Does Camping World Really Suck? Part 1/4 (Testing them with a HUGE repair visit!)
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 6 сен 2024
- CEO Marcus Lemonis and his little operation Camping World (slash-Gander RV) sure have developed a cult following! The cult carries pitchforks and torches. Poke around the RV group discussions on Facebook and you're bound to find the Camping World haters. Some of them are nuts. Or are they?
At some point you have to wonder if all these crazy people might have a point, so I decided to find out for myself. For science. This is Part 1 of my HUGE Camping World service experience with our 2014 Thor Outlaw, a visit which includes an INSURANCE CLAIM, an EXTENDED WARRANTY CLAIM, and customer-pay elements. It's going to put Camping World service to the ultimate test, and I have the professional experience to put them under the microscope.
This is Part 1 of our experience as we seek the answer to the question "Does Camping World really suck?"
*****
Content in this video:
1:08 - Reviewing my past Camping World/Gander RV experiences
10:25 - The incident that started this experiment
13:34 - Is Camping World as bad as people say?
14:42 - Communication begins
18:30 - The drop off
21:33 - The first updates
27:43 - Current situation
28:33 - Some thoughts on Marcus Lemonis and his haters
Prefer to read the details? The blog version is here: www.lackeysbet...
Hi, we're the Lackeys! We are a family of six traveling full-time as a family of four in our 2014 Thor Outlaw Class A Toy Hauler Motorhome. Our two oldest children, Quentin and Johna are grown and living lives on their own. We educate our two youngest children, Carter and Edith, while on the road. Did I mention we also have a bunny named Thumper?
Rob and I (Tosha) left behind our corporate, executive-level jobs to build a business on the road. We make a fraction of the money but the memories we have made are priceless. Some people tell us we're living the dream... others tell us we're trippin'! Either way, we're making memories on our terms.
Find more great content on our website at www.lackeysbetr...!
You can also follow our adventure on social media!
Facebook: / lackeysbetrippin
Instagram: / lackeysbetrippin
Ordering from Amazon.com? Use the following link to support our family adventures! We make a small commission on any purchases made through Amazon using this link. Every little bit helps so we appreciate y'all's support!
amzn.to/3moavf...
People are angry when they get screwed by Camping World. I’m glad they post on RUclips. It warns other people about them. I hope everything turns out well for you but please don’t pretend that one good experience makes all the people wrong. ❤
Our experience wasn't bad but I'm not discounting the bad experiences others have had. You'll see that in the subsequent videos.
We purchased a $25,000 RV from Camping World in Olive Branch Mississippi, 1.5 years later we had a dry rotted tire that caused over $10,000 damage to our RV going down the interstate. After 6 months to repair it at their facility, this is how it was returned back to us. The main inlet water hose was never installed back to the the RV. It was completely missing. No hose to the water tanks. We had water going everywhere!!! All down the side of the RV and water sprayed all inside the RV. All on the fuse panel, cabinet, walls, floor and underpinning. This is not acceptable!😡 I will never buy anything from Camping World again!!!
WOW!!! I'm so sorry you had that experience. Unacceptable to say the least. Did they at least offer to take care of the damage?
I am 22 years old and have been working at Camping World’s detail department since August 2019. Since I started, I've noticed a steady decline in my happiness over time. I need to find a new opportunity somewhere else.
I applied for a job at a dealership once. The pay is too low and the work too high. I don't remember but I think it was a camping world affiliate
Hopefully you've moved on and you're happy!
Fortunately, I have.
the big issue I have heard about camping world is their sales team and finance tactics. they work off the same slimly used car tactics, and they make most of the money on financing. I gave them a chance out of curiosity, they tried to hide over 15k in extra "charges" 7500 for them getting the loan offer, $4500 for the $1100 good sam warranty, they tried to charge triple the state taxes, and they tried adding charges for crap that's already included in the price(battery, tires, fridge, bed). plus at the end they tried to get me to sign this contact with out a interest rate. they said they would fill that in after the get the loan. *which is very illegal. keep in mind id already gotten quotes from several other local dealers who were honest and did not try all this. camping world needs to get shut down and audited. this is not store by store, this is company wide training and policy they fire anyone who doesn't follow these tactics
Definitely not a good look. But many dealerships are guilty of this. Always watch those numbers and ASK QUESTIONS IN FINANCE! You'll be surprised what you turn up!
