jim1521 wrote:
We’ve all heard about how GDRV is supposedly better than the Thor’s, Forest River’s, Jayco’s etc. well folks, I’ve had enough. I’m ripping off this bandaid and going to expose them for what they are. Keep in mind - none of these are pictures of my RV, but I’m willing to bet that EVERY one of them could be mine.
Hearing about something and it being fact are two different things. I do not see, that's see not hear, where Grand Design is any better or worse when it comes to build quality than many other manufacturers / brands. They make mass produced RVs pushed out the door as quickly as possible, assembled from the cheapest components available, like many many others. In Grand Designs case they use more Lippert stuff than almost anyone else from what I have seen right down to the Furrion electronics. No way around the Lippert stuff however in 2019 with anyone unless you build your own.
One day I may own one myself, would probably have bought a 2500RL TT last year on a impulse buy where the owner of the dealership made me an offer hard to refuse. If not for the fridge in the slide it very well could have been in my driveway right now.
Grand Design put their eggs in the better customer service basket from day one but as they have grown and gained market share, along with Winnebago becoming involved, that seems to be going by the wayside more and more as time goes on. At the GD owners forum you linked to, (which is not owned or operated by GD), it seems the factory input which used to be common on that board simply stopped recently with no explanation. A cut and paste from one of the mods.
"As you may have read elsewhere on this forum, it would seem that Grand Design has stopped interacting with customers through this Manufacturer's Corner. While we are working on resolving this . . . to make sure that your input reaches Grand Design, you should send it directly."
I've now owned 4 different brands and can look at all 4 of those brands, including the current one, and everything else available out there, and not wear rose colored glasses while doing so. Every manufacturer has their faults.
On this and other boards you always have a percentage of Brand Kool Aid drinking fan boi's who can't resist it because it's the brand they purchased. That's where a lot of the ooolala you hear comes from. Personally I prefer to see things with my own eyes. I was recently told on this board about Grand Designs use of real wood in cabinets and no use of staples. That's far from accurate. They use real wood for the cabinet doors, just like many other manufacturers. Everything else is vinyl covered plywood and fiberboard, and no staples? LOL.
