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Car Forum / Driving, Maintenance, Tuning / RVs / March 2008Custom charges into Canada
A few years ago, I ordered an instruction manual for a shortwave radio. While the manual only cost $15US, it ended up costing me around $70Cdn, with unexpected shipping charges and some custom charges as well. I am planning to order the RV Rating Guide CD from RV Consumer group. this time, I will make sure I know what exactly will the shipping charges be, before I order. Can any Canadian out there tell me what charges I can expect in addition to the actual cost of the CD? Thanks >A few years ago, I ordered an instruction manual for a shortwave >radio. While the manual only cost $15US, it ended up costing me [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >there tell me what charges I can expect in addition to the actual cost >of the CD? As a Canadian, I can assure you that you are wasting your money on the RV Consumer Group (so called) Rating Guide. The group consists of a predatory husband and wife team who are just out to get yer $$$. They have never even seen 95% of the rigs they are "rating". There's one born every minute! :o( Stan Newmarket, Ontario Stan You are exactly right. They get the manufacturer's specs, and put their own spin on them. There are those who swear by them but my conclusion was the same as yours. The only worse scam is anything associated with the Affinity Group. They really need investigating. Bob >>A few years ago, I ordered an instruction manual for a shortwave >>radio. While the manual only cost $15US, it ended up costing me [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > Stan > Newmarket, Ontario > Stan > [quoted text clipped - 29 lines] >> Stan >> Newmarket, Ontario I really don't disagree with either of you, that's the reason I added my note!! I just supplied a link to what was ask for. ;-) Tom J > > Stan > [quoted text clipped - 36 lines] > > Tom J WOW! What a letdown!!! Actually, more like a crash landing!|!! Is there any source of reliable information out there, when looking at buying a used 5er? in addition to asking the Group's members for their opinions? >>> Stan >> [quoted text clipped - 48 lines] > buying a used 5er? in addition to asking the Group's members for > their opinions? Before I bought my 1st RV in 1971, I went around in campgrounds and talked to RV owners, asking what they liked and didn't like about their rig, an any problems or things they would, or had changed. Six months of this and we bought our 1st rig and have only felt the urge to buy 2 since, for RVing. I did have 2 Class B Dodges for work while traveling without family, that I built to my specs from Tradesman B-250 windowless vans. The secret is knowing what to look out for as much as knowing what to look for, if that makes sense. Now, back to your original question. They are the only deal out there, BUT that doesn't make them a good deal for most people, IF you take the time to get informed about what most likely will fit you and your family. Tom J >Is there any source of reliable information out there, when looking at >buying a used 5er? in addition to asking the Group's members for >their opinions? If you are looking for a 5er, do a search on rec.outdoors.rv-travel for stuff like 'Sunnybrook'. You'll probably get about 2,000 hits. I've yet to hear so much as a single complaint over the years regarding this manufacturer. In article <cbddb0ea-7e59-402e-b5dc-4df609586278@s50g2000hsb.googlegroups.com>, .. > WOW! What a letdown!!! Actually, more like a crash landing!|!! > > Is there any source of reliable information out there, when looking at > buying a used 5er? in addition to asking the Group's members for > their opinions? No, Please note that Stan etal have OPINIONS, largely based in bias, mis-information and ignorance. The RV Consumer Group is not perfect, but their ratings are based on: manufacturers specs, inspections at factories, inspections at shows, etc. The idea that they are a sham is pushed by the parts of the industry, that get poor ratings. Question, if you built an over-priced POS, what would you do? Janet has more of the truth then the others, they are far from perfect, but they are a good starting point. Maybe their best product is the book on how to inspect an RV, FOR YOUR SELF.  Signature-------------------------------------------------------- Personal e-mail is the n7bsn but at amsat.org This posting address is a spam-trap and seldom read RV and Camping FAQ can be found at http://www.ralphandellen.us/rv >The only worse scam is anything associated with the Affinity >Group. Indeed! >> The only worse scam is anything associated with the Affinity >> Group. > > Indeed! Amen >> A few years ago, I ordered an instruction manual for a shortwave >> radio. While the manual only cost $15US, it ended up costing me [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > Stan > Newmarket, Ontario That is patently untrue. There are many people working for the RV Consumer Group who actually visit the RV factories. Members report on their personal experiences with their rigs, too. At one time, back in the mid 90's, JD did much of the factory visiting himself. Unfortunately he pissed off many factories with his questions and snooping so he recruited other RVers whom he trained to help him with factory visits and product inspections. In early 1996, I was asked to work for them but I declined as I didn't want anyone scheduling my travel other than ourselves. That's how I know there are more people involved than JD and his wife. I haven't always agreed with all of the ratings, but the