Yesssss it does. They over charge unless u r a Good Sams member…. Then they make u think u r getting a discount by reducing their overpriced items to the regular price everyone else charges…. SHAM💯💯💯
Yes that's a peeve of mine but CW isn't the only place guilty of doing this - for instance, grocery stores and gas stations do the same. Good Sam is useful for discounts at other locations as well: dump stations, camp grounds, etc!
Never had any experience when them but shopping around till last Monday. The shopping, buying, financing all went well. That being said they promised to fix some repairs we asked before delivery date and didn't. On top of that they also sent the camper out without draining the black water tank or the fresh water winterizing fluid. So I received a camper with crap in it. I made them come get it and clean it out and seriously had to hunt them down with multiple calls to get any information on how a 120 point inspection was done but whole water system was missed. No response, no one knows, no excuses no explanation no way of fixing it. Good or bad I won't ever go back. Having that much money wrapped up in a camper and then being lied to about its condition is to far for any company.
Lies are pretty much a non-negotiable deal killer. Too bad! :(
I live in California middle of California we have a camping world store near me. They had my RV for three months just for a window shade and another window shade to be repaired. It took him three months and one day to get fixed. I had to go down there, and physically watched them fixed the windows. While they were working on the windows, I noticed they had scratched my RV. That’s where I am right now waiting to get that fixed.
Must be Fresno. I live in the foothills above Fresno, about 20 miles from the geographic center of California in North Fork.
thanks for this info. I new about camping world so i was well informed when i went to one in North Carolina to buy our travel trailer. I was well informed enough to see the trick they use like selling a extended service contract and other add ons. this saved us over $6,000. its a crap shoot when dealing with camping world
Glad it was informative! You're right... it is a crap shoot with them. 🙃
Don’t buy Thor RV is what I also get from your video. I refuse to buy from Camping World because of the many reports of bad sales and service no matter their location.
Well, it's not just Thor... it's any RV. They ALL have their issues. Also, this was storm damage.
Camping World really screwed me I live in Wisconsin and winter in Florida and a couple of years ago the weather was really bad and by the time I got to Florida my toy hauler was really covered in salt so I went to CW and they quoted me a reasonable price to wash it because they charge by the foot when I went to pick it up they had a extra $80.00 charge for shop supplies so I asked the gal if this charge was like the dealerships rip off charge for rags for oil changes and she said it was for other shop supplies so I asked her like what and she said like soap so I said what the heck I brought it here to get it washed so then she said other stuff like nuts and bolts so I asked her how many nuts and bolts did they use to wash it then there was a $20.00 charge for shipping I asked her what that was about and she said it was to pay for getting their supplies shipped to them I said really you probably only used a quarter of a cup of soap there is more but this place is such a rip off
Yeah that sounds rough.
I went to Camping World in Fresno CA. I will never go back . they lost a sale some of the rudest people I've ever talked too. How about if people just Stop going there they Might learn a lesson. They acted like they couldnt care less if I was there or not. Shut them Down.
Sorry to hear. It's wild that customer service can be so hard for some people.
you said old friend looked it over for you ,,, so right their explains why you got good help for awhile. we bought a class A from them (used) and the good Lord was with us , Just after signing every thing the sky open and it poured down so hard the streets flooded in minutes. We went to get in camper and when we opened the door it was raining inside of the camper! yes we were able to cancel out everything but we have no trust in camping world anymore.
Camping world is not there to help you in my opinion. I love a lot of the people that work there. They are the best. After you buy one good luck. You need to find a good mobile RV tech. I was in Colorado a few years ago and my heater just stopped working. It was under warranty and I called and they went over the steps for troubleshooting but no luck. So I found a camper world and by the way it was 4 degrees out. Well I told the service people and they said yes we can help you out. I said good deal so when can you get started. They said 3 months from now. I thought they were joking and I just let out this big laugh and said seriously when. He said 3 months. I said dude it’s 4 degrees out and I just got here and I will be here for the next two weeks. He said they were booked up to that time. I said I understand that but there has to be some type of priority for folks that come in like me. He said I’m so sorry but there’s nothing he can do. Well I ended up buying a bunch of heaters and stuff we can put at the windows so we wouldn’t freeze to death. He was as nice as can be but that was the help I got. Long story short we made out alive and made it back home and we took it to our camper world and they fixed it. Months later 3 times. The third time was the charm. They replaced it and I had heat from then on.
