solution to what can only be described as purchasing a complete lemon in all senses of the word.
Wishing for the best outcome and hopefully a positive update.

[BarneyS]

jackwilliam11 wrote:
Snip... If the problems persist, consider seeking legal advice to ensure your concerns are addressed. Keep records and stay in contact with the dealer and manufacturer.

while the above is good advice,
any mention of legal action of any kind will lead to this thread being either shut down or deleted. This is according to our forum rules.
Barney

[jackwilliam11]

I understand your frustration with the camper issues. Since this was meant to be a wedding gift and a new hobby, the situation is disappointing. Make sure you're documenting all problems and communication. If the problems persist, consider seeking legal advice to ensure your concerns are addressed. Keep records and stay in contact with the dealer and manufacturer.

[Nacoochee_Trave]

Contact your lien holder and advise them that their collateral is essentually valueless. I had a similiar type situation many years ago with a new automobile and the dealership was doing little to help correct the situation. Once I contacted the lien holder, it took less than twenty four hours to recieve a call from the dealership to come pick out my new vehicle. Good Luck!

[StonedPanther]

That sucks, But be prepared for the run around which you are already receiving.

"At Forest River, we have a passion for the great outdoors and want to enable our owners to experience all the beauty that Mother Nature has to offer. That is why we build quality, dependable recreational vehicles."

Once in awhile they hit one out of the park, but not too often

"Plus, with manufacturing facilities throughout the Midwest and west coast, we are able to fill your orders promptly without cutting corners or rushing through the production procedures. This ensures that each Forest River product is conscientiously built and undergoes thorough, detailed inspection before being shipped."

Evidently the OP's was an exception to the above?

A HIGHER STANDARD OF MANUFACTURING

At Forest River we understand that the quality and dependability of our products is of the utmost importance. That is why random units from each of our brands are subjected to rigorous testing at our 20,000 square foot pre-delivery inspection (PDI) building on top of the inspections that all units undergo as they are being built.

Evidently the OP's unit also was not one of the random units subjected to rigorous testing?

[valhalla360]

Turtle n Peeps wrote:
Wow, that's quite a story. Sorry for your experience.

This is the exact reason I like to buy used. A low mile used unit has most, if not all of it's bugs worked out. A new unit? Not so much.

I would not except that unit back under ANY circumstances. I would find a good lawyer ASAP and hand it over to him or her.

BTW, I don't know where you get fiber glass delaminates with water. They used to make water tanks out of fiber glass and many boats are made out of fiber glass.

In any event, good luck with this.

While I understand and even agree with the sentiment (that it will never be as good as new), demanding a new rig is not how warranties work. You need to go thru the process and keep pointing out issues related to the damage and demand they address those issues that qualify under the warranty...hopefully...they reach a point where it's not worth fixing and they offer to replace.

A really lousy situation for the OP unfortunately.

PS:
As far as fiberglass delamination, it's quite a common issue with boats, though it typically appears different from RV delmaniation.
- Boats often use wood or foam coring to create a structure something akin to an I-beam. If the fiberglass "delaminates" from the core material, it loses much of it's strength. Also, solid fiberglass can get a form of delamination, usually refered to as blistering, where water gets between the layers of fiberglass and forces them apart. So yes, fiberglass boats are suseptable to delamination.
- With RVs, what is typically refered to as fiberglass is a very thin layer of fiberglass over a layer of plywood. If that wood gets wet, the fiberglass is prone to delaminate from the plywood.

[Grit_dog]

jebsurf wrote:
Thank you all for the replies. We wanted to see what they had to say. Unfortunately camping world said it may had been "condensation" because they couldn't find the leak yet. Even my wife that knows nothing about nothing when it comes to that kind of stuff, said "your joking right? That's not even debatable, but I understand how that's a quick answer for them. I will keep you all posted, and we greatly appreciate all of you all's time to read our story and support

Yeah bud. Good luck. You got the proof. And hopefully you got pics of water coming out of non water places.
I too generally buy used everything that is expensive, not only to save money but save the warranty claim hassles. But get after the mfg, only keep CW involved as necessary (keep pushing them but don’t concentrate the effort there).
You two seem young enough to be able to navigate this better than many on this site.
Get after it! And hoping you get made whole, soon, on the deal.

