Anybody here going to Redmond we were but they have lost it $165.00 for the registration fee and $175.00 for 3 days of electric power that is almost $60.00 a day just for power and if you have ever been there the Deschutes County fair grounds is not a 5 star resort what are these people thinking no way a person in a rv could use $175.00 worth of power with a 30amp supply in 3 days I almost passed out when the lady told me the fees
So much for FMCA being just for MH and coaches I see one can have a towable and attend not that there is anything wrong with a towable but when I asked the wheels told me it would never happen lol FMCA needs to do better with these high dollar fees IMO
Understand all the above, I have driven the toad & walked in when it was at Richmond, Va, few years they had a biggie at Va Tech Univ, Blacksburg, Va. All many years ago and have zero desire for more of that, so BTDT.
The prices today are for others, not me, I am not a social butterfly and no need. I prefer the make the best you can bus gangs to the RV gang with the store bought crap.
Why I prefer the Arcadia type get together. Real folks
Dave M
But ya, don't the FMCA get you a discount on tires? they have to raise the money to grease the tire guy somehow.
What else does the fmca do for ya
FMCA/Michelin did save me on 6 new premo tires, but I save more with Good Sam / Flying J at -.08 cents a gal diesel fuel, that does add up, that is $8.00 per 100 gal saved.
As soon as the new Michelin tires were installed & paid, I canceled FMCA.
Dave M
You can get a discount on ball point pens at Staples ::),they want $155.00 to walk in with no camping,recruit 100 members they will give you a his and hers Chinese made watch I just don't get fees myself
You can get the same Michelin tire discount program and do not have any fees required to join Prevost Community. In addition the fuel discount program on Prevost Community provides a $.10 per gallon discount.
FMCA has lost its luster.
Doesn't the FMCA rent generators and miles of cables to set up temporary wiring at most of these events? With the cost of wiring and electricians they probably aren't getting rich on the electric fees. Of course, maybe this place already has the wiring set up to handle that many RVs.
The rally was at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds in St Paul some years back and I know that place doesn't have the outlets required. I assume temporary wiring was used. They do have a small campgrounds, but almost all electric there is just 20 amp with a few very rare 30 amp outlets. I was out of town the week of the FMCA rally so I didn't get to take a look at the setup. I really wanted to go since it is like 5 miles from my house. The MN State Fair makes you use their contracted electricians most of the time and they aren't cheap.
The fairground only has about 100 spaces best I remember maybe wrong but I believe FMCA owns all the temporary cable and the have a deal with Cummins when they need generators which they don't use in Redmond
Clifford are you guys going?
We are going Andy but will be in the generator section I can buy a lot of fuel for 60 bucks a day lol
Yup we are going, Maybe we can meet up and go in together?
Same kind of prices at horse shows. Exhibition grounds and big arenas charge a lot for horse stalls, plus $15 to $50 a night for a 15 amp outlet. We won't pay that. We park the trailers away from the buildings and run a generator, as many people do. The majority plug in and pay though.
At FMCA they park everyone using a generator in one area and they run the things from 6am to 10pm that is what I don't care for is all the diesel smell and a bunch will have gasoline or propane generators and the stacks don't help much unless mother nature provides a breeze
FMCA and I are all done when my membership runs out in a couple of months, then I start to save money but will have to buy toilet paper for my outhouse in place of FMCA slippery pages I used to use. lol
Come on...tell us what you really think! ;) I'm not defending them, but I imagine the overhead hasn't dropped as much as the interest or membership in FMCA or motorhomes. Also bus conversions, other than big buck new ones aren't in their scope of interest, probably because most of us are cheap bastards and aren't interested in the their direction.($$$). Same thing in boats, Nascar, bowling, football, baseball, horses. Probably best is, if you still like to belong, is to concentrate on local or regional chapters, where lasting friendships are most important. Oh. and the Michelin tire program also. ;D At that price, do the still have unused capacity at the conventions?
I guess it also depends on why someone desires to spend the money to attend in the first place. Maybe the president will show up; that should be worth the big bucks if he does... I've been to a couple over the years, but only stayed on site at two; Richmond and Buffalo. The others, I just paid for a day pass. My father wen't to almost all of them. He was a lifetime member, so he didn't have to pay attendance fees, and was among several early members (L3389). He personally knew and was friends with many charter members. How many of us belong to groups that don't justify our dues anymore? Grange, Elks, Shriners, KOC, Church, etc..
I am going just for 1 reason and that being to voice my opinion in the direction they are headed Charlie told me one thing and FMCA is doing the opposite but in all fairness to him this may have been planned before he became president but I will find out :o
There were only 652 lifetime membership sold for 500 bucks ea the members of the $1000.00 club paid for the office building in Ohio
I have my original 5 digit cast egg not the plastic it took 18 years to figure out 3 of us had the same number it belongs to me now the other 2 have passed away I belong to FMCA because of the Eagles International only
Karen and I have been FMCA members for over 25 years and just attended our first National rally in Perry, GA. There were 2500 family coaches and 500 coaches for sale in Perry. We stayed in the generator section which works for us since we are set up to dry camp. I don't know how many of those in attendance were buses but there were quite a few. Several people that we know through the Southeast Busnuts chapter were there as well. I enjoyed all the vendor booths and bought some stuff and even had Roadmaster repair one of my Sterling tow bars for FREE!! Can't beat that! We met lots of nice people including our neighbors for the week who live in Canada. Two spaces from us was a couple who recognized our Prevost as having belonged to good friends of theirs and came over to take pictures to show her the remodel we have done. We even met a couple that live 10 miles from us that knew a lot of the same people that we do.
Like any organization you mostly get out of it what you want to. Do you know that it took over 700 volunteers to make this rally happen? Who by the way paid the same fees that I did. Those of us who have built and drive buses are very different than the majority of FMCA members and I am sure we have different expectations. Besides if not for FMCA we would not have been able to join the chapters and made lifetime friends.
Tom what you say is correct about the FMCA officers paying to attend the rallies but you left out the part they get $7500.00 travel expense for the continental US and the ferry paid for if going to Alaska lol and I never saw a officer in the generator section fwiw I have been a member since 1983 off and on
They did pay a little for fuel for the volunteers and to the FMCA chapter directors but done away with in the last few years,I have receive fuel money before
Who knows Adcock may turn it around at least you can talk to Charlie and he will listen it is wait and see with me,regardless FMCA is like any for profit corporation the bottom line rules