This RVer’s story has no happy ending. For this woman, the dream of traveling with an RV turned sour after dealing with Camping World for repairs and maintenance. What started as a hopeful road trip turned into months of frustration, unfulfilled promises, and a potentially dangerous outcome. If you’ve ever considered taking your RV to Camping World for repairs, this story is one you’ll want to read. Or better yet, watch her tell her story in the video below.
An RV journey begins (and then ends)
It all started with a cross-country trip. After purchasing an RV, the 50-something-year-old woman drove it from Florida to Missouri, full of excitement and travel plans. Once in the Kansas City area, she decided to have the RV thoroughly inspected to ensure it was road-ready. Following the inspection, the shop recommended getting new batteries, so she made an appointment for the work.
The deal seemed straightforward. The shop would replace the batteries, and if that didn’t fix the electrical issues, they would swap out the inverter. The woman even made sure the shop had a proper inverter on hand, just in case.
“Repaired” RV turns into a bigger problem
After paying for additional services, like maintenance on the slide-out and replacing light bulbs, the owner returned to pick up her RV. But instead of improvements, the RV was no longer functioning properly, and to make matters worse, some interior components, including the countertop, were damaged.
Understandably frustrated, the woman spoke with Camping World’s manager, who dismissed her concerns. The manager even questioned whether the RV had been purchased from Camping World, stating that only units bought there would be warrantied. This was despite knowing when the work began that the RV wasn’t purchased through Camping World.
Unwilling to accept an unusable vehicle, the owner left the RV with Camping World, expecting that it would be fixed. Nope! It just marked the beginning of an endless back-and-forth, maddening struggle.
Dragged-out repairs and broken promises
Weeks passed before the owner was told everything had been fixed. But when she followed up, Camping World admitted the vehicle hadn’t been worked on. With plans to head to California, the woman repeatedly asked for updates, but the delays dragged on for months.
When Camping World finally claimed the repairs were complete, they tacked on an additional $350 fee, ballooning the total cost to around $2,000. But when the woman arrived to pick up her RV, nothing had been fixed.
This prompted another call to Camping World’s corporate office, leading to more assurances and another inspection. The service manager personally guaranteed the RV was operational. The only reason they gave for ongoing problems? The batteries needed charging due to the time the RV sat idle. He said his shop did not have the ability to charge the batteries.
Even after charging the batteries elsewhere, nothing worked. The slide-out would not retract correctly.
The inverter installed backwards
As the saga continued, the owner took the RV to another Camping World location to address the unresolved issues. Yet, even after months of back-and-forth and leaving the RV in the shop since August of the previous year, Camping World failed to provide any meaningful fixes. Worse still, they refused to honor the warranty, claiming too much time had passed, even though the RV had been in their possession for most of that time.
The most shocking revelation came when the owner received documentation indicating the inverter—a crucial component of the RV’s electrical system—had been installed backward. This wasn’t just sloppy work; it was a serious fire hazard. The owner now had a potentially dangerous RV that couldn’t be safely driven.
Feeling taken advantage of
The situation became even more disheartening when the owner pointed out to CW that she was an older individual caring for their mother and grandmother. She said she had purchased the RV with her family’s safety and comfort in mind. She described the entire experience as feeling utterly taken advantage of, not just due to the poor repairs but because of the dismissive treatment she received throughout the process.
Even after being charged more than $1,600 in fees to diagnose issues Camping World caused, the company refused to properly repair the RV. Their only offer? To refund that amount, ignoring the larger problem of the improperly installed inverter and other unresolved issues.
A cautionary tale
This story is a frustrating cautionary tale for anyone considering Camping World for RV repairs. What started as a simple service turned into months of delays, added expenses, and unresolved problems. And while the financial loss is one thing, the lasting emotional toll of being treated poorly and left with an unsafe vehicle is much harder to measure.
If there’s one takeaway, it’s this: Do your homework before handing over your vehicle to any repair shop. And if something doesn’t seem right, don’t hesitate to push for answers or seek help from consumer protection agencies (or websites like PissedConsumer.com, where this woman reached out to and which posted her video). For more details on this story, you can read the review on PissedConsumer.
Your comments are welcome. Have your experiences with Camping World been good, bad or otherwise?
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##RVT1196
Terrible thing to have happen but I have a couple of questions.
1) was the RV new or used?
2) was it a dealer or private sale in Florida?
3) either way was there an inspection done and a demonstration to show everything was functioning properly before the sale?
Without knowing all the details I can only offer a suggestion for others that it is important either buying new or used to make sure to have the rig inspected and ensure proper operation of all the systems before any money changes hands.
I hope all works out well in the end for this lady.
None of this has to do with the incompetence of Camping World. What difference does it make that she didn’t buy it at CW. She paid a diagnostic fee.
They should have been upfront telling her they would not honor the warranty.
They had no way to charge the batteries. REALLY!
I hate to say this (not really), but they took advantage of a female.
