Hi Dan,

I just read your article about AGI and their antics. 

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Well written, informative and good for more than just one chuckle. However misguided AGI is, they are addressing or illustrating a serious problem in the RV industry. Most dealerships parts/service departments are often manned by thieves and snake oil salesmen. I've been an RV owner since 1996 and have kept up with the RV news industry via your pages on and off since then.

It is time that RV dealers started to take a look at how they treat their customers in after sales support. They aren't just selling a product, they are also selling a lifestyle. Many lose track of that when they are asked to service an RV, then they are in Education; To teach the hapless RV owner, just how badly they can be shafted.

I've spoken to many other RV owners in my travels and the most common complaint is that RV service departments pretty much suck regardless of which state or province you visit in North America. Very often complaints are about poor quality service, often a repair has made an affected item inoperative, or unsafe to use. Other times the complaint is about the 200% (or more) markup on replacement parts. Many feel taken advantage of when service is required on a road trip. Do you know how often a $79 trailer tire can cost $250 on Friday evening just before closing time? Reminds me of the auto industry about 25 years ago.

Yes there are some very good dealerships out there, and they most likely outnumber the bad ones. Problem is that they are the only ones who know who they are. Now you may like to blame the RV'ers for not giving feedback for poorly done jobs, but is that a reasonable expectation? They'll certainly spread the word when they've been treated poorly, but I've yet to meet a service department who's willing to put their neck out and ask the customer "How have we done, can we improve our service for you?"

The industry is due for a shake up. Look at the demographic makeup of RV owners, and how it has shifted over the past few years. More younger professionals are getting into the RV lifestyle. They are the same group who adopted Japanese and European automobiles when North American cars were so bad. They aren't going to stand for getting crapped on by an RV dealer. Hopefully the bad ones will put themselves out of business.

Won't it be a much stronger industry when it learns that reasonable prices and well trained technicians translates to satisfied customers who'll visit their shop more than once, creating more business and better revenues?

Thanks for letting me vent.

Chris Knowles
Information Services Director
Redeemer University College
Ancaster, Ontario Canada