Kids, Grandkids, And Memories
Dear Editor:
We have been members of FMCA since the early 1970s and have taken advantage of attending many FMCA international conventions. We took one of our grandsons, Stephen Dombek, to a rally in 1991. He was spending the summer with us after having surgery on a leg and didn’t enjoy not being able to play his sports at home. The rally was held that summer at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, and he rode the trams to the TATS meetings and affairs held in the Youth Center. It was amazing how much he wanted to be a part of everything; he was ready each day to meet the bus by 8:00 a.m.
From 2007 on we have taken a grandchild to the rallies, and the kids always establish many lasting friendships and great memories, as do we. During the 2007 convention in Redmond, Oregon, our grandson Paulie McGhee enjoyed activities that included a whitewater rafting trip. Paulie’s life was tragically ended this past Thanksgiving in a car accident.
Our reason for writing this letter is not only to report this tragedy to the many youth and adults who got to know him but also to call attention to a perfect venue for grandparents to spend quality time with their grandchildren. It has left us with thankful hearts that we traveled with him and went to places along the way he would otherwise not have seen. This was true of all those who traveled with us, and some are still in touch with those they met at that Redmond event.
We urge FMCA members to take the kids and grandkids with them to the Family Reunions — you’ll be glad you did. The people who run the Youth Center and the kids’ activities are amazing and they volunteer many, many hours to FMCA.
Paul & Phyllis Mcghee, F11595
Twinsburg, Ohio
Tire Store Kudos
Dear Editor:
My wife and I have been RVing now for about five years, and it didn’t take us long to realize the valuable service that Les Schwab Tire Center provides to those of us who live part of our lives on the road. So when our towed car’s brake system got contaminated last year while in Emmett, Idaho, we didn’t think twice about taking it to the local Les Schwab facility (208-365-3548) for repair. Unfortunately, the job was performed by a “bad hire,” and when we got to Arizona and began driving the car, our brakes started to overheat again. We had the local Chevrolet dealership fix the problem, as there are no Les Schwab locations here in Arizona, and sent the documentation to the Les Schwab manager back in Emmett. He was very willing to make things right and, with many apologies, issued us a credit for the $2,600 we’d spent that we could use toward new RV tires, a big expenditure we were facing in 2011.
Last month we returned to Emmett to have our new tires installed. When we arrived to pick up the motorhome, Mark Scott, the manager, told us we owed nothing, even though the value of the tires and labor exceeded our credit by about $1,300. He wouldn’t even allow us to pay for the alignment. The difficulty we’d had with one mechanic’s repair job had not damaged our respect for Les Schwab, but now we are their biggest fans. This is one company that has taken excellent customer service to the next level, far exceeding reasonable expectations.
Randie Farish, F388653
Quartzsite, Arizona
Canadian Safety Rules Regarding Propane Tanks
Dear Editor:
Regarding the “Propane System Safety” article in the February 2012 issue (page 40), I would like you to know that here in Ontario, Canada, the TSSA (Technical Standards and Safety Authority) requires all ASME frame-mounted LP tanks to be visually requalified every five years, from date of manufacture. I was just reading the article in FMC magazine and thought that this information should be corrected.
As an RV dealer and person certified to do the requalification of the ASME tanks, I believe that the more correct information out there, the better. Customers here in Ontario have been running into problems with getting tanks filled when they show up to a filling station with a rusty, poorly maintained tank. The attendants will refuse to fill them, because that is what they are instructed to do when they receive their certificate to do LP fills.
Rick Goertz
Forest City Motorhomes Ltd., C10545
London, Ontario, Canada