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What your opinion of buying a MV from camping World?

Forest66
Explorer
Explorer
Looking at buying a RV from CW and wanted to here some over all opinions on them Good bad and ugly

Thanks
74 REPLIES 74

darsben1
Explorer
Explorer
westernrvparkowner wrote:
darsben1 wrote:
westernrvparkowner wrote:
darsben1 wrote:
If you are buying used the usual terms are as is where is. So if it is not in writing then it does not exist. YOU MUST DO a thorough inspection before paying for the rig. Once you drive it off the lot "to bad so sad"
Some salesman will say anything to feed their family and the term is called puffery. You do NOT have the same rights as when you are buying an automobile.

Do I trust Camping World? NO! Do I trust any other dealer NO! The objective is to sell you the rig, whether or not they have to lie. Do I trust Camping World in Syracuse to tell me the truth? Absolutely NOT! My feeling is the people in that store would lie even if telling the truth made no difference.
INSPECT, DO not take anyone's word for anything. Negotiate an out the door price. Reinspect and do not pay until AFTER everything is fixed to your satisfaction. They want your money with as little work as possible
Your profile indicates you have a 27 year old RV. If you bought it new from them, I would venture to say the people you dealt with are no longer there. If you bought it recently, what exactly should they know, yet lied, about a rig that was built during the first Bush Administration? If you haven't purchased an RV from Camping World, how do you know they are dishonest? Did you form that opinion because of what you have read on the internet? If so, you may need to be aware that everything posted on the internet isn't actually true, contrary to what the girl in the commercial said.
Camping World is by far the largest retailer of RVs in the world. Of course there will be people who have had problems. There isn't a large company in the world that doesn't get complaints and hasn't had product or customer service issues.
These forums are a magnet for those complaints and experiences, since it is directly connected to Camping World. You are going to reach a much more receptive audience complaining about Camping World on an RV forum sponsored by Camping World and frequented by people who are interested in CW and related businesses and activities. Go to an Apple Forum, or a Mercedes Benz forum and you will find a greater concentration of complaints and issues than is the actual failure rate of either of those businesses. Basically, you fish where the fish are.

My opinion of Camping World Syracuse was formed by my dealing with them at that location.To me The atmosphere in the facility is "fleece the customer quickly" do not give them an honest answer, charge for anything you can think of, but, do no real work. If it is in one part of the operation it permeates to the rest of the operation at the facility, there is no brick wall between them. I feel it is a cultural thing in that location which starts with management is condoned by management and filters down to the employees. They sc_____d me once I will let the world know forever.
I guess I will ask again. Did they Sc--w you 27 years ago on a new rig? Did you recently buy a rig that was over a quarter of a century old and fully expect it to be perfect? Perhaps you feel you were taken by the service department. If so, how and why? Again, your rig is old, I would expect many parts to not be available, so even if they said they would work on it, it may require retro-fitting and some jury rigging to fix things. That costs money. Or maybe you feel they are somehow ripping you off on the items that are on the shelf. If so, how are they being dishonest by having a folding chair or a camp stove displayed with the price prominently affixed?
Over the years there have been many complaints on these forums about Camping World and their affiliates. Many have been legit and some cited outrageous behaviors by CW. However, many others have ranged from petty to downright ridiculous. I wonder where on that spectrum your issue(s) lie.


I do not want to hijack the thread but to short answer within the past 4 years. I am a big supporter of GSRA because they have done right for me. If you want me to PM you the details I will be happy to
Traveling with my best friend, my wife in a 1990 Southwind

Goldencrazy
Explorer
Explorer
I should add as one poster wrote that the finance guy did make quite the pitch for all the extras including leather protection and exterior protection etc. He also pushed hard on extended warranties and wanting me to finance. He attempted to be my tax advisor which I thianked him for but said I was already taken care of. We had just purchased a new car and the motorhome pitch was really no different or in some cases no less offensive.

dougrainer
Nomad
Nomad
The reason I questioned CW having Newmar, was, back when CW was in a Dealership buying binge, they purchased local dealers that carried Newmar. Then CW went to Newmar and demanded volume discounts on invoicing since they would buy so many Newmar's thruout their Dealerships. Newmar declined and then all the CW Dealerships that carried Newmar, dropped the Newmar line. I guess CW had a change of plan over the years. Since some of the CW now carry Newmar or maybe they just let the Dealerships they purchased after that debacle keep the line. Doug

mmiille
Explorer
Explorer
I bought from them once. They will try to offer an extended warranty at the end and will present no other options. I bought that too and have regretted it ever since. They were very professional at sales, but worthless at service after the sale. There are a few that defend them for some reason, and I will never go there again. Your experience may vary.
Martin & Cheryl
40 Foot 2009 Damon Tuscany 4076
Cummins 360, Hyundai Santa Fe
Full timing since 2010.

