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Old 03-04-2019, 05:00 PM   #1
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Lil Snoozy shuts down

Lil Snoozy has closed shop - Fiberglass RV
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Old 03-04-2019, 05:57 PM   #2
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Oh MY STARS. I know Lil Snoozy wanted a substantial down payment MONTHS before the build. I hope for those that wanted a trailer, THAT money went into a trust account. How very sad, the trailer had some features that were desirable for a lot of people looking for that layout and build type.
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Old 03-04-2019, 06:26 PM   #3
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One comment in the FiberglassRV discussion cautioned against speculation about the shutdown, and that makes sense to me. On the other hand, their website is down...

According to another FiberglassRV discussion, deposits were as high as 40% and as far ahead as 20 months. I can see that much backlog, but a huge deposit at order time is ridiculous, and should have been a red flag. If they were having to pay suppliers that far ahead, they would have had major components (the chassis? the shell?) sitting around for many months, which is nonsensical.

If the deposit money were going into a trust account, they wouldn't have needed large deposits. Even if it went to suppliers just in advance of those suppliers building components, the cash won't be coming back to be refunded. I think it's safe to assume that all that money went to paying the bills, and anyone who paid a deposit will get nothing back. It's like taking out loans, and using that money to pay off other debts: doomed to failure.
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Old 03-04-2019, 07:17 PM   #4
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It is a nice trailer. I don't care for an all electric rig or a cassette toilet, but still, a well made rig. I was always skeptical though about the huge down payments and the extremely long build times. Major red flag for me, although that may not be related to the reason they closed.
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Old 03-04-2019, 08:06 PM   #5
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So that's two that have shut down within the past 3 months, Parkliner and Lil Snoozy. Sad to see.
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Old 03-04-2019, 08:52 PM   #6
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So that's two that have shut down within the past 3 months, Parkliner and Lil Snoozy. Sad to see.
Don’t forget Hymer North America went under, leaving Roadtrek motorhomes and buyers of their new Hymer Touring GT fiberglass trailer without any warranty or parts support. There have been some horror stories on what’s been happening with their scandal!
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Old 03-04-2019, 08:56 PM   #7
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Most everything that is in the trailer is covered by individual manufacturer's warranty so that will be fine for parts and service, if you have yours. However, if you don't get the trailer, that's a problem.
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Old 03-04-2019, 11:12 PM   #8
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That must be a real blow to all that had one on order or wanted one.

Now that the Lil Snoozy’s web site is gone, I will share a screen shot of the home page for the record.

A few months ago I was collecting information to do a fiberglass trailer comparison between single axle units...until they started dropping like flys.

I know it is like comparing apples and oranges but you can see the base price of 23,650 US when converted to Canadian dollars is much more than the 17...almost that of the 19. That is with no propane system or awning for starts.

It is unfortunate for the companies that have past but I can see stronger sales for the Escape 17 and 19.

I also attached a picture of the Hymer home page as well for the record.
Attached Thumbnails
AD4678B3-6F31-4BBE-9687-E3F31BF310D9.jpg   3B7C7112-F90D-4429-B1C0-1DD8889C682B.jpg   A2902B9E-32AC-43DC-B8E4-3D17CB5CAC3B.jpg   267A7536-4E44-4E68-A400-9C0A97310E19.jpg  
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Old 03-05-2019, 06:19 AM   #9
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I feel most sorry for the many people who I don't think will ever get their money back. This looks and sounds like a classic case of a bad run business that finally caught up with itself. I wonder how many creditors they owe and when they tell you contact this lawyer NEVER GOOD.
Yes the camping/trailer RV market has been growing last few years, but fiberglass trailers no matter what brand are still more rare then you would think. Last week I had to drive up and down 75 from N. of Atlanta to Tifton, a very popular route, I did this twice so a total of about 650 miles and I saw one Casita and one Scamp 5th wheel. This makes selling in this niche market tough I would think.
One thing about stick built is yes many name brands but most are built by a hand full of companies that market those brands, you don't see that in the fiberglass market.
Really do hope everyone gets their money back and then they use that to buy an Escape.

