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Who's Looking Out for Our Interests?

4X4Dodger
Explorer II
Explorer II
As a group of people that have a single interest at heart (RV's and all that goes with that term) It seems to me that we are terribly under-represented in the halls of government and with almost no clout as a group with Manufacturers, Suppliers and Dealers.

While Good Sam Enterprises tries to position itself as our champion especially with their two sister publications Trailer Life and Motorhome. They really are businesses intended to make a profit and not consumer advocacy organizations.

While these two publications try to fill part of the consumer advocacy role with their RV Resolutions columns they still are a creature of their advertisers.

I have now read TL cover to cover for 6 months and some disturbing things are clear:

Their "reviews" or "tests" they do of new trailer models are basically not much more than thinly veiled advertisements with very little in the way of criticism or (God Forbid) Asking some hard questions like:

How is the Roof constructed?

Why are there no SHOCK ABsorbers?

Why are the tire Ratings so LOW?

Etc.

Further they have a huge bias in content and "reviews" that favors the Huge, Expensive, Luxo 5th Wheel trailers. Trailers that the vast majority of us do not own nor can afford. Dreaming is nice and they should spotlight those models on occasion, but their focus needs to be more realistic to their readers needs and interests.

We as a group deserve better from the major publication that purports to represent us as consumers. The great Car magazines Road and Track, Motor Trend et al made a REAL name for themselves by calling a dog a dog. And giving due praise where deserved, while pushing manufacturers to do better.

Unfortunately Trailer Life and Motorhome are creatures of their advertisers to such a great extent that I fear they will never really take on the single major isssue in this area: Quality Construction.

What we need is a publication and an organization that really represents the interests of RV owners. To government, to Manufacturers and Dealers and to Suppliers. Good Sam Enterprises is NOT it.

So Here is a Challenge to you Mr. Marcus Lemonis. (CEO Of Good Sam Ent.) Remember it is the RV'ers of this country that have made you what you are. Show us that you take our concerns to heart, put some teeth in those two old dogs you own, Trailer Life and Motorhome. Start Asking the HARD questions. Start doing "REAL" reviews that highlight the shortcomings, serious and otherwise of ALL the products you write about. Stop doing so much "Press Release Journalism" and start actually investigating.

In other words pay us back for all of the support and money we as a group have paid you over the years... That's not asking too much.


What do the rest of you think? I'd love to hear the comments on this issue.
83 REPLIES 83

noplace2
Explorer
Explorer
As so many others have commented, rant with your wallet. And puhleeze, don't even think about getting the gubment involved!
โ€˜Love is whatโ€™s in the room with you if you stop opening presents and listen.โ€™ - Elain - age 8

mich800
Explorer
Explorer
Newbiecampers wrote:
Dog Trainer wrote:
So don't buy the publication. Don't buy the product if the quality does not meet and exceed your expectations. This is how democracy and capitalism works. I do not want any more legislation in my life.




^^^^^^^ This, X100


Exactly. We have a huge advocacy group. It is called a checkbook. If the manufactures do not provide a product of sufficient quality for the price offerd they will go out of business. How many times do we see the thread where it is recommended to get at least 40% off msrp. As a society we are more price sensitive relative to quality. So if we demand higher quality we must also be willing to pay a higher price.

Homer1
Explorer
Explorer
4X4 Dodger, my compliments on a well constructed critique of the RV hobby and its quality control or lack of. Consumer Reports would be my choice to grade the industry, but I don't think it will happen, sorry to say. Right now these forums are about as close as we are going to get to informing the buying public. Even then, blind loyalty and herd mentality will render these impotent. The real answer will lie in foreign involvement with a quality product at a reasonable price. The time is ripe to gut the domestic RV manufacturers ambivalence much like the Japanese and Koreans did our auto industry.

JT
Explorer
Explorer
The RV manufacturers need to get their act together and greatly improve the quality of their products.
---
Why would they? A manufacturer has little or no incentive to improve its product if the current product sales are meeting their targets. IOW, if uninformed buyers are willing and eager to buy whatever rolls off the line, however poorly designed, engineered, and constructed it may be, a manufacturer will continue to pump out junk.

There are manufacturers of each type of RV who produce units of good to very good overall quality who stand behind their products, but these are not necessarily going to be found by reading an ad-driven magazine or relying on a dealer or salesperson (who may know even less about the product than the buyer!) to do the vetting process. The best protection against ending up with a POS is to do the homework *yourself*. Educating oneself can involve a long learning curve; the process takes time, effort, and doing one's "due diligence" to avoid being snookered.

Over a lot of years, I've encountered *many* mistakes made by naive buyers who didn't take the time to learn what makes a "quality" RV; they took little or no time to figure out the best RV type fit for their personal travel/camping style, they understood little or nothing about construction materials or methods, weights were just meaningless numbers, they assumed that the dealer/salesperson would give them the real scoop, and they focused on the "shiny bits" while remaining oblivious to the "warts".

