Our retirement dream turned into a nightmare

On June 28, 2021 we purchased a 2021 Keystone Cougar 32RLI from the camping world in Logan Twp. NJ. The trailer was delivered the same day to our home in Pennsville, NJ just 15 minutes away. When the leveling and all was complete and we opened the door there was a piece of paneling from over top of the TV lying on the floor. We were told by the driver to just tack it up. We told him that isn't going to happen that CW needed to send someone out and take care of it since this is a brand new trailer under warranty and that we also purchased the platinum extended warranty package with the trailer. We called CW and were told they technically don't have a mobile tech. department. They never did anything about it.

On July 15, 2021 we had our trailer towed to a campground in Dorothy, NJ approximately an hour and 15 minutes from our home. On August 22, we moved out of our rental property to begin our RV living. On September 22, 2021 we paid the same person to move our trailer to Louisa, VA and that is when more things started to go wrong.

We could not get adequate hot water nor could we get cable in the living room on the 50" LED TV that came with the trailer which totally malfunctioned and had to be replaced. After numerous calls to Keystone and Good Sam's Technical support on November 5, we were told through troubleshooting with a technician that our electrical side of the hot water heater was not working properly and that it needed to go in to the dealership for diagnosis and repair. Also we were told by the GS technician that there was a problem with the key tv system since we could not get cable in the living room but could get it in the bedroom. We were already planning to move our trailer to Columbia, AL on November 22, 2021. There is a Camping World in Dothan, AL which was about 25 minutes from the campground we were moving the trailer to. Our thought was to take it there for the necessary diagnosis's and repairs on the way to the campground but there wasn't any availability until 12/20/21. So we made the appointment for that day.

On December 16, 2021 we called to verify the appointment was still good and was told we would get a call from the service advisor Dewayne, we never did. On December 19, 2021 we called and arranged for Good Sam's roadside assistance to tow the trailer to CW in Dothan. The appointment was for 10am and we arranged for the trailer to be picked up at 8am. When we made the arrangements all of the pertinent information was given, dry weight, capacity weight the fact it was a bumper tow. We received a phone call on the 19th at 7am asking all of the information again. They sent a flat bed with a tow ball that was the wrong size. Luckily the campground owner had a ball that he could put on that was the right size The trailer did not get to CW until 12:30pm. Also, on the 19th we had done a spreadsheet of everything that needed to be done to Dewayne at CW via email. The replacement TV came on the 19th and was in the box for them to install.

Once the trailer arrived and a walk through was done with Dewayne he informed us that it would not go in for diagnosis until the following day. From the 20th until the 23rd we heard nothing. We called to find out what the final diagnosis is were and were given excuses which later we found out were down right lies. Since they were going to be closed until the 27th we told Dewayne that we needed to come out to the trailer and get some things. He had informed us that some of the cosmetic repairs were done but he had to pull the technician off of our trailer and put him on another job because he was not aware that 3 technicians were on vacation (a lie). We went to the trailer and nothing had been done at all. On December 28, 2021 called again to find out the status of our trailer and we were told by Dewayne that we need to have a new hot water heater and that Keystone was closed until January 3, 2022 and they (CW) had to get warranty approval. On January 3, 2022 we called Keystone and they were still not re-opened. On January 4, called Keystone again, informed the customer service representative of the issues and that we had racketed up a bill for logging @ $80/night since 12/20/2021. that phone call ended with the CSR hanging up. Finally we called Thor Industries who owns Keystone and many other RV manufacturers. Explained our issues and the next day we received a call from a Keystone Customer Service manager wanting to see what she could do to help us out. At first that was all good, but once we called the office of Marcus Lemonis and filed an official complaint with them it seemed Keystone didn't even want to deal with CW and in fact the CSM told us to find out what responsibility they were willing to take, especially in regard to the lodging cost. Also, Dewayne blatantly lied to us and then Keystone regarding the work that had been done and more importantly that parts had been ordered from Keystone when they had not. Subsequently Dewayne was terminated from CW at Dothan. But the lies still go on.

We were assigned a "Case Manager" with Camping World to look into our situation. Once the complaint was filed we were told by Scott, the representative who did our intake, that we were to receive a call from the case manager assigned within 48 hours. That did not happen Called back at the same number we did the intake on and was given the name and direct # to our case manager . Audrey but refused to give her last name. Her name according to her outgoing vm message is Audrey Macon (spelling?). Left her 1 vm, 2 vm and finally a call back. In that conversation we were told she was willing to offer us a $200 gift card for our inconvenience. What a joke. A bigger joke was Camping World offered us $35,300 for a trailer that was $60,000 just 7 months ago.

We finally got our trailer back on 1/21/22. All work still not done and what was done was done half ass. The workmanship by their technicians is very poor and done with no concern to the customer and what they should have to accept Keystone has agreed to pay half of the cost of the lodging as a "good will gesture". Yet CW still does not accept any of the responsibility for their employee lying every step of the way and causing the majority of those cost to escalate to way more than they should have been.

This trailer was our retirement dream turned into a nightmare. We are currently looking to buy a property in Alabama and not do the RV living because of this experience. If it wouldn't be such a financial loss we would just sell the trailer and be done with it. But at least if we buy a home here and only use the trailer a few times a year maybe she'll last until we expire.

If anyone would say to us that this was their plan for their retirement we would highly suggest they make a new plan. We have not enjoyed any part of this so called dream. Our next move is with an attorney.

Name: Frank Lampe & David Root