Roadtrek and Hymer

[BobB]

Originally Posted by gregmchugh

Well, they solved the problem in their usual fashion, they simply deleted the whole post with the link to the FitRV Hymer interview...

Shoot the messenger. So sad.

Hope the boys at IOP follow these "alternate" blogs/forums and not just RT FB page.

[Davydd]

Originally Posted by gregmchugh

Well, they solved the problem in their usual fashion, they simply deleted the whole post with the link to the FitRV Hymer interview...

Mike Wendland is consistent. He does say it is a NO WHINE ZONE group and there is to be no bad mouthing manufacturers and dealers. That's the rule he set up in the pinned post at the top of the page. It seems Hammill and Campskunk did exactly that faux pas.

Of course you could delete just the offending posts, but that would go over like a lead balloon with the parties involved.

[wincrasher]

This whole episode reminds me of that movie Scream.

Hymer is the nubile young Drew Barrymore talking on the phone. Roadtrek is the guy with the mask and the big knife.

I'm the guy in the theater shouting "You in danger girl! Run!"

[bobojay]

Originally Posted by wincrasher

This whole episode reminds me of that movie Scream.

Hymer is the nubile young Drew Barrymore talking on the phone. Roadtrek is the guy with the mask and the big knife.

I'm the guy in the theater shouting "You in danger girl! Run!"

LOL, that's great!

[Scottbaldassari]

Originally Posted by gregmchugh:
I see you are trying to get Jim to confirm the manufacturing plan, it will be interesting to see if he keeps responding...

Originally Posted by gregmchugh:
Well, they solved the problem in their usual fashion, they simply deleted the whole post with the link to the FitRV Hymer interview...

Well... I've learned one thing.
Come to classbforum or FitRV to get info on roadtrek, hymer and other B Vans.
Go to roadtrekking fb group for... well... I'm not sure.... let me know if something interesting happens over there....

[gregmchugh]

Originally Posted by Scottbaldassari

Originally Posted by gregmchugh:
I see you are trying to get Jim to confirm the manufacturing plan, it will be interesting to see if he keeps responding...

Originally Posted by gregmchugh:
Well, they solved the problem in their usual fashion, they simply deleted the whole post with the link to the FitRV Hymer interview...

Well... I've learned one thing.
Come to classbforum or FitRV to get info on roadtrek, hymer and other B Vans.
Go to roadtrekking fb group for... well... I'm not sure.... let me know if something interesting happens over there....

If you are looking for warm and fuzzy discussions of lifestyle topics it is the place to be, it did not get 6000+ members by accident. I got kicked out awhile ago for impure thoughts expressed here on this forum.

For more meaty discussions of Roadtreks there is the Roadtrek Owners Group on Facebook. Open to anyone interested in Roadtreks.

[Scottbaldassari]

Originally Posted by gregmchugh

...For more meaty discussions of Roadtreks there is the Roadtrek Owners Group on Facebook. Open to anyone interested in Roadtreks.

Thanks, (membership pending), but I must say, my interest has waned considerably....

[gregmchugh]

There are plenty of very happy Roadtrek owners, plenty of good used ones, mostly good new ones, and also some specific things to avoid at the moment in terms of the newer technology.

[gregmchugh]

Another plus for Roadtrek that I don't see mentioned often is their new 6 year bumper to bumper warranty that includes everything except the chassis and AGM batteries. I expect the Roadtrek naysayers will come up with reasons to poo poo it. If Hymer ends up in control it will be interesting to see what happens with warranty coverage.

PEACE OF MIND MOTORHOME WARRANTY
Six year unlimited mileage/km, Peace of Mind motorhome warranty, covering the manufacture of the motorhome, appliances, electronics, plumbing and EcoTrek batteries. Original manufactures warranty on all appliances will be applied first. Warranty excludes the complete chassis and AGM batteries which have a normal one year manufacturer’s warranty. Effective on all new units purchased on or after August 1st 2015.

Roadtrek’s six year unlimited mileage/km Peace of Mind warranty is fully transferable from the first owner to the second owner. A warranty transfer card can be found in the back of the models owners manual.

[avanti]

I agree that the RT warranty is noteworthy. I am especially impressed by the fact that they cover appliances and other systems after their OEM warranties have expired. This is almost unprecedented. I trust that they have thought that one through.

[gregmchugh]

Originally Posted by avanti

I agree that the RT warranty is noteworthy. I am especially impressed by the fact that they cover appliances and other systems after their OEM warranties have expired. This is almost unprecedented. I trust that they have thought that one through.

Clearly they have estimated that the increased revenue due to more sales with the new warranty will more than cover the extra warranty costs. Many other RV manufacturers and car manufacturers have gone down that path and reversed course when it didn't pan out. I would hope they up their quality in parallel to help reduce the warranty costs but that seems to not always be a priority in these types of plans.

