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.
My wife and I were looking for a new camper, not at Camping World. We searched all the manufacturers and went to the camping shows. Our final choice, a brand new 2019 Keystone Cougar 367FLS.
The only one we could find in the state was at Camping World. We did see the reviews that sales were great but the service was bad. Thought you could take it to any dealer for warranty work. Come to find out that’s not true at all.
2019 Keystone Cougar 367FLS nightmare.
From jump sales were great. We went for the walk-through and they had the wrong camper. Ours was still in the same spot and nothing was done to it. We should have walked away. But sales assured us they would have it done and anything left would be fixed at our campsite.
Camping World Lies
We were given all the paperwork and the dealer knew of all the issues on the dealer acceptance form. They said it would be delivered at noon. I had help there to get it in place, leveled and set back up.
Camping World didn’t show up until 4:00 p.m. So they did come out and fix a few things. We went to use it the second time and the heat wouldn’t work. So they fixed it. Used it the third time, went to pull the slides in, and noticed the insolation on the motor wires were gone. Then we had issues with the floors.
They said at first they would fix it at the campsite, then wouldn’t. After I had to drive 120 miles round trip to have an eight minute conversation to get it set up for pickup.
I had to disassemble the campsite again and get it to the dealer. It sat for two weeks with nothing done. So, another 120-mile round trip. Two more weeks and no call. So, I called them. I was told they had to gut the whole camper to fix the issue and they were bringing in a company to do said work.
Another Delay
Another two weeks and another 120-mile drive. I demanded a new camper. Which I did get. It was like pulling teeth to get the warranty work done on that one. Finally, the walk-through was scheduled and paperwork was to be signed.
I showed up and no paperwork was ready. During the walk-through they still had stuff to do, which they did. I was promised an inside and outside protectant. I was told it would be done. It showed up and didn’t smell like it was done. I called and was told it was done on April 30th. Funny thing is that the work wasn’t started. So why would they detail and clean it put the protectant on?
Another 120 Miles
I was asked to come back a week later for the paperwork. Another 120 miles driven, sat down and was told that “I think we got it figured out. I might need you to come back.”
No way; not again. Still haven’t gotten the paperwork requested.
Never Again
Needless to say, I will never buy from Camping World or a Keystone product again. I was told that out of service time will be paid, but since I was given a new camper they considered it resolved. I had more run around crap than I could take.
I thought I’d share another story of Camping World Service.
At the same time as our ordeal, my husband’s coworker went to Bartow Camping World. He’s an older man that doesn’t get around well. He took his unit in for a minor repair.
The technicians came to him in the waiting lounge with pictures of gaping holes in his roof. Camping World service said that his roof had been punctured and desperately needed to be replaced.
They warned him of impending damage and flooding in the case of rain. A $16,000 estimate was offered but refused.
He didn’t take the estimate or the pictures with him. Instead, he pulled his rig back to his RV park. Fortunately, his wife is fairly fit and able to climb an RV ladder. She scurried up to take a look and found nothing they reported; no gaping holes or tears; zero damage.
We implored them to request the estimate and pictures but they “didn’t want to deal with it.”
That, as I see it, is the problem. These huge companies are allowed to operate unethically because of their size. No one wants to deal with it. Although I understand, I’m fed up.
By sharing our experiences others may be forewarned. Consequently, Camping World and others may be forced to evaluate their business practices. We can only hope.
Stuck on the side of the road for six hours on Father’s Day.
On Father’s Day 2018, we needed our complimentary roadside assistance. While headed home to Colorado we had a scare. We’d spent the night in Santa Fe, New Mexico. We got an early start north. When we got on the expressway ramp smoke began to billow from the back axle.
We spent the next six hours on the side of the road. I called Good Sam Roadside Assistance. One year of Roadside Assistance is included with any Camping World RV purchase. However, Good Sam had no record of our account. They only had a history of the account that had expired a year after we bought our first unit in Idaho.
2018 Keystone Cougar wheel bearing fail.
Meanwhile, we did find help from a Santa Fe mobile mechanic. First, we found out that the wheel bearings had deteriorated and destroyed one axle. As a result, the tire was coming off. Likewise, the bearings were also deteriorating on the other axle. In other words, any of the four tires were in danger of flying off at any time. Fortunately, they had yet to do damage to the second axle.
The Badger Strikes Again
Driving home on Monday, with our unit in Santa Fe for repairs, I called Good Sam. They confirmed that we were not registered and they “couldn’t understand why.” The representative told me to call the Minnesota dealership.
The Minneapolis Camping World confirmed that our one-year roadside assistance was never registered. The Camping World staffer was perplexed. I knew exactly what happened. We didn’t bite at closing. Therefore, he didn’t sign us up.
The staff member said, “Oh, he wouldn’t do that.” Ergo, more BS. Moreover, I demanded one year of Good Sam Roadside Assistance starting that day, which I got.
In conclusion to this episode, the finance guy was supposed to register us for a year of Roadside Assistance. He didn’t. Just an oversight? I think not. In the end, I did get a full year of roadside.
The axle was warranty issue number one. That is to say, my next post, Camping World Inspection, will chronicle our ordeal when the roof fell apart. It happened just a month after the axle ordeal.
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
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.
