They do not make a good sell able product at a competitive price. They do not pay warranty. Fleetwood does not care for any of their employees. How many salesmen and parts and service people have left or been let go over the past 10 years?

Fleetwood is a mess and will continue to be a mess as long as they keep doing the same thing that got them in the mess.

Bret Folkman

“Long forgotten is the customer that wants a quality product or at the very least, value for what they pay…it’s more important to build cheaper products that won’t last long so you have to buy another one in 3 years. Just so it looks good seems good enough for them.”

As long as the RV industry holds this perception of themselves, their customers and their products, then we will continue to do the same things that created this situation in the first place.

The problem is the way we market and sell RV products. History has proven that people will pay for quality when there is “real” quality to be had. People are not stupid, they understand the quality issues surrounding many products in the RV industry and they will fight you on price when that is the only thing you have to hang your manufacturing hat on!

In every other consumer purchase, a person will spend their hard earned money on quality products, whether it is a car, house, kitchen appliances, or tools. I don’t know why the RV industry continues to have a problem with this fact of everyday life.

If dealers continue to sell on price, then they have nobody to blame but themselves for the problems and perceptions that come along with this attitude.

Selling value will never go out of style, if you have the value and reputation that your products deserve. You can’t “hope” that people understand value, it must be demonstrated throughout the pre-sales, sales, and post-sales activities that each dealer and manufacturer put into the making and selling of RVs.

Long forgotten is the worker that makes the product that the masses want to buy…they cost too much money, much better to quit production in American and have it made by cheaper foreign labor overseas.

Long forgotten is the customer that wants a quality product or at the very least, value for what they pay…it’s more important to build cheaper products that won’t last long so you have to buy another one in 3 years. Just so it looks good seems good enough for them.

Long forgotten is corporate pride…but then again that comes when you are really proud to have your name or face on your product because it stands for something. I feel that most corporate leaders only look at the name on the front of the building they work at, as the place they’re at until something else better comes along…it’s the old, “If I make a monster hit here, then someone else will come along and offer monster money for me to do it for them.”

Not forgotten, is the stockholders and the top management…and top management’s bonus programs. I would think it’s safe to say in today’s corporate world, that when a decision is being made, that more thought is put into those two ideas, than into what’s good for the product, the worker, the customer or our country.

When Fleetwood closed factories in both the U.S. and Canada, using the excuse of poor sales and then turned right around and opened new ones in Mexico, how could it be any other way? Cutting back production in the face of poor sales is something anyone can understand, in any industry. But, this was nothing more than corporate greed.

I wasn’t actually comparing Swid to Buffet per se. I was merely drawing a parallel based upon the fact that one doesn’t necessarily need to know much about manufacturing to purchase a manufacturing entity and be successful (Buffet). If you’re making the purchase for investment purposes then you’re knowledge base can be more about financials then production.

Fleetwood is indeed one of the best known names in the industry, but your assessment about having a quality reputation is perhaps a bit behind the times. Take a look at the numerous RV forums on the internet and you’ll find that’s not the consensus opinion, which perhaps mirrors what you’re likely to find in the campground as well. That’s the primary reason why I think it’s sad what they’ve become, because of what they once were.

Fleetwood is one of the best known names in our Industry. They have an established reputation for quality and I say that not just because I own one of their products.

All that said, I suggest that Fleetwood management shake off the bad press and hunker down and move ahead.

Gene

One could say the same thing about Warren Buffet, but that didn’t stop him from buying Forest River. It’s always wise to know what the company you’re buying actually does, but since Buffet is pretty good at investing it seems certain people can skirt that issue and still come out on top. Now, I’m not saying this guy Swid isn’t some kind of leech — for all I know he may very well be — but his motive could also be to make a change for the better.

As you noted by Fleetwoods financials the company has been hemorrhaging money for years. It’s products are no longer regarded very highly, it’s customer service is widely reviled, there’s far too much duplication in their products, the list goes on. To be honest, it’s kind of sad how far they’ve fallen.

Quiet clearly, Fleetwood needs to do something. Perhaps a new owner is the answer. Could Champion possibly do worse?