Is it me or is the RV industry one big scam!

[Blaise]

I am a new rv person (2020).  My experience up to this point is that the products put out are poorly manufactured.  When you question the manufacturer, they never give you a straight answer.  I have had some expensive problems that they will not try to resolve.  I have attempted to procure an attorney but not one will take my case unless I was injured.  I just experience another total rip off that cost me just as much money to get the brand new part working as it was to purchase it.  I am a traveling therapist and would love to see our beautiful country one state at a time.  However if this is the nature of the beast, I am going to have to pass and save myself the frustration.  If anyone has thoughts on this issue please let me know.

 

Thank you for listening

Blaise

 

 

 

[lappir]

Welcome to the forum. 

Venting frustrations are some of the most common posts for me. Hopefully the act gives you a little relief, it usually does for me. 

I'm a semi retired travel nurse who thought in 1989 I'd travel for two years, visit Hawaii and then settle in the place I liked the best from the prior two years.  Well, that didn't happen. I did everything including the Hawaii, but stayed too long on the island and got a big case of Island Fever. Wound up getting married and then tried to live in Michigan for a while. That didn't work so I started traveling again in Florida and tried to stay there for almost 9 years. Never got used the heat and it being "Crowded" all the time, so off to Kansas I went to what I though was my "retirement job". No again, while I was there though I traveled to Florida in the winter (could tolerate that) and the first year did the "Rent a room" thing. Previously I'd packed and unpacked in the housing supplied by the company I was working for. That was the only part I really disliked about traveling all the time. The packing and unpacking. I'd checked into RV's in the late 90's but didn't have the budget for one, my younger brother bought a new "Toyhauler" and I talked him into allowing me to pull it to Florida for a winter.  Found out I could live in the smaller space and thought I'd found out the things I would need to pay attention to before I purchased my own. 

Again another life lesson. First was the "Big Truck" (not the one in the profile photo) I'd purchased to pull my brothers trailer lost it's transmission fluid on a large thoroughfare in South Florida. While I could live in the space, I needed to upgrade the towing unit. That's when I found this forum and the HDT Group (Now you can see the truck I bought in the profile photo). I'd purchased my own trailer by the time I got the Gold truck and it has been a work in progress ever since. The progress currently is moving stuff from it to another similar unit. 

Now to the frustration you are having. As I mentioned, when I used my brothers Toyhauler I determined some things I didn't like about it and hoped to get a higher quality used trailer vs buying a new one like he did. I'd looked at a lot of Motorhomes prior to this, but never actually purchased one. My first RV purchase was a "Weekend Warrior" Toy hauler. I should have known with the name it was not suited for "Full Time" travel, but I'd looked at several of and they seemed to be well made. It was good for a couple year, but things went down hill pretty quickly and I started looking for a replacement. 

In 2013 I decided to have a home on wheels built by a company in Missouri. The trailer is what I'm still living in and while I wish I'd done some things different with the build, it will last me the rest of my life and many more. At this time I can't afford to do a "Rebuild" and finding one that will fit my needs was impossible in 2013 (used) and most likely not that much better now. Trailers are still being built by the company, but the prices have risen quite a bit. 

So the answer to your question. Is No, the RV industry is no more a scam than any other industry. It's just harder to find the real quality and you may have to wait for a quality unit to be built to your desires. 

I have loved the travel life and hope to continue traveling more and working less for many years to come. 

 

Rod

Tahlequah, OK. a few years ago. 

 

Edited May 27, 2023 by lappir
spelling errors

[sandsys]

RVs truly are a case of buyer beware. Paying for a good inspector usually turns out to be well worth the price. Even with a quality unit. Our first one was so overbuilt it had only 800 lbs CCC. Finding the "right" unit for you is a challenge, indeed. I quickly learned to run any unit we were considering over a scale before buying it.

Linda

[RV_]

Nice rig Rod!

Blaise, welcome to the forums.

Did you buy a Travel Trailer, Fifth wheel, or Motor-home? New or used?

You won't get the quality rigs for the for the price of average. But we can't answer that without some more info like TT, Fiver, MH, what brand, and what issues you are having.

 

Edited May 27, 2023 by RV_

[kb0zke]

Welcome, Blaise. This is a common discussion topic on every RV forum I'm on. The RV industry has gotten itself into this position because we, their customers, have allowed it. There are a few dealerships in the country that sell only one brand of new RV, but most sell several brands. Every sales brochure I've ever seen has a page telling you to buy your trailer locally and take it back to that dealer for service. What about those of us who full-time? Where is my local dealer? In Sioux Falls, where my address is? In New Mexico, where we have a winter base? in Missouri, where we're hosting for three months?

