Dear editor,
I’ve read your weekend editions for a while now and I’m getting ready to unsubscribe. The main reason is that it has become just another echo chamber for lambasting the RV industry.
I get it. The RV industry has some major issues, but to be honest, we all signed up for those issues when we bought our RV.¹ If the intent of sharing horror stories is to provide constructive feedback to owners looking for good service locations, I submit there’s a better way. If the intent is to get more readers based on juicy drama then by all means carry on, you’ve nailed it.
I further submit you’d serve your clientele better by offering tips for getting along with your RV. Providing good technical advice might be another avenue to pursue as well. It doesn’t even have to be leading-edge stuff. Basics on holding tanks, how inverters work, how much solar capacity do you need, what’s the difference between 30A and 50A service are all topics I think would serve your readers well.²
Another area would be how to engage customer support for the best outcome (not how to start a fight and end up with litigation) would be good. A course on basic spelling, grammar, and punctuation for making Facebook posts would be good too.
I don’t know the size of your audience but I think you could make a huge positive difference in the industry if you changed your focus a bit more to the positive and helpful rather than the negative.³
We started in an Autumn Ridge bumper pull, upgraded to a Milestone 5th wheel, then a Grand Design Momentum TH, and are now in a Thor Tuscany 45MX.
Let me know if you want help.
J. Thomas
Dear Mr. Thomas,
First, thank you for writing with your concerns and suggestions. I know there are others with similar thoughts. But the quick answer: No, we are absolutely not obsessed with lambasting the industry. I’ll try to simplify my answer. And before I go on, please join me this morning on my Chatting with Chuck live video meeting and talk to me about this. I’d love to explain further. The address where to watch is in today’s newsletter or just join us on YouTube. It begins at 10 a.m., Pacific Time.
Whew! OK, please allow me to try to explain:
First, in reference to #1 in the second paragraph, I would ask you to tell me even one other website or blog of any significance that is preoccupied with “lambasting” the RV industry. I don’t know of any (RVtravel.com included). You suggest that RVers (that would be you, me and others) knew what they were getting into when they bought their RVs. I don’t believe that is universally true. For example, I do not believe many RVers knew when they bought their RV that there was a strong possibility that they might need to wait as long as 4 to 5 months for a necessary repair on it at some time in the future, maybe many times. Of course, that does not happen to everyone. But it does to many.
NINETY-NINE PERCENT of other websites publish pretty generic, non-critical type of material, increasingly written by non-RVers with the main purpose of filling space between ads. Increasingly, articles are even written using artificial intelligence. It’s surprisingly good, but often incorrect, and almost always very generic — mumbo jumbo, really.
#2, in your third paragraph: We have posted right around 18,000 articles on this website. The topics you suggest that we write about have all been covered dozens, if not hundreds of times through our 21 years of publishing. Our RV Daily Tips Newsletter, which appears nearly every weekday of the year, is focused on using, maintaining and repairing RVs — positive advice, almost never negative.
And, in response to your statement #3, we have a large audience, with millions of page views a month. We already have an influence in the industry. Few others do. They are almost all focused, above all, on making money (nothing wrong with that in and of itself, of course). Yes, there are many websites and blogs that are published with the goal of providing quality information or as self-expression for their creators, but most have small audiences. We’ve been at this now for more than 21 years and have had a lot of time to build our circulation.
With hundreds of newsletters a year and millions and millions of page views, we cannot hope to deliver a balance of positive and negative articles (and remember, what is negative to one reader may be positive to another) to all readers, most of whom only read a fraction of what we publish. We do, really, try hard to be fair. And we take pride in being journalists, not content creators (who, before the internet, would have been called “hacks”). Our circulation has maintained steady growth through the years, and that suggests to us that we are doing at least a decent job of serving our readers. That said, we know we can do better and, I’m telling you, we try hard every single day!
We are a small company, with a small staff, with a small budget, so we can’t do everything we want all at once. That’s frustrating, but it’s our reality. And those of us who own and travel with RVs (that’s nearly all of us) love our rolling homes!
Happy travels. Be safe!
Chuck Woodbury
Publisher and founder
What do you think about J. Thomas’ letter? Do you agree? Disagree? Please leave a comment below.
##RVT1074
Personally I think J Thomas has not been reading the rvtravel newsletter from beginning to end, if he had he would of never written that letter. rvtravel has helped me solve many problems with my RV and my travels. This is just another problem they are trying to bring light to and solve. Please continue as you have been these many years.
Yes, the industry as a whole needs a slap upside the head with a 2×4! Wherever they can get it… I support it. But; having said that I say “NO! RVTravel is NOT all about bashing the RV industry.” I think they get much fewer critical reviews and comments than they deserve in this newsletter/forum. Keep up the Good Fight! As far as, “We knew what we were getting into when we purchased an RV… WTF!!!” NO most people do not expect to have the kinds of sloppy craftsmanship and virtually NO customer service that is rendered at way too many RV Dealerships. Most people purchase their RV with the fantascy that they will be able to hit the road and enjoy the amenities and don’t expect things to break and not work or be missing on day one of ownership. Nor do they expect to have to wait weeks and or months for a repair and often have their brand new unit canabalized to service some other customer and then have the dearlership deny any responsibility. Safe travels to us all.
RV travel has provided me lots of good advice over the years. I am certainly a more aware and cautious buyer than I was before. I’ve had the same RV for 10 years now and I’ve learned to live with it in part thanks to publication like yours. Keep up the good work.
Chuck, To some extent, I agree with some of what J. Thomas wrote. For instance, “campground crowding” has received a lot of attention written in a negative light. Of course, problems with repairs, rightfully so, has received a lot of attention. As you said, some do and some don’t.
At 5am, most mornings, I am looking for RV Travel news letter. I have learned to skip over certain articles but I know that there will always be something of use to me. I love the tech articles and would love to hear more adventure type articles.
Living very close to the Florida City, Florida Campground, I see activity there that appears like they may be closing and building there. Vacant property here within a mile of the busway is being turned into high rise apartments. It appears to me we may be loosing the Florida City Campground.
Keep up the good work.
If the industry deserves a bashing let it be so.
We are on our way back home with our Cedar Creek and had stopped for dinner. A couple approached me and asked the age of our 09 34 foot fifth.
When I told them they said keep it. They are on third. The last one a 2021. Nothing but trouble with it. They shared what some of it was and some could be blamed on Lippert too.
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. And one individual’s perception of lambasting is another individual’s perception of stating facts (or opinions).
I will admit I do not read anything published by one of the “staff” writers of RV Travel as I perceive that person’s articles to be nonsensical gobbledygook. But others may see this author’s articles in a different light. And I sometimes start reading an article but do not find it interesting or related to my situation, so I do not read it to the end.
However, having perused a multitude of online RV Forums and printed RV publications I can state in all honesty it is my opinion that RV Travel for the most part is the most informative and useful RV related publication I have found.
Chuck,
I have subscribed to your site for years. And I believe you folks do a great service to the users (RVers like myself) and the industry. Allow me to explain. If all I want to read are glowing reports, I don’t have to look to hard to find them (the industry/manufacturers turn them out like hot cakes (as one would expect). I believe, on average, your reporting is fair and balanced. Your technical articles are quite helpful. Now, please don’t get me wrong, would I like to read more positive news from RV Travel, yes. Also, I want to give a shout out to Mr Thomas for taking his time to write to you, and you and the staff for publishing his letter. I believe you folks are doing a fine job, that said, you don’t have to be sick to get better.
Regards,
Lewis
I commend them also for publishing his letter. Sure got this crowd going!
Chuck, you truly can’t please everyone all the time. I read thru the articles that catch my attention and skip the ones that don’t on the given day. Keep up the good work and don’t sugar coat things!
I appreciated your newsletter Chuck, and thank you for all of the information. It’s helpful. I do tend to agree that it has a frequent negative image painted about the RV industry, and think it should re-orient toward more positive things (carrots, not sticks). Having said that, I have no issue with politely exposing intentional falsehoods or chronic business deficiencies, keeping in mind that we all make mistakes from time to time and tolerance and forbearance of occasional or unintended gaffs on the part of industry should be considered. When problems are identified it could also be possible to point out reasonable actions that could be taken by customers, without being judgemental about the intentions and ethics of those in the industry involved.
Keep up the good work on the newsletter though. I appreciate it.
Questions: Have you ever owned an RV? Have you ever tried to offer “constructive” criticism to a RV manufacturer? Tried to resolve an issue? If so I think your comments would be different.
Mr. Thomas letter is one opinion.
We live in a world of duality…, there is good and there is bad…….., every coin has two sides. Continue doing your fine newsletter!!
Sounds to me like J. Thomas only reads headlines and or has a vested interest in the RV industry. RV travel is the only newsletter to challenge the big biz, I have subscribed since the beginning and will continue to.
I think something needs to be done for consumer protection for the horrendous quality of manufacturing in the RV industry. Many of my family members and friends have purchased new RV’s within the past ten years, to have huge issues, leaking roofs, inferior workmanship. All of this with huge prices . Anything this website can post about anything concerning RV’s is very welcome in my book
I’ve read the RV Travel Newsletter everyday for the past 8 years. It is my best source of RV news and education. Keep up the good work RV Travel!
I’m with Bob S. Read every day read most articles if they don’t pertain to me I just skip,can’t please everyone I think rv travel does an outstanding job thank,Brad B.
J. Thomas sounds like a PR person for one of the major RV makers who has never really read RV Travel and is just stirring the pot.
His comments are very naive and uninformed.
Agree!
If one wants to talk negatives and lambasting
Mr thomas is on spot with the half glass
empty thought process-
Your doing fine considering Chuck-
Maybe best to unsubscribe if your writings are not in his radar
No hard feelings
I’m on the opposite side of the complaint against RVTravel.com. Most popular RV YouTube creators are remunerated by the industry in some fashion and fail to criticize appropriately. At least this site does at times. This year I purchased a $60k off-road, off-grid new-to-market travel trailer that went back to the factory four times in 90 days. I sold it at a large loss after owning it 120 days after having them fix everything possible. It was my fifth trailer owned and a horrible nightmare. The reviewer at RVTravel.com gave a glowing review of the unit and manufacturer without actually owning one of these beta models. If anything, this site is too tame when it comes to the nightmares the industry puts customers through. Please show me any other substantial site that occasionally criticizes the RVIA, RVDA, manufacturers or any other part of the industry. We need at least one substantial news outlet that does bring criticism to the industry.
Love reading your newsletter. The positive and negative things written always help someone in some way. What’s wrong with posting the good, the bad, and the ugly! We all learn something from it. Chill J. Thomas!!!!
I have been reading rv travel for three years and find it informative. You cover a wide range of issues and sometimes even make me laugh. Keep up the great newsletter.
Mr Thomas needs to take the blinders off and read more of the newsletters. Tons of very helpful information on all rv subjects. In my own case ours is a 2006 and the newsletters have helped me in so many ways to keep it up. We have been thinking of getting a newer unit but as your newsletters have pointed out we are finding very poorly made new units. If I didn’t read your newsletters I might not have found some of the problems I have seen. So please keep up the good work.
I think you’re all do a great job, we own a 2012 travel trailer, I learn a few tricks and tips on several things from many sources, but right away, I don’t feel J Thomas is doing anyone any good with this letter, he almost sounds like a rv repair guy, now we all know everyone has cut back on a few things, so has the manufacturers, repair shops are busy cause most people can’t or don’t have the time or just don’t know how to repair their own stuff, and FYI, not every thing built is going to be perfect, and if you’re not happy with what you bought, we’ll not everyone has the same experience you’ve had. Learn how to fix your own problems and take advantage of these great free online help or ask someone who may know how to…
Your right with your answer.
Chuck,
All I can say relative to Mr. Thomas’ letter is, “keep on keeping on”. Keep pressing the issues that need to be addressed. Keep providing us with informative articles. As a long time paid subscriber, an avid reader and an occasional contributor, I implore you all at RVT to keep doing what you do.
Brad Geer
Hancock NH
It would seem that J. Thomas is complacent with the state of RV Industry. And as others have noted, perhaps a propagandist for the RV Industry. Wonder if he would like to disclose his motives ?
I don’t believe the majority of RVers would subscribe to his position. If the majority of RV Manufacturers stay with a “grab the cash and run” attitude, then they deserve to be “lambasted”. It is after all they who make the product. The only way that they will change will be if their (manufacturers) pocket books get effected. But that would also imply a change in buyers attitudes. And not all can afford a dream at the mid and lower price points of the market.
As with the purchase of RV’s everyone is, so far, free to make their own decisions. It might be time to begin a group that will help litigate and assist RVers. With all the problems that that would likely create and cost increases that would likely follow. Nothing is simple.
Wow, I like that last idea about litigation. The RV industry does a pretty good job of avoiding it by creating so many separate entities. Need Elon to bankroll the effort probably.
Dear Chuck and Mr. T.,
I believe you are both right! I agree that a few topics can be “ecco chamber” like but Its easy to skip what’s not useful. For example, campground crowding is one of these but you can also find ideas and suggestions on how to avoid it. As others have said, Mr. T. may not have not read some of the many articles that address the very topics he listed. I suggest that if he tries your search facility, he will learn more than he hoped for! Why? Because many of your articles contain helpful references to related articles. I sometimes get lost for hours learning about stuff I really care about and also get answers to questions I didn’t think to ask! Mr. T. might also like Mike Sokol’s excellent articles on electrical safety. Thanks to both of you for your thoughtfulness. Thinking about the huge value I receive from RV Travel makes me realize it’s time to re-up my voluntary RV Travel subscription. 🙂
Due to age and cancer, I don’t RV, but I read the newsletters from top to bottom every morning. Unless my old memory is faulty, I see lots of tips, reviews, advice, jokes and other interesting pieces every day. Perhaps the original writer is getting a different version of the newsletter than I? (sarcasm).
The first thing I do each morning is read RVTravel. Whether we are on the road or at home I find so many interesting articles and so much helpful information. Also his suggestion of an article on the difference between 30A and 50A has been covered in RVTravel for beginners. Believe it or not when I started out in our RV I actually not not understand that. In fact when I started out it was all sunshine and unicorns. Your publications have walked us through the realities of RV life and I am grateful. Don’t change a thing please! In fact, Mr. T might unsubscribe but this was a reminder that I have not made a contribution in a while…will do that today! Thank you for being there for us.
I love reading some of the articles and my wife loves others and sometimes we read the same. For instance, I never read the new RV reviews, I am happy with my old 90s vintage Class A with out slides while my wife likes to read them. She loves the cooking stuff while I would burn the water trying to cook something. Technical articles are of high interest to me while it is over her head. So I guess you can keep up the good work and we can go on reading what interests us and skip the rest.
I wonder if Mr. Thomas is a monetary contributor to RV Travel?. If not, then announcing your decision to unsubscribe is purely his choice (either contributor or not) but it is likened to the same as on Face Book groups for RV’ers. when folks have to announce their departure as if they are waiting to be asked not to do so. Everyone has choices, he wants to unsubscribe, so do it, don’t announce it. That may, and has, worked for service providers that we must pay for, but this is a great newsletter that people like to peruse and gather some very helpful information. If there is something within the sections that I have no interest in, I simply go to the next section. His closing statement “Let me know if you need any help”. Umm yeah, I bet they can hardly wait.
The RV Industry needs Lambasted!!!!! It reminds me of Automobile Dealerships in the 50’s and 60’s. The auto industry has made massive improvement in product quality and dealer relationships with customers.
I’ve owned a small travel trailer for 2 years. Three cross country trips from NY to Oregon. Your newsletter has given me lots of useful information. Very informative.
Keep it coming.
As far as I’m concerned, the “lambasting” article was right on. I think to be on top of your game you should take seriously what the writer said. I love reading RVtravel but sometimes it gets pretty heavy on the negative and not enough on the positive. You have influenced me in not buying another RV. We get a lot of information you dont provide from YouTube. If any of your readers want to dive further into information you provide, they can always go to YouTube to get further information.
YouTube is good, BUT you also get a lot of “disinformation”. Research NuCamp and Alde products and see what I mean.
Good job Chuck!! I read the newsletter, daily tips, every morning. I enjoy all of the content and often learn a thing or two. Please keep up the great work and don’t let the minority get you down.
NO, the majority of people do not know what they are getting into when they buy an RV. Smooth talking sales people are doing everything they can to sell their product, they don’t talk about how bad the parts supply chain is how shoddy many RVs are put together. When defects are seen by the customer they are assured it’s minor, “bring it back in a month, we’ll have it repaired in no time at all”. Anything to make a sale, gotta earn those commissions. People need to know what to expect and that one of the most important things to check on is the dealers customer service record. By hearing what can go wrong buyers can make better decisions about what to by and who to buy from. And pressure must be applied to the industry to do better in the quality department. RV Travel does a great job of informing the public on all sorts of issues, keep up the great job.
I think Mr. Thomas is….well, being a Christian man I can’t really say.
I don’t have a problem with it. Keep up the good work.
I’m not sure what newsletter J. Thompson is reading but it isn’t this one! I have had a humorous article published here and love the photo contests, articles, and tips! Keep up the great work!
Keep doing exactly what you and your staff are doing, Chuck. The RV Travel Newsletter is great just the way it is…
I strongly disagree with Mr. Thomas. He lost me with his naive and totally false statement that RVers “…all signed up for those issues when we bought our RV.” Bull crap! But let’s skip that uninformed and unjustified statement and focus on his broader complaint. IMO, we all come to an author with a preset frame of mind. Some bring open minds, others bring minds polluted with the stresses of daily living, which leads to distorted thinking. We’re on this Life Journey for a short period of time, and IMO we each owe it to ourselves and our fellow travelers to travel in peace and happiness. If reading your newsletter brings him angst, I hope that he’s mature enough to realize that it’s not his position to control the tone of your writing. Instead, the solution for him is as simple as he himself proposes: unsubscribe. I hope he finds peace. Live well, and share peace my friends.
Well said!
I started reading a couple months ago, and I have found the articles very informative and interesting. I noticed that there has been a rash of “complainy” articles – RV quality, dealer support, the change in campground ownership and patronage, etc.
However – and this is my key point – I am under no obligation to read even one of these articles! I choose which articles to read, and which ones to ignore. I read a couple of the complaints, and once I had absorbed the gist of them, I ignored the rest. It’s easy to tell them by their titles.
Note that if we all do this, the staff at RVTravel will see which articles are getting read most, and which are not.
Keep up the good work, people!
Wow, he must of had something bad going in when writing his letter.
I read the news letter every morning. Have for awhile now. We know longer RV due to husband’s health issue but I still love reading. I see lots of great info for RVers at any stage of their travel. RVing has changed. Those of us who are or were fulltimers see those changes but wow what a wonderful time we had. I miss that lifestyle everyday.
I see the content here as very point on. Thanks for putting so much work in everyday to keep us all informed.
I think maybe Mr T has no idea that lots of things he spoke of is wrote about in the RV beginners newsletter.
Again thanks for all you and your staff do to keep us all in on the know.
Dear Chuck, The RV industry deserves all the lambasting they get. Keep on doing what you do, it works. Thank you for all your hard work.
First, let me say I am disappointed with the readers who attacked Mr. Thomas for his views. Though I disagreed more than agreed, the attacks are just another sample of people refusing to accept a view other than their own.
The beauty of his post was to allow Chuck and readers to comment.
I have been reading Chuck long before he started this newsletter and have always appreciated his willingness for open dialog.
Chuck:
I am an x RV’er for the reasons described. I have no faith in the quality of vehicles assembled by THOR after buying a new Class C preceded by two former rental units. Those, each with over 120,000 miles when we purchased them never gave us any downtime or needed repairs. The new Thor spent about 40% of its 2 year time with us waiting for repairs and spare parts resulting from poor assembly Long waits for Thor to replace poorly assempled and/or consructed parts related to the storage areas and most importantly the slide out (finally rebuilt in situ) and the jacks. We expected a new unit would give us a better RV life, not the opposite as Mr Thomas assumes. At age 80 I could no longer stand the stress and so sold it back to LaMesa for a large loss. Since we bought it I found virtually all RVers who bought new had similar stories, and like us, with no recourse. No issue with the Ford V10 chassis-just the coach.The industry is pathetic. Our fear was about what wae could not see
Mr.Thomas sounds like he may be a vice-president of RVIA. I don’t remember when I became a paying subscriber, I know I’ve been reading RVTravel.com for 6.5 years shortly after buying my first motor home. Most of the articles I read, and I read most of them, are very informative, some I have issues with as I think Johnny robot has put most of the info in the article. Something that does get under my skin is when an article is written that it’s obvious the author knows next to nothing on the subject and is writing from a press release. I usually respond in a blunt way as I don’t have a politically correct bone in my body. Many times I stomp on peoples toes when I respond like that, I’m sorry, but if “disinformation” is published people that don’t know better will believe it to be true. Anyway keep up the good work, and don’t let one rotten apple ruin the whole barrel.
