Camping World Shenanigans - scam?

[jeeplj8]

Sold my last TT almost 6 years ago. Decided to look at small TH. Last Sunday I am cruising the interwebs and find an interesting floorplan at a local Camping World (there are multiple around me.) Send an "I'm interested" email. Camper is listed at $19,999. I get a confirmation email that night, and a call from dealer the next morning. I set a time to go look at it later in the week because gotta earn the money first.

Salesperson sends me several photos, though the camper looks different. Stickers in places, different mattress etc. Seems a little off but he explains they have been thru it to fix some stuff. OK.

This morning get a confirmation text for my appointment with link to the camper. I check the link and low and behold it is now $25,999. I get a hold of salesperson and he has no explanation. Assures me it is the same unit. Later in the day calls to say that prices are set by 'corporate' but they will honor the original price.

The whole thing feels very scammy to me. I have never worked with Camping World before. Are they always like this?

[tomkatb]

They have the reputation of leading the way in shenanigans.

Go visit. Do not take any money.

One of their favorites is, the visit to the loan guy to discuss, “options”. Sounds like they added some dealer installed extras.

One of dozens!

[Lubehead]

Why would you go visit? Your gut is telling you something's not right and a poster states they have a reputation. I wouldn't waste any time on BS'ers.

[NMWildcat]

I know several folks who have made great deals on a CW purchase. But, like any dealer, if you don't do your homework, and go into it unprepared, you may end making a deal you regret later.
You only get a bad deal if you allow it. Always be prepared to walk away.
,

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by NMWildcat

You only get a bad deal if you allow it. Always be prepared to walk away.

And if you stay, be prepared to do an EXTREMELY detailed inspection before signing anything. There are checklists in the Library (link is above).

And don't sign anything until every defect you've found is fixed to your satisfaction. Don't accept promises. And don't accept "They all look/work that way." as an excuse for anything. It's usually a lie.

[dangerranger]

If you buy from them be sure everything works, check the A/C and furnace that you get heat and cool from every vent, make sure the refer works in all its modes, and be sure every a/c and 12v outlet works. Don't let them talk you into an extended warrantee.
And don't sign till it all works.
The Local CW's reputation is get the money first and then the customers trailer can sit on the back lot for months waiting for repairs. Good Luck DR

[flyflotrtim]

I would caution dealing with camping world even if they claimed to be the lowest price on options I wanted.

[dustman_stx]

Why purchase from a place where you couldn’t send a friend or family member and know they’ll be treated fairly and honestly? So you might be smart enough to get a good deal- that’s because they ripped off the previous 10 people and made a killing on them. Those people are someone’s friends and family. There are good dealers out there that are trying to do business the right way if people would just seek them out.

[NMWildcat]

Originally Posted by dustman_stx

Why purchase from a place where you couldn’t send a friend or family member and know they’ll be treated fairly and honestly? So you might be smart enough to get a good deal- that’s because they ripped off the previous 10 people and made a killing on them. Those people are someone’s friends and family. There are good dealers out there that are trying to do business the right way if people would just seek them out.

Please share how to seek out these 'good' dealers!! And why do you automatically assume EVERY CW is scum of the earth?
I have found CW no different than any other dealer I have talked to when it comes to buying an RV from them. If anybody lets any dealer talk them into a bad deal, it is their own fault. And I have never known any dealer to refuse to let a buyer pay too much for anything
Would I use CW for service? Nope, but then I never use any dealer for service of any kind.

[Reverse_snowbird]

I'd be very careful. What you see on the web might not be what they have in stock. If you read the fine print, it says We have made every effort to ensure accuracy in the information provided. Specifications, equipment, technical data, photographs and illustrations are based on information available at time of posting and are subject to change without notice.

It's buyer beware no matter what dealership you are buying from. Don't let them pressure into a decision you may regret.