SCVJeff
Explorer
Explorer
Mine is much more simple. I tried to buy the Meridian in the sig at least three times. I asked if they would match the price on the exact same unit located North of Seattle. They said 'No', they needed to pay for the spot on the lot (this was the most expensive coach on the lot and it wasn't moving). I called and talked to the manager three times and said I'd really like to keep my money local and I'll clear it off the lot and give you your space back...Nope!, they quit talking. I took my $30k+ saved, flew to Seattle with a friend and had a great time driving back to Calif the identical twin that was on the lot. That coach sat there the rest of the summer. Lesson learned, I wonder when CW will learn theirs?

Service? Probably not..
Jeff - WA6EQU
'06 Itasca Meridian 34H, CAT C7/350

Goldencrazy
Explorer
Explorer
I bought from Camping World in Deforest WI. The purchase process was fine. I got a good deal. Then came phase two. The coach had some problems that were not CW's fault. Winnebago seems to be having some quality control issues. This is my fifth Winnebago in my life and had more problems and was the most expensive . My repairs took forever. They have some good well meaning staff but they also have big turnover and do not train well. My initial walk around was funny as I knew more about the coach than he. I have had dealt with another dealer that is 90 miles away so I wanted this to work. I keep dealing with Camping World in hopes it will get better which may be naive. I have a slide problem. They say it will be a month to get me. I am going to discuss this personally with management and then if no satisfaction I think I will park it in front of one of their bays with the broken slide out that will not retract. I will take the keys and then we can negotiate again. Hope it doesn't come to this. I do feel badly for the underpaid, under trained staff. On the other hand they seem to be very busy so something right must be happening.

Bird_Freak
Explorer II
Explorer II
Would I buy from CW? Not in this life time. If you do I wish you lots of luck with any repairs or service. By the way, service is why I would never buy from CW!
Eddie
03 Fleetwood Pride, 36-5L
04 Ford F-250 Superduty
15K Pullrite Superglide
Old coach 04 Pace Arrow 37C with brakes sometimes.
Owner- The Toy Shop-
Auto Restoration and Customs 32 years. Retired by a stroke!
We love 56 T-Birds

sprintmod1
Explorer
Explorer
DownTheAvenue wrote:
The only problem with Camping World is that they allow little issues, that could and should be quickly and easily resolved at the store level, grow and fester into a giant consumer problem that almost seems made up the fiasco is so large!


This is very true!!

I own a business that vends to the automotive industry, and I hear this all the time---"there are a million customers in this valley, we don't need to screw any of them twice!"

When dealing with CW, remember the key words and you will be fine---"if their lips are moving, they are lying".
2010 American Coach Revolution 42w; carrying 2014 HD Electra Glide Limited and towing 2015 Chevy Silverado 2500HD.
Dirt's for racing and asphalt for getting there.
410 Sprint Car's rule!

sprintmod1
Explorer
Explorer
Thanks, I find it funny that CW purchased Tom Johnson, but it is listed as Tom Johnson under the Camping World banner. I guess CW does NOT want their good name out there. Under Newmar's website, it lists the OLD owner of the Newmar dealerships regardless of CW owning them. That is why I asked. There is NO mention of CW on Newmar's website. Doug

Been in this RV game a long time. When we traveled to NY every weekend, we purchased our first RV in Syracuse. When CW bought them, it forced us elsewhere.

Next stop, Harrisburg, PA. When CW bought them a year or two later, you guessed it, same policies applied and we needed to find another dealer.

When we wanted to move up, it forced us to go hundreds of miles south to Tom Johnson to find an awesome dealer. Multiple diesel motorhomes and years later, we purchased our last diesel from Tom Johnson in July of 2015. Being 600 miles away was always a challenge but when I bought there, I knew the deal for service. They knew they had a customer for life and took awesome care of us when we got there.

Now they are a CW store. Things that were routine before are cumbersome and time consuming now. Employees that were there for years and years and always smiled and were helpful are now putting in time and can't wait for their next adventure working somewhere else.

It's not just us, we are part of a group that upgrades every two or three years. Always in American Coach products. But things have changed at TJ and not for the better. CW has managed to destroy in one year what Tom built over his life time.

Looks like we will now need to travel 1300 miles to LazyDays to try and find the personal care and service Tom Johnson had delivered to us for over 15 years.
2010 American Coach Revolution 42w; carrying 2014 HD Electra Glide Limited and towing 2015 Chevy Silverado 2500HD.
Dirt's for racing and asphalt for getting there.
410 Sprint Car's rule!

DownTheAvenue
Explorer
Explorer
The only problem with Camping World is that they allow little issues, that could and should be quickly and easily resolved at the store level, grow and fester into a giant consumer problem that almost seems made up the fiasco is so large!

dougrainer
Nomad
Nomad
usersmanual wrote:
dougrainer wrote:
wildtoad wrote:
We bought our Newmar from CW as they were the only dealer for miles, and they were 90 miles away. Sales process was great, no hassles, no pressure, and a price I was happy with. It definitely helps to know what you want, and how much you are willing to pay ahead of time, so do your homework. Warranty service after the sale was a different question as it seems to take far longer than it should.


Which Camping World sold you a NEW Newmar? Newmar and CW had a falling out with CW years ago and dropped CW from there list of dealers. Doug


Really? well this is for sale there as we opine and it says new??

New 2016 NEWMAR DUTCH STAR 4018
Stock # CNC1229860
http://rv.campingworld.com/new-class-a-diesel-rvs/2016-newmar-dutch-star-4018-1229860
another New 2016 NEWMAR KING AIRE 4553


Thanks, I find it funny that CW purchased Tom Johnson, but it is listed as Tom Johnson under the Camping World banner. I guess CW does NOT want their good name out there. Under Newmar's website, it lists the OLD owner of the Newmar dealerships regardless of CW owning them. That is why I asked. There is NO mention of CW on Newmar's website. Doug

westernrvparkow
Explorer
Explorer
darsben1 wrote:
westernrvparkowner wrote:
darsben1 wrote:
If you are buying used the usual terms are as is where is. So if it is not in writing then it does not exist. YOU MUST DO a thorough inspection before paying for the rig. Once you drive it off the lot "to bad so sad"
Some salesman will say anything to feed their family and the term is called puffery. You do NOT have the same rights as when you are buying an automobile.

Do I trust Camping World? NO! Do I trust any other dealer NO! The objective is to sell you the rig, whether or not they have to lie. Do I trust Camping World in Syracuse to tell me the truth? Absolutely NOT! My feeling is the people in that store would lie even if telling the truth made no difference.
INSPECT, DO not take anyone's word for anything. Negotiate an out the door price. Reinspect and do not pay until AFTER everything is fixed to your satisfaction. They want your money with as little work as possible
Your profile indicates you have a 27 year old RV. If you bought it new from them, I would venture to say the people you dealt with are no longer there. If you bought it recently, what exactly should they know, yet lied, about a rig that was built during the first Bush Administration? If you haven't purchased an RV from Camping World, how do you know they are dishonest? Did you form that opinion because of what you have read on the internet? If so, you may need to be aware that everything posted on the internet isn't actually true, contrary to what the girl in the commercial said.
Camping World is by far the largest retailer of RVs in the world. Of course there will be people who have had problems. There isn't a large company in the world that doesn't get complaints and hasn't had product or customer service issues.
These forums are a magnet for those complaints and experiences, since it is directly connected to Camping World. You are going to reach a much more receptive audience complaining about Camping World on an RV forum sponsored by Camping World and frequented by people who are interested in CW and related businesses and activities. Go to an Apple Forum, or a Mercedes Benz forum and you will find a greater concentration of complaints and issues than is the actual failure rate of either of those businesses. Basically, you fish where the fish are.

