Release the task force reports — today
I thought I was having an other-wordly, near out-of-body experience. I was sitting at a table on the final day of the 2007 InSites conference where campground owners and managers had been gathered in Phoenix for a week. The event was a panel discussion involving the leaders of the RV industry.
Standing at the microphone was the highly esteemed and award-winning president of the RV Dealers Association, Mike Molino. He was describing the current state of the RV industry and promoting the need for more professionalism and more partnering among industry players. It was refreshing. Then he talked about the biennial consumer satisfaction surveys that showed 30 percent of the buyers of new RVs were dissatisfied in 1999, 2001, 2003 and yet in 2005.
If you recall, this is the survey the industry stopped conducting because the results weren’t getting any better year after year despite the constant talk about doing “something” to make it right. Better to turn down the volume of complaints than pick up a shovel and hammer and do something meaningful to actually resolve the complaints of RV owners.
Molino then described the meeting in Ontario, Calif., in November 2005 at which the RV industry formed five task forces to make it even easier for people to talk about doing “something” to improve the critical issues facing the industry. At that point, it was as though my soul left my body and I was watching the meeting unfold in a surreal sort of way.
“Each task force worked for two years to come up with examples of practices that get good results. They analyzed root causes of the problems and came up with suggestions on things we could do to solve the problems,” said Molino. “These folks came up with good ideas and ways to address these issues. But word is not getting out. Let’s get the word out.”
You have to understand that at EVERY meeting I have been at where a Committee on Excellence Task Force member has been presenting ideas, it was Molino’s own staff that laid out the rules regarding what I could and could not report. For example, at Committee Week in Washington, D.C. last June, task force chairman after chairman, stood up in front of the committee members and outlined a series of exceptional ideas on ways to improve parts delivery, warranty processes, staff training, industry communications and product quality. Yet, the RVDA staff and RVIA staff frequently reminded me that I could not report anything that was spoken, written, mimed, signed, or conveyed through extra sensory perception for fear of “stifling” debate.
Ironically, there was little debate at the meetings. The task force members who took their jobs seriously and drafted the ideas and presented the suggestions were rarely asked a question by the committee, let alone invited to debate a particular point. The task force presenters were simply thanked for their input and assured the full committee would review their recommendations.
I was allowed to report the official board actions of the RVDA and RVIA which was supposed to review each of the recommendations and pass resolutions or policies in support of their implementation. But, when the board minutes were finally released, the content bore little resemblance to the powerful presentations I had witnessed, but couldn’t report to the industry.
So, I agree wholeheartedly with Mr. Molino that word is not getting out. But there is a reason for it. It’s that the industry associations which oversee the five task forces haven’t released a single committee report. I sense that Molino is ready to make that information available for a true industry debate. And to be honest, the task force members who worked so dilligently to research best practicies across multiple industrys and formulate workable solutions to our problems deserve to have their ideas heard.
Consequently, I would like to offer the services of RV Trade Digest. If RVDA or RVIA simply sends me the committee reports, I will have them posted on our Web site and even e-mailed to 8,500 key players in the industry within 60 to 90 minutes of my receiving them.
If the desire of key industry leaders is to get the word out about task force recommendations, then they cannot stifle the industry’s journalists who make a career out of disseminating information.
If we truly desire an industry debate on parts availability, warranty, training, communications and product quality, then give the industry something to debate. Release the task force reports. Today.
November 19th, 2007 at 4:46 pm
Three cheers to those who have provided their comments to Greg’s article.
Having served on many different technical and business committees, I know first hand the problems that Committees have in making their collective views heard by their Parent Organizations.
A quick summary of concerns:
1. Are the reports being witheld due to Competitive Issues? If so, edit out those specific areas and release the balance.
2. Do the reports contain information on potential safety issues? Is so, Federal Safety organizations and the Insurance industry would have a field day.
3. Do the reports identify an Engineering issue? If so, then maybe it is time to correct the problem.
In this Freedom of Information Age, nothing is sufficiently sacred as to hid from the light of day.
November 16th, 2007 at 10:11 pm
Marcus Lemonis has always respected our right to report industry news as we see it, good or bad. He is always available if we call him and we are available if he calls us. He does ask that we report the news correctly and has taken the time to call and explain his position or correct something that is wrong, or in dispute. I respect him for that.
