Annoyed with Camping World...Grrr! (vent)

[RockyRoo]

it's an unfortunate experience, but one that seems to be store specific at many CW locations. I have personally never had anything but good experiences at the Belleville MI location. Although, now that I said that my next stop there will probably be a nightmare.

 

[ChocoChock01]

here is another thread that is probably store specific...
http://www.popupportal.com/index.php?topic=72491.msg659633#msg659633

 

[Snow]

Also, please understand I'm a total newbie. My reason for posting here (besides just venting) was to get a feel for what CW is all about, and if this was a typical CW experience. I now have the basic understanding that nobody there really gives a crap or knows what they are selling, UNLESS you are going there for RV service.

Wow! I honestly didn't post this here to be told I'm a dumb noob who doesn't know how to read; I didn't post to get advice about winterizing (YES, I know how to search the forum and find that info); I didn't post to be accused of trying to get something for nothing. Most people I've encountered here have been kind and supportive, but I felt pretty flamed by Alex's response!

I didn't meen for it to sound that way, but guess it did, my apologies if I contributed to that "new noob" feeling... Was just trying to convey that perhaps it wasn't all their fault.. As I said, we don't have a Camping World close by, so for me, I see it like a kid going into the mall at Christmas time to see Santa...

 

[vjlarson]

Wow! I honestly didn't post this here to be told I'm a dumb noob who doesn't know how to read; I didn't post to get advice about winterizing (YES, I know how to search the forum and find that info); I didn't post to be accused of trying to get something for nothing. Most people I've encountered here have been kind and supportive, but I felt pretty flamed by Alex's response!

DZ, I'm just reading this thread and I'm sorry for how you were made to feel, both at Camping Word and here at the forum. I thought that response sounded harsh too, but please believe, that's not typical with this group and hopefully it wasn't intentional.

I'm also sorry you weren't helped at Camping World, and from hearing about the negative experiences of other members who have done business with them and in considering the experiences DH and I have had, I've come to the conclusion I don't care to ever go there again. Personally, I think they misrepresent the name "Camping World". When I first heard of CW, I assumed they carried all things related to camping, including tents etc., much like REI. I was confused when I saw all focus on big rig stuff and nothing much on camping itself. I think they should rename their business to something like, "Big Rig RV World" because those are the only customers they tend to want to serve.

They wanted to sell us a membership though. Why ever would we need that?

 

[Indy]

I had the same experience at CW. The first time, we went to look around bc they had a couple used PUPs for sale. There was NO ONE ELSE there, but they wouldn't give us the time of day.

Second time, I went alone to try and find what I needed for a small solar setup while DH was at work. Their employees looked at me like I was crazy and couldn't answer a single question. They also sent me to Service, who had no interest in assisting. Another customer actually helped me.

I'm not impressed with CW.

 

[Wildwoodflower77]

I'm definitey not defending Camping World but my local store has never done wrong by me, in fact, they've sent me two $25.00 merchandise certificates with no strings attached in the last three months! One helped purchase a new aluminum folding table and the other all the glide tape I need for new curtains (and some Pemmican Beef Jerky lol). I'm not a Good Sam member so can only guess it comes from their email or mailing list. Maybe I've just lucked out.

 

[RotnMom]

DZ,

You did NOT have a 'once in awhile' experience!! There are too many of their stores that are complained about heavily on here, and I'm one of the culprits. BUT, I have a hard time containing contempt at stupidity, so I took pictures of the damage THEY did, took it to the GM and let the photo show speak for itself. Got my money back, and no way was I going to let them 'fix' anything else. It's a long story, involving a LOT of water, you could search CW and you'll find a TON of posts.

So no....there surely is a CW here or there who actually are friendly to us low life puppers. LOL But it AIN'T the one in Daleville, VA!

 

[94-D2]

My experience with CW is pretty much the same as Lowes and Home Depot. Its a big box store not a service organization even though they sell it as such. I too have been the victim of inaccurate or inept information by a relatively detached staff there. I believe it us due to a lack if passion for their trade and a complacent work ethic propagated by a long corporate practice of profit mongering and a revolving door policy. So, aside from a handful of faithful individuals nationwide, you'll find mostly short timers assisting you who posses little to no knowledge of what they are selling or it's application.


