As for the couple tht drove to Chicago during a blizzard, to do business with a dealer they never met, and did all their shopping by phone and the web - well they got exactly what they deserved. I do not know the dealer so I can’t comment on the deal itself.

However, this one surely qualifies as a stupid, uninformed, and misguided customer and the dealers that they passed over should consider themselves very fortunate.

An inexperienced RVer that goes this route will almost always be disappinted.

The other rambling didn’t tell us anything that most of us already knew.

As for the one that got removed, I missed it completely and can’t comment one way or the other.

Last night, I reviewed that video again and agreed with Gene that it really isn’t in good taste to post it here. Although it is available all over the Web, its home is better suited for the everything goes, no holds barred, we can say-do-act anyway we’d like YouTube environment than it is a business-to-business site.

So I made the decision to remove the link to that video. But its existence in cyberspace speaks well to my original point. Be careful. What you say or write to someone in haste or anger this morning may be broadcast all over the world this afternoon.

The fact that a video made a decade ago or longer enjoys new life in the 21st century speaks to another unfortunate fact. The Internet is forever. Anything posted in fun today will be archived by someone tonight and re-released in the future, often at the most inopportune time.

Just ask Vanessa Anne Hudgens.

Take Al-Ko axles, for instance. They KNOW they have a problem with their axles from the 2003-04 model years, yet instead of stepping up to the plate and replacing the axles, they are denying folks left and right because they’re “out of warranty.” What a cop-out. Must be the bean counters who said that it’d be less expensive to pay off a couple lawsuits than to voluntarily recall their defective product!

What can the consumer do when manufacturers and component suppliers refuse to stand behind their products? Shout it from the rooftops on the internet! It WORKS!

Yes, we all have to deal with lousy customers as well, and we’d all like to videotape them and post what idiots they are, but we all know we can’t do that. Take good care of your customers and they’ll remember it and will tell others. It’s quite simple. Unfortunately, until the manufacturers are held to a higher standard, it’s the dealer that will have to bear the brunt of most of the irate customers.

I can understand the frustration that folks may have regarding poor workmanship, etc. But all I can say in response is “Let the Buyer beware”. When you seek out a good product, you will get a good product - at least 99% of the time. There is sufficient room for everyone to make an honest mistake.

You know the numbers as well as I do, thus, for an Industry as large as the RV Industry is, someone will find something to rant about. That’s normal.

Gene

It is amazing how the changes in technology and media can give people a voice/outlet that they may have never had before. As you mention above it all comes back to something completely unrelated to technology. Good ole common sense and customer service … no computer needed for that.

However, as the every day average Joe is out searching the Internet for his next RV purchase or trying to decide if he even wants to … RV Manufacturers and RV Dealers can use technology to their advantage as well. The same forums, blogs, and video sites you mention above can all be used to the advantage of the RV Industry.

Encouraging customers to post messages and videos … even the Dealer and Manufacturer themselves. Even though it is basic at the core Monaco Coach is using YouTube.com to host the videos of their products for all to see. See their videos here.

It’s like everything else … good things take time and effort … going after the quick-buck tends to produce bad results everytime.