FMCA Status

[twiggw]

We were FMCA members and belonged to two regional chapters. Got out of rving for several years and now we're back. Have no plans to return to FMCA. Escapees was highly recommended so we joined. On closer review it's primarily a group good for west of the Mississippi. Local chapters on east coast are pretty scarce. Belonging to a group/club has some advantages like tire discounts. All groups I'm aware of are having membership problems and it started well before covid 19. In our community the Masonic lodge, American Legion, Lions, Ruritans, Churches, volunteer fire and ems are all hurting for members. Wish I had an answer but I don't.

[Tireman9]

First I need to let people know that I volunteer on FMCA Technical Advisory Committee as the tire expert. I give multiple seminars at the large Int'l conventions such as Minot, Perry Gillette, Redmond and was scheduled to be at Tuscon till covid shut everything down. I have already signed up for Perry and Gillette in 2021.
One major difference for FMCA is that they are a member run organization with hundreds of chapter representatives serving on the EB. With so much input from so many individuals, some level of confusion is to be expected.


I am hoping that with the vaccine now available, we will see travel and RV life start to get back to normal by Summer. If any of you will be attending Perry or Gillette Conventions this summer stop in to one of my Tire or Genealogy Seminars.

[FVinNC]

Try out Family Campers and RVers club. (FCRVers) They are very active in NC with several chapters. There is an event every month within 3 hrs drive from my chapter in Raleigh. Nice people.

[jamesham]

I joined FMCA for the Michelin tire discount benefit, but discovered my local tire dealer actually offered a lower price without all of the hoops required by the FMCA benefit. And he had the tires in stock with current DOT manufacturing codes that could be inspected before purchase. The FMCA Cell phone discount rollout was a disaster. Other benefit-service-providers have changed frequently.

The social part of FMCA was good and bad. Some groups are welcoming. Others are a "good old boys/girls club" where newbies are not desired. Kind of like a repeat of high school clubs. The perceived attitudes between Class A motorhome owners and the newer members with "trailers" is still a social problem.

Escapees is still a good RV social club, with some benefits for a price 1/2 that of FMCA. Road Service add-on is so similar it may be the same 3rd-party dispatch company.

Good Sam is just a marketing tool for Marcus Lemonis and his giant Camping World business that is eating up old established family RV dealerships.

Not social clubs, but Harvest Host and Boondockers Welcome are organizations to join if you are looking for a FREE place to spend a night, but some social interaction with the owners of the spot.

Originally Posted by HighDesert

Is FMCA on the way out? I was looking at this group as a potential chapter to join in my area for social outings. However, it seems that most all chapters are no longer in existence. I have heard that FMCA has been going through some serious financial issues and membership is waning. Does anyone have a current status on FMCA?

[dons2346]

Originally Posted by mrboyer

I guess you do not know that FMCA has reduced staff about 40% in the past year. Those still working did so by telecommunications from home until about 2 months ago.

Staff was reduced after the decision to cancel Tucson was made. The reduction was blamed on the EB because of budget concerns which is not true. They were still being paid on a 2020 budget in which full staff was covered. The traesurer stated that we saved $500K by reducing staff and then FMCA applied for the PPP loan which was approved in the amount of approx $500K


The other issue is that it was the Executive Board that first recommended elimination of FMCAssist. The 6 1/2 hour board meeting is where they reversed their directive to the Finance committee.

Again not true.If anyone would like to check this out, go to the governance site and tead the president's missives dated July 9, July 13, July 19, and Aug 1. The EB at no time recommended dropping Assist.

[arboldt]

We've been members of FMCA and GS for 4 years, Escapees for 3 years, each for different reasons.

Don't know if we'll renew GS because we often find better gas prices than Flying J / Pilot even with the GS discount. (Thank you, GasBuddy!) Discount at Camping World is a joke. Can't think of any other benefit that's worth it.

We've switched from Coachnet to GS to FMCA's roadside assist to Escapees, all due to cost / benefit comparisons.
We've enjoyed rallies by Escapees' Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois chapters.
We've never attended an FMCA rally. They tend to have so much professional entertainment that the rally fees are beyond our reach. Plus both the FMCA and Escapee national rallies just don't come close to our travel itinerary - we just don't consider them destination objectives. We were going to go to a Great Lakes FMCA regional rally in 2020, but COVID restrictions scuttled that.
I do enjoy the FMCA (monthly) and Escapee (bimonthly) magazines. In 2022 I'll probably be due to replace MH tires, so I'll be checking the deals from several sources then.

[George Weiss]

I like FMCA a lot. Rallies, seminars, socializing, discounts, tires, magazine, chapters, knowledge. I own an RV with a sticker price of $280,000.(I bought it used for much less)$50 or $100 is petty cash compared to ANY repair or a tank of diesel. So all this chatter about price of dues is nonsense. I’m 79 yrs OLD so Assist means plenty to me. My generation enjoys talking face to face, at a gathering or at a rest stop. Younger generations are happy with the internet and zoom. If you don’t care about shaking hands with friends you’re chatting with, forget about joining ANY group and stick to the internet. Like one of the previous posters said, all of the old style groups from Lions to hospital Pink Ladies are struggling for members because new generations are happier with “virtual” existence. I’m a happy camper and REALLY want the Covid-19 lockdown to end!!!