Enjoy the journey.

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Old 03-05-2019, 06:42 AM   #10
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Little Snoozy wesite on August 4, 2018, stored on the Internet Archive Wayback Machine.

Enjoy,

Perry
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Old 03-05-2019, 08:34 AM   #11
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Don’t forget Hymer North America went under, leaving Roadtrek motorhomes and buyers of their new Hymer Touring GT fiberglass trailer without any warranty or parts support. There have been some horror stories on what’s been happening with their scandal!
Too, Parkliner shut down last year. That sounds like a long time ago, but it really was only about 6-7 months.

I'm reading some real horror stories about Trillium RV, builds out of Canada, on Facebook. Sounds like the quality is all over the place, no consistency and parts that are ordered/paid for and are never delivered.
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Old 03-05-2019, 10:10 AM   #12
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Well, to put a good spin on it, this will probably benefit the remaining fiberglass manufacturer's, yes?
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Old 03-05-2019, 10:47 AM   #13
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Well, to put a good spin on it, this will probably benefit the remaining fiberglass manufacturer's, yes?
True, however competition helps drive innovation (and potentially keep prices in check) which helps the customer.
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Old 03-05-2019, 02:28 PM   #14
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"I feel most sorry for the many people who I don't think will ever get their money back."

Those that made non-refundable deposits most likely stand as unsecured creditors in bankruptcy.

That puts them at the end of the line when money is being passed out.
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Old 03-05-2019, 02:29 PM   #15
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It's no easy task to start and maintain an RV business, or to expand it to meet demand if and when your product takes off. It's also sort of a testament to how Escape runs their business. While some others are folding, they're expanding.

The way they run their business, the testimonials, and their reputation in the industry were huge factors for us in making our decision. It wasn't just the trailer.
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Old 03-05-2019, 02:32 PM   #16
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I'm reading some real horror stories about Trillium RV, builds out of Canada, on Facebook.
"Trillium RV" is the name that Tom Young used for his multiple (all eventually failed) attempts to build trailers.

The currently struggling company in Canada building Trillium-style trailers is Team Trillium Manufacturing, and the trailer model name is "Outback".

There is no connection between Trillium RV and Team Trillium, other than that both copied the original Trillium 1300 design and used (to different extents) the name "Trillium".
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Old 03-05-2019, 04:07 PM   #17
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Too, Parkliner shut down last year. That sounds like a long time ago, but it really was only about 6-7 months.

I'm reading some real horror stories about Trillium RV, builds out of Canada, on Facebook. Sounds like the quality is all over the place, no consistency and parts that are ordered/paid for and are never delivered.
Hi: Donna D... Great West Van Conversions took over the Sidekick Fiberglass trailer styled like the Trillium. They moved to Alabama I think when Winnipeg froze and folded some time later. Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie "Searchin' for my lost shaker of salt".
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Old 03-05-2019, 04:17 PM   #18
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Hi: Donna D... Great West Van Conversions took over the Sidekick Fiberglass trailer styled like the Trillium. They moved to Alabama I think when Winnipeg froze and folded some time later. Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie "Searchin' for my lost shaker of salt".
Yeah, Happier Camper bought some of the molds at the auction. Either for the 4500 or the 5500, or maybe both. They were supposed to bring a prototype to the Boler 50th, but that didn't work out time wise. So it's still wait and see.
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Old 03-05-2019, 04:25 PM   #19
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Sidekick's Alabama operation also closed.
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Old 03-05-2019, 05:32 PM   #20
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The Sidekick was the final version of Tom Young's Trillium RV efforts. There were 1300 (13') and 4500 (4.5 m or 15') models; I never heard of a 5500 (5.5m) model from anyone some the original Trillium company of decades ago.
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