RV Consumer Group is a legal not-for-profit organization and it does a job that no other entity does. I would trust the RV Consumer Group much more than I'd ever trust a product review in the heavily ad financed Affinity Group or club published magazines. RVCG's information is a wonderful place to start your own short-list of brands you might be interested in. The final decision is always yours, but it's good to use whatever material there is available to help you. SignatureJanet Wilder Bad spelling. Bad punctuation Good Friends. Good Life >> As a Canadian, I can assure you that you are wasting your money on the >> RV Consumer Group (so called) Rating Guide. The group consists of a >> predatory husband and wife team who are just out to get yer $$$. They >> have never even seen 95% of the rigs they are "rating". >> >> There's one born every minute! :o( >That is patently untrue. There are many people working for the RV >Consumer Group who actually visit the RV factories. Members report on >their personal experiences with their rigs, too. Have you ever looked at their financial statements? Guess how many people are on the payroll? >I haven't always agreed with all of the ratings, but the RV Consumer >Group is a legal not-for-profit organization and it does a job that no >other entity does. "Not-for-profit" is a sham. Gross Income = $ xx,xxx Less salaries and bonuses for Mr & Mrs JD = $(-xx,xxxx) Net non-Profit = $ 00,000 :o) > >> As a Canadian, I can assure you that you are wasting your money on the > >> RV Consumer Group (so called) Rating Guide. The group consists of a [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > > Net non-Profit = $ 00,000 :o) I've seen the IRS report. why do I doubt you ever have Signature-------------------------------------------------------- Personal e-mail is the n7bsn but at amsat.org This posting address is a spam-trap and seldom read RV and Camping FAQ can be found at http://www.ralphandellen.us/rv >> >> As a Canadian, I can assure you that you are wasting your money on the >> >> RV Consumer Group (so called) Rating Guide. The group consists of a [quoted text clipped - 25 lines] > >I've seen the IRS report. why do I doubt you ever have While they do not claim to be charitable organization, "Not For Profit" is slightly misleading. It only means that it isn't a Publicly Traded company. It's privately owned and all the monies made are kept by the company and dispersed strictly within the company. There are no profits, all the monies made, after expenses, go to the owners of the company. While that isn't the true Financial Statement, it is a true representation of the how the monies are used. SignatureFrank Tabor > >> >> As a Canadian, I can assure you that you are wasting your money on the > >> >> RV Consumer Group (so called) Rating Guide. The group consists of a [quoted text clipped - 35 lines] > While that isn't the true Financial Statement, it is a true > representation of the how the monies are used. Wrong. not-for-profit means the profits are retained by the company. Signature-------------------------------------------------------- Personal e-mail is the n7bsn but at amsat.org This posting address is a spam-trap and seldom read RV and Camping FAQ can be found at http://www.ralphandellen.us/rv >> >> >> As a Canadian, I can assure you that you are wasting your money on the >> >> >> RV Consumer Group (so called) Rating Guide. The group consists of a [quoted text clipped - 37 lines] > >Wrong. not-for-profit means the profits are retained by the company. That's what I said. The owners are the company. SignatureFrank Tabor > That's what I said. The owners are the company. Not For Profit==No owners (hint, I've probably been on the Board of more Not For Profits then you have) Signature-------------------------------------------------------- Personal e-mail is the n7bsn but at amsat.org This posting address is a spam-trap and seldom read RV and Camping FAQ can be found at http://www.ralphandellen.us/rv >I've seen the IRS report. why do I doubt you ever have. I doubt, that YOU doubt, that I've seen their financial statements! So much for your doubts about what I have seen or haven't seen! But that's hardly at issue here. The issue had to do with the financial manipulations of a typical "not-for-profit" organization. And yes, I've seen their financial statements, were the year-end profits tend to be the very same as the (2) employee's year-end bonuses. Since we tend to give such BIG $$$ to charities each year, with so many con-artists out there; we are obligated by common sense (stewardship) to do a lot of research on each on these institutions before ever signing a cheque. So . . . . no big deal to do a little research on an opportunists like the RV Consumer bunch. Regardless of your snotty speculative Ralphie comments, I have examined their financial statements, and get a bit of a giggle from the fact that at year-end, organizational profit figures are the very same as employee (Mr. 