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Old 12-02-2017, 01:44 AM   #43
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2 things:

1st, I attended an FMCA regional rally a couple of months ago, and one of the evening presentations was on the medical evacuation program, and the short answer is both sides are right. In the past they would pay to return members home, but now due to need to cut costs the plan has been changed to transport to the nearest adequate facility, meaning if it makes sense for a person to spend 2 months at a rehab facility 2,000 miles from home so they can then fly home commercially, they will pay to relocate that person to the rehab facility, etc. and no longer blindly just pay for medical transport home.

2, My FMCA membership expires in 11 days, and now I have to seriously debate renewing, the low cost of the new roadside assistance plan is the one thing that has me considering renewal. Otherwise I see no reason to ride this sinking ship down, like many others I joined FMCA due to its focus on motor coaches, now that this focus is going away I have no real reason to stay, I am already a member of Good Sams, and don't need another general camping club. I have nothing against towables, I just have no interest in all the issues that only apply to them, tow vehicles, 5th wheel adapters, leveling stands, DOT propane bottles, electric brake controllers, ..... which I fear the FMCA shows and magazines will soon be dominated by.

There is also this attitude about FMCA being elitist, while I have only attended one rally I saw no sign of elitism, people with $500,000 coaches, were parked next to people with $10,000 coaches and were generally happy discussing topics of common interest.
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Old 12-02-2017, 04:11 AM   #44
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FMCA Vote is in !

Why are there airstream groups or Montana owners organizations. For that matter Why are there Entegra and Newmar separate groups here on iRV2? Are they all elitist snobs or do they have common concerns with a specific product. I belong to good Sam and even a local chapter and have met some great friends there owning a trailer and a motorhome
I joined FMCA additionally when I bought a MH to get MH specific information. I have no problem opening up the membership , I don’t care who I “camp” next to and love to discuss camping issues or my experience with travel trailers and the 2 5ers I owned but like any club I have joined they had a focus I was interested in. F Motorcoach CA gave me access to motorhome specific issues, With like minded folks , particularly those who owned or currently own something I do .. a Motorhome.
Hopefully they still will , but I fear they will just become “another” camping club .. which is ok but they aren’t alone in that field GS already exists in that space.
I have met plenty of snobs in Motorhomes so I know they exist But they really aren’t that many . My point is there are legitimate reasons to be Brand or Type specific, That aren’t about being snobs looking down on others
Towables are selling like hot cakes while large motorhomes are relatively stable ,b’s and C’s excepted ! the organization needs help to attract those new Rvers and survive ... I get that but I fear young newcomers aren’t the “joiners” FMCA hopes they are.
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Old 12-02-2017, 08:08 AM   #45
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I think that FMCA is by far the better group to belong to as opposed to Good Sam. That said I am glad that some friends and relatives who have fifth wheels can now join us at FMCA rallys.

We belonged to another group that nearly tore itself apart over something like this and got out due to all the hatred being spread around. Let's not let it happen here folks. This is a pretty nice place right now.
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Old 12-02-2017, 08:40 AM   #46
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I think the Russians hacked into the FMCA election and goofed it up. You should demand a recount and set up an investigating committee.


Funny but not possible! The voting was by paper ballot! Does a hanging chad come to mind??????


On a serious note...we don't plan to let this vote change us or the way we go RVing. In the grand scheme of things....does it really matter???
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Old 12-02-2017, 08:52 AM   #47
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Originally Posted by Isaac-1 View Post

I attended an FMCA regional rally a couple of months ago, and one of the evening presentations was on the medical evacuation program, and the short answer is both sides are right. In the past they would pay to return members home, but now due to need to cut costs the plan has been changed to transport to the nearest adequate facility, meaning if it makes sense for a person to spend 2 months at a rehab facility 2,000 miles from home so they can then fly home commercially, they will pay to relocate that person to the rehab facility, etc. and no longer blindly just pay for medical transport home.
Thanks for clarifying this. With insurance policies (and that's what this benefit is) it's always important to read the fine print. Your benefit is governed by the words in your policy not the benefit someone else received at some time in the past.
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Old 12-02-2017, 09:57 AM   #48
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Many of you have mentioned that you have fears that FMCA will become______. Why not stick around and find out? Express your fears to those in charge, the people who make the decisions instead of reacting out of fear. One more $50 renewal fee won’t buy much fuel, but it might just buy you the answer to a problem you've been challenged with.

To leave now is throwing the baby out with the bath water.
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Old 12-02-2017, 10:24 AM   #49
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Many of you have mentioned that you have fears that FMCA will become______. Why not stick around and find out? Express your fears to those in charge, the people who make the decisions instead of reacting out of fear. One more $50 renewal fee won’t buy much fuel, but it might just buy you the answer to a problem you've been challenged with.

To leave now is throwing the baby out with the bath water.