His ignorance of the articles already covered (as you said, hundreds of times) is proof. Ignore him. If he unsubscribed we would all be better off. Don’t waste any more of your valuable editorial time of this kind of negativity. Keep doing what you have been doing – that is why you have the largest and most successful RV newsletter. THANK YOU!
I agree with Mr. Thomas. I scroll thru most of the stuff of this site because it’s all so negative. Need more destination stories with things to do in the area.
Then you should ‘unsubscribe’. ‘ The truth – well you can’t handle the truth’.
Trailer Life and Motorhome magazines used to publish the type of articles you want. Travel photo articles written by people who had actually been to those places, plus some technical articles and non-critical new RV reviews. But Marcus Lemonis bought both magazines and killed them. Now you can subscribe to RV Life and get travel articles likely written by a robot or someone who doesn’t even own an RV.
As others have said, RVTravel is the first thing I read every morning. Years ago, it was the Rocky Mountain News, then, when they ceased publishing just before their 150th anniversary, it was the Denver Post. Now it is RVTravel because I get more information that is both interesting and important to me than from the Post. Hopefully, since Emily has taken over for Chuck, RVTravel can continue to be the first thing I read until I go blind or kick the bucket. Maybe you can even strive to keep publishing longer than the 149 years and 10 months the old RMN lasted!
Unfortunately there is much to lambast…
However I was surprised that this forum was critized for being overly negative. It is my impression that much of your content is positive in nature. The RV reviews point out both the good and the bad in a unit. The recipes offered are far from negative. And yes, columns like “Ask Dave” are there to assist owners with issues they are experiencing and can’t help but be critical at times.
I am amazed that your staff can crank out an issue everyday. I would think that it would be extremely challenging for your full time staff members to not become bored with the daily routine. I know that I would.
Please keep up the good work.
When I read RV Travel I read the articles that are useful and interesting and ignore the rest. The articles about electric, RV maintenance, tires and RV reviews are great and I can pick up useful information. Subjects are like going to the grocery store you don’t pick up one of everything just what you need. Reading RV Travel is the same I ignore the fluff pieces and read the useful ones.
Agree!
The RV Industry, in their quest to produce a light weight RV, is turning out junk.
Everywhere I tow my RV I wince as it bounces down the highway behind my tow vehicle because of the ruts, potholes, uneven pavement connections etc. Is that the fault of the RV Industry, certainly not, however, they know RV’s need to travel on the highways so they should be constructed with materials that will give you a fighting chance, and they are not.
Kurt, I think you alluded to a very big issue ruts potholes and uneven pavement. I’m not happy with some of the construction but, it’s amazing that anything can stand up to these terrible roads.
I agree completely. Won’t bore you with my stories.
I think J. Thomas doesn’t really exist.
My feelings as well!
We all have opinions, and most choose to express them in any forum. When you invite expression of the same, you should merely offer it for consumption. The reader chooses to accept the information or reject it. If you invite a differing opinion, be prepared to accept the criticism. Let your publication serve the consumer, and then let the consumer make his decision.
I disagree with Mr Thomas’ assessment of your publication. You publish so many articles on issues we all face as RVers. Yes some need to be negative, but quite often there are valuable suggestions and comments regarding actions that can be taken and how to avoid the issues under discussion. When we purchased our Toy Hauler almost 7 years ago we were naive and clueless about what we were getting into. I wish I had known about Rv travel.com before deciding to purchase our trailer as we would have had expectations more in line with reality once we took possession. We learned and gained so much experience in the first few years of ownership that we now feel we can perform most maintenance, repairs and enhancements ourselves to avoid having the trailer sit at the dealer for months waiting for service. This knowledge and experience in large part comes from reading publications such as this. Keep up the good work and I’ll continue to subscribe. Thank you.
I’ve been reading this newsletter/subscribing to the weekly tips etc. prior to owning a new to us travel trailer. We even got to meet Chuck & members of the RVTravel team at the Hershey RV show years ago and sat down with Chuck to discuss our wishes, research and ideas prior to purchasing our travel trailer. I believe if we had not been introduced to Rvtravel.com, our experiences with our trailer could have been 100% different, and the knowledge I have gained will help when I have issues down the road. Emily, Chuck and team, keep up the good work.
IMHO, Mr. Thomas hasn’t got a clue about how great this newsletter is for us RV owners. Everything he complained about your newsletter not providing is actually in each edition of RVtravel.com. Maybe he doesn’t have the ability to comprehend what he reads, this is a true disability and he should probably get it checked out so he can enjoy this publication.
Yup, JP, your short & sweet comment is bang on…this fella sounds like a shill…cheers
You are providing a fantastic service to RVers of all types and experience. I appreciate the straightforward articles you produce. Thank you and your staff for all your hard work. You are REALISTS helping so many folks. “Lambasting” letter is way off.
I enjoy this newsletter. I scroll past what I don’t care to read. Thanks for publishing. And I didn’t sign up to buy a lemon. Am dealing with a 2022 NUCAMP tab 400 boondock with a myriad of issues. No one would buy an expensive new rv/trailer knowing it would be a mountain if headaches from the get go. Thanks, Tom
Until recently I was a NuCamp owner. I would love to know your story. Have you used the Alde system yet? I’m new to RVtravel and not sure how this site works. I’m not sure if you see replies. I’d love to hear what you are going thru.
Don’t let the door hit Thomas on the way out. With his attitude, the RV industry will never change. Where is the accountability in the US?
With the many millions that read and enjoy, why respond to the one who writes a critical letter and give him so much attention? He is free to unsubscribe and find a more “positive”, neutral page.
I find your articles informative, unbiased, and honest.
Carry on!
October 15, 2022
Dear Mr. Thomas,
Lambasting the RV industry? Why not? They deserve it just like American car manufacturers should have received severe lambasting in the ’70s, ’80s, and 90s, for the crap they foisted off on the American populace before the Japanese taught them how to build reliable vehicles.
As for “RV owners knowing what they were getting into when they bought their RVs”. Really? As an owner of a bottom-of-the-line Thor motorhome, I had absolutely no idea how shoddy a vehicle could be constructed and still be allowed on America’s highways and byways.
Mr. Thomas, you are certainly entitled to your opinion(s), but from where I’m sitting you sound uninformed and pompous.
Sincerely,
Brian Carrozza
In celebration of my pleasure to receive this wonderful newsletter, I am sending in an extra donation. Thank you and keep ’em coming!
unfortunately everything in business is driven by money and profits not quality, produce them as fast as you can to keep the profits rolling in. Maybe we need to write an article from the workers who build the RV and walk in there shoes for a mile. Love of money will always trump quality
Unfortunately true. So what do you do?
First. I am a wannabe RVr. I have spent two plus years doing my research via your newsletter and other sites. I have found that there are a lot of negatives towards the RV industry due to quality. Unfortunately it may be true, but there must be some quality or nobody would be doing this. It is very easy to bring up the negatives and much more difficult to write the positive. Your newsletters have had enumerable helpful mechanical articles. I wish my husband were a “MacGyver”. We would already be RVing if he was.
Unfortunately there are a lot of negative angry comments made above. It is not necessary to be angry if you disagree with someone. His opinion is just as important as your opinion. It is just different. Being in the outdoors it is all about peace and nature and sometimes getting to know your close neighbor. There has to be something positive about this type of lifestyle that draws people to it. One day I hope to find out if I will love it as much as many others do.
We understand it is difficult to have empathy when you don’t have the personal experience. Like yourself , these “commenters” want to experience the “outdoors, peace and nature” but that is difficult when things are always broke and breaking. Obviously not every RV is a nightmare but all you have to do is talk to RVers and read the forums, etc. and you realize these are not just a few “angry-nut cases”….it’s a village..a big one. We hope your dream comes true…we are still waiting.
I disagree with J Thomas. We as consumers have a right to try to keep RV manufacturers on their toes to build the best affordable rigs they can. complacency on our part will give them Carte Blanch to build junk !
Love your newsletter! However, many of your articles since 2020 have been discussing the state of camping and the difficulty in securing RV sites, repairs, towns closing out RVers, etc.
We are about to sell our trailer because getting out west was our dream and it seems we can’t make that work under the current conditions. However, the one thing that still excites us is where we live.
We live in Ohio with an exceptional state park system. If I’m willing to go to any of the parks I can get a campsite pretty much the day before we go. They are always available and the parks are beautiful. A sharp difference from what you describe as the standard across the country in your news letters.
Regardless of the details, your recent letters haven’t had the most positive of vibes. You are always spot on with your information, but for every article about campsites being full…maybe add to those stories the successful camping experiences.
Well, I am puzzled after reading Mr. Thomas’s letter. He must be reading fake rvtravel newsletters. I find helpful stories in each and every daily publication that you and your staff do. Keep up the GREAT work.
As a newbie to the RV world, I love your daily newsletter. Yes some of the readers vent, which is good so both sides positive and some negative are presented. The RV Industry is mostly unregulated, there are more regulations on a 20K Auto than a $200K plus RV. That is the fault of the constituents in every state! If there were a formal, productive venue to voice one’s disappointment it may help change the industry. The “better business bureau” handles complaints from bad fruit to million dollar scams. There in lies the problem! with that being said, I thank you RVTravel for their insight on the RV World, the daily tips, and short stories. Keep up the good work, possibly Mr. J. Thomas (no relation) could be more proactive in creating such a venue?
Do you think something like “Consumer Reports” would work? It would need to be fee based I believe. We have all gotten too addicted to the “free” concept. Too much advertising creates conflict issues sometimes.
You are always asking for writers, offer him a job.
I think that’s an excellent idea.
Like they say in television. If you don’t like what’s on the channel, change the channel. Or shut the tv off.
I can only speak for myself, but I did not sign on to buy an under-engineered, poorly constructed, overpriced piece of junk that we ended up with. I bought a brand built outside of Indiana, that was promised to be “premium”, a “horse of a different color”, so to speak. What I got was a nightmare literally from day one. It’s gone, and at a substantial loss, including thousands of miles of pulling it to and from the factory. Nope, I did not sign up for that.
I think the newsletter itself is very fair in addressing issues and does a great job educating new subscribers. On the other hand you have created many little groups that don’t seem to have any other purpose than rants and rage about a particular issue. I occasionally look at one of these groups and the negatives drown out any positive posts that may be there. The latest is the service center group.
I’d like to see you use your clout on the National level to focus attention on the quality issues and and things like the closing of more and more National lands that BLM and Forest Service manage supposedly for our benefit.