On the other hand RVIA and RVDA have decided not to engage in discussions that questions their decisions or motives on industry issues. This is also their right, but I think it is intersesting to see how some executives respond and how others choose not to respond.
While they may not respond in print, we will have discussions with them in Louisville and I suspect they will tell us that they do not like the approach we take to some industry issues. It will be the same discussion we have every year. I did receive one private response from RVIA this year relating to some of my postings, but they did not want to go public with their feelings on the matter being discussed.
Forums and blogs are part of the new social media impacting not only our personal lives, but also our business lives. You can bet that there are a lot more people reading this blog than contributing to it. And I suspect many of them are at RVDA, RVIA, and the AGI family of companies, including FreedomRoads and Camping World.
We report, you decide - oops, somebody else has used that line already.
Ok, how about fair and balanced - nope, can’t use that one either.
Agree or disagree, contribute and have some fun on here.
November 16th, 2007 at 5:59 pm
Greg and Bob,
Stay close to your phones tomorrow because I’m sure the RVDA/RVIA Honchos are going to give you a personal Saturday call just like Marcus did. (They’re just busy deciding who the designated spinner is.)
November 15th, 2007 at 6:43 pm
By now, anyone reading more than one article, listening to one opinion, or having input from none but a salesman should know that ANY appointed committe has an agenda and expected report favorable to the organization or person apointing the committe. When the report is given, if not supportive of the views, opinions, or agenda of the ones that appointed them, they ar politly thanked, but not told that the ‘consideration’ will be what trash box to hide the report will be used. RVIA and RVDA are expected to be a conduit for information between members, with the purpose to advance the overall industry. To do this, there can be no protective posture of any individual entity that proves to deteriorate the colective whole. The ‘bad apple’ effect.
As to political concerns… one doesn’t have to say who is doing it wrong, to say who is doing it right. One doesn’t have to say “this doesn’t work” to say “this does work”. Subjective oversight is ivory tower at best, nepotism as standard, and the road to disaster often. RVDA and RVIA have to step back and become objective. Just the facts, let the chips fall. Otherwise, they are just aranging the breakfast table on the titanic.
November 14th, 2007 at 4:13 pm
I just want to thank all of the individuals who have contributed their thoughts.
It appears that several warning shots have been fired across the bow of the RVIA/RVDA Ship-of-State. If the Captains of the Ship fail to grab hold of the rudder soon, the next shots could be below the water line.
November 13th, 2007 at 9:47 pm
RVDA and RVIA are living a fairy tale if they think the very same people that contributed comments to the reports issued by the task force’s are not saying the same things to their manufacturer’s reps, employees and even their customers. There are no secrets in this industry, the information is being discussed openly and most of those doing the talking are very critical of the industry for not taking an aggressive posture in releasing this information and implementing programs to address the consumer’s concerns.
There are only two intelligent answers to the issues presented by Greg in this commentary. If the task force reports were not well prepared, did not include valid information, and did not address consumer concerns; then they should be denounced publicly by the industry associations as having no relevance to improving customer service. The silence is deafening. If the task force reports are valid, present meaningul best practices, and detail the level of dissatisfaction that consumers have with the RV industry today then they sould be published and corrective action must be implemented immediately.
What is RVIA and RVDA afraid of? I think most people are quite capable of arriving at their own conclusions if we could just get our hands on the reports that are being hidden from public view and discussion.
Somebody should have the guts to do the right thing here, but don’t expect to see a long line in Louisville under the banner that reads, “Release the Task Force Reports Now.”
November 13th, 2007 at 9:43 pm
RVDA and RVIA should publish the information as a first step. Publishing the info, without more shouldn’t raise any competitive concerns. However, isn’t the second step for dealers to stop doing business with the many many manufacturers that consistently fail to support their products? Stop talking out of both sides of your mouth and take a stand.
