RV Industry In Chaos?

Above, a RV park in Marin County of California. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Is the RV industry in chaos?

One would not think so with sales of new RVs are at high levels. But one RV industry expert believes it is.

According to an article in The Weekly Driver:

Chuck Woodbury, editor and publisher of RVTravel.com, the industry’s largest online publication, is a full-time RVer and a mobile lifestyle advocate. But Woodbury says the RV industry is in chaos. Buyers must beware, owners must be more considerate and manufacturers need to re-evaluate their responsibilities. 

According to the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) in Reston, Va., wholesale shipments of RVs increased 17.2 percent in 2017 from the previous year. Motorhome shipments increased 14.4 percent last year from 2016 totals. 

But while the sales highlight the industry’s boom, it’s also fostered growing concerns of decreasing manufacturing quality. Additionally, with traditional homes increasing unaffordable in metropolitan areas, including the Bay Area, more city dwellers are living in RVs, sometimes in parking lots. Proper sanitation should be a priority but sometimes isn’t. 

As recently reported by Bay Area News Group, many RV dwellers in the Silicon Valley are working class individuals or families who have been forced out of their homes or can’t affordable apartment of other traditional housing. They’ve simply fallen on hard times. 

“I think the RV industry should be watching carefully, recognizing this is a problem that will likely get worse,” said Woodbury, an author and host of the best-selling Better Business Bureau DVD, “Buying a Recreational Vehicle.” 

“But I have seen no evidence that anything is being done. The focus is almost exclusively on sales with some discussion about expanding RV technician training programs, which is a good thing.” 

Woodbury, who has traveled throughout the world as an RVer for more than 30 years, believes manufacturers and dealers entice potential buyers with increasingly advanced equipment and furnishings and with low long-term financing. But it’s rarely in the best interests of RV customers. 

“To me, it’s a huge problem,” said Woodbury, who frequently receives letters from readers of his website and RV Travel Newsletter about catastrophic issues. “I am probably the only voice out there trying to get the companies to do something more to improve their products.” 

Further troublesome is a lack of qualified assistance for RVers whose vehicles need repair.

It is interesting that Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay area are cited. With high prices for food, housing, gasoline and high taxes in California, it is a small wonder that people are resorting to living in RVs. California has become a one-party zoo. This doesn't surprise me one bit.

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