Casita Factory Defects Disappointments!

[ArizonaEileen]

I'm the author of the Casita Travel Trailers A-Z Guide and visited the Casita factory last week as part of my ongoing research where I meet with management and salespeople.

Paying $33K doesn't guarantee perfect. It only means you were able to avoid waiting.

Had you done your shakedown in the area that night, you could have returned to the factory the next business day (as I STRONGLY recommend all new owners do when taking delivery) and had all of those issues fixed on the spot.

As for expecting perfection, stick-built dealers are up at arms over the poor quality workmanship of the trailers they're getting from Elkhart and other manufacturers. It's abysmal right now. Be grateful you had the good sense to purchase a trailer that will hold its value after it leaves the lot, even with the paint smears.

What you're also not considering is the shortage of parts and labor, along with exceedingly high demand. Casita was taking up to 250 orders a month last summer. They're doing what they can with what little space they have to produce 14 trailers a week. And the waitlist for a 17' Sprit is still a year out. The Indy is 14 mos.

My real question is: What's been gained by airing these grievances and generating negativity about a great product to a group of people who are powerless to help you when the onus of the final inspection was yours?

Eileen

PS: The exterior gelcoat on my 2013 is dull in a couple of places. I purchased it used but it probably came from the factory that way since I know a few others who have it too. Do we care? Mininally, since it still camps just fine and I could sell it today for more than I paid.

[redbarron55]

Expecting perfection for only $33K?
Casita has orders for more than then can deliver so they don't really have to care about quality or customers is what I read above.
Be happy that you can enjoy partially painted doors and other obvious flaws as you only paid $XX.XX for the privilege of owning and completing your Casita.
Casita has already told customers that using their awnings will cause them to fall off and that to expect the finish to be complete in really too much to expect and you in writing your guide tell the customers how to make their investment in Casita work.
If you put up with shoddy design and completion then you deserve that result, I guess.
Any problems I have with my rebuilt Scamp 16 I do deserve since I rebuilt the whole camper, the front half of the frame and new axle. I also had Scamp install the awning and the casing won't fall of in a slight breeze (the arms may fail, but the mounting hardware won't fall off!).
In the current RV boom they can sell whatever they can push out the door, but that does not mean that they should not receive "credit" for their build quality.

[David Tilston]

Originally Posted by ArizonaEileen

My real question is: What's been gained by airing these grievances and generating negativity about a great product to a group of people who are powerless to help you when the onus of the final inspection was yours?

Wow, Eileen, your bias is showing. Do you work for Casita? Why are you so concerned about generating negativity? Do you really think that the factory has no responsibility for final inspection? If a brand new product is faulty, I see that as a warranty issue. If the factory refuses to address this issue, it speaks to the value, (or lack thereof) of the warranty.

Up to this point, I have not commented on this thread. I have no dog in this fight. However your assertions that the factory is blameless in this are just wrong.

What has been gained by an honest review? The answer is consumer education. Not that I was ever going to purchase a brand new Casita, but those that are considering it should be aware of how someone with experience feels about it.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by David Tilston

..
What has been gained by an honest review? The answer is consumer education. Not that I was ever going to purchase a brand new Casita, but those that are considering it should be aware of how someone with experience feels about it.

Pretty much my thoughts too.. and also the reason I wrote this review shortly after buying my Scamp (almost five year ago). Some people have higher expectations.. sometimes even unreasonable expectations. Other people are happy with a camper that functions as designed. Some people look at defects that are mostly cosmetic as major flaw. Others look at minor defects and say to themselves, "well I paid a fair price and I can deal with this minor things easy enough." Some expect a Lexus just because a camper that holds its value and is in high demand cost a fair amount more than other campers. Other focus on the overall value.

One group of people will look at the original post and conclude that those issues are trivial and the camper is still just what they want.

Another group of people will look at the original post and conclude that the quality is not what they expect.

The first group will buy the camper and maybe live happily ever after. The second group will not buy and their ever lasting happiness will depend on something else.

[barrry smithe]

If consumers accept shoddily work and relaxed quality standards, they can expect to see more of it as there will be no incentive to maintain or improve quality. Try holding back $50. on the purchase price and see how that works!

[jgilliam1955]

Originally Posted by gordon2

Pretty much my thoughts too.. and also the reason I wrote this review shortly after buying my Scamp (almost five year ago). Some people have higher expectations.. sometimes even unreasonable expectations. Other people are happy with a camper that functions as designed. Some people look at defects that are mostly cosmetic as major flaw. Others look at minor defects and say to themselves, "well I paid a fair price and I can deal with this minor things easy enough." Some expect a Lexus just because a camper that holds its value and is in high demand cost a fair amount more than other campers. Other focus on the overall value.

One group of people will look at the original post and conclude that those issues are trivial and the camper is still just what they want.

Another group of people will look at the original post and conclude that the quality is not what they expect.

The first group will buy the camper and maybe live happily ever after. The second group will not buy and their ever lasting happiness will depend on something else.

