Camping World Nightmare

This is the Camping World nightmare experience of one of our guest posters . . .

I’ll leave out our first two Camping World nightmare experiences to your imaginations, but they were bad.

Sherman, Texas CW

Jayco RV

The Sherman, Texas store was our third visit to a Camping World in an attempt to purchase a 2020 Jayco RV. We stuck with CW only because we wanted a Jayco. They are the only Jayco Dealers remotely close to us.

Our salesman in Sherman was very accommodating. As was the pre-delivery inspection (PDI) staff. However, every person that we dealt with in Finance and all of upper management was nothing less than atrocious.

Passing on CW Financing

First, we informed them from the very beginning that we had our own financing and would not need CW financing. We asked them to send the Purchase Agreement to our banker.

Hacking Our Info

bandit with laptop

Of course, the agreement was never sent. We called them back to get it done. They told us they had contacted the Oklahoma store for our financial info. Ergo, instead of sending the agreement, they took it upon themselves to waste our time by contacting the Oklahoma City store. They hacked our private financial and credit information without our permission. Above all, they violated several laws including the:

After voicing our disapproval, Sherman Camping World finally sent the Purchase Agreement to our bank. Immediately our phone was ringing. Our banker called to tell us that the Purchase Agreement was not correct. They wanted us to pay tax, title and license fees at the time of purchase. They said it was “state law”.

We called Camping World again to explain that we do not pay Texas sales tax, we live in Oklahoma. Several phone calls and arguments ensued. They conceded that we only had to pay Oklahoma tax, but that it needed to be paid when taking delivery.

Next, they told us that we would have to bring a Cashier’s Check in order to take delivery of the RV. We headed out on a four-hour round trip to meet with the banker personally and pick up a Cashier’s Check.

Camping World Nightmare Continues

Everyone involved at CW was very aware that we were on a serious time crunch when picking up the unit. They knew exactly when we would be arriving to take delivery. We called at 8:00 a.m. that morning to follow up with the salesman. We informed him that we would be there around 9:00 a.m. The dealership is an hour from our home.

We arrived at the dealership a little after 9:00 in the morning. Our RV was just being taken back to be cleaned up. We waited patiently (kind of, we were on a time crunch, as stated). Finally, we started our walk-through. At least the walk-through staff was very knowledgeable.

Next, the paperwork. We finally sat down with their Finance guy to sign the paperwork. He initially apologized that we hadn’t had a better experience at other stores. I brought up that we had concerns with our purchase there, but he quickly moved on to the paperwork.

After signing the guy started walking away without payment. I asked him if he wanted checks. He says, “Oh, yeah.” He walked back to the desk and we handed him a Cashier’s Check for the financed amount. I began to write out a check for the fees that they were insisting that we pay upfront. Oklahoma taxes, even though we live in a different state. The salesman says, “Oh, my general manager says that I cant take a personal check for that.”

What?! CW Nightmare Continues

We had driven for hours. Then, we spent hours in the dealership and hours on the phone. No one EVER bothered to mention to us that we needed to bring cash for that?! Does anyone carry that much cash in their pocket daily? Right?!

He said, “Just put it on a card.” The amount was over the daily card limit set by our bank.

At the time, we were over three hours from our nearest bank branch at noon on a Saturday! He handed us back our Cashier’s Check and said, “sorry.” At this point, the sales guy was in disbelief as well.

I have NEVER been treated as poorly at a dealership during the purchase of ANYTHING in my life!! I’m appalled!

To make matters worse, afterward, we checked the purchase agreement when we stopped for lunch. The Purchase Agreement was for $2,000 less than the agreed-upon price; less than the Cashier’s Check. Ergo, they could have taken that extra $2,000 and put it towards the Oklahoma sales taxes. We would have been good.

Camping World Sucks!

In conclusion, we were now in a dire situation. We need to leave town for work and, due to our Camping World nightmare, we are without an RV. Obviously, we have a VERY bad taste in our mouths from this establishment. The way we were treated was astonishing.

Camping World, please do your future customers a favor and better train your staff in regards to customer service and desk-side manner. We feel bad for our sales guy as he did his job and was snuffed out of this sale due to no fault of his own.

