Rip off prices from RV Dealers

[Spade_Cooley]

We took a trip along with our neighbors in our travel trailers to the Alabama Gulf Coast last week. While there both of us had issues with our travel trailer toilets due to improper winterizing. Next year we will both due a better job and use the pink stuff throughout the entire system rather than simply blowing it out. We needed to replace our toilet mechanism and found a useful You Tube that showed us how to do it.

We both purchased the new valve system from a reputable dealership in the area for $56 with tax and installed it ourselves. When I get home I see the same valve is for sale on Amazon for $9.99 with free shipping. I know these dealers need to make a profit to maintain their store but this much of a mark up is outrageous.

[Lantley]

Spade Cooley wrote:
I'm the original poster. I'm surprised at all the comments. I must admit that no one twisted my arm to buy and install the part and I still love America and our free market system. It was posted more of as buyer be aware and shop around if you want a good deal? I might consider doing the air blow again for winterizing because I'm not sure my wife opened the toilet valve during the process. One of the problems I had was the lack of Wi Fi at our RV Park so I could not shop around. Thanks for all the comments. I agree with retailers have overhead and they need to make a living.

There are times to shop around and there are times, you just need the item....at almost any cost!
Sometimes a good deal is merely obtaining the part, price can be a non factor.

[Spade_Cooley]

I'm the original poster. I'm surprised at all the comments. I must admit that no one twisted my arm to buy and install the part and I still love America and our free market system. It was posted more of as buyer be aware and shop around if you want a good deal? I might consider doing the air blow again for winterizing because I'm not sure my wife opened the toilet valve during the process. One of the problems I had was the lack of Wi Fi at our RV Park so I could not shop around. Thanks for all the comments. I agree with retailers have overhead and they need to make a living.

[Cummins12V98]

winnietrey wrote:
Op says they were the same part. I would wonder if the one from the dealer was OEM and the cheap one after market. Could be a major difference in quality. Looks like an OEM part for a Thetford on amazon is more like $35

Good post! Many people don’t have a clue about quality. All they care about is CHEAP. No wonder China is what it is.

[winnietrey]

Op says they were the same part. I would wonder if the one from the dealer was OEM and the cheap one after market. Could be a major difference in quality. Looks like an OEM part for a Thetford on amazon is more like $35

[Cummins12V98]

I really can't see where the "RIP OFF" is here. You went to a place of business you purchased a part they had on hand and fixed your self induced issue.

A smart shopper would have looked up the part needed and went into the purchase with knowledge of what the part is selling for at other places. Heck a call to this business to ask availability and price would have been a good idea.

Bummer but as they say "Buyer Beware"

FYI as mentioned blowing out the lines works just fine but you need proper air flow and order in how the lines are blown.

[Grit_dog]

Rick Jay wrote:


I do usually put a bit of the pink stuff into each drain, but that's it. Never in the fresh water system.

~Rick

^ This. Most situations, it's people doing the "safe" thing because they, for whatever reason, can't or won't figure out how to winterize the fresh water system without boogering it up with antifreeze.

[Rick_Jay]

Spade Cooley wrote:
We both purchased the new valve system from a reputable dealership in the area for $56 with tax and installed it ourselves.

Imagine how much you would've paid if you couldn't do it yourself? And they would probably take days or weeks to get to it, to boot! LOL In that sense, you got off cheap! :R

Spade Cooley wrote:
Next year we will both due a better job and use the pink stuff throughout the entire system rather than simply blowing it out.

I've never used the pink stuff in our water system. The manual which came with our motorhome states to blow the water out of the lines to winterize. So, I have always blown out the lines and never had a problem.

Does your toilet also have a spray hose connected? You need to blow EVERYTHING out. You also have to make sure your air compressor can maintain the proper pressure and you keep each valve open individually until little, if any, water/mist is blowing out. I usually go around a second time to make sure, which only takes a few minutes after the initial blow out.

I also engage and run the water pump with the compressor connected which I'm assuming blows out any water which might be kept in the pump. Again, never had an issue with the pump.

I do usually put a bit of the pink stuff into each drain, but that's it. Never in the fresh water system.

~Rick

[dedmiston]

There's a concept in Economics called the Double Coincidence of Wants where you have something I want and I have something you want, so we barter for those things. A bar owner could want a musician and offer to pay the musician in drinks in exchange for the entertainment, but the musician needs to pay rent and can't pay his landlord with drinks. But if the landlord throws a party and offers the musician free rent for the month in exchange for entertainment, then they have a "double coincidence" where they both want what the other has and they can barter a deal.

We use money instead of barter, but we still have to reach this same equilibrium of wants before we can make a deal. You have a pump for $100 and I want it badly enough to pay you $100, so we have a transaction.

Our "wants" aren't fixed though; they are flexible based on all sorts of variables. In this case the variable is time.

I want this pump today. It want it today so badly that I'll pay the premium price of $100. But if I have to wait until tomorrow, then I don't want the $100 version anymore because I can get it shipped to me tomorrow for $50. This is a "substitute good", which is one of the factors that influences a demand curve.

Does that mean that the supplier who has it today for $100 is ripping you off? Not at all. They're offering to supply it to buyers whose "want" (or demand) is higher than yours might be. Your demand curve doesn't match his supply curve, so there's no equilibrium and no double coincidence of wants. The transaction doesn't happen. As long as both sides are operating in a free market, there is no gouging: just messed up equilibriums.

[Grit_dog]

Beaker wrote:
I recently replaced a WFCO converter charger for $213. The dealer wanted $296.

And even at that, it's about $200 more than any WFCO converter is actually worth!

[Curly2001]

I was in a jam with a torn awning and I was not able to do the labor to install a new one. Had to pay a higher price at a dealer for them to source the fabric and do the installation. They would not install the new fabric and warranty it if I did not purchase it from them. I do understand that but the price was pretty high.
Curly

[RetiredRealtorR]

time2roll wrote:
So open up a dealership already and only charge half. See how that goes.

Otherwise stick to Amazon. Easy to check price using the phone before a decision is made.

^^ Fully agree ^^

[time2roll]

So open up a dealership already and only charge half. See how that goes.

Otherwise stick to Amazon. Easy to check price using the phone before a decision is made.

[Beaker]

I recently replaced a WFCO converter charger for $213. The dealer wanted $296.


$140 service call
39 labor
458 converter
16 shipping
$653
44 tax

$697 total

No grease included.

[Lantley]

Amazon is no bargain if you need the item right now.
Maybe the dealer should have said "Sorry I don't have any toilet valves, but I can order you one!"
I assume you needed that valve right away vs. waiting to save a few bucks.
As to mark up and Rip Off.
Amazon orders valves 1000 at a time. The dealer may order 5.
Those valves then have to be shipped, inventoried,taxed and sold.
This is all to make it possible for the valve to be available locally vs. at a Amazon warehouse across the country.
The real secret is a good dealer knows that a few RV'ers will not use anti freeze and have a freeze issue. An experienced dealer knows there will be demand for toilet valves in the Spring because a few RV'ers will not properly winterize their rigs and require a new toilet valve.
Luckily the dealer knows more about the parts business than Amazon otherwise there would not have been a valve available at any cost.
I would not fault the dealer for making a profit, I would fault the OP for not winterizing properly.
Consider it a lesson learned......Anti freeze is foolproof and cheap insurance otherwise you can gamble and face the consequences in the Spring.