[BarneyS]

Keep in mind the forum rules about legal actions. The minute you post anything about contacting an attorney or other legal action this thread will have to be closed. Although I think the advice given about contacting an attorney is good, please don't mention it here if you wish this thread to continue. You can say you have taken action but just don't say what kind - if it is legal action.
Barney

[Blazing_Zippers]

Not to be a bummer, but----get an attorney ASAP.
The dealer couldn't care less about your unit, just that they got the sale.
The manufactureing company will string you along as long as they can, until the "warranty" is up.
The cost of legal fees will be far less than your hand wringing and bad experiances.
Also, the insurance company might be of some help, but probably not to much.
I spent a few years in law enforcement---- document everything!!!!! Time, date, person spoken with, phone number--everything. When you mail USPS, send it with a tracker to prove the article arrived and whom signed for it.
Get your money back and don't accept anything less. Then, move from Camping World and the products they schlep.
Just my opinion, other's may vary.

[Grit_dog]

Peeps, idk who you’re refuting but in the context of campers, the “fiberglass” filon panels will delaminate in short order from the backing. Not sure if you misread something or just being rvnet…ish.

[Turtle_n_Peeps]

Wow, that's quite a story. Sorry for your experience.

This is the exact reason I like to buy used. A low mile used unit has most, if not all of it's bugs worked out. A new unit? Not so much.

I would not except that unit back under ANY circumstances. I would find a good lawyer ASAP and hand it over to him or her.

BTW, I don't know where you get fiber glass delaminates with water. They used to make water tanks out of fiber glass and many boats are made out of fiber glass.

In any event, good luck with this.

[kellem]

That is truly a nightmare, wow.
Anything other than a new trailer would be completely unacceptable as that trailer will never be the same.

Don't give up your dreams and don't let this debacle consume the two of you.

Wife and I are on our 4th trailer and have raised our children and have gotten old enjoying camping and building unforgettable memories.

Forrest river is a very large player in the RV industry and praying that they come through and do the right thing.....a full replacement.

[Grit_dog]

valhalla360 wrote:
That sucks but it's pretty much standard.
- Buying new in boats or RVs in no way ensures everything will work perfect out of the box. If you aren't familiar, it's good to get an independent RV tech to go over the unit before taking delivery. If it's holding up the final sale, they have a strong incentive to make it right...or you have the option to walk away from the deal.
- If something is wrong, stop and figure it out as soon as possible. They might use the fact you didn't address the leak for over a month as reason to deny the claim as you didn't protect it from ongoing damage.
- Probably a waste of time getting a lawyer involved at this stage. A warranty just means they have to eventuallly get around to it (assuming they don't decide you were in some way at fault). If you lose 6 months use, that's not their problem. Expect the dealer to take paid full price retail work over warranty work every time and the manufacturer is in no rush to fork over money for something that isn't bringing in profit. At this point, they will respond to the lawyer that it's in the warranty process and contractually, you got nothing. Worse, it may gum up the response as their lawyers will want to approve before anything is done or communicated if you are threatening lawsuits.

I know that's not the answer you want to hear but hopefully another newbie will be able to use this story to avoid similar problems. At this point, I would be calling or stopping by a couple times a week to make a pest of yourself, escalate to the corporate level if possible...as the best option. Hopefully, they get sick of hearing from you and push it along.

Unfortunately most of what you’re saying is spot on, save for the owners “not addressing” the issue. They literally had the NEW camper less than a month before bringing the issue forward.
Yes CW will 99% likely be useless. And 100% the owner should be involving the mfg very directly and like yesterday.
You got the proof. Make ‘em give you a new camper. If that one is soaked from the inside out.
Not an over reaction or un warranted at all.
Good luck OP!