The Biggest Marketing Scam Success in the RV world

[4X4Dodger]

It seems to me that as a group (RV'ers) we are uniquely targeted and susceptible to some of the most clever Marketing ploys to get us to spend money on needless things that are of questionable utility if not outright useless.

Here is a list of things that I, after considerable thought and in some cases a good amount of research, or my engineering experience tells me are really just suplerflous products designed to separate us from our hard earned money and are of no real value.

Note: this is a personal list you may agree or disagree with items on it and that is fine with me. This list is not meant to be complete or exhaustive it's just a sampling of the Folly.

RV TOILET PAPER - probably THE biggest scam of all. Normal household paper works just fine.

EXPENSIVE BLACK TANK DEODORIZERS - I have tried both ways using and not using - My black tank doesnt leak odors into the trailer in the first place and when emptying I find the smell isnt affected one way or the other...it;'s always bad. And I have never noticed any difference in the...shall we say...consistency..of what is flowing down the drain?

SPECIALLY LABELED AND MARKETED SLIDE LUBE - Just go buy a can of Dry Silicone Lubricant from Home Depot at 1/3 less.

HONDA GENERATORS - Now Hondas are a great product and a very good generator. But I can buy THREE dual fuel Champions rated at 3800 Watts for the price of ONE 2000 Watt Honda.

QUIET GENERATORS - Perversly I believe the trend to really quiet generators is misguided. It seems to me that those with what they consider to be the "quiet" generators feel free to run them anytime they want for as long as they want. Those of us with slightly noisier units I think are more careful and tend to obey the rules on generator times better than many with the quiet ones.

PLASTIC DECORATIVE PINK FLAMINGOS - Nothing more need be said

ANTI SWAY BAR SYSTEMS - This is probably the most contentious item on my list. But there are absolutely NO independent third party tests that back up ANY of the claims of these products. They are marketed based on fear and with very dubious if not outright claims of safety all unproven. If you load your trailer correctly and know how to drive it and you do not have an underlying mechanical issue with axles or suspension or tires (which should be addressed anyway) you wont have a swaying trailer. If you think I am wrong I will come and drive your truck and trailer anywhere you say without the sway bars and it will pull true and straight for me. (that is if you are willing to make the necessary changes) As a piece of gear that may add peace of mind it may be valuable. But to me it engenders a false sense of security in place of driver competence.

SPECIALIZED RV CLEANING PRODUCTS - You can do it all with what is already available at the grocery store or Autozone. No need to pay extra to have the RV on the label.

There are many more I could add here and I am sure each has their own list. Likewise there are many products that are so idiosyncratic that it defies listing.

So if you have any to add feel free. I'd like to read them. If you disagree with my conclusions...no problem, but at least back up your claims with some sound reasoning and facts please don't just rant at me.

[jake2250]

As far as the Honda 2000 gen,I have had mine for over fifteen years, and it still runs great and starts on the third pull! I believe Honda'a are expensive because of the cost of quality components, Honda is know for good engines that last a long time with regular maintenance.
I also have a Honda 1800 open frame Generator thats at least 25 years old! I rebuilt the carb on it once and it is a running fool!! I have taken that thing allot of paces camping!! it has been out in the weather and run at maximum capacity for hours at a time and still runs and functions perfectly,, So Marketing ploy?? No not for me,, proven performance.. You get what you pay for on that one there!!

[jrobert01]

I know that Honda makes a quality product I have several different items by Honda even my tow car CR-V.A little over 5 years ago i bought 2 Champion 2000 Generator inverters.I would not have bought them if they had not been so cheap and with cord to run them together.Got them from a man that sold his trailor. Ran them all winter at Key-West that year and have used them ever since with no issues.My neighbor had Hondas and several times we tried to stand in front and tell which was running and could not tell that was when they would take the load of air conditioner.That said i still would rather have Hondas although i dont know why except for the prestige.And i believe that is why i buy a lot of things and i like to save a little money.My class c has gen but more economical to run champions and a lot quieter.Well that is what i wanted to say mine are the old red ones.

[myredracer]

Mr.Mark wrote:
I totally agree with the RV toilet paper being WAY overpriced. As I recall, Walmart had Coleman RV toilet paper for $4.99 (four pack), a generic brand 4 pack was 99 cents.

I just buy what I like and/or think we need. I'm really not an impulse buyer, especially, on big purchases.

MM.

Some RV branded TPs disintegrate into small pieces and some do not. Same with ordinary household brands. No regulations out there so manufacturers can say whatever they want and charge more. We did a TP test in water of a bunch of different brands/types and settled on Costco one that disintegrates and works fine. I don't think there is any test data anywhere that indicates disintegrating or regular TP makes any kind of a difference in an RV holding tank. "RV" TP is a real ripoff.

[toedtoes]

After reading a new thread, I'm going to throw out a scam here:

Spend $70K or more on a product that is meant to be OUTDOORS and then spend thousands more to shelter it indoors so it won't fall apart.

Now THAT is a scam.

[2oldman]

4X4Dodger wrote:
... Honda. But it will take time for those prices to come down significantly because all the other makers are aware that the average RV'er will spend way more than necessary for a generator.

You're obviously clinging to the marketing hype argument rather than listening to any other reasoning for "over paying" for a generator.

Criticism is easy, so let's see where you stand on a positive note. Earlier you said, "...brilliant marketing that Honda has done convincing the consumer that spending three times what a very good generator costs is really worth it. And succeeding"

So, $900 divided by 3 is $300. Is there a $300 generator currently on the market you approve of ?

