Disappointing, to say the least

On May 6, 2022, my husband and I drove to Eau Claire, WI to purchase a new 2022 Forest River Wildwood FSX 170SS from Camping World that we initially found on their website. We worked with salesperson Adam P. Base price was $28043.00 with a trade in allowance of $7000 for our 2012 Cruiser.

Our first impression of the camper was disappointing to say the least. It was filthy, not what you would expect to find when purchasing something new with the intent on leaving with it that day. More disappointing however were the multiple cosmetic flaws inside the camper: dings and dents all over, cabinet doors hung unevenly, trim coming off, and chips in the appliances. When sharing our disappointment with Adam his response (multiple times) was “if you want better quality then you’ll have to spend more money”. After informing him that this is what was in our budget, we were assured that all the identified items could be fixed through warranty however they could not be fixed until purchased. We decided to still purchase the camper given this information that it would all be repaired through warranty as we really liked this camper and after all they were only cosmetic flaws right...

After using our camper twice, we noticed that the running lights and blinkers were not working, as well, one of the stabilizer jacks had broken. We scheduled an appointment at the Roscoe location (as this is the closest location) to have this and all the other warranty items repaired. When brought it in on June 7- 17 items were identified that needed repairs and we were given a promise date of completion of June 15:

They just continued to tell me that these were all normal things to be wrong with a camper.

1. Diver side lights not working

2. Passenger side stabilizer jack adjustment too far out (weld broke off bolt that secures regulating piece in place {diagnosed problem})

3. Slide out sidewalls are warped on both sides

4. Window and slide out will not close properly

5. Knee wall on this cold has damage

6. Trim around still has tipped paint

7. Cabinet above stove has damage

8. Cannot open microwave

9. Cabinet door above the bed is crooked

10. Covered behind couch is lopsided

11. Counter has her in front of sake

12. Coat hooks bar crooked

13. Floor is spongy and creaky in front of college

14. Table has her in edge

15. Trim under table on last loose

16. Trim to bathroom door loose

17. Shower surround loose

On June 15th we arrived at Camping World to pick up our camper only to be told that everything had been submitted to warranty however it will be a long process to complete the work as they are waiting on parts. We were informed that they were able to fix a few things however upon walking into the camper NOTHING had been fixed. The new battery we had just purchased from CW was bone dead for which we were told would recharge as we drove home (this did not happen). And ultimately killed our truck battery the next morning. We were informed that nothing was wrong with the lights on the camper rather it was a problem with our truck (thus we drove home with no lights) however the camper lights still didn’t work even when hooked up to a friend’s truck, and when we hooked up our truck to another trailer, the trailer lights worked. We were told that there is no issue with the window that does not close properly, it just must be closed firmly. We were told that the microwave door was fixed however it still does not open. None of the crooked items have been straightened and no trim has been replaced. The stabilizer jack was supposedly welded. However broke off again the next time I used it.

While camping the weekend of the 17th, I sat down on the couch to feed our baby and the entire couch dropped, giving out from under us, come to find out the couch had never been bolted down at all as it should have. Once home, the slide out would no longer slide out. Camping world sent an employee to come pick up our camper and when he hooked it up to his truck the lights still did not work. The slide out is now functioning however there is a tear in the weather stripping, and it is uneven on both sides causing the slide to function improperly, yet the service department is insisting that this is normal. The slide out also has gaps from the interior that are wide open to the outside elements. There also appears to be water damage now under the window on the slide and more interior damage that was not previously noted.

At that point being concerned for my family’s safety and the longevity of this camper I reached out to the sales manager at Camping World of Roscoe to see what my options were to get out from this camper that we have now owned for less than two months and used only three times. My options were to continue to allow them to finish the warranty work, which is what he recommended, or he would be willing to give us a $23,000 allowance for a trade (which puts us in the negative of several thousand dollars with our trade and additional expenses).

We found a camper we liked however the monthly payment was out of our budget especially considering the interest rate increase, so he told us to find a camper more in our price range. When we found such a camper, we were informed that now he could only offer us $20,000 for a trade since we were spending less money.

As if all this wasn’t enough, while our camper was parked at Camping World it received lot damage on two separate occasions.

We have spoken with the general manager at Camping World in Eau Claire, the sales manager, service manager, and general manager at Camping World in Roscoe, and have spoken with Nicole at corporate with no resolution.

I called and spoke with a representative at the Wildwood manufacture and warranty division and was informed by her that at this point NO recent warranty claims have been submitted for our camper (even though the dealership told us they had already submitted all the warranty work). Not only that, but she also informed us that Adam misrepresented the truth about work not being able to be completed until purchased as this is not the case, work can be completed prior to purchase and as a matter-of-fact work had previously been completed on our camper in January which Adam never informed us of.

As we were reviewing or finance paperwork, it appears we were charged improperly for sales tax at a rate just slightly over 5.6% instead of Eau Claires sales tax of 5.5%, is that even legal…

My experience with camping world has been a complete nightmare. And if I could save just one single person from not having to go through this then it will make it all a little bit more worth it. In the meantime we are stuck with a broken camper (29 things needing to be fixed and counting) in the middle of camping season, that I continue to be told is “camping ready “. Completely disheartened by the disrespect and negligence from every single person at camping world that I have worked with.

Name: McKayla P