More Camping World non- service

[OldBob]

Wow!

[mtnlvr]

Wow, lot's of horror stories!! It seems like the areas that are lucky enough to have more choices and independent shops, help to raise the bar for quality service done promptly and correctly. Considering the huge size and population for the state of Calif. there are only 5 or 6 Forest River authorized dealerships. When Forest River recommends using their own dealerships first , that is not very realistic of them considering most are 100 miles apart or so.. The Forest River dealer that I was referred to in Ventura County last year, ended up blowing up my engine and the starter on it's first oil change. It cost them over $20,000. for their error and they wouldn't reimburse me for all my expenses incurred. CW in Valencia installed my hydraulic jacks so poorly that one year later we found them just hanging on by a thread and Safari RV in Reno ( an ok independent shop) had to reweld them. Frankly, I 'm getting to the point where I don't care about the money- just quit jerking me around and do the job right and on time. They really know how to inconvenience travelers and fulltimers and could care less!
There is such a disparity of service between cars and RV, tt, & 5'ers. My cars are always serviced promptly, frequently I get a free loaner while waiting, and they will wash it too. Now that's customer service!! ! What a concept! I will say that MBZ of Eugene, OR offered to wash my Solera, which was appreciated after weeks on the road. Unfortunately, my brand new bike was hanging on the ladder in back and they clipped another vehicle driving it and bent up my handlebars. I seem to be jinxed.

[mjpallone]

Sorry to hear about your poor experience at that Camping World. My suggestion is that you try and develop a good relationship with your assigned Service Advisor. Get his/her email and cell phone number and over-communicate with them. Our experience with the St Augustine, FL Camping World has gotten better and better with time. Honestly, most of the staff is overwhelmed with the amount of work they have so things can slip through the cracks pretty easily. That's why you need to stay in constant contact with them. Remember that being nice goes a lot further than being ugly. We have had issues with some of our early service but the service advisors we have jump right in and fix the issues promptly. It is very sad but the RV industry as a whole is way behind the auto industry as far as service goes and to expect the same type of experience is just unrealistic. Hang in there and be as nice as possible to them while working through your issues. It has worked well for us.

[mtnlvr]

Thanks ! I'm always polite and friendly. The advisors do know me and like my dogs. I travel as a solo female with my Golden Retriever and Choc. Lab who quickly make friends with everyone. I have had better luck with the CW in the Sacramento, Ca. area. They seem to have more prompt service, probably because there are more RV dealerships and competition in the area. It's a longer drive for me, but that's preferable to being told on a Thurs. apptmt (scheduled weeks in advance) to "come back tomorrow, we're too busy" , then it's "come back on Monday....."this for something minor that should only take an hour or so. At this point I'm looking into mobile techs who will come to me instead.
Last year while traveling, I spent hours on the phone trying to get service for a possible propane leak- to no avail. Everyone said they were booked up for weeks. I had no idea when I purchased my RV how difficult it can be in many parts of the country to try to obtain service. You guys who can do the work yourself are really fortunate!!!!

[kittlecat]

I, too, am a solo traveling woman but I have a cat, not dogs. I have been really lucky in that when my TT developed a problem, I was able to get it home for repairs. I am not a full timer (yet) but do have concerns with traveling/camping alone as a woman. While I can generally diagnose problems with my car, I am still learning with my TT. I don't tend to go more than 4 hours from home alone at this time and so far, so good. The extended warranty I purchased with my TT requires me to have the TT serviced where I purchased it (a long standing mom/pop RV dealer near my home) when practical. I hope it is years before I have to find service away from home, and I hope CW is not the only RV service center in the area.

[spock123]

What I do at Camping World is when I need service I take the camper in and they take pictures of what needs to be fixed and order the parts and I take camper home. When the parts come I take camper back


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[CaptnJohn]

Originally Posted by spock123

What I do at Camping World is when I need service I take the camper in and they take pictures of what needs to be fixed and order the parts and I take camper home. When the parts come I take camper back


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I stopped at CW yesterday and talked to my service writer. He checked with parts to be sure what I needed was in stock. I arrived 5 minutes after they opened this morning. Quick part change by my favorite tech. He refused to write it so no labor, just part cost and on my way in 20 minutes.

[mtnlvr]

Originally Posted by spock123

What I do at Camping World is when I need service I take the camper in and they take pictures of what needs to be fixed and order the parts and I take camper home. When the parts come I take camper back


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That was all I needed of CW- look at a couple items and then order those parts and I would return when they came in. CW in Valencia,Ca. couldn't even bother to do that after I drove 250 miles for my apptmt. and hung around for a week camping waiting for them.

