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:
Forget RV service centers; go to a truck repair shop!
Mark B. has some great advice for RVers. He writes, “I haven’t been to an RV repair shop. Instead, I find a heavy truck repair shop that would be willing to work on my rig. Owning an old, well-built motor coach is scary, but after living in it for just over a year I’ve noticed a pride in the craftsmanship and high-quality materials, which are all organic, leather, all oak interior, ceramic tile, and plenty of extras that are all custom. Maintenance is a CONSTANT. The plumbing is better than most homes, with quality wire and electrical work. Still, you have to be extremely vigilant. Don’t put screws anywhere because wires are everywhere. It is best to turn off everything when going out. It’s better to have theft than a fire. Having many skills is a must—who can you trust but yourself in most situations?”
Reader writes, “I was stupid to purchase it, and they know it”
Rebecca L. definitely has buyer’s remorse. She writes, “I really got taken by Camping World. They ended up charging me $10,000 for a pop-up camper that had a blown water pump, which had to be replaced. Also, whenever I try to run the heater, the alarm keeps going off. A few minutes later they ended up tacking on all kinds of crap like RV magazines and a Sam’s card and stuff that I didn’t even want. I told him that I wasn’t interested in it, but they tried to tell me, “Oh, it was part of the plan!” The total came to $13,000 and something, and there’s so much wear-and-tear on the pop-up camper. I’m going to be paying on this thing forever, and it wasn’t even worth half when I paid for it. I was stupid to purchase it and they know they took me for a ride, but they don’t care. I should have known, but I thought campers were going for a lot. I’ve complained to them numerous times and they don’t even care to try to make it right. They don’t even bother to contact me over it.”
Service center runs batteries to the ground, is filthy and the workers don’t care
Kim H. is happy with the sales deal but definitely not with the service department. She sent us this: “Horrible service at the Nipomo RV shop associated with Hitching Post RV Sales. The sales department is great, we got an excellent deal on our RV, a 2018 Momentum. Only one issue with them… We were told it was wired for a third air conditioner and it was not. The repair shop is a joke, always run our batteries to nothing, takes forever and a day to get it done, and 95% of the time it’s not fixed and it’s filthy inside. The workers do not care.”
Amazing service from a small dealership
Joe H. had an issue at the end of his shake-down trip and got into service immediately. He wrote, “My wife and I bought a 2021 Outback 340BH from Hanner RV in the small town of Baird, TX. I didn’t want to buy from a supercenter even though they promote great deals that could be expensive deals when you need service. We took our first trip out not far from home, which is about 250 miles from where we bought our RV. On that shake-down trip everything went well. When we got home and started to unhook, I discovered we had an electrical issue. It was a Friday afternoon at about 4:30. I called Hanner service and was told it could be the converter. The person I talked to was Chad. I asked him how long to get my RV in for repairs. He said if I could get there by the morning when they open at 9:00, he would get me right in.
“So I took off for Hanner RV about 250 miles away. I got there around 11:00 p.m. that night. I pulled into the dealership as they opened the gates. By 10:30 that morning I was rolling out and headed home. I have had a great relationship with them and have talked to Chad many times with questions. He has always treated me as a friend or family, not a number. When he has been busy or off, the other service personnel have treated me the same. I’ll never buy from a huge supercenter because once you buy you are just a number.”
“They are dumb as a bucket of rocks”.
Tommy F. wrote that Camping World kept his RV for nine months and the fix was not a fix! “My daughter had refrigerator problems—hers was not working. We carried it to Camping World, where they kept it for nine months. They replaced the refrigerator and it still didn’t work. I fixed it. The vent on top was covered with insulation. They’re dumb as a bucket of rocks.”
Another “fix” that didn’t fix
Darthur D’s. water tank fell to the ground. His RV was returned to him after 71 days but still was not fixed. He says, “The water tank on my new travel trailer fell to the ground when I filled it for a trip. I took it to the Camping World in Lowell, Arkansas, where I purchased it from, and it took them 71 days to fix it, but they didn’t. When I filled it later for another trip it fell again. I fixed it myself this time. The technician who worked on it and replaced the underpinning did manage to put a screw in a holding tank. I fixed that too. This is my second travel trailer that was purchased at Camping World, and I had problems with the first one too. I gave the corporation the benefit of the doubt, and when I purchased my second trailer I purchased from a different dealership. Same thing, very poor service. I will not purchase another from Camping World. They will work hard to sell you a trailer BUT hardly work to fix a problem… even when under warranty.”
Price was supposedly a misprint, but…
Kimberly K. bought an RV “as is” to get a good deal. It was not. She wrote, “I bought a 2006 Winnebago Sightseer from Camping World because it was listed on Offer Up for $29,000. When I called, they said it was a misprint and was actually to be listed as $60-something-thousand, but since I called before it could be fixed they would honor the price.
“Well, needless to say, it has been a nightmare. It didn’t come with the awning, but they said they ordered it but I never got it. The electrical is all messed up and there’s a tailpipe that has punctured a hole in the inside of my carriage. Now, it was purchased ‘as is’ with a warranty of, like, three months, yet I cannot get ahold of anyone. So, as of right now, my generator is broken, the exhaust comes in thru underneath so it is undrivable, and all the electric is twisted. Thanks, Camping World, for using [false] advertising as a way to lure buyers.”
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.
Shame on “Darthur D” for going back to Camping World a second time after having a bad experience the first time.
And who is that poor guy that is always pictured at the top of this column? I sure wouldn’t want my picture at the top of a column where almost everyone is complaining about poor to rotten service. 😉
Thank you, Nanci! Every week this column reminds me of how thankful I should be to have found Les Glenn (engine, drivetrain, and generator) and Northgate Parts (house side). They keep their appointments, communicate, never keep our RV overnight, and always fix what needs fixing.
Same theme in almost all of the stories as far as uninformed and easily persuaded buyers go.
Rebecca L needed to have courage to stand up and walk away. Yes…she got taken to the cleaners, but she allowed it to happen! She seemed to have a sense things weren’t right, but did not take action to save herself!
Buyers need to get informed, stand up for themselves and, if need be, simply get up and walk out of the door. Just don’t let these unscrupulous, uncaring sales people take advantage of you.
Everyone of these falls under the classification of Buyer Beware. With all the bad publicity CW gets and people still go there and get taken, then cry about it.
Camping World? Really?? Just a small amount of effort, on ANY search engine will reveal the complaints and bad reviews of CW and their terrible reputation. But, people keep going there and end up abused.
It is a good suggestion to “attempt” to find a truck dealer to do your maintenance. I had an issue a few years ago with a coolant leak, which I thot might have been a freeze plug failure between the engine and transmission. This would require, among other things, removing the transmission. Out of about 10 heavy truck dealers in Fargo, ND, only one was willing to work on a motor home! That was Wallwork Truck, Inc, a large Ford heavy truck dealer. They diagnosed a lost block plug (.11). They were fast, expensive but $1,000’s less than I envisioned. Highly recommended!
Yikes!!! (again)
Not sure Truck Service Centers would be the answer. Near St Marys, GA we were passing thru and I had a tire that the tread was separating. I tried a few Truck Service places, even at some Truck Stops, but none would help. I just needed that wheel removed and the spare put on. They said my RV was too small for their eqpt. Seems to me, if you can change out wheels on a semi, you ought to be able to do it on a smaller truck or an RV.