Some (most) RV Manufacturers do NOT deserve your hard earned money
Keystone, an RV manufacturer has outdone themselves this time. I’ve been VERY aware of numerous quality issues with Keystone for years (as with most Thor campers), but this situation is the WORST I’ve ever heard about. What’s even more SERIOUS is Keystone’s response to the victim, aka the camper’s owner.
The story centers around a couple who purchase a brand new Keystone Fuzion toy hauler a few years back. I encourage you to watch Liz Amazing’s video detailing the latest events with this couple and their ill-fated camper.
To summarize: It all started with a completely incompetent move by a tech when building the camper at the factory. That mistake (installing a p-trap upside down for the clothes washer) produced floods. Shortly following the water intrusion, toxic mold formed in the camper. This landed one of the owners in the hospital and sickened others. Watch Liz’s update for the unbelievable story of how Keystone handled this egregious situation.
RV Buying Tip: Spend your hard earned money on RV Campers built by RV manufacturers who DESERVE your patronage!
Back in 2017, I was working for Stalkups RV in Casper, Wyoming. I’m reminded of two incidents that proved to be quite revealing regarding the Keystone Fuzion.
First, a customer who owned Voltage (another subpar Thor toy hauler) stopped by the store. He was completely over and done with the shoddy construction of his Voltage. He chose to visit to look for something better. Incidentally, Stalkups is now defunct thanks to the owners complete incompetence, but that’s a story for another day!
As any salesman would do, I showed him a toy hauler that I believed would meet his needs. We walked out to a Keystone Fuzion on my lot. I told him it would be better than the Voltage. To be fair, Keystone did claim (as per the factory rep) certain design and engineering features that were superior to the Voltage, and as any good salesman would, I shared these with my potential customer.
Shortly after entering the Fuzion, the gentleman proclaimed it to be crap, constructed just as poorly as the Voltage. As he inspected the camper, he found screws and other debris including sawdust laying around in the loft. He also noted where the floor trim was not square and already peeling apart in this brand new camper.
Needless to say, he left our store and continued his search for something better than the Voltage! I did not earn his business that day. I was frustrated as I had (naively at that time) believed the factory rep who swore that Keystone Fuzion was a superior product when compared to other toy haulers. As it turns out, it was built about as poorly as other Thor (and Forest River) campers.
A few months later,
a somewhat humorous but revealing incident occurred. Stalkups was in its final weeks of operation. We had just sold out of the last of our Keystone Fuzion toy haulers. A customer walked in and asked about a new Fuzion. I told him we had sold out. He became indignant and asked about all the “new” Fuzion trailers sitting at the end of our lot. There were 7 or 8 Fuzion’s there and they did look brand new.
To be certain, I checked with our sales manager to get the full story on the Fuzions at the end of our lot. He advised these campers were all customer owned units. They had been recently purchased. The campers were back in our lot waiting for our service department to address numerous issues! So much for quality and quality control.
Final Thoughts
I truly feel for this couple who have the Fuzion and Keystone’s handling of the situation is unconscionable. As Liz points out, their issue is NOT one that would have been identified during a pre-purchase inspection. Many issues CAN be avoided when the buyer does a thorough inspection BEFORE completing the purchase! This can also be done by a professional inspector. Unfortunately, in this case, they had to run a load of laundry to wash to discover there was a problem.
As an aside, I must commend Liz for her continuing work as a consumer advocate. Her channel IS proving to place pressure upon dealers and manufacturers who would otherwise leave buyers without further recourse.
Lastly, if you’re in the market for an RV camper (of any type) and would like a “guide by your side who also has your back”, please know I offer a Concierge RV Buying and Selling Service that is detailed HERE. (Reviews are at the bottom of the page I’m linking you to.)
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