I have a Ford truck, and can take that truck to any Ford dealer in the country for service, and I will be treated as well as the people who bought their trucks from that dealer. That Ford dealer may also sell Lincolns, but he certainly doesn't sell new Chrysler or General Motors vehicles. Why do we accept RV dealers doing what is essentially the same thing?

When an automobile manufacturer makes a vehicle, it is inspected frequently during and after the manufacturing process. When the dealer gets it, it is inspected again, and made ready for the customer. The customer rightly expects that the vehicle will be ready to go when he sees the vehicle. Yes, the customer may ask for some minor things to be changed, but for the most part the car or truck is ready to drive away when it is first put on the lot or in the showroom. Not so with an RV.

Every new car or truck has a sticker on the window listing the base price and the price of the various options. If you go to a dozen Ford dealers and look at the same model of vehicle, all of them will have the same base price. If some of those vehicles have the same options, the price for those options will be the same. Not so in the RV world. Often it is the dealer who creates the "manufacturer's sticker" so the dealer can point to that paper and say you are getting 25% off the MSPR. You think you are getting a good deal, not knowing that the dealer 100 miles away printed his "MSRP" for 30% less, but doesn't give any discounts.

What can be done? We, as customers, are going to have to use our power (we're the ones who actually put out money, remember) to reward good behavior. Do your research, then, when it is time to buy, buy from a dealership that sells only the brand you want. Insist that the RV be ready for delivery when you arrive - at least as far as what the manufacturer says it should be. If you want some dealer-installed extras, that's fine.

I understand that the batteries may not be connected, the propane isn't filled, the fresh water isn't filled, but those things don't take more than a few minutes to do. That can be done while you are inside doing paperwork.

One final thought: the design team should be required to go out with something they designed for a week and actually use it. I suspect that when they come back they will have a bunch of changes to be made.

[Ray,IN]

This is my opinion, so don't hit the ceiling. IMO we RV buyers have done this to ourselves by shopping for the lowest price and accepting less than first-class workmanship.

I wonder what percentage of Rvers choose to buy a Airstream trailer or other high quality TT  vs a lower quality/ cheaper trailer.

Complaints about poor workmanship and quality of materials are common, but the RV mfgrs. build what sells best, which IMO is glitz and fancy electronics.

My first TT did not have electric lights inside It had one propane light, but it was built very solid and tight,  It never developed a water leak or require something fixed after a trip that fell apart.

The bottom line is,  "we actually do get what we pay for."

Edited June 4, 2023 by Ray,IN

[bruce t]

100% agree Ray. Its what I call the Wal-Mart syndrome. We complain about price then complain about quality.

Buy a $30000.00 car and we get a "real" warranty. Buy a $200000.00 and all you get is sawdust in your draws!

 

 

[JimK]

IMO most of the blame for poor quality is due to the manufacturers.  As consumers we have limited choices and spending more is no guarantee of better quality.  

The RV industry reminds me of the situation with cars in the 60s.  Quality was really poor.  The war between management and unions did not help either side.  Sadly worker sabotage just added to the other issues of poor quality.  Buyers had choices such as Ford or Chevy and neither were any good.  It took foreign competition to change the market.  We need the same for the RV industry.  

[sandsys]

13 hours ago, bruce t said:

Its what I call the Wal-Mart syndrome. We complain about price then complain about quality.

Yup.

[Chalkie]

27 minutes ago, JimK said:

 It took foreign competition to change the market.  We need the same for the RV industry.  

You are correct, I think, although the cost of importing/shipping might be a bar to reasonable pricing unless the quality was markedly better. Another thought would be a foreign company establishing a factory in the US much like VW did in the 70's.

[sandsys]

4 minutes ago, Chalkie said:

You are correct, I think, although the cost of importing/shipping might be a bar to reasonable pricing unless the quality was markedly better. Another thought would be a foreign company establishing a factory in the US much like VW did in the 70's.

My leaky memory says there are some Canadian companies building quality rigs. Does that qualify as foreign?

Linda

 

[Chalkie]

2 hours ago, sandsys said:

My leaky memory says there are some Canadian companies building quality rigs. Does that qualify as foreign?

Linda

There are but none that make larger travel trailers or fifth wheels. I have no idea what kind of import duties there might be on any of them, if any.

[sandsys]

One of the problems is that poor quality tends to be good enough for weekends with the occasional vacation. And there are a lot more of those buyers than there are full timers. If you want good quality, go to someplace like New Horizons and pay their price. Or go someplace with a good reputation, like Winnebago, and hope quality has not gone down there.

Linda

[palmeris]

3 hours ago, JimK said:

IMO most of the blame for poor quality is due to the manufacturers.  As consumers we have limited choices and spending more is no guarantee of better quality.  

