'Whatever you want, boss': RV dealership owner tells employee snow removal 'isn't a priority,' customers get hit with snow

Author image for Remy Millisky
Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Jan 24, 2024 3:00 PM EST

These bosses decided to let their employees work harder, not smarter. Too bad their customers paid the price for their negligence! 

It's a snowy day, and you're driving to work. You, as a good citizen, took the time to grab your snow brush/scraper and spent like 20 minutes clearing all the snow off the roof of your car. Then, as you're on your way to the office, the car in front of you has a foot of snow on its roof. You have to swerve to avoid them as little chunks of snow fly off behind them! There's always a few people like that on the road. As if driving in the snow didn't have enough potential perils, some folks just don't care about their fellow drivers at all. 

This employee had to deal with the issue on a way bigger scale. They worked at an RV dealership that housed about 150 trailers in their back lot. So when it snows, someone is going to need to sweep snow off of all those trailers!

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  • You can check out u/Danteriusx's workplace story below, as well as some additional information about their boss in the comments. Several commenters remarked that the OP's working environment would've driven them nuts, so the OP also explained what was going on with their future career decisions. Then, these people shared the worst things their pets have ever done, like one person who admitted, “My Yorkie stole an entire block of cheese.”

  • 01
    My immediate boss and the owner thought it wasn't a priority L Some background information: I am a tech at an RV dealership, kinda like a mechanic I guess but we do everything from pseudo carpentry to electrical, plumbing, and also working on heating/cooling systems, as well as wheels/bearings/axle work. I started back in May as a lowly wash boy but quickly worked my way up when my (then) boss saw
    via u/Danteriusx
  • 02
    how proficient I was with a tool in my hand. As a tech my immediate boss is the service manager, and we have been through three since May and we are on our fourth right now. Being that there are two other techs and things are slowing down this time of year I have been helping out in other areas as well, mainly moving customer/lot units (we use a forklift with a hitch attachment, as well as a Kubota), cleaning snow, etc etc., there is also a newer lot worker that I have
    via u/Danteriusx
  • 03
    been training and working alongside. So with that out of the way I'll dive right in. I live in Maine, and we have had a few storms this year, not a ton of accumulation but probably one storm of 4-5 inches and another of around the same volume. We have a back lot that houses all of our snowmobile trailers, cargo trailers, utility and car haulers, and horse trailers. Probably around 150 units. After the first storm I'd gone to my immediate boss and asked if he wanted me
    via u/Danteriusx
  • 04
    to clean the tops of the trailers while the snow was still light and easily movable, he went to the owner (small business) and the owner said no, it wasn't a priority and he didn't want to waste resources doing it. I said okay, fine. I knew most of it would melt but it wouldn't be long before we'd get more snow, and we did about a week later. Another 4-5 inches. So after this next storm I asked again if they wanted me to clean the trailers of snow/ice, and again I was told no and this time
    via u/Danteriusx
  • 05
    it was a little more forceful as I was brushed off. Cut to this week, apparently they weren't aware that having snow/ice (technically classified as loose debris) on top of your trailer in transit is a minor infraction with the law. I guess a customer got hit with it and came back to the dealership to complain, and my immediate boss and I got reamed out. I told the owner that he'd said twice he didn't care to have me remove the snow and ice from the trailers two storms in a row, and while the sno
    via u/Danteriusx
  • 06
    would have been easily removed then it had snowed, melted some, froze, and so on and so forth. So now it would be a hassle and couldn't easily be accomplished in one day. So I sad fine, and we started cleaning the units. We had a customer unit Friday morning go, and keep in mind I hadn't been at the dealership the last winter so I had no idea the best way to remove the snow. I used a pressure washer that we have in shop, with a boiler attached so the water can reach
    via u/Danteriusx
  • 07
