Getting Ready For Halloween and Winter

We are going to start decorating the site in 2 weeks for Campground Halloween on Oct 7th. In the meantime I found out the RV dealer won't be able to pull our rig out to winterize and store it. So the rig will be staying in the campground this winter and I will be winterizing it myself for the first time.

A few updates on the rig, this is the first year we have not had to have any repairs performed since we bought it new July of 2013. We still need the main AC unit replaced but we haven't needed it so it can wait.

I believe a chipmunk is in the rear cap, no amount of traps or other attempts has gotten rid of or caught the little bastard so he/she may have an entire winter to do damage. So I'm going to do what I can to get it out of there. Cosmetically the rig looks great, but one stripe on the front is starting to peel in small places, something I have worried about, but can't do anything about.

Also the LED's on the front of the rig that are so bright in this picture, have been replaced 3 times and need replacing once again so I don't turn them on anymore.

Here is a picture from Labor Day, you can see how dirty the rig is on the front cap, the roof is black. All of which I'll be power washing this weekend, I power washed the patio blocks because with all the rain we've had moss had started to grow like crazy.

Picture of family over on Labor Day for a cookout on the firepit and to have a bonfire. It was a bit somber, Ronda's Mom died a few weeks before from the devastating disease Alzheimer's. We miss her very much.

Till next time, get out there and enjoy the vast beauty around us, we are only here for a short time.

The movie "The Circle", Scary How Society Is Going This Way

I'm watching "The Circle" and holy bag of cats, this is how the world is going... pure insanity. It got 2.5 stars which makes sense considering how it mirrors how society is going.

Is This An RV Blog Anymore?

I know I don't post much about RV'ing anymore. The thing is when you're in the same spot and you don't own the land things don't change much. We work the campground store on Saturday's and spend the rest of Saturday at Ronda's parent's house to have dinner, watch a movie and help her Father watch over her Mother who has Alzheimer's, a disease that I couldn't wish on anybody. Sunday I cut the grass and do some outside stuff, nothing worth taking pictures over.

We have decided not to work in the campground next year and to try and save up for a used Class A Pusher (Yes I know we had one picked out in 2013) but we have learned a few things while owning a Fifth Wheel. Such as they are ALL built to the same standard and that standard is low. We talk to a lot of seasonal and weekend campers while working in the store and the sheer amount of problems people report is mind boggling.

Typical issues are slides stop working, water leaks, holding tank issues, hydraulic landing jack issues you name it I have yet to hear anybody report they bought a new rig and have had zero issues. Our neighbor bought a new travel trailer and I helped him with a few things, I opened the front hatch and saw that the front floor was supported by 1x1's, friggin 1x1's!!

The problems reported by people who own pushers, very few, some are expensive but over all pushers seem to be very well put together. Anyway, we plan on trying to sell the Montana in a few years and hopefully find a nice pusher for a reasonable price. We realize to keep the Montana and use it on the road we will have to find a truck worthy of towing the Montana and those, even used cost's a boatload.

As of today, all systems are working save for the main air conditioner that Keystone refused to anything about. Keystone is a company we will avoid, forever. Sadly 3 companies are buying up other companies and spreading their low standards into companies that used to be pretty good, such as Holiday Rambler. Their latest Navigator new cost 1/2 what a 10 year old used one costs, how can this be a bad thing? Well, they cut corners and reduce the quality and now it's just a shadow of its former glory.

We had one in the campground a few weeks back, while he was checking in the main slide was a few inches out at the bottom, I brought this up and his response was it has been repaired several times, it's a design flaw they don't know how to fix, how awesome is that? When we're ready we'll be looking for a mid 2000's pusher from Newmar, we know how those were built and if we stick to a Dutchstar or Mountainaire we should be able to get a rig that will last a long time if cared for.

That's it for now, I have to go up on the roof and clean it, then cut the grass and do the usual. Have a great Sunday everybody!

Paypal Dispute Process - Seller Protection = Paypal Protection ONLY

I put an HP Omen Laptop onto eBay for sale back in January. I put if there for $550.00 which is 40% less than it should be sold for because the keyboard backlight went bad. The laptop sold for $580.00 so I'm happy right? The buyer emails me how happy he is and that he is from China.... I knew right away this could end up badly.

He paid instantly so my hopes were high, I find out he has a forwarding company so I ask for their contact info. I call them, only get voicemail so I try a few times and no call back plus UPS was unsure of their address. I emailed the buyer that UPS will ship there but that the company does not reply to calls or emails.

His reply, I use those guys all the time, so please ship it. I ensured the laptop for the full amount paid, boxed it up better than HP did and shipped it. He finally receives it in China and the next day files a Paypal dispute for "Item not as described" and says the hinge is damaged, internal screws are damaged (which means HE took it apart!!) to which I add all the pictures showing it running diagnostics and passing, I also have internal pictures as well (he still doesn't know this part).

I add the pictures to the dispute center, I call Paypal, the person agrees he must have taken it apart, and this morning I get this message.

How in bloody hell does he win this case? Well, a simple call to Paypal answered that very quickly, after being on hold for 15 minutes. They found for him because "he might file a claim with his credit card company, so they always find for the buyer", this is to protect the seller.... let that sink in. 

My response is, why even have a dispute process if the seller loses every single time?? This buyer took the laptop apart, clearly screwed it up, provided no emails, never responded to dispute queries for evidence, no pictures offering proof of his claim, he didn't even respond to the last request for info and he wins the case by default because you're afraid he will file a claim with his credit card bank and you call this "Seller Protection?!?"

Indeed, when I receive the laptop back (keep in mind I have to accept, even if it gets damaged in shipping!!) "if it isn't the same as I sold it" I can file a counter claim, or if he doesn't ship it on time. He has 10 days in which to ship it, then he has until the end of March for it to arrive here and then I have I don't know how long to make a determination because that isn't something they divulge yet. 

I ask how many times the seller wins a counter claim, their response "I don't have that info" this laptop has been taken apart by the buyer, he now claims the display doesn't work which means I sold a mint condition laptop where everything but the keyboard light and looked perfect and it will now be up to me to prove it not only worked perfectly when I shipped it but that he messed it up.... 

I have a credit account with Paypal, I have used them since they started business, this is the 2nd time somebody outside the US was able to get around the rules and buy something from me, it's also the second time I received a dispute. I'm closing my Paypal account as soon as this is resolved and also closing my eBay account. You can't leave negative feedback on buyers anymore because "fairness" and the buyer wins by default no matter how wrong they are so why use a rigged system?

Sold As Is and no returns means nothing because Paypal makes it so. The only way to respond is to take them out of the equation, both parties should be protected and in this, only Paypal is.

Here is the mint condition laptop...... who knows what it will look like when I get it back.