We’ve been silent for almost two months. It has been a period of enormous disappointment and frustration as we seemed to be almost at a standstill, waiting for the closing to happen. We received so many dates that culminated in postponement for one ridiculous reason after another. The unpreparedness and unprofessionalism of the buyer’s bank was sickening. Who would have believed that it would take nearly three months for them to be ready to close? Well, it did! And you can believe that we did the “dance of joy” when it finally happened!

Add to that frustration the fact that we selected a vehicle to tow our fifth wheel and left a deposit with the dealer. When the closing didn’t happen as planned, we immediately contacted the dealer. There seemed to be no problem with the extension since the vehicle, although new, had sat on the lot for more than a year without being purchased. When we knew for sure (pretty much with strong urgiing from our attorney) that the closing was about to occur, we contacted the dealer to let him know our date of pick up.  Imagine our horror to find out that the vehicle had been sold, we had not been notified nor had our deposit been returned. Additionally, the salesperson was no longer employed at the dealership! We were almost speechless!  We paid a visit to the dealership, met with the manager, gave him all of our information (they couldn’t seem to find any information on the deal OR our money) and left with the assurance that our funds would be returned within 48 hours.  Well, the time passed, and no money showed up.  We called the dealership to inquire only to discover that the manager no longer worked at the dealership!  And so, the process began yet again.  Here’s our information, again! Here’s the history of the transaction, again! And here came the promise of the refund within 48 hours. So, of course when no money showed up again, the camel’s back was broken! The next phone call was made to the dealership as irate customers who were now ready to take legal action. Apparently, the threat of a report to the Suffolk County DA and the newspaper and television station was enough to have the money back in our account as promised. (Atlantic Chrysler Jeep Dodge, West Islip, gets a well-deserved negative shout-out!)

We searched for and found another dealership – very close to home – and had an effortless transaction. A true breath of fresh air. (Westbury Jeep Dodge Ram receives a very well-deserved positive shout-out!). The vehicle  – a 2015 RAM 3500 Laramie Limited Turbo Diesel dually – was delivered on time with everything promised in place. A trip to Albany RV in Latham put us in our new 2015 Jayco Pinnacle 38FLSA and we are loving it!

Today is our first day as full-time RVers. We’ve never driven a fifth-wheel before so it was a little daunting to “hit the road” after our walk-through. But, the sales and service personnel at Albany RV were fantastic in getting us started and, taking it slowly, we arrived safe and sound at our first location – Arrowhead Marina and RV Park, Schnectady. The staff is absolutely awesome! They were extremely warm and welcoming and did everything possible to assist us in backing into our space (trust me, it wasn’t easy). The torrential downpour that occurred as we began to unpack our truck to place items into our new home did not deter us from getting it done! Soaked to the bone, we smiled as we looked around and took it all in. The site selected for us is just off the Mohawk River and it is absolutely beautiful even in the rain. Can’t wait to come back here again in warm, dry weather!

We’ll be heading out really early in the morning. Destination: Carlisle, PA for two days of driving instruction from RV Driving School. It will be a long trip but we’re sure that it is definitely worth it so stay tuned for the next update as we continue living our dream, on the road.