Good Sam Reputation & Service

Hello,

I am closing this topic due to lack of activity. Thank you for your time and participating. Please feel free to open a new thread on this topic in the future if you wish.

Thank you,
Ella
Good Sam Care Team

LetsRV wrote:
Just a note regarding the $27 membership fee. Keep in mind that the discount is generally 10%, you need to spend $270 before you start saving money.
If you spend $270 every year then you are money ahead, otherwise you've donated dollars to the cause (CW's cause anyway).

Not saying CW is good or bad just the math.

Obviously you haven't been on the West Coast for a while near a major city. When the overnight cost is $50+, you've paid for the membership with less than a week's worth of stays. We don't use it often (we are TT members and that is our first choice, followed by C2C and ROD/AOR) but we get the annual fee back pretty quickly.

Just a note regarding the $27 membership fee. Keep in mind that the discount is generally 10%, you need to spend $270 before you start saving money.
If you spend $270 every year then you are money ahead, otherwise you've donated dollars to the cause (CW's cause anyway).

Not saying CW is good or bad just the math.

I suppose everyone does things for different reasons. We've been Good Sam members for several years now. We don't use their RV services for our campers, simply because they are too far away from where we live to comfortably utilize them. We have 2 absolutely top-notch RV dealerships within close proximity of where we live, so they get our RV repair business.

But when traveling, this is where the Good Sam membership shines. But here again, you have to spend money to save money.

We enjoy and appreciate the Good Sam campgrounds. If you are a GS member and you use a Good Sam campground, you'll receive a 10 percent discount on your campground fees. This can pay for the membership pretty fast ... IF you use it! Once you've broken even, it's money saved. We look for Good Sam and KOA campgrounds when we travel for overnights. So far, no matter where we've gone, there is either one or the other on, or very near, our route.

The closest Campworld to our home is too far to just drop in any time. So we plan our bi-annual pilgrimage to Camping World (Indianapolis) and usually spend a nice bundle on new camping gadgets. Here again, the discount savings almost always pays for the price of the membership. But there again, you've got to spend the money to save the money.

So, it's not ALL bad. Not really.

DownTheAvenue wrote:

westernrvparkowner wrote:
The current price for a Good Sam membership is $27.00. For that much money I would set my expectations low. Considering that traditional retailers are dropping like flies (Sears may file Bankruptcy at any moment) the fact that Camping World is still in business is a testament that maybe they do have a successful business plan. Retail RV supplies are mostly one and done sales. To expect competitors to enter the RV market is pretty much wishful thinking.
Other posters are correct, people are much more likely to post complaints than they are to post positive experiences. Several of their business lines are in sectors that have high customer complaints. They do repairs, they provide roadside assistance, they broker insurance and they sell complicated vehicles. All of those are businesses with a high propensity for customer service issues. When you consider the volume of business that Good Sam does through their various profit centers I doubt their success to complaint ratio is much different than any other large retailer/insurance broker/repair facility.

This is a well thought out post. However, if you are the one faced with a horrible repair situation, knowing that others may have a good experience is not very comforting. I am sure Camping World has completed many repair orders successfully, but when they screw up, it seems horrendous and beyond belief often causing more damage than repair. I have found any RV accessory available for better pricing from many other sources than Camping World.

The bottom line is anyone is better off to avoid anything branded Camping World or Good Sam.

If you are seeking a RV accessory and feel the need to see it before you buy it, Camping World is about the only choice. You could go hit and miss at the local Walmart, Ace Hardware, Home Depot, Sporting Goods store and the like, but you will probably find it at Camping World. Factor in gas and frustration, Camping World can be a deal.
Personally, I often pay more for the advantage of actually seeing what I am buying. I am not a big fan of ordering online, waiting a couple of days, then having to repack and return things that aren't as I envisioned them. And sometimes instant gratification is more than just a good feeling, it is necessary to continue with my trip or project. I don't always have the luxury of waiting for online orders to deliver. Camping World sometimes fills a true need.
As for repairs, I again use common sense. I would never, ever expect Camping World to repair an engine, but I think they are more than capable of replacing a dump valve or water pump I just bought from them.

westernrvparkowner wrote:
The current price for a Good Sam membership is $27.00. For that much money I would set my expectations low. Considering that traditional retailers are dropping like flies (Sears may file Bankruptcy at any moment) the fact that Camping World is still in business is a testament that maybe they do have a successful business plan. Retail RV supplies are mostly one and done sales. To expect competitors to enter the RV market is pretty much wishful thinking.
Other posters are correct, people are much more likely to post complaints than they are to post positive experiences. Several of their business lines are in sectors that have high customer complaints. They do repairs, they provide roadside assistance, they broker insurance and they sell complicated vehicles. All of those are businesses with a high propensity for customer service issues. When you consider the volume of business that Good Sam does through their various profit centers I doubt their success to complaint ratio is much different than any other large retailer/insurance broker/repair facility.

This is a well thought out post. However, if you are the one faced with a horrible repair situation, knowing that others may have a good experience is not very comforting. I am sure Camping World has completed many repair orders successfully, but when they screw up, it seems horrendous and beyond belief often causing more damage than repair. I have found any RV accessory available for better pricing from many other sources than Camping World.

The bottom line is anyone is better off to avoid anything branded Camping World or Good Sam.

jkwilson,

Thank you for contacting Good Sam. I am sorry to hear about the issues you have been having with your online access. Please send a private message with your Good Sam membership number and your phone number so I can assist.

Thanks,
Stacy
Good Sam Care Team

tjon,

We appreciate you taking the time to post your feedback and wanted to provide you with some other reviews regarding Good Sam.

Top Ten Reviews

Birdeye.com

Thank you,
Stacy
Good Sam Care Team

The current price for a Good Sam membership is $27.00. For that much money I would set my expectations low. Considering that traditional retailers are dropping like flies (Sears may file Bankruptcy at any moment) the fact that Camping World is still in business is a testament that maybe they do have a successful business plan. Retail RV supplies are mostly one and done sales. To expect competitors to enter the RV market is pretty much wishful thinking.
Other posters are correct, people are much more likely to post complaints than they are to post positive experiences. Several of their business lines are in sectors that have high customer complaints. They do repairs, they provide roadside assistance, they broker insurance and they sell complicated vehicles. All of those are businesses with a high propensity for customer service issues. When you consider the volume of business that Good Sam does through their various profit centers I doubt their success to complaint ratio is much different than any other large retailer/insurance broker/repair facility.

I'll not be renewing after mine expires.

It all sounds sweet, but my online access has probably worked for two months in the year I've had it. I can't use the member features or shop online with member prices.

When I've contacted them, they drop the ball and do nothing. Once, they asked me to call, and when I did it was what I imagine calling some kind of fake company would be like. The person answering the phone didn't in any way indicate it was associated with GS or CW, wasn't familiar with the person who asked me to call and generally acted as if there was something wrong with me calling there. I can honestly say after that phone call I am very concerned that this company has my CC number.

My most recent attempt to get access to member services was over three weeks ago and I've not heard back since then.