November 13th, 2007 at 6:36 pm
Greg
Sometimes I wonder who RVDA really represents. Are they a dealer organization or they just there not to rock the boat. Like the car industry, until the industry steps up and warranties everything they put into there product and not force dealers to deal with 20-30 different vendor products trying to get parts and warranty paid the customer satisfaction index cannot get better! A couple of manufacturers have a single source warranty and I bet there individual satisfaction index is better then the industry average by far. RVDA needs to be the leader in getting a single source warranty put in place along with RVIA and streamline parts ordering using standized forms. Warranty claims filed online and timely approval of warranty work would allow dealers to schedule and finish warranty work on a timely basis. I suspect all the meetings and suggestions in the world by all these well meaning committees will be for naught unless those running RVDA are held accountable for following through on the committee recomendations. They should report what the recomendations are and if necessary allow the dealer members to vote on what direction and position they want RVDA to go in.
November 13th, 2007 at 5:41 pm
It seems to me that the market place will eventually right some of theses wrongs. Look how many years we seem to be behind the Auto Business in so many things. During the past 11 years we have concentrated on Rv’s, I have seen multiple manufacturers swing from one end of the spectrum to the other. It is no different than running a dealership. People come and go and we are no better than our weakest link. In a perfect world, I would love to have each one of my product lines come in like our Bigfoot Brand, but they just don’t. I think we dealers need to make sure the units are all they can be when they leave our dealerships. If you have a product line that is a dog, and the manufacturer refuses to do anything about making it better, I think the market place will force change or extinction. Seems like there are so many choices of product lines, why put up with one that is bad?
We can complain all we want, but unless the builders of these Rv’s has the “will”, they just get tired of a complaining dealer. You’ll lose your ability to have any impact because you’ll be marked as a whiner.
November 13th, 2007 at 4:35 pm
Well if the industry does not wake up, there are industrious people out there that will. Detroit never saw it coming. Nobody will buy those “foreign cars”. And well, their backsides have smarted ever since. With so little actually being manufactured here in our country, does it take a Honda or Toyota or Hyundai to shake things up? Sooner or later, they might.
November 13th, 2007 at 3:19 pm
Like any trade association, I suspect, a handfull of the top players yield a lot of power in the halls of RVIA and RVDA!
November 13th, 2007 at 2:16 pm
Thanks Greg (and thankyou, Sean) for getting this issue out in the open. All I can add is that apparently the “Freedom of Information” act does not apply to the RVIA and RVDA. How sad!
In this day and age, the RV Industry should have little reason to hide or protect any action by an endowed Sub-Committee. The Management of RVIA and RVDA are all dependent upon the decisions that an informed public will make when looking at one of the many RV products. Thus, the overall goal should be one of wide distribution of all information that is not competively sensitive.
One only has to recall the recent disturbing verbage that was ballyhooed by virtually every News organization over the Formaldehyde issue. It pays to nip such high profile stories in the bud.
If RVIA/RVDA Management decides to hide their collective heads in the big sandpile, then I foresee the RV Industry going through an Identy crisis similar to what the Auto industry went through some time ago.
What can be most beneficial to the RV Industry at the present is to consider the wealth of information that is readily available from technology-savvy industries. There are many potential partners out there and many folks willing to both serve and help the endowed Sub-Committees. All they need is an invitation.
Gene
November 13th, 2007 at 2:05 pm
Greg…I like what you do for the industry and how you do it! Somebody needs to step and say things that might be a little unpopular. You do that and I complement you for it! Now, if the recomendations and deemed to be a mission impossible…there might be some justification for holding back until something changes. I really doubt that however….I’m with you. RELEASE THE REPORTS!!!
November 13th, 2007 at 12:59 pm
It sounds like the information will be useful for everyone going forward; however as RVIA and RVDA are both associations of fierce competitors, it’s likely there are some tricky anti-trust issues that must be addressed first. This industry does not take change very easily, and some industry participants may chose to fight change.
November 13th, 2007 at 11:41 am
If Mr. Molino has information that would move the industry forward, and is withholding it, he is derelict in his duties. Or, maybe the best practices aren’t kind to RV dealers and he is protecting his flock?
“Getting the word out” in today’s world is about as easy as turning on the light switch. Greg has offered, and I will offer, to “get the word out”. The problem here is that “the word” is being horded by an outdated command and control mindset. Protect the turf at any cost even if the turf is turning to mud over time.
Wake up gentlemen, the world has changed! Flip that switch.