Camping World RV Sales — Local services in Town of Burke

I was not a window shopper, but prepared to put 10% down.

The salesman Karl was very professional, knowledgeable, and very informative.

However, the company as a whole, is a trap.

They just wanted to sell me a camper at whatever cost and they wasted my time and money for 2 days working on this deal.

I had to walk away in the end.

I was just passing through on my way to work in Minnesota from West Virginia.

I went into this deal thinking my credit was in the mid 700’s and that I had some room for negotiation.

I only allowed them to run my credit with one bank.

However, Gander ran my credit themselves first, which I know was unnecessary.

Before they ran my credit, Karl brought his manager Mitch over to speak to me. (Common sales tactic)

Mitch told me that my credit may not be as high as I think it is before they ran my credit.

I felt like this was a tactic to groom me and what I mean by this is, he could feign like he was doing everything he could to make a deal but never really conceding anything while blaming my score for why he couldn’t do more for me.

I acknowledged that I used credit Karma and I know others have had issues with accuracy but I also use a paid service thru my USAA to monitor my credit on all three bureaus and that I was sure it was accurate.

However, after they ran my credit, I was told I had a 633, 720, and a 680 on the three main bureaus.

I’m not sure how there is such a variation between my numbers and theirs and also between each of the three bureaus.

However, I still felt like I could get a decent deal on an RV with those scores and I desperately needed one for my work.

Throughout the process, there were fees for this and fees for that and I found myself conceding more than I wanted to in this negotiation.

They would probably say they took off a couple thousand dollars and they can justly say that because they did, but they also added on a bunch of unnecessary fees that basically undid any discount I may have been getting in the negotiation. (another common sales tactic)

I’ve seen the money shuffle scheme before and I usually walk at this point.

So another item I was trying to negotiate was to have payments under $250.

They were able to meet that payment they said but I would have to put 20% down.

Again, I conceded because I am in a pickle where I need an RV.

Gander was not conceding anything and only moving numbers around in a way that I made all the concessions.

A good business deal is one where both sides do some conceding and neither side feels like they got everything they wanted.

I was getting nothing other than the RV and a raw deal.

I was almost willing to buy it outright and I even offered at one point to see if I could negotiate a better deal.

Mitch told me, “It doesn’t matter to me whether you finance it or buy it cash. It’s all the same to me.”

Basically he would not negotiate the price with cash.

This was the point where I felt they knew my desperate need for an RV and only saw me as a target.

I had made the mistake of telling them earlier, that this was my first RV.

It was my first RV, but it was not my first negotiation, though one may question that at this point.

Another concession, I agreed to put 20% down and put $1000 down to hold the RV.

They said it would take them a day to do the servicing and in the meantime they would prepare the financing paperwork.

I went to the hotel.

They called me and told me the bank wanted 30% down before they would finance it.

Initially I refused.

They asked to run my credit with another bank but I already have two hard inquiry hits on my report from this deal.

Instead I conceded and offered to put the 30% down.

I prayed for peace and asked God for answers.

In prayer, it was made clear that if one more thing was out of place, then I need to walk away.

Well I went to pick up the RV and the interest rate was bordering double digits.

I dropped the RV in the parking lot and walked away Angry from the deal.

Pigs get fed but hogs get slaughtered in...