I’ve stopped reading the RV reviews because they read like a RV ad. There are almost no negatives reported. Practically Every new RV I look at has quality or layout issues, many severe, like not being able to get to the fridge.
As much as I’d like to agree with Thomas, I can’t. I think most RV owners didn’t know what they were getting into. I didn’t know that I was going to need a huge toolbox. I didn’t know many RV tires were poor. I didn’t know RV dealers would sell you a trailer too heavy for your truck. I didn’t know that dealer repair shops were inadequate and often did lousy work. I didn’t know it would take 5 1/2 months to poorly repair 6 minor warranty items. I didn’t know that slideouts are poorly designed. I didn’t know that many RVs have lousy suspension systems (not even shock absorbers). I didn’t know that factory warranties are not like car warranties or that you can’t buy factory extended warranties. I didn’t know warranties exclude so many defects. I didn’t know that manufacturers do not do COMPLETE PDIs before shipping them to dealers. The RV industry has been its own worst enemy. If you want a lively conversation, ask RV owners about their RV repair experiences.
You didn’t know the salesperson who sold you the RV was a shoe salesperson at Jenny’s discount shoe store last week. Shame on you! Lol
Had one salesman who didn’t know the difference between a Class C and a Class A. Another didn’t know where the A/C was located (owner’s nephew).
He doesn’t speak for everyone.
The r v industry should be held to the same standards as the automotive industry.When they discover a problem with their product initiate a recall. They could deffenatly have a functional quality control department before the r v leaves the factory. This is my opinion after all we all use the same roads and highways.
WOW!! Think the Responses in the “Comments” are straight up. Do not think RV Travel is being “Lambasted”. Find RV Travel Newsletters informative. Great Job; RV Travel!!
After reading RV bulletin board (before RVTravel) horror stories for 5 years before buying our first RV, I fully expected our entire first year would be spent getting the RV fixed during the one year warranty period. For that reason, I didn’t plan any trips of more than a couple hundred miles from home for the first year. I expected a crappy product from the get-go, and was happily surprised when we lost only 6 weeks of that first year to repairs. Was hopeful that “continuous improvement” might work its way into RV manufacturer board rooms over the years, but from what I read here and from other sources, this is not happening. After 7 years, this rig is still doing great. I have no confidence in the industry now, so this will probably be our last RV. Thank-you for what you do RVTravel.
Dear Chuck. With regards to J. Thomas’ letter and your response, I agree, I did not signed up for my RV to be needing and in repair at at dealership for weeks and months. Included in the frustration is that my warranty goes “tic toc” and I can’t even use it!…I’m working on that with dealership service. Your articles have been extremely helpful from the time I was a new RVer (with no RV) and learning how to buy the best RV for me. Please have your writers continue to produce these daily articles. One persons problem or success is always helpful to someone else.
Chuck, a fair, honest and well supported response.Thank you for an excellent RV newsletter – and the willingness to also host an opposing perspective.
This guy( J Thomas) appears to have some affiliation with the (out of control) RV industry. Chuck and his small band are a dedicated lot, and have been for many years, to the well-being, and betterment of the RV industry and RV’ers. However, much of the work being done here is still ignored by many RV manufacturers, and the majority who subscribe to this site are truly thankful that at least there is a voice out there. As much as RV Travel tries to get the message out that quality, and reliability does matter, quality control still isn’t in the vocabulary of many manufacturers in this enormous industry, That is a fact, and it’s shameful that this level of quality and service is allowed to thunder on. To Chuck and his crew, ‘please keep up your excellent work ‘ as you struggle to improve this beautiful activity known as RVing.
Sorry, Mr. Thomas, I have to agree with most of the comments below. There are many helpful articles on this site and I agree with keeping any industry accountable, RV included.
Case in-point: A buddy of mine Just bought a Keystone Montana, a brand I though to be one of the good ones. Long story short, it is at the dealer for major water damage repairs, delamination and hydralic level system failure. Less than one year old.
The many stories like this are precisely why we bought an older MH.
I have found this newsletter to fairly represent RV concerns. We were fortunate to have purchased a new RV in 2011 and only had one warranty repair need which was fixed in less than a month. I believe the industry has declined in production excellence due to desire to build RV’s faster for more profit. This would then demand more need for repairs and it becomes a vicious circle. I have appreciated all the opportunities to learn about aspects of maintenance and safety of RVs and found the articles interesting. Sadly, there are many horror stories…but they can be taken as warning to be careful when purchasing. There are so many more stories of people who have successful and enjoyable traveling experiences. I would recommend this newsletter.
I applaud the work you do.
As I read through J. Thomas’s letter I wondered if we were reading the same publication as each item he brought up as positives I see on at least a weekly basis? Is he just skimming through?
Chuck gives the facts, you don’t like it, don’t read it. Totally agree with his statements on RV Industry. We have been full timers since 2013 and have two different males and most dels of RV’s and both had major issues that should not have happened. The manufacturers rather build them quickly, them build them right. The dealers are worse because the refuse to fix anything, even prior to ownership. They are not in it to make people’s lives fulfilled, it’s all about the money. If we could charge them for everything that goes wrong in the first two years, maybe they would build them better. As for Mr. Thomas, he will learn. Wish him luck. Tho the RV’s are made horrible most times, I have a husband that can fix things that they should’ve.
As the kids say “ haters gonna hate “. I’ve only had my Thor Tellaro ( class B campervan ) for one year. I’ve learned a lot by reading this newsletter. As others have said, if an article doesn’t pertain to me, I skip to the next.
Regarding your article about judging ( not negative judging ), I get multiple people ask about my RV on every trip. All positive and usually people looking to buy one. I’ve put 25k miles on it with minor issues, mostly screws and nuts not tight.
Keep up the good work.
Chuck, you are addressing a real problem in the RV industry. I do not agree with Mr. Thomas that you dwell on the issues. Even local dealers and independent RV service facilities agree that manufacturers products are delivered incomplete and that supply lines for replacement parts are broken. Your RV may be on the lot for extended time waiting for parts. If you can , find a workaround and use the RV. Also engage with manufacturer for help. Take advantage of brand rallys and service. A great example is Winnebago GNR. For weeks around the rally, repairs can be done at the factory and you get to swap stories and tips with other owners.
Good advice but the supply chain issue is new but the RV “issues” have been here for years and not getting better because there is really no accountability. Not buying is an option as some suggest but we all know that is not realistic.
Keep doing what you’re doing.
Consumers need to know everything they can, “Good and Bad” about this Crazy, Great, Wonderful, Horrible Industry.
Not your job to tell people who won’t listen to get an Inspection.
Duh…
Pretty Shiny Objects with Big Problems and EZ Financing are hard to resist.
RV Dealers Sell the Sizzle.
People will learn eventually or get out.
Thanks!
Keep up the great work, Chuck! I love reading the balanced updates. Got to keep it real. I definitely perceive way more positive information and news than negative.
It’s my opinion that we all have a right to our opinions! That said, some people have a need to “lambaste” others for “lambasting”. Thomas obviously formed an opinion without reading most of the RV newsletters. There is A LOT of positive, helpful information in there.
As always there is truth in both points of view. I have been rv ing since 1971 in rv’s from pick up campers to a diesel pusher. Some I bought used, some I bought new….believing that I could avoid the problems of buying used. That wasnt the case. EVERY rv I have owned had multiple problems over my ownership. For many decades I have said that happy rv ers need to be part mechanic part handyman. Service issues with dealers is nothing new either. What we are seeing now is a huge influx of folks that are first time rv ers that bought on impulse. Combined with the weird world of covid economics. People make a big issue out of little unexpected problems such as drawer that wont stay closed while bouncing down the road. Anyone who has ever ridden in a motorhome has a bit if a clue what an rv goes through while bouncing down the road. Stuff happens…its the nature of the beast. I could go on and on with stories but these issues are nothing new in the rv world
I have to admit, I have thought about unsubscribing because of the negative nature. I get tired of it because it’s so tedious and seemingly unending. But you’re not creating the news. You’re just reporting on it. I get tired of news about the former president too. But he just keeps doing illegal stuff and the negative news won’t stop until he does. So here’s what I do. I don’t read the stuff that doesn’t pertain to me. And thanks to the guy who complained. He stopped me from canceling by waking me up to the value of getting the whole picture.
Mr Thomas must be a lucky man it seems he is able to accept poor RV quality or is connected to the RV industry. We own a Six figure RV that is a poor example of American workmanship I would expected better pride in producing a product that is constantly in need of so many poor production issues.
I am indeed a lucky man for various reasons. Being associated with the RV industry is NOT one of them. We too have a 6-figure coach that has been disappointing. And it’s simple stuff. Bad caulking, bad grout in the tile, loose screws, easy enough to fix but why should we have to right?
If that is all it was I might agree. But we all know it is much more.
I definitely don’t agree with Mr Thomas.
We wouldn’t have all these negative articles if these RV companies made a product that was reliable and trouble free at least until it was out of warranty.
They can’t even make one reliable enough to make it to the dealership sometimes.
That’s the main issue.
We pay a lot of money for these things and year after year the quality gets worse and the price goes up.
Then there is the dealership issues.
There are a lot of good ones, but there are way more bad ones.
They don’t care that you paid a lot of money for a piece of junk, you end up repairing yourself because they either refuse or give you a million reasons why they can’t.
Further more like this industry as others, the companies do not care or try to control how the dealers represent them.
Knowing sometimes the dealers give the company a bad name.
So bottom line if these products were made better, people would not be so negative.
Chuck,
I worked most of my career in a Quality Control/Quality Assurance capacity, part of which involved automotive parts manufacturing requiring strict quality and reliability standards. I’ve watched several youtube videos filmed inside RV manufacturing facilities, the two most recent allowed me to compare and contrast 5th wheel manufacturing. While similar in manufacturing techniques, there were subtle enough differences (to a trained eye) to pick up on which 5th wheel production lines would be supply a more reliable build.
I equate today’s RV quality and reliability to the US automotive “lemon car” period, just before the Japanese “tin can” cars started replacing US models. Higher quality standards drove our US car & truck manufactures to both more reliable, lower cost, and higher quality products. Absent this same incentive to the RV industry, Higher cost, lower reliablity, “Lemon RV’s” will around for quite some time. I’m concerned our concerns are falling on deaf ears.
I believe the person that wrote to you was an arrogant know it all type person. I have enjoyed, learned from and laughed with all your articles. Ignore the butt heads. Keep up the good work!!!!
