In this column, we summarize some of your emails and comments regarding RV service centers and repairs (we asked you to submit your stories here). We’ll tell you all: the best, the good, the bad and the ugly. At the end of this article, you’ll find a place to submit your own comments. I encourage you to do so.
Keep in mind, we typically only present one side of the story in most of these. Also, any remarks about service centers and mobile techs mentioned are the opinions of our readers and not necessarily RVtravel.com.
Here’s what you had to say:
RV tech writes: “Not one dealership I worked for was honest”
Neal E. discloses some dealers’ shady sales practices and the pay rate that causes techs to cut corners. He shares: “I’ve been in the RV maintenance industry since 1988. I started out as a tech. Then, I was a customer service/service writer, warranty clerk, and service manager, and eventually owned and operated my own mobile RV repair business. I can tell you, of all the dealerships I’ve worked for, not one was honest. The sales department is there to take your money… with a smile on their face. I worked for [a company in] San Jose for a few years. They lied on their sales invoices and didn’t pay their DMV fees.
“Back then Fleetwood ruled the roost. They made several different levels of quality. And when it comes to warranty, all of them look for reasons to deny the claims. The dealerships started paying ‘flat rate’ to their techs. That screwed them. They (I) lost pay when trying to do a good repair. So you end up cutting corners.
“And those of you with ANYTHING from Forest River… Good luck! The worst level of workmanship I’ve ever seen. And they deny everything. The manufacturers can’t wait for a dealer to touch something. Because after that, they wash their hands of any more coverage. There have been dozens of RV makers that have folded because they make crap.”
The problem is purely workmanship
Gary R. sees so much wrong with the workmanship in his RV but not the materials. “General RV in Tampa is the worst. We ordered a Fleetwood at the 2021 Tampa RV Show from a Sales Rep based in Jacksonville and picked it up there. However, we took it to Tampa twice and will NEVER step foot in that door again. Instead, I do all the work myself or I take it to General RV in Ocala, which is another 1.5 hours away from our house. There is no doubt that the so-called ‘Service Advisor’ is there to keep the dealer from making repairs under warranty. I am ashamed to even tell people my story.
“Also… the quality of workmanship of our Fleetwood Fortis is simply terrible, I will never buy a Fleetwood or anything that REV Group builds again. Example: Half of the staples and screws in the interior are not functional, the wiring is a joke, the spray foam that is supposed to seal holes is only approximately 70% filled, etc… It isn’t the material (well… at least in this note). The problem it is purely workmanship. They have ZERO quality control. I dare any executive at Fleetwood to crawl under a cabinet and say otherwise.”
Had to pay out of pocket and then request payment from Jayco—but then was double charged and RV was “bumped” in service
Branden C. had an ongoing saga of bad experiences getting his RV fixed. He writes, “Bought my 2017 Jayco brand-new off the lot on a summer-end special in September. The camper was still winterized from the factory so I did not use the water during the one trip I took that fall. Went camping the first week of May the following year and tried to use the water for the first time. The second I turned on the pump my whole bathroom flooded and my kitchen sink leaked. Called Camping World to set up warranty service and they said they didn’t have any openings to service until November!
“I decided to go camping anyway and avoided using the plumbing in the camper. Went camping a couple of times throughout the summer and never really had any large issues, just small things like crooked cupboard doors and stripped screws. Also, the hinge on the main door was not straight so it requires constant pressure to get it to open or closed, and it squeaks. November comes around and I brought the camper in for service.
“They did a full inspection while it was in the shop and said that they also found a leak in the stove and it would need a new one that they had to order. I had to pay out of pocket for all the plumbing repairs and then request reimbursement from Jayco. It took about three months to get.
Stove arrived in January; they could install it in May
“In January, Camping World called to tell me my stove had arrived and they had an opening in May to swap it out. So May comes around and I drop the camper off. The next day I get a call that my camper is ready to be picked up. I get there to find my camper on a stack of blocks holding the tongue up and nothing touched on the stove.
“They claimed they had no record of a leak on the stove and the camper arrived without the jack. Pissed off, I storm out to the truck and grabbed my receipt from the last service showing that they said it needed a stove. As I am digging through my glove box looking for the receipt I see my jack lying under the camper, bent. So I brought the receipt and jack inside and slammed them on the counter. After going to the back room, the manager comes back out and claims he had made a mistake and was looking at the wrong service ticket even though my name was clearly on the top. He also said he found out one of the techs ‘bumped’ into my hitch while moving another camper and ripped the jack off, but they would fix it for free if I just left it there one more night.
Got billed for parts and labor
“Irate, I stormed out and went home to have a drink. The next day I go to pick my camper up and it looks like the work was actually completed. So I go inside to get the keys for my hitch lock and they hand me a bill for the parts and labor for the stove and jack. I told them this was supposed to be warranty work for the stove that I had already paid for and the jack was their fault so I was not paying.
“They insisted I owed them for the work as the work was completed after the warranty expired. So I left and left the camper there. After about two months and numerous calls to their corporate offices, they finally agreed to honor their word and cover the repairs. Never buying from them again. From now on I’m doing all repairs myself. I only went to them to begin with because I had a warranty.”
Offered a $50 gift certificate but only after writing a five-star review!
