Camping World

[CampDaven]

Originally Posted by DallasOregon

Well, hubby had a point. It is called Camping WORLD. That should cover all types of camping, and it doesn't, not even close.

Perhaps the business model for CW is more focused on RVs? Tents must not move off the shelves as quick as other stock. But they are available.
http://m.campingworld.com/category/tents/1010

Other stores like Dick's Sporting Goods with more floor/shelf space will stock them.

[vraines]

I will not bash CW, as I have had both good and bad experiences at several of their sites. Here is my concern: This organization is large enough to influence the overall quality of service and satisfaction that we experience at any RV related business, be it service centers, sales, or campground. I am probably like most of you- I have invested heavily in this pass time and it gives me and my family great pleasure and satisfaction when things go well. What I have learned from these and other related posts is that we all need to hold these businesses to a high standard of service quality and professionalism, or this trend of fast buck and out the door will seriously degrade what is becoming one of the biggest pass times in America. My comments are not necessarily directed to CW, but to those of us that depend so much on this industry should hold any camping related business to a high standard of service and integrity. We don't need the government to regulate, let's just vote with our feet and word of mouth.

[CampDaven]

Originally Posted by vraines

I will not bash CW, as I have had both good and bad experiences at several of their sites. Here is my concern: This organization is large enough to influence the overall quality of service and satisfaction that we experience at any RV related business, be it service centers, sales, or campground. I am probably like most of you- I have invested heavily in this pass time and it gives me and my family great pleasure and satisfaction when things go well. What I have learned from these and other related posts is that we all need to hold these businesses to a high standard of service quality and professionalism, or this trend of fast buck and out the door will seriously degrade what is becoming one of the biggest pass times in America. My comments are not necessarily directed to CW, but to those of us that depend so much on this industry should hold any camping related business to a high standard of service and integrity. We don't need the government to regulate, let's just vote with our feet and word of mouth.

I agree.
Rating each CW store can work as well as RV park reviews. The ones that do well get return customers and also new ones.

[iamblum]

I've had 2 experiences with CW. First is when I was looking to buy a mh. Dealt with a very nice man named brad. He was honest, cared about what I wanted and catered to myself and 4 year son that came with me. We went to take a walk because the few mhs I could afford were not to far away, but my son wanted to take a golf cart. Took brad about 10 minutes to find the right key but he made my little dude very happy! Looked at a few found one I kind of liked, he told me if I just kind of liked it to just walk away, with that statement alone I put in a reasonable (I think) offer. They countered and I walked. The second time I had to go buy some stuff for the inaugural camping trip( Bought a mh few weeks later through a private seller) dealt with a big gentlemen there, can't remember his name but h a walked with a cane. Yes prices were high and being a newbie I bought the gs membership, but he was very knowledgeable and took me right to everything I asked for. Even took the time t explain everything to me. Draper utah gs has my vote so far. I'm a journeyman e Lee patrician and head foreman for an electrical company. I work with idiots all at long. The tough part is finding what the idiots are good at. Everybody ( almost) Is good at something

[TeJay]

Slowly but surely CW is becoming the Wal-Mart of the RV world. They currently have about 117 locations nation wide and wanting to be at 125 by the end of this year. The stores are usually placed in strategic locations so they are available to us roaming all over the country. I think on our trip to FL from AR we pass by or are close enough to at least 4 CW's. I know they have available at their locations a training program for their techs. That's no guarantee that the techs will get the training but it is a start. There is a Nation wide certification program available to the techs. I also believe their pay structure is based on the levels of certification as well. They also have a flat-rate system that they use to gauge their fee structure just as the auto industry has.

All this stuff is in place for the GM to utilize and perhaps improve the quality of work accomplished by CW. It is also a business that has to make $$$$ or close its doors.

To be a good RV tech is no easy task. We all know they are homes on wheels driving down bumpy roads and sometimes the quality of the RV leaves something to be desired. If we/you choose to get into the RV life style beware of the shortcomings. Understand what you the owner of one of these beasts may have to do. I am an experienced technician. there's almost nothing that I have not fixed or tried to fix but I'm still learning. I believe we all experienced the shock of owning our first home. We suddenly became fix-it people because we had to. The same is true for an RV. Get your tools out and learn, learn, learn. It's fun.

