Dissapointed with Camping World - need to vent

[jukenut]

Sorry if this is posted in the wrong place, new here, need to vent a little.

Back in September I went to the Hershey RV show with my family and friend. We seen  a crossroads C335ss, the floor plan was very roomy and seem to fit the family well. My friend and I both signed up to purchase one ( with a trade in). They told us in  about a week or 2 we should here from someone about the questions we had, and some minor changes we hoped to get.  The one thing that really bothered us and really wanted to see about changing was the sofa / pull out bed. When the sales man showed it to us how to open the sofa out to a bed, it was rediculous, it was a puzzle of pillows and cushions you had to arrange to form a mattress, absolutely absurd and uncomfortable. Pillow cushions moving all over the place. I can't believe they would put something like this in any RV. The salesman said he will see about changing it for us from the factory.

Anyway, after a few weeks I started to call Camping World in Churchville NY who I guess is where we were purchasing the RV from.  They told us someone will call. No one ever called. To make a long story short, I placed many phones calls and emails ( no exaggeration, probably about 30+ combined, and that doesn't include my friends calls as well). NOTHING, NO ONE ever returned a phone call or email to speak of. NO ONE could answer our questions, NO One had an ETA, NOTHING, for over 3 months. Finally I was able to reach someone the other day who was a little more helpful, now all of the sudden the units are built and they want us to take delivery ASAP. Yeah sure. And the sofa, we are stuck with it,  yeah thanks for trying to get that changed. CW is useless. We will be looking to go else where when it comes time to upgrade. Salesman and politicians, how can you tell when they are lying ........their lips are moving..

 

[stephen44]

Surely you do not have to complete the purchase until you are happy ?

Stephen

 

[SeilerBird]

There is no such thing as a legal non-refundable deposit. If I were you I would get my deposit back and find a more reputable dealer. If CW is this hard to deal with before you buy the RV how hard are they going to be to deal with after you have taken delivery.

 

[00Buck]

My local CW store falls under the same management as the Churchville store.  Your experience pretty much mirrors mine.  Phone calls not returned, etc.  You can't fix that.  BUT . . . you should insist on them changing the sofa before you give them the rest of your money. (Although if you didn't get the sofa change in writing, you're probably not going to get much relief.) It's possible & not that hard to do.  You might have to put a little more money on the table, but that would be better than paying a lot of money for an RV and being unhappy with it.

 

[Kim (skyking4ar2) Bertram]

While I am not on Camping World's payroll, I do know how to escalate customer service issues, being on the delivery side of customer service myself. My service with Camping World in several different stores has been completely different than yours.

I have taken the liberty of pushing this post up the chain via a Camping World exec I know to his VP.

This is a great opportunity for someone to deliver customer service; we'll see if they can.  8)

 

[Seajay]

A long story short.  I would sell my RV and get out of camping before I would deal with Camping World.    I had them install a ''Banks Kit'' on my v10 ford in a Pace Arrow.  They charged me 350.00 dollars extra for broken bolts for the manifold header.  They kept the coach for over three weeks to do one simple job.  I paid the 350.oo dollars extra and got the coach back.  Three months later I heard an exhaust leak and took my coach to my mechanic.  He showed me where they had broken off two bolts and tried to ''drill them out'' without success so they put ''fire proof muffler putty'' between the exhaust port and the manifold header. 
After threatening to go ''postal'' on them they decided that ''we'' should  put a new head on the coach and wanted me to pay half the bill.  I can not put in here what I told them but I was a Sailor for four years and you can believe me, I TURNED THE AIR BLUE.  I insisted that my mechanic install the new head and that they pay him for his labor or I would sue them for fraud and I would win.
I would not let Camping World put a set of wipers on my coach.  I will buy small items from them that I can install my self.
To the man that bought a coach from them  ...... YOU HAVE MY SYMPATHY SIR......cj

Mind you,  This is just my opinion and I could be wrong

 

[John From Detroit]

I too have had some experience with CW.. Not entierly good but not as bad as the ones I read about.. They do seem to have a tendency to not return calls.

My recommendaton is to pay them a visit and tell them why you are taking your business down the road.  Also drop at the very least an E-mail on corporate.

Snail mail is better.

I have used this method a time or two on other busineses.. It does get their attention.

 

[RLRahe]

Jukenut - I apologize for your experience.  Please send me your name via email and I will get you some answers.

Randall L. Rahe
SVP - Camping World retail Group

 

[beaverfever]

rv.net forum has a direct link to marcus at camping world  (god ,the man,ceo or what ever you wish to call him)

 

[dave61]

They should earn your business not put you through a bunch of nonsense. My question is why would you even consider buying anything from them? There are a bunch of dealers around that would at least treat you respectfully.

