Airstream Nest Quality... Questionable?

[Magpie Nest]

Hello everyone. I am new to the forum... but not to camping, or to RV'ing.

Wondering if there are any other Nest owners out there. Even more to the point: Has anyone had any issues or defects that they have come across with their Nest?

I wish that this posting could have been under different circumstances. Sadly, it is because the Nest seems to have some major short-comings regarding Quality.

Presently, I am in an open dialogue with Airstream directly about how they intend to resolve this matter. I have a detailed video on YouTube describing ALL of the problems my particular Nest is having. They have asked me not to release it to the public. I have agreed in the hopes that they will offer up a satisfactory resolution to the matter.

I will however, list a few of the issues for any others who may be having their own set of problems, and wish to let it be known:

• Ceiling sagging and dropping debris
  
• Sidewalls in galley flex and move, like they are not secured
  
• Numerous bolts and screws found laying about; no idea where they go or what is now unsecured
  
• Fabric on the walls sagging and detaching from cushioned backing
  
• Drawers not working properly
  
• Shower door hinge off-center, leaving a gap in the seal
  
• Numerous loose screws (if you haven't checked... I urge to do so BEFORE they fall out)
  
• Screen door handle comes detached and falls to the floor
  
• Vinyl flooring buckling up and detaches from subfloor

Like I said, I have a video documenting all of this. I am curious... did I just get a "lemon". Or, is Quality Control for the Nest really just that bad? I considered several others options before deciding on the Nest: NuCamp T@B, Jayco, Casita, etc. ALL of which are much more affordable. I was, and still am, happy to pay a little more for a better product. BUT, when that "better product" fails to be the case...

I am not trying to give Airstream a bad name here. Let's be honest: These campers aren't cheap. The Nest should be MUCH better than this. The camper is less than a year old! And I have been the owner for less than 4 months!

So, is anyone else having issues? Did I just happen upon a rear defect? Is Airstream possibly releasing this Nest camper prematurely, without adequate quality control, and just now finding out that it has serious issues?

Maybe. If so, then if I were to do it over, I would wait to buy a new Nest and see how they work out the bugs a few years from now. If it makes it that far.

[Civilguy]

Alan,

Welcome to the forum. I'm sorry to hear you are having issues with your new trailer.

I suspect think you'll find more Nest owners on AirForums.

That said, I expect you'll get some more replies here.

[Magpie Nest]

Thanks. I image that the Nest - even though fiberglass - is not as prevalent here on this forum. However, I thought I might just see if there were any owners here, or any who might be considering the Nest and just wanted to know what may be some of the issues with Quality Control - at least, in my circumstance.

I have also reached out to the AirForums community. I just wanted to see if any here had any comments.

Thanks, again!

[Jon in AZ]

Welcome. Alan!

As far as I know, you’re the first Nest owner to join this forum, or at least the first to post. Your report is very disappointing. The designer is a long-time member here and a well-regarded restorer of molded trailers. I believe AS retained him as a consultant after they purchased the rights, and I hope they’ll consult him about your issues. Clearly they don’t have the production process ironed out yet.

I certainly hope you get a timely and satisfactory resolution from AS. Kudos to you for taking on the giant!

Which layout do you have?

[Magpie Nest]

Thanks, Jon. Sometimes the little guy can get squashed for taking on the "Giant". LOL. And to be clear, I am not really attempting to topple said giant... I just want them to own up to the matter and do the right thing.

Isn't that what any of us would want?

I have the FB. The layout that has the dinette that converts to the bed. I like it better than the dedicated bed design because it actually has - or feels like it has - more room.

The design is excellent. The lines, the choice of materials, the color scheme. It was a major factor in selecting the Nest. That, and the shower can actually fit a 6'-1" person withOUT having to hunch.

The problem I am discovering is the quality control. This many things falling apart like they are is actually embarrassing for Airstream. It's like they just rushed the Nest through production.

[Magpie Nest]

Here are some photos of the inside.

[redbarron55]

I wish you luck with your Nest.
Perhaps you should offer Airstream a chance to buy the trailer back so that they could take their time fixing it?
If they do not offer a speedy fix this is the thing to do.
Otherwise I would not hesitate to post to You Tube and have them wish that they had either bought it back or taken care of their customer.
One would expect that they would at least take care of their initial customers.
Some of your issues do not suggest that there are easy answers.
Perhaps they NEED to have your trailer back so that they can take time to evaluate the issues that they need to concentrate on?

[Magpie Nest]

Originally Posted by redbarron55

I wish you luck with your Nest.
Perhaps you should offer Airstream a chance to buy the trailer back so that they could take their time fixing it?
If they do not offer a speedy fix this is the thing to do.
Otherwise I would not hesitate to post to You Tube and have them wish that they had either bought it back or taken care of their customer.
One would expect that they would at least take care of their initial customers.
Some of your issues do not suggest that there are easy answers.
Perhaps they NEED to have your trailer back so that they can take time to evaluate the issues that they need to concentrate on?

Thanks. The sentiment is well received, believe me. When going up against companies of any size who may only have their bottom-line as their sole interest, it can be intimidating, and leave you feeling like you are all alone.

I would honor the option for a buy-back. And it would go a LONG way with me (and others, I imagine), if they would do the right thing here.

[EllPea in CA]

Alan, that design looks beautiful. I can see why you were willing to pay more for this trailer! That said, they must must MUST make these issues right. Are you speaking/writing to a general customer service individual? Or has the issue hopefully been escalated higher up in the organization?
EllPea

[Borrego Dave]

Bummer Alan and certainly not the end result of the finished product that we expected. We followed Robert Johans design of the nest, even gave him some ideas when he asked for what folks would like to see/have. There have been posts of FG cracking and such but I'm going to think AS changed things from the original design. Sure hope you get satisfaction from AS, good luck and keep us updated.