    275+ degrees, as well as a shovel. This snow was BAKED on there, I mean there is no other way this snow would have come off. None of the other techs helped me, nor the salesmen who'd sold the trailer, and not the newer lot worker or my immediate boss. I was out there for over an hour and half with the customer cleaning 3 inches of ice and snow off his 24' long snowmobile trailer. And I guess the whole time the owner was watching on the security cameras, because not long afterward my immediate
    via u/Danteriusx
  • 08
    boss was chewed out and then subsequently me. It didn't matter how much I made a case for using the pressure washer, they wouldn't listen. The owner wanted me to use a snow broom exclusively. If you don't know what this is it's a small foam rectangle with a long flimsy metal handle, something you may use to clean your car off. And they wanted me to clean the whole lot with one. So I begrudgingly said 'Okay fine, whatever you want Boss', and I
    via u/Danteriusx
  • 09
    did. I spent the remainder of Friday down in the back lot cleaning, as well as the full seven hours yesterday, I cleaned off a total of fourteen units, broke three snow brooms, scratched several side panels (this will all have to be warranty work, but it's a long process to get this done through warranty as opposed to dealer pay), and in my absence several trailer pull ups were neglected as well as some of the other duties I cover. My immediate boss and owner called me over to talk, and the owne
    via u/Danteriusx
  • 10
    "Danteriusx what have you been doing all day? We had several customers who had to wait over a half hour for their trailers to be pulled up!" Is more or less what he said, edited for more PG language. "You said you wanted me to clean the trailers in the field with a snow broom, and nothing more." And when my immediate boss showed him we had to bill out warranty work, as well as three snow brooms and a new ladder he stormed out and said he would come up with another
    via u/Danteriusx
  • 11
    more efficient way to clean them, particularly after he saw I spent the better part of two days doing it. They should have just listened to me the first time, but what does a lowly service worker know!
    via u/Danteriusx
  • 12
    jakk86 And now we know why they're on their 4th service manager in 7 months. Jesus.
    via u/jakk86
  • 13
    Danteriusx OP. It really is awful. I put in my notice in October that I would be moving away around January, I talked with the owner and let him know I wanted to give him ample notice so they wouldn't be boned when I left. I could tell he was a little upset but he
    via u/Danteriusx
  • 14
    seemed happy for me to be moving somewhere that I enjoy and going back to school. But since then it seems like anything I do he will find something to pick apart, and I'm not the first person he's done so with. The second service manager we had was awesome, she was outgoing, great
    via u/Danteriusx
  • 15
    at her job, younger and easier to talk to, and she was a hit with the guys out back. But as soon as she put in her notice to go work with her husband at their family owned business he started bad mouthing her. I expected to work in a good environment with an owner that's
    via u/Danteriusx
  • 16
    accessible to talk to, easy going, and good natured. He has been everything but.
    via u/Danteriusx
  • 17
    capj23 While reading that, I had a hard time keeping track of how many times I would've just said off and stayed unemployed for a wile.
    via u/capj23
  • 18
    Danteriusx OP. I have been trying to give it the benefit of the doubt, I am going back to school in Alabama in January and wanted to stay on and bust so if I ever come back I have a place to get on my feet. But the owner has made it pretty miserable.
    via u/Danteriusx
  • 19
    At this point I can tell he doesn't like me and isn't satisfied with anything I do so I'm staying and working extra hard until I leave just to spit him.
    via u/Danteriusx
  • 20
    Ron Swanson Give us an update when big boss decides exactly how he wants to clear the snow Im actually super interested to hear what big idea he comes up with. I mean, I'm sure it you will eventually end up using the pressure washer/boiler...becaus
    via u/Ron_******_Swanson
  • 21
    e nothing else is going to work But I figure he'll try 2-3 new ideas before he realizes how stupid he is 43 Reply Share Danteriusx OP. 5 yr. ago I hate to let you down but I actually put in my final notice and my last day will be Friday,
    via u/Danteriusx
  • 22
    but we'll see how things go til then lol. One of our drivers that brings loads from the manufacturer put in his two week notice and the owner's son (he runs one of our other locations) told him he was done today. I might be next on the chopping block!
    via u/Danteriusx

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