So true. We spent the summer of 2020 on the road in our 2019 Casita. The latch on the bathroom door got stuck closed. A cabinet door would not stay closed. The dog tore up two of the window blinds and ate the support for the fire extinguisher.
We were 3 days away from Casita & called & made an appointment to get these items fixed. They fixed them for free. Then after the repairs, 2 hours away from the factory we could not get in the camper. We drove back to Casita & they had to climb in through the window to open the door. The deadbolt had broken in half.
They were going to fix it for free but I upgraded to the combination door lock. The service was great & I wasn't upset about the items that broke. It was just stuff that needed fixing.
I understand some times stuff is overlooked which can be upsetting.

[Bob Penn]

Originally Posted by JaxDan

Quote:
I decided to redo all and paint with some color.

I like what you did with the cabinet doors. Very nicely done.

[Alex Segal]

With all the recommendations I've given to people about Casita's, it really gives me pause to hear their response to your issues.

[ShelbyM]

Originally Posted by Alex Segal

With all the recommendations I've given to people about Casita's, it really gives me pause to hear their response to your issues.

I'll say!

[Jann Todd]

Originally Posted by ArizonaEileen

I'm the author of the Casita Travel Trailers A-Z Guide and visited the Casita factory last week as part of my ongoing research where I meet with management and salespeople.

Paying $33K doesn't guarantee perfect. It only means you were able to avoid waiting.

Had you done your shakedown in the area that night, you could have returned to the factory the next business day (as I STRONGLY recommend all new owners do when taking delivery) and had all of those issues fixed on the spot.

As for expecting perfection, stick-built dealers are up at arms over the poor quality workmanship of the trailers they're getting from Elkhart and other manufacturers. It's abysmal right now. Be grateful you had the good sense to purchase a trailer that will hold its value after it leaves the lot, even with the paint smears.

What you're also not considering is the shortage of parts and labor, along with exceedingly high demand. Casita was taking up to 250 orders a month last summer. They're doing what they can with what little space they have to produce 14 trailers a week. And the waitlist for a 17' Sprit is still a year out. The Indy is 14 mos.

My real question is: What's been gained by airing these grievances and generating negativity about a great product to a group of people who are powerless to help you when the onus of the final inspection was yours?

Eileen

PS: The exterior gelcoat on my 2013 is dull in a couple of places. I purchased it used but it probably came from the factory that way since I know a few others who have it too. Do we care? Mininally, since it still camps just fine and I could sell it today for more than I paid.

Anytime you buy new expect some flaws. All RVs are put together by numerous people and not everyone does a perfect job plus the parts are made in China and other places. We bought our Casita new in 2007. We spent the night nearby like they said we should and we found the screen door hung up on the floor. We went back and got it fixed. We have had other things go wrong but not anything we can't live with except the plastic bathroom sink has several cracks around the drain. We used Flex seal on it until we can find a sink and someone to put it in. I guess after 16 years we should expect something like that to happen. Problem is finding a sink to fit. Do you have any sources for one?

[AlekP]

I'll chime in a little, I don't post too much on this forum. But since the topic got dredged up I'll add my more recent experience and some commentary.

You will always hear the issues people have no matter the object compared to the people who have no issues. You don't usually see gobs and gobs of people flock to forums for the sole reason of gushing about the product, usually only when something is an issue and they're looking for support on an instant self-fix. Supply chain and manufacturing logistics were terrible through the pandemic. We looked at many different stick built campers, new on the lot, with doors stuck shut because the walls were so crooked, broken lights, other non-functioning electronics, etc, it was terrible. We picked our casita up this summer in July after a 14 month wait because we bought one of the lowest volume models during a peak in the market after seeing that on campers double the cost.

A 1700 mile trip back from Texas to Michigan, stopping in Missouri and Arkansas, multiple extra trips across much of Michigan's lower and upper peninsulas totaling another ~2,000 miles and a couple weeks in it. So far my issues are:

-a pin vibrated it's way out of the pantry hinge. Found it on the floor, hammered it back in, hasn't come back out since.

-a summer deluge of a thunderstorm that dumped 5 or 6" of rain over a couple hours soaked and shorted the electronic door lock (replaced free in person by the manufacturer Bauer locks by 2 of the nicest ladies I've dealt with at a business, seriously they were the sweetest)

-some manufacturing dust and the cut-off pin from a rivet worked its way out from under the carpet over the miles and we had to vacuum when we got home from living in it for the first week.

-I couldn't find the little board that goes with the table to make the main bed on the first night because it was tucked against the wall in the side of the closet and I'm an idiot and couldn't find it. As much as I'd like to blame them for the hiding spot, I think I have to take the 'L' on that one. I'll blame my tired eyes after driving 18 hours in 2 days to get there, yeah, definitely tired and not me being an oblivious moron.

We're about to take it out again starting next weekend from Michigan, to Tennessee, to Florida, and back, totaling about 2600 miles for the trip and . I'll chime back in if anything else comes up. This one will put me at 5800 miles on the camper since July's pickup.

