"Ask the Factory" Questions

wdk450

Well-known member
Gang:
Occasionally I see posts under the "Ask the Factory" areas for the different Heartland brands. What I noticed under the Cyclone "Ask the Factory" forum heading was this notice: "Do you have a question for the factory that you wanted answered in public. If so, post them here. New Threads "REQUIRE" VIN and your contact info." Now in most all of the "Ask the Factory" postings that I have seen, there are no VIN numbers, and no contact info.

To the moderators: Does someone at Heartland actually read the "Ask the Factory" threads, or do the moderators forward them to Heartland?

Everyone here should remember that this club and this forum is a separate entity from Heartland RV's LLC.
 

danemayer

Well-known member
Bill,

The Brand GMs get the Ask the Factory Questions. That enables them to get owner feedback and selectively engage on certain types of questions in public. Of course if the GM is on the road at RV shows and engaging with dealers, he may not have time to read everything on a timely basis.

Often the questions are a request for technical assistance. The GMs are not the technical experts and there's no technical guru sitting at a computer in Elkhart reading Ask the Factory questions.

The VIN #s and contact information allow the GM to respond privately if appropriate, but aren't published.

That's the way I understand it.
 

jbeletti

Well-known member
Hi Bill,

The VIN and contact info has always been private and is passed to the GM for the brand. Often times, the GM will pass the post (via email) to Customer Service who in turn often contacts the customer. But more often than not, we, the collective brain trust on the forum, answer the questions. This provides immediate feedback for the customer and takes some of the load off the brand GMs.

There was a day, back in the mid-2000s that "Ask the Factory" was actually answered by factory personnel. As Heartland grew and as the forum grew, personal and immediate responses by the factory to all questions posted here was no longer possible.

I would like to change the name of these ATF forums or eliminate them. Undecided on what I'll do. As we look forward to a potential forum platform upgrade/change, perhaps that will be the best time to do something different with the ATF forums.
 

LBR

Well-known member
Hi Bill,

The VIN and contact info has always been private and is passed to the GM for the brand. Often times, the GM will pass the post (via email) to Customer Service who in turn often contacts the customer. But more often than not, we, the collective brain trust on the forum, answer the questions. This provides immediate feedback for the customer and takes some of the load off the brand GMs.

There was a day, back in the mid-2000s that "Ask the Factory" was actually answered by factory personnel. As Heartland grew and as the forum grew, personal and immediate responses by the factory to all questions posted here was no longer possible.

I would like to change the name of these ATF forums or eliminate them. Undecided on what I'll do. As we look forward to a potential forum platform upgrade/change, perhaps that will be the best time to do something different with the ATF forums.

IMO, all ATF forums should be locked from general membership posting and used strictly for our Mods/Admins to move threads into that actually NEED to be passed onto the factory....this will allow the busy factory reps to focus on questions that the Mods/Admins/general membership cannot answer properly....let our Mods make those decisions based on their experience.

There are way too many members (high % of newbies) that think their hydraulic pump circuit that kicks out for 20 second intervals needs a factory rep to answer...

Ultimately, keep the ATF threads viewable to membership to generate interest. If a member wishes to discuss a certain topic that was moved into an ATF forum, then they may start a new thread in the best suitable forum to kick around.....JMO.
 

RickL

Well-known member
Here’s my .02. If ask the factory connects the end user with the company then it needs to stay. In my opinion anytime a company can have a direct connection or input from the consumer it’s a win win. When companies begin to isolate themselves from thier customers that loss of interaction causes the loss of trust and valuable data. The key to me is there needs to be a mechanism so any company listens and then acts accordingly to the input of the customer. Lastly this communication shouldn’t be really driven by the company but rather fostered and nurtured by the company. I understand the time constraints most have but any personnel of a company should never forget who pays thier check.
 

JohnDar

Prolifically Gabby Member
Leave the ATF forum heading as a generic, with the “warning” that questions may be answered by other experienced members and not the factory. If the moderators see a post and recognize that it DOES need to go to the factory, they can move it.

If members have to start a new thread to answer a question, the topic and answers may get lost in a variety of different headings. And unless I’m on my computer, starting a new thread is a PITA.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

wdk450

Well-known member
One last question on this "Ask the Factory" subject. Should individual Heartland Owners respond to posts of this type with possible answers or suggestions, or should you just let the "Ask the Factory" mechanism take care of the inquires???
 

jbeletti

Well-known member
One last question on this "Ask the Factory" subject. Should individual Heartland Owners respond to posts of this type with possible answers or suggestions, or should you just let the "Ask the Factory" mechanism take care of the inquires???

Anyone "with the answer" can/should respond.
 
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