Who Knew We Bought Such an Inferior Product?

[LWBAZ]

Over the past 22 years or so, Amy & I have owned five different motorhomes from five different manufacturers – a Fleetwood Bounder, an Alfa SeeYa, a Winnebago Vectra, a Tiffin Allegro Bus and our current Entegra Cornerstone. I guess it’s apparent that brand loyalty is not one of my strong suits.

Perhaps because of that, I never cease to be entertained by the frequent displays of hard-core brand loyalty on various RV owners forums. All brands seems to have their loyalists (aka cheerleaders), but some owners take it to an art form.

I was reminded of that while browsing a particular owners forum earlier today. I came across a generally informative post intended to help an individual working his way through an evaluation of Entegra, Newmar and Tiffin motorhomes. But embedded in the otherwise useful/objective information was this prize-winning line:

“Can’t say much about Entegra other than I have never heard one good word about them.”

So now I’m wondering how in the world Entegra has managed to sell several thousand motorhomes, and especially how they’ve been able to dupe some of you guys into buying more than one!

[ditto]

Larry, I just replied To PJ at Entegra regarding the usual new coach issues we all have. I closed my note with “As always with Entegra, no matter the issue,I never feel alone” . It is that kind of commitment to customer service that breeds customer loyalty.

[MRUSA14]

That guy should have stopped after the fifth word. As stated, his comment comes off as ignorant because it is based on a self-stated lack of knowledge. His own statement demonstrates that he is unqualified to express an informed opinion.

Anybody who reads this forum can see that the positive comments by Entegra owners far outnumber the negative ones. As for the folks here who have owned two, three, four or even five Entegras, that speaks volumes.

[Anthem46]

We have owned 6 Entegras and will own a 7th someday. Good Luck on your Quest of satisfaction in the RV industry. All my Coaches are purchased from NIRVC with great satisfaction. Entegra has always stood behind there product.

[Nowabeachbum]

Originally Posted by Anthem46

We have owned 6 Entegras and will own a 7th someday. Good Luck on your Quest of satisfaction in the RV industry. All my Coaches are purchased from NIRVC with great satisfaction. Entegra has always stood behind there product.

Tommy, have you talked to Bonnie? I’m thinking that 7th may be a bachelor pad! [emoji23][emoji23]🤣[emoji23]

[LWBAZ]

I trust all of you recognize the facetious nature of the title of this thread and the similarly facetious nature of the final paragraph in my post initiating it. In any case, what follows below is on the level.

With each of the five motorhomes listed in my post above, we’ve had some experiences that tend to encourage brand loyalty and a few experiences that tend to discourage it.

With regard to after-sale support, I’d rank Tiffin first, Entegra a VERY close second, Alfa third, and Winnebago dead last. I can’t put Fleetwood on that list simply because we never needed any after sale support from them when we owned the Bounder. That’s not to say we didn’t have a few issues, but they were generally minor and I usually handled them myself. But keep in mind, the Bounder should have been very reliable simply because there wasn’t much on it to go wrong: no slide rooms, no leveling jacks, no inverter, no transfer switch, no air bags, no dishwasher, no washer/dryer, manual shades – just a dead-simple motorhome on a very reliable Ford V-10 chassis.

To elaborate on Tiffin versus Entegra for after-sale support, they’re both great. The only difference is that the individual most responsible for the exemplary after-sale support Tiffin owners enjoy is the CEO & owner of the company (Bob Tiffin), while the individual most responsible for the exemplary after-sale support Entegra owners enjoy is a long-time, highly respected employee of a large multi-layered corporation (Joyce Skinner).

The point being, when you talk with Bob about an issue he doesn’t need anyone else’s approval to do whatever he feels is appropriate. I know from personal experience that Joyce has considerable latitude to “do the right thing,” but I suspect there are limitations as to what she can do without higher-level approval. For most of us who own Entegra motorhomes, any such limitations will be irrelevant.

Bob and Joyce will both retire at some point – Bob most likely sooner than Joyce. With any luck their legacies will continue to influence their successors for many years to come.

[brobox]

Having sold a couple of Entegras/Travel Supreme on the open market, my experience with buyers are just the opposite of that person's statement. They have called and purchased because they have heard nothing but good about Entegra, including second owner customer service. Knowledgeable buyers makes sales fast

[Rollin101]

Larry, I have also owned a Winnebago and a Tiffin Allegro bus. I agree with you that Bob Tiffin is a very good CEO/owner. However, Tim Tiffin and next in line didn’t inherit Bobs traits.
I hope Joyce stays with Entegra at least as long as I own one.
By the way a good friend of yours, Tommy, and mine recently told me Entegras quality has dramatically increased and incoming problems to dealer is now half of what Newmar has.