 

[Billy Bob]

My experience with Camping World has been all good. I haven't bought an RV from them, but have had many things installed that I bought at 3 0f their Texas stores and had good service each time. So I go out of my way to stop and shop at Camping World

 

[Y-Guy]

Jukenut as beaverfever noted you can contact the Marcus' team, several ways. It would appear that RLRahe is one of those that can listen and perhaps help out.  After reading some of his posts I do believe he's trying to address issues CW.

I will say good call on the funky sofa's though, I've seen some horrible ones and no matter what you are told the funky ones never get better.  Seems a lot of RV furniture was built to look cool, but comfort was never considered.

 

[eeaton1]

Excuse me for being skeptical here but something just doesn't sound right.  Someone trades in something or puts down a down payment on a new purchase w/o making sure the sales contract contains language as to exactly what they are purchasing ???  CW is a dealer and is selling a standard unit from the factory for sale unless a custom order is placed and the factory indicates they can or will customize the unit during manufacture.  I surely wouldn't pluck down any money or commit to purchasing anything w/o the sales contract specifically spelling out the details! I for one have seen great improvement in CW customer service since the management change but realize that a cultural change does take time and will give Marcus and his management team the benefit of the doubt and allow them the opportunity to implement the changes they are trying to achieve for the organization.  Hopefully, you now have the ear of the proper folks to address your issues and they will come to a constructive conclusion.

 

[jukenut]

Thank You all for letting  me vent. It is just fustrateing that for months nothing, until I made a phone call and was able to reach someone who listened , now they wan to try and pressure me to have the unit delivered before month end, it is the holiday season, people have things already planned.  And Churchville NY is about 300 miles from me. But the person I did talk to said they can have it delivered to a closer facility to me, which will be great. Also, I can't recall 100%, but I thought when we signed up for the unit, their was a 2 year warranty on the unit, now I am being told 1 year. 

To the gentlemen who said to get everything in writing, that sometimes is easier said than done, for many reasons. The carbon copy they gave me, I can barely read it now. They said they will call the factory and see if they can get the sofa changed and let me know about my requested changes  in about a week.  Well that week long came and gone, the unit is ready for delivery. The point is I never had an option, don't tell me something if you have no intention of doing it or try to make it right when you don't do it. Yes, I know they have many orders to get thru after the show, but my unit is just as special as everyone else is , and cost just as much. If they can't manage the unit, then don't sell them. I don't feel we asked for anything impossible or absurd, like changing the paint color of the unit, or the layout, we asked if could get some of the options that were in their brochure , we will pay extra, but can't get an answer until after it is built.  The pull out sofa, that to me is a standard thing, take a measurement and find one that fits in their that is not a puzzle when you open it up and is comfortable, I am sure they must have one in another coach.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

jukenut: Please contact (privately) the CW executive who posted above and try to resolve your issue. And please let us know what happens.  We can't fix your problems here, but we are glad you let us know about them.

Your experience will serve as a reminder to others to get everything in writing before you sign a purchase contract. It is possible and it is your only protection against glib salesmen.

 

[Lou Schneider]

Click on the envelope icon below his name to contact him privately via email.

 

[skirk55]

We purchased our 5th wheel from them we were very pleased. The trip to hershey this year was a waste of time. Too many people not real good prices. We will never go back ever!!

 

[4ducksrus]

We also purchased our coach from CW.  We bought ours from CW in Portland, Oregon and had a great experience!  There were a few minor issues from the git go, but the sales/service team stepped up and handled each one to our satisfaction!  When we got there to pick up our unit, there was a small star in our windshield...needless to say, my DH did not want to spend $$$ on a unit with a star already in the windshield!  So, instead of them replacing it that moment, they put it in our contract that they would reimburse up when we had the window replaced.  We've just recently finally had the time to get that done.  When I called them to remind them about this issue, they said no problem, get it done and send us the invoice!  Like I said, we were happy with this CW and would buy from them again! 

Mikie

 

[Jeff Brown]

No way they would get the rest of my money if it wasnt the way I ordered the coach.  And like others have said I would either get my deposit back or get the coach I wanted.  "Everyone has a boss, it's time for me to talk to yours!" Works pretty well at getting to the top.  Someone can either solve your problem or get your money back with a simple signature, you just have to find them.

Good luck,
Jeff

 

[thomasamski]

Your experience with Camping World is, unfortunately, typical of big companies. I bought a 2011 Fleetwood from LazyDays of Seffner, FL, and they put me through a wringer. Once they had my money all of a sudden items that needed repair were declared as "after market" and not covered under warranty. The list of repairs ranged from a broken electric water heater to a generator malfunction, and numerous other malfunctions. They allegedly replaced the floor that was buckled, only to have it do the same thing again within two weeks. They refused to replace it a second time. I finally found a small RV company in Clearwater, FL that handled Fleetwood warranty work. They were great. The LazyDays sales rep's nose was out of joint when I contacted the president/CEO direct with my issues. I settled the financial part and decided to buy my next coach elsewhere. If you want results don't be afraid to go to the top.