Yesterday Miss Terry had her annual checkup with her oncologist, and we’re pleased to report that everything is fine, and she is still cancer free after almost nine years now. It is always a very frightening and emotional ordeal for Terry when this time of year comes around. I’m sure I’d feel the same way if I were boarding an airplane back to Vietnam. We appreciate everybody’s e-mails and positive thoughts for a good result for Terry yesterday.

After reading my comments on our recent experience with the FMCA, the things I said about Fleetwood a few days ago in the blog, and in view of past criticisms I have made about things in the RV world (namely, the poor quality of too many rigs), a longtime industry insider told me that the problem is that Terry and I are outsiders and can’t see the whole picture.

It’s true. After 10 years on the road and publishing the Gypsy Journal, almost nobody in the RV industry has ever heard of us.  We don’t go to the trade shows like the big Recreational Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) event in Louisville, Kentucky every winter to rub shoulders and hobnob with the movers and shakers, so we have little credibility with them.

We are not a part of the RV industry as much as we are a part of the RV community. We live in an RV 365 days a year, and we have for over a decade. We’re not in an office or a boardroom somewhere deciding what RVers want and need. If you want to find us, look in your nearby campground or at an RV club potluck dinner, where the real RVers are! Those are the folks who have to live with the junk that so much of the RV industry produces.

Maybe I can’t see the big picture from the viewpoint of the RV industry, but from where I sit it’s pretty simple: build a decent product, sell it at a fair price, and stand behind it if something goes wrong. That’s not rocket science folks, it’s pure and simple Business 101!

I have been accused of putting down every RV manufacturer out there. Not true at all! There are some very good companies producing excellent rigs, and I have applauded their reputations many times. Companies like Heartland, Winnebago, Tiffin, and Newmar, who have been able to withstand the downturns in the RV industry because of the loyal customer base they have earned.

Notice that I said earned. Customer goodwill is not something that just happens when a salesman hands over the keys to a new RV to its owners. It’s easy for any company to smile and pat you on the back when they have your check in their pocket and the ink isn’t dry yet. The telling point is when you have a problem, and how they deal with it.

Do they solve it without a hassle, like Bob Tiffin is famous for doing at his company? Or do they give you a runaround, and tell you it’s your fault their workmanship was not up to par, like too many outfits in this industry are famous for?

By the way, I’ve never met Bob Tiffin, I don’t own an Allegro or Tiffin coach, and his company has never spent a nickel advertising with us. But I am very impressed with the way the man does business, and someday I’d like to shake his hand.

Thought For The Day – People are more violently opposed to fur than leather because it is easier to harass rich women than motorcycle gangs.

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Mark Polk has an interesting post on the RV.Net blog titled My Top 5 Predictions for the Future of the RV Industry. One of his predictions is that the weak will not survive. I agree, and I think that is a good thing. But I’ll add something to Mark’s prediction – the undeserving also will not survive.

For years, many big RV manufacturers had the same mindset as AT&T did back when they were a monopoly – “We don’t care because we don’t have to!”  You see where that got them. Now some of the RV companies who had that same mindset are history, or are on the ropes, just waiting for the knockout punch.

When people ask my opinion on which RVs to buy, I have always recommended four brands, based upon the quality of their rigs and their history of customer service. Those companies are Tiffin, Heartland, Newmar, and Winnebago. When asked which companies I would not buy from, Fleetwood has always topped my list. Having been Fleetwood owners, we know just how poor their quality and customer service is. Monaco was another company I could not recommend, based upon the problems owners of their coaches have shared with me over the years.

As I look at the companies who are hanging in there in these tough times, and which ones seem to be going by the wayside, I see that the same ones I have always been comfortable with are still cranking out units, and the ones who I have felt were problematic, are now going or gone. While I sympathize with the RV industry workers who have lost their jobs, I can’t feel bad when I see a company that has routinely neglected its customers close its doors. I only hope that when things pick back up (and they will), these displaced workers can find positions with the strong companies that survive.

Speaking of big, impersonal companies, having run small town newspapers for much of my adult life, I have seen what happens to small business owners when WalMart comes to town. I have also printed the letters to the editor from local people complaining about losing their jobs at those small businesses when the doors closed. But I also saw those same people shopping at the big discount store to save a buck. They never seemed to understand that if they did not support the small shop owners, those shops would close and their jobs would disappear. So you save a dollar today and lose a job tomorrow. That makes good sense, doesn’t it?

While out soliciting door prizes for our Gypsy Gathering rally, we were dismayed to see how many small stores that donated door prizes last year have gone out of business. At the same time, there are more and more big chain stores in Casa Grande. When we call on those stores, the managers put us off by telling us that all donations must go through the corporate offices, a long and involved process that seldom gets any results. So, just like the residents of this and other small towns, we have seen the local small time operators close up, and the big impersonal stores display their don’t care attitude when it comes to giving something back to the community.

Almost every small restaurant we have called on has donated door prizes, some have given several. But, with one exception, the chain restaurants who could easily afford to donate a lunch or dinner have said no. So when we go out to dinner, we make it a point to dine at the small places whose owners give even when they really can’t afford to, because they want to support our rally and the money it brings to town. I hope when folks get to the rally, they will pass by those big places and patronize the local businesses too.

After reading yesterday’s blog, several readers wanted to know just whose name Bad Nick wanted to tell that young fast food worker to call out. I think myself and Bad Nick will take that one to the grave with us. Did I ever tell you what a great shot my wife is with a pistol?

Thought For The Day - It doesn’t take a very big person to carry a grudge.

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