Community Forums

RvNaut · 09-15-2021, 08:13 AM

Good Day All...

I have been using most of the RV listing services over the last 13 months in my ramp up to buying an RV and going full-time, including here, RVT, RVTrader, FaceCrack and of course Craigslist via SearchTempest. This has been a near daily routine for this period of time.

One issue I have taken exception to, is dealers spamming the service. I tend to look for two specific models, but because of the way these players post, their ads show up no matter what you look for. So you have to scroll by all the spam to see the ads from people that are actually offering what you are looking for....

This morning, some smart person has spammed every Craigslist system in every state with 5, 10 and 15 of the same advertisement, making most pages a jungle of their come-ons that one has to move out of the way to be able to see results I am searching for...

This type of behavior is bad for the community.

In the past I have called dealers and told them directly that their spamming of ads pretty much guarantees I will never ever deal with them. I called the toll-free number of the pile of ads to day, to let them know that their behavior makes it hard for everyone else to use Craigslist... I wish more people would react as I do, and maybe they will change... probably not, but it feels good to give them feedback.....

In about 30 days I will be picking up a new-to-me Safari Trek and I will leave the daily searched behind and others will face the wall of spam..

WeRetired · 09-15-2021, 08:29 AM

I agree! Am searching for a daily driver auto, small pickup or Jeep type vehicle, and the dealers overload websites. I even said to myself yesterday that I won’t do business with them. I just want to buy a used vehicle from a private seller.
Ok, rant over.

inthepines · 09-15-2021, 08:32 AM

If it's a business posting on private owners section.I look them up on Google and leave a 1 star review for bad ethics.
We have a bunch locally that make it impossible to browse because they post 2 pages of their crap.
When they all do it at once and they do, it pretty much shuts down anyone else trying to post.
Unless you're searching for something specific.
Even than, yep multiple postings of same.
Really wish craigslist would step their game up.

MSHappyCampers · 09-15-2021, 09:05 AM

WOW! Didn't realize that is happening!

69Stang · 09-15-2021, 09:08 AM

When I see that on CL I flag their listings. If two people flag the listing it is removed.

Toby Dog · 09-16-2021, 03:39 AM

^^^^^^^^^^^^That's not how the flagging system works. It's way more complicated than that.
Also, since CL now charges for car and truck ads they could care less what we think. It's money in the pocket.

69Stang · 09-16-2021, 04:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toby Dog

^^^^^^^^^^^^That's not how the flagging system works. It's way more complicated than that.
Also, since CL now charges for car and truck ads they could care less what we think. It's money in the pocket.

Well, that's how the system used to work as late as 6 months ago. How does it work now?

Xmcdog · 09-16-2021, 05:10 AM

Gave up on Craig's List years ago. There are much better listing sites out there.

danhannah · 09-16-2021, 05:44 AM

On the left is a button marked " All - Owner - Dealer" which works great for me.

Agree with your comments about all the dealer spam, and also I don't understand the trucks from Arkansas appearing on the Seattle page...

CapeDave · 09-16-2021, 06:48 AM

Took me over a year to find the MH that I was looking for.
There is still the same ads 3 years later for the same MH from the same dealers looking to suck you in. IT SUCKS!

egwilly · 09-16-2021, 07:29 AM

I've sold some things on CR, but gave up last year due to the amount of flaky peeps out there. The buyers never show up, offer pennies on the dollars from our asking price, etc.

Seems like a cult group now.

RvNaut · 09-16-2021, 07:53 AM

SO then..

My sense of RV dealers after over a year of talking to them, emailing them, and looking at their adverts and websites, is that they are right along side the shady used car dealer down on the corner.

As for not using Craigslist, a lot of people do still list on CL and when you are looking for an RV that is a needle in a haystack, you have to use all of the resources available.... and that includes including the dealers.

I wish the industry did not come off as so slimy.... it is bad enough that consumer laws do little to proect the RV buyer, but the way some RV dealers are operating, makes the entire industry look bad.... not that the entire industry is not facing a huge push back from the shoddy manufacturing and the inability to perform the warrantee work as a result of the poor workmanship....

I encourage everyone to contact dealers that spam and make resources harder to use that they should be...

..ok .. enough soapboxing

RvNaut · 09-16-2021, 08:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toby Dog

^^^^^^^^^^^^That's not how the flagging system works. It's way more complicated than that.
Also, since CL now charges for car and truck ads they could care less what we think. It's money in the pocket.

In this case they are posting WANTED ads.. bypassing the $5 charge

here is an example of what they are doing..

https://pennstate.craigslist.org/sea...&nearbyArea=33

inthepines · 09-16-2021, 08:21 AM

I bought my TT from a craigslist ad.
Sold some stuff as well.
I list what I expect from a buyer, they either follow it and buy it or they dont and I ignore them.
You have to, otherwise you have to deal with the flakes.
As for flagging, I'm not sitting there and flagging 1k ads. Yes it is that bad in this region.
Flea market sellers, discount warehouses spamming same stuff daily.
Only thing I flag is pet sales.
Just seems like they gave up enforcing anything.
Use to not be able to cross post, I see it all the time now.