Surprising that someone would spend good money only to expect poor workmanship? We are on our 4th RV…..popup, bumper pull, two 5th wheels…..yes we have had some issues but I was able to fix them all. (Some elect issues were pretty scary!) At times with a call to the dealer who was more than happy to put one of their techs on line with me….thanks Colonial del Rey RV in Corpus Christi, TX!
I do agree that the industry needs to do a major shake up in their quality effort. I have friends who also own new RV’s and some things we have found while troubleshooting their problems were truly surprising, in the way things were put together.
I get a lot of helpful info from your maintenance experts…..keep it coming.
I suspect the letter was actually written by Craig Kirby, RVIA president and CEO.
Ha! good one…
Tommy,
Thanks for the promotion, but no, I’m not Craig. I have no affiliation with any part of the RV Industry. I’m a consumer just like you. I think the RVIA also needs some serious work and isn’t very effective in the industry with perhaps the exception of the technician certification programs. Their building standards seem lax when compared to residential electrical, for example, even though they are supposed to be based on NFPA 70 (the national electric code). I had a long discussion, to no avail, with a toy hauler manufacturer about putting a breaker panel under the stairs and how that was a code violation. That tells me there’s little to no code enforcement or even spot checking before that RVIA seal is affixed. The other area they could, but don’t, have a positive impact on is best practices. For example, I had a unit where they apparently ran out of red wire during the build so most of the battery & inverter cables were black. Even the ones on the positive terminals.
It’s unfortunately a thorn in the industry that at the beginning I wasn’t aware of until reading this publication and watching shows. As long as dealers and manufacturers continue to do the public wrong, we’re entitled to know and share information. It might be negative but it’s tips we all can use. At the same time this publication do cover all sorts of subjects. Just like the internet, pick what you want to read and scroll past the rest.
Chuck! You spared my husband and Myself the heartache of seeing our dream of owning an RV crushed by corporate greediness. Keep up the good work of unbiased journalism. We will keep tenting at 70! NBD if you can get off the ground every morning and put your pants on from a crouching position. Better to stand up to industry wide corruption than go broke servicing their profit margins.
When all the RV companies are owned by just three Wall Street Corporations you get bottom line thinking. If we had just ONE family owned builder who cared about quality they would get all the business and wake up the others.
There are some (i.e. NuCamp) but that doesn’t seem to help either. Greed always takes over I’m afraid. Human nature.
I spent years working as a customer service representative and I always appreciated customers who would politely tell me what they were unhappy about. They were giving me an opportunity to improve. Of course, I was never happy to hear that I wasn’t perfect, lol. This customer likes your product and you enough to tell you what he is unhappy about. The customers who just silently disappeared from my radar were the the ones that I really worried me.
I agree with Chuck’s answer. He and staff are providing a needed voice of the consumer, all the while being interesting and entertaining. Somebody’s gotta do it!
50/50 like almost everything else these days. Lots of decent tech articles that at least inspire me to do further internet research and I really enjoy your contributing writers like Gail and Nanci.
On the other hand you did spend a lot of time whipping on marcus Lemonis and Camping World .. which is fine by me as long as you would let us name the other dealers that give us as much or more grief. Not as evident.
And what happened to ditching the comments of the negative nabobs who continually spew so much political b.s.? It seemed to happen for a very short while.
All in all not enough to make me want to stop my small contributions, but still .. maybe a bit more consistency in the comments editing?
Like it or Not, we need watch dogs in life, Q&A guys both in and out of manufacturing. Chuck and his staff put out Fare and Balanced reporting of what we are all experiencing as we travel the RV highway’s. I bought the best 5th wheel sold on the market, so said my salesman, he said the manufacture prided it self on quality. I also bought an extended warranty to take care of any major problems my 5th might have, just to be on the safe side. RV’s are a collage of products, axles and wheels, refrigerators, welded frames, that make up the rig you buy. When some item
fails the RV dealer tell you that “they are not responsible” for that Item and refer you onto the maker of the Failed Item or Items. When my spring mount hangers broke away from the 5th wheel frame, I was told by the dealer, that I needed to contact the Axle manufacture. After that, when my springs broke, I needed to contact the spring maker, no dealer or RV maker ever takes responsibility after the RIG is out the door.
Since I often see blurbs that RVtravel.com is looking for writers and Mr. Thomas offered to help, I’m surprised Chuck’s response didn’t start with “You’re hired!” But yes he just needs to look at the daily newsletters to get a more balanced view of things.
Exactly!
I love RV travels newsletters and subscribe to most of them. I fully agree that your articles and reporting are top notch compared to any other RV news source I’ve come across. So keep that up! I do have one point of agreement with Mr. Thomas. I have felt that since your partial retirement, Chuck, that your in opinion pieces have largely been pointing out the industry’s failings and reminiscing about when RVing was perfect. With your experience and lifetime of publishing RV works, I’d love to hear more “positive” pieces from you. But really, take you should take pride in your newsletter overall.
I just met a woman who bought a new Jayco class c which has a black tank issue I e her rig smells like a septic tank. This was after having it for only a few months. Dealer won’t fix properly, lies to her, etc. she sent them a letter requesting it get fixed, it didn’t, so sent to state attorney general and they followed up with dealer but dealer lied again. Now she says she has just given up. And that is exactly why they treated her this way and got what they want. So. That is total BS that we all know what we are getting into when we buy an RV.
I hope you can contact the woman and suggest she contact Jayco directly. I know that Jayco will service units at the factory – as will many manufacturers – and will honor warranties providing the problem was originally reported in a timely manner. If a dealer has tried to fix and failed or refused, go to the source.
That would mean driving from Washington to Indiana to get a warranty issue fixed that the dealer should take care of. I imagine jayco probably wouldn’t pay for the several thousand dollars to make the trip in fuel and campgrounds.
Well, I certainly got you all fired up this morning. I especially enjoyed the commenter who thinks I’m the president/CEO of RVIA. I’m not. I have no affiliation with the RV industry whatsoever. I’m a consumer just like you. Also, like you, I think the RV industry is badly broken. I’ve been called many things over the years but naïve isn’t one I’ve heard in a long time. I also think we’re not going to change a multi-billion dollar industry by waving our swords and shouting at the castle walls. As one other commenter pointed out, and had the chops to back it up, don’t buy one. Until the revenue, and share prices, drop significantly, they’re not likely to change the business model. The few thousands they pay in lemon law claims is just another line item in the budget. Go read their annual report and pay attention to the claims/litigation section. It’s a drop in the bucket. I’ll save my thoughts on RVIA for another time.
Maybe you should submit another article and include some of this. Other than not “buying” are there any other options? I think an independent rating system would help. It cost $ and we have gotten addicted to “free”.
Thought this Mr. Thomas was leaving the site….don’t let the door hit you in the rear!
No problem here. I love your content as it is. No need to change.
You use to have an agree/disagree check-off instead if reading 113 previous comments you need to return to that posting with a separate choice where one choice doesn’t influence the other or remove ones choice. Personally I like it the way you critique the industry. I contribute to your newsletter it’s easy to do. I wish more readers would.
I agree with you and the commentators that have pointed out that every single issue that the letter writer pointed out has been addressed probably numerous times by this news letter. I have found it to be balanced accurate humorous at times and extremely helpful even though I have been RVing for probably 30
years in everything from a tent to a diesel pusher bus.
This is laughable. I really don’t believe for a minute that J. Thomas has read the weekend editions for “a while now”, as he states in his first sentence. The wealth of information in this newsletter is beyond compare with anything else I’ve found out there. And a lot of things I’ve actually put to practical use, both knowledge and/or products. Thank you RVTravel.
I read all your publications. I find the articles to be informative & well written. I have never felt any article I’ve read was lambasting anything. Keep up the excellent work & thank for your efforts.
Hello,
we started our purchasing phase for a Motorhome after two to three years of serious researching shows and dealer lots. This was after looking at doctor’s and other waiting rooms’ magazines about RVing. We then started the “boots on the ground” by going to different dealers. Since Campers World is a large dealership, and their promise of the ability to have it serviced at any CW across the country, we narrowed our search to them. Then we joined/subscribed to your publication and others. Yours is the only one we still have.
I want to thank you for saving our bacon in more ways than one. After several articles relating to the business practice of CW and the different dealerships, the demise of Good Sam we made the decision NOT to purchase from CW for our purchase of the MH. We found a dealer that had our desired floor plan and the brand of MH we desired.
After four trips to two different locations, visiting their service departments and speaking with customers, we made our decision to purchase from Gerzenys RV.
The way I look at it, you and your insight saved me countless hours of frustration and agony, as well as $$$$$$.
So thank you Chuck, Diane, Gail and Emily as well as the other contributors to this publication. Keep up the good work!
For those that read through this and are new to purchasing an RV, pay attention!
i believe this reader must be relatively new to rvtravel.com and only read one or some of the newsletters. If he was reading them daily he would very quickly see that the breadth and wrote of the writing and writers is vast. I would suggest to him that he should subscribe to all the newsletters and read them daily for a couple of years and he probably would have a different opinion.
I enjoy reading your newsletter & have done so for over a year. I think you do a great job providing information- all of it – the good & not so good!
Keep up the great work!
J. Thomas is a fool, or a RV industry plant. Knowing about the “Down and Dirty” side of RVs is what will get you out of bad situations. Not the “Everything is Rosey” approach put forth by the HORRIBLY incompetent RV industry. Personally, I did NOT “Know what I was signing up for” 17 years ago when I bought a new motor home. I thought spending $100Ks would get me the equivalent of a Mercedes/Rolls quality machine to live my retirement travels in. What they gave me was the quality of a Pinto, and the attitude of indifference. I have, and continue to redesign and repair ALL aspects of my coach. At each issue I see the unmistakable signs that someone in design or manufacturing said “F… it”, and went cheap instead of correct. And repair techs are no better. In 17 years I have not found ONE qualified to carry my tool box.
The RV life is a struggle, like any life. I want to be informed of the bad issues I might come across, not the PR fantasies of RVIA.
Thanks, Chuck. Keep it up!
Amen
I believe that the Silent Majority out number those who have legitimate complaints about the quality of their RV. More articles covering the positive experiences would be good.We’ve bought new twice, and had minor issues with only one. The issue didn’t prevent us from using the camper while waiting for parts.
Finally and it might be my fault is that I can’t find a way to search previous articles.
Hi, M D-B. If you go to our homepage at http://www.rvtravel.com, you can use the search box at the top to search for any topic you want. Or on the blue toolbar you can search by category, or some of the main topics have drop-down lists if you click on the arrow. You can even search by author. I hope that helps you find what you want. Have a great day. 😀 –Diane
Is it possible to email rvtravel directly?
