Factory Direct…

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Is the dealer model gone?

 

 

“Your Oliver, straight from the source 

Hi Steve and Diana,

We want you to hear this from us first. Oliver Travel Trailers is now factory-outlet direct. Every Oliver is sold straight from our shop in Hohenwald, Tennessee, by the same people who hand-build it.

Going direct gives you a clearer, more personal experience from the start. You get straightforward pricing, honest answers, and a real relationship with the team that knows your trailer inside and out, from your very first question to the day you tow it home.”

[routlaw]

Yep, they did this change a while ago. Only factory direct again. 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

49 minutes ago, routlaw said:

Yep, they did this change a while ago. Only factory direct again. 

I wasn’t a fan of the dealer program, but did have a positive experience with the dealer in Salem, Oregon.  What I would like to see in the near future is an Oliver Service center somewhere west of the Continental Divide, preferably in a smaller city.  Remember, any town with a stoplight is too damn big.

[taylor.coyote]

Sagebrush, I'm with you on small towns and avoiding large populations. For 25 years, I drove 20 minutes to the office navigating two stop signs and one stop light. Unfortunately, small towns are not a good bet to support a service center. I'd go for a small to mid-sized city  such as Boise Idaho, Reno, Nv, Bend Oregon and reluctantly possibly Salt lake due it's central location in the west. 

Edited yesterday at 05:57 AM by taylor.coyote
typo

[routlaw]

While I have learned to do all of the maintenance thus far that has been needed on our Oliver I would agree a western service center if they had one would best be located in SLC. I've driven and towed through there so many times I don't even think about it anymore, the CO front range is another story altogether. Avoid that like the plague unless forced into it. I doubt there are enough Oliver's out west to justify the cost of establishing an Oliver service center though. Locally in Bozeman RV shops charge $300 per hour and it takes 2-3 months to get an appointment, worse than our medical systems. 

The concept of towing nearly 2000 miles to have Oliver work on it doesn't make any sense either. Bretz RV in Missoula is our closest Oliver sanctioned previous dealer/service center but then it's still the same price as Bozeman and a 6 hour round trip. The point being it's better to do repairs yourself like it or not. 

There are days I consider going back to tent camping. 😵‍💫

[taylor.coyote]

So far my local RV shop (not Oliver sanctioned) has been able to take care of needs beyond my skill sets.  I thought their fee of $165 per hour was painful but $300, OUCH...that's stops my heart. Apparently my diesel mechanic is a bargain at $200 per hr.

Salt Lake is central to the greater west and within 1,000 miles from everywhere on the pacific coast. I could live with this for specail repairs.

When young, we were back packing and mocked the idea of dragging a trailer around. As we aged, we transition to tent camping and now doing the trailer thing.  Yep, life was simple when we were kids with little means but sleeping on the river bar is no longer a good option for my old bones. God forbid if we were to ever end up with a Class A. 

 

[routlaw]

I hear you on that @taylor.coyote we used to do the same backpack, then car camp in tents and so forth and so on. Those days are over for the both of us, but still love the outdoor adventures. Yes this area has become hideously expensive, land of the "starter castles" and everything else that comes with it. Still a wonderful place to live, great trails almost right out our door. Just did a 13 mile MTB ride this morning without having to load bike into truck. 

Class A, no way, even if I could afford one.

[Patriot]

Oliver just sent this out to owners on June 30th to those who have opted receive their regular marketing emails. 

 

 

 

[HDRider]

19 hours ago, taylor.coyote said:

$300, OUCH...that's stops my heart.

Is that the Oliver rate?

[CRM]

20 hours ago, taylor.coyote said:

 I thought their fee of $165 per hour was painful but $300, OUCH...that's stops my heart. Apparently my diesel mechanic is a bargain at $200 per hr.

Ouch is right, and todays hourly rates are totally ridiculous. 

I owned an auto repair shop back in the 90's and was charging 42.50 per hour and was getting attacked by customers over it. Dealerships at the time were 50-55. Of course the dollar has lost over 50% of its value since then, but that should have only doubled the hourly rates from that period. 

[routlaw]

3 hours ago, HDRider said:

Is that the Oliver rate?

Just local RV dealers service department rate charge. Has nothing to do with Oliver. No idea what Bretz in Missoula (official Oliver Service) charges but would guess it not too far off.