R-Vision orders dealers to stop internet advertising - Fiberglass RV
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Old 07-29-2003, 03:42 PM   #1
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R-Vision orders dealers to stop internet advertising

I was recently made aware of a disturbing trend from some trailer manufacturers ... who in an attempt to shore up dealer sales territories and prices ... have ordered dealers to stop internet advertising.

Most recent manufacturer was R-Vision, maker of Trail Lite, Trail Bay, etc. As you may or may not know, several internet-savy dealers (Camper Factory Outlet in Wisconsin and Worldwide RV in Arizona) have really made a name for themselves, offering consumers RV's at a steep discount while maintaining a high level of customer service, etc.

No, these are not molded fiberglass trailers ... but I thought you all might be interested in a letter that was sent from R-Vision's co-president to all its dealers, stating a new internet policy which went into effective July 21, 2003:

http://rvwholesalers.com/R-Vision-Letter.gif

In the letter, Co-President Doug Bailey outlines the policy and defines the action it will take if dealers do not obey the new policy.

The letter is a GIF file. In my browser, I clicked on a little floating box on the lower right of the letter to enlarge it big enough to read. You may have to go through extra steps to enlarge the image so you can read it.

Bottom line, however, is that effective July 21, 2003, dealers who continue to advertise R-Vision products on the internet, will first be warned ... and then the company will take steps to terminate its dealer agreement with the offending dealer.

Truly a sad day for RV'ing on the internet.

http://rvwholesalers.com/R-Vision-Letter.gif



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Old 07-29-2003, 03:47 PM   #2
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Greed is a hard thing to stop.



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Old 07-29-2003, 10:43 PM   #3
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We found our Honda Odyssey on-line.. the dealer was in Oxnard - about 80 minutes away..... we purchased the vehicle there, it was ready when we arrived .. signed a few papers and left. Price was much better than local dealer.

We have work done at our local Honda dealer... the Honda is under warranty no matter what Honda service center we go to. Never a problem and great service.

R-Vision isn't going to stop people from buying where they find the best deal, or a great dealership that they like. But they might end up losing business when customers end up choosing another trailer because they couldn't get information on the web...

It's pretty sad when we can't make our own decisions and need to be led to a dealer of their choosing.. I just hope this doesn't give other manufacturers the same idea... :o



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Old 07-29-2003, 11:51 PM   #4
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it's painfully obvious to me that "Denny" is not a real saleman...

(and in no way am I implying that THAT is a good thing)

:E :E



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Old 07-30-2003, 06:41 AM   #5
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anti trust

Here in the states we have anti trust laws and this is very close to going over the line. Might in fact be a violation. Should this be found to be a violation the fines are heavy 3 times damages plus you could face suit from each buyer.

This is bad policy and I hope counsumers react by just say no and buy a competitiors brand. Belive me if the dealers lose sales over a policy like this the dealers will just say no and then R Vision will be trying to sell direct.



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Old 07-30-2003, 06:47 AM   #6
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Well, I also know that several Trail Lite and Trail Bay dealers occasionally auction new trailers on eBay ... especially during the slow season.

I wonder if this new R-Vision policy outlaws that too?

Don't get me wrong ... I'm a happy molded fiberglass trailer owner, and not in the market for a new stick-built rig ... but if I were, I wouldn't buy one of R-Vision's products.



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Old 07-30-2003, 08:31 AM   #7
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Quote:
Orginally posted by Carol and Jim Upton
We found our Honda Odyssey on-line.. the dealer was in Oxnard - about 80 minutes away..... we purchased the vehicle there, it was ready when we arrived .. signed a few papers and left. Price was much better than local dealer.
You would have to meet my closest dealer to know why I said I'm not that stupid. I wish I could trust my closest. Now if it had been a Honda, I would have been okay.



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Old 07-30-2003, 08:37 AM   #8
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Quote:
Orginally posted by Stephen

Here in the states we have anti trust laws and this is very close to going over the line. Might in fact be a violation. Should this be found to be a violation the fines are heavy 3 times damages plus you could face suit from each buyer.

This is bad policy and I hope counsumers react by just say no and buy a competitiors brand. Belive me if the dealers lose sales over a policy like this the dealers will just say no and then R Vision will be trying to sell direct.
I can see where the letter could be a joke, but I can also see it being the real thing. back almost 30 years ago, when I happen to ''own'' a dealership the manufacture didn't allow advertising in other's areas. say if you wanted to advertise with a large radio station and there was a small one closer to you, you couldn't do it. Big slap on the hand would follow. but that was 30 years ago. times could have changed.



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Old 07-30-2003, 08:55 AM   #9
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No, I can assure you the letter is not a joke.

R-Vision feels that dealer internet sales are undercutting the ability of local dealers to sell product at traditional profit levels ... and they intend on protecting that profit margin.

I can understand its logic ... but since the horse is already out of the barn ... I think the RV industry is going to have to learn to live with the fact that the internet allows people to shop globally (with knowledge of range of profit markup) ... just as the auto industry has.



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