Calvin, email us at editor@rvtravel.com
I also have been ready to unsubscribe because the articles lately have been So negative. At least this reader let you know. I’ve just been deleting the emails without reading them…
I am happy to take your place on the subscription list.
I grew up in the rv industry, daughter of an Airstream dealer. This is stuff people need to know, please carry on. Informed buyers are less likely to get burned. People who think the bad stuff shouldn’t be said make me wonder what they might be afraid we’d find out.
After many years of RVing and a variety of different RV’s, if you wrote about the basic generic RV stuff I would quickly stop reading and subscribing. I need and want to read your articles. I’ve learned a lot and in the present atmosphere of the RV world.
Have read RVTravel for about 5 years now. Honestly, can not say that reporting on real issues in the RV world is negative. We all need to know what’s going on. Be it camp site availability, manufacture recalls, RV build quality, National Park closures, or even what’s happening on the RV repair side.
Besides if we, as the consumer are not inform, have a voice,… nothing in the RV industry from accommodations to manufactures will change for the betterment of us all.
It’s seem that he has not read the great information you put into this news letter. I am new to the RV world. I find your letters to be very helpful. As you know around every corner will be someone like Mr Thomas that will act like he has the answers to everything. There is always content that I would like to see more of. Keep the great information coming.
J’s letter and my thoughts are the same as well as some of yours Chuck. How’s that for sitting on the fence? My issue is with the writing style. The titles of the articles has a negative tease or shall we say “shock” to imply that more negativity follows. Most articles have some qualifying statements to balance the headline but that’s further down in the article. I would like to see the “RV sales have skyrocketed” opening sentence retired/abolished/vaporized.
Your readers are multi-generational and have multi-year experience levels within those generations. I’m 72 years old with only 6 years experience. Many of your supporters have been around a long time and most likely, don’t see a problem. For example, there are readers that like to read articles on campground crowding and the “good old days.” Those days are gone and not coming back. I get tired of hearing about it. Your readership base is rapidly changing. That’s a tough balancing act.
The suggestion to “get along” with the problems some have with their RV is good, except not everyone is mechanically or electrically skilled enough to “fix” or develop a “workaround” for some of the problems built into many RVs. I have a workshop, fully stocked with tools and equipment sufficient to rebuild a car or RV but I still run into challenges that require me to research as my 50 years of automotive and engineering experience isn’t always sufficient to solve every short-cut or screw-up done by the manufacturer of my RV.
There’s an old nautical saying that “A bitching sailor is a happy sailor; and ours our ecstatic”. I’ve heard worse lambasting sitting in my parents living room listening to the RV horror stories from them and their friends than anything I’ve read in any rv magazine. Including RVtravel.com. The only way RV QA is going to improve is if we as a buying group start demanding better. RV dealerships have really only recently started hiring techs that have certifications and training – before they were a bunch of shade tree mechanics that had some skill in carpentry and plumbing; maybe some electrical experience, but as an electrical engineer I found that really lacking in most places. It took me years to find a dealership that I am good with working on my rig. But I still fix what I can. As for me, I always look past the carping about what’s wrong and wonder if I have the same issue with my rig but haven’t had the problem yet. I use that info as preventative measures.
Although Mr Thomas writes “I’ve read your weekend editions for a while now” it seems he’s describing an elephant after only feeling the tail. Had Mr Thomas read more of RVTravel.com, he would have known that his concerns have been well discussed multiple times over the years. Maybe Mr Thomas “got lucky” and has had few, if any major problems. After 12+ years RVing (4 years in a 17′ fiberglass travel trailer & 8 years in a Super-C rig), I spoken with many RVers. I can’t remember ANYONE who stated their RV was perfect right from the start. I really can’t believe that any RV builder can come out ahead when so many units need remedial work that simply wasn’t done right the first time. It truly is a case of “the elephant in the room” that the RV industry hopes everyone would just forget. Could Mr Thomas be an employee of some RV builder and thus have ulterior motives behind his “concern” about your writing?
It is a balancing act as stated. I have been camping since I was a child on up through adult hood. I feel I have a very good grasp on utilizing my RV, I have had many. But I don’t know it all and find a lot of tips or advice that comes in handy in just about every issue. That is what I love about this newsletter overall. Yes there are some subjects that don’t interest me and I just move on down the page. Fairly simple, I can see both sides of the issue. Keep up the great work, I really enjoy reading each issue over my morning coffee and absorbing as much new information as possible. If you don’t like it, scroll on bye. Nobody knows it all!! Learn something new everyday.
💯%
First, the RV industry creates it’s own negative press through poor build quality and miserable customer support. Is the solution to shoot the messenger in favor puff pieces by Johnny Robot? I think not. Wave goodbye with a swift kick in the pants and remember the old adage about wrestling with a pig; you’ll end up covered in sh-t and the pig loves it.
Good response. I do not believe most people purchase an RV knowing that they may have a maintenance nightmare. We have some friends who were full-timers but had to spend months in a motel while their RV was being repaired. We did not purchase an extended warranty with our first RV but have purchased one with all succeeding purchases.
Comparing RVTravel to most other RV-oriented forums is like comparing financial advisors. Some, like RVTravel, are fee-based where the advisor is neither paid by nor profits from the advice it gives or products it recommends. Instead, RVTravel is subscription-based and, judging by the number of subscribers, is successful. Please keep doing the job you’re doing and we subscribers will keep subscribing ;-).
For background, my wife and I bought our first RV last fall, a new Rockwood 2621WS fifth wheel. In our case the fit, finish and build quality has far exceeded our expectations. Kudos to Rockwood for a good design, and to Edmundson RV in Edinburgh, Indiana for doing a good job prepping the rig before we took delivery.
As newbies my wife and I do search the internet for RV information quite a bit, and have been pleasantly surprised by the amount of information available. It’s not regulated though, so, we normally get information from several different sources before deciding what seems right for us. RVtravel.com isn’t our only source, but it’s definitely one of our favorites. For us it’s well laid out, well written, and not overly commercialized. We respect others opinions but we’ve never felt a bias, so another vote of confidence from us.
Perfect response!
My take on the RV industry is you buy an RV with the knowledge that it is work in progress and is basically a kit that has to be finished to what you want. If you think for a second that you are buying a perfect product you will be sadly disappointed. I realize that this is not the way it should be, but it is the reality of the RV industry. We bought new in 2015, and before we could use it, the main slide broke and the manufacture bought it back and built us another unit. Second fifth wheel has been customized highly and we really like the finished product. Only able to do this because all the work was done in house with no labor cost. Yes, we really like RV Travel and read every issue!
I agree with Chuck Woodbury’s response the reader. RVtravel’s reporting is balanced. The RV industry’s bad practices are catching up to them with all of the new RV owners that aren’t used to their bad behavior which has been accepted too much by long time RV owners, myself included. They can do better and it’s time we stopped letting it go.
I am grateful for the editorial direction of this publication. There are plenty of influencers shilling and industry touts whose purpose in life is to make money without holding some manufacturers to account for slipshod business practices. Thank you for reliable and timely information. From Jim, B.S. Communications, Lake Havasu City. AZ
With all due respect, I understand where your reader is coming from. Your newsletter is extremely valuable and a wonderful resource of information, but I would encourage you to reconsider his feedback. I’d love to see reporting on industry problems WITH suggestions or tips on navigating those problems. More best practices based on your experience and other veterans from the RV community. A perfect example is trouble-shooting our RVS. Your newsletter does a fine job on detailing a common RV issue, then provides practical solutions on troubleshooting and fixing the issue. Help us understand, give us suggestions on how to deal, provide ideas, etc. I’m not saying the newsletter isn’t providing ideas, I’m saying changing the focus on reporting the problem to providing ideas or tips on an known problem could improve the tone of the articles. Tell us the problem as a baseline, them give us ideas and tips on how to solve it regardless if the problem is technical or industry.
Good ideas but I’m not sure we could afford the subscription price if they were to attempt that. I’m all for it myself.
OMG? Signed up for this? Spending sometimes $100s of thousands to sit in repair bays? I thought your response was too kind. This is my 4th Class C and fingers crossed, it has been my best so far. But I will not buy again, ever. Too risky. Odds of poor workmanship and lack of care are everywhere. I have had problems with my first three and worked through them, many of the repairs and delays would never be accepted out of the gate, if these were automobiles. I will try to make this one last as long as possible so I don’t step on the roulette wheel again. I would probably be the type to jump to a Class A but I just deem it too risky. That is what the RV industry has done to me.
Lambasting? Nope. Holding accountable, yup.
I don’t have time to read an assortment of RV related newsletters, so I settled on the best of the lot, which is this one. I like the content, the information, the entertainment, the humor, the overall balance and the opportunity to express personal opinions freely. It’s also good to know what’s going on within the RV industry. I learn something from every issue and appreciate the honesty and thoroughness of the reporting. You do it all very well.
I have checked out several newsletters covering the RV world and I most consistently read this newsletter and your Daily Tips. I don’t think you lambast the industry, but you do call for accountability. Keep up the good work.
Mostly RV magazines and blogs are selling sizzle or just plain selling. It is refreshing to have the honest truth about what’s going on in the RV industry. I felt I was all alone with RV problems before I subscribe to your excellent newsletter. I like the balance of information you provide in the newsletters and hope you continue for many years to come. Thank you for producing and providing an excellent source of information and news for the RVing community.
I agree with J. Thomas’s second paragraph statement regarding competent service providers including dealers. Ones that are confirmed by readers geographically with a star ratings, big job, but would very useful. Leaving poor performing shops off the list would send them a message. BTW is there an index or way to access the past daily tips, I remember one published a month or so ago but can’t find it?
The problem with this is it easy to abuse. RVtravel can’t personally verify claims.
Hi, Tom. On our homepage at http://www.rvtravel.com you can search for the topic in the Search box at the top and you might be able to find it that way. If you want, you can reply here and let me know what you’re looking for and I’ll see if I can find it for you. Have a good afternoon/evening. 😀 -Diane
This reminds me of people who complain about a TV show- IF you don’t like it you can change the channel. Same goes for newsletters. I enjoy your daily newsletter.
Very precise and well put!!! “Change channels” we’re all big people who can discern if a publication is right or wrong for us.
I have a hard time believing he has read anything . If he had he would have never suggested that you spend more time on how to repair or improve your RV . The RV industry deserves criticism when it makes shoddy RVs and deserves praise when they make decent RVs. As you have amplified many times the service is slow at best and beyond the pale at worst. Thank you for a fine publication .
