RV Industry Death Spiral

[RodgerS]

Even if you pay to remove it, it has to go somewhere else OR go through some tear down and disposal process. 

Can't just bury it, right? It is built on a frame of metal and that can be scrapped. You could burn the wood. Either way there has to be a tear down and you are left with a lot of nasty stuff to get rid of. 

There are auto salvage yards and I believe there are some RV salvage yards or boneyards, at least for some MHs where parts are needed because the mfg went out of business...orphan MHs.

 

[jleamont]

Yep, there are RV boneyards around, some of the junk I have seen sitting around would'nt be accepted there either...

Tear it down burn what you can and scrap the metal, I see no other way. maybe a local junk man would just come and pick it up? I have a guy like that I can call, he'll take anything.

[RodgerS]

ELKHART — "An ongoing series of controversial columns penned by RV Daily Report Editor Greg Gerber has certainly captured the attention of the North American RV arena, including industry insiders as well as consumers whom, he maintains, often harbor “seething anger” over the industry’s quality, warranty and service issues."

"I’m going to attack every segment of the industry because they all play a role in it. Manufacturers, suppliers, campgrounds and dealers are all dropping the ball. Consumers are contributing to it by their behavior and purchasing decisions."

RV owners...have been surprisingly supportive. I think they are the ones bearing the brunt of these problems in the industry. They are the ones frustrated beyond words with product quality. They are the ones who have to give up their lifestyle for weeks and months at a time to get problems fixed. And they are the ones who now are having trouble getting campground spaces."

"We are in a political situation in this industry where two big corporations control the entire thing. Technically, it’s three when you throw in Keystone/NTP-Stag. All of them can exert tremendous pressure on suppliers – as monopolies can do – to squelch viewpoints that they may not necessarily agree with."

"And if this industry does not want to self-regulate product quality, I can assure them that consumers are going to start going to their state and federal legislators and they’re going to scream loud and hard.And the industry is going to probably start facing Lemon Law regulations that they wish they hadn’t. And consumers are going to pick up pitchforks and they’re going to charge Capitol Hill and they’re going to say, ‘Look, this is a big problem, and nobody’s listening."

"Greg Gerber still loves the lifestyle and still loves the industry. But what changed for me — that many in the industry don’t do — is that I got one of their products and started using it. I saw how frequently it breaks down and how much money it costs to get it repaired. I know how hard it is to get service from an RV dealership, especially if you didn’t buy the RV there. So Greg Gerber understands, from the eyes of a consumer, what the industry is doing. Buying this RV and hitting the road was the biggest eye-opening experience of my professional life because the things that we had written about in the past I had no idea really what it was."

To read their interview with Gerber: http://www.rvbusiness.com/2016/07/the-buzz-whats-with-gerbers-death-spiral/

[jleamont]

I have been reading these directly off of their website. some of it is a stretch but accurate non the less. 2 years ago walking through our local RV dealer for parts I often will browse the showroom just to see what's there. I saw a new Winnebago DP with a tag axle, I looked up inside was wowed by the bling, so I had to walk in, one side the slides were out, the other they were in. I got curious what they used on top of their slides as a roof, since ours has a Stainless steel cap the extends down the side wall, I stuck my hand up there and OUCH....I got pricked by a staple sticking up, with that I noticed there was nothing but bare wood, I guess the slide topper really has a serious responsibility

[manholt]

Any where along the Gulf of Mexico shoreline and the Southern Atlantic shore, you will see lots of parked, white, rectangular trailers, that you can't buy!  They are stock pilled FEMA trailers and will never be used again.  Sad part is that most off them was never used !  We had thousands of brand new trailers brought into Harris, Chambers and Galveston County in the aftermath of Hurricane IKE...even though there was thousands that had never been used in the aftermath of Hurricane Katharina in Louisiana.  Does are still sitting in big lots in and around Hammond, LA.

I have been inside several and they all have one thing in common:  The stench of Formaldehyde !  

Carl

[rsbilledwards]

Carl,

 

If I recall that is why they were used very little to not at all. The powers the were, did not stand up and make a decision pro or con , so they sit unwanted. No decisions and still they sit at our expense.

 

Bill Edwards

[manholt]

Bill.  You be correct !  Too my knowledge, it's been catch 22 since Hurricane Andrews in 92'...

[jleamont]

I'd bet the interiors are trashed by now from water leaks. Rubber roof sitting in the sun that long with no routine maintenance can't be good.

[manholt]

I don't think there is any damage.  They're built like  a mobil home.  Fully loaded with bedding, sheets, towels, dishes etc. Some are 2 door, 2 bedroom with bunks and others are one door, one bedroom....they are nice and well built.

[hermanmullins]

Those FEMA trailers, as they were called, were trash to begin with. In Paris, Texas there was a place where you could buy them for $3,000.00 then $2,000.00 and they still couldn't get rid of them. They were insulated with formaldehyde foam insulation  and no holding tanks (standard household plumbing).  

They were not built to last and they didn't.

Herman

[jleamont]

I have seen in campgrounds what looked like previous FEMA trailers. No decals and only one or two windows. They have an odd look to them, not like a normal TT.

[RodgerS]

The following video was great fun to watch. It is easy to imagine such a trailer having a lot of issues for the dealer and owner to contend with. 

The young guys were really hustling and were obviously on a time clock. Not hard to imagine what decisions an individual would make 

when they get tired or have other things on their mind to keep up with the clock, especially if the next unit they build is a different model. 

No old farts need apply. 

 

[manholt]

That's very informative!  I like the fact that it's on a production line and not everyone is doing everything, you have different people that are really good in the one or two things they do.  Junk?  I don't think so.  I have a lot of people I know in the Escapees that keep buying Jayco over and over again.  They love them !  They also like the customer service,  Then again, what will happen in the future, now that they are owned by Thor, only time will tell !