My opinion of Camping World Syracuse was formed by my dealing with them at that location.To me The atmosphere in the facility is "fleece the customer quickly" do not give them an honest answer, charge for anything you can think of, but, do no real work. If it is in one part of the operation it permeates to the rest of the operation at the facility, there is no brick wall between them. I feel it is a cultural thing in that location which starts with management is condoned by management and filters down to the employees. They sc_____d me once I will let the world know forever.
I guess I will ask again. Did they Sc--w you 27 years ago on a new rig? Did you recently buy a rig that was over a quarter of a century old and fully expect it to be perfect? Perhaps you feel you were taken by the service department. If so, how and why? Again, your rig is old, I would expect many parts to not be available, so even if they said they would work on it, it may require retro-fitting and some jury rigging to fix things. That costs money. Or maybe you feel they are somehow ripping you off on the items that are on the shelf. If so, how are they being dishonest by having a folding chair or a camp stove displayed with the price prominently affixed?
Over the years there have been many complaints on these forums about Camping World and their affiliates. Many have been legit and some cited outrageous behaviors by CW. However, many others have ranged from petty to downright ridiculous. I wonder where on that spectrum your issue(s) lie.

darsben1
Explorer
Explorer
westernrvparkowner wrote:
darsben1 wrote:
If you are buying used the usual terms are as is where is. So if it is not in writing then it does not exist. YOU MUST DO a thorough inspection before paying for the rig. Once you drive it off the lot "to bad so sad"
Some salesman will say anything to feed their family and the term is called puffery. You do NOT have the same rights as when you are buying an automobile.

Do I trust Camping World? NO! Do I trust any other dealer NO! The objective is to sell you the rig, whether or not they have to lie. Do I trust Camping World in Syracuse to tell me the truth? Absolutely NOT! My feeling is the people in that store would lie even if telling the truth made no difference.
INSPECT, DO not take anyone's word for anything. Negotiate an out the door price. Reinspect and do not pay until AFTER everything is fixed to your satisfaction. They want your money with as little work as possible
Your profile indicates you have a 27 year old RV. If you bought it new from them, I would venture to say the people you dealt with are no longer there. If you bought it recently, what exactly should they know, yet lied, about a rig that was built during the first Bush Administration? If you haven't purchased an RV from Camping World, how do you know they are dishonest? Did you form that opinion because of what you have read on the internet? If so, you may need to be aware that everything posted on the internet isn't actually true, contrary to what the girl in the commercial said.
Camping World is by far the largest retailer of RVs in the world. Of course there will be people who have had problems. There isn't a large company in the world that doesn't get complaints and hasn't had product or customer service issues.
These forums are a magnet for those complaints and experiences, since it is directly connected to Camping World. You are going to reach a much more receptive audience complaining about Camping World on an RV forum sponsored by Camping World and frequented by people who are interested in CW and related businesses and activities. Go to an Apple Forum, or a Mercedes Benz forum and you will find a greater concentration of complaints and issues than is the actual failure rate of either of those businesses. Basically, you fish where the fish are.

My opinion of Camping World Syracuse was formed by my dealing with them at that location.To me The atmosphere in the facility is "fleece the customer quickly" do not give them an honest answer, charge for anything you can think of, but, do no real work. If it is in one part of the operation it permeates to the rest of the operation at the facility, there is no brick wall between them. I feel it is a cultural thing in that location which starts with management is condoned by management and filters down to the employees. They sc_____d me once I will let the world know forever.
Traveling with my best friend, my wife in a 1990 Southwind

Bill_Satellite
Explorer II
Explorer II
I love Camping World posts. It's nearly impossible to get anyone to provide any accurate information as CW tends to bring out the emotional side in everyone. "I did this" or "CW did that" encompasses most posts. That's not bad (or good), just the result of CW selling so, so many RV's. Some will be happy, some will not but all of the "nots" will post on every forum everywhere while most of the "happy's" are just happy and find no need to post.
Don't confuse this rambling with saying that CW is good or bad. As with any business, they are in business because they sell a lot of stuff. Some folks won't be happy but most people will or they would not still be in business.
What I post is my 2 cents and nothing more. Please don't read anything into my post that's not there. If you disagree, that's OK.
Can't we all just get along?

Shot-N-Az
Explorer
Explorer
They sell a lot of RVs to first time buyers. It would be interesting to see how much return business they get.