DITTO!
Ditto and Ditto!
Everyone is entitled to their opinion regarding the way information is covered, be it RV or other subject matter. But RVtravel for my money gives about as fair an assessment of current events in our chosen field of leisure that you can get. Basics you cover are always good reminders for me (we’ve been RVing ~8 years)….the “alerts” on different repairs, services, etc are fine too. Everyone has a particular fav or not with RV service centers. They are for the most part here in Southern California doing the best they can with supply chain limitations, qualified worker shortages and very (VERY) demanding customers in a lot of cases. Without risking stereotyping the people who RV alot….many are very educated, hard working folks who’ve fought or worked their way to the luxury of owning and traveling via RV. They don’t tend to put up with a lot of b.s. from service centers or anyone for that matter. Good people though!!!
One thing is certian, RVtravel is not getting paid to write fluff peices, and give it to us fair and straight.
Most industries have entire magazines that only give glowing reviews, and hide the fact that they are effectively advertisements.
Boy this is true. Sometimes it takes a minute to figure it out. If you submit something to them that the least bit critical see how they respond!
Chuck,
I have been following your excellent journalism and writing since your Out West days and you don’t lambast anyone! I appreciate honest reporting, which you provide.
It is always best to be a well informed buyer, and your observations serve at least two very important purposes. First, they help me make wise and well informed buying decisions (I really like that! 🙂 ) and they remind the careless manufacturers out there that they can’t get away with shoddy products and poor service just because RV’s are in demand.
If I wanted to read their advertising hype, I would send for their brochures. 🙂 Or read the writers who crank out AI puffery.
Thanks for a job well done for more than 25 years!!
Dave
well stated
Amen!
He’s myopic, ignorant, or both. Ugh.
Stay the course Chuck. We’re huge fans!
Doug and Brian
Any “lambasting” done by rvtravel or any blogger (including myself) is WELL deserved. I *completely* disagree with “J” when he says he signed up for the problems when he bought a camper. I NEVER DID!
I bought a 2022 Ford F350 in April. Care to guess how many times its been in for service for things that went wrong from the factory build? ZERO. AND… that is JUST what I expect – in fact – DEMAND.
RV buyers are ENTIRELY too forgiving of manufacturers who are making a substandard product AND THEY KNOW IT as they’re laughing all the way to the bank.
One authority stated they will continue to build JUNK as long as the public’s first two considerations are color and floor plan. Unfortunately, I agree. I’m an influencer and for those who will listen, I encourage to seek QUALITY FIRST, then worry about all the rest. In every category (towable, motorhome) and the various types of each, there ARE quality leaders and in EVERY case, they’re a SMALL percentage of annual RV sales.
Al
Amen. Curious: Are you familiar with the Alde RV heating systems?
Some but only some of Mr. Thomas’s comments show that he has read this newsletter a little bit. I myself would love to not have to have the negativity that we all share about the problems in the RV Industry but truthfully there is a whole lot that the industry needs to improve upon and this newsletter does a great job of helping to point those things out.
This newsletter puts out a lot of great articles about how we all can work on our own campers and help us save money in doing so. I do wish there was a better way to find those specific articles that we may need to reference though.
I hope we all are enjoying the last little bit of time left this year to enjoy the great outdoors, and keep up the great work on RVtravel.com.
Sincerely,
Jack Walbring
A long time reader!
Ugh! Chuck, thank you so much for you answers! I can clear this up pretty quick. Mr. Thomas is obviously referring to another publication. Because it’s top of mind, he’s mistakenly thinking RVTravel.com is the culprit because it’s one of the most well known, and balanced publications in the industry. Unlike you, Mr. Thomas, RVTravel’s subscriber base has grown because we did not sign up for this.
In the outside chance you are referring to RVTravel.com, you obviously have not been reading it very long, or understanding the content. It’s always been chock full of how-to tips and RV info, all to make RV’ing more pleasurable for us all. I honestly can’t remember reading any in depth article regarding litigation.
Finally, Mr. Thomas, if you had been keeping up with the RV world, you would know that this is simply not the best time in RV history. It’s been better and, we hope, it will be better in the future. Please! Don’t shoot the messenger!
Thank you, Chuck, for your continued balanced, fair, and helpful publishing.
I agree completely with Darla!
I didn’t know that when I bought a travel trailer that it’s difficult to get repairs, dealers hourly rate is outrageous and takes a long time for repairs. Than you have the poor quality. Last year under warranty Fritz RV did some warrenty work. One item was the antifreeze bypass hose and valve. It worked last year, but after they worked on it. It don’t suck up antifreeze this year. Sent a email to. their service manager, no response from him. Called three times, no one answers the phone or return’s messages. Another dealer ordered a replacement awning for my travel trailer. Took three months to get. Booked a appointment two weeks later and hopefully, I get it back before snow flies. If you want to know about peoples nightmares and experience just read some of the RV forum’s.
The forums are a great source but as I’m finding you better dedicate 40 hours to research and filtering the information because it isn’t organized very well, etc. I could write a book on all the junk I’ve had to put up with over the years. Good luck to you.
Hmmmm… about the only negative posts I see at RVtravel are the comments from readers! Sure, you have to tell it like it is, and sometimes that may be perceived as negative, but the negative part is what is wrong with the RV industry… not in how you report it.
If the RV industry makes substandard products and expects the public to just put up with it, that is a negative topic… but your reporting of that topic isn’t. It’s simply reporting the facts… and that is what we’ve come to expect from this publication… good reporting.
Keep on writing and telling it like it is!
Be seeing you!
Amen!
Clearly, ol’ J. Thomas works for the industry. The arrogance and silly, condescending suggestions were comical. But the sad part is that he attacks this newsletter (ie. media) instead of the root cause, the industry’s actions (ie. those doing wrong). This is really just an example of the age-old attempt to blame media for telling the truth.
The industry reaps what it sows — and it simply does not care. If it did, it would build better products and create a better service network. Instead, it builds mostly crap, takes people’s hard-earned money and laughs all the way to the bank.
SOME people know what they are getting into when they buy an RV. And thanks to this newsletter, more people, like me, become aware of the risks and can make more informed decisions.
Well said SLR. What to do about it is the question. I’ve owned close to 20 RVs and there is rarely an exception. What do you think about a website which compiles and reports all of the RV “issues” by make/model etc.? Would people pay a small fee (i.e. consumer reports) to have access? The fee approach would avoid advertising. We Americans do love free though.
First off, many many thanks for your leadership and the wonderful team you’ve inspired to support our RV community… and yes, the RV industry, too!
We desperately in need of a service to candidly call the “Balls and Strikes,” being fair, honest, trustworthy and respectful to everyone.
And yes, while we may not embrace the tone of J. Thomas’ critique, I feel everyone is welcome here to share their opinions, beliefs and critiques in a similar manor to RVTravel’s content, analysis, views and opinions.
And perhaps more importantly, IMO RVTravels articles and this forum certainly aspires to offer the RV community a safe place to learn, discuss and critique individual our views despite the occasional “gr8 b8 m8” trolls out for a good time.
Happy trails to our gr8 community!
Michael
Oops, and many thanks to you Diane for your hard work and passion grabbing the reigns and riding into the [your noun here!] Despite all the pretty silver and gold stars our teachers gave us, Ma and Pa didn’t promise life would be a cake walk!
Keep on truck’n gal and go get ’em… Giddyup!
Thank you very much, CTV! (blush) My pleasure, honestly. Have a good night. 😀 -Diane
We definitely need more umpires and fewer marketeers in the RV biz. I’m glad I’ve discovered this source of information.
The reason there is so much negative comment is the RV manufacturers are turning out so much CRAP just to get it out the door to keep on turning dollars in the door. Try building quality units and the problems will decrease.
Amen!
An interesting sociological study.
I think RV Travel is fair. The truth isn’t always positive. Yes as Chuck stated the provide many helpful articles every year for 21 years. Thanks Chuck
I was surprised to learn that the warranty is only good at the dealership you buy your RV at,
not dealerships that sell the same RV.
Technically not true, BUT it often works out that way. Dealers don’t like us looking for better deals in other towns/states. Additionally I’ve been told the manufacturer’s warranty reimbursements aren’t adequate.
I think J. Thomas just wanted to have his moment in the spotlight. As a long-time newspaper person (I met you Chuck at the Senior Spectrum where Bob Carney was editor) I have NEVER seen ANY grammatical or spelling errors. He had his moment in the spotlight — now I hope he’ll leave you (and us) alone.
I just had to add — I think your newsletter is waaaaay positive and it teaches me quite a bit about RVing. I hope J. Thomas rides off into the sunset.
If Mr. Thomas only reads your weekend newsletters, he is missing the best of what you publish! Newsletter for Beginners, Full-Timers, and of course, the Daily Tips one (as you said, Chuck). Mr. Thomas has sure missed the boat (pun intended) and shown his ignorance of what RVTravel.com is all about! All this, and I don’t even own an RV yet but I read the Newsletters I mentioned so I’ll be ready when I buy one and become a full-timer!
I’m sorry, Mr. Thomas, but I cannot agree with your assessment. I’m a new RVer and have found these newsletters invaluable. I also subscribe to others, one of which is mostly negative. But I need information on RVing, the good and the ugly.
This is not a rag on mister Thomas, but I am a firm believer that there is an ounce of truth in every thing people tell us, even if we do not agree. I have read most all newsletters, even though some of them had nothing to do with my type of RV, and found it helpful to pass along the information to persons that it does. So, glean from mister Thomas and toss out what does not pertain. Keep up the good work you are doing.
I love your newsletter and have learned so much from it. That being said, I do get tired of reading all the negative campground complaints and about all shortages. I have camped my entire life and have SO many positive campground stories and have met SO many wonderful people that touched my heart. Maybe while informing us just add a few stories that make us smile and remind us why we choose to camp.😊
Good Morning All!!!
I have been a reader of this newsletter for about 3+ years now. As with any newsletter, newspaper, magazine and blog the information can be both subjective and objective, it is a matter of personal judgement if the article is pertinent to the needs of that individual to either read it or not. Case closed…
I have found the RVTravel newsletters very informative. It is not the view of this reader that RVTravel is pounding down our throats that RVs are bad and we need to do something about it now!!!
They do respond to readers comments about their issues and how to go about getting things done. I myself have never had an issue with getting things repaired on my two RVs and thought that was the norm but hearing and reading about some of the horror stories, we as RV owners should be raising the roof about the industry but address it in a positive way!!!