Hate that you guys froze overnight, reach out next time💙 Thompson household is nearby! Hope Rumble is up and running soon. Happy new year
Ahh, good to know! Thanks Kara, Happy New Year! =D
Wow, it seems to me that I could stay in the finest hotels, be pampered, not have to carry or handle my waste, trash, water, worry about leaks, damage, fuel costs, wear and replacement, scheduling, service and potential depreciation if I did not buy something that was fairly expensive such as an RV. Thanks for the help.
You are correct. It is a lifestyle. An expensive one at that.
Not to mention Camping World repair is terrible as well. I just paid Camping World in Silverdale, WA to evaluate issue with our coach(03 Win. U35). The 16' power awning would not retract and they said that I needed to purchase a new power awning($3200). I took coach to another CW in Tacoma because they offered reduction in price about $800, total was $2400 instead of $3200. I got a call from them stating that they replaced old awning with new one but awning still will not retract. I asked them why did they tell me it needed replacement but they were unsure since it was another dealer that misdiagnosed it. They got it working again and were supposed to look at wipers as well. They had it for a month but would not return phone calls and I spoke to service manager(James) who told me that he would call me within the hour with update, that was Thursday. We called on Monday informing them we were picking it up and having someone else look at it. When we picked up coach service manager(James) told us it was an electrical box that was problem with awning not awning as we were originally told. They also did not reinstall awing protector, I do not know what happened to it. Coach is now worse than it was when they looked at it. Avoid these guys like the plague
I agree, that different locations have a different outcome. We bought from CW because they had what we wanted. They do push that warranty, ours is still under warranty. We will see if it's worth it 😂. And they do take too long to repair
I'm glad your experience is good so far. You are right location location could be the actual problem of what other people have had. I actually went to CW in Albuquerque NM with the intent to buy a new rv in 2020 but they didn't seem to interested in showing or selling anything. So we went elsewhere but because CW has a parts dept we have tried several times to get accessories that are listed in their parts catalog and more than once was told they don't have that item but its in your catalog can you order one in,? Each time the answer was No. Yep, some stuff is not camping world's fault. I'm sure they will figure out that some representatives ( persons/warm bodies ) are the problem and one day will be in every one's good grace's.again. Wishing you safe travels.
I appreciate the comment! We may have gotten lucky, who knows. I'm glad it turned out well for us but there are plenty of horror stories out there!
Loves wouldn't sell you any propane, cause they were too busy! Unbelievable.
If a couple girls in town call you a whore it’s probably because your pretty and they are jealous. If everyone in town calls you a whore it’s probably because you are a whore. With all the personal testimonies on RUclips if this video isn’t sponsored why would you give them a chance? The odds are not in your favor. People saying that this is a bad place is not negativity, its an accurate description.
LOL That's a fun analogy and all but I had a pretty good experience with the whore and she didn't pay me to say that. It might be crappy company overall, but I have proved there are capable stores out there who can do good work and even go above and beyond.
From my experience they do suck!!! And their inventory of RVs are very low quality!!!
They do specialize mostly in "entry level" RVs. Nothing wrong with that, especially since even the higher priced rigs have their own share of issues. heh...
I have a question regarding my insurance check made out to “Camping World Collision Center” for repairs to over $10,000 damage on my RV. We have a law suit in litigation due to water damages because they forgot to re-install our main water inlet hose. 😡Camping World told my insurance agent to make the check out to “Camping World Collision Center”. During discovery we have in writing from Camping World that states “Camping World Collision Center Does Not Exist.” 🤔 This got even more interesting after we found out the back of the check was signed by Camping World RV Sales. 🤨 Correct me if I’m wrong but this seems strange. I would like to know what are your thoughts and how I should handle this information.
Follow our case: “Austin vs Camping World “
Is this legal? Maybe they are just trying to make their shareholders happy by making their sales look better than they actually are. 🤔 That’s very interesting 🧐
Hello, this is an interesting case and I'm no lawyer, but I'll look into it and see if I can give you some insight. Where is this case information located? Do you have a video or post on it somewhere?
All in all, we're just another brick in their wall.
They sell more than they can fix, the RV manufacturers sell more RV's with broken parts than all the RV dealers in the US Canada and Europe can fix. The RV parts manufacturers get all their parts from countries who pay slave wages to workers who will never even see an RV in their life or care what the part is for or where it's going. There's an average of 2 recalls on every RV that comes off the end of a production line and I've never seen one that didn't minimally need a screwdriver to tighten something in them every time I've ever used one. Yes they do suck but 95% of the big dealers just totally suck. 5% of the dealers you buy from (small ones) care about about you and your RV so buy from a smaller dealer. Family owned ones are the best.
Try to have some sympathy for the people who work at CW, they get treated like shit and they don't get paid much for showing up every day.
Nailed it with the last line.
I took my camper up to camping world to have work done after a blow out damage to get fixed and was looking at trading campers we looked at camper found the one and did are talk and told them before we do the final on it I want to know the cost of the repairs that I came in for and what other repairs need to be done before I trade so the next person that gets the camper there's no problems so I told them to call a week goes by no calls I call and call with no call back I got someone Finally they told me they need to keep all the insurance money and it would bring the price of the camper up more. I filed a insurance claim camping world was trying to steal from the insurance company and not giving a price at all
Went to camping world in Indianapolis to look at a class c and immediately see water damage and mold in the bunk and the sales guy told us that's normal and it's only 40k that told us everything we need to know.
Informative about camping world, the haters are going to hate. I have seen good and bad service from other dealers
Thanks Harry, there have been more developments this week so be sure to check back in for Part 2!
I would never purchase an RV from them or a lot of the bigger outfits like lazy days in Florida, but I think we need places like that to have sales and maybe deals on purchasing things but like anything else you have to really pay attention. Good luck good video sounds pretty complete and thorough and I agree we’re in this to be positive. I’m a half full guy.
Just curious would anyone take a job there if offered?
Yeah! Heck I accepted a job offer from them! I felt like I could get in there and do some good. Then they didn't hire me. LOL
They couldn't pay me enough to be a part of those creeps. How they stay open is beyond me? Please don't waste your money or time with this company.
with my 2023 Heartland Pioneer
I bought a great big fifth wheel from Camping World and before I could get it home it almost caused me to have a wreck to frame was severely twisted and they never bothered to mention it to me , after I paid for it I brought it back to very next day and of course after lunch discussions they wouldn't give me my money back but they would give me another camper so I did that instead and got a bumper pull smaller camper 2 months later my wife died and I decided to ask them to sell the camper for me I knew I was going to take a loss but I didn't care at the time they informed me after having it for about 2 months they couldn't sell it because I smoked in it and they couldn't get the smell out which we all know is BS I was in mourning so deep I left the state and went to stay with family for about a year, and in my morning just put the camper on the back burner when I returned back to Oklahoma to my home state I asked him about the camper and they were going to charge me $35 a day for probably about 9 months so again I was out 16,000 I'm on disability and I really couldn't fight him so that's my story I'll never buy a camper again
We love Stradford Mo we deal with Mat Watso and Lauren. They are great and the do what they say.
Most individuals who buy one of the campers whether it's a class A or B or C are buying something that they don't really know anything about campers or RV what ever you call it. Most have this expectation of a dream experience. Most haven't been camping or know very much about the outdoors. The other thing is large RV or campers are too big for many camping sites in many national parks or national forest. Most who buy one of these larger campers or RV vehicles haven't ever drove a larger vehicle. I have said all of what I have said to say before buying any type of recreational vehicle do your home Work and look at everything look at campsites you plan to stay at look at the roads you plan to drive on and do a reality check can you drive safely this vehicle and will you be able to park it in the spaces you want to camp at or park at. See what it will cost to operate your dream RV and research what it cost to park when you are traveling cross country if you plan these types of trips. Research what type of vehicle you want to purchase and operate. Research is the smart thing before you buy.
The name Lackey makes me tell you ,I was married to a Rob Lackey for most of 50 years, we also camped so much ,we were winter Texan,s , enjoy life as much as possible ,
I just requested an oil change, tire checks, and why generator,which is under warranty, will not start. Going on 4th day of them having my rig without any updates. Has anything at all bern done on the oil change, tire checks? They don’t know is the answers that I’m receiving. I understand about the generator but give me something about the other services at least. Don’t say I don’t know. That’s pitiful. Stay in contact with your customers. Update them like any other mechanic shop. It’s that simple. Thank you.
It took them 5 months for me to get my RV back for a broken window. Lubbock Tx
Camping world salesman told us if we backed out of the deal we wouldn’t get our deposit back! We also were given a loan fixed rate of 9.99% which we have excellent credit days later the loan company called and told us that was wrong! We revised to the lower amount!
How CW make such a mistake???
So here's my story with gander RV and Wichita Kansas that place sucked kind in the sales people were absolutely rude the finance department was absolutely rude shortly after we left maybe about a week later My bank account was hacked from camper world $500 my bank had to put a hold on my bank account for about a week to find out where it was coming from never again
Wow! Now that's sketchy. They've made a lot of changes there... hopefully the Wichita location starts to come around.
This is only ONE reason why l don’t own a RV , I own a boat , and you can catch your dinner
I am going through that right now!
I can’t reconcile the tv personality of Marcus Lemonis and the fact that he is CEO of this average company. You’d think he already has his hands full with a company that needs work. Hmm😗 Everything he finds wrong with other companies is exactly what’s wrong with Camping World. IMHO. Methinks he just likes being a celebrity more than a CEO. 😮
Yes Camping World does actually suck. The buying process is actually that bad. The buying process actually pushes you away as i tried to buy on from them and luckily a dealership right next door acted like a family and easily sold me a 2 year old trailer for a way cheaper price.
Yeah well they carry the name Camping World, they must live up to their word no matter what site you’re at.
4 parts to state the obvious! Brilliant!
Did you take into account any of the other points I mentioned? LOL
Dear Mr. Lackey,
Seeing as you like long and drawn out rhetoric, here’s something for YOU to read.
Again, over thirty minutes in “Part 1 of 4” to state the obvious? I don't have time to sit here and listen to YOUR reasons whether CW sucks or not. You are not the first person to pee in CW's oatmeal. Clearly shopping at CW is scraping the bottom of the barrel when shopping for a camper but if one wants to endure their deceptive sales strategies, you might find a decent deal. But you’ll need to bring a lawyer with you to sort out their contracts and you’ll need to be ready to do YOUR OWN SERVICING!
The stories are endless on social media. We already know that they are a mega-store/organization, like Walmart. We also know that if you want good customer service you should never go to Walmart or CW. You will need to go to a localized Camper/RV business that has been locally owned and serving a community for many years. This isn't rocket science Mr. Lackey. Furthermore it took me all of about 8 seconds to see that your clickbaity title and multi-part series on CW was not going to work for me.
Any “points” you might have made are irrelevant based on the time it took you to present them. I have been told a number of times that some of my videos are too long as well so please don’t be too hurt over my critique.
I am in the market to buy an RV in the next two years. I have been shopping for the last few years and although I don’t suffer from “analysis paralysis”, I do want to do my best to make a well informed decision on where to buy an RV and which RV I should purchase. Having been in the sales-end of retail sales all of my life, I know the tactics and schemes that some sales people try to pull, I can see right through them. My goal is to get the best bang for the buck, sands the extended warrantees and hidden fees and with CW there are PLENTY!
Out of the thousands of Anti-CW videos out here, your SERIES of videos is just NOT going to do it for me. If you ever decide to do a condensed version on this topic, say something about five or ten minutes long I would be happy to watch. Until then, Happy New Year and good luck in all you do.
Peace out!
