I believe that the dealer has a big liability issue in not clarifying the tow vehicle capacity. They should in all cases sit down with the customer and ask questions of what type and year is the tow vehicle. That information should be looked up in the latest stat book that lists all tow vehicles and their capacity to confirm the trailer will be a safe match.
I believe that the dealer should be responsible and liable for any accidents that should occur due to a mismatch of weight. There are too many liars out there who will say “Oh yeah, this will work for your truck. No problem.” I know from attending these Mega RV shows that misinformation happens all the time. I have had so many sales people tell me that the trailer I was looking at would be perfect for me. I know that was wrong information and told them so, but they just shook their head and walked over to another sucker who would believe what ever they say. That, to me, is serious liability!
Yes, there are many ignorant buyers out there. Protection for both the buyer and the seller is needed for a safe sale. Many buyers buy from the heart and not from their intellect. Sales people sell for the numbers and not for the safety. There should be a mandatory document signed by both buyer and seller stating that both buyer and seller have agreed that by the tow information provided for the tow vehicle to be used it is suitable for towing the specific trailer for purchase.
In this case, obviously, the buyers were not thinking and were overwhelmed with the features of the trailer completely forgetting the primary details of what they can safely tow. The salesman should have guided them through the safety questions and confirmed this trailer and truck would be a good marriage.
As far as I am concerned the laws are not strict enough. So many innocent people have been directed wrongly just for a sale. Many have been hurt if not killed by incompatible towing abilities.
Oh yeah, another thorn to my article I’d like to mention. I can't believe that anyone can buy and drive off with one of those mega thousand Class A motorhomes without having a commercial drivers license. There is not even a mini course needed in how to drive those motorhomes. I am sure that the dealers would love to have me beheaded for that statement. But, after what I see here in Miami, Florida in the boating industry I am a firm believer that any boat over 14 feet needs a license and a Coast Guard course in safety on how to operate a boat. I am confirmed that any Class A motorhomes drivers needs a license to say they are educated in how to drive those rigs,
That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Sharon Baron
A daily reader of RVTravel.com
I agree With the lady above! I have been told this repeatedly and I have gone to the towing guides and the salesman was wrong. I had a tire blow on my 16 ft single axel trailer and it flipped the car and rolled off the interstate. If I had had a bigger vehicle I might have had more control. Don"t believe the salesman look it up yourself!
ReplyDeleteThis would be a sales killer for the RV industry and they will fight it tooth and nail. However, if and when the % of RVs on the road reaches a safety awareness threshold, it will indeed happen. A few more baby-boomers purchasing RVs and it will happen and I believe Florida and California will be some of the first states to begin regulating.
ReplyDeleteIf you are interested enough in rv'ing then you should also consider being interested in tow vehicle limits because these things exist together. There is no shortage of information out there readily available to anyone who cares to look. By not doing your research you jeopardise your own safety as well as the rest of us. It's not the responsibility of an rv dealer to know the capabilities of your tow vehicle- it is your responsibility and you should care very much by findind out. I don't want new legislation coming in to help people protect them from their own negligence. Just use you own common sense.
ReplyDeleteCouldn't agree with you more Sharon. I wonder how the insurance company would react if a driver, who is legally required to have a commercial driver's license to drive their rig and doesn't have one, gets into an accident. I can see CLAIM DENIED all over it.
ReplyDeleteOh come on!! Accept some responsibility. The information is out there. Take some effort to find it and learn.
ReplyDeleteOh come off of it Sharon, A commercial license to drive a class A Some class A's are only 24 ft long and less than 10,000 Lbs I could agree to a RV endorsement on a drivers License, But a Commercial License Not. I have been RVing for over 50 years and have driven or towed many different RV's during that time from 16 ft to 42 ft and never had a accident. Some states require a RV endorsement after a certain weight.
ReplyDeleteTo the two previous naysayers (7:50am and 9:25am) who think it is all "buyer beware" (which it is to an extent) there is really nowhere for anyone who WANTS to learn but has no idea where to look for the information. They go to the first place they THINK will give them the right direction - an RV dealer. It is a falsehood and critical error on the part of dealers not to educate themselves so they can help educate their buyers. I am not saying I would go to an RV dealer to be educate - but I am saying they should take some of the responsibility in at least directing new buyers and potential buyers to where they CAN get the information to make an informed decision.
ReplyDeleteIt is not as if the dealer doesn't know they are doing an injustice. They are typical salesmen - if it sounds good, it will sell. It should be considered criminal if they don't attempt to teach themselves and at least start the education.
Thanks to Sharon for bringing up these serious issues and Thanks to RV Travel for printing it! We all want a safe way to enjoy our travels. Most RVers learn some things the hard way no matter how well they think they are prepared. Experience is the best teacher but shouldn't always be the first teacher!
The fact that the buyer should inform themselves does not excuse the salesmen from not being at least equally informed, and certainly not from deliberately misleading their customers. The dealers and manufacturers should be training the salesmen, as well as providing adequate and accurate information to the buyers.
ReplyDeleteIt's great if dealers want to include towing limits as part of their customer interactions, it certainly shouldn't be mandatory. I would think that if you're interested in rv'ing, then this is part of it too. If a person truly does not know where to find information on towing guidelines then they should not be rv'ing. There are many aspects of this that require a person to have working knowledge of the systems within a rig and be able to at least temporarily repair them if needed. I'll include a site here where there is alot of information in a clear concise form. Here it is:
ReplyDeletehttp://rvtowcheck.com/
As an aside to all this- rv'ers are generally a great resource for all things connected with it. Join irv2 and rv.net and ask some questions, you'll get good advice from experienced people.
I cannot agree with her comments on a salesman responsibility and liability. Even if a salesman advises someone to consider a different rig for weight reasons some people cannot be told their truck is inadequate for the job.. Also, many overload their rv's well beyond its capacity and some rv manufacturers allow very little additional weight over the gross weight of the rig for storage. How can you hold a salesman responsible for an idiots actions. I do agree that a special drivers license should be mandatory for rv's operators driving an rv over say 25' especially if towing a vehicle.
ReplyDeleteI had a salesman tell me once you can add 10% to what the vehicle specs indicate as maximum weight. He said they under state them for safety reasons. I concluded my visit to that dealership and didn't go back. He was willing to put me at risk to make a buck.
ReplyDeleteAsk a salesman if they own an rv and the majority don't!
ReplyDeleteThey are just like politicians. If they open their mouth, don't believe most of what they say.
Thank you Sharon! While I think that we, as prospective buyers, should do our homework, this is such a huge safety issue it needs to be addressed. Everyone needs to start somewhere and there is no reason that a good rv dealership can't help in the process with a simple question: do you know the towing capability of your vehicle? A question that would show true professionalism and should be encouraged, by regulation if need be. Information could easily be made available right at the dealership and if the customer chooses to ignore it because they are stuck on a particular rv then a disclaimer could be signed to absolve the dealership of any liability.
ReplyDelete