You’ve heard of RV age discrimination before. There are some RV parks that simply won’t allow a rig on the property if it’s older than 10 years. But here’s a twist: How about a Camping World that would refuse to repair a motorhome on the same basis?
Foiled by policy—or not?
We got an email from a reader, Douglas R. He’s a Florida resident with a 2007 Winnebago Tour. Douglas told us that he recently needed to have a slide-out adjustment. He called the Fort Pierce, Florida, Camping World and explained his needs. He related to us that the service writer “flat out said she could not schedule anything more than 10 years old,” Douglas relates. Foiled by a Camping World company policy—or was he?
Fort Pierce is about 100 miles from where Douglas lives, but he definitely needed that slide-out fixed. So he called a different Camping World. This one, too, was more than 100 miles from Douglas’ home, in Fort Myers, Florida. This time the service writer indicated that yes, there was such a company policy—but that he would try and get an exception made for Douglas’ rig. He promised to call back after getting the override. He never did call back.
With Camping World’s apparent refuse to repair, Douglas fished around in his area for a suitable facility that could help him. He describes his area as a “motorhome wasteland. People buy condos instead.” He finally tracked down another Fort Myers RV repair facility that was willing to help. But, the wait-list has him waiting until July before the rig can be worked on. Fully frustrated, Douglas turned to us.
Camping World responds
We dropped an email to Camping World’s CEO, Marcus Lemonis. The next day we got a call from Brock Whinnery, who is Camping World’s vice president of Fixed Operations. Whinnery was quick to tell us that Camping World does not have a policy to refuse to repair RVs based on age. Not every rig can be accommodated by Camping World repair centers, he explained.
While age, in itself, doesn’t make your RV a target for a service turn-down, other issues could. Mr. Whinnery pointed out that some locations don’t have the service staff needed for some types of repairs. For example, if your diesel pusher engine needs a fix but there isn’t a qualified diesel mechanic at a given location, that’s a turn-down. Other issues—more commonly found in older rigs—can include parts availability. If you have an “orphan” rig (the original manufacturer having gone out of business) and a part specific to that rig isn’t available, Camping World may not be able to help.
Camping World, Whinnery tells us, is currently struggling with parts availability issues. The company has found that in some cases, trucking firms are prioritizing delivery of parts from international shippers, rather than domestic suppliers. As a result, parts from inside the U.S. may be slow to arrive, or in some cases, sitting on an intermediary shipping dock, waiting for someone to make an eventual delivery.
Shop for a new shop?
As to the Florida Camping World store that simply refused to repair Douglas’ rig? Brock Whinnery told us, “They have been corrected.” We wrote back to Douglas to suggest he give them another try. Which may be a thought to keep in mind if you get the same older-RV rebuff. If a Camping World service center blows off your RV because of age, suggest they call the fixed operations manager to confirm that. On the other hand, if you get that kind of response “right out of the gate,” it might be a signal you need to seek out a different shop—one with a more welcoming attitude.
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How good of a job are they going to do? You don’t want your RV serviced by a facility that doesn’t want to do it.
Based on the CW experiences I’ve had it is an emergency when I take our RV to CW. The last time I dealt with CW was buying a washer and dryer for our motorhome and having it installed. The motorhome was a 2002 Mountain Aire with a heavy duty shelf designed to hold the separate dryer, they removed the shelf, took it on themselves to “sell” me an adapter kit to stack the washer/dryer unit together. This caused the dryer to be higher than it would be if mounted on the factory shelf. DW being 5’2” would’ve needed a step stool to use the dryer controls. They didn’t want to do it but I said then I refuse to pay for it give my money back and take it out, at which time they changed their minds. This was in Nashville, TN., installing like the factory designed it worked perfect for DW for the next 3 years. I wondered how many people would’ve just accepted their scam and went on, very crooked way of doing business, you know it’s a cold day in hell when you see our RV in CW.