'n Mrs.) year-end bonuses. :-) Since all of our charitable expenditures are Canadian entities; before giving so much as as plug nickel, the very first resource we always check out, is: http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tax/charities/online_listings/charity_listings-e.html A very effective resource for weeding out the scammers!! As always, we have never been adverse to endless *giving, giving, giving*; we have just developed an aversion to supporting pimps!! Stan Birch Newmarket, ON >>I've seen the IRS report. why do I doubt you ever have. > [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] >Stan Birch >Newmarket, ON Do not confuse "not for profit" with 501c charitable organizations. They do not claim to be one. Any money you spend with them is not a charitable donation. RV Consumer group is the same type of business organization as most hospitals and other businesses that are "not for profit". They have no share holders. There is no profit. Every dollar that comes in is spent on expenses, and the left over money is split money is divided among the principals of the company as specified in their charter. SignatureFrank Tabor >RV Consumer group is the same type of business organization as most >hospitals and other businesses that are "not for profit". Like Nortel! :-( > >>I've seen the IRS report. why do I doubt you ever have. > > [quoted text clipped - 41 lines] > spent on expenses, and the left over money is split money is divided > among the principals of the company as specified in their charter. They are a 501C3 and are registered as such (hint, they aren't registered as the RV Consumer Group, if you don't know the name they are registered under, you don't know where to look for their info) Signature-------------------------------------------------------- Personal e-mail is the n7bsn but at amsat.org This posting address is a spam-trap and seldom read RV and Camping FAQ can be found at http://www.ralphandellen.us/rv >> >>I've seen the IRS report. why do I doubt you ever have. >> > [quoted text clipped - 45 lines] >registered as the RV Consumer Group, if you don't know the name they are >registered under, you don't know where to look for their info) So, what name are they registered under? SignatureFrank Tabor >>They are a 501C3 and are registered as such (hint, they aren't >>registered as the RV Consumer Group, if you don't know the name they are >>registered under, you don't know where to look for their info) > >So, what name are they registered under? Base Camps Wilderness Institute --- Don Bradner donb (not don) at arcatapet.com '90 Wanderlodge PT40 "Blue Thunder" towing '07 Jeep Liberty > >I've seen the IRS report. why do I doubt you ever have. > [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] > Stan Birch > Newmarket, ON Crawl back under your rock Stan, resorting to name calling shows you don't have a clue. Here's the first hint: There are more employees then you think. Signature-------------------------------------------------------- Personal e-mail is the n7bsn but at amsat.org This posting address is a spam-trap and seldom read RV and Camping FAQ can be found at http://www.ralphandellen.us/rv >>In article stan.birch@hotmail.com wrote: >> Since all of our charitable expenditures are Canadian entities; before [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] >> Stan Birch >> Newmarket, ON >Crawl back under your rock Stan, resorting to name calling shows you >don't have a clue. Here's the first hint: There are more employees then >you think. Like they say Ralphie . . . reading comprehension is always the first to go! :-( Maybe writing comprehension is the second; but I figured that I was pretty clear, when I addressed the subject as: Canadian charitable organization entities; and the pimps referenced are those who suck up 95% of donations for themselves, leaving 5% left for the so-called charitable endeavour. When I mentioned "pimps", why did you disregard everything else I had said in the preamble, and instinctively assume I was talking about Mr. & Mrs. JD?? Has this been some sort of inkblot association test for you?? > >>In article stan.birch@hotmail.com wrote: > >> Since all of our charitable expenditures are Canadian entities; before [quoted text clipped - 29 lines] > & Mrs. JD?? Has this been some sort of inkblot association test for > you?? Cause you don't understand even what you are saying, let alone the issues involved. Signature-------------------------------------------------------- Personal e-mail is the n7bsn but at amsat.org This posting address is a spam-trap and seldom read RV and Camping FAQ can be found at http://www.ralphandellen.us/rv >Cause you don't understand even what you are saying, let alone the >issues involved. Just because *you* don't understand what I am saying, doesn't mean that I don't. Indeed, writing everything to accomodate the lowest common element on the newsgroup can be somewhat challenging; although you are the first to express consternation with my writing style; although I admit that I tend to give participants such as you the benefit of the doubt; I apologize if what I have written is over your head. :-) As for understanding the "issues involved"; I couldn't care less! From my perspective, there aren't any issues. As an avid 5 decade RVer, I have never figured that the Gallant family business has EVER had any information of significance to offer me, for which I'd be willing to pay 10 cents for; not then and certainly not now! Their speculative reviews of RVs they have never seen, are of no interest whatsover to me. I can speculate as well as they can, and save a hundred bucks or so in the process. As for their totally usless customer experience data; that data only represents the experiences of those stooopid enough to pay a hundred bucks for membership after-the-fact; and there aren't many of them. Last time I checked, RV America also sponsored a customer-experience site; but it not only represented the views and opinions of RVers who weren't dumb enough to pay a hundred bucks to express their opinions; but allows others to read those opinions without having to pay a hundred bucks for the priviledge. > >Cause you don't understand even what you are saying, let alone the > >issues