Bashing a camper, just because you can.

[Brian M. in NY]

It is really easy to bash any trailer. I guess all Scamps, Casitas, Escapes, Bolers, Trilliums, U-Hauls, Eggcampers, ad infinitim, that have rolled off their respective lines are all perfect. I guess none have never required changes or modifications and that customer service from the the very first day has always been timely and exactly up to expectations. None of them have changed since the original manufacture date since, they were absolutely perfect to begin with. Oops, I forgot, the Internet didn't exist when several of these marques launched. Not that that would have any effect on the speed of BS.

Fact of the matter, we love ParkLiner 34. Is it perfect? No! But we are working with Chandler to improve the product and the customer service. And we will succeed. And we want Chandler to succeed. How many of you are willing to put it all on the line, go without sleep and survive on minimal income to bring an innovative, affordable and superior product to market? And if we fail, we will modify as appropriate to make it work to our expectations or, as some have, bail. I don't think it will come to that.

Call me naive ,if you will, but if you don't have a vested interest in the conversation and choose to post "whatever" from a position of pure ignorance, ask yourself what it is you are trying to accomplish.

If you have uncovered a problem that would pose a legitimate safety/longevity issue to fellow owners of the same product, please let us know so that we can collectively work with the manufacturer to improve the product or resolve the issue. If you just want to bash someone because you can, I feel very sorry for you.

Thanks for the soap box.

[Francesca Knowles]

A long overdue message, perfectly apt in our present circumstances....and, I might add, one very much in keeping with the philosophy of the original owners of this forum.

Thanks, Brian!

Francesca

[Ed Harris]

I agree with this mostly but.....
I don't think there is a lot of this that goes on here really?
I find most "Bashing" is everyone sharing their own experience so others can benifit from them.

That is my intention and I have traveled the same road as Chandler and do every day.

Ed

[Birmingham1]

The posts on many of these forums DO go a bit wild with speculation and folks sometimes get very attached to their opinions on how things should be. The whole "smoking battery" discussion is actually a little funny to go back and read. The end result?...a bad battery...likely caused by a complete depletion and then letting the batteries sit.

Eventually my trailer will be perfect...for me. Or at least as perfect as I can get it. I have a really great platform to start with!

Parkliner #37

[Mimi Lee]

We've been enjoying our little camper and I hope to do so for many years. There were some minor things we brought to Chandler's attention, most of which have been resolved. I expected some minor stuff to come up that would have to be addressed. The small issues we identified and communicated to Chandler was met with sincere appreciation to the feedback. We had a more serious issue come up this past weekend, that was beyond our ability to address. Chandler was within contact very quickly, and appropriately responsive.

Hope to see you and all the other eggs including many ParkLiners out on the road soon and for many years!


Peace!

[Byron Kinnaman]

Blind following because "he's a nice guy" doesn't do much good either. Getting bent out of shape because some basic engineering principles and product manufacturing were pointed out doesn't help either. What does is being objective and understanding that there's a learning curve happening. Hopefully Chandler will read what's being said here to improve and get through that early learning curve.

When I say basic principles, one that Chandler admitted himself that he violated, probably without realizing he violated that principle. Principle -- Once a product has gone through the initial prototype and put into production nothing is changed with fully understand the ramifications of that change. That principle was beat into my head 50 years ago and it still holds true today. Along with that principle the company needs to have records of every product that went into which trailers. Both of those are seem like big orders to a small company, but they're small compared to possible consequences.

Some things are can be unforeseen, like the battery issue. Even though that the more serious issue as far as safety is concerned, but unless you've gone through a lot of failure analysis and FMEA (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis) possible failures can be easily missed. With a small company flaws that FMEA would bring out in a larger company might not come to light. Even in larger companies some still get through. FMEA works best is with a minimum of 6 or 7 people from different disciplines brainstorming "what could go wrong" in systematic manner. As a result more failures happen, changes are made and things move ahead.

What I see here is a large enough group that through our own experiences we provide a lot Failure Modes and Effects Analysis. This is a good thing for a new company, not a bad thing.

Customer Service is a real product killer, I should say lack aggressive customer service is the killer. I realize that it's difficult to provide customer service and do a "hand on" running of a very small company. However there are small businesses that can provide that service, or a part time employee to answer the phone and return calls and emails.

I'm suggesting that these are items that could make or brake ParkLiner. It's a nice looking trailer and I would hope that Chandler is reading and learning. I do wish him well.

Taking a page out of Thomas Edison's book, we learn from our mistakes not from our successes.

[Terry G]

I'm not sure anyone here had any intentions of "bashing" Parkliner. All I can say is welcome to the 21st century. If some has a problem with a product, any product, I don't see any problem with that person posting the details of their situation on an open forum like this. We're not here to promote or put down any particular manufacturer. But if there's an issue, I want to know. And after all, isn't that why we're all here--to share information? But I do not predict a bright future for any organization that can't properly deal with e-mail or the instantaneous availability of consumer reports over the internet.

[Jim Bennett]

Done in proper manner, I believe it is good to report any persistent issues that one might have with their trailers. If it is related to the manufacturer, then the manufacturer has the right to first correct whatever the issue is. This correction by the manufacturer should also be reported to be fair, as crap happens, it is how it is dealt with that really matters.

Were there any issues with my Escape? Most definitely, but every one was dealt with promptly and effectively, leaving me very happy. If they hadn't, I would have likely gone public with them. Heck, if any of you have been to a rally where Reace attends and there is other Escape trailers there, he spends as much time doing maintenance as he does drinking beer. Now, that is commitment.

