Why Did RVillage Shut Down so Suddenly?
RVillage is about to vanish and the sudden announcement has everyone wondering what's behind the RVillage shut down.
On March 1, 2023, RVillage announced to its members – pretty much out of the blue – that it will close on March 31, 2023. The shutdown includes its website, apps, and support.
There was little warning, though industry cynics say it's another example of what happens when a moderately successful company gets gobbled up by a big corporation looking to get what it can from the acquisition and then cast it away.
In this case, what the new owner of RVillage got was a massive membership list.
Let's back up. First, RVillage is a social network designed for the RV community. Curtis Coleman founded the company in 2014 as an RVer's alternative to Facebook.
But in 2020, Coleman sold RVillage to Togo group, which is, in turn, is owned by Thor Industries.
Under Togo, RVillage was immediately bundled into a suite of Roadpass Digital Apps that center around trip planning tools. Now, RVillage is shutting down.
So why did RVillage shut down so suddenly?
RVillage sent out the following message to its members:
RVillage is closing on March 31, 2023
Over the years, we’ve shared countless memories together – helping every member of our village make the most of the open road. Sadly, the time has come for us to say goodbye to RVillage. The RVillage website, apps, and support will be shut down on March 31, 2023.
To help you navigate the closure of RVillage, we’ve put together several resources to help. If you have questions about your account, please read our FAQs.
As we know you’ve made meaningful connections on the RVillage platform, every RVillager is invited to join the RVillage Community Facebook Group, where you can keep in touch with other RVers and continue to share about your experiences on the road – even after March 31st.
With over half a million members, RVillage boasted that it was the “internet's largest and most active social network of RV owners, enthusiasts, dreamers, and nomads that connects people wherever they are traveling.”
Those members are now being encouraged to join the RVillage Facebook group, which, ironically, the company was founded as an alternative to. Go figure.
So….Goodbye RVillage. It's sad to see you go.
We still don't know why. But from our vantage point, it simply looks like the big corporation just gobbled them up to plunder the mailing list assets, only to then cast RVillage away.
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Are You a Member of RVillage?
Are you a member of RVillage? How do you feel about the shutdown? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
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I was an RVillage goldmember and I’m still exceedingly upset that it was closed down like that to the point I will not buy a Thor product nor will I have anything to do with any of their subsidiary businesses this was just horrible thing to do
I was shocked to hear that RVillage shut down so abruptly. I had been using it to stay connected with fellow campers and RV enthusiasts while on the road and it was one of my favorite resources. I’m curious to know what led to its sudden demise, was it financial issues or something else?
I was a gold member of RVillage and sad to see it go. I enjoyed going to 2 of their rallies. I learned a lot about RV stuff there and got to meet several YouTube RVers we follow at the last one we went to.
I will also miss knowing when a fellow RVillager comes to our area, I have meet some nice people through their app and these notifications. I will be sad to see this end.
Big corporations always mess things up.
It is really sad to see this end. We are going to miss it, too! Team RV Lifestyle
I was an early member of RVillage and will miss it. It would have been nice if Curtis had given the members a heads up in 2020 but with the pandemic who knows what happened ????
Im shocked and horrified. We love our connections on RVillage. Of course, when anyone is so successful, it becomes a target for greed by the big guys. Really sad for our RV community.
I feel like any corporation that would treat their customers this way is unworthy of my business. I will not be renewing.
Thor literally sucks the life out of everything it touches. Latest example: RVillage. We stay away from looking and buying any of their rigs.
Could Tiffin be far behind?
Doesn’t appear to make any sense. Even if it was only for the mailing list. These type of lists get out of date fairly quickly and lose their value over time. One must constantly reach out for new members to replace those that drop out. Sad that so much work was put into building this only to have it being discarded. New business opportunity???
I am a member of RVillage and found it quite useful for scouting spots nationwide at BPO Elks lodges. Now that Thor Industries has moved to shut it down we will not consider buying our next RV (within 6 months) from any Thor subsidies. There are better options out there.
We liked RVillage, too! Thanks for sharing – Team RV Lifestyle