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Please remember that Oliver Travel Trailers is a relatively small family owned business. They do not have much of a marketing department and all of the employees that I know wear multiple hats. There was a time when Oliver could sell every trailer they made with not much more marketing than "word of mouth". Of course HDRider is correct regarding listening to customers. I would argue that this is how our Olivers got solar, better and bigger batteries, better quality, induction stove tops, electric switch for the shower drain "backflow", simpler to use information systems for solar, awning style windows, compressor fridges, etc.. The recently rescinded attempt of increasing distribution via an external sales force (i.e. the dealer network) didn't produce the desired results but its genesis was two pronged - counter act the effect that the general RV industry decline had on sales plus Oliver owners asking for a better way of getting "service" on Ollies when it was not easy to travel long distances back to the "Mothership". Note that the only Owner's Rally that Scott Oliver has missed was due to his daughter getting married on the same weekend as the Owner's Rally. However, the head of the Sales department and the head of the Service department have always been in attendance and for a number (perhaps all of them but I don't know that for sure) of Owner's Rallies even the head of Production has been in attendance. In addition, Sales staff, the limited Marketing staff and other Oliver personnel have been in attendance - I've been told that this year there will be even more Oliver personnel available at the Rally. But, all of this does not really address monitoring the Forum more closely. I don't have an easy answer for this other than the ones mentioned above. However, I do know that Oliver Management has asked us (owners) to bring any complaints or suggestions to them before we "air" those on "social media" in order to give them a chance to clarify or rectify a situation or problem. I believe that not only is this a "fair" request but that Oliver has virtually always bent over backwards to reach a reasonable solution to "issues". Bill

Toni - The Florida, the New England and the Texas rallies were organized by members/owners and all were mentioned here on the Forum. However, primarily due to attendance restrictions (which, in turn, was due to campground availability) each of these rallies had limited availability and "advertisement". It seems that the old saying - "build it and they will come" - certainly pertains to our rallies. While the Texas and and New England rallies have been held each year for the past few years, the Florida rally was only held when Foy and Mirna had the time to devote to it (note here that in addition to hosting the Florida rally Foy and Mirna graciously provided everyone in attendance with the main entree for one night's dinner - Since I've not been able to attend either of the other two rallies I do not know the details). I also know that Oliver has provided some "door prizes" and there have been other "sponsors" as well for each of these rallies. Generally, announcements of these regional rallies would be found in the "Events & Rallies" section of the Forum. Hope this helps. Bill Sorry - I forgot about the Mid-West Rally that is taking place May 19th-May 23, 2027.

Can we assume that you purchased this Ollie "new"? I've never seen that kind of installation. Bill

I failed to mention - If you stay in Lambert's campground and eat at the restaurant be sure to mention this to your server and you will receive a 10% discount on your meal. Bill

It might not hurt to send a letter (or even an email) to Jason Essary kindly asking for his help in rectifying your issue. Good luck. Bill

I believe that it is obvious that the sons of the original founding fathers of the company still do care deeply about the product that they produce and we all enjoy. Do not confuse this with the original (and continuing) generous reasons that the Forum was created. Oliver established and pays for our OWNERS Forum as a place where Oliver owners and prospective owners can get together to discuss (without Company influence) all things related to our trailers and have never sold or released the names or any other information related to the Forum to anyone outside Oliver (unlike other platforms that use this method to generate revenue). The Moderators are NOT paid or are in any way influenced by anyone at Oliver nor (to my knowledge) is anyone else connected with our Forum. There is one person (paid by Oliver) at Oliver whose job it is (amongst a bunch of other jobs) to help us with things related to the proper performance of the platform that is used to operate the Forum. And, from time to time other personnel will take a look to see what is going on. There are also those rare occasions when the Moderators (and/or other members of the Forum) will "alert" staff at Oliver of a particular discussion that might be of direct interest to the company. That's it - this is OUR Forum to run and control with extremely little influence from the Company. Bill

My wife and I lived in St. Louis for 25 years. During that time we heard about and saw advertisements for a restaurant in the southern part of Missouri but never thought that the drive (1.5 to 2 hours) was worth it for just a meal. Besides, a restaurant that relies on "throwed rolls" in their advertisements simply can't be all that good when it comes to what matters - the food. Over the past few years of returning to Western North Carolina from the Western mountains where I fly fish each summer, I've stopped at the Mothership in Hohenwald. This takes me down interstate 55 from Saint Louis and the restaurant mentioned above is located in Sikeston, Missouri just west of exit 67. So, this year I decided to make a stop at: Lambert's 2305 East Malone GPS: 36.887912, -89.546457 Lambert's has an RV park right next to the restaurant where all sites have electric and water and there is a central dump - per night rate of $45. However, while convenient to the restaurant, there are few trees (sites 8 and 9 will provide some shade) and there is no bath house. On the positive side, if needed they will come to your site and provide you with transportation to the restaurant, or, deliver your food ordered via a phone to your site. If you desire shade and/or a bath house and a slightly lower camp site price, there is Hinton's RV Park located just East of Interstate 55 at GPS: 36.893962, -89.527317. The food is basically standard American fare - think of Cracker Barrel ON STERIODS. Indeed, they come out from the kitchen area and announce the arrival of fresh rolls and then start throwing them towards anyone wanting one. Note here that if you don't catch your roll on the first or second throw, they then bring it over to you and place it on your plate. As with virtually everything else served, the rolls are large and tasty. They also have a couple of people wandering through the dining area serving out "2nds, 3rds, 4ths, etc." of a couple of "sides". Prices are reasonable and the service is very good. I was told that while the dining area is very large, it can be VERY crowded particularly on the weekends. I was there on a Monday at about 5pm and had no difficulty being seated. Bill

Everyone's comments here on the Forum concerning the return of a "Classified Section" are appreciated. However, while some of the Oliver personnel view the Forum from time to time, I believe that the person(s) that will make the final decision on this subject probably only view the Forum on rare occasion. Therefore, any comments that any of us have on this subject (for or against) will be most effective if directed to Jason Essary and/or Scott Oliver at: 228 Industrial Ave Hohenwald, TN 38462

Amen!

Todd B - If you are still in the Teton area be sure to look up "Elk Ranch" road. It is located north of your campground, is on your right as you travel north and is easy to get into and out of even when towing your Ollie. Great views of the Tetons are available here without dealing with 5,000 of your closest friends. Also, Dornann's is a good place for a decent pizza - located just north of the airport. Safe travels! Bill

Dean & Mary - Re Rallies: In a recent conversation with Aaron Wolters at Oliver he told me that he is working on and is interested in "regional rallies". If you would be interested in helping organize such a rally in your area, I'd suggest that you get in touch with Aaron. There are and have been a number of these regional rallies - the New England area, the Texas rally and the Florida rally all come to mind. Therefore, any organizer would not have to re-invent the wheel to get it done. Bill

That Power Foam Turtle Wax bug remover gets high ratings. Once you get your ceramic coating done you will find that the bugs are a bunch easier to remove. CGI (that Patriot mentions above) has a product that will also aid in bug removal while enhancing and adding to the life of your coating - I believe that "Ceramic Shield" is the name. Bill

Welcome to the family! Remember to bring a camera and a notebook to the Rally. Hopefully we will get a chance to exchange a few words there. Bill

Skipster - Given the relative newness of your Ollie - have you tried calling or emailing Service to see what they would recommend? Bill

No problem - go it moved. All is now back to being "right" with the world. Bill