[TZBrown]

I would make Airstream the offer of bringing your unit to the MFG plant, Ohio for the Aluminum ones, not sure for the Nest. and see what they have to say. If not satisfied with the answer, bring up the idea of a swap or buyback. if all else fails, sell it, probably at a loss and release the video.

We looked long and hard at the Nest before choosing our Escape

[C&G in FL]

I believe Airstream bought the Nest from its original developer before it was ready for market, because they wanted to break into the fiberglass market. If I recall correctly, Airstream was acquired by Thor Industries some time ago and I have conversed with some Airstream owners who say that the new Airstreams are not the quality of the older ones. That of course is hearsay as I have no personal experience with Airstreams. In my opinion, too expensive for what you get, and the aluminum “shell” requires too much maintenance and is easily dented.

[Jon in AZ]

Airstream has been owned by Thor since it was first formed in 1980, so it’s hard to attribute recent quality issues to the mere fact of being part of Thor. Changes in corporate leadership, unrestrained growth, putting sales numbers and stock valuation before build quality- all of these could certainly account for the current sad state. Seems more a slow slide than a single event.

[Magpie Nest]

Originally Posted by EllPea in CA

Alan, that design looks beautiful. I can see why you were willing to pay more for this trailer! That said, they must must MUST make these issues right. Are you speaking/writing to a general customer service individual? Or has the issue hopefully been escalated higher up in the organization?
EllPea

Thanks for your concern. I am feeling like the only people who seem to care about this matter are those who know what it is like to owner a camper themselves.

I have only been able to correspond with a customer service rep, Dave Prosser. He has been very responsive, and for that matter, relatively polite all of this. However, even though he has informed me that he has forwarded my concerns/complaints to "management", no one from that dept. has personally reached out to me.

All that they have done is tell me "the dealership will fix it". This is a factory-born problem. The dealer should have to fix defects. I am hoping for a better resolution.

[Magpie Nest]

Originally Posted by Borrego Dave

Bummer Alan and certainly not the end result of the finished product that we expected. We followed Robert Johans design of the nest, even gave him some ideas when he asked for what folks would like to see/have. There have been posts of FG cracking and such but I'm going to think AS changed things from the original design. Sure hope you get satisfaction from AS, good luck and keep us updated.

Thank you, Dave. I am also hoping that AS does the right thing. So far, it is looking they are expecting the dealer to repair things.

[Magpie Nest]

Originally Posted by TZBrown

I would make Airstream the offer of bringing your unit to the MFG plant, Ohio for the Aluminum ones, not sure for the Nest. and see what they have to say. If not satisfied with the answer, bring up the idea of a swap or buyback. if all else fails, sell it, probably at a loss and release the video.

We looked long and hard at the Nest before choosing our Escape

Before deciding on the Nest we considered the T@B 320 or 400. Having been previous T@G owners, and LOVING that little guy, we wanted something that offered a bathroom... winter in Big Bend, Texas showed up REAL quick how inconvenient a 100 foot walk to the toilets at the RV park could be... REAL fast!

To be fair, the customer service rep I have been speaking with did offer to "make an appointment" with Jackson Center, Ohio to bring the Nest in for repairs. I found that be to an acceptable offer. But not at our travel expense. Texas to Ohio is not small drive. And it's not like a vacation... or that we can just take off of work. When I stated as much, he forwarded all my communications to the dealership and has placed it on them to fix the problem.

The defects that are present are not so small that the dealership should be obligated to "fix".

[Magpie Nest]

Originally Posted by CPW

I believe Airstream bought the Nest from its original developer before it was ready for market, because they wanted to break into the fiberglass market. If I recall correctly, Airstream was acquired by Thor Industries some time ago and I have conversed with some Airstream owners who say that the new Airstreams are not the quality of the older ones. That of course is hearsay as I have no personal experience with Airstreams. In my opinion, too expensive for what you get, and the aluminum “shell” requires too much maintenance and is easily dented.

We actually looked at a 16' Bambi Sport as an option before the Nest. But for reasons you just pointed to, we thought a fiberglass camper might be a better choice. And perhaps newer Nests, with later runs on the assembly line are doing better. But ours was #28 in the production line... guess they were still working out the bugs.

[Magpie Nest]

It seems that I am not going to find relief from Airstream. The last conversation I had with them was, "The dealership will take care it".

There are MANY more, well-experienced RV owners out there than I am. Maybe I am just not seeing this whole thing correctly. I am honoring my agreement with AS to not make the video live on YouTube - for now - but I have decided to post it here to give anyone who wishes to view it a chance to tell me: Am I wrong? Are these not defects? Is this something that others think the the dealer should, or can, fix?

https://youtu.be/1ZNn0HTLn-c

[Magpie Nest]

It seems that I am not going to find relief from Airstream. The last conversation I had with them was, "The dealership will take care it".

There are MANY more, well-experienced RV owners out there than I am. Maybe I am just not seeing this whole thing correctly. I am honoring my agreement with AS to not make the video live on YouTube - for now - but I have decided to post it here to give anyone who wished to view it a chance to tell me: Am I wrong? Are these not defects? Is this something that others think the the dealer should, or can, fix?

https://youtu.be/1ZNn0HTLn-c

[MK Evenson]

Magpie Nest, sorry to hear about your experience with the nest. I have read similar stories about the build quality. I wonder if you are having more troubles with AS because you are not the original owner,

"........ The camper is less than a year old! And I have been the owner for less than 4 months!....."

Mark