[mtnlvr]

Originally Posted by kittlecat

I, too, am a solo traveling woman but I have a cat, not dogs. I have been really lucky in that when my TT developed a problem, I was able to get it home for repairs. I am not a full timer (yet) but do have concerns with traveling/camping alone as a woman. While I can generally diagnose problems with my car, I am still learning with my TT. I don't tend to go more than 4 hours from home alone at this time and so far, so good. The extended warranty I purchased with my TT requires me to have the TT serviced where I purchased it (a long standing mom/pop RV dealer near my home) when practical. I hope it is years before I have to find service away from home, and I hope CW is not the only RV service center in the area.

Hi, It's nice to hear from another woman who travels solo also. I too purchased a 5yr./ 75,000 mi. Extended warranty on my RV since I'm not a mechanic and have a fear of breaking down in the middle of nowhere. If I didn't travel with dogs, I wouldn't be as brave. I'm finding out that the money I spent on this warranty may be a waste( no pricey repairs as of yet). Finding shops who will do warranty work isn't always easy. Some tell me, "only in our off season." What happens if you break down while traveling and no one wants to bother with you? I put up with CW only because they will do warranty work year round.
You mentioned your warranty was thru only one shop, I see how that makes it more difficult to venture farther from home. Fortunately you are towing a TT and can hopefully get it back home. I would imagine hooking up and backing up is more tricky with only one person than with a motorhome. Good for you!!! So many women tell me "I would never do that alone."

[spock123]

The Camping World I go to is like 60 miles away, there is actually two about 60 miles away. Where I brought the camper at is 320 miles away and that's to far. FR told me I could take camper to any dealer that sold FR products, but I then had to find out if the dealer would work on my camper and some would not, CW would


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[Maron]

We bought our brand new Rockwood 8329ss at a CW in Wauconda Illinois and picked it up in January 2014. One month later driving on i40 just east of Alburque NM, the bottom pealed away dong 65mph. The Camping World in Alburque put us at the head of the line next morning and had us on the road by 2:00pm.
Then April of this year we were crossing northern Arizona on our way back to northern Illinois for the summer. We blew the left rear tire on the TT. The blowout tore the wiring from under neath along with a propane line under the refrigerator. We had no heat, no refrigerator, no hot water and it was cold. Plus we were a thousand miles from home.
3 days later, after stopping in Cortez to buy 4 new tires( didn't trust the remaining Chinese Bombs) we were parked in front of Camping World in Colorado Springs on a Monday morning. 7 hours later with the TT rewired and a new propane line, we left for Illinois. I can't be more appreciative that Camping World fond the time to get us fixed and back on the road. Thank you Camping World. Sorry for your bad experience!

[OldBob]

Originally Posted by Maron

We bought our brand new Rockwood 8329ss at a CW in Wauconda Illinois and picked it up in January 2014. One month later driving on i40 just east of Alburque NM, the bottom pealed away dong 65mph. The Camping World in Alburque put us at the head of the line next morning and had us on the road by 2:00pm.
Then April of this year we were crossing northern Arizona on our way back to northern Illinois for the summer. We blew the left rear tire on the TT. The blowout tore the wiring from under neath along with a propane line under the refrigerator. We had no heat, no refrigerator, no hot water and it was cold. Plus we were a thousand miles from home.
3 days later, after stopping in Cortez to buy 4 new tires( didn't trust the remaining Chinese Bombs) we were parked in front of Camping World in Colorado Springs on a Monday morning. 7 hours later with the TT rewired and a new propane line, we left for Illinois. I can't be more appreciative that Camping World fond the time to get us fixed and back on the road. Thank you Camping World. Sorry for your bad experience!

This proves that we DO have guardian Angels that occasionally intercede in our behalf!

[Maron]

After we got back from the trip with the blown tire, I decided to check my equalizer hitch. Some time back on this forum I remembered some guy losing his TT due to the hitch breaking.
Yep the hitch had stress cracks right along the weld on both sides. I took pictures to the CW in Wauconda Il and within weeks I had a brand new hitch attached and all set up. So while I read all of these horror stories as to how people are mistreated, all I can be is happy with my experiences.

[Maron]

If I can get this photo download deal figured out, here is another picture of stress cracks in an equalizer hitch.

[Maron]

One more try