involved. [quoted text clipped - 26 lines] > but allows others to read those opinions without having to pay a > hundred bucks for the priviledge. Stan, continue to spout rumor and FUD all you want, the plain fact is, you have -no- idea what you are talking about. Which shows to anyone reading your posts. .... Not the the RV Consumer Group is perfect, far from it, but they are the only game in town that doesn't get it's operating revenue from the industry Signature-------------------------------------------------------- Personal e-mail is the n7bsn but at amsat.org This posting address is a spam-trap and seldom read RV and Camping FAQ can be found at http://www.ralphandellen.us/rv > Stan, continue to spout rumor and FUD all you want, the plain fact > is, [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > from it, but they are the only game in town that doesn't get it's > operating revenue from the industry Ralph, I have not lately, and likely will not in the future, but when JD 1st started his "game" and was spamming this newsgroup, I did take a good look at his finances. At that time he was accepting funds from RV manufacturing companies and was billing then his expenses to go to their plants. The very next next year's filing after I pointed that out covered all these details with hokas pokas, so there was no way to tell where all the funds were coming from after that. True, the only "game in town" as long as you want to play the game. Tom J > > Stan, continue to spout rumor and FUD all you want, the plain fact > > is, [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > Tom J Sorry Tom, but JD started the group long before you were around (recall I live a short drive from JD). Not only that but during that period you "claim" he was getting funds from the industry, they wouldn't let people in the industry join (I worked to change that policy) Signature-------------------------------------------------------- Personal e-mail is the n7bsn but at amsat.org This posting address is a spam-trap and seldom read RV and Camping FAQ can be found at http://www.ralphandellen.us/rv > Sorry Tom, but JD started the group long before you were around (recall > I live a short drive from JD). Not only that but during that period you > "claim" he was getting funds from the industry, they wouldn't let people > in the industry join (I worked to change that policy) There were many, many factories who barred JD from their premises. That's one of the reasons he had to recruit more people to go to plants and check out rigs. When I was asked to do factory tours and camper interviews for them (early 1996), they were not paying people to do this. People actually volunteered to do factory tours, etc. As for JD, he could be abrasive, which, IIRC, was one of the reasons many factories banned him. People who joined RVCG could call him on the phone and ask questions about specific rigs. Friends of ours had some questions about an Allegro Bus they were interested in. They had joined RVCG and called JD with the specs of the rig they wanted. He did the math and told them that the short length they wanted in a DP was not going to be very stable. They bought it anyway and wound up having to go back to the dealer and even the factory to make the rig more stable (It had something to do with the length of the wheel base). My friends were so sorry that they didn't listen to JD. It would have saved them a lot of headaches and cash. These friends are not the only people I've come across in my years of travel and active participation in the larger RVing community who have felt that the money they spent joining the RVCG was worth every penny. As I stated earlier, I had some issues about the way JD compiled his ratings but there is no other organization that does the job that his group does. When one thinks of the amount of money one will spend on an RV, the cost of joining the RVCG is a pittance. Of course there are those who don't want to be told that the RV of their dreams is a POS <g> BTW, I've never become a member, but I was aware of ratings, and even reported on my satisfaction with my rigs to the web site. We had the time and means to do our own factory tours and investigations when shopping for our two new fifth wheels. Most people don't. SignatureJanet Wilder Bad spelling. Bad punctuation Good Friends. Good Life On Sat, 15 Mar 2008 08:17:27 -0700, Ralph E Lindberg <n7bsn@callsign.net> wrote: >Stan, continue to spout rumor and FUD all you want, the plain fact is, >you have -no- idea what you are talking about. Which shows to anyone >reading your posts. .... Not the the RV Consumer Group is perfect, far >from it, but they are the only game in town that doesn't get it's >operating revenue from the industry When I went searching for an RV back in 2004, I relied heavily on RVCG. I also watched newsgroups and reflectors. I went with the recommendations from RVCG and have NOT been disappointed at all. Dean SignaturePosted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com >>A few years ago, I ordered an instruction manual for a shortwave >>radio. While the manual only cost $15US, it ended up costing me [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >>there tell me what charges I can expect in addition to the actual cost >>of the CD? You have obviously had first hand experience being plucked by UPS. :-( The best option is to use regular postal service. There is no charge for anything valued under $20. Smart cross-border vendors declare *their* cost for an order, rather than some arbitrary retail value numbers. :-)
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