Same CRAP I got when we limped in to a CW for emergency brake issue. Granted we did not buy it there-Warrenton Va.- but I was a CW customer and Good Sam member. The facility had been a large privately owned independent dealer that had just been bought- you could see the CW banners hung over the original signage. The answer I got they did not work on “inspectable” items as they did not have licensed mechanics. Well how the hell did they sell any new units if they could not put a state inspection sticker on the windshield. Limped to my destination and a local heavy truck garage got us running. Just as an aside the owner was originally from Philly,Pa. and we both knew the same people. Sooo- treat people as you want to be treated as you never know who you will run into where and when down the line. Something CW doesn’t believe in!
I wouldn’t use Camping World anyway! Call a mobile tech and you’ll get better results much quicker!
Agreed. Based on our CW in Tampa repair experience, find a local non dealer shop.
I have my 2007 Winnebago in that very same Ft Pierce Camping World for leveler and slideout repair. When I called to schedule they never once said anything about age being a problem. They have been nothing but nice.
Refusal to repair older RV’s may not be Camping Worlds policy but for some it may be their practice and I can see why. There are so many RV’s less than 10 years old that need repair, some brand new, that there is likely not the parts or labor available for all these RV’s. Since some Camping World dealership can’t fix them all they’ve chosen to set an age limit.
I have heard and read of the negative experiences of others who have tried to have their RV’s repaired at large dealerships new and old, that I’ve happily steer away from them.
There are other options and I encourage the RV’er who is the subject of this article to investigate local shops and mobile RV mechanics. My ’07 DP has never seen the garage of a dealership since I’ve owned it and likely never will.
It’s not just CW Wilkins RV in upstate NY now is telling people that unless you purchase from them they will no longer do repairs . So.. all these companies are pushing sales but we have no place to take our RV’s for service if not purchased with them . Not worth the hassle! Always needs something. Almost ready to throw in the towel after 3 RV’s and many service nightmares!
Seems the guy never considered finding a ‘mobile RV tech’ to come have a look.
Exactly. I wouldn’t take a go cart to any Camping world. If you do so, make sure you bring a gallon of Vaseline with you.
Well that was a “pant load” response from Whinnery. Douglas stated he was refused service because of the age of his rig. In your report Whinnery did not offer to investigate instead made a statement about company policy which contradicts Douglas’ experience. He then bloviated on unrelated hypothetical circumstances. Shame on you for not pressing the issue and accepting the party line”.
This is a pretty common thing because it is so hard to get parts for older RV’s. Camper’s Inn in Jacksonville Fl has the same policy. They explained to me that because of the high demand for RV repairs and the limited recourses available, they just can’t tie up their facilities and staff with older (prior 2007) RV’s which are either waiting on parts, or parts don’t exist. Don’t like it but it’s understandable.
I have an orphan RV. A Damon Challenger 377 class A motorhome. It was bought from Camping World so they have never refused to work on it. The local repair shop has problems finding parts for the Workhorse chassis but online parts are available from Ultraproducts.com (formerly Workhorseparts.com). They verify part needed by VIN just like the repair shop would. Just in case readers have a Workhorse chassis that is an orphan also.
I went to CW Tech school 20yrs. ago. They’ve always turned down jobs if no qualified tech. They also wouldn’t do some repairs due to the liability eg. repair air conditioners vs. replacement. It was suggested then to open a shop near their locations, you could make a living doing everything they turned away. I’m not in the business but supply chain issues today you would have pick and choose the jobs you can get parts/supplies and a qualified tech for. Otherwise your lot may be full of units waiting on parts floating around in Long Beach harbor. On the other hand as mentioned in comments finding a small shop/mobile guy that’s good is probably best bet for those not wishing to tackle their own repairs…. easier said than done, the good guys don’t need to advertise it takes work to find them.
Needed a run/start cap for A/C on 10 year old RV. Went to CW to get part and installation. Service desk guy did not even get up off his chair before refusing to even look up part.
Went to Lazy Days in Tucson, Juan (service guy) looked up part, it was in warehouse (standard part on lots of A/Cs), just a minute, back in a flash with the $58 part. 3 years ago and the A/C is happy as can be.
I read this today and my local and outstanding repair shop told me basically the same. The problem the shop owner told me is that because of the parts availability for older vehicles, not just RVs, these older units end up taking up limited parking as the wait time for parts has become very long. The batteries die, etc. etc., so the problem for older units magnifies.