–Guest Poster

Camping Worlds (now Gander RV) Suck

The list of complaints has just skyrocketed. It is amazing that this business has any customers. If you need to contact Camping World with one of these horrific experiences, contact corporate headquarters by clicking here. Please report back with your results.

In addition, on Facebook, Camping World: The Awful Experience is dedicated to warning consumers about CW/Gander.

Please consider sharing your Camping World Sucks experiences here.

This site, CampingWorldSucks.net, is strictly for information purposes. We don’t advertise here. Our horrible experiences with Camping World of Bartow, Florida service and Monticello, Minnesota financing departments inspired this blog. Click below for our KeystoneRVsucks.net experience.

Unethical Keystone RV

Camping World sells more Keystone RVs than any other dealership. This major manufacturer has a reputation for poor workmanship and worse customer service. We can attest to that, personally. Keystone customer service e-mail contact is ownerrelations@keystonerv.com. Thor is Keystone’s parent company. Click for Thor custom support or call (877) 855-2867.

Share your experiences with Montana, Cougar, etc. at KeystoneRVsucks.net.

Camping World Experiences

Camping World Sucks, and Keystone RV Sucks, welcome guest contributors to share their own Camping World Experiences. As a result, several guest contributors have shared their stories below.

Corrupt All The Way To The Top

Several years after I bought my Class-C camper. During my Camping World experience I gave this company three different chances to fix or repair work done by their mechanics.

I climbed my way up the food chain to try to resolve the issue. The key PROBLEM, Marcus Lemonis. He uses his power only to personally make himself money. To Mr. Lemonis, the importance of the customer, the employees, and the company has declined. Ergo, Camping World Sucks!

He’s rich on the backs of the people he has rear-ended. Moral to this story: never will I return – have advised everyone I have ever come in contact with to avoid this company like the plague.

Redding, Cali Camping World Sucks

Our Camping World experience took place in Redding, California.

We bought a 2008 Thor Wave 21BH. On December 10, 2019, we brought it to Camping World Redding. We needed to get the wheel bearings repacked, holding tanks checked and flushed; general maintenance.

The service manager, Brian, recommended their 45-point inspection, which we agreed to. He called a couple of days later. First, he told us that our brakes were shot. Next, he informed us that our roof had turned to leopard skin. When I asked about the other things mentioned earlier, he said everything seems to work.

Therefore, on December 20, 2019, we picked up our trailer with a bill for $8,000 dollars!!!!! Certainly, Camping World should have mentioned that the tires were severely cracked. We went to Les Schwab for tires.

When we got to our site and plugged in, we discovered that Camping World Sucks!

  • Black water gauge still said 2/3 full, the same as when we brought it.
  • Gray water gauge said full, the same as when we brought it.
  • Black water tank was clogged and wouldn’t empty.
  • When the water heater kicked on the water leaked under the bunk.

As a result, we called Camping World in Redding. Again we talked to the service manager. Those things were not covered under the 45-point inspection.

Ergo, we feel like they are crooks that are out to make a quick, dishonest buck, but that they really don’t care whether we live or die.

Walked Out Because CW Sucks!

camping world sucks financing

Our camping world experience sucked. Fortunately it was brief. Eight years ago we were shopping for a fifth wheel toy hauler. We stopped at Camping World to look at some models. The very first question the salesperson asked was, “Are you going to finance the purchase with us?” Always the most important aspect in Camping World’s marketing plan.

Hence, I looked at my wife and, without saying a word, we both walked out. The salesperson could then return to their office and resume playing solitaire on their computer.

–Guest Posters

Camping World (a.k.a. Gander RV) Sucks

First, for Camping World experiences like ours, contact corporate headquarters to lodge complaints, click here. Let us know how that works out for you.

This blog, along with the Facebook page Camping World: The Awful Experience are dedicated to warning consumers. Unethical business practices and shotty (or nonexistent) repairs are the common Camping World experience. Their standard operating procedure.

Most importantly, please share your Camping World experiences by clicking here. CampingWorldSucks.net is strictly informational. We will never advertise or profit from the experiences shared here. Due to the myriad of bad experiences this blog was created to warn consumers. Hopefully, Camping World, a.k.a. Gander RV, will change their unethical ways of doing business or just go away forever.

