RV industry death spiral...
I'm greatly looking forward to this series of articles over the next couple of weeks: http://rvdailyreport.com/opinion/opinion-the-rv-industry-death-spiral-part-1/comment-page-1/#comment-370313 ...
Forum Discussion
Poor quality RVs coming out of the factories; dealer's that don't know how to fix things (even simple ones); dealers and manufacturers that that don't care about supporting what they sell; dealers that have no technical knowledge on what they're selling; dealers that have no clue how to install a WDH; having to go to a 3rd party to try and get something dealt with that you have no direct contractual relationship with (frames, appliances, etc.); major lack of technical standards & codes; lack of government bodies to lodge complaints with; lack of warranty service when out on the road; absence of qualified/certified staff in factories on critical/important things (electrical & frame welding for ex.); an electrical code (NEC) that is way behind in needs of all the high power demands of today's RVs; blah blah, etc. etc. ...
The industry from RV manufacturers, dealers, component & part manufacturers to the RVIA is a pervasive self-serving culture that puts the consumer at the bottom of the totem pole. Didn't take me long after owning an RV to become hardened and cynical. My background is engineering in building construction where it's highly regulated, inspected by multiple parties and where the only way to do something is the right way. With RVs, nobody gives a fig about you or your RV. I don't buy the argument that quality control will drive RV prices way up. And if you aren't a handyman type and can't fix stuff yourself, may god help you. For those that read RV forums, you can end up living in fear that your RV will develop roof leaks and be seriously damaged, or get peeling decals, faded paint and tire damage from UV rays.
I know of a number of cases where new RVs had such severe problems that the entire RV was replaced under warranty. I met one TT owner that had major roof leaks from new and the dealer tried several times to fix it and couldn't. Then it was sent to the factory, but they only made it worse (the owner was a building inspector and was pretty p*ssed). Things like this would never happen in the automotive world.
Anyway, my point was going to be as if all of the above isn't bad enough, try getting into some CGs. We're members of a CG network and really wanted to get into one particular CG since our son is now living in Europe and visiting us in Aug. Although we tried a couple of months ahead, we couldn't get in. Phoned and phoned the CG direct and they don't answer and don't return calls. And when you do get into a CG, you're often faced with low voltage, low water pressure, no sewer hookups, no 50 amps, crappy sites, speeders, dogs off leash, loud noise and more. Some CGs require you to be on the phone 90 days in advance to book a site. If you have to change your camping schedule and need to re-book under 90 days, you are SOL.
Next time, I think I will look at getting a small plane, a yacht or a cabin in the woods instead (sigh). Late night TV in the US is riddled with ads from lawyers on class actions lawsuits on just about every medication made. Maybe some lawyer will buy an RV some day, get seriously scr*wed and start a class action against an RV manufacturer and wake the industry up.
The industry from RV manufacturers, dealers, component & part manufacturers to the RVIA is a pervasive self-serving culture that puts the consumer at the bottom of the totem pole. Didn't take me long after owning an RV to become hardened and cynical. My background is engineering in building construction where it's highly regulated, inspected by multiple parties and where the only way to do something is the right way. With RVs, nobody gives a fig about you or your RV. I don't buy the argument that quality control will drive RV prices way up. And if you aren't a handyman type and can't fix stuff yourself, may god help you. For those that read RV forums, you can end up living in fear that your RV will develop roof leaks and be seriously damaged, or get peeling decals, faded paint and tire damage from UV rays.
I know of a number of cases where new RVs had such severe problems that the entire RV was replaced under warranty. I met one TT owner that had major roof leaks from new and the dealer tried several times to fix it and couldn't. Then it was sent to the factory, but they only made it worse (the owner was a building inspector and was pretty p*ssed). Things like this would never happen in the automotive world.
Anyway, my point was going to be as if all of the above isn't bad enough, try getting into some CGs. We're members of a CG network and really wanted to get into one particular CG since our son is now living in Europe and visiting us in Aug. Although we tried a couple of months ahead, we couldn't get in. Phoned and phoned the CG direct and they don't answer and don't return calls. And when you do get into a CG, you're often faced with low voltage, low water pressure, no sewer hookups, no 50 amps, crappy sites, speeders, dogs off leash, loud noise and more. Some CGs require you to be on the phone 90 days in advance to book a site. If you have to change your camping schedule and need to re-book under 90 days, you are SOL.
Next time, I think I will look at getting a small plane, a yacht or a cabin in the woods instead (sigh). Late night TV in the US is riddled with ads from lawyers on class actions lawsuits on just about every medication made. Maybe some lawyer will buy an RV some day, get seriously scr*wed and start a class action against an RV manufacturer and wake the industry up.