I went to Camping World about 2 weeks ago with my 2022 Thor Sequence. The Truma Combi system is down.
I was told they do not do that there and I felt they were just blowing me off.
The whole RV industry sucks. This RV is less than 2 months old and has 7 problems with it right now that need repair.
You’re right … the whole RV industry sucks and has sucked for quite a few years now.
Only 7! You should count yourself lucky.
It’s unfortunate but the Rv industry is self governed so they don’t build these units with quality. They have the politicians in their back pockets so they will leave them alone. Anyone who tries to bring to light the quality issues effectively gets shut down.
Maybe NASA can help. What on earth is a “Truma Combi system”
Hi, Billy Bob. FYI – Here’s a link to Truma’s website about the Combi system: https://truma.net/heating-systems/truma-combi-eco Have a great day. 😀 –Diane
CW is a good place to pick up odds & ends. Beyond that I don’t go there. There is literally a CW less than .5 miles from my current location and I’ll drive past it, further away, to get something. The customer service is horrible! It’s not just that location either. Definitely not a fan of CW.
You can’t say Camping World won’t do this or Campers Inn will do that. It all boils down to individual location and even the individual you are dealing with at that location. Some folks are great and will go out of their way to help. Others are lazy, incompetent or both and will blow you off. If things at a location are going great they are more likely to help you. If they are bogged down by problems even the best guy there will think twice about taking on another one.
You hit the nail on the head….. It comes down to the individual.
Exactly
Camping World….. no other entity drives more business to independent service and parts suppliers. Second best friend to independents are the dealers who won’t provide service unless they sold you the RV! And you wonder why the independent service providers are booked out so long?
Based on the quality of most new RV’s in general, I would never advise someone to buy one unless they are a pretty good DIY’er. I’ve been buying campers/RV’s for over 40 years. Back in the day the dealers were much more proficient at repairs on these things. Today … Pfffft. I restore vintage cars and tractors so I can pretty easily fix almost anything on an RV. And believe me, the crappy stuff I see on most these things is hard to believe considering the money people have to fork over. I bought my last new class “B” 6 years ago and that will be the last one I will ever buy.
Based on what I’ve heard about Camping World, people are lucky if they refuse to “service” their RVs.
Donald must have just climbed out from under a rock. Why would you choose Camping World in the first place? There’s a big rv place called National Indoor rv center and one of the reasons they wont work on older rigs is they state once they begin repairs- other parts start to break as well. The thing can end up being a nightmare they say.
With Camping worlds reputation, why anybody would want to bring their rig to them for repairs is beyond me. For most repairs I call a mobile RV repair company and so far always had a good experience and they have always gotten the work done quickly and efficiently.
Bob knows!!!!
in 5 years marcus will be unemployed and camping world bankrupt! I would rather set my rv on fire than use them
For 5 months now Camping World in Kayesvillle, UT has had my RV for repair under a rather expensive Service Contract. They won’t even return my weekly calls. I have called the insurance company and Marcus’ office and while they were polite and assured me that they would look into the situation nothing has been done. I’ve been waiting for some rollers for a shower door that you can buy overnight on Amazon for 5 MONTHS!
I live 200 miles from the Dealership but I’m going to go retrieve my coach at the end of the month and either complete the repair myself or get someone local to do it. I will cancel this worthless Service contract and I will never buy so much as a bag of marshmallows from Camping World ever again.
You sir, just became a better educated consumer. Good for you.
Hey Ray, before you burn it, ill buy it from you cheap 🙂
I recently went to a campng world in central florida to buy some black tank deoderant! they had propane on sale so I ask how much???? LOL they pushed the membership sales pitch and could not answer the question of how much was propane per gallon! after some delay they found out propane was 4.99 a gallon with a 20 % discont for members!!! I ask why would I pay more than the going rate? marcus employs morons and sheep who have no initiative or care for the customers
Not true. You’re obviously an informed consumer, that knew the value of the product you wished to purchase. Marcus Lamonis is a business man, in business to make a profit. It really is that simple.
Don’t buy from camping world if you complain too much they won’t work on your camper Rossford ohio
Ok, lets analyze. Somebody is buying from CW, they are growing leaps and bounds!