[RoadEyePie]

Originally Posted by arboldt

We've been members of FMCA and GS for 4 years, Escapees for 3 years, each for different reasons.

Don't know if we'll renew GS because we often find better gas prices than Flying J / Pilot even with the GS discount. (Thank you, GasBuddy!) Discount at Camping World is a joke. Can't think of any other benefit that's worth it.

By far, more camp grounds that I've encountered ask me if I'm a Good Sams member and offer discounts for being one. Not many have asked about FMCA.

[soberskier]

Originally Posted by chuckster52

I have been a FMCA member for quite a few years.......I love their Magazine and is one of the reasons I stay a member
They however ,go thru Benefits and providers like people go thru their socks
Couple years ago,they suddenly increased the Dues from $50. To $85. A year to !maintain the Medical transport benefit.....I'm sure this cause a lost of members....then just within the last few months they AGAIN changed PROVIDERS
THIS Has happened with all their benefits......Yo sign on get comfortable and knowledgeable of the benefit and they either change the benefit or CANCEL IT
Their Mail Forwarding Dept was fantastic and well run.....all of a sudden was eliminated in the space of 3 months
For $50.00 A month it was not a bad group to belong to.....BUT for $85.00 ,probably not as attractive...... C

I recently paid my Yearly dues of $75. Note: Yearly! Not monthly.

[armullis]

FMCA, like any business, has to redefine its business model from time to time. That was apparent when they opened up membership to trailer owners. It made perfect sense to open up the membership when you see that motorhome sales are less than 20% of total sales nationwide.

Why am I a member? Because FMCA offers a great assistance program called FMCAssist which would help my wife get home if something should happen to me. My wife does not drive the coach, so she would need help in getting it home. Also, FMCA offers other buying programs on tires and internet access. Overall, FMCA will survive and grow again as RV sales are breaking records right now. Younger people see the usefulness of owning and using an RV for family vacations, in light of the current pandemic and the way it has changed the way we live.

[CP Traveler]

We belong to the Big Three RV Clubs: FMCA, Good Sam, and Escapees. As you evaluate clubs take a look at how they are organized, i.e. Good Sam (Camping World) is a publicly-traded company run by their CEO, Escapees is a family-owned for-profit company run by the 3rd generation that is really struggling with their political involvement, and FMCA is a not-for-profit organization. FMCA is the only one of the Big Three that has a "mechanism" for obtaining input from the members of the club, Good Sam and Escapees are top-down organizations.

All three offer "benefits/discounts", all three have "good folks" as members. In my opinion, the "benefit" used most often is the campground discount and Good Sam has the largest number of campgrounds in ther system.

We use "CoachNet" for roadside assistance and "SkyMed" for medical emergencies because we consider them more comprehensive than the "club" offerings.

Have fun with your analysis!

[Chargerman]

Originally Posted by Glenf

I've been a member so long that my "F" number has only 5 digits! As I recall, the dues then were $20/year and they stayed that way for a long time. When my rig needed new tires, my local Michelin dealer gave me a better price than FMCA had My wife thinks that I need to keep the membership due to the "I almost died and can't drive home" program but the only thing that I get out of the magazine are some of the tech articles. I did, however, enjoy the Flxible article in the last issue but most of the rest of it is of no interest. As many have said, this is an industry wide problem, not just FMCA. How about a program where dealers would include the first year's membership free with the purchase of a qualifying RV? Lot's of RVs have been sold this year. Yes, we need more young blood but marketing to us 'old fogeys' isn't the way to do it. We only got to use our rig three times this year. Let's hope that next year is better.

Glad you enjoyed the Flxible article! I wrote it. It was quite nice to bring Stan together with his old bus

[tabsquared]

Originally Posted by HighDesert

Is FMCA on the way out? I was looking at this group as a potential chapter to join in my area for social outings. However, it seems that most all chapters are no longer in existence. I have heard that FMCA has been going through some serious financial issues and membership is waning. Does anyone have a current status on FMCA?

I tried to get them to help with a windshield replacement that they advertise. Left numerous voicemails and never got a call back. I will not be renewing. They really offer very little for your $85.

[tabsquared]

Originally Posted by armullis

FMCA, like any business, has to redefine its business model from time to time. That was apparent when they opened up membership to trailer owners. It made perfect sense to open up the membership when you see that motorhome sales are less than 20% of total sales nationwide.

Why am I a member? Because FMCA offers a great assistance program called FMCAssist which would help my wife get home if something should happen to me. My wife does not drive the coach, so she would need help in getting it home. Also, FMCA offers other buying programs on tires and internet access. Overall, FMCA will survive and grow again as RV sales are breaking records right now. Younger people see the usefulness of owning and using an RV for family vacations, in light of the current pandemic and the way it has changed the way we live.

Jon Walker says they can no longer afford to pay for the FMCA assist. Too expensive and they can’t afford it.