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Monday, June 13, 2011
ASA claims Dometic's "buyer beware" warning is a smoke screen ASA claims Dometic's "buyer beware" warning is a smoke screen
By Greg Gerber @ 3:51 PM :: :: 14 Comments :: Article Rating :: RV Industry
 

ELKHART -- ASA Electronics, an international manufacturer and supplier of mobile audio/video equipment released the following statement today in response to a press release submitted last week by Dometic.

“Dometic recently released a warning to our customers to beware of counterfeit air conditioners, sold under our brand name Advent. This is a feeble and desperate attempt to stop their recent market share erosion,” explained ASA Electronics CEO Tom Irions.

“They believe they own the RV air conditioning business and see any new competitor as spoiling their party," he added. "This foreign company believes that by discrediting ASA they can put an element of doubt in your mind about our ability to serve you in this product category. They also see that our partnership with Zymbo and Stag-Parkway has been working successfully in attaining market share, and are obviously worried that they will see continued losses.”

“Before ASA entered the air conditioning product category we did a complete search for all related intellectual property. It is our patent attorney’s opinion that we do not violate any patents or trademarks," said Irions. "We are running parts on tools only owned by ASA or Zymbo. Bottom line, we intend to be in this product category for a long, long, time.

" We also expect to become a major player in this category as we are in the RV electronics market," he added. “We are an American company with full design and testing facilities here in the United States. We look forward to competing in the RV air conditioning field for new business. Our entry in the market is a very healthy sign for the category. We will bring the same skills in product development and quality control to this category as we have in our current electronic products.

"This will ultimately result in higher quality, lower prices and more innovative designs. That’s what competition does for you, it makes you better!” said Irions.

ASA Electronics has 34 years experience in the RV industry and is a market share leader in RV electronics, he added.

"We ensure our products hold to the high standards that have made our exclusive brands a household name among mobile electronics enthusiasts," said Irions. 

All ASA products, from LCD TVs, audio systems, and vehicle backup systems, microwave ovens,and now air conditioners, are specifically designed and rigorously tested to withstand the unique challenges of the RV environment, he explained.

"We stand behind all of our products with the only hassle free warranty in the industry," said Irions. "Consumers and manufacturers should have complete confidence in ASA’s products because of the experience they have had with ASA and our other brands Jensen and Voyager.

"We partnered with Stag Parkway to be our exclusive Advent aftermarket distributor in the RV industry. Stag Parkway is the complete source for what RV dealers and owners need," said Irions. "Their commitment to maintain the highest level of integrity in all business activities adds value above and beyond the product itself. They have spent the last 50 years building a power relationship with the industry, and they are putting that reputation behind ASA and Advent Air.

"ASA partnered with Zymbo to manufacture the Advent RV Air Conditioner product line. Zymbo’s design and engineering abilities allowed us to include the most updated and advanced technologies on the market today," said Irions. "They have a big market in Europe and the Middle East under their own Zymbo brand. From their 2-million-square-foot manufacturing facility they supply component parts for well known global companies including Trane, Emerson, and Ingersoll Rand, some of the biggest names in the air-conditioner business."

ABOUT ASA ELECTRONICS

Since 1977, ASA Electronics has been an international manufacturer and supplier of mobile electronics to the RV, van, marine, bus, truck, and heavy duty industries. ASA’s proprietary line of products includes:

  • JENSEN Stereos, Speakers, LCD Televisions/Monitors, and DVD players
  • JENSEN Marine Waterproof/Water Resistant Stereos, Speakers, DVD Players, & Accessories
  • JENSEN Heavy Duty Stereos, Speakers, and Accessories
  • Voyager Rear & Side Observation Systems
  • Advent Air conditioning units and appliances

SOURCE: ASA Electronics press release

 

 

