RVupgrades.com Company Blog

No it was a great year!  We just finished up the reports for 2009 and we grew by 12% and I cannot be happier.  I am so grateful to all of the customers who chose RVupgrades as the supplier for their RV accessory purchase(s).  I am also so proud of all the employees we have here who work very hard  to make your purchasing experience a positive one. 

I just saw this note going through the system from one of our first time customers and it always makes those challenging days a whole lot easier when you get feedback like this.

I just placed  & received my first order from you. I hesitated at first, but after comparing your prices a little I went ahead and ordered. I am sure glad I did!! I could see your prices were very good but your shipping was beyond fast! I checked to see if it had been shipped yet and it was out to be delivered. I believe that rvupgrades will be the only place I order from in the future..

Thanks
Steven

Look for more good things to come in 2010 from RVupgrades, we are in the final testing stages of our new ecommerce platform which I detailed in a previous post, the retail store is now open and we are getting some traffic coming through.  I am really excited about this year and I will keep you updated on all of the new developments as they happen.

Thanks

Bill

The retail store will be open next Monday and as they say in the business it will be a soft opening.  With this being our first venture into this side of the business I am sure there are many things we have not considered and we will use the opportunity to learn as we go.  Also the RV manufacturers seem to take their time reeving up for the spring season, so alot of the new items we will be adding to our website and the store will not be here for another month or so.  For now we have a decent selection of items and our intention was to have a place for customers who pickup their orders here at our warehouse in Eastlake, Oh a place to browse a few of the accessories we have available.  As we gain knowledge in what customers might be looking for we will add those items and by the end of the year we hope to make the retail store an asset to our customers and the company.

My vision is to create a store that becomes a destination for RV’ers that might be passing through Northeast Ohio close to the I-80 turnpike.  I have alot of ideas ans we will use our little store here to mold that vision into reality.

Bill

About a week ago we got a call from the manufacturer of Travasak that they have decided to discontinue the Travasak line.  We are really disappointed since this was a great selling product for us and many of us use them in our own RV’s.  I will say I always hounding them to offer a King sized version, but to no avail.

We were lucky enough to find SuperBag who also manufacturers this type of bedding, actually they have been making this type of bedding for many years before Travasak even got into it.  The big differences between the two is that Superbag  manufacturers their product here in the U.S., they do offer a small king, (72 x 80 vs full king 76 x 80) they have 200 & optional 300 count sheets and many more colors to choose from.  Superbag is more expensive than Travasak was, but the quality is amazing and as the old adage goes you get what you pay for.

We are really excited about the product and will be adding about 10 new colors shortly.

Here is a link –> Superbag  Product

I cannot tell you how excited I am about our commitment as a company to donate 1% of sales to environmental causes.  Ever since my family and I began RV’ing, the experience has made us more aware of our environment and the negative effects certain areas have seen due to mis-management.   It can be a challenge at times to feel environmental rolling down the highway in a large vehicle, but this is how this hobby has evolved, and if we can give back to offset some of this than that is a positive.

I cannot tell you how grateful I am to have the opportunity to see so many beautiful places with my family as we RV together and we hope our support will only improve the experience for generations to come.  

Keep an eye out for a “Green” category highlighting RV accessories designed with the environment in mind.  Over the past year a few have hit the market and we are seeing more being rolled out for this RV’ing season.

We are also working on lowering our carbon footprint as a company and I will detail our progress in the coming months.  We are currently working on our initial assessment and I post the outcome in a few days.

Bill

I really didn’t think anyone read this, but I have received a number of emails to the contrary so I will make sure I keep this up to date.    Last year was an interesting time and although the RV Accessory segment stayed very strong, my other company required a lot of my time so things like this blog suffered the consequences.

So to catch you up on a few of the major happenings here at RVupgrades since I last posted.

