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, so keep that in mind. 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:
Ripped off! Overcharged by $10,000!
Joseph M. writes to us claiming he was SERIOUSLY ripped off. He shares, “Camping World in Concord, North Carolina, ripped me off on all types of levels. First when I purchased it, they never showed me how to operate any of the solar or anything in the RV fifth wheel that cost $120,000! They also sold me an extended warranty for $15,000. I was told by another Camping World in Florida that they overcharged me by $10,000 and that what I bought would only be $5,000 in Florida.
“Then, when it came to the warranty, the hydraulic leveling system was leaking oil and that was a nightmare trying to get that fixed. I called a mobile RV mechanic and he fixed it at my expense.
“I had a stackable washer and dryer installed at Camping World and they never fastened the dryer down. When they brought me my camper the dryer fell through the door and onto the floor and they did not want to own up to it. Finally, after three months of numerous phone calls to Forest River and anybody else that would listen, they came and replaced the dryer. The reason why it wasn’t fastened was the exhaust hose was behind the dryer not letting it clip in. I wish I never bought this RV because of Camping World!”
Wow! Great RV service and a happy camper
John L. is a happy camper! Here’s why: “I FOUND our new RV service in Northern Colorado: Elite RV Service & Repair LLC. Our 2017 Jayco Seneca’s Girard-2 on-demand hot water needed to be replaced due to a crack line caused by freezing this past winter. Also I wanted all my seams to be checked and re-caulked if needed. I worked with David, who was very friendly and helpful. I was telling David that the way Jayco installed this heater there was no access to the back if I needed to change the flow of water, from my research. He said they could put an outdoor shower door on the back to solve the problem. WOW, they did an excellent job considering how tight the area is to work in!!
“The Seneca was there for only two days. I brought it in on Friday morning. Then I ordered the heater through Amazon on Friday to be delivered Sunday, after they found out why it was spewing water. I dropped the Girard-2 off at 9 AM Monday and picked the RV up Tuesday morning! When I dropped off the heater on Monday, David said it should be ready by the end of the week. When I got a call from David on Tuesday morning I thought there were more issues, NOPE, it was finished.
“All I can say is I found my new place to get my Seneca serviced. That being non-chassis service. I highly recommend them! For repairs or maintenance on the Freightliner Chassis (Cummins motor transmission, etc…) I’ve had EXCELLENT luck at Transwest in Fredrick, CO. GREAT people there and very responsive and helpful with suggestions.”
A word from a service manager
Peter F. is a service manager at an RV repair shop and shares this info with us “I would like to add a story from the other side of the RV repair. I am the service manager as well as the technician at a small repair facility in Winter Haven, Florida. We also have heard many horror stories from customers about the corporate repair and sales facilities. Being a small repair shop we are able to get coaches in and repaired properly faster. I also want to add that getting some parts has been a challenge because of back orders and limited supplies. We do our best to outsource to other vendors to try to minimize the wait times. We pride ourselves on repairing the coaches to the best of our abilities and make sure the customer is extremely happy with the repairs we have performed.”
Saga of a solar shade fiasco
Jeffrey M. is not getting his shade fixed anytime soon. He writes, “We bought our Magnitude XG32 from General RV in Canton, OH. Sales was very good, and things went smooth. We had several ‘warranty issues’ that I fixed myself, because of all the horror stories I have heard of.
“But the overhead Solar Shade over the cab bunk literally fell down on the left side. We called Thor, but they were 3 to 4 months out. General RV could get us in within a month. We told them exactly what needed to be fixed. The nice lady told us to bring it in and that it would take just a few hours to fix the shade. Our appointment was for Monday, Aug 29th. We got there Sunday the 28th, we drove 338 miles, and $204 in diesel to get there, and could only find ONE power post that worked in their parking lot. (The service area was under a major remodel.) At 9 am a young lady came out, looked at the rig, took pictures and then someone came out and took the rig in the shop.
“We went to lunch with friends. In the middle of lunch, we got a call from General RV that said ‘we have to order parts and get approval from Thor’ and that ‘it would be 4 to 6 weeks to get the parts and we would have to come back.’ After lunch we got back to General RV, I went in and demanded to know why my RV was not fixed. Some service manager actually tried to tell me Thor makes different shade mechanisms for different Omni/Magnitudes, and that what we scheduled was a ‘Diagnostic service appointment.’ I responded with ‘NO, this was a service appointment, and why don’t you have shade mechanisms parts on hand? It seems these things break all the time.’ It went straight downhill from there. I left General RV, mad, upset, and very disappointed, in both General RV and Thor. The process is completely chaotic, and far, far too long to fix anything.
“In the afternoon of the Sept. 29th we called Thor directly and asked to get an appointment with the factory at Wakarusa. We asked for a mid-December appointment because we were going to be in Toledo for Christmas. We figured that would give them a 3-month window to get us fixed up. By the time they got back to us, the appointment was for January 2nd. I’m sure all the techs with hangovers will do a spectacular job on our RV. 🙁 ”
Editor’s note
Note from RVtravel.com: If hiring a mobile tech, a small or mega RV 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
Over the next few weeks, we’ll 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.
Past RV Service Centers and Repairs Reports:
- ‘Problems? Oh, let me count the ways…!’
- Dealers and service centers should be ashamed by these jaw-dropping horror stories
##RVT1075
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If you “Google” Camping World, Forest River Complaints, Interesting articles come up.
Question: People who bought at Camping World, “Did you do any Consumer Research on the Company? If so, what did you like?
Asking for a Friend.
Nothing! Camping World = Criminals! DON’T EVER GO THERE!!!
MyRVWorks.com is an excellent source for videos for troubleshooting and repairs. Darren has saved me hundreds with his easy to follow videos.
These stories of bad service center experiences is why I appreciate do-it-yourself-articles. Most repairs are fairly simple if a moderately equipped tool set is available and can be completed in less time than it takes to drive to the repair shop. Ray that posts videos on his loveyourrv.com website does most of his repairs while living in his RV full time with tools that he carries with him.
Winter Haven is less than 2 hours from my home. I know Pete F couldn’t exactly advertise his shop but I wish someone could telepathically beam his shop name into my brain. I have some very minor issues my severely arthritis shoulders and total inability to memorize electrical terms are impacting. There are 3 Camping Worlds within 1 1/2 hrs of us and I will never use them after one refused to perform service they had told us would be performed within 48 hrs on the telephone-1 month wait time on arrival and we had to leave it, couldn’t take it home and have them call us when our appointment date/time arrived.
In 16 yrs of full timing I’ve never found an RV tech qualified to carry my toolbox. EVERY thing I’ve had “Fixed” at a shop, I had to go back and correct their work.
We are blessed to have a local “mom & pop” dealer near us that does fantastic work at reasonable prices on anything we have taken to them, from our Class A to our current TT. Their prices are reasonable and they actually care!
I like the idea of a forum for comments (good and bad) from actual customers of RV service companies…and arranged geographically would be a great help!
RVservice.com has been a good site for us when we travel. We have had the good fortune to have some great service on the road…..we have had others as well. Any site, including this one could be the victim of phony reports, you just read, analyze, and make your choices.
RE: The Editor’s Note above. It sounds like good advice to check those items mentioned, but exactly how do you check their experience and insurance? Do you ask to see the training records and work history for all of their technicians? The shop’s insurance papers? Not realistic. And reviews? Phony reviews can easily be created. My point is it’s a crapshoot no matter what. RV Travel would be a great place for a forum of actual comments from customers, good and bad. Perhaps organized geographically. We can praise the good ones and help others avoid the bad ones.