Over the past decade I have read of many manufactures and dealer/repair shop defaults. Manufacture quality control standards need to be continuously monitored and updated annually by an independent RV Industry Quality Control Council (RVIQCC).
When problems are not resolved by either the Manufacturer or the Dealers, RV owners should be directed to forward their technical issues to the RVIQCC, who would in turn investigate the issues and if merited, communicate the problem and its severity back to the manufactures, dealers and end user(s) who initially surfaced the issue(s).
What National consumer protection laws exist that protect the RV purchaser?
Another unsuspecting RVer swindled by Camping World.
I won’t go there to even buy toilet paper.
At best, the Camping World employees are incompetent. At worst, they are… well you know their reputation.
5X5 on that.
YES CAMPING WORLD IS THE WORST PLACE TO TAKE A RV FOR REPAIR.. THEY INSTALLED MY TOW PACKAGE FOR MY TOAD, WELL THE INSTALL FAILED AND WE ALMOST LOST THE TOAD…. CAMPING WORLD DID NOT THINK IT WAS THEIR PROBLEM…. TERRIBLE COMPANY
Please stop YELLING!
First mistake was going to Camping world. I can not understand after all the bad reviews that anyone would buy anything from them.
And yet people continue to put money in Lemonis’ pocket.
She keeps saying “It doesn’t work”, but that’s a vague term. What exactly is “it”? Does she mean that nothing works? Lights don’t go on, water doesn’t pump, engine doesn’t start, stove won’t light, fridge won’t cool? Obviously there is a problem, but what exactly is it?
Agreed. What exactly is/are the problem(s)
As with any nationwide company, you will get some locations that are run poorly, though I suspect Camping World has more subpar locations than most companies. My only service experience with CW was when the hydraulic brake lines on my very heavy 5th wheel failed in the Southeast & CW was the closest service center. They got me in immediately & had a local shop that made custom brake lines, make up a set & CW installed them the same day. We were in & out in 6 hours & I was thrilled with their service. They were very courteous & kept me updated on their progress during the day.
you were extremely lucky.
I have never taken my 2020 Montana to Camping World or anywhere else for repairs. I did have a mobile welder fix a shackle hanger, otherwise all repairs are done myself.
I have however been to CW many times for parts, accessories, etc. They have been nothing short of great every time, every location. They even price match Amazon as I am a Good Sam member.
I just thought I would mention this for a somewhat balanced view of CW.
Some people don’t have a clue about how systems work in RVs and they don’t want to learn, just pay someone else to do the repairs.
Lesson learned: stay away from CW and especially the one in Kansas city Missouri.
How in the **** do you install an inverter backwards…must be an “old Indian trick”. First mistake…never even go close to any camping world.
And newbies keep buying the bling at Camping World. Maybe parts, stay away from service and sales.
And yet, the Uninformed Folks keep buying there! No Sympathy. The info is out there.
Camping World is a “Sales & Marketing” Organization. High Ticket items is what they “Sell”.
You do not figure into their success because the Rubes keep coming.
I used to go to camping world back in the late 90s and very early 2000s. Then they must have gotten a new CEO/COO, whatever, because everything they did after that was total crap. I won’t touch them with a 50′ pole. The nail in the coffin for me was when the CEO made a public statement that anyone who voted for Trump the first time around is not welcome at camping world. But they fly these big American flags like they are patriotic. HA!!
IMO, it reminds me of the degradation in quality when once higher quality manufacturers get swallowed up by big corp. I was fortunate/lucky to get my last MH from Jayco before they got bought out by Thor and their products appeared to have gone down hill from there. These company are all about the bottom line not delivering on quality for their products or customers.
Boy, do I have issues with CW too. I bought my RV new and bought the extended warranty for it.
I too went to corporate and complained. Both service and corporate were as helpful as a broken leg!!!
The blame game and accusations and disrespect are the worst. I’m having to continue to deal with them.
My underlayment on my roof is defective. It moves up and down, under the vinyl overlay. Parked or when we tow it. CW replaced it 4 1/2 yrs ago.
The top is maintenance regularly. I have witnesses. We don’t boondock ever.
I’m so frustrated with them!! Any suggestions????
You mean the Consumer Protection Agency that was just torpedoed? Good luck with that! https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trumps-acting-cfpb-chief-halts-all-supervision-companies-2025-02-09/
Thank you for sharing this story, RV Travel. It does not make me any less willing to use Camping World for any reason. I was already there; never to consider them if were the only service company in the entire country. However, I do ache for this family, particularly the woman who tried to provide for her family. Camping World criminanally behaved throughout. I can only hope that she finds a lawyer who can avenge her and her family. Have a great day and safe travels!
Cautionary tale is right. Any person, automotive/RV shop, contractor, handyman, dentist, doctor, chiropractor needs to be vetted. Our contractor did great work. Better work than any other contractor we saw. Their issue was finishing the last 3%. That was over a year of pulling teeth.
I have had issues with Camping World too. I would suggest getting a local RV repairman who will come to your house and fix your problems instead of leaving your rig for weeks or months at a dealer.