[PhilFromMaine]

Originally Posted by jeeplj8

Sold my last TT almost 6 years ago. Decided to look at small TH. Last Sunday I am cruising the interwebs and find an interesting floorplan at a local Camping World (there are multiple around me.) Send an "I'm interested" email. Camper is listed at $19,999. I get a confirmation email that night, and a call from dealer the next morning. I set a time to go look at it later in the week because gotta earn the money first.

Salesperson sends me several photos, though the camper looks different. Stickers in places, different mattress etc. Seems a little off but he explains they have been thru it to fix some stuff. OK.

This morning get a confirmation text for my appointment with link to the camper. I check the link and low and behold it is now $25,999. I get a hold of salesperson and he has no explanation. Assures me it is the same unit. Later in the day calls to say that prices are set by 'corporate' but they will honor the original price.

The whole thing feels very scammy to me. I have never worked with Camping World before. Are they always like this?

Always? I am not sure about that, but no one can miss all the negative comments on sites like this about CW. I posted a thread recently about their "Revocation of Acceptance" lawsuit they were the defendant in. I would not buy from them.

[GolfingDave]

Originally Posted by NMWildcat

Please share how to seek out these 'good' dealers!! And why do you automatically assume EVERY CW is scum of the earth?

@Aussieguy mentioned in one of his posts just recently about using a thing called the internet to do searches for things. He said he is biased though because of his background.

I got lucky and the first dealer(found online) I went to had a huge indoor showroom and more campers outside, all open if it was not sold. The front desk girl greeted me and said take a look around and let me know if anyone can help you. To say the least I was overwhelmed as I had only been in my fathers old class C a couple of times. Went back to this dealer two more times to get more familiar with campers. Unfortunately they did not carry the camper I wanted after months of looking.

Actually visited three Camping World dealers and just got the feeling of being shoved into something. Actually the first one I just walked out of after them pressing me for my info when all I wanted to do was look around. Can't say "every" but was not impressed with three of them. I tell people to go there and look though since they do have a big selection. Take advantage of that at least, no reason not to at least visit. By the way, this was before I heard anything about Camping World. Never gave thought to buying a camper before.

Ended up buying from a small outfit(found online). Not a big selection but I liked what I saw. No pressure or gimmicks. One day there the salesman was doing an zoomcall PDI with a customer several states away.

Overall I probably went to 9 or 10 dealers trying to figure out what I wanted. All found online and reading reviews.

Since the OP is already a member here, check out the Dealer Reviews section.

[Aussieguy]

Ummm..

If you visit a SALES yard/department ..... don't get offended if they try and sell you something. They and their children gotta eat.


If you want education... join a RV school or something.


Camping world is no different than any other business... they provide you one stop locations BUT each department in the store has goals they must meet.
If the sales people don't sell then that department may just close then all you're left with is a service shop



Tried being a salesman once ... It was too hard for me!

[Nick Danger]

Originally Posted by Aussieguy

Ummm..

If you visit a SALES yard/department ..... don't get offended if they try and sell you something. They and their children gotta eat.


If you want education... join a RV school or something.


Camping world is no different than any other business... they provide you one stop locations BUT each department in the store has goals they must meet.
If the sales people don't sell then that department may just close then all you're left with is a service shop



Tried being a salesman once ... It was too hard for me!

Part of my current position is sales. There are no rainbows or unicorns in this profession. And it hasn't gotten any easier recently.

[Odyknuck]

So the trailer the OP saw on the net was 19K, he then inquires and the very next day its now 25K however they will honer the original price, yea ok. Considering the 19K was the price you start negotiating at it was there way to say we are giving you the best deal we can without having to drop the original price, typical!

[NMWildcat]

Originally Posted by Odyknuck

So the trailer the OP saw on the net was 19K, he then inquires and the very next day its now 25K however they will honer the original price, yea ok. Considering the 19K was the price you start negotiating at it was there way to say we are giving you the best deal we can without having to drop the original price, typical!

And if you don't like the tactic, or the price, guess what.... You can move on!

