| A couple of things one should look at when being side tracked by industry people. Read the code of Federal Regulations Congress put into place. 24 CFR 3280 states how mobile homes should be built and 24 CFR 3282 states how the agencies (SAA) should be ran to protect the consumer. Then you have the state regulations and/or statutes that are supposed to be in place to protect the consumer. (Check with your state for this information). One might suspect ALL these intities are rubbing each others shoulders since the consumer ends up getting the worst end of it. What if the media were to run a survey on television and radio to ask the public(mobile homeowners) to provide input about these so-called federally regulated mobile homes and ask two questions: 1. Were you able to get warranty work in a reasonable amount of time, and
2. What do you think of the quality of your mobile home? What do you think the stats would be? Probably not very good for the industry. This just might spark a light into the consumer to wonder just how safe these things are. One would wonder what changes might be made to these industries? However, the industries are out to keep this information from the public because they know the mobile homes would not be purchased and stockholders would probably be selling stocks as fast as they could before they lost their money.
So to keep this somewhat simple, the industry is counting on the consumer to be ignorant of the basic facts. Mobile homes are poorly constructed. And it is not until the consumer gets the shaft and is forced into becoming an expert on his or her home that they find out how the real game is played. If you have had an inspection because of a complaint you filed or if the manufacturer filed an "industry" complaint, you have seen how this works. Did you notice how they tend to selectively write down things? OR they just won't admit to a defect? This is because the Code Of Federal Regulations (24 CFR 3282) states they have to notify the consumer(s) of such defect: " The manufacturer shall provide notification as set out in this subpart with respect to all manufactured homes produced by the manufacturer in which there exists or may exist an imminent safety hazard or serious defect. The manufacturer shall provide such notification with respect to manufactured homes produced by the manufacturer in which a defect exists or may exist if the manufacturer has information indicating that the defect may exist in a class of manufactured homes that is identifiable because the cause of the defect or defects actually known to the manufacturer is such that the same defect would probably have been systematically introduced into more than one manufactured home during the course of production. This is just one of the many regulations that state how they are "supposed" to do business.
If they can't build a good home, what makes you think they want to do more paperwork. So, if they ignore it, they are in the clear. All you need to do is read the regulations to see how these guys work. They can paint you a beautiful picture, but in reality it is all in black and white.
So, call me "disgruntled" or "one of the few" if you(industry) want to entice the "consumers" come buy a "defective" mobile home. I am educating these consumers so they know what they are up against when they buy a mobile home that is "non-compliant" before they ever move into it. This is not even counting the many defects(failure to comply with the Act).
In all seriousness, consumers should really read the "Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards" and "MANUFACTURED HOME PROCEDURAL AND ENFORCEMENT REGULATIONS". (They are easy to find. Use any search engine and query these or click just on the links above). Don't take the word of these guys in the industry who could care less about your safety. Read about mobile home safety from the U.S. Fire Administration. These are reputable organizations, and not just my word about the safety concerns of consumers who own mobile homes. Then make your decision as to whether you want to buy a mobile home. And, make sure they leave your "running gear" on your property. They are an "intergral part of the home" as stated in 24 CFR 3280. They belong to you, the homeowner. You paid or are paying for them. They are part of the home. This is another money maker for them. I wonder if these guys taking the "running gear" are reporting this revenue to the tax people. They certainly are not reporting this to the legal authorities. They would go to jail for theft. Duh. Let's think about this one. I (the consumer) just bought a new mobile home. The retailer/installer/dealer/manufacturer brings my new home to my property. They set it up. Then they remove the "running gear" because they are supposed to. Ok, this could be acceptable. But when they load it up and take it from my property, they just stole something I just paid for or I will be paying for over the next thirty years. They take it and sell it to a recycler and make money off something they stole from me that I will be paying for over the next thirty years. Does this sound ok to you? I would think not, but it happens on a daily basis. So, how much money do you think these guys make off of other peoples property? And they think it is abolutely fair practice. Hey industry guys, consumers are catching on. | 