I have to agree with this post. In the realities of today’s world $50 annual dues won’t buy much else and if you replace tires the savings will more than pay the bill. In over ten years of full timing, I have gone to a few national conventions and enjoy the occasional article.
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Old 12-02-2017, 10:28 AM   #50
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With an average age of over 70 the FMCA has to do all it can to recruit
I wonder what the average age of motorhome owners might be? And if that might explain the average age of FMCA members? I know the average of RV owners in general (includes towables and motorhomes) is 48 so an average age of motorhome owners around 70 would probably seem reasonable.
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Old 12-02-2017, 10:36 AM   #51
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So... for those of you leaving...

Are some of your benefits disappearing due to membership changes, or does it simply bother you that your “club” is not as exclusive?

How does a less exclusive club affect you? I can’t help but think this is nothing more than a “nose in the air, snobby” situation.

You always have the option to start your own club. Of course, you will probably find out that is not sustainable... which is the reason for the change. Essentially, the snobs can’t support their own club.
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Old 12-02-2017, 10:40 AM   #52
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I have mixed feeling about this. I certainly don't feel superior to folks with 5ers or TT's. We pulled a 5er for 12 years before getting the MH, and loved every minute of it. We only decided to get the MH after retiring and wanting to do more traveling around the USA, feeling like the MH would be more suited for that, especially at our age. Our MH is 15 years old and there are lots of 5ers and TT's out there that are waaay nicer and cost waaay more than our MH! It would not bother us at all to be parked next to a family in a tent!

I voted against the change for this reason. I think everyone, if you will be honest enough to admit it, likes to be part of something "exclusive". I doubt seriously that the Airstream owner's club would accept a new member who drives a MH and does not own an Airstream! We already have Good Sam that is open to all.

I can understand that FMCA is struggling for money, which is the only reason, IMHO, for this change. I told them that I would be willing to pay higher dues to keep it the way it is. I really believe that most other MH owners would be willing to pay a little more too.

Anyway, it's a done deal and I sincerely hope it works out for the best!
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Old 12-02-2017, 10:41 AM   #53
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Seems like the exploding marked in towables make's accepting them into the club a good thing that will expand membership and revenue.
FMCA, as the name implies, was originally a "motorcoach" club. It is now a generic "RV" club like so many others.

I subscribe to the National RV Forum on irvII because I own a National RV. If the Winnebago owners take over the National RV Forum there won't be much reason for me to continue to subscribe.

I'm not sure why so many towable owners see that as being snobbish. I'm sure Sigmund Freud could explain it.
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Old 12-02-2017, 10:51 AM   #54
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Having been to couple of their rallys, we will stay in. They were well organized and great fun. Heck, I don't care who parks next to me as long as they''re courteous.
Same here, plus I'm a charter life member of GS and have been to their rallies. Actually had more fun at the GS rallies than FMCA.
Now, how that plays out with GS's CEO and his request not to buy from his companies remains to be seen.
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Old 12-02-2017, 11:02 AM   #55
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As I see it my potential decision to leave FMCA has nothing to do with snobbery, instead it is due to the fact that I own a motorhome, and wanted to be a member of an organization that catered to the interest of motorhome owners, and while some of these interests are in common with towable owners, many of the interests are different.

Simply put the concerns and interest of a the owner of a new $500,000 diesel pusher has more in common with the interests of the owner of a 20+ year old $50,000 diesel pusher than they have with the owner of a new $200,000 5th wheel. This is not snobbery even though I am sure some people will claim it is.

On another forum I used the analogy of the local RV show, which some years back was combined with the local boating, and fishing show. The result is a show where one can see a number of RV's, but at least as of last year out of a couple of dozen vendor booths there was not a single vendor there focused on RV products. The closest were a couple of booths by campgrounds, rv time shares, and the like, the rest were selling beef jerky, fishing lures, gel seat cushions, sportswear, ....

I fear the same thing will inevitably happen with FMCA, there is no path back now, sure the magazine may grow again (though I doubt it), but if it does it will be filled with advertisements targeted at towable owners, as well as articles on towing issues, 5th wheel adapters, reviews of pop up trailers and such. All of which I have no interest in, and gives me less reason to read the magazine not more.

The same applies to rallies and conventions, the vendors will follow the money, the seminars will start to address the needs of towables, and most importantly those concerns that are exclusive to motorhome owners will no longer be the focus of the association.
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Old 12-02-2017, 11:04 AM   #56
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I'm not sure why so many towable owners see that as being snobbish. I'm sure Sigmund Freud could explain it.

Perhaps it is because of how some of the early protest posters worded their responses. Maybe they did not mean to come across that way or maybe they did, but they sure sounded like elitist snobs to several of us. It matters not to me because we have no interest in joining FMCA and I certainly understand some of the reasons for the no votes.
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