Please do not buy anything or have anything serviced at camping world. Having been a former general manager at a New York location I can tell you that they force the sales department to push out new units without proper preparation and when you need service you are put on a list to wait. If you do not do this, you don’t fit into their clique and you are fired. Customers as well as employees are simply numbers with camping world. Numbers to add to the bottom line for their shareholders. Do yourself a favor – skip camping world altogether, let’s put this company out of business one store at a time.
Jay, we’d like to talk some more. Could you please email me, Russ atsign rvtravel.com?
Jay, it sounds like the units were not built right from the FACTORY. Could you go over what “proper preparation” means. Is that like dealer speak for what exactly?
Pre Delivery Inspection (PDI). Something every good dealer will have and thoroughly complete, including repairing all factory issues found, prior to customer delivery. Standard stuff, not “dealer speak.”
5 yrs ago I took my 04 Rialta to a CW in the Northeast..1 week projected turnaround for toilet and vent fan.Parked it and after many calls & 3 months, I gave up. Went to pick it up & they wanted me to pay demurrage ….for parking …no work done…..I said they could talk to my lawyer, grabbed the keys off the service counter and left.
I won’t even buy retail from them, anymore .
After reading the article I felt that Camping World provided excellent customer service in getting back to questions so quickly. I think that the answers given by CW (while maybe not what one wants to hear) seemed to be of a reasonable degree.
I had camping world do the same thing to me but they flat out refused to do the work and it was warranty work. Said my unit had too many issues and told me to take it back to the manufacturer!
Camping World is a ripoff anyway, don’t stand behind their work!
Do people really use Camping World? Diesel mechanic for repairs, that’s scary!! I will never ever let them touch our RV, or spend one dime in their store.
Given this particular issue, perhaps driving the RV large distances to get it repaired was impossible, or at least ill-advised. However, our experience is to go to the manufacturer for all repair work that we have (except for chassis, engine, and generator — we have a competent and honest local mechanic for those). They seem to be more competent and to at least begin our work as scheduled. Also, our manufacturer lists several dead brands in the service department — Beaver and Safari immediately come to mind — with the implication that they are able and willing to work on those as well as the brands they currently produce — Fleetwood, American Coach, Monaco, and Holiday Rambler. Perhaps a trip to Winnebago would bring a quick and desired resolution to the slide problem.
You can get financing for 20 years of payments, but they’ll only work on your RV for half that time, even if they sold it to you in the first place?
Why do people keep using Camping World again?
Re-read the article. It was CORRECTED.
I used the Camping World in Ft. Pierce several years ago to service/repair my ’96 Monaco Dynasty. I had to return to the dealership 4x because the repairs were unsatisfactory OR they had broken something else while doing the original repair. The issue would appear to be that the service techs are just not trained and/or there is just no quality control/post repair inspections being done.
I have been dealing with faulty repairs for over a year on my 2007 fleetwood bounder 38v diesel. Biggy is the loss of my keys and key remotes and the transfer switch that is still causing problems
Go somewhere else. Its obvious the current repair staff at that facility are not up to snuff. This is not a specific problem of Camping World, but a function of knowledgeable staff at a specific RV location.
about the camping world working on an motorhome 10 years old or more. be careful, i live 70 miles south of Ft. Pierce and they have worked on my rig on and off for over a year. Transfer switch, awning, slide rubber seal and the best one—lost my keys with remotes and have not replaced keys or remotes. also the awning, wind sensor doesnt work, door awning doesnt work. if i dont get satisfaction by april 18th – i will secure a lawyer.
sorry, my rv is a 2007 fleetwood bounder 38v diesel
There always seems to be a bent to rip CW. You should try to understand that your moving a house, essentially at 59mph down the road. Sometimes hundreds and maybe thousands of miles. They have plumbing, electrical, mechanical, as well as automotive systems, which include, but limited to, fuel delivery systems, suspension, automotive electrical, a/c.
You need to get a grip on what your assuming is feasible sometimes. For example, your standard sticks and bricks, you probably have built up a local mechanic, plumber, electrician, etc., that you call. Yet, you all believe when on the road, you can find such competency at the next exit. Well, your not going to find that sometimes, it really is that simple.
