Hello Fellow RVers,

Isn’t the Internet wonderful?  The Internet, and its social companion Email, has literally transformed the way folks gather information and also communicate with others.  What is equally amazing is the speed at which messages travel around the globe and yet, among all of the folks who have an Email account, it manages to find the person to whom the Email was sent.  Now that is almost mind-boggling.

Such was the news I found as I opened up my office this morning.  Here, on my laptop’s screen, I found six, yes six responses to the article I wrote that addressed the plumbing problem that happened to a newly purchased 5^th Wheel RV.  (If you missed that article, you can read it under “Fix What is Wrong” in The DYNAMO News.

While space is not available to relate the individual happenings, the substance of each happening is sufficient to raise the question that is the title of this article.

Yes, Who is Responsible?  Now I am not a person who seeks to point fingers at a particular individual or company.  When the truth is known I am sure that there is enough fault to pass around.  Of course, the facts in any past happenings can always be viewed from the perspective of 20-20 hindsight.  However, taking this view seldom, if ever, pays off.

The Classical role of Quality Control (QC) would place the responsibility for, and implementation of QC, at the Manufacturing level.  Every modern industry has found this to be true and the RV Industry fully supports this implementation of the QC role.  But just because QC is put in place, does it fulfill its role sufficiently to screen out the faults and problems at the end of the Manufacturing line?  We would certainly hope so.

Let’s look a little deeper.  The RV Industry is not at all unique in its tiered structure of Manufacturer, Dealer, and Consumer.  Many industries operate with this structure and do it very successfully.  The RV Industry fits very well into this mix.

However, let me suggest that within this tiered structure also dwells a deeper responsibility for the RV Industry.  In a few words, the RV Industry must provide a product that folks can live in for a period of time ranging from a few days of mini-vacation time to several months spent traveling around the country.  Those RVers who embrace the “Full-Time” way of life end up spending years in their RV.

This brings me to the point of this article.  Reading over the happenings as related by the Email writers suggests that each level in the RV Industry tier can share a portion of the blame for the problems that were experienced.

“Ouch” you say.  “You are telling me that I (the Owner) am part of the problem?”

Absolutely.  Let’s go back and look again at the RV Industry tier structure.  What are the roles and responsibilities of each member of the Tier and how are they implemented?

Here are some thoughts for consideration.

• The Manufacturer has the overall responsibility for providing a product that meets the Owner’s expectations.  If that were not true, there would not be one RV sold anywhere.
• The Dealership has the responsibility for providing an environment that brings together the Manufacturer’s product and the prospective Purchaser.
• Upon purchasing a new RV, the Owner has the responsibility to keep that unit in good repair and fully functional.  If the Owner is unwilling to shoulder this responsibility, the RV will soon fail to meet the needs of the Owner.

We will examine the responsibilities of each Tier member in a later issue.

Thanks for reading.  If you know of a similar happening to an RV, please drop me a line.

Respectfully,

Tech Support