Doug P. could get a $50 gift card if he wrote a five-star review! He writes, “Screwed by Camping World of Panama City. Liars and thieves. Nothing went how it was supposed to, had to change salesmen in the middle of the deal. Of course, the second one didn’t know anything about what the first one had agreed to. The salesman said he was giving me a $50 in-store gift card but I had to leave him a five-star review before I could get it. It was just one thing after another that either changed from the first salesman or was fabricated altogether.
“I have also dealt with Camping World in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana. They were rude and unconcerned and did not care what I needed at all. Do not waste your time or money dealing with these used car salesmen. As far as I’m concerned, I will not be returning to any Camping World anywhere.”
Editor’s note
Note from RVtravel.com: If hiring a mobile tech, a small or mega service center, make sure that they are experienced in the issue and have insurance in case something goes wrong. Also, check their warranty policy on the work they perform. Check reviews too and read between the lines—if the review sounds way too good to be true it might be. Compare with several reviews and not just the ones on their website.
Questions for you about RV service
We’ll continue to share stories of your RV service experiences. We want to know:
- Have you had good luck with great service or not so much?
- Did you get good service from knowledgeable technicians?
- Are you waiting to get into a service center or have a mobile tech come out?
- What has been the average time to get an appointment?
- Has your RV been in a service center for a while?
- Are you able to get any mobile techs to come out?
- Are the service centers able to get parts?
- When you do get the repairs done, is the price reasonable?
Please fill out the form below and tell us what your experiences have been like. It can be a horror story, an opinion about what’s going on, a positive experience, or anything else related to the topic. We want to know the great, the good, the bad, and the ugly!
Check back next week for more on RV service centers. See you then.
Last week’s RV Service Centers and Repairs Report:
##RVT1125
I’m still amazed at how many people continue to get screwed by camping world. Even a little research reveals what a terrible company they are and all the nightmarish stories ranging from illegal sales tactics to non existent customer service.
I have to agree about Forest Rivers lack of quality and poor service from the dealer and FR. I bought a 2016 22RR toy hauler. I did notice some things wrong right off the bat and the dealer told me they would take care of them before delivery. All of the cabinet handle were crooked. The dealer said they would repair them. When I went to pick it up, nothing had been done. They told me the only way to fix it was to replace all the cabinet doors and FR would not cover it.
Two months later, the first time I loaded the bike, the ramp made a loud cracking sound. I also found the sweep on the shower door was ripped and the door was not plumb.
Again, they said FR would not cover the repair.
Definitly a “buyer beware” world out there. Amazing how certain firms continue to pop-up as rip-offs, yet people continue to use them.
Like PT Barnum said, ‘there is a sucker born every minute’. First time buyers don’t do the necessary research and think they are getting an amazing deal when offered 10% off the imaginary MSRP at the mega dealerships. Once snagged they then find out how badly they were taken and how little they knew about buying an RV. They generally end up being upside down on the loan and are now stuck with a 15 or 20 year note. They will be paying for a dead horse at the end of the loan.
Pretty right on, Rally. I think most of Camping World’s customers are first-time buyers who see the big name and think that is the place to go. Seasoned RV’ers (for the most part) would never step foot in a Camping World ‘store’. Ever.
I wonder if Neal E. or someone else knows what justifies the RV dealers hourly rate?
The fact that people keep paying it! As long as people keep having work done at their excessive rates they will keep charging it…maybe more.
A Foretravel owner once told me… do you know what is the difference between your coach and mine?… NONE… both are built by the same low-paid people…
The RV industry is the most corrupt/dishonest entity this side of government.
Thanks again for your reports this week, Nanci…
Has Camping World or any of the others actually responded to any of these disaster reports?
I’m sick of these hit pieces from you guys. You don’t back up your claims but trash the entire industry based on one or 2 people’s bad experience. And you make no attempt at seeing the other side of the picture. Have you ever sat behind the counter? Let me give you a tip. The customer isn’t aways right.
Hi, Blake. We report what we hear from our readers–they are not “hit pieces” and we’re certainly not trashing “the entire industry”. In fact, this disclaimer is at the top of these posts: “Keep in mind, we typically only present one side of the story in most of these. Also, any remarks about service centers and mobile techs mentioned are the opinions of our readers and not necessarily RVtravel.com.” And when we get reports of good service, whether it be at a shop, an RV dealer, or a mobile mechanic, we report those. When our readers get lousy service, of course they want to vent. (You have to admit that some of their experiences are nightmares.) We’re allowing them to vent as well as providing a “buyer beware” service for our other readers. If there weren’t so many bad reports, we obviously wouldn’t have so many to print. Just like if there were more good reports, we’d print those. And we are very aware that the customer isn’t always right. But still…look at all of the horror stories we receive. They are not made up. Just sayin’.🤔 Have a good night. 🙂 –Diane at RVtravel.com
Thank you, Nanci! Branden C.’s experiences with CW remind me that it may be penny-wise and dollar-foolish to attempt to have ANY dealer do warranty work rather than the manufacturer, regardless of the distance to the manufacturer. We dealt with REV with RV #1 and Newmar/Winnebago with RV #2 and both did warranty work AFTER our 1-year manufacturer warranty expired. This was because we provided each with our list of warranty items BY the end of our warranty period.
You’re young yet. It’s not just RV dealers that are dishonest!! I would stick my neck out and say that the very very vast majority of corporate America is crooked as a dog leg! I don’t trust any of them.