[wincrasher]

LOL. A long warranty won't cover your personal expenses and frustration dealing with continuous breakdowns, or the lost or interrupted travel plans. Nor will it compensate you for those trips to Kitchener to fix your shinny new RV because your local techs don't have a clue. Time comes at a premium for the RV demographic.

Just marketing to appeal to the uninformed. I will point out that it worked for Chrysler and Hyundai in the past. Those 10 year warranties did move the needle.

[troyd]

Originally Posted by gregmchugh

Well, they solved the problem in their usual fashion, they simply deleted the whole post with the link to the FitRV Hymer interview...

Their dirtbaggery towards TheFitRV and then this lack of transparency made it really easy for me to eliminate the Zion from consideration. Roadtrek's sales was actually very responsive to an inquiry about customization (thanks, Billy!), but nothing can compensate for antagonistic, shortsighted management.

Separately.. from the outside, Hymer's culture and products seem so different from Roadtrek's that I'm surprised they did this. Also, Hymer isn't capital-constrained; if they wanted to build here, they could, and compared to the other costs of entering the US market (dealer network, product design), it seems like even a small NA market share would justify doing so.

I think it has to be testing the waters for an outright acquisition, as others have said. I don't know how Roadtrek would meet Hymer's build quality expectations while concurrently not meeting it on Roadtrek-badged units. I could see Hymer trying a partnership with people on-site as a test whether Hymer's involvement can bring the build quality of both badges up, though.

I think Roadtrek's current owner is a small private equity firm in Evanston, IL, called Industrial Opportunity Partners: http://www.iopfund.com/news/Industri...rhomesInc..htm

I see a much stronger shared culture and product fit between Hymer and Safari than Hymer and Roadtrek. Safari cares about the same things Hymer does and the Safari Condo Flex wouldn't look out of place as a Hymer unit. They're too busy to take on contract manufacturing, though.

Troy

[booster]

While I am not a big fan of companies using shills to push their products, without really acknowledging their connection, I would certainly agree that the attack on Fit RV was over the top. Roadtrek is trying to keep all negative stuff under wraps, but when they do stuff like this, they just make it much likely that negatives will be published, and they have no control over Fit RV like they do the Facebook stuff. They probably have virtually guaranteed that Fit RV will not pull any punches in Roadtrek reviews in the future.

Like we all have said many times, Roadtrek needs to get a heavy dose of professionalism injected into their management.

[gerrym51]

Originally Posted by booster

While I am not a big fan of companies using shills to push their products, without really acknowledging their connection, I would certainly agree that the attack on Fit RV was over the top. Roadtrek is trying to keep all negative stuff under wraps, but when they do stuff like this, they just make it much likely that negatives will be published, and they have no control over Fit RV like they do the Facebook stuff. They probably have virtually guaranteed that Fit RV will not pull any punches in Roadtrek reviews in the future.

Like we all have said many times, Roadtrek needs to get a heavy dose of professionalism injected into their management.

could someone clue me in what fitrv said since i did not see it

[BobB]

Originally Posted by gerrym51

could someone clue me in what fitrv said since i did not see it

In a way, they did not say anything. They asked questions of the Hymer rep and she said things RT did not like.

Here is link to video on FitRV website

Hymer Interview and Grand Canyon Preview

[booster]

Originally Posted by gerrym51

could someone clue me in what fitrv said since i did not see it

I didn't see it myself, but it appears it all started with Fit RV interviewing and Hymer representative, who said some things Hammil didn't like. He got very caustic in his reactions to it.

From and earlier post

James and Stef of FitRV interviewed a Hymer spokesperson. 1) Roadtrek will build to Hymer spec with Hymer oversight. 2) Hymer will sell and distribute using its own network.

Hymer Interview and Grand Canyon Preview

[gregmchugh]

The post on the new Roadtrek warranty got the response I predicted. How about another positive comment about Roadtrek to see what the response will be...

I think Roadtrek has a great brand name, not too many letters to type, easy to pronounce, descriptive of their product, I think it is just great

[gerrym51]

Originally Posted by booster

I didn't see it myself, but it appears it all started with Fit RV interviewing and Hymer representative, who said some things Hammil didn't like. He got very caustic in his reactions to it.

From and earlier post

How is built to Hymer spec and oversite a negative to Jim?. If Hymer is hiring Roadtrek to build their vans in North America of course it would be to Hymer specs.

[gregmchugh]

My take on it is that the Hymer rep likely divulged details of where they may be headed with Hymer that have not been finalized so not ready to be revealed in public (likely the contract manufacturing agreement has not been signed yet). So, if there was a real issue with the interview it was the Hymer rep's problem not FitRV. Jim's incorrect comment about FitRV being Winnebago PR people is just the usual Jim making some kind of negative comment about Winnebago whenever possible. Just my take on it...