If there are persistent issues that go uncorrected after given fair chance, these are the ones that most definitely need to be reported for others to witness.

I do custom home building and renovations for a living. Do you think there is a chance we make errors. Darn tootin' we do, every project we do is a prototype. We will gladly address and take care of these issues.

[Francesca Knowles]

In my opinion, the issue(s) identified by this thread's O.P, Brian, go far beyond the single question of how folks treat the Parkliner brand.

Francesca

[Glenn Baglo]

Well, I think the logo needs a re-design.

[Brian M. in NY]

Originally Posted by Francesca Knowles

In my opinion, the issue(s) identified by the O.P go far beyond the single question of how folks treat the Parkliner brand.

Francesca

Thanks Francesca. You obviously got the point I was trying to make.

[Cathy P.]

Since customer service and quality control are very important to me, I have crossed Parkliner off of my list and could not consider it at this time. It is fine if these are still "prototypes" but that should be stated and reflected in the sticker price.

[Tim Wood]

I think we can all agree that we like to know of any safety problems with any make trailer. But sometimes things do get off track a bit. I'm sure most are just trying to help out and find a solution, but it always doesn't come out that way. I have made many mods,improvements,changes etc. to several brands of trailers that I've owned over the years. Have I posted all those changes on the forum, no , maybe a few. Brian does have a point and some will get it and some won't. It would be nice if we could just work together on getting important info out, with a nice solution for all to reap.

[cpaharley2008]

For what it is worth, I saw an early Parkliner about 3 months after production started last year. It was at a rally in Tennessee. There were some rough edges in the model brought. I pointed out the metal battery straps, the wiring and water lines were a rats nest and the unprotected 12v switches in the shower, the improper propane hose set up, open frame ends. I was told this was a prototype that was rushed to get to the rally and that future models would be nicer and look "finished". It is a nice trailer and I gave it thought before ordering my Escape. I spoke with Chandler about solar options and prewiring for solar.
It seems that there is a basically "good" trailer here with some basic business practices lacking. Hopefully Parkliner will rise above the growing pains and become a major player in the fiberglass world. Good luck to Chandler.

[deryk]

I am in agreement with Brian on this. Now I bought my ParkLiner used, so I am aware there is no transfer of warranty and ParkLiner is a brand new company. I also, because of it being used and know that its a small company that I wasn't expecting much support. Yes they should be better at returning emails and phone calls but they are also walking the fine line of what they can afford since this is a startup company Im sure Chandler's money only stretches so thin. Hopefully as time passes they can afford to hire more people.

I like my ParkLiner alot and not afraid to make the small changes to improve things. Perhaps the battery boxes if I can fit them. The water tank drain is a nice idea but not a big deal...a little more anti freeze and it was winterized fine. People don't seem to realize that trash talking a brand can have an effect on sales. There is a recent post about a newer casita with some wireing problems... if it was a newer company and everyone jumped on the bandwagon of trash talking it, and people come to these forums to get information and learn before buying a fiberglass trailer... "oh Im not buying that casita... they have wireing problems." Look at some of the comments from Mimi's post... and in the end it was bad batteries.

[Ed Harris]

In the end it was not just bad batteries?
The batteries are not enclosed in a sealed properly vented enclosure either?

I am not bashing anyone here and I know Parkliner is not the only manufacturer that builds them this way.
If Mimi had not noticed somehow or slept through more of the outgassing then this could have had a much worse outcome than it did.
The fact that it did not and there is now the chance to fix the design problem before more hurt is where this differs from just bashing a manufacturer with no regard for the outcome doesn't it?

I think this is what learning from a mistake means.

So the symptom has been treated and determined to be the result of bad batteries but should this happen again or to someone else is maybe the more important lesson here.

[Wallo]

Ok, I don't own a PL and bought my Scamp before I knew about PL. But, I look at this forum as a place for "Customer Review". Something like you see about products that Amazon sells. Some may be product bashing, some may be high praise, and some will be "just the facts, ma'm". Putting all of that in the mixer of our brain helps us make choices. Would buying a PL be an expensive mistake? I doubt it. But, bringing shortcomings into light does put pressure on PL to become better, hopefully. Japanese cars were once bashed royally by the U.S. Now look at them, they are at the top of the heap for quality and customer service. If I do ever decide to replace Scamp, PL won't be ruled out summarily. I'll have a good look for myself.

[rabbit]

Current PL owners have a vested interest in expressing their faith in the manufacturer and are anxious that public disclosure of an experience with a less than satisfactory resolution bodes ill for resolution of their own problems. Unfortunately good old human nature assures that the messenger is bloodied for delivering bad news. Ed and Alice, thank you both for considerate and balanced responses which reflect the ideals of Bigfoot Mike, founder of FGRV.

jack

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by rabbit

Current PL owners have a vested interest in expressing their faith in the manufacturer and are anxious that public disclosure of an experience with a less than satisfactory resolution bodes ill for resolution of their own problems. Unfortunately good old human nature assures that the messenger is bloodied for delivering bad news. Ed and Alice, thank you both for considerate and balanced responses which reflect the ideals of Bigfoot Mike, founder of FGRV.

jack

Well I disagree. I'm not exactly sure why, I'm just feeling extra grumpy today.

[steve dunham]

The line between bashing and constructive criticism is drawn on an individual basis.
Chandler may personally be a well intentioned and honorable person but that does not change the fact that there are problems or issues with his trailer that need to be addressed.
To me nothing is more frustrating than buying a product especially a high cost product and being unable to get prompt service or answers to my concerns . Being a small company or being busy is not an acceptable excuse for not answering phone calls or E-Mails from your customers.