Camping World

[Twotoes]

I saw on the news yesterday that the CEO of CW, Marcos, announced that they are going to concentrate on RV sales and service and get out of the outdoor side of products. However my local CW told me that they were dropping the name Camping World and were rebranding to Garner Outdoor, now that CW bought out the bankrupt Garner. The article said that CW was closing several hundred stores. Maybe they are just changing the name on several stores because of the negitive view of CW and those stores keeping the CW name will just be RV dealers and those stores changing to Garner will sell outdoor equipment. 

[DKRITTER]

Actually I see little to no value in Camping World overall. They have garnered a very poor reputation in almost every aspect of the RV industry, customer service, knowledge, rv sales, financing, roadside assistance, repair and on and on.  You'll find usually to have double digit negative press to almost no positive press.

 

I just got the impression with them it was only about how much $$ they could make off me, so we quit doing business with them.

[FL-JOE]

I have never purchased an RV through a CW store.  I have known some folks that have and none have been happy with the overall experience.  I have dealt with two different stores over the years for installing w/d units and satellite dishes on different RVs we have owned.  Once experience was great and one was horrible.

I have always felt that their business blueprint involved taking advantage of RV newbies.  I think they have always taken advantage of first time buyers.  It is rare that I shop in any of their stores no matter what name it goes by.

[Danandfreda]

I second that,unless we need something and can walk in and get it off the shelf and not have to ask anybody anything we won’t go in. The previous experience with then they were not very knowledgeable about rv brands and some never heard of drv. And the name changed to Gander outdoors. 

[fpmtngal]

Interesting. Yes, Camping World has a horrible reputation. One salesman when I was starting to think about a trailer tried to convince me that the smallest trailer they had would be perfect for my tow vehicle, even though the GVWR of the trailer was well over the tow rating, and the dry weight was barely under it.

I go into Camping World’s store often, it’s fun to see what stuff they have, occasionally something I hadn’t known about and that will fit into my life perfectly. Sometimes their sales items are cheaper than Amazon, which is where I cross-shop. I like being able to go in and grab something immediately rather than wait for UPS or FedEx to deliver something in a couple of days if it’s something I really need and isn’t something Walmart carries.

I guess RV sales are more profitable for them. The only person I know who ordered a trailer through them had all sorts of problems with getting the trailer, and got more response from the manufacturer. On the other hand, they’ve had excellent warranty service from the service center at the same store. Sales manager was lousy, service manager excellent. I’m sure it varies from store to store.

I’ll be sorry to see them close the stores as I do find them handy on occasion. I don’t think I would ever have a reason for buying an RV from them.

[richfaa]

We have never purchased a RV from CW because they did not have the brand.model we wanted and their prices were way out of line. We purchase other items from CW if they  have what we need and the price is right. We have had repair work done at CW with not a problem. CW is not our first choice for anything simply because they are usually far to busy and IMO the prices are high. We do ead the horror stories about CW on these forums but have experienced none.

[Rover]

We purchased our RV from CW 1) because they had the floor plan we wanted and 2) it was the dealership we had bought from before they were taken over by CW and was a good experience. The purchase went well but we did have some problems with warranty work. Of course CW blamed on manufacturer and manufacturer on CW, so who knows for sure.

 We have had some very good service work done at other CWs on the road though. As fulltimers most of them have been great at getting us in the same day and back out on the road no matter how busy they were. Maybe because we originally bought from them.  CW in Nashville, TN was one and there was another in Missouri but I can’t recall which city. 

We don’t often shop there due to prices, but occasionally they have a part we can’t find elsewhere.

Vicki

[dewilso]

My experience has been that the price from CW, with some negotiation, is competitive. BUT, the after sales service, including accessory installation, is sorely lacking.

 

[chiefneon]

Howdy!

We ordered and purchased our last 5er toy hauler from CW because we are fulltimers . We though that would help if we needed support seeing they have location nation wide. It didn’t and I will never purchase another one from them.

”Happy Trails”

 Chiefneon 

[Kirk W]

8 hours ago, Twotoes said:

The article said that CW was closing several hundred stores.

Could you post a link to the story? I went looking for it but was unable to find anything related that was published this year.

[2gypsies]

TWOTOES:  You mention 'Garner Outdoors'.  Do you mean Gander Mountain?  Here's an article from January 2019:

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190129005290/en/Camping-World-Holdings-Rolls-Gander-RV-Super

[Twotoes]

Yes 2gypsies it is Gander. I made a mistake.  Kirk I saw the article online. it may have been CNN but can’t remember for sure. 

[Twotoes]

Kirk, I just Googled “Camping World closing stores” and found the article. It’s on a site called Market Watch. 

[Twotoes]

Kirk, I just found it on Fox News also. 

[Jim1521]

I have not been a fan of Camping World; pretty much know them only by reputation.  However, recently when we were shopping for our Sleep Number bed, they beat everyone around by at least $300, so I ordered from them.  Drop shipped directly from the factory, so we had no problems.

