14 replies to this topic

[Kirk]

I was just reading some back issues of RV Business magazine and in particular about our friends, the Good Sam Club. I think that everyone knows that it has now been combined with, or has absorbed the Camping World President's Club. As I understand it, if you had a President's membership, then you now have one for GS, but as far as I can tell if you had both you don't get a longer one with GS when they combine? What was especially interesting was a quote from the former CEO of Camping World, now CEO for GS.

CEO Marcus Lemonis offered the public a new description of the company. He said the company could best be described as "a financial services company that has some clubs and magazines as marketing tools."

The other thing that I just noticed is that while they now claim to have a fuel discount with Pilot/Flying J you have to get their credit card to get the the full discount. You can get a frequent fueler card from the Pilot people and get all but 1¢ of that discount and you don't need to join GS. Does anyone know if I am reading this correctly?

[johnnyringo]

You are correct Kirk. I got the paperwork from GS a month or so ago. I submtted it and after waiting a few weeks past their advertised fulfillment date I emailed them asking for status. They replied that due to overwhelming response they were running a month or two late.


Here is the response:
The card is being processed. Due the overwhelming response it will take 4-6 weeks to receive the card. We apologized for the long wait on the card getting to you.









I submitted my application 3 weeks ago and have yet to receive the card. Kindly advise status. Thanks, Jay Howell

--- On Sun, 1/8/12, RVPlusCard@PilotFlyingJ.com <RVPlusCard@PilotFlyingJ.com> wrote:


From: RVPlusCard@PilotFlyingJ.com <RVPlusCard@PilotFlyingJ.com>
Subject: RV Plus Confirmation
To: KEYLIMEJAY@YAHOO.COM
Date: Sunday, January 8, 2012, 8:04 AM

Edited by johnnyringo, 16 February 2012 - 03:12 PM.

[Rover]

Got my new Card; not a credit card. Went on the GS site. states I am suppose to get a .04 discount on Gasoline at Flying J. Have to See; unlees the other stations are cheaper.

Edited by Rover, 16 February 2012 - 03:25 PM.

[2gypsies]

As I understand it, if you had a President's membership, then you now have one for GS, but as far as I can tell if you had both you don't get a longer one with GS when they combine?

When our new card came it had an expiration of that of our Good Sam expiration. I called because the Camping World expiration we had was two years later. While on the phone the person did a "merge" and stated our new expiration is now the later, Camping World expiration date. He said no need for a new card "it's in our records". So....we'll see. Whatever our expiration date will be will be the last time we renew Good Sam. We don't use RV parks a lot anyway - usually public parks so it will be no loss to us.

[sandsys]

Quote: CEO Marcus Lemonis offered the public a new description of the company. He said the company could best be described as "a financial services company that has some clubs and magazines as marketing tools."

That sure explains all their mailings. No wonder so many RVers are learning to hate them.

Linda Sand

[Kirk]

Got my new Card; not a credit card.

If that is true, why to I find this as I apply for one?

You are applying for a charge card to be used in lieu of a credit card.

To get started, please help us find your information:

Then once I complete that section, and fill in all of the other information wanted, including my SS number, I find the following:

Bill Pay Options (* required) * I want to pay my bill:

Online (manual)

• by opting to pay your bill online you will be issued a $1,000 limit once approved
• with this option, you can log in to your account and pay your bill with your bank routing number and account number any time before the due date

Auto-Draft

• by opting to pay your bill via auto-draft you will be issued a $2,500 limit once approved
• with this option, you will provide your bank routing number and account number up front and the amount you charge each billing cycle will be automatically drafted from the provided account 15 days after you receive your statement

In addition, my old Flying J card did not work when I attempted to use it the last time we were near one of their stations. I have attempted to get a new one on the internet and all I can get is an email to register my card. Yet neither of the two Flying J cards are accepted by the registration. I suspect that you have to go to a station to get one of the new cards. I am starting to think that my days of doing business with them are now history.

Edited by Kirk, 16 February 2012 - 05:58 PM.

[Rosita]

The content (and some of the following comments) found at this link might offer a little insight into this "benefit":

http://blog.goodsamclub.com/2012/01/pfj-2/

YMMV, but I would look very closely at the value of what you're getting from GS vs. what they're getting from you!

[Brianwl]

I got my new GS/CW card pretty quickly. I don't even remember having to apply for it. I have no need for another credit card so I didn't bother with that.

[docj]

When our new card came it had an expiration of that of our Good Sam expiration. I called because the Camping World expiration we had was two years later. While on the phone the person did a "merge" and stated our new expiration is now the later, Camping World expiration date. He said no need for a new card "it's in our records". So....we'll see. Whatever our expiration date will be will be the last time we renew Good Sam. We don't use RV parks a lot anyway - usually public parks so it will be no loss to us.

Some RV parks do look a the card and those are the ones that will see the incorrect date and assume it is correct. I have never seen a park call or get online to verify GS membership.

[Dutch_12078]

Some RV parks do look a the card and those are the ones that will see the incorrect date and assume it is correct. I have never seen a park call or get online to verify GS membership.

The new GS cards do not have an expiration date on them. The date was included in the accompanying letter. It is up to the campground/park to verify that the card is still valid. I understand the CG/park owners that give the GS discount are not very happy about the change.

[moisheh]

Kirk: What part of charge card do you not understand? A credit card does not have to be paid in full when you get the bill. A CHARGE CARD has to be totally paid when you get the Bill. With my new FJ card I will get 6 cents discount on diesel as opposed to 3 cents with the old FJ card. Mine came within 4 weeks and I think it is great. It will also get me $5.00 dumps instead of $10.00. There are no other fuel chains that give a discount to RV'rs. I have asked TA if they would be interested and the answer was no. I do agree that Piot has had trouble with their computers after the merger but most of that appears to be over. No one is forcing you to have that card or shop at the J. There are other choices. I still prefer the J's.

Moisheh

Edited by moisheh, 16 February 2012 - 06:53 PM.

[StarDreamers.us]

Try this one on for size. As soon as I received the Camping World / Good Sam information I contacted them by email. This the question I asked: Since I am a member of the CW Presidents Club and a lifetime member of the Good Sams Club does that now mean I am a Lifetime member of each? Your offer stated that as long as I was a member of the Good Sam Club I would also be a member of the CW Presidents Club. They wrote back and said they would get back to me shortly, that was over three weeks ago. I am not sure they know what they are doing.

Also, no Flying J gas card has arrived.

Safe Travels!

[AFChap]

To get the larger J discount touted by Good Sam you have to also get their CC. My old J discount card (fuel &dump) that had nothing to do with GS or CW still works as it always did.

Sounds to me like Lemonis is finally admitting what GS has been for years now ...their primary purpose is not to simply SERVE rv'ers as they did originally, but to target rv'ers with "financial services."

I got the new GS card as I was a CW member, but that membership expired two weeks after I got the card ...hopefully GS did not add me back onto their junk list, though I suspect that is too much to hope for...

[Kirk]

Kirk: What part of charge card do you not understand? A credit card does not have to be paid in full when you get the bill. A CHARGE CARD has to be totally paid when you get the Bill.

Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom with someone so new to money management and RVing!

As I said, it is a credit card, if you consider that to be a line of credit. To people who use them right and never carry a balance, there is no difference!

[richfaa]

No problem here. Our GS card is now the only card with the GS expiration date.No problem with Pilot or FJ our cards work fine. We do not get any more "junk mail" from GS that we get from anywhere else, maybe less.