Keystone RV Also Sucks

Keystone RV is Camping World’s most popular manufacturer. Their reputation is one of poor workmanship and a complete lack of customer service. KeystoneRVsucks.net is available to share experiences with Montana, Cougar, and all other Keystone brands. KeystoneRVsucks.net is also completely informational.

Finally, to contact Keystone customer service e-mail ownerrelations@keystonerv.com. Thor is Keystone’s parent company. Click for Thor custom support or you can call (877) 855-2867.

Still Unethical: Gander RV

We found a TT that we love, Flagstaff E-Pro 19FBS. We looked at a couple of places but just couldn’t come to terms. We decided to try our local Rv dealer, Gander RV, recently renamed from Camping World. It is our local dealer and does have a repair shop for warranty, we figured.

Flagstaff 19FBS Travel Trailer
Flagstaff 19FBS Travel Trailer

They had the trailer we wanted, minus four items (bike rack, backup camera, holding tank heating pads, and additional solar panel). We came to an agreement to buy the RV on their lot, with the four minor add ons.

Our agreement was “The RV you want, with everything you want on it, at your price, out the door in 48 hours.” (We are now 20 days later).

The Scumbag Process

The salesman told us, repeatedly, he was late for an appointment. He rushed us through signing a sales contract without the four add ons listed. He assured us more than once ”… don’t worry about it, they’ll be on there…”

We put money down on my Credit card, I had a loan preapproved from my bank. All good, right?

Since then. . .our salesman has been out sick and we are now dealing with the sales manager. That is, WHEN we can get anyone to talk to us. When calling got us no where but voice mail and no return calls, we drove over to Gander RV and spent two to three hours being delayed, diverted, disrespected and lied to.

Seems every person we talk to inadvertently tells the truth about the last person’s lies and tells us new lies. Twenty days into this 48-hour deal, it seems, that they are set on not adding any of the agreed-upon add ons, but want us to “close this deal out”. They have not charged our credit card for the deposit, yet. We have not taken possession of the camper. We have not given them the check for our balance.

Way Too Late, I read the reviews of Camping World, and see All their unethical sales practices in our situation.

Escaping Gander RV Esacpe - Run Away

My questions are: Can I cancel this transaction?
Is there any strategy for making them comply with our agreement?

Any help will be greatly appreciated! Yes, I now understand what a huge mistake this was, but we have to move forward from the position we are now in. Thanks again for any positive suggestions or solutions.

–Guest Poster

Camping World (Gander RV) Sucks

We offer this Camping World corporate headquarters contact information for complaints, click here. Good luck with that.

As you can see from this blog and from Camping World: The Awful Experience on Facebook, their reputation for poor workmanship and unethical business practices is public knowledge and the purpose of this blog.

Share your experiences with Camping World here. CampingWorldSucks.net is purely informational. This website will never accept advertisements and does not profit from any experiences shared here. Ergo, this is purely informational to warn consumers in hopes that Camping World, a.k.a. Gander RV, will alter their unethical business practices or just close its doors.

Keystone RV Equally Sucks

Keystone, Camping World’s most popular manufacturer, also holds a reputation for poor workmanship and garbage customer service. KeystoneRVsucks.net is the perfect place to share Montana, Cougar, and other Keystone brand nightmares. KeystoneRVsucks.net is strictly informational.

Contact Keystone customer service at www.ownerrelations@keystonerv.com. Keystone’s parent company is Thor Manufacturing. Reach Thor custom support here or call (877) 855-2867.

Camping World = Gander RV

Gander RV, formerly Camping World, is located at 2772 US Hwy 78 E in Anniston, Calhoun County, Alabama. Camping World recently purchased Gander Mountain and is in the process of changing the name of its dealerships. I believe this is an attempt to continue their unethical business practices under a new name as their reputation continues to falter and the public is warned.

Another Camping World Horror Story

Our 2019 travel trailer has spent over seven months in the shop in less than a year. After the second time in the shop for warranty work in less than one year, there is still has a lot more work to be done. With the damage done at Gander RV in Alabama, our rig was in need of even more repairs.

They finally repaired my slide. It took them three attempts. However, in the process, they tore holes in the roof slide and my carpeting. They snagged the carpet on a floor vent that they had bent. They replaced the floor vent but that’s it, not the torn carpet. In addition, one of my cabinet doors will not open all the way; it used to.

