Hi all,
Long post warning. TL;DR near end.
I feel the need to share my experience with Camping World Of Kansas City, MO, both in terms of sales and service. I had hinted at this issue in a previous post and it's time to spill the beans.
I would start with my salesperson, Tom Hunt, who was great to work with and as low pressure as it can probably ever be. I came in with my plan (not a bluff, there's a difference) to purchase a new RV from one of the huge volume dealers in the midwest. I was pre-approved for the loan, had Out The Door price quotes from other dealers, and wanted to give the local shop a chance to deal. They came up with a reasonable price for a barely used 2017 Gulfstream Amerilite 274QB travel trailer, and we made the purchase in very early September of 2017. Tom made it pretty painless and worked to keep our business in Kansas City. I would recommend him to you.
We went camping almost every weekend in September and October, and I fell back in love with camping (my parents took us camping in a pop up when we were kids, and it was great). I learned how to dump the black and grey tanks and all those fun things that are a part of the process.
One little problem....I noticed before pulling out of the lot when purchasing that the tandem axle wheels seemed like they were at different angles. I thought it was just where the trailer was parked, unlevel ground, etc., and when I got home it was certainly not parked on level ground, so I noticed it when putting on the X-Chocks but thought very little of it.
For one of the last trips of the season we travelled on a little bit of Interstate to camp near my mother, and I noticed that the wheels still seemed a little cattywompus in the side mirror on a long sweeping curve. That was definitely not right. But, they inspect these units and service them, so I figured it must not be a big deal, and I would inquire about it later. I am handy, and not a moron, but my forte is working with wood and doing light home remodeling. Trailer wheels were not something I knew a lot (anything) about (at least before this incident).
I got the rig winterized at another RV service center in the area, Abe Thompson RV. I went there because they had a better time open for me, but they were outstanding. Truly salt of the earth folks....they knew I was a newbie and they gave me some free advice and were just generally awesome. I even had a conversation with "Abe," who is the owner, I believe. Before I left, one of the techs came to me and said, "hey buddy, you know you have a major axle problem, right?" I knew it didn't look right, but I didn't know how bad the issue was.
We went and took a look at it, and the back axle was bent downwards in the middle, causing the back wheels to camber the wrong way. Opposite of the drop from center to outside of the front axle. The rig was purchased this way, and I drive it like a grandma, so I knew I hadn't caused this damage.
I called Camping World service department, and they referred me to the sales people to start the conversation for this kind of issue. I headed straight to Camping World in KC and asked to speak to the sales manager. I was pleasantly surprised to be speaking with James McDonald, the sales manager, in short order.
I explained everything, and he said he wanted his techs to look at it. Made sense. However, in the back of my mind I remembered the internet chatter about Camping World, and that once they have your sale, you are on your own, or worse that they are actively terrible about service after the sale. I was asked to come back after lunch for the techs to check it out, and assured that the units were inspected upon arrival and before sale.
It occurred to me that we may be just staging a little bit of theater. Bring out a tech and have them tell me "you messed it up" or "it's not on us." I prepared myself for some dishonesty and thought of how I would respond.
I mean, think about it, I had the trailer for about 7 weeks when I came back. I would understand a little careful procedure and process on Camping World's part. But I was still nervous about getting hosed here.
Two techs came out, and one went under the trailer to look. He came out and told me and the sales manager that the axle was welded incorrectly, and that the axle's camber was the wrong way. FYI it's a Lippert frame but Dexter axles. The sales manager asked if it was wrong from the factory, and the tech said it was. The sales manager asked if it was something they should have picked up on before the resale, and he admitted that they should have noticed the issue.
I was floored. I thought it was a set up, and here they were, identifying the problem and taking responsibility for it. I barely knew what to say, but they said they would be in touch.
Long story a little less long, they ordered a new axle, we got the trailer in for service, and I brought the rig home today with a brand new axle and the spring / bearings / bushings / brakes / hub for that axle, at no cost to me, just as they said they would do.
Camping World sold me a rig, it had a problem they missed, they didn't stage a cover up, they did take responsibility, and they did the right thing and fixed the issue at no cost to me. I will add that I did not buy an extended warranty, this was just them doing the right thing in a tough situation.
Now, if the wheels fall off on the first trip I will update this with a slightly different message.
But I think things have been set right here.
Am I saying that all Camping World folks everywhere will always do the right thing? No, I can't possibly say that. All I can do is relate my specific experience to you. I have read some bad things in the past, but this experience was good. People make mistakes. I make mistakes. But I own up to my mistakes and make things right, and that's what I expect from the people in my life. Not perfection, just making things right where we can and should.
Anyway, I thought I would share my one little experience, to add it to the community for consideration. When people do a good job, or do the right thing when they could easily do the wrong thing, it's worth pointing out. If you have had a bad experience with Camping World, then you have every right to communicate that too. But this was my experience, so please be considerate if replying here.
If you ever need service or sales in the KC area, my experiences would suggest that both Abe Thompson and Camping World of KC would be good choices.
Hope to meet you on the road. Stay safe!
*TL;DR: Camping World did right by me as a customer, but haters gonna hate probably.
*
Respectfully Submitted,
Kent L
BINGO!!!!!!
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