[Capt. Steve]

Originally Posted by Anthem46

We have owned 6 Entegras and will own a 7th someday. Good Luck on your Quest of satisfaction in the RV industry. All my Coaches are purchased from NIRVC with great satisfaction. Entegra has always stood behind there product.

I agree.

[buddy110]

Originally Posted by LWBAZ

Over the past 22 years or so, Amy & I have owned five different motorhomes from five different manufacturers – a Fleetwood Bounder, an Alfa SeeYa, a Winnebago Vectra, a Tiffin Allegro Bus and our current Entegra Cornerstone. I guess it’s apparent that brand loyalty is not one of my strong suits.

Perhaps because of that, I never cease to be entertained by the frequent displays of hard-core brand loyalty on various RV owners forums. All brands seems to have their loyalists (aka cheerleaders), but some owners take it to an art form.

I was reminded of that while browsing a particular owners forum earlier today. I came across a generally informative post intended to help an individual working his way through an evaluation of Entegra, Newmar and Tiffin motorhomes. But embedded in the otherwise useful/objective information was this prize-winning line:

“Can’t say much about Entegra other than I have never heard one good word about them.”

So now I’m wondering how in the world Entegra has managed to sell several thousand motorhomes, and especially how they’ve been able to dupe some of you guys into buying more than one!

Most likely the nay sayer is a dealer who was denied an Entegra dealership

[rarebear.nm]

Generally I find people who use words like in the OP:

“Can’t say much about Entegra other than I have never heard one good word about them.”

Such as never, always, none, all, etc are not qualified experts and are mostly ranting FUD about something. That in turns makes me largely disqualified their statements.

There are many very fine people in this and other forums who try hard to offer solid advise, some are offered as opinions as noted as such. I value honest opinions as well as solid advice.

All of this is my opinion.

[LWBAZ]

Originally Posted by Rollin101

Larry, I have also owned a Winnebago and a Tiffin Allegro bus. I agree with you that Bob Tiffin is a very good CEO/owner. However, Tim Tiffin and next in line didn’t inherit Bobs traits.
I hope Joyce stays with Entegra at least as long as I own one.
By the way a good friend of yours, Tommy, and mine recently told me Entegras quality has dramatically increased and incoming problems to dealer is now half of what Newmar has.

J.H., I'm not sure Tim is still the next in line. See the letter from Bob below, which was published in August 2019.

Note that Andy Baer was name General Manager of the Class A manufacturing facilities in Red Bay, AL and Belmont, MS, with Tim being assigned as V.P. and General Manager of the Class C operations in Winfield, AL.

Some of you may recall that Andy was with Jayco/Entegra for a period of time before Bob persuaded him to rejoin Tiffin. For what my opinion is worth (about what you're paying for it...), Andy is a good guy and a capable executive.

In any case, it should be interesting to monitor future developments at Tiffin Motorhomes, Inc. With the acquisition of Newmar by Winnebago, they are the last family-owned company in their market segment and it's virtually certain they're receiving offers.

[LWBAZ]

Originally Posted by rarebear.nm

Generally I find people who use words like in the OP:

“Can’t say much about Entegra other than I have never heard one good word about them.”

Such as never, always, none, all, etc are not qualified experts and are mostly ranting FUD about something. That in turns makes me largely disqualified their statements.

There are many very fine people in this and other forums who try hard to offer solid advise, some are offered as opinions as noted as such. I value honest opinions as well as solid advice.

All of this is my opinion.

Well stated Fred.

Maybe we should give the guy the benefit of the doubt on the assumption that he's never heard a good word about Entegra because he's never talked to anyone about Entegra.

That being the case, we could just as well say he's never heard a bad word about Entegra!

[777 Driver]

Hi Larry,

When I read your first post in this thread, I wanted to check the context for the statement that you quoted.

When I read the sentences immediately following the one that you quoted, it put into perspective, at least for me, how much validity that I should place on the opinion expressed in your quote.

To save a bunch of searching, the sentence following your quote was: " I have Mountain Aire and love it. In fact we went to an RV show this weekend and felt like snobs."

So, I've decided take that poster's opinions (both of them) as equally valid.

There's nothing good about an Entegra coach...and...he's a snob.

Take care,
Stu

P.S. That's one of the things that I've always enjoyed about the "RV thing". I've found myself parked next to folks who are camping in a $50 tent from Costco and very much enjoyed being their neighbor every bit as much as I've enjoyed neighbors in a Mountain Aire. Sometimes, even more!