Perhaps Mr. Thomas has a vested interest in the RV industry? He certainly has not widely read this newsletter as is quickly determined by his suggestion that there be more articles on “helpful” topics. As a reader for many years (not weeks or months), I suggest he go to the Archives and catch up.
I have owned 20+ RVs in 50 years. Most of the appropriate RV Industry adjectives have already been expressed. If Japan started making RV’s, goodbye Elkhart. Three RV “stories”.
2008 Heartland Sundance Stabilizers drug the ground on the slightest incline.
Mfg’s engineer told me “we thought that might be an issue”. $2k fix.
2015 Travel LIte: No tongue weight. Great concept. Out of
business.
2018 Travel Lite Mfg. installed the roof panel in reverse causing it to
crack the camper’s entire width. Act of congress to get fixed. CEO eventually
fired. RIP
New 2021 NuCamp TC. Mfg sent me parts to fix after “begging”.
Stove has to be removed to replace Alde system fuse. Alde’s electronic are
next to most of the water connections. The CEO’s explanation: trade offs and “we elected to maintain our identity”. High-tech RVs built by the Amish? Nice cabinets! “Customer Experience” suggested I sell it if I wasn’t happy.
RV owner’s need accountability and unbiased resources!
great and fair response. what really irritated me was that the other guy said we knew what we got into when we first started with our RV. We had no idea and were clueless about RV’ing. thank you for addressing that and all the many great articles that helped us to be better RV owners.
Chuck and team….don’t change a thing and keep up the GREAT work!!!
Chuck and Emily ( and the rest of your great staff and contributors), I’ve read your great newsletters for years ( and yes, it is worth paying for!) and have learned a lot from all of you. Keep up the great work. My wife and I have been RVing almost 50 years and still learn from reading your newsletters.
I agree with you Chuck. #1 today’s RV buyers are overwhelmingly 1st time buyers, so there are tons of things they know little about, like their RV’s and about the industry. #2 the industry is about making money. There are many, many shareholders tied to the success of this industry, and success for them is NOT necessarily good for the RV owner. Look at the long waits and delivery times for parts and service. #3 A long held view that I have is that manufactures want to “pump out” units as fast as possible and let the dealers and sales lots deal with warranty claims and issues. #4 The Sales/Repair side of the industry has NOT kept pace with sufficient numbers of trained technicians and facilities. So the industry is now known as “parts changers” vs. “trouble shooters” to fix the problem correctly the 1st time. 5# Whenever you have 2 more RV owners together, sooner or later they have repair or breakdown war stories to share. That happens to be a fact about RVing.
J. Thomas has not been a reader very long, or he hasn’t read many of the issues while he has subscribed to have his stated opinions about RV Travel. I have enjoyed learning about RVing by subscribing to RV Travel and reading material it has referenced over the last 10, or so, years. Thank you Chuck, Emily, et al., for the great efforts you make to write informed and balanced articles!
Ditto
I actually believe you have been too nice to the bulk of the industry. With the exception of long-time RV enthusiasts who have waded through the countless websites, blogs and YouTube channels filled with RV puff pieces that are underwritten by industry advertising, only to eventually find your digital publication, we actually welcome the thousands of newbie owners who have been bamboozled into thinking they purchased a high quality product from a reputable dealer to finally get some truth. Here they will find honest opinions along with practical suggestions on how to navigate some of the more common problems with their new investment.
As a “newbie’, I appreciate ALL the articles I read from you folks. Sure some replies are a bit testy but understanding comes from a myriad of perspectives.
When I DO finally get to travel in my rig, I’ll have a much better concept of what to expect. AND, I’ll have a network of folks I can tap into if I need help.
At 72, & just starting my journey,
I appreciate all I’m learning, pro & con.
Thanks for being here for all of us.
Keep up the approach Chuck. The truth is most important. Demand excellence in everything. It’s the American way. Close enough isn’t good enough.
Mr. Thomas must have been lucky enough to not buy RVs that don’t need a lot of fixing. I just watched a video from a full-time RV couple who bought a Vilano fifth wheel because of their great reputation. Since January, it’s been one issue after another. It’s a good thing the husband is handy as he’s fixing the things he can. So according to Mr. Thomas, these things are not to be discussed? I discovered this newsletter in 2016 and I enjoy it very much. If he is only reading the weekend issues, he’s missing a lot! I think your response to him was a lot more measured than I would have been.
We have just begun our journey into RV ownership and are in the shopping period now. RVTravel has been an invaluable resource in guiding us. Numerous articles covering a myriad of topics that the poster says he did not see. Articles on the state of the industry are very welcomed by us. Mr. Thomas’ lament leads me to believe he must be an industry representative or someone with a vested interest. Chuck and staff, keep doing the great job that you are doing. My only complaint is that I can’t read all of the great articles that you produce!!
I disagree with Thomas’s viewpoint. I’ve never bought any RV expecting to have problems or long wait times for repairs and I like getting the informationfromyouthatI do. I believe Chuck’s rebuttal to be spot on.
I thank Mr. Thomas for giving us something to think about on how to make improvements to an already worthy site. I appreciate his articulate letter and the civil manner in which he presented it. Finally, I respect him for taking the time to ask a question that many think but few voice. As can be seen by the large number of comments, this letter vibrated a nerve, bravo Mr. Thomas.
Good morning Chuck and team. We bought our first RV in 1997. Found your site in your early days..we have been reading daily at least 20 years. It is the first email we open for the day. We have only owned 3 rigs in all that time. We credit that the RVtravel. We still own our 30ft TT bought new. Now it is parked permanently with a nice awning shelter on property we own. Still love this trailer. We just got older and after trips from our Washington state home all over this beautiful country and deep into Mexico we downed sized to a class C 19ft leprechaun motorhome that is perfect for us. We thank Chuck and team for the education we were given over the years to know how to buy a rig that would be perfect for us without the salesman’s pressure. Read to learn if the article doesn’t fit you move to the next one .. Chuck keep doing what you and your team do and thank you for the “education” you have given us along the way. You have saved us thousands with the education. Thanks
We recently had some issues with the purchase of new camper from Campers World and with the lack of cooperation by the service department. There is a way to contact the President of Campers World by email. I did this and it took a few days, but I did get a response and talked to someone there that was helpful. Here is the page you can go to if you wish, https://rv.campingworld.com/marcusvip.
I have been camping for 60 years and RVing for 44 years. Chuck’s newsletter is OUTSTANDING and TRUTHFUL! I think that Chuck and his staff provide a well balanced newsletters. Chuck is right on with his response. I have owned popups(3), travel trailers(6), fifth wheel(1) and we full timed for about 5 years. I have seen way more than the few problems that Chuck presents due to the declining quality of the RV industry!!! Keep up the GREAT work Chuck!!!!
I don’t agree with him. To be honest being in what used to be called the body and fender Business for many years and taking pride in what you do. I can truly say stick built campers are junk. I’ve had several trailers. I have had a motorhome over the years and refused to buy another stick built camper until they stop putting out junk. They build junk and then we buy junk until we stop buying the junk they will not stop putting out junk. I have had to resort to downsizing to what they call a egg ( fiberglass) camper because that is the best there is right now. A person told me one time that they wanted a camper to get up off the ground. I never slept on the ground when I had a tent. I want a camper to keep water off my head. Build me a good trailer and tell me what I need to pull it with and I will buy it.
Good god, He could have got at least one point right to be taken seriously. Wow.
I agree with Mr. Thomas. Even though unpleasant truths need to be told there needs to be more positivity. I have not subscribed because of the negative tones to this publication.
Both are right; a nice compromise might be to offset the horror, with the meaningful, helpful, etc. I’m not talking “skin diving” on any issue, but “water-ski” us through important topics. Which – (again) I feel you do fairly well. And I personally love the horror stories; some of them make me feel better (about our horror stories) – others sometimes promote any myriad of feelings; thankful for the information, something I may not have thought of (I’m the original Plan “b”, and worse person). I’d suggest that if Mr. Thomas has some insight into solving problems, a better approach, something he finds very successful, perhaps he should submit something to you, for all of us to analyze.
I’m not going to rule from the sidelines if I can COACH others in some fashion.
thanks –
I have found your news letter really helpful. I love my trailer, but I really had no clue what to expect. I have learned things from you that have helped me to ask the right questions when I go in for service, and that’s a big deal for a neophyte like myself. I’m learning as I go and have been really encouraged by the stories and information. Thank you!
The RV industry has the reputation it has earned!
I have learned a lot from your articles! I am so appreciative of learning do’s and don’t’s with my rv and on the road. What you’re writing about is the truth and I appreciate learning about the different companies and their standards/morals. I do not want to get my next rv from a company that does not care what they put out (poorly built) because their bottom line is the almighty dollar! I lived near Elkhart since ‘71 before I started full time rving (‘19). The stories I could tell you from several friends that worked in several factories! Mister, they are doing you a favor telling you these truths! When I started, I had never owned an rv and never pulled anything in my life. I was a single 65 year old female and drove from IN to TX. Terrifying, but I did it and I love it!!! To me, this newsletter is the best out there! I just learned something yesterday I did not know before and very grateful for the info. Thank you!
Thank you for your very kind words, Jane. We’re very happy to have you along for the ride, and wish you many happy and healthy years of RVing. Take care. 😀 –Diane
I disagree that most people know they will be getting a basket of problems when they spend 200K+ apiece on two new motorhomes (like I have). In the past 2 years my newest one has been in the shop about 17 months, rendering my investment useless while it sits there depreciating. And it is the manufacturers that are totally to blame, not the unsavvy consumer that had the audacity to even think that when you purchased something this expensive there would have been at least a cursory attempt at quality assurance and workmanship from the top down at the factory.
I’m on my fifth RV, we started with a small travel trailer, then three fifth wheels, each larger than the previous, and now a motorhome. We have bought used knowing that there could be repairs needed. I have saved thousands buying used. We bought our last fifth wheel for half of the original purchase price when it was only 3 years new.
RV Travel was a major influence for me to again buy used when we bought our motorhome five months ago. We bought a 2007 Damon Challenger 378 (workhorse chassis). I knew going into it that some minor repairs could be needed. Last summer, we did a 6500 cross country trip with two issues, both were easy fixes.
If I were buying new, like when buying a new car, you expect to pay more, and have the vehicle be perfect. If not, you get the dealer to fix it in short order. Here’s the issue, most new buyers have no idea of the poor quality control or delayed warranty time for repairs. RV Travel is truthfully stating the facts of the industry, good and bad.