Last June we reported that Little Guy RV owners were concerned about the parent company, Xtreme Outdoors. Phone calls were not being returned, and rumors were circulating that the company may have gone out of business. In a sorry follow-up, today we can report that Little Guy Trailers is officially out of business. Unfortunately, this will leave Little Guy owners with a worthless warranty.
Dead man walking?
A notice on the Xtreme Outdoors webpage says it all.
It’s kind of like those memes about the guy who’s already dead, but he just doesn’t know it. As we reported earlier, one Little Guy customer emailed the company for parts and service help. The response? “Unfortunately, Our Company has closed effectively as of 5/31/24. NICE TO WORK WITH YOU!!!!” The communication indicated it came from Robert Deskevich, in the company’s “Parts, Technical & Warranty Dept.”
The Parts and Tech folks knew at the end of May that Little Guy was kaput. But don’t tell that to management. Shortly after Deskevich told the customer that the company had closed, Little Guy management sent out this post:
Little Guy Family & Friends,
We are aware of the rumors that are currently surrounding our company. We are still committed to providing high quality trailers and want to keep you updated.
We have paused production due to supplier shortages. We are also moving our manufacturing headquarters to a smaller, more efficient facility.
There has been a major downturn in the recreational vehicle industry and we are exploring options to help us through this period.
Customer service will be affected during this transition. Please work with your local dealer for any parts or technical questions.
Company out—but still sending mixed messages
Evidently, the options that Little Guy “explored” didn’t revive things. The new announcement (in black, above) makes it seem clear that Little Guy is gone for good. Even so, the most recent official post still sends mixed messages. “[H]as forced us to put production on pause,” would imply a revival is possible. Yet the closing line, thanking Little Guy customers “and others who were part of the journey,” seems to put the nail in the coffin. Yep, maybe that meme is appropriate.
Little Guy trailers—What about warranty service?
Where does this leave Little Guy owners who bought a new rig in the last two years? The two-year warranty that covers all things—and the three-year structural warranty? With Xtreme Outdoors out of business—whether the company recognizes it or not—you won’t find a dealer or shop anywhere that will do your warranty work and not charge YOU, the owner, directly.
Don’t pay a wit of attention to the Google AI that says, “To get warranty service for a Little Guy trailer, you can contact your local authorized dealer. Authorized dealers are familiar with the camper and how to service it. Your selling dealer may also prioritize service for customers they sold the camper to.” It’s a hallucination.
Getting work done on an “orphan RV” is doable. Many components, like plumbing fixtures, electrical lighting, and the like, are manufactured by outside companies. Those kinds of parts will be easily available, albeit “on your dime.” And, of course, the labor is your lookout. Other items could be a bit harder to come by. The Little Guy windows might be harder to come by if something were to happen to them. If you don’t have a Little Guy now, you might think twice about buying one.
##RVT1177b
Thank you, Riuss and Tina! 🙂 RIP Little Guy. 🤔😯 Have a great week and safe travels! 🙂
Only the tip of the iceberg.
This will likely be the first of many, as small makers either go under or get bought up by a conglomerate… but the latter will be rare at best.
I’m curious about the loss of a key vendor. Which vendor and what did they supply? I’m wondering if it’s someone that supplies many RV mfrs. Or maybe it was a little guy that did something right (for example, made high-quality RV refrigerators at a decent price) and got sucked up by Dometic. I made that up, but after reading the in-depth reports here on RV travel a few years ago about the games big vendors play, it’s a valid concern.
Sad…..No responsibility for their actions….Sort of the same as not paying back their college loans….
But,.. I told you-all and myself to be quiet a couple of posts ago. I couldn’t help myself….
Everyone be nice, drive safe ;and enjoy the time we have left..Nobody promised me tomorrow…Today was swell!..No Snow….
“ We have paused production due to supplier shortages.” Not paying suppliers?
They just may resurrect. Loke at LilSnoozy/Snoozy2. But then, they beheaded the guy who had worked the miracle Shaun Polyk (spelling?) Now it’s like any other provider
It was my experience that they didn’t honor a warranty anyway. They have, I think, changed manufacturers a few times. There was Pleasant Valley, someone before that maybe, then another before Extreme Outdoors. I’d go with nuCamp which was Pleasant Valley. nuCamp helped me when Little Guy wouldn’t bother and only gave me a months-long runaround. It was a frustrating mess, and their dealer did horrible work as well.