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  • ASA claims Dometic's "buyer beware" warning is a smoke screen
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Comments
Jay
# Jay
Monday, June 13, 2011 4:44 PM | 24.67.48.94
Here we go, looks like the gloves are off!!!
david
# david
Monday, June 13, 2011 6:07 PM | 64.56.130.92
How can Dometic justify a claim of "counterfeit" when it doesn't have the Dometic name on it?
They could claim that it is a copy, or that patents or intellectual property had been stolen but counterfeit is not the proper term when it has a completly different name on it and apparently was not sold as a "Dometic".
If this is the case I would say an apology from Dometic is in order.
ray a
# ray a
Monday, June 13, 2011 6:19 PM | 209.215.157.99
spoke with a guy that purchsed some of these a/c units. two of the eight he received were bad out of the box. states he would never buy them again.
Jeanie
# Jeanie
Monday, June 13, 2011 6:29 PM | 173.64.216.42
Do NOT Buy the new Voltage Dutchmen RV- 5th Wheel with the Dometic A/C we just purchased. The RV has had no a/c in the main area since it was purchased. The a/c Dometic unit in the bedroom was leaking water two days after we took possession of the RV May 20,2011. So we turned off the a/c until it was repaired. A mobile service repaired bedroom unit on May 25, 2011 and then on May 26, 2011, I realize there is no cool air blowing out of the Dometic A/C unit in the living room/kitchen area. I have been trying to get a replacement unit since May 27th. I have been in contact with Explorer USA-Dallas (NO HELP), Dutchmen (Very little help) and Dometic (NO HELP). I am expecting to receive the unit on Thursday, June16th. I don't have any trust in the above companies.
A Dometic Owner
# A Dometic Owner
Tuesday, June 14, 2011 12:37 AM | 68.183.53.171
I will have to say that I looked up this A/C unit on Ebay and it looked very close to a Dometic. That said, I have some pictures of my 2006 Dometic A/C that had to be replaced right away when I took delivery of my then new 5th wheel. It would freeze up and would not cool. It was leaking an oil substance out of it and down the roof. The replacement worked just fine for 5 years now.

So I looked up the photos of my unit and compared to an Advent unit on Ebay. It is as if the cover molds and the base metal case are exact. Everything else looks very close too inside. Placement of components, and the over all look. Even the foam block between the top cover and fan box is there and in the same place. So I could see why Dometic is upset but I do welcome the competition and hope they are around for a long while like they claim... unlike Carrier A/C. I guess I can compare it to the clone Honda GX120s in the 3000 watt Chinese gensets these days. Some people are getting away with putting Honda parts on these clones because they fit and work.

If anyone is interested, I can host my pictures on a photo website.
Alex
# Alex
Tuesday, June 14, 2011 10:26 AM | 50.46.16.128
When I saw they made Jensen that's all I needed to know to avoid the company.
Mike
# Mike
Tuesday, June 14, 2011 10:46 AM | 204.106.249.40
I have to tell you as a dealer I have no confidence in this company's products. The jensen omni directional antennas do not work and they keep telling us if they "pick up ONE station they are working" Baloney !! Wingard head on the same trailer picks up MANY stations. BAD company , BAD products.
Barb
# Barb
Tuesday, June 14, 2011 3:25 PM | 76.208.31.233
Dometic Owner, I'd be interested in seeing those pics, if you would be so kind.
A Dometic Owner
# A Dometic Owner
Tuesday, June 14, 2011 4:44 PM | 130.76.64.120
OK.. Check out the pix in this Ebay ad and mine below on Picasa. I don't quite have the same angles but you can place and match components. As others have said.. might be worth the extra$$$ to have a more quality unit. If i were rebuilding a budget RV, I might try one but I would do a little research on the Advent track record before I did. Not that Dometic is perfect but as I stated earlier, my initial Dometic failed right out of the box. I would call this a fluke.