@@LackeysBeTrippin
@@doctorkayak I definitely appreciate that feedback! My wife and I joke all the time about this four-part video series. Yeah it was way too long but It was only intended to be a two-part thing. The hiccups in the repair process called for another video and I thought it was neat to show people the discussions and challenges I went through with this large repair. Also, the fourth part really came about when I started finding more and more Marcus Lemonis content! I had actually planned to wrap up that third video by saying everything went great and Camping World just has a bad rap. The more I found out about Marcus, the more I realized I needed a fourth video to talk about him specifically and come to a different conclusion. Anyway, thanks again for the insight and although I agree with you, this was too long, some people have enjoyed it based on the comments.
I have a feeling that you are the kind of guy who is hard to get away from when striking up a leisurely conversation. I am guilty of the same. I'm not sure if it is the narcissist in people like us or what. I have come to the realization (and accept it) that I am a narcissist. LOL.
It very difficult for me to write a few lines or even a couple of paragraphs. Before I know it I am two pages into something. I often do that in verbal conversation as well. For me being a "Richard" on RUclips is a little too easy. Sorry for coming off like a troll. Mama always said "if you have nothing good to say, don't say anything at all". But she never followed her own advice... I wonder where I get it from...
I will try to mind my manners in the future.@@LackeysBeTrippin
Camping World does suck
Yeah. Mostly.
Just shows how foolish rich people are. Makes you wonder.
Lemon law W A Y past due in rv industry.
They need to answer for their crap they put out.
Yes, Camping World and Mr. Marcus suck.
Marcus for sure. haha...
Camping world Oregon my opinion sucks. They’re so many RV and broke it in my opinion and they won’t fix it and when they did the walk-through everything worked but couple months later when it took it out nothing worked in the shop in the shop almost 4 weeks and they try to repair it and they called me today and said hey it’s not repaired. We gotta do more at the same repair and they broke my water heater and they won’t fix it with my opinion stay away from
So, You had one positive experience and how many very negative with camping world ?
You shouldn’t discount the experience of many when you had the same experiences.
I truly don't understand this comment. I shared all my experiences - good and bad - in these videos. I also mention that my experience is not shared to overlook the many bad experiences others have had. I haven't discounted anyone's experience (although I did make light of the ridiculous comments some people were making towards me).
Really sounds like thors have issues
They do. Then again... all RVs do. ;)
Change the water pump yourself. You need to be a mechanic to own an RV.
LOL You're preaching to the choir. But we had an extended warranty so why not have them fix it while it's in the shop right?
Wait till this joker finds out about the quality of the work he gets. Then let him come back and tell us all about how swell CW is.
Camping World has a shortage of people wanting to go into service because of the rudeness of customers. When parts need to be replaced on older RVs it can take months to get them from the manufacturers--this is NOT the dealership's fault. It can take months to get skilled workers--and they will and do quit because of rude customers. There are thousands of styles of RVs--the dealership can't keep everything in stock.
I looked it up and Camping World owns over 170+ service locations. If they closed, people would be very sorry and back-ups for service would be even longer. I know several people, including a relative who bought from CW, and they all had good experiences. These purchases/service experiences were in different states. It's like blaming all McDonald's and saying you're never going to buy a McDonald burger again because you had a bad experience at one.
If you don't buy from Camping World, great--try taking your RV for service at the place you bought it. Most do not offer service--and their waits are even longer--because manufacturers fulfill Camping World parts requests first--because they are the largest purchaser of parts.
Great points!
RV's are not 787 Dreamliners. Any decent mechanic could repair an RV. Parts may be a problem, but I have fixed many broken parts either by gluing or modifying or welding.
I doubt there are many good mechanics at CW, so if they closed their doors, people would realize that alternatives exist.
Yep, camping world sucks. Their fees are a screw job.
Scamping World.
The two worst words in the RV world; CAMPING WORLD
Yes camping world sucks!
Hard to be positive in today's rip off world.
Paid liar here
.
.
Blah blah blah! 🥴🥴
blah
Had the same problem in the store near Toledo 😮
What was the problem?
They left my wife a I standing in the lot for an hour and never came back. So we went to a different place to buy a trailer...
Wow that's pretty crazy! @@dalehugill6964