[4X4Dodger]

korbe wrote:

4X4Dodger wrote:
......... But there is a serious issue here and that is our willingness to buy into so many marketing ploys with little or no skepticism, critical thought or hard questions.

The marketing world uses this "ploy" for everyone that buys anything.

For me, it's the RV caravans. I will read about the routes, destinations, and make my own plans. Saves thousands.

Ah! that is a good one and it is also one that is based on underlying fear to market itself successfully.

If folks could put away their fears they would save alot of money.

[4X4Dodger]

free radical wrote:

4X4Dodger wrote:

Questions like why is the same model Honda Generator sold in Asia (exactly the same one) for 2/3rds less than here? What am I really buying?

Heres an idea,fly to Asia buy the gen and bring it back,,let us know how much all that cost..

Also Im guessing japanese yen is worth way less then our buck,so the items must be priced acordingly to sell there,,

Once again you miss the point completely.

If Honda can sell fewer Generators in Thailand (I wasnt speaking of Japan, Asia is a big place) at 2/3rds less cost than the US.,they can easily afford to sell tens of thousands more in the US at even lower prices than that.

The issue is that Honda dominated this market in the US in the beginning and was and still is grossly overcharging for those generators.

It's not about flying somewhere...it's about being taken advantage of because you don't have anything but a local perspective. And that is part of what I meant when I said that these manufacturers KNOW their demographics and deal that way.

Would I do the same if I was CEO of Honda...absolutely at least until the competition caught up to me, which is happening now very quickly to Honda. But it will take time for those prices to come down significantly because all the other makers are aware that the average RV'er will spend way more than necessary for a generator.

[korbe]

4X4Dodger wrote:
......... But there is a serious issue here and that is our willingness to buy into so many marketing ploys with little or no skepticism, critical thought or hard questions.

The marketing world uses this "ploy" for everyone that buys anything.

For me, it's the RV caravans. I will read about the routes, destinations, and make my own plans. Saves thousands.

[Greyghost]

We have had at least one extended warranty that gave us a full refund. It was on a new purchase of a 2001 CRV purchased at Atamian Honda, Tewksbury Mass. We never used the warranty and we received a full refund. I believe we did the same on our 2005 CRV, but I'm not certain.

[RAS43]

Paul Clancy wrote:

fj12ryder wrote:

NWKomfort350 wrote:
Why is everyone anti extended warranty?
When I bought a Honda Accord new, I got one. I never needed it so I got my money back. Every dollar.
I got one for my Keystone Cougar. Again, I have not needed it. It will be gone next week, so I no longer need it.
I was at my dealer yesterday to sign papers to get my warranty money back.
If I needed it, perfect it would of helped. I didn't, and it cost me very little.
I will likely do it again in the future.

Well, if I could buy a warranty that gave me my money back if I didn't use it, I would think that is great too. Unfortunately I've never come across one of those ilk. Only ones I've ever seen don't work that way. That's a new one on me.

Ya I can't imagine the fine print that comes with that one. So if it is real how does the warranty company turn a profit?

In many cases they go out of business when all of the plans they sold come up for payback. We had it happen to us along with hundreds of others 4 years ago. Never again.
One exception mentioned by someone earlier was Honda. We had an extended warranty that we never used and got all of the premium back.

[holstein13]

I'm surprised Airtabs hasn't been mentioned yet. I know it's one of the most controversial subjects on this forum. Many feel it's a scam, but others swear by them.

[holstein13]

Paul Clancy wrote:

fj12ryder wrote:

NWKomfort350 wrote:
Why is everyone anti extended warranty?
When I bought a Honda Accord new, I got one. I never needed it so I got my money back. Every dollar.
I got one for my Keystone Cougar. Again, I have not needed it. It will be gone next week, so I no longer need it.
I was at my dealer yesterday to sign papers to get my warranty money back.
If I needed it, perfect it would of helped. I didn't, and it cost me very little.
I will likely do it again in the future.

Well, if I could buy a warranty that gave me my money back if I didn't use it, I would think that is great too. Unfortunately I've never come across one of those ilk. Only ones I've ever seen don't work that way. That's a new one on me.

Ya I can't imagine the fine print that comes with that one. So if it is real how does the warranty company turn a profit?

It would be impossible to turn a profit. I'd say half the warranty purchase price is paid out in commissions immediately. So if they returned even half of it at the end, there would be no profit ever in any contract. Forget about having a profit to pay for those who use more than the warranty and administrative costs. His concept doesn't add up.

[Paul_Clancy]

fj12ryder wrote:

NWKomfort350 wrote:
Why is everyone anti extended warranty?
When I bought a Honda Accord new, I got one. I never needed it so I got my money back. Every dollar.
I got one for my Keystone Cougar. Again, I have not needed it. It will be gone next week, so I no longer need it.
I was at my dealer yesterday to sign papers to get my warranty money back.
If I needed it, perfect it would of helped. I didn't, and it cost me very little.
I will likely do it again in the future.

Well, if I could buy a warranty that gave me my money back if I didn't use it, I would think that is great too. Unfortunately I've never come across one of those ilk. Only ones I've ever seen don't work that way. That's a new one on me.

Ya I can't imagine the fine print that comes with that one. So if it is real how does the warranty company turn a profit?

[goducks10]

RV toilet paper. Talk about flushing money down the drain.

[pnichols]

Many of you folks are missing the whole reason to own an RV. The real reason is so that you have something that you can accessorize ad infinitum. 😉

And as for Honda inverter generators, I find them quiet only when they're idling ... which is at their low power output level which is at their lowest sound level of 53dB. We are fortunate to have a long discontinued Honda non-inverter generator model that runs all the time at 54dB supplying any load it can handle ... that's quiet.