• We added an on-line chat systems to better serve customers as they browse the site and require assistance.  A major benefit with the system is as a customer requests a chat session it tells us were they are browsing which helps customer service quickly get up to speed on a possible answer.  It’s a great alternative to having to call in when phone service is sketchy or the phone is tied up with another user.
• We added Ratepoint as our new customer feedback system late last spring.  We felt it imperative that our customers have an additional avenue to show support or log a complaint. And if there is an issue it provides a way for us to resolve to your satisfaction.  There is even a dispute feature and Ratepoint will mediate this to the customers satisfaction.  It offers us the ability to track what we are doing right and what we may need to improve on.  Although it has taken some time to get customers use to the system we seemed to have solved that issue and we are getting some great feedback now.
• A huge on going project for us is our new ecommerce system.  Work began last August and should be completed within the next few weeks.  There will be no noticeable difference from the customer side, but for our customer service as well as product development people it is going to make their lives a whole lot easier.  About 2 years ago we bit the bullet and integrated a extremely intuitive order processing and customer management system.  Although it is linked to our ecommerce site and they do exchange some information it was not seamless.  Well the new system solves all of that and will make our company much more efficient in so many areas, which in turn gives us more time to focus on our customers.
• We hired an employee who’s sole job is to hunt down tracking details, monitor back orders and follow up 15-20 days after your purchase to insure you are satisfied.   Most orders fly through the system completely automated and without delay, but occasionally there is an issue with delivery or getting details from a warehouse which may not be fully automated. This is when Anna Marie comes to the rescue, she is constantly on the hunt for trouble and can solve issues well before they become trouble.

As you can see there is a common theme here and it all revolves around customer service.  I know from my own online experiences that there is nothing more frustrating than dealing with a company that could care less about you once they have your order in hand.  I can tell you that wont happen here.

Well that is a few of the things we have been up to, over the coming days I will fill you in with many other areas of the site and company that have canged since I last wrote.

Thanks for following along

Bill

As an avid RV’er as well as the President of a RV Accessory company, I love checking out new RV products.  So when JTD Enterprises dropped by with samples of their products my day just got that much better.  JTD manufacturers a number of different types of flag poles, mounting systems as well as has available all different types of flags.

The first item we looked at was the new large diameter 20′ aluminum flag pole.  Wow was this thing nice.  With a simple twist and lock telescoping system this pole goes from 4′ to 20′ in seconds.  And having a initial diameter of 2.5″ as well as being aluminum it is lightweight and super strong.  This pole to me is the most versitile, it is plenty big to use at home with the included ground mount, and on the weekends bring it along on camping trips using either the hitch or tire mounts.

They also just rolled out a new small golf cart flag & mounting system which I think will be a big hit, as well as a wall mount for their shorter 6′ pole.

It was a great afternoon visiting with Tom and Deni the owners of JTD Flag Pole to Go

Here is a link to the JTD product offering –> JTD Flagpoles

When we first started camping in an RV we did most all of our cooking on a small portable grill.  I had tried to do some cooking over the fire but never had the right device to do it so I stuck with the grill.  But ya know how good food tastes over an open fire so I never stop looking for something that would really work.   In 2004 we sat down with a local metal fabrication company here who was looking to get into the RV Accessory market with a new type of over the fire cooker.  They gave me a unit to try out and the rest is history, I have not pulled out my portable grill since.

There is usually a number of problems with a over the fire cooker, one being the fire has to be just right to get a even heat, the cooker has to be stable and it has to be easy to use as well as setup and tear down.  The TTC Deluxe Driving Stake Cooking Grill Kit solves all of these issues and more. 

You simply pound the stake into the ground close to the fire and slide the infinitely adjustable grill handle on to the stake and your ready to go.   We camp with friends most of the the time and we all pile are meats, corn or what ever needs cooked on the grill and adjust it has the fire dictates.

Below is a shot of just one of the more that 40 times I have used this setup over the last 4 years and I would not go camping with out this cooker.  This year I fianally changed out the wire grill top, but the rest of the unit is indestructible.

Click here for more details –> http://www.rvupgradestore.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=165

All my life I have enjoyed off road motorsports (ie snowmobiling, dirt bikes, 4 wheelers) and started riding at a very young age. About 8 years ago while racing dirt bikes around the woods with my brother we came upon a creek crossing at pretty high speed, which we had done many times in the past, but this time I hit a very large rock with the rear tire kicking the bike up and compressing my spine violently. The minute it happened I new it was not good and it was the beginning of years of back pain. Finally in 2004 I had my first lower back surgery with a follow up surgery 2 years later. This is an injury that will stay with me forever, and as long as I am exercising everyday the back feels pretty good.

Your probably wondering what this has to do with Travel Chair, well it has been my Saviour when it comes to sitting down whether I am out camping or at home. After my first surgery I found if I did not have the right lumbar support, I would end up in pain in short order. The normal bag chairs were out of the question so I had finally purchased a Lounge Lizard to give it a try and I have been sitting in one ever since. I use the pillow they provide as a lumbar support and with the contour of the seating position and the way you can lean back it removes all pressure from my lower back. I actually recovered in that chair after my second surgery and each night sit in one at home in my basement office. Michelle (my wife) say’s that it does not go with the family room decor or I would have one up there as well.  