 

Agree all quality issues are manufactures issues. Consumers need to do their due diligence.

 Understanding how the manufactured product will fit your particular need by defining your expectations .  Weekend warriors , full time and every thing in between. 

Spending more and understanding where it is going will definitely result in quality. 

Spending less might get you the quality you need to fit your expectations. 

[Danfreda1]

29 minutes ago, sandsys said:

One of the problems is that poor quality tends to be good enough for weekends with the occasional vacation. And there are a lot more of those buyers than there are full timers. If you want good quality, go to someplace like New Horizons and pay their price. Or go someplace with a good reputation, like Winnebago, and hope quality has not gone down there.

Linda

“Paying their  price” does not necessarily mean higher quality. That’s all I’m going to say about that. 

[RV_]

I believe that most folks are resistant to change. I went shopping for Van campers and most are Ram and Mercedes sprinter size. They cost new ~$100k give or take.

I will continue to look at new and innovative designs. The new Lightning EV trailer has its own electric motor and batteries and helps pull its own weight. The prototype is touring the country now. I liked it because it was not using the same old tired RV stoves HVAC and appliances although I am sure there are some that are the same. It was listed as being just over $110k and all I heard here was too expensive or I don't do EVs! It would double my fuel mileage towing with a Diesel truck that got 22 mpg empty but only 11 mpg pulling my 12,500 pound rig. And it lowers for travel to present a much cleaner aerodynamics and much less drag.

For some old folks EV is a trigger word. Others have more open minds, but not so open they fall out. 😏

 

 

[sandsys]

12 minutes ago, RV_ said:

I liked it because it was not using the same old tired RV stoves HVAC and appliances although I am sure there are some that are the same.

My last van was all electric except for the diesel engine and heater.  The heater was designed for a semi-truck cab but it worked fine in my van.

Linda

[bruce t]

2 hours ago, RV_ said:

I believe that most folks are resistant to change. I went shopping for Van campers and most are Ram and Mercedes sprinter size. They cost new ~$100k give or take.

I will continue to look at new and innovative designs. The new Lightning EV trailer has its own electric motor and batteries and helps pull its own weight. The prototype is touring the country now. I liked it because it was not using the same old tired RV stoves HVAC and appliances although I am sure there are some that are the same. It was listed as being just over $110k and all I heard here was too expensive or I don't do EVs! It would double my fuel mileage towing with a Diesel truck that got 22 mpg empty but only 11 mpg pulling my 12,500 pound rig. And it lowers for travel to present a much cleaner aerodynamics and much less drag.

For some old folks EV is a trigger word. Others have more open minds, but not so open they fall out. 😏

 

 

RV the RAM/Sprinter conversions are all over the world. We just sold our Fiat van. We looked at some B class conversion last time we were in the USA. Boy were they expensive for what you got. B class are trendy at the moment and the manufacturers are taking advantage of the trend.

 

[RV_]

Linda I have been looking a bit at van campers half seriously. Which one did you have so I can take a look online at the systems. I am always open to new tech and paradigm changes.

[sandsys]

2 hours ago, RV_ said:

Linda I have been looking a bit at van campers half seriously. Which one did you have so I can take a look online at the systems. I am always open to new tech and paradigm changes.

My all electric van was a custom conversion done by Sportsmobile. It was about the same price as a commercial Class B but worked better for me since it had the things I wanted but not the ones I didn't want. You can see my description of what I did here: https://sandcastle.sandsys.org/2012/05/new-rv-floor-plan/. I had to move the desk to the other end of the sofa/bed, though, since it was originally over a wheel well where my feet would have had no room.

Linda

[RV_]

Nice layout!

[Tulecreeper]

19 hours ago, sandsys said:

My last van was all electric except for the diesel engine and heater.  The heater was designed for a semi-truck cab but it worked fine in my van.

Linda

😄 Well, using that definition my current RAM 2500 is all electric except for the 6.4L Hemi.

[sandsys]

6 hours ago, Tulecreeper said:

😄 Well, using that definition my current RAM 2500 is all electric except for the 6.4L Hemi.

Yes. But do you have a cook top, water heater, microwave/convection oven, refrigerator, air conditioner, etc.? I literally had all the comforts of home with no propane system at all.

Linda

[packnrat]

yes i say price, as i would love to buy a new rv. but noway can i afford $80K USD. some shops not even close to me (aka: more than one state away, i live in cal). even they can not offer a price i can afford. unless i sell my house.

i can not move, or go full time, as i must stay here for my mom. sad it also means i must pay tribute to those under the dome in sacramento. ss and a pension should be tax free.

i am retired now, and having trouble making it to the next check.

[RV_]

I'm sorry you are frustrated, and agree about SS.