Just when I think I have Good Sam Enterprises figured out, they toss out a fastball that leaves me bewildered. That's how a number of campground owners apparently feel after learning that Good Sam Club recently sent out new membership cards that don't contain an expiration date.

I'd be tempted to think someone screwed up somewhere in designing the card without an expiration date. But, Lemonis is a shrewd businessman. There has to be some reason behind sending out unexpiring cards.

An RV dealer sent me this photo today and asked me what I thought of the tactic.

Apparently Camping World has erected this billboard less than 100 feet from a competitor's lot. It's message is, "We beat this dealers price every time." 

The same Camping World store hired a mobile billboard to drive back and forth in front of the dealership during an open house event last month. People inside the truck used bullhorns to shout messages at customers walking the dealer's lots encouraging them to visit the Camping World store.

Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation (FCCC) knows that not every RV enthusiast is of the constantly roaming variety. While plenty of owners routinely put 10,000 to 15,000 miles per year on their motorhomes, many others spend more time enjoying campground life. For owners who set up for stopovers of more than three weeks at a time – as many do during the winter months – FCCC offers some reminders and easy maintenance tips.

I had to laugh yesterday when I read the story about some flat-rate service technicians in Texas and Oklahoma who were suing their RV dealership for overtime pay. 

The Southeast Texas Record reported, "According to the complaint, the defendant would estimate the number of hours they believed it should take the piece work employees to complete a particular job and then would only pay the employees for that amount of time or less. The plaintiffs claim the amount of time paid was arbitrary and had no relationship to the amount charged to the customer."

Boy, would I like to be on that jury.

Why would RPTIA members want to rejoin RVIA?  Kicked to the curb several years ago, and used and abused by RVIA to suit their fancy; why would you ever want to go back under that roof in Reston?

There are a few tricks I have seen over the past 30 years that parts managers have come up with to make the counting process run a little smoother. The most efficient way is to use portable data collectors. A data collector is a barcode scanner with the ability to store what has just been scanned and uses a small keyboard to allow the user to type additional information. In its simplest form, the user scans the barcode and then types the quantity and bin location on the scanner’s keypad.  This process is repeated until all parts have been scanned. Once all the parts have been scanned, the scanner is connected to a computer and the data file is downloaded. This file is then imported into the parts inventory management system which updates the system with current parts quantities. 

Not only does FEMA have roughly $4 billion in inventory about to hit the open market, the dealerships and the manufacturers will also have to deal with the units that were sold by FEMA in 2010 that will be used as trade-ins.

I have had several people purchase a RV during the selling of these units. One person had purchased a 2006 Cardinal travel Trailer that was fully loaded with two slideouts and included holding tanks for $3,600. I looked up the trade-in value of his unit and found that the value is worth $25,000. These units could be traded in by accident. Remember that a dealership can still be sued, or the dealer arrested under the Title 18, Section 1001, the United States Code for selling a 2010 FEMA unit that was designated unfit for habitation.

News today that Carriage RV will not reopen and that its assets will be auctioned Feb. 9 is another black eye for the RV industry, a hit to the gut to RV dealers and another serious irritation to thousands of RV owners.

I am beginning to suspect that the public universities which pump out bankers by the thousands each year are training students that it is somehow better on the bank's bottom line to accept pennies on the dollar today rather than work with customers to get the full dollar -- plus interest -- a year or two later.