The future of CW is really in our hands. We as consumers can make or break them. Complain correctly when things are wrong and compliment when things go right. I for one would feel a little more comfortable as I traveled this great country to know that there is a place where I can get reasonable service or supplies as needed and they are not to far off the beaten path.

I often have discussions with the local CW GM. We share a lot of ideas. He is trying very hard to have a good group of technicians but it is a work in progress. It will take time. Visit your local CW if one is near by. Talk to the GM and get a feel for his/her direction. Ask if they have a training program for their techs. How many certified techs do they have??? If the GM knows that some of the consumers are concerned maybe some things will get done. If you have a bad experience complain. Discuss how it could have been better.

We were having some warranty work done. We had parts on order and heard nothing for two weeks. I went and saw the GM and told him. He told me that they have a list of customers that they are supposed to call to notify the current status of the repair. He called in the head of service and asked why I was not notified. Suggestions were made. All went well and soon I was getting calls as requested by the GM.

If they don't know what wrong they can't fix it.

TeJay

[Old Radios]

FYI: The original founder of Camping World fell off his roof and died this week (age 71).

[Tha_Rooster]

Originally Posted by TeJay

Slowly but surely CW is becoming the Wal-Mart of the RV world. They currently have about 117 locations nation wide and wanting to be at 125 by the end of this year. The stores are usually placed in strategic locations so they are available to us roaming all over the country. I think on our trip to FL from AR we pass by or are close enough to at least 4 CW's. I know they have available at their locations a training program for their techs. That's no guarantee that the techs will get the training but it is a start. There is a Nation wide certification program available to the techs. I also believe their pay structure is based on the levels of certification as well. They also have a flat-rate system that they use to gauge their fee structure just as the auto industry has.

All this stuff is in place for the GM to utilize and perhaps improve the quality of work accomplished by CW. It is also a business that has to make $$$$ or close its doors.

To be a good RV tech is no easy task. We all know they are homes on wheels driving down bumpy roads and sometimes the quality of the RV leaves something to be desired. If we/you choose to get into the RV life style beware of the shortcomings. Understand what you the owner of one of these beasts may have to do. I am an experienced technician. there's almost nothing that I have not fixed or tried to fix but I'm still learning. I believe we all experienced the shock of owning our first home. We suddenly became fix-it people because we had to. The same is true for an RV. Get your tools out and learn, learn, learn. It's fun.

The future of CW is really in our hands. We as consumers can make or break them. Complain correctly when things are wrong and compliment when things go right. I for one would feel a little more comfortable as I traveled this great country to know that there is a place where I can get reasonable service or supplies as needed and they are not to far off the beaten path.

I often have discussions with the local CW GM. We share a lot of ideas. He is trying very hard to have a good group of technicians but it is a work in progress. It will take time. Visit your local CW if one is near by. Talk to the GM and get a feel for his/her direction. Ask if they have a training program for their techs. How many certified techs do they have??? If the GM knows that some of the consumers are concerned maybe some things will get done. If you have a bad experience complain. Discuss how it could have been better.

We were having some warranty work done. We had parts on order and heard nothing for two weeks. I went and saw the GM and told him. He told me that they have a list of customers that they are supposed to call to notify the current status of the repair. He called in the head of service and asked why I was not notified. Suggestions were made. All went well and soon I was getting calls as requested by the GM.

If they don't know what wrong they can't fix it.

TeJay

My question is if you are the GM of a company and don't know what is going on why are you the GM. It's a trickle down effect the GM doesn't know what the service person is or isn't doing and not keeping up with the customers. Then it falls to the untrained techs which makes mad customers. How many times should you give someone to screw up before you part your ways? The service manager should know the statis on every coach in there lot. When a customer picks up the rig from being repaired the service manager should go with them inspect repairs and if it's not done right he saw it with there own eyes heads would roll. Don't forget it the customers time and money dealing with it also. I deal in a custom fabricating business quality is job one.