[NoBoGoat]

Originally Posted by jeeplj8

Sold my last TT almost 6 years ago. Decided to look at small TH. Last Sunday I am cruising the interwebs and find an interesting floorplan at a local Camping World (there are multiple around me.) Send an "I'm interested" email. Camper is listed at $19,999. I get a confirmation email that night, and a call from dealer the next morning. I set a time to go look at it later in the week because gotta earn the money first.
...

This morning get a confirmation text for my appointment with link to the camper. I check the link and low and behold it is now $25,999. I get a hold of salesperson and he has no explanation. Assures me it is the same unit. Later in the day calls to say that prices are set by 'corporate' but they will honor the original price.

Similar, but I took a screenshot of the website before I reached out to them. Ours was listed for $24k. I was hoping to talk them down another grand or two. In the process of talking and emailing and getting more photos (in our case everything was correct) they send over a quote showing the asking price of the trailer was $29k. Sure enough the website also changed to the new price. I sent over the screenshot asking what was up, and after a bit of hemming and hawing they honored the original $24k price, but was not willing to haggle on that price. I suspect it might have been a strategy to prevent me from haggling any further, but given other dealers were asking $29k for similar I was ok with this. Chances were I wouldn't be able to deal any lower.

Dealers gonna deal.

My favorite part was the various add-ons they then tried to sell in the business office "Sign here for your free week of camping" == Timeshare. I believe I had to opt-out two or three times from various personal information sharing.

Business office is gonna... deal?

On the plus side, 2022 was a thick Camping World coupon book year. Got it for free and made good use of the coupons to get most of what we needed for less than Amazon. So that was something. 2023's book didn't have any coupons and wasn't free so I passed.

Edit - Moral of the story, CW is just another dealer. Document EVERYTHING, especially notes on what is spoken, and be prepared to walk away at any point if something doesn't feel right. You owe them nothing until you start signing paperwork. The discrepancy in the photos would certainly raise a flag, but something that is easy enough to rectify with an in person visit. Alternatively, since I'm in TN and the CW I was working with was in SC they offered to do a video tour of the trailer with us before we drove out there. Might be something to ask for.

Edit2 - A couple more things I learned that day. They will only accept cashier's cheques for amounts over $2K. The financing was through reputable banks and seemed fair, but naturally you need to have insurance before they let you drive off the lot. They will offer a very expensive "temporary" insurance, but fortunately for me my insurance company answers the phone late on Saturday nights and was able to fax over a "rider". I was lucky, but had I known I would have already had insurance lined up.

[wmtire]

This reminds me of when Best Buy got caught for having two different websites for pricing, depending on if you were in store or not.

https://www.techdirt.com/2007/03/02/...your-best-buy/

[Iwritecode]

My wife and I went out and looked at a few different dealers last year just because we wanted to look. We were not interested in buying right away but wanted to see what our options were just in case.

We went to the place where we bought our last RV, Camping world and a General RV.

Of the 3, the salesperson from CW was definitely the most pushy and has attempted to contact us the absolute most since then. I think he finally got the hint when we would never answer the phone for his once a week phone calls.

I know it's his job to sell RVs but he was a little much for my taste. If/when we do decide to buy I would not go back to him.

[NoBoGoat]

Originally Posted by Iwritecode

Of the 3, the salesperson from CW was definitely the most pushy and has attempted to contact us the absolute most since then. I think he finally got the hint when we would never answer the phone for his once a week phone calls.

This too. Up front they will ask your phone number for texts before they'll let you wander the lot. The first CW we visited in GA I gave my contact info, because y'know I want to be fair and be in good faith and not let another salesperson poach me, and for the next two weeks they "pinged" me every three days or so until I said stop.

Likewise, dropped off the camper at the local CW for service back in March/April (that was another experience), and decided to look around the lot for fun. Again, with the phone number and texts. This time I let them ping for about a week before telling them we're going to stick with our current trailer for awhile.

Oh, and on this last visit they had to escort us around the lot instead of just letting us wander. In previous years all the campers were open. They said they recently had problems and could no longer do that, so we had to point out specifically which ones to look at and they had to fetch the keys from the office. After the third trailer I was like, that's enough.