Is there a no star rating? I feel like 1 star is too much. My father purchased a camper less then a year ago. It was marked as used as it was one year old, but they said the manufacture's warranty was good for another year. Yes, we should have followed up with the manufacture, but even when we questioned it, the camping world representatives over the phone said it still had remaining warranty. Their own computer systems had it marked as new. Which is why there was a long back and forth on what was covered. We were encouraged to drop it off with over 30+ days left on the warranty. Once they started to repair items on the camper - the bill started to get high and higher. We never agreed to have work done that was not covered under warranty. They sprayed coated the top and repacked grease for the wheel bearings, which I don't think either was completed as there were still pine needles from home on the top of the camper. We were stuck with a rising bill. Again, no agreement to do any labor/parts replacement without oral consent. So we went in to speak with the general manager, he apologized for the confusion and stated we only had to pay for the parts and not the labor. OK, I can be content with this. We wait, and wait, and it's a month later, nothing is done - which is funny because when they assumed we were paying out of pocket, they were only waiting on one part and everything was completed - which was two days out. We turned down that one part, but it still took us over a month to get it back? The weather stripping they promised to fix is still flapping in the wind ready to be ripped off, the "weather coating" they put on the top - looks like they did nothing, and the wheel bearing grease - I would surprised at this point if I saw fresh grease when I pop the covers off. Sales was rude, service was even worse, and the GM flat our lied to us. We got stuck with the entire bill, including labor even though the GM promised us because of their mistake, they will cover the labor. We would have never agreed to so much work if they told us ahead of time we would have to pay our of pocket. The trailer will never see their service or lot again. I would not recommend taking anything for service there again. Even the lot guy just slammed the trailer to the ground when moving it around. They were holding our trailer ransom until the bill was paid in full. Without the GM around on the day of pickup, we ended up paying the entire bill. Looking at the additional good sam coverage - I'm still trying to figure out that actually covers. I pretty sure it's a scam. I read through all the paper work, appears to be a $2k bank membership. Nothing is really covered. Helps you get out of a bind that you end up paying back in interest.

Moral of the story, service there is tricky. Sales has their ideas and service has their own. They are more concerned with earning money and not customer service. This may be the story at most places in this industry. I get they have to make their money, but they are falsely misrepresenting their brand. I would never recommend anyone doing any type of business with them moving forward. I would be more then happy to reply to any one's post comments to go over specifics if needed - just to prove it's not just a rant of someone that is upset about something that is common practice at...

I have been living in the Dothan area for quite some time now and love having a Gander here. However, I will no longer shop at a Gander because of the recent experience I had with the manager at this store. I will start off by saying I did not go to Gander to purchase an item, but rather to hopefully enlist their help for a charity event in the Dothan area. I am also an Active duty soldier stationed in AL and have been blessed to experience the support of the local community and just how much they support Veterans. Normally I would be in civilian clothes when out and about, but I wanted to take advantage of the day since I got off early. So, I headed to Gander in my military uniform. I asked a sale-person to ring a manger for me and stated the reason for my business. I waited patiently for a manger to arrive, as she approached me she had a box under one arm and a piece of paper in the other. I approached her with an extended hand to introduce myself. She ended up having to switch the paper to her other hand in order to greet me. Her reply wasn't "Hello how are you? Welcome to Gander, How can I help you?" It was, "You need to call this number" and stuck the paper out. I didn't even have a chance to explain discuss or say thank you as she proceeded to tell me that corporate handles all charity & raffle events. I tried to ask about hanging an info sign for a local charity event and she completely brushed me off with, "You need to call this number." After that she handed me the number and she was on her way. Now I completely understand corporate being in charge of decisions like these. I don't have an issue with that at all. Everyone in life is told no at some point, it's not a big deal. Many people don't have the authority to make decisions, but you get over it. What is a big deal though, is the lack of tact this manger used with me. I'm by no means asking for parades and ceremonies because I wear a uniform, but what I won't stand for is when someone doesn't even give me the time of day or the mutual respect I demonstrate to them. If I extend my hand in greeting you don't give me a piece of paper and move along your way. You shake it, listen attentively, and then apologize that you cant assist. When a manger of a large scale store treats a uniformed soldier the way I was treated I put my foot down. I have never felt so blown off in my life as I did at this Gander Mountain. My not shopping there is my choice and they won't loose any sleep over it, but I will spread the word to my fellow veterans that Gander lacks tact, professionalism, and courtesy. Hopefully that's enough to stop a few from going and possibly receiving the same...