Maybe you should do a little more research to see what a screwed-up company this is. Not RVers fault. Jeez.
For one point, I would not use CW for repairs because I consider them just a cost cuttng retailer. I would not take my stove to costco to fix but I will buy food there to cook on it. I had CW install two satellite dishes I bought for 2 previous RV’s and they did a good job, but I would not consider them to do much more. They should just stick to discount retailing.
The root problem is that these RV’s are just made crappy, Tiffin, Newmar, or whatever. The factories will cut costs & quality in the name of shaving off weight, they say. I have a brand new Newmar Baystar (was new in 2019) and we love the layout but find the way it is put together very ticky tacky. Everything breaks and has to be taken back to fix. They blame the accessory parts companies which is true, but their buyers buy the cheapest parts they can get from the parts people and then they are not installed correctly. I thought mine might be a lemon, But talking to other owners find my problems quite common.
Our 2010 Newmar Baystar was the most reliable motorhome we ever had. In eight years we only had two issues. Onan had a bad batch of fuel pumps replaced on warranty. The couches were recovered on warranty. Of course the ride was standard Ford chassis crappy, but that’s just the way that is without aftermarket upgrades. Frankly…I wish I had kept that coach!
So camping world will sell to you with a 12 year loan the refuse to service your rig before the loan is up?
How about a 20 year loan?
Camping world rep is full of crap, I needed a fantastic fan replaced on our 2005 Excel 5th wheel (this is before I learned to do things myself) wanted to purchase a Max Air fan and have it installed in its place. Called camping world in NH (we live in Ma) as my wife and I was heading up to NH for Nascar and staying on there grounds for 4 days now this was in 2017. The lady in the service department said “we don’t service campers older than 10 years old” Honest to God truth she said that. So I can thank her because I watched so many youtube videos and ordered the Max Air plus vent elsewhere and installed it myself.
Why go somewhere for service if they turn you down or discourage you for any reason? If they don’t want to work on it, I certainly don’t want them working on it.
Yep
Agreed!
The Ft Meyers area has a plentiful supply of mobile rv repair people. For slide repairs there are none better than Echo Tech – Steve and Jason. (941)916-3120
They come to you fully equipped except total removal. Steve usually does the initial diagnostics and normal non-repair maintenance while Jason is an expert even for precision production of some parts that are no longer available. They are not lowcost but they are excellent and will not sell you anything you don’t need. And they will do a roof reseal if you need that too. They even fixed our front shades when the motors failed, and that required some precision manufacturing because the company had stopped making our model of motor!
Another thing about camping world I seem to have found is, I do as many repairs as I can but camping world always seems to say that the part is no longer available for a 3 yr old camper. I go somewhere else and get the part, no problem.
I once got a $1300 estimate from Camping World to replace a vent and fix a few latches. A local Mom and Pop shop did the work for $350. I will NEVER EVER set foot in a Camping World again.
How many 10 year old rv’s are paid for? I read about campgrounds won’t accept anything over 10 years old. Now repair facility’s? . Everyone can’t afford to buy new that often.
Ive never been asked how old my C is and I’m not about to offer that information but it looks new . The only clue is ford E350 older style ( 1985) Runs like a top. No rust fiberglass has decor painted unlike decals that fall off and fade. My biggest problem was getting someone to work on the Ford part of it. ” we don’t do motorhomes” .
My reply, I’m not asking you to work on the motorhome. Just the Ford part!
Camping World has become a store for the elite only. With their “club price” discrimination policy, it just makes me want to walk right out (and I have). No more Camping World for me. @@
“Does Camping World refuse to repair older RVs?” Don’t really care if they do or not. Would never EVER have anything to do with CW or anything related to Marcus Lemonis. When he told me not to visit his stores if I voted a certain way, I totally complied. When he came back sniveling and crying and saying he didn’t mean it, too late for me.
I’ve complied with Marcus’ wishes also. Not missing anything but bad service.
Was turned down for service on my 2005 DP at Lazy Days RV in Claremore, OK. Before Lazy Days purchased Dave’s RV here I never was turned away.