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I am writing to express my deep disappointment and frustration with the service I received from Camping World of Manassas. In short, the team at Camping World of Manassas failed to properly install a standard automatic leveling system on my RV, failed to diagnose the installation problem accurately, went incommunicado for several weeks as I sought their help in solving the problem, and is now refusing to take responsibility for their error.
Here is what happened:
I brought my Class C RV into Camping World of Manassas on June 14, 2021 to have a Quadra Bigfoot Hydraulic Leveling System installed. I personally had ordered the Bigfoot system direct from the manufacturer, and I delivered the complete package straight from the factory to Camping World along with the RV. I told everyone I spoke with, both when I made the appointment and when I dropped off the RV, that I had a road trip in four days and it was imperative the system be properly installed by that time. That date was noted on the invoice. On the day I dropped off my RV, I was assured that the system would be installed on time.
I called several days later to check on the installation status, and spoke with a staffