Casita Factory Defects Disappointments! - Fiberglass RV
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Old 10-03-2021, 05:51 PM   #1
Junior Member
 
Name: Kent
Trailer: Casita
Missouri
Posts: 3
Exclamation Casita Factory Defects Disappointments!

Hello from Missouri

I am new to the forum because we just picked up our new 2022 Spirit Deluxe in Rice, TX on 9/27/21.

We were glad to get it within 30 days by paying a 3k premium instead of the 12-18 month waiting list.

The day finally arrived and away I went on a 1300+ mile trip to pick it up!!

The funds for this were from my father that passed away earlier this year or we could have never afforded to get this! Thank You Dad!!

When i arrived there were several that were picking there's up also, but with limitations because of the COVID. Finally my appointment arrived and i spent most of the time learning about the Anderson on how to hook and unhook it, I took a brief look inside and after it was hooked up and tested and all the paper wotk was done away i went to get back home...


When i arrived the next day my wife went inside and was checking it out and noticed a few flaws - some major so i thought i should contact them about the defects since it had a warranty and i had just gave then a check for $32,000 a few days since i had got it. no worries...

I learn different - So once we were gone your sales rep that took our payment, did all the legal stuff and communications since our first contact cannot help on taking care of anything- they pass you off to the parts guy Tyler that i barely met while there.

- The paint on the microwave door was not completed/unfinished
- Paint smear on carpet wall liner
- Kitchen Drawer 1/2 unfinished on edges- sloppy work
- Scaly dirt embedded in the finish on the back of bathroom door

Here is the response when i told them and sent photos -

Sales Manager - Sorry about that - I will see what i can do, but no promises - I waited 4 hours for her to call back aft asking what they were going to do?

- The parts guy told me that were not doing to send me a new door - only paint that i was going to take the door off sand it - go buy a foam roller - part it yourself and the reInstall - I told him that's not satisfactory ! I bought a new camper and I wanted it fixed, he replied, sorry this is where casita stands on the defect sorry!


so i called my rep and all she could do was apologize and said there was nothin she could do.

I am not happy but i guess i will fix it myself and cuss Casita while I'm doing it!

So there going to spend money one sending me paint so i asked - i will pay to send you the defective door and you send me a good one in return - denied!

Sad but True. Hate being a stinker about this but i was shocked that the defect was not something Casita was interested in making me happy about! I guess i could call the Attorney General in Texas and file a consumer complaint- Shame on you Casita for doing this to US!!
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Old 10-03-2021, 06:01 PM   #2
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Name: Joel
Trailer: shopping
Tx
Posts: 73
I must say, that is bizarre. Not sure how that did not get painted, but I would think it would save you a bit of work by them sending you the paint. Getting those doors on and off to send back would be a pain. Just paint them while installed.
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Old 10-03-2021, 09:04 PM   #3
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Name: Shelby
Trailer: Casita SD
Tennessee
Posts: 1,087
Be happy you got a FGRV, an Indiana stick built would put you over the edge! Take a Xanax, drink a beer, paint the door. All will be well!
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Old 10-03-2021, 10:17 PM   #4
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Trailer: 2002 19 ft Scamp 19 ft 5th Wheel
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Its all about the Golden Rule - Once they have your gold they make the rules.
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Old 10-04-2021, 06:27 AM   #5
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Frustrating for sure, but still just minor problems. In today's world one has to come to accept imperfection. It would have been nice that you had noticed the problems while there, and seen what they would have done. Get the paint, fix it, and go traveling/camping. As Shelby said. If you want PROBLEMS, purchase a new stick-built from anyone.
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Old 10-04-2021, 08:01 AM   #6
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Name: Dave
Trailer: 2010 Casita 17 Spirit Deluxe
Wisconsin
Posts: 216
Yes, I would agree, totally annoying, and in a perfect world it would have been perfect. I believe you did pick it up and were given opportunity to inspect. But like buying a used car you missed the obvious and not so obvious.

That said, I have learned with age to worry about the big stuff and not get so worked up on the small stuff. All these issues are pretty trivial, and take a bit of your time and your money to make right if you want them perfect. Give it a few months of ownership and these little things will be little compared to having your water pump frozen and leaking all over(previous owners didn't winterize properly), breaking the freezer door ($125), bumping into camper and damaging running light, when replacing running light drilling dead center through water line, etc. There's a lot more but I will stop.

Not condoning Casita and their response but I can't imagine any camper from any manufacturer coming out perfect, ever. I suggest taking care of this stuff yourself, move on and enjoy the rest of that great camper you got.
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Old 10-04-2021, 09:21 AM   #7
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Name: Kent
Trailer: Casita
Missouri
Posts: 3
Yep we started at Camper World looking - the quality was shocking!
So after looking at the Casita and a previous Scamp owner - Looks good to me!
And it Is!

Just Disappointed! Oh well I guess $32,000 does get you what you would expect

I am a master woodworker - maybe i will make all the doors with some beautiful real hardwood instead that i can make in my shop over the winter months....
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Old 10-04-2021, 09:29 AM   #8
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Name: CalCop
Trailer: Casita
California
Posts: 220
I sense that you’re frustrated with yourself for not seeing the defects.
Casita’s reaction simply added to the frustration
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Old 10-04-2021, 09:35 AM   #9
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Name: Stephen
Trailer: Casita
Tennessee
Posts: 220
Exclamation Delivery Failure

Your mistake is failing to do a forensic inspection and road test BEFORE making the final payment. Do that inspection and testing now to avoid being stranded by latent defects causing failures in the future.
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Old 10-04-2021, 09:35 AM   #10
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$32,000 for that much money you deserve perfection.
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Old 10-04-2021, 09:54 AM   #11
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Name: bruce
Trailer: Casita
Texas
Posts: 25
Question Show Me State

I too am from the Show Me State and I would have spent at least a full hour inspecting the Casita... do they let you take it for a test drive? Did you buy insurance? Did it have propane? Did you start the water heater and stove burners and heater and fridge? Did you plug it in and check the AC? Did you check the tire pressure?


Do you have a checklist that you will go down before you leave on a trip? Do you have a checklist that you will go down each time you park it at your house? Paint defects are not really a problem. Like a scratch on a car, it has zero effect on the performance of the vehicle. Every time you look in the mirror, you see defects.
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Old 10-04-2021, 10:14 AM   #12
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Name: Bob
Trailer: Casita - 2019 SD17
Idaho
Posts: 153
More lessons learned

Kent, Tyler was the person who made the delivery on my SD17. He took short cuts. I am sure you learned a valuable lesson here. Thoroughly inspect everything and make sure you receive the whole package PRIOR to leaving the lot.

I assume that your sales person was Darla. She was also mine. She was very pleasant, attentive and answered all of my questions and concerns. However, once I paid for the trailer and took delivery, she no longer wanted to talk to me. I was always referred to the service department. When dealing with the service department, you will quickly learn who to work with and who to avoid.

The insert needed for the rear dinette, when made into a bed, was not in the trailer when I took delivery of my SD17. I did not realize that until AFTER I was home and was converting the rear dinette to a bed. Casita did ship me that piece after some difficulty. Theoretically, that piece is in the closet when the trailer is delivered. If I had pushed for a complete demonstration of ALL functions of the trailer, I would not have missed the missing insert piece for the rear dinette.

I strongly recommend that anyone purchasing a trailer, new or used, thoroughly check out the entire trailer, all of the appliances, and electrical system PRIOR to taking delivery and turning over hard earned cash. As previously mentioned, once they have your cash, you ability to bargain is gone.

If you read the warranty information, you will see that they can have you go to a local RV dealership and have them make the necessary repairs, etc. Casita then pays the dealership for those repairs. I may be incorrect, but this may be another option for you to explore with Casita.

The other thing that I am OCD about, is documentation. While Casita did give me a blue plastic bag filled with MOST of the documentation, some documentation was missing. Again, once you are off the lot, good luck getting any of that information. It may not seem important now, but down the road, you will find that information quite valuable. The book that Casita gives you about their product will prove mostly useless. At least that is my view of it.

There is a book that I see frequently mentioned, that supposedly provides a lot of detail and information about the Casita trailers. Unfortunately, I don't remember the exact name of it at the moment. Vaguely, I think it was something like "Casita - A to Z". I am sure someone will correct me accordingly. I have not yet invested in the book.

What I have found quite lacking with regards to documentation from Casita, are the wiring and plumbing diagrams for the trailer. I would have thought Casita would have included that as part of their own book. Sadly, that is not the case.

In my case, I was able to find PDF documents online for some of the items they missed.

I made up a 3-ring binder with protectors and I have each piece of documentation for the trailer in that 3-ring binder. I printed out the PDF's I found on line for the other items.

Fortunately for me, I found this forum. I have had tremendous help from other members of this forum. The search function on this site also will yield a lot of answers for you as you enjoy your new home on wheels.
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Old 10-04-2021, 10:57 AM   #13
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Trailer: 2002 19 ft Scamp 19 ft 5th Wheel
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Contact the Better Business Bureau and lodge a complaint and in the future check with the BBB B4 purchasing items from companies.