I will keep most of my commentary about the BBB to myself, but man are they terrible and an accreditation from them is more of a black mark than badge of honor.

[C&G in FL]

It is true people who find flaws in a new product often post negative comments. That is on one side of the spectrum. There is, however, others on the other side of the spectrum who seem to take any negative comment about the same product that they own as a personal affront and will defend the product with claims that the complaints are hyperbole. These people are on the opposite side of the spectrum. But as one previous poster suggested, with all the people involved in a trailer’s build, there are likely, not necessarily probably, going to be some things that aren’t perfect. Often times the flaws are in components built by other manufactures (like Dometic’s absorption refrigerators, Fantastic Fan, MaxxFan, etc.). When the defects in the trailer itself due to poor quality control, complaints are justifiable. I, for one, will not purchase any trailer from a manufacturer that continually is the subject of justifiable complaints.

[ShelbyM]

I think we are fortunate that none of the existing FGRV manufacturers have quality issues that would put them on anyone's do-not-buy list. Some have had sketchy business practices, large deposits, etc but that's another story.

[jgilliam1955]

Originally Posted by ShelbyM

I think we are fortunate that none of the existing FGRV manufacturers have quality issues that would put them on anyone's do-not-buy list. Some have had sketchy business practices, large deposits, etc but that's another story.

When buying Fiberglass campers, go to a company that has been in business for a while. Smaller and newer companies can require a larger deposit and more difficulty getting your money back. I lost $10K with a smaller camper company in 2019.

[ShelbyM]

Yep. More than a token deposit is a sure sign the company is under funded. Using deposits to build today's trailers and hoping things will work out in the future. You can be lucky or be left holding the bag.

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by Alex Segal

With all the recommendations I've given to people about Casita's, it really gives me pause to hear their response to your issues.

You hit on a old thread, and the OP hasn’t been back since shortly after posting.

Casita’s response could have been more tactful- and maybe it was, as we have only a disgruntled buyer’s version- but the issues were all very minor.

I think the real problem is expectations. A new Casita costs as much as a modest new car, and automotive fit and finish is generally very good these days, thanks to computer-assisted design and robotic assembly. First-time RV buyers expect the same, but RV manufacturing is completely different, hand assembly by unskilled and semi-skilled workers. It’s less like an automobile and more like a site-built home, where there is always a punch list at the end.

I’d say the OP’s list of defects, if typical, puts Casita in the top tier of RV brands for initial quality. The well-established molded fiberglass companies like Casita typically have a more stable and experienced workforce than the large conventional RV makers in Elkhart. He may not have realized at the time he posted, the painted cabinet doors were a recent change at Casita, so they likely hadn’t worked out all the kinks in that specific process.

I see no reason to change your recommendations based on this one post. I am not a Casita owner, so I have no bone in this fight.

[Jon MB]

All of our prior camping accommodation units were purchased used, so issues with those were un-assignable, and were either dealt with, or ignored.

Our factory-new, picked up from the manufacturer, unit has had a few assembly 'oversights', 'omissions', and outright cover-ups discovered by me. None, so far, have been serious enough to justify the 6 hour each way cross-border travel to have then addressed. All have been dealt with by me, BUT....
I've been informing the manufacturer's representative of the discoveries and sending documenting image files of them, and of my remediations, so that the assemblers on the floor can be reminded that their sloppy work DOES get found out, and DOES detract from their company's claim of having high build quality standards.

[Meadowlark]

When we picked up our 2011 Casita in Rice, I did something perhaps unusual...sat down that night and read all the paperwork that came with it, to include Dometic's warranty on the refrigerator. Buried in the lawyerese was a clause that the buyer had ten days-not ten Business days, ten days total, to submit a registration for warranty complete with bill of sale and the invoice. This I thought to be rather mean spirited, ten days isn't enough time when when you're driving from one end of the country to the other, for instance, or have to return to Rice for repairs...it smelled to me as if one they hoped no one actually read the paperwork and/or two said, well, I'll get around to it and only too late discover the time limit had expired..


To be blunt, Dometic's warranty registration was a ticking clock and a short one as well.
But, being what I am, I did submit all that paperwork within the ten day limit, probably much to their surprise.
Which I'm glad I did as our first trip out after returning from Rice, the fridge quit working after three days of camping.

I called Dometic with the problems and spoke with a young girl who obviously was reading from a flow chart and probably had never diagnosed the problem in her life. Essentially she concluded that it was us screwing it up, not the fridge itself. But they HAD to honor the warranty, so I took it to a local RV repair shop...and they scratched their heads, too. Threw parts at it til it stopped being broken. Their issue was they weren't used to working on tiny little FG trailers, despite Dometic being the only supplier of fridges at the time.


THe point being, most repair places work only with stick builts and road boat RV,s, not FG campers. I bet someone with a popup is even more left out in left field.

[jerrybob]

Two employees are having a conversation about quality control
Employee 1: We need to stop testing our products on animals.

Employee 2: Why? Other shampoo companies do it all the time.

Employee 1: Cool. But we make hammers.