I've learned to seek out what I need based on my own research or trusted other sources and using places like CW as a convenience or for their merchandising power. For example, I could have installed my own A/C and fantastic fan, but I would have to eat the leaks. In this case CW will. They also ate the four extra hours they took to do the job. Even after I asked the sales guy if he was sure 4 was enough. But mr smarty pants was certain 4 was good enough because that's what CW's guide book said. So, it goes both ways. They might give you crappy service some times but I get to pay cheap prices for certain items sometimes and cheap installation on occasion with a warranty to cover things.


It's sort of like asking why your check engine light is on at Jiffy Lube. You take the risk with the answer to the question. Accept it for what it, considering the source.


Happy Campin' (World)..........

 

[ChocoChock01]

CW will take a long time to change that ship, but at least we can share the experiences (good/bad) on the "Portal"!

 

[delphinus1966]

I plan on staying as far away from Camping World as I can once I get my current situation resolved. Excited to buy a brand new Popup for camping with my wife and daughter has turned into a nightmare. I had heard stories of CW's ineptitude and thought that they were most likely being blown out of proportion. I am writing this and many other posts to ensure people take the comments seriously. Not only are they a poor excuse of a company, but dishonest as well.

It all started with the desire to have a Fantastic Fan installed in my one week old popup. I was told that the install should take a day and to that they did keep their word. It was when I went to pick up my unit that the problems began. First, I paid the bill and with that they were done with me,I was handed my keys and sent to hitch up and head home. The first thing I noticed was that they did not give me the remote that came with he FF. Went back in and was told that it should have been put in the popup, gee thanks. I really appreciate the demo on the FF and the great directions on where to find the remote that I paid for.

If that was the extent of the problem i would get over it, but that brought attention to install itself. There was a thick bead (1 1/4) strip of some sealant soft and squishy. It seemed like an excessive amount for the install. I then noticed that there was a 6 inch long crack coming away from the fan install. Thats right they cracked the popup roof that is less that a week old installing the FF.

They also created a wood trim claiming that it was needed due to the thickness of the FF. In doing so they charged me without asking. They were very proud of the wood trim even while we were discussing the cracked roof. I guess that me paying $60 additional for a wood trim that looks out of place in my popup should more that make up for the disaster of the cracked roof.

Also, taking a closer look I discovered that the battery box with the attached battery they installed was not secured to the frame of the popup. They only used the nylon strap to "secure" it to the frame. I was lucky that it did not fall off while driving on the freeway.

Now the discussion begins with CW. How are they going to make it right??? Good question! That is still being discussed. Their solution was to order another upper half of the popup (camping world make by Viking 12 CWS) which would take at least 6weeks just to get it there. How can I even trust them to install it correctly???

Oh right I forgot to mention that they knew about the crack the installer and service agent both and they were going to let me drive away without mentioning it to me. If I had not noticed it who knows if they would have copped to the damage. So not only are they incapable of doing the job we are paying them for, but they are dishonest as well.

This all transpired at the CW in Valencia California and would encourage everyone to pass the word that CW in incapable to doing something as simple as a FF install and when they screw up they try and hide the mistake and hope you won't notice it, so they are thieves as well.

On top of being a thief when I requested that they refund the costs of the FF, I was told that they cannot refund the FF cost since I still have the product, which I can understand. Even though either the roof will be replaced or the unit will be switched out, so either way the fan will not be in my position for long. Teh service manager did point out that they would install it in the new roof or popup which ever the end result is...Gee thanks I really want you to install this in my new popup, ah no thanks I don't want you to touch it if at all possible. I have seen what you can do and have no interest in you doing any installations at all on my popup.

He then proceed to tell me that he will refund the installation costs even though and I quote "I do not feel it is right as we did the job and installed the FF" I really felt like I was being punked or for those of us that are a little older candid camera. Really I should still pay for the installation even though you cracked my popup and I am still dealing with CW to try and figure out how they are going to make this right

Companies like this need to go away. If they cannot do business correctly and respect their customers then they have no business being in business.

We need to spread the word that people should not do business with CW!

Thank you for taking the time to read this post and hopefully help spread the word that CW should be avoided at all costs.

 

[copperbear]

First of all..I have to agree with the customer. I work retail and IF I had told customers what she was...I would not have got a good review. Advice is just that..advice. You should not have to pay to have someone tell you how to use something they sell! I work for a major furniture company ..where u must assemble everything. If someone ask..is this hard to put together and I say"Well...pay extra for our service to assemble it for you" ..and u wont have to worry about it!! People want honesty when they shop. Plus..I 've never seen a place where they have so many employee's doing nothing in such a dead store! They must have payroll hours to burn!