Weeks of Waiting

We were already weeks late on a month-long trip when we were finally able to pick it up. Shortly after we picked it up, while traveling to our destination, the outside fridge vent flew off. We were on I-285 in Atlanta. Fortunately, no one was hurt or caused to crash from flying parts.

After arriving at our destination, we noticed the kitchen sink started to rust. Next, a day later, the water heater stopped working on both electric and gas.

There are also bubbles forming on two of the outside walls. The black water valve they supposedly repaired on the first trip to service is dripping raw sewage into the underbelly. The tape they used when they cut into the underbelly was already peeling off.

Next, I had to repair the bed after our second trip merely due to poor workmanship.

Thumbs Down Sad Face
I have learned one thing. Marcus Lemonis, Jason Shippley, and all their fire extinguishers are nothing but liars and crooks.

–Guest Poster

Contact Camping World & Keystone

We offer this Camping World corporate headquarters contact information for complaints, click here. Good luck with that.

As you can see from this blog and from Camping World: The Awful Experience on Facebook, their reputation for poor workmanship and unethical business practices is public knowledge and the purpose of this blog.

Share your experiences with Camping World here. CampingWorldSucks.net is purely informational. This website will never accept advertisements and does not profit from any experiences shared here. Ergo, this is purely informational to warn consumers in hopes that Camping World, a.k.a. Gander RV, will alter their unethical business practices or just close its doors.

Keystone, Camping World’s most popular manufacturer, also holds a reputation for poor workmanship and garbage customer service. KeystoneRVsucks.net is the perfect place to share Montana, Cougar, and other Keystone brand nightmares. KeystoneRVsucks.net is strictly informational.

Contact Keystone customer service at www.ownerrelations@keystonerv.com. Keystone’s parent company is Thor Manufacturing. Reach Thor custom support here or call (877) 855-2867.

We dealt with a mom and pop shop to get our roof replaced and they recommended a few manufacturers that at least fix their products and take better care of their customers. They are Jayco, Grand Design, and, of course, Newmar.

Camping World Liars

A friend of ours went to visit the Camping World liars in Bartow, Florida for a simple repair. While he was in the waiting room a CW employee came out with disturbing news.

The employee provided pictures proving that there were multiple, gaping holes in the roof. Camping World’s liar said that the unit should be left and fixed that same day because of all the rain they experience during a Florida summer.

First of all, our friend, Joe, was alone at the dealership. Second, he is an older, heavy man. Joe is visibly out of shape and walks slow and labored because of his bad knees. Certainly, it would be obvious to anyone that he wasn’t going to climb the RV ladder to the roof.

The service tech gave him an estimate of $16,000 for a roof replacement. Unfortunately, the owner didn’t take copies of the estimate or the images. Obviously, the Camping World liar didn’t offer any take-home evidence.

Not Falling for CW Fraud

Joe didn’t fall for it and took his unit with him. He returned to the RV park and his skinny wife came home with a friend. She scampered up the ladder to inspect the roof. Not surprisingly, there was not a shred of truth to Camping World’s lying claims.

Therefore, this was a fraud. (Read our inspection story for another example of fraud.) I attempted to get them to call and request a copy of the estimate and pictures. They didn’t want to deal with it and let the Camping World of liars off the hook for this one, unfortunately.

To contact Camping World’s corporate headquarters with complaints click here.

Please share your experience on Camping World sucks here. This website, CampingWorldSucks.net, is purely informational and does not advertise or profit from any shared experiences. Consequently, we only hope to warn consumers. Our hope is for Camping World and their liars to change their business practices or stop practicing business.

Keystone, Camping World’s most prominent manufacturer, also sucks. Visit KeystoneRVsucks.net to share your Montana, Cougar, etc. nightmares. KeystoneRVsucks.net is not monetized, strictly for information.

Contact Keystone directly try emailing customer service at www.ownerrelations@keystonerv.com. Thor, Keystone’s parent company can be reached at Thor custom support or by phone (877) 855-2867.

Good luck. Unfortunately, we all need it.

Camping World Inspection

To better understand our Camping World inspection experience, read Camping World Purchase, the first in this series. Next is our contact story, Camping World Corporate.

