Consumer Reviews & Ratings - Should I take them seriously?

DoberGirl50 wrote:
I was just wondering if anyone had an opinion. :-)

Gee, on a forum like this I wonder what the chances are? :W

I pay a lot more attention to negative reviews. People get paid to write fake reviews both positive and negative but it's my feeling fake positives are a lot more common.

Read the reviews and watch some videos on whatever you're shopping for. See if you can spot where those negative reviews might be coming from.

What people don't like about a product might not bother you or affect your intended usage, so that's something to consider as well.

My personal example, people don't seem to like the KZ brand, complaining about low quality interiors. I don't see that in my rig. It has a basic interior, but that doesn't bother me. It also cost a lot less than similar floorplans in other brands. So much less I was able to buy it with cash which is a big positive in my book.

They all have problems. If you read enough reviews over a period of time, you will eventually see a pattern as to which manufacturers stand behind their product.
Those that are willing and able to fix things themselves can save big $$$.

My opinion is, generally RV quality is somewhere between a rock and a hard place but it is possible to get a good one with no issue (I know, I have one that has had no issues whatsoever) but the chances are slim.

Like flipping a coin, heads it's a good one, tails, it's junk.

I will always maintain that buying any new RV right now is a bad bet because the builders are running behind and thus quality and competent assembly takes a backseat to quantity.

Lots of potential issues out there, choose wisely but be prepared for issues and be prepared for dealers who have that 'don't care attitude'. It's a sellers market today, not a buyers market.

I think a lot of people don’t tend to write a review unless they have an issue. Then they want everyone to know about it. Just based on reading reviews it’s a small wonder that anyone would want to buy an RV.

They all have some problems. Some brands seem to have fewer. I don't buy into the find the best dealer cause you'll need them scenario. They need you. Especially when the warranty's up. I read 5+ brand forums. You can see a trend of which brands have the most issues and what type of issues they're having.
Many times it's not a MFG fault. Like a water pump failing. What you want to look for is things like a slide leaking, roof membrane has staples popping up under it, screws on the slide out seals breaking, cabinets failing, furnace ducting insufficient in some rooms, etc. Few brands can escape most of those issues.
There's also the owner that's a nit picker. I have yet to walk in any RV that didn't have something sloppy somewhere. I will say that Airstream seems to be pretty clean as well as Lance. I disregard reviews from owners complaining about things like the steps are too high going into my 5th wheel's bedroom. While that is a design flaw it's not a warranty problem.
Most all MFG's use the same suppliers for parts. It's how the parts are assembled thats important.
Quite frankly I'm not sure I want to take my chances on a new one. My 5 year old 5er has been rock solid reliable.

My opinion is that RV manufacturers are setting records in sales. They don't have time or interest in quality control and why should they with record sales?

RV dealer shops are overloaded with RVs needing service and there aren't near enough qualified service personnel.

Record sales and shortage of service techs is a perfect storm resulting in poor product quality and long waits for poor quality service.

X2 I use a small mom po dealer and they.ve been great. big dealers are so busy they just don,t have to care. there,s all ways another customer waiting in line.

I tell folks that if you're not even a little bit handy then an RV is not for you. That said, RV reviews can be a good resource but you have to read between the lines on many of them.

Some will give a brand/dealer a bad review because the knob on the silverware drawer was loose, and then they missed a camping trip because they couldn't get a repair appointment in time. Then after the dealer said they fixed it, it came loose again and the dealer said there wasn't anything else they could do but re-tighten it. Well, it finally fell off, and now it's lost down the heat register, and I can't get the manufacturer to send the dealer a new knob....

You get the idea....pay attention to the more serious complaints and what was done to rectify them.

DoberGirl50 wrote:
Most are written by people who have had a bad experience with service and perceived quality who are angry and prone to over-exaggerate.

Which is worse than exaggerate. Take everything with a grain of salt.