[TeJay]

Rooster,
Sorry but I'm not exactly sure what your point was. The GM that I know is very much in touch with his service department, sales department both new and used. Maybe the General Manager over all of CW is not in touch (Greg Lemonis) with his 117 stores. Yes that is a failure on his part.
Maybe when I put the letters GM down you thought I was referring to Greg Lemonis when I was referring to the General Manager of our local CW.

That is also another avenue we have and that is contacting Greg as the CEO of CW. I tried but never heard from him.

TeJay

[Tha_Rooster]

Originally Posted by TeJay

Rooster,
Sorry but I'm not exactly sure what your point was. The GM that I know is very much in touch with his service department, sales department both new and used. Maybe the General Manager over all of CW is not in touch (Greg Lemonis) with his 117 stores. Yes that is a failure on his part.
Maybe when I put the letters GM down you thought I was referring to Greg Lemonis when I was referring to the General Manager of our local CW.

That is also another avenue we have and that is contacting Greg as the CEO of CW. I tried but never heard from him.

TeJay

I'm talking about the individual store GM if they did there job CW would not be as a big of a topic walmartmart parking. I've delt with 3 different CW with the service department 2 out of 3 sucked.

[karencollins]

We too have had bad experiences with CW. One in Lakeland, NJ. Charged us for diagnostics, then told us there was nothing wrong. We no sooner drove away & had the same problem. We actually ended up figuring out the repair ourselves. We called the service manager & complained loudly. Eventually they returned our money. Early this summer, we had a little meeting with a low bridge & took out our satellite dish & cracked our windshield. Ended up going to Camping World, Wauconda-Island Lake, IL, because they were the only ones around that would do both. It was supposed to be covered by insurance, National General, who is associated with Good Sam. The service tech didn't want to take the pics the insurance company needed, & was very slow to get the information to them. One of the others techs finally did take them for us. We were quite a long way from home so we said we'd stay over til they got the ok from insurance. Finally the tech said they'd go ahead & do the work. He said They pretty much knew what they'd get from the insurance company anyway. Long story short, they ended up charging us almost $800 more than insurance would pay, including an hourly rate that was not inline with the insurance company. I tried contacting the Store Manager, but he would not return my phone calls. When I went back to the insurance company, he put us in touch with Jeff Greeno, Camping World director of services & collision. He was not too happy. In the end, between the insurance company & camping World, we paid what we should have in the first place. Our RV would have to be falling apart in the street with no other repair shop around before I'd take it to another Camping World. Just a funny note, we also have Good Sam Extended Warranty. They give a discount on your deductible if you use CW for your repairs. I told they guy, I'd pay the extra rather than use CW. He said, yes, a lot of people tell him that.

[EricGT]

Yes, I am slowly discovering that my faith in CW is dwindling. They are great while selling you a new unit. I am discovering the whole best friends with a hand shake slowly goes away once the unit leaves the lot.
The service department seems to have no real leadership and to get an answer that leaves me feeling confident is a bit hairy. My first indication was when I went back in to ask the service tech why I can't watch Dish on my outside tv and was informed that some systems won't allow me to watch satellite on all tv's. What? Then wth did I pay for them to install? Little did I know the miracle fix was plugging an HDMI cable into the back of the receiver. Scary situation that their techs did not pick up on this. My next run in was a leaking water pump. The tech asked if I could send it in for warranty repairs myself. It would be easier that way. Easier for him I assume...

I am starting to think the extended warranty was a joke and I would have been better off saving the extra $$$ and setting it aside to use at an independent repair shop.

[CampDaven]

The GM of the store may be the pivot point to good services.
There have been testimonials to good and poor services at specific stores on this thread.
I will get services at the good ones, and accessories at all of them, if they are competitively priced.
Again, no broad-brush coloring of CW as a whole from me. Wouldn't be fair.

[iamblum]

I strongly agree

[chili's trip]

Had a refer replaced last fall in Denton and was very happy. Toke the headache out of working with Good Sam warranty. Good luck.