No RV is perfect, but some manufacturers do a better job than others in building a unit that isn't a "burner downer" from the get-go, and these same manufacturers (usually) focus on customer service and stand behind the product after it's sold. Protecting oneself and getting the best deal all around is not up to "the government", nor the manufacturer, nor the dealer; the onus is on the *buyer*. Nothing is guaranteed, but doing one's homework before buying can save a lot of time, money, and aggravations down the line. ๐Ÿ™‚

2lazy4U
Explorer
Explorer
You have to do your own due diligence anymore. The Internet is your friend, your tool for this. Like everything else anymore, magazines and print media are the tools of their advertisers, as without them, they die.

mark1228
Explorer
Explorer
JAXFL wrote:
I think what 4X4Dodger is saying is that the RV Industries Lobbyists, if there are such people, are not doing a great job for the RV Industry. The Auto, Banking, Finance and others are working the political folks harder than the RV Industry does. As far as not upsetting your advertisers I agree 100% why would you bite the had that brings you food/money. I also think that Consumer Reports just does not have the time/people/resources to keep up with the many RV manufactures and floor plans and so does not try.


Your exactly right and the reason is the RV industry as a whole is TINY compared to any of those industry's mentioned above. There is not a bunch of left over money in this industry for lobbying. The RV industry will produce a TOTAL of about 360,000 RV's next year for the US and Canada. In 2013 Ford sold over 760,000 of the JUST the F150 model pickup!

mabynack
Explorer II
Explorer II
The manufacturers allow the magazine to test its products. If they write a bad review, they can forget about advertising and future testing of that model. That's why you seldom see a lot of negative information about a product.

Newbiecampers
Explorer
Explorer
Dog Trainer wrote:
So don't buy the publication. Don't buy the product if the quality does not meet and exceed your expectations. This is how democracy and capitalism works. I do not want any more legislation in my life.




^^^^^^^ This, X100

Newbiecampers
Explorer
Explorer
4X4Dodger wrote:
As a group of people that have a single interest at heart (RV's and all that goes with that term) It seems to me that we are terribly under-represented in the halls of government and with almost no clout as a group with Manufacturers, Suppliers and Dealers.



No clout? You/we have one of the biggest pieces of "clout" in existence: Your Wallet. Don't like what is going on? Then close it. They will listen to money, or the lack thereof. I wish people would wake up to the power that is their wallet and the ability to not open it up.


Who's Looking Out for Our Interests?


To me, this is one of the largest problems in our society today: the whole "who is going to look out for/protect me" and victim mentality. Perhaps people should take some personnal responsibility and look out for themselves.

The absolute last thing we need is more government involvement or regulation.

JAXFL
Explorer
Explorer
I think what 4X4Dodger is saying is that the RV Industries Lobbyists, if there are such people, are not doing a great job for the RV Industry. The Auto, Banking, Finance and others are working the political folks harder than the RV Industry does. As far as not upsetting your advertisers I agree 100% why would you bite the had that brings you food/money. I also think that Consumer Reports just does not have the time/people/resources to keep up with the many RV manufactures and floor plans and so does not try.
Happy Trails
JAXFL
2008 3100LTD Sun Seeker
2008 Chevy Colorado Z71 4x4 Auto Toad

beemerphile1
Explorer
Explorer
4X4Dodger wrote:

...What do the rest of you think? I'd love to hear the comments on this issue.


Based on this and other posts, I think there isn't much about Good Sam Enterprises that you like. It is no secret that Good Sam Enterprises is a 'for profit' company that focuses on RV services. The officers of the company are responsible by law to the owners of the company, not the customers. You and I are customers, nothing else.

In the CEO's own words, the Good Sam Club is a "marketing tool".
Build a life you don't need a vacation from.

2016 Silverado 3500HD DRW D/A 4x4
2018 Keystone Cougar 26RBS
2006 Weekend Warrior FK1900

mlts22
Explorer
Explorer
The RV industry in general (and certain brands are different, of course) has had a mediocre reputation for quality, especially since 2008 when all RV makers had to go into survival mode and make stuff to sell... where they didn't know if the company would be in business, so warranties were relegated to the lowest priority.

Unlike the auto industry where pretty much every new car on the roads will be decent, the RV industry requires buyers to do their homework, realize that no dealer will honor a warranty unless the rig was bought at that place, and look for features that mean a far longer lifespan (a rig with a fiberglass roof can last a long time, far longer than a RV with a rubber roof.)

For people looking out for our (as in RV-er) interests, I'd say this forum is one of the best resources out there. At least a search can give you horror stories on specific brands.

fla-gypsy
Explorer
Explorer
You are your best advocate. Knowledge is power, there are a number of ways to determine what is truth vs. hype(read marketing)foremost being direct observation or contact with a product.
This member is not responsible for opinions that are inaccurate due to faulty information provided by the original poster. Use them at your own discretion.

09 SuperDuty Crew Cab 6.8L/4.10(The Black Pearl)
06 Keystone Hornet 29 RLS/(The Cracker Cabana)

Dog_Trainer
Explorer
Explorer
So don't buy the publication. Don't buy the product if the quality does not meet and exceed your expectations. This is how democracy and capitalism works. I do not want any more legislation in my life.
2016 Newmar Baystar 3401
2011 HHR Toad
Daktari & Lydia Cavalier King Charles , Annie get your guns, our English setter (fur Bearing Children)

lanerd
Explorer II
Explorer II
Except Consumer Reports is so outdated. We used it decades ago, would look up the "approved" appliances and they would be discontinued.


Sorry, I don't understand this statement at all....doesn't compute.:h

Personally, I think the OP has too much time on his hands and is bored stiff up there in the frozen land of ND.
Ron & Sandie
2013 Tiffin Phaeton 42LH Cummins ISL 400hp
Toad: 2011 GMC Terrain SLT2
Tow Bar: Sterling AT
Toad Brakes: Unified by U.S. Gear
TPMS: Pressure Pro
Member of: GS, FMCA, Allegro


RETIRED!! How sweet it is....