Now, Join Good Sam and see if they will intervene for you. That ate very good at getting companies to do the right thing.
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Old 10-04-2021, 01:44 PM   #14
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Trailer: Casita 16 ft
Posts: 112
When picking up a new Casita one should ALWAYS spend the first night in it within easy driving distance from the factory. There is American RV park in Corsicana and a COE campground at Navarro Mills lake a little further west. Fill one propane tank and connect to campground water to check for leaks. Check all the crimps on the piping for a damp spot. Hate to have to QC an item this expensive, but that's the way it is.
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Old 10-04-2021, 02:26 PM   #15
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Name: bill
Trailer: 2013 Escape 19
The Mountains of North Carolina
Posts: 4,136
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This sad example serves as a lesson for anyone out there. Inspect VERY carefully in person at the factory if possible, before handing over your final payment.

Having toured the Casita factory, I can see how this happens there. Sadly in the RV industry, the buyer has to do the final quality inspection. Witness the RV brands that have large scale warranty claim facilities at their factories!

I have friends with a 40 foot Newmar motorcoach. Price one of those! Anyway, it spent the last week at the factory getting warranty repair work done..... Airstream also has a large warranty facility at their factory too!

I have friends that bought a trailer at Camping World. On the way home, cabinet doors fell off. They ended up with several problems. Short warranty too so they are now on their own.
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Old 10-04-2021, 03:38 PM   #16
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Name: Jon
Trailer: 2008 Scamp 13 S1
Arizona
Posts: 11,912
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What’s done is done. Moving forward, you might consider having a detailer provide an estimate to address the cosmetic issues, even if you do the work yourself. Second, do the thorough shakedown you weren’t able to do at the factory. Test everything. If anything else turns up, add it to the list, getting repair estimates as necessary.

If it ends up being only the cosmetic issues already described, consider yourself way ahead of the curve. You could shoot for a portion of the professional detail estimate as compensation for time and trouble to perform the DIY fixes they are suggesting. In any case having independent appraisals of the issues and repair cost could provide some leverage with Casita.

As others have said, perfection is elusive in the RV industry across the price spectrum.
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Old 10-04-2021, 04:09 PM   #17
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Name: Dick
Trailer: '15 17' LD Casita and '17 Tahoe LT
Texas
Posts: 321
To make a long story longer. Don't know that filing with the Texas Lemon Law will do much good until you have had several repairs on the same problem, but be ready for a long procedure.
I bought a new 2009 31' big name bumper pull trailer and it was a headache from the first shakedown short trip. The first 32 months we had it, it was in the shop for 15. The next year, it was in their shop for 8 months. I finally filed for the Texas Lemon Law. I won my case in court and the judge ruled for them to take care of it, but they went out of business literally that week. My name went to the bottom of the list for settlement. All I came away with was to be able to say I won! Part of the problem was the court system taking so long to get to my case. It had been filed for over a year before it came before the court. Time restraints were running out by the time I got a court date.
Getting rid of it was one of my happiest days.
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Old 10-04-2021, 04:59 PM   #18
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Name: Joel
Trailer: shopping
Tx
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Lemon Law?

A bit of missing paint isn't even close to what the lemon laws are for. Claiming lemon for this issue would make ones self look silly.
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Old 10-04-2021, 06:03 PM   #19
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Name: Gordon
Trailer: 2015 Scamp (16 Std Layout 4) with '15 Toyota Sienna LE Tug
North Carolina
Posts: 5,155
Quote:
Originally Posted by ThreeSixtyIcon View Post
... my wife went inside and...and noticed a few flaws - some major ...

- The paint on the microwave door was not completed/unfinished
- Paint smear on carpet wall liner
- Kitchen Drawer 1/2 unfinished on edges- sloppy work
- Scaly dirt embedded in the finish on the back of bathroom door
...
I'm sorry.. I dont understand... which of these flaws are the major ones?

IMHO... if it does not affect the function then it does not even begin to raise to the level of a major flaw. If everything functions and you can get out and enjoy the world then you are far ahead of the game.

I suggest you return the camper and get a full refund, then go buy an Oliver. The Oliver will most likely have the near perfection you are looking for.
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Old 10-04-2021, 06:08 PM   #20
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Name: Gordon
Trailer: 2015 Scamp (16 Std Layout 4) with '15 Toyota Sienna LE Tug
North Carolina
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob Penn View Post
...
There is a book that I see frequently mentioned, that supposedly provides a lot of detail and information about the Casita trailers. Unfortunately, I don't remember the exact name of it at the moment. ...
It is...
Casita Travel Trailers A-Z Owner's Guide

I have heard good things about it.. I have only seen the table of contents but it seems very complete.

I am working on a similar guide for Scamps. At the rate of work that I have maintained since I started, it should drop no later than June of 2033.
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