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.

[wa8yxm]

I agree with you on many of the products listed..

RV TOILET PAPER - Is actually useful if you are refinishing something.. it is a rather good Sandpaper.

EXPENSIVE BLACK TANK DEODORIZERS

Literally pouring money down the toilet.. Plus it is the GRAY tank that stinks the most.

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

Full agreement

HONDA GENERATORS

Well, at one time if you had an Inverter Generator it was most likely a Honda.. I, myself, would rather have a Yahama than a Honda.. But that said they are very good, and very quiet, and HONDAs do have one feature NO OTHER BRAND HAS (in fact they have two such features) and this does make them very inviting.. Those features. An "Extended Run" Fuel system (Since they have a genuine fuel pump) and the Companion model for the 2000. Oh, and they are very very fuel efficient. But then so are all teh Inverter generators.

QUIET GENERATORS This one is a personal issue. I know folks who run Contractor models all night long "But it has a Honda Engine so it's quite" Uh.. Trust me.. NO.

PLASTIC DECORATIVE PINK FLAMINGOS - And several other "Decorative" Items .. but these get marketed to home owners as well.

SWAY BARS.. Depends on the chassis.. I have determined I do not need an upgrade on my RV.. But I did need to upgrade some other things.. But not the Sway bar.. Not all are as well built.

SPECIALIZED RV CLEANING PRODUCTS - I use a lot of DAWN and Spic & Span

But the fact is no matter if you have a RV or a Sticks and Bricks, Folks are going to try to sell you stuff you do not need, Lots of Vacuum Cleaner Salesmen out there.

[toedtoes]

pnichols wrote:

toedtoes wrote:
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.

THAT is a brilliant and insightful observation!

We keep our Class C motorhome in "storage" in the backyard under as much shade as possible from some oak trees, with it's most important part NEVER in the sun -> it's forward facing cabover window so as to (maybe) help keep the sealants around that window from drying out. 😞

Thanks. It really does amaze me that we accept paying for something that can't live where it's meant to live.

[westend]

CavemanCharlie wrote:

steelpony5555 wrote:
Hmmmmm....my herd of Flamingos will hunt you down......lol

Say,,,, that would be a good idea for a scary movie. Something like , space aliens come to earth and bring all the pink flamingos to life. Then they go crazy and start eating people.

It would be a big hit, just like "Killer Clowns From Outer Space".

They're among us...

[KeithAS]

Ed_Gee wrote:

2oldman wrote:

4X4Dodger wrote:
My comment is about the 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.

Some people like nice things and are willing to pay for them. Is that 'sound' reasoning?

Absolutely! And some people simply can't tell the difference between nice things and garbage. I guess that is why some people drink rot gut wine instead of good vintage.....

I always buy the highest priced box wines.;)

[CavemanCharlie]

steelpony5555 wrote:
Hmmmmm....my herd of Flamingos will hunt you down......lol

Say,,,, that would be a good idea for a scary movie. Something like , space aliens come to earth and bring all the pink flamingos to life. Then they go crazy and start eating people.

It would be a big hit, just like "Killer Clowns From Outer Space".

[steelpony5555]

Hmmmmm....my herd of Flamingos will hunt you down......lol

[CavemanCharlie]

bigred1cav wrote:
Now, now what is wrong with Boones Farm and Thunderbird wines? MadDog 20 20?

Ed_Gee wrote:

2oldman wrote:

4X4Dodger wrote:
My comment is about the 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.

Some people like nice things and are willing to pay for them. Is that 'sound' reasoning?

Absolutely! And some people simply can't tell the difference between nice things and garbage. I guess that is why some people drink rot gut wine instead of good vintage.....

I drank a lot of that Boons Farm and Mad Dog stuff when I was a tee...I mean just after I turned 21. Now that I'm a little bit older my tastes have changed.

Age plays a role on some of this too. If you are older, and can afford it, maybe you feel like you want to buy some of the "not necessary " accessories.

Personally , I just can't afford a lot of that stuff. I'm more worried about getting my roof coated or should I try to do it myself and save the money? I'm afraid it will flow down the sides of the TT and make it look like heck.

[MTHome]

Veebyes wrote:

backlaid wrote:
Veebyes, was that pic taken at Fort Chiswell VA.?

Yes indeed. I should start another "Where are we?" thread.

I was going to ask the same thing. We stay at Ft Chiswell going to and from Sheep and Wool festivals. The sheep are like our road mascots.

[fj12ryder]

NWKomfort350 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.

Have you ever asked??
Just 2 days ago I signed to get mine back. It should be here in 4-8 weeks.

With my car I needed to save the original warranty paperwork and loan documents. I saved them and took it back 7 years later and got every dollar back in a check 4 weeks later.

No, I've never asked because I never wanted an extended warranty. But, as I said, I'd never heard of the ones that would refund your money if you didn't use it. Doesn't mean they don't exist, just means I've never heard of it.

[LarryJM]

myredracer wrote:


I can see some folks believing that they get a full 50 amps at 120/240 volts but it only gives you total 50 amps at 120 volts. Rather misleading. I think LarryJM has done 30 + 20 amps with some basic components at a low cost.

That is incorrect and I have a full DUAL 30A service by using a 50A dogbone that feeds two 30A female receptacles where each one is hooked up to each 50A side of the 50A feed. Thus I have 60A total with an additional option of feeding a third simple extension cord from the 20A aux ckt found on almost all 50A and 30A pedestals. My system also allows me to get 50A from a 30A only pedestal if there is that extra 20A aux feed available.

Larry

[bigred1cav]

Now, now what is wrong with Boones Farm and Thunderbird wines? MadDog 20 20?

Ed_Gee wrote:

2oldman wrote:

4X4Dodger wrote:
My comment is about the 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.

Some people like nice things and are willing to pay for them. Is that 'sound' reasoning?

Absolutely! And some people simply can't tell the difference between nice things and garbage. I guess that is why some people drink rot gut wine instead of good vintage.....

[NWKomfort350]

Walaby 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.

I have never heard of a warranty that gives you your money back, at the end of the warranty period, if you didn't use it. Now, if you sell you trailer before end of the warranty period (or car) and the loan is paid off, yes the residual unused warranty is returned.

I too would like to know what warranty NWcomfort350 is buying... I want some of that.

Mike

With my Honda I was required to wait until warranty period expired.

With my Keystone I don't know what would happen if I waited until it expired.
I didn't know I could get my keystone warranty money back until my wife called the finance guy we work with to discuss trade in.
He let her know if we trade in or sell make sure to come get our extended warranty money back.

[NWKomfort350]

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.

Have you ever asked??
Just 2 days ago I signed to get mine back. It should be here in 4-8 weeks.

With my car I needed to save the original warranty paperwork and loan documents. I saved them and took it back 7 years later and got every dollar back in a check 4 weeks later.

[pnichols]

toedtoes wrote:
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.

THAT is a brilliant and insightful observation!

We keep our Class C motorhome in "storage" in the backyard under as much shade as possible from some oak trees, with it's most important part NEVER in the sun -> it's forward facing cabover window so as to (maybe) help keep the sealants around that window from drying out. 😞

[rhagfo]

Well I travel a lot for work, and many trips to NYC. The #1 choice for gen sets for food carts is Honda 2000! Some have been through the ringer and still purring along.