On May 20, we told you about the RV Industry Association’s new annual video presentation for members (including RV manufacturers)Â highlighting its accomplishments for 2018. Among them was defeating lemon laws in two states that would have protected RVers from being stuck with defective RVs.
After our report, RV lemon law attorney Steve Lehto recorded a YouTube video that echoed our feelings that the industry’s efforts against RVers and then bragging about it in a public forum was wrong. Watch Steve’s blistering commentary in which he tells the industry to watch out, as he, for one, will fight against efforts that exploit RVers. “You won a couple of little battles,” he tells the RVIA, “but let’s see who wins the war.”
Within a week of our original article, the RVIA had pulled its video from YouTube and replaced it with an edited version that did not include any reference to defeating the lemon laws.
All the RVIA has done is learned a lesson about conducting its anti-consumer efforts in secrecy rather than in the open. Don’t expect them to become more accommodating to RV buyers, or more open to improving the quality of the products their members manufacture and then con the public into buying. Expect them just to become sneakier about their conning of the unsuspecting public… The only effective way to deal with the poor quality of RVs is to hit the corner-cutters in their wallets, and sing the praises of the reputable builders.
The only way to combat the shoddy workmanship is to require RV’s to meet the same building codes as houses.
Thank you for your efforts.
We purchased a 2012 Phoenix Cruiser, used, directly from the manufacturer. The only problems with this fine vehicle has been owner induced.
We would purchase another one from them. They are very responsive to phone calls and provide excellent support. Feel free to visit the factory and see them made. Watch the level of detail as a coach is assembled.
I visited the Phoenix Cruiser factory for a tour a few years ago. I was greatly impressed with the place. The care taken during the building precess was obvious. Most of the workers had been with the company for many years and take great pride in their product.
Just like anything that we buy as a consumer, we are subject to advertising and hoping that what they say is true. Industries that take advantage of the unknowing consumer will find that they will be regulated eventually and then only the strong will survive. In the meantime I will hold onto, take care of and upgrade as needed my 2002 Glendale Titanium fifth wheel
My suggestion for fighting the shoddy construction practices of the RV manufacturers would be to support more DIY seminars and educate more people about how to build, or contract the building of, custom RVs that circumvent the corner cutting manufacturers entirely. The problem with that strategy is that the RVIA would probably simply counter by sponsoring legislation in communities that would outlaw habitation or use of vehicles that did not meet arbitrary standards that favor the RVIA’s members and discriminates against DIYers and custom builders…
I was just wondering if there is room for Greg Gerber at RVTravel .com .
One small step at a time, right? My husband and I have been full-timing for more than ten years now, and when people used to say, “I want to do that!” we’d give them all sorts of advice. Now we tell them the RVs are of such awful quality they should think twice about it. It won’t be a vacation, they’ll be traveling while working — on their rig. It used to be a joke (“If you ain’t fixin, you ain’t RVin”) but now it’s just sad.
Hi Ellen, my husband and I feel the same. We don’t full time, but we travel a lot in our 2011 “paid in full” Bighorn FW. We have a lot of friends and family that see how much fun we have and we caution them against purchasing new. Why? Because new does not guarantee perfection and the quality is not there. Instead we advise purchasing used and inspecting the unit with a reputable RV tech.
We only have ourselves to blame.. if people stopped buying cheap crappy RV’s then the industry would have to do something about it, unfortunately too many people trade in their hunk of junk for a new hunk of junk hoping it will be better.
I think many of the first time buyers don’t KNOW they’re buying ‘junk’. They equate new RV’s with new cars. New cars THESE days are pretty much bullet proof. Not so with RV’s, no matter HOW much you spend.
Until the RVIA becomes independent of the manufactures, things WILL NOT CHANGE.. Only way to fight the manufactures is to stop buying their products.. Hit them in the pocket book that is all they understand…SAD but TRUE
I agree. Guess we need a foreign manufacturer to come in and shake up the industry, just like what happened in Detroit to the auto industry. There are some good manufacturers still out there but the field is narrowing with all the consolidation going on both from an OEM and components supplier perspective.
Ok. So did they say they would now advocate for major changes in the RV industry? I didn’t think so.
I have been saying for a long time that many of the older RV’s were of better quality than what’s made today. I tell people to buy an older MH with good bones and make some upgrades. First, the price on these older RV,s are very reasonable and you are not stuck with 20 years of loan payments.
Jim, that’s a fact. Our first RV was manufactured in 1998, and it was a honey. A friend bought it when we upgraded to a new one in 2004. That 1998 model is still going strong, and our friend has not had to do much to it, upkeep-wise. Our 2004 version (with a model year of 2005) is also going strong, and we’ve very few problems with it. Friends who have bought the latest models of our RV brand have had tons of trouble. Sadly, I just don’t see the industry improving anytime soon.
Nina, why don;t you share the brand of the RV so we can all benefit from your post; Thx!
We bought a 2007 Alpine (Apex) MH in 2010 and have enjoyed our coach over the years. It has turned out to be a good coach, however it has not been without issues, as with all coaches over time. WRV who manufactured our coach has been out of business since 2008, but made a quality product at the time.
Any thing that has gone wrong over the years have been repaired or replaced with products still being made by the original Mfg. (newer or updated replacement items). We have made a few upgrades and updates since we own the coach and plan on keeping our coach for a long time.
We travel in our coach 4 to 5 months a year and our coach still looks good and performs well.
Mitch, we have a 2005 Discovery, Model 39L, by Fleetwood. I apologize for not responding sooner.