The great thing is these chairs really hold up!  I had my first one for almost 4 years and that was with everyday use.   I recently updated to the latest version and it has much stronger locking clamps to keep you in any reclined position as well as better fasteners to hold the chair together.

For more info on the Lounge Lizard –>

http://www.rvupgradestore.com/index.asp?PageAction=MFGSEARCH&ManfID=43&Page=1

Last weekend we had a chance to put the drain master electric valves to work and I love them! With the idea that you should not keep your grey tank open all of the time and that fact that there are 4 of us in the RV, we can pretty quickly fill the tank in a day and a half. So in the morning just before I jumped in the shower I would just open the valve using a switch located right in the hallway and we easily had the capacity to make it another day.

It easy to keep the smell under control in cooler weather but as things start heating up is when the real test will come. So I will post updates over the summers camping season on how well this procedure is working.

Dumping an RV’s waste tanks has to rank as one of the worst jobs an RV owner has to do during a camping trip. And I must admit I am not the most diligent person when it comes to proper waste tank management myself (as you may have read from previous posts in this blog). It’s not that I am not trying to do the right thing, but with all of the information out there what exactly is the right
thing?

This past Friday I was reviewing some new products that Phase Four has out and since I had planned to install a set of Phase Four Drain Master electric waste valves I decided to call Doug who is the owner and get more details. Let me start by saying that Doug is extremely passionate about waste tank evacuation as well as improving the environment with his products. I have been using a macerator pump system for the last 5 years and although I have had my ups and downs with this setup I have always liked the fact that I never touch any waste. Phase Four has come out with their
new cam lock connection system which I think is brilliant and wondered if they had plans to make an adapter for macerator systems. The inherent problem with the twist lock adapters found on every coach now is that the rubber seal gets worn every time you twist the fittings together and it eventually leaks. With the cam lock system there is no twisting so the seal does not get worn over time. Well let me just say Doug is not a big fan of the macerator pump systems and will not be designing an adapter any time soon. The issue Doug say’s is that the macerator does not allow enough flow to rinse everything from the tank. This can somewhat be overcome with a tank flushing device, but only a few rigs have this on the black tank and no one is putting them on the grey tank. At about this point in the conversation I recalled a few epic situations last year where my grey tank about drove us out of the RV with this horrid smell and wondered if this was my issue. Another issue plaguing most RV’s is the 1 1/2" outlet manufacturers use on the grey tank which again limits the flow and the ability to flush all of the greasy grey water out. And the last issue is the RV’er who leaves his grey tank valve open the entire time he is parked at a full hook-up. Lucky for me, my RV has a 3"
grey outlet pipe or I would have been guilty on all parts.

Doug provided some great info, but I really wasn’t sure my macerator system was the culprit in my grey tank issues. That was until I installed the electric valves this past weekend. The reason I was installing the electric valves was because my manual grey pull valve was very hard to operate and I had a feeling it was about to break at anytime. Doug had mentioned the reason the handles become hard to operate is because most manufacturers position the valve with the handle horizontal or even slightly downward. As the handle gets pushed in and out the o-ring that keeps water out diminishes and water begins to make it way
into the rod area. It’s all down hill from there.

When I removed the black and grey valves on my tanks the the black side was not bad, the pipe looked pretty clean and that stands to reason since I usually flush the black tank pretty well with the tank flush that was provided. The grey side was a whole other matter, the pipe walls and valve had a layer of white
greasy film and the smell coming out of it was really bad.  I guess seeing is believing and now I am thinking the macerator is not the ultimate solution and maybe the cause of some my problems. I put a set of switch’s to operate the electric valves from the sewer bay as well as the interior of the RV. This way I
can leave my grey & black tanks closed and open the grey maybe once a day depending on water usage. I am also going to use a 3" hose when ever possible to insure I get good flow and only use the macerator when the sewer connection is up hill or out of reach of my 3" hose. I definitely am not giving up the macerator system, but I do see that it’s permanent use may not be a good thing.

A good friend suggested I run about a 6-10 gallons of hot soapy water into the grey tank and drive to our next camping trip letting that mixture slosh around. As soon as we get to the campground dump that and it should remove alot of that greasy build up. In my case I may have to do that a few times.  I
am also going to add

I will follow up in a few weeks on the out come of the changes I have made in managing my waste tanks.

Bill