 

[silvermickey2002]

I went to a Camping World with a Buddy of mine and he had a 35 Ft TT at the time. We were in their shopping looking at some decent stuff and when they realized he had a large TT they just about bent over backwords to help him out! But when I asked a sales person to help they assumed since I was with him I had a large TT as well! You should have seen his face when he found out I had a pup!!!!! He blew me off really fast because he felt I was not going to spend a lot of money in there! Well at the checkout counter my buddy asked me what I was buying and I told him what happened. He could not believe it and told the cashier to not bother ringing anything up and then we left!

So, I have been in a few Camping World stores and I just get the feeling if you pull in with a Ford or Chevy you are not worth it! But if you pull in driving a Cadillac then they are all over you!!!

 

[NJGuy]

The CEO, Marcus Lemonis, comes off as a arrogant creep. Not surprised about negative culture at Camping World.

 

[grantar2]

They are in a business, handing out free advice takes money out of their pocket. Try going to an accountant, a lawyer or a mechanic and getting free advice and see how far you get.

T here are hundreds of posts on this board about winterizing, and it IS free. Do some reading.

S
Alex well there are good posts she can use, your anology is flawed, layers, doctors, don't sell parts or claim to be there to help the camper, camping world does. My local RV stores have been very helpful. I have visited two camping worlds one in Utah, one in California, I didn't care for either, even though as a NASCAR fan I wanted to.

 

[twodogknight]

I have to agree with the negative posts about CW. Customer service is nil. I have had recent dealings with them. I do not advise buying a used pup from them. I had to explain some of the workings of the pup to the 3 guys that were there supposedly giving me a walk through. Long story short, it was not till after I told the finance guy that I did not want the pup did things start to happen. One other observation I made while there...there were blue shirts everywhere standing around doing nothing. And i agree with the very first post on this thread, getting help or even recognition in the store that you are there is almost impossible. Damn I waited two months to say that and i feel much better now.

 

[Blkvoodoo]

The RV store we bought our pup from sold out to CW in early 2012. I wasn't terribly impressed with the service dept or sales folks when they were independently owned.

Once they became a CW it was pretty much non-existent, even though most of the staff was retained from the original dealer. They knew we bought our camper there NEW only months prior, and we were told that " We don't work on Pop-ups anymore "

Awesome ! I'll go visit the guy across town. No need for me to stop here again.

The only use I have for CW is their website to find something I'm looking for so I can find somewhere else to buy it.

 

[tconroy]

Last time I was there they were out off everything I looked for and and the AC either was broke or they were too cheap to turn it on and the people were all stressed. they guy was waiting on me at the counter when the phone rang and he answered it as he was waiting on me. Didnt say hold on, excuse me or anything, just left me standing there. I am not impressed at all and will go to the 2 other places that are actually in view of the store. The only thing is the other store prices are just as high but they have more mechanical items and hardware.

 

[kitphantom]

As with most, if not all, types of retail outlets, some locations are good, others not so, and staffing (sufficient numbers, training, etc.) can make a big difference.

We have only been to the Camping World here a couple of times, since it is on the western outskirts of the city, close to 20 miles away . We have a couple of independent RV places within 5 miles, including the one where we purchased our Cobalt.

However, I have to say we were treated very well a couple of years ago, when we limped in after having a wheel fly off of the (previous) pup as we left for a trip. [We were saved on the road by a road construction team, who were directly behind us when it happened.] They squeezed us into the service line-up, and staff checked on us several times in their waiting room. They had us back on the road in 4 or 5 hours, considering it was a busy Friday before a holiday week, we did not consider that bad.

While I'm sure CW had a good share of bad stories, it seems to be one of those places that people love to hate, and expect to be treated badly. Often it proves true, but I bet we're not the only ones not ill-treated at CW.

 

[tenttrailer]

I never went to there store. Have bought stuff online. Very high prices unless its on sale. I did need a new elec heat element for my fridge. I ened up joining the good same club and got a huge discount that more then paid for teh club membership and still made there price the lowes price I could find on the internet.

 

[Mickeyrv]

Do you have the manual on the toilet, if so, it should answer your question about winterizing the water tank. I always check my manual or ask other campers first, The dealer is the last place to go to for answers as all they have on their minds is to sell you something. If you don't have a manual you could possibly download one from the web site of the manufacturer of the toilet.