I don't like their management; I think Marcus is a slime ball (based on public comments he made, as well as the publicity stunt he pulled using the American flag as a business prop) so it's only going to be as a last resort that I purchase from them.

[Kirk W]

I found both stories, and thanks to each one of you! The each have some very interesting information about the company. For the complete story one needs to read both articles. It was interesting to me that back in January, Lemonis stated:

Quote

“We view our existing Gander Outdoors stores as the most cost-effective opportunity to increase our RV sales presence and grow our Good Sam Club, particularly in key RV markets where we are underpenetrated,” said Marcus Lemonis, Chairman of Camping World Holdings.

Contrast that with a current news release from Camping World Holdings Inc. on September 3.

Quote

Camping World (NYSE:CWH) says it's moving forward with a plan to strategically shift away from locations where the company does not have the ability or where it is not feasible to sell and/or service RVs .

The company is in the early stages of evaluating the impact of the plan and has had preliminary discussions regarding the sale, repurposing, relocating or closing of certain locations. The current expectation is that 27 to 37 locations will be either sold, repurposed, relocated or closed.

Source: Press Release

The most interesting reports are now coming from Market Watch. 

[jamtracy]

You know the old saying you can polish a turd and it's still a turd.

I've done very little business with CW other than buying a few items here and there. Like someone said its fun to window shop there to see all the cool stuff you might not have thought about. I've made one online purchase from them in the last year and I had to return it. There are many other online retailers out there to make purchases from. Also plenty of mom and pop RV repair service places that are very competitive and you get a more personal experience.

As far as buying an RV from them read all of the negative comments. Even more so read the ones that read the reviews and still bought from CW and regretted it all because they thought the savings was going to out weigh the hassle and disappointment.

James

[chirakawa]

37 minutes ago, jamtracy said:

You know the old saying you can polish a turd and it's still a turd.

 

I can truthfully say that in my 70 years or so on this planet I have never heard that expression.  Who would even consider polishing a turd?  I  guess that's how new discoveries are made, trying things I never would have thought feasible.

[Twotoes]

Another popular saying. “You can put lipstick on a pig and it’s still a pig.”

[chirakawa]

1 hour ago, Twotoes said:

Another popular saying. “You can put lipstick on a pig and it’s still a pig.”

Now, that one I've heard, even used it a few times.  And, I have seen lipstick on a pig a few times, Miss Piggy of the Muppets and Arnold Ziffel come to mind.  But, polishing a turd?

[Pappy Yokum]

On 9/5/2019 at 7:51 AM, chirakawa said:

I can truthfully say that in my 70 years or so on this planet I have never heard that expression.  Who would even consider polishing a turd?  I  guess that's how new discoveries are made, trying things I never would have thought feasible.

 

I haven't heard it either - and I've got you beat by 7 years.

However, in answer to:  "Who would even consider polishing a turd?" - Easy!  - Marcus.

Just hope he doesn't disclose the brand of polish!  Would  be a dis-service to the mfgr,  LOL!

.

 

[Ray,IN]

We bought this MH from Camping World in 2013. Because it had been stored in a barn for 6 years we also bought their ESC. Turned out both were good sound purchases. There are a lot of doomsayers on the internet, my take is, because they do not shop at CW there is more room for me to overnight in their parking lots, usually with free electricity.

[jamtracy]

11 hours ago, Ray,IN said:

We bought this MH from Camping World in 2013. Because it had been stored in a barn for 6 years we also bought their ESC. Turned out both were good sound purchases. There are a lot of doomsayers on the internet, my take is, because they do not shop at CW there is more room for me to overnight in their parking lots, usually with free electricity.

I agree with you for the most part. NOT EVERYONE has or will have a negative experience with CW. But statistically negative experiences will get posted way more than positive ones.

[SnowGypsy]

I was watching a video of a man who purchased a travel trailer from CW, and he said he did because CW was the only one that carried that model.  He was right.  I wonder if CW actually contracted to have some cut-rate units made for them.  In the case of CW, it is not a case of negative comments being more likely posted, far too many with the same darn issues leading me to believe that it is their "business model".  Marcus "Lemon" (I have had emails with me and trust me "Lemon") concerning their business practices.  He only cares about getting his name in the news and making the biggest profit without caring what it takes to do it.  He is a real "piece of work"!  CW has devoured small RV dealerships which is really sad, because those smaller RV dealerships stayed in business by providing good customer service.  I was saddened when Good Sam was devoured by CW as we had been members of Good Sam for more than 25 years at that time.  I bet "Lemon" would love to devour the Escapees!

[Kirk W]

4 hours ago, jamtracy said:

But statistically negative experiences will get posted way more than positive ones.

While that is true, it is pretty common on these forums to see favorable reports as well. One major issue with CW is the fact that being so large there is no contact with any part of the ownership of the company when you do business there. While I have never purchased an RV from CW, I have had enough service experience over 40+ years that I have owned RVs to believe that the quality of service has declined since it was taken over in 1997 by what is now known as Good Sam Enterprises. My last experience was enough to keep me from returning sincethat day. (2010)