My Experience with Robert (Bobby) Culpepper and Cascadia Vehicle Tents (CVT)

[Titanpat57]

I appreciate Bob's apology..." mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa"....and we should support him that he will do the right thing.

In the past on here, we have seen much, much worse from a trailer manufacturer that has out right mislead people by taking money and never delivering anything...and yet people still send that company money.

After personally using several different forums that support group buys from CVT....they have to being doing something right. I have not seen a pattern of deceit, or folks lining up to get a head on a stick.....quite the contrary. I think they offer a niche for folks that have definitive budgets, and fill that niche with lots of satisfied customers. Every growing business will stumble and learn.

I wish the folks that have issues, will report back and keep us informed of some amicable resolution.

Good luck to CVT

 

[concretejungle]

I think this case is closed. Nothing left to see here... move along......

 

[702krawler]

I'll definitely report back and let everyone know what happens. Hopefully your optimism is deserved.

 

[grogie]

1. The thing is when people order trailers they go cheap which is what ours was. I bet now you have spent way more than what you spent on our Chinese trailer?

Bobby

You have a point that people want to go cheap as we all do. But it is a bit humorous that you seem to blame the customer for buying a cheap trailer that you sold. He may have spent more money then he thought, but so have you when this is all said and done. Not to mention your reputation is on the line as a business...

But still, things are bound to happen and no hobby is inexpensive. I had a shop that builds King of the Hammers buggies build my trailer. It was a new to them, and although it's built rock solid (as far as the frame, walls, custom axle), I had some paint issues with it as I'll admit that I took his cheap option. I ended up having the trailer sand blasted and redone by another shop that specializes in a professional bed-liner. Thing is, I didn't ask the original builder to redo the paint job at his cost. It's not that I can excuse screw ups or a lack of responsibility, I just knew it was a custom build to begin with and there were bound to be issues and things that I may not like later. It's not like I was going down to buy a new Dodge Ram.

I look at this hobby... along with just my Jeep in general... that it takes money to play. We want to go where most people don't go and live to tell about it over having a popup and staying at a KOA. As someone else has in their signature here, you have to build it stronger then stupid. And only time will tell...

Good luck to the Bobby and the OP on working this out. :ylsmoke:

 

[luk4mud]

Interesting thread. I am a big believer in user reviews, and this thread would not give me much confidence in CVT, NOT because issues arose but because:
-the posters are clearly intelligent folks who have tried to work out their issue before going public
-the posters have tried, even in this thread, to carefully weigh their words and still get their points across
-Bobby's excuses appear to be lame in most cases and his posts are demeaning to the posters in some places
-Bobby even appears to be dissing his own product, suggesting that one poster was foolish for buying it

Gotta tell you Bobby, if I am the judge hearing either of these cases and what you have presented is the best you got, easy decision. Have you checked your contract for an attorneys fees clause? Because these guys are likely to collect from you, if you dont make it right. And worse than that, you are losing credibility on one of the premium offroad forums.

Refund these guys their money, give them the option to return or keep the product and cut your losses. Problems will always arise, how you deal with them separates the good companies from the bad ones.

 

[Martinjmpr]

One of the things I've noticed in "hobby based businesses" like this one is that when problems arise, the business owners often don't understand that excuses don't cut it, no matter how "legitimate" they might seem to the business owner.

I think it's because when a business starts out as a hobby, the business owner's relationship with his customers starts out as a kind of friendship or acquaintanceship. But once the business goes big, it's not that kind of relationship anymore.

There are lots of relationships where excuses are acceptable. If my buddy asks to borrow my truck so he can move this weekend, and then on Thursday afternoon my boss sends me out of town and I have to take the truck with me, I can call my buddy and say "sorry, dude, this trip just came up and I have to go." and my buddy will most likely understand. The excuse is acceptable because of the nature of the relationship between my buddy and I.

But when you are talking about a business/customer relationship, it's different. If you, as a business owner, tell me you're going to do something, I expect you to do it. When you offer an excuse, you are telling me about your problems.

This may sound harsh, but you know what? I don't care about your problems (and I don't expect you to care about mine.) We don't have that kind of relationship.

If I'm spending big bucks (and let's face it, RTTs and trailers aren't cheap) then I expect performance, not excuses. The best excuse in the world is still an excuse and as we used to say in the Army "The maximum effective range of an excuse is ZERO."

If you can't give me the performance I need, I'll take my money elsewhere. I know that problems arise and I know running a business is tough. But I expect performance and if you can't give that to me I'll find someone who can. Like the mafia says when they "whack" somebody, it's nothing personal - just business.

 

[01tundra]

Well said ^.

I can tell you one thing for sure, if I ever decide to purchase a trailer, tent or anything else it definitely won't be from CVT. This is not based on other people's experiences as much as the vendor's responses.

 

[FIRE74]

I have had nothing but a great dealings with Bobby and CVT products! :wings:

 

[Mushin_Noshin]

I have had nothing but bad experience w CVT and it all stems from less than poor communication.

 

[Hilldweller]

...
Mr. Culpepper informed me (I forgot whether this was through e-mail or over the phone) that prior to departing his business, the tent was palletized and that the shipping company “must have removed it”. I would be interested in knowing if any other members have received a RTT that was placed upon or within a pallet?
....

Which shipper?
FedEx Ground will routinely remove the box from the pallet, much to the detriment of the product being shipped. They just don't do pallets.
Dedicated freight companies keep things on pallets, charge more for using better handling.

 

[FIRE74]

I have had nothing but bad experience w CVT and it all stems from less than poor communication.

That your CVT tent in your avatar?

 

[luk4mud]

That your CVT tent in your avatar?

Ouch!

 

[Jim K in PA]

Which shipper?
FedEx Ground will routinely remove the box from the pallet, much to the detriment of the product being shipped. They just don't do pallets.
Dedicated freight companies keep things on pallets, charge more for using better handling.

No dog in the main fight here, but FedEx freight handled my Eezi-Awn quite well. Pallet and all. The picture is how I retrieved if from the local terminal. Now THAT is how you ship an expensive, but potentially fragile product.

FWIW - there was a problem with the shipment (missing ladder section), that was taken care of quickly, politely, and IMMEDIATELY by the vendor. At no cost or inconvenience to me.

There are times to save $$, and times to spend $$.

 

[southpier]

but .... was there anything mentioned in the sales literature denoting an inferior product at such a reasonable price?

manufacturers - or their authorized agents - cannot claim one thing and then flip/ flop when that claim goes ka-bloo-ey.

well, not if they want kudos from the Peanut Gallery.

 

[Martinjmpr]

but .... was there anything mentioned in the sales literature denoting an inferior product at such a reasonable price?

manufacturers - or their authorized agents - cannot claim one thing and then flip/ flop when that claim goes ka-bloo-ey.

well, not if they want kudos from the Peanut Gallery.

I would also think that if you sell a certain manufacturers product and then go on a public forum and describe that product as "cheap" (and imply that it is inferior to another product you sell), then the manufacturers of said product aren't going to be very happy with you...