Undaunted by the axle fiasco, our next trip was to Florida. We arrived there in July. We parked and set up. Next, my husband said he was going to check the roof, just to be prudent. Tired and hungry we were planning to get some dinner and go to sleep.

The Nightmare Begins

After walking the roof he descended. Instead of going to eat, we were heading to Home Depot. The front of the roof, behind the nose cap, had snapped back causing several open holes.

I felt like I’d been hit by a truck!

Our seven-month old roof.

The fight for our labor reimbursement for the axle had just ended in our favor. Above all else, I knew this would be another fight. We headed to the store and came right back to tarp the roof. Little did we know we’d be tarped, and stuck, for four months. Although we stayed in the RV, it was not travel-worthy.

On our model and several others, Keystone advertises a “one-piece, rubber roof.” In other words, the roof is seamless, preventing leaks. My husband concluded, and technicians confirmed, that the rubber was cut too short. Evidentally, the roof should have been replaced at the factory. Instead, they stretched the rubber and shoved it under the nose cap. After a few months, the rubber snapped back like a rubber band. Ergo, a gaping hole.

Camping World Again

2018 Keystone Cougar with a tarped roof due to roof failure.
Six-months-old and tarped.

First, I called Camping World of Bartow, Florida. They told us to come in for an inspection. So, we scheduled it as soon as possible, about two weeks later. The day of the inspection we took down the tarps and drove to the store.

The Inspection

After about an hour the front desk person brought out a hand-written, yet official, Camping World inspection. She said their computers were down and that she would type it and send it to me asap. I asked to see what the technician had written. She hesitated, repeating that she’d type it up for us. I insisted and she gave me the papers.

The typed version of our Camping World inspection with our personal information removed.

The technician wrote that the roof was “not installed correctly.” Additionally, he wrote “defective roof material.” Furthermore, the certified technician stated that the correction was to replace the roof.

I asked for copies and she refused. She said she had to type them up and then she would e-mail the inspection to me. I got out my phone and started making my own copies. I wanted the truth, out of the technician’s mouth. Not a copy after Camping World put their spin on it. The girl wasn’t happy. Obviously, I wasn’t taking any chances.

The Paperwork

A few days later I got the e-mail with the typed inspection and it did match my copies. The e-mail stated that we had to sign the inspection before they would submit it to Keystone. Thankfully, I read every word of everything we sign. At the bottom of the page was an agreement.

“I/We confirm that the requested work has been completed to my/our satisfaction.”

Camping World

The unit hadn’t been touched. No work was started, let alone completed. Consequently, I called Camping World and told my representative that we were not signing. After a moment of fumbling, she said that she had sent the wrong document. However, the work order listed “Warranty” work several times. She said she’d send the correct document in another e-mail.

The Second E-mail

At some time, I can’t remember when she told me that they had already submitted the warranty request. However, they still needed a signature. I was assured that the second disclaimer just said that they were not responsible for damage, like if we left food in the refrigerator.

When I got the next e-mail, I was ready to read “every, single word.” Thank God. This agreement did mention food in the refrigerator. In addition, the second inspection sent to us stated that:

“I do not wish to receive any further estimate, either written or oral, to which I may be entitled by law, before repairs are authorized.”

Camping World
The “Comments” say that the inspection was sent. The fine print says that we waive our rights to an estimate or notification if the warranty is refused.

In other words, if Keystone says they won’t cover the roof, no one has to notify us. Camping World would just do the work and when we pick it up they can hand us a bill for $10,000, or more. Without a doubt, it’s happened to others.

Refusing to Sign

I called back and told her I was not signing away my rights. Consequently, her attitude changed. She put me on hold and when she returned to the phone her demeanor had completely changed. Similar to our financing experience she barked that if I didn’t sign, they would not submit our request to Keystone. I reminded her that she had already submitted it. Then that story changed.

I told her we would not sign away our rights and hung up. A friend had given me the number to Keystone’s Warranty Department. In the end, I thought the manufacturer would give us satisfaction. Thus began the next battle.

Read about our Keystone RV warranty experience. We share our warranty experience in detail, KeystoneRVsucks.net.

I encourage you to share your Camping World experiences here. Together we can warn others and, hopefully, cause change.