Here is the Advent...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ADVENT-RV-TRAILER-MOTORHOME-AIR-CONDITIONER-AC-SYSTEM-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trkparmsZalgoQ3dLVIQ26ituQ3dUCIQ26otnQ3d4Q26poQ3dLVIQ26psQ3d63Q26clkidQ3d647918973474627076QQ_trksidZp5197Q2em7QQitemZ130519442999

Here are mine (Dometic, 2006 vintage)
https://picasaweb.google.com/mrfixit454/DometicACPix?authkey=Gv1sRgCNKwybjxrpm0xQE&feat=directlink
RAIVAX
# RAIVAX
Friday, June 17, 2011 1:41 PM | 68.32.252.208
This is copy anyway you look at it. It looks like one, smells like one, and taste like one. Get over it ASA! You tried to copy a Dometic and now your Busted, they need to sue to $#$!#% out of you. And as for the "hassle-free" warranty, that's a JOKE! We are a dealership and we had issues with Jensen products, and all we had was frustration ,red tape and BS to get the warranty covered. They are not a good company to work with, Dometic ain't perfect but alot better than them.....
Sydney Bean
# Sydney Bean
Monday, June 20, 2011 5:30 AM | 67.49.209.243
I'm not necessarily saying this applies in this case but, the problem with dealing with many Chinese manufacturers is that they have absolutely no respect for US Patents or US intellectual property laws. They have no sense of fair play. They feel that they have the right to reverse engineer any US or international manufacturer's product, make their own "clone" and sell it on the international market.

Many of these firms buy up the trade names of once proud US corporations and slap them on their products thinking that we, the American consumer, are too ignorant to know the difference. In many cases they are right. In the case of ASA, they think that we will think Hamilton Beach RV microwaves have something to do with the historic Hamilton Beach appliance lines or even with the current Hamilton Beach as a distributor of a diverse line of kitchen appliances when all they share is the licensing of a name. They think that we will think that Jensen Marine, Heavy Duty and RV products are all the same Jensen that has made high end mobile audio systems for decades when, in actuality, they are "marketed by our joint venture partners ASA Electronics". These are "Jensen branded products", and not necessarily "Jensen manufactured products."

It's insulting enough that they invoke the name of audio pioneer Peter L. Jensen in the name of their products. Worse still, is the fact that they now insult the name, and memory, of another audio pioneer, Henry Kloss, , the founder of AR, KLH, Advent, Cambridge Soundworks, and Tivoli Audio by marketing an RV air conditioning unit bearing a logo which is a blatant knock off of the old Advent Corporation logo. I'm sure it's legal, since Advent was acquired by International Jensen, but it's still insulting.
DW
# DW
Wednesday, June 22, 2011 11:51 AM | 67.60.172.87
In my opinion, and proven by lawsuits where "look alike" products have been ruled against, this is simply an attempt by ASA to creep into the market by using a product look that is well established and has a good reputation. There was a similar case more than a decade ago, when John Deere copied the design look of the Caterpillar Challenger tractor. The courts found that the similar look could be considered a trademark, thus violating the trademark of Caterpillar. John Deere had to discontinue their model. If this does go to court, I would expect a similar decision. Also,having dealt with the warranty process at ASA, I cannot understand why anyone would want to buy these units.
Bob
# Bob
Thursday, June 23, 2011 11:07 AM | 70.76.98.67
And unfortunatly, Joe Consumer will buy these based on price. He probably doesn't read this info here? If he never has a failure he will be happy with his purchase. If he has a failure he will learn what several of you are pointing out. Sounds like its a crap shoot, if its no good, suck it up and start over.
Sydney Bean
# Sydney Bean
Saturday, June 25, 2011 2:56 PM | 67.49.209.243
Expound a bit on the issue of "Chinese Products" and Patents.

From a Stephen Harner Forbes article, "What Life Will be Like in a China-Run Neighborhood"
http://blogs.forbes.com/stephenharner/2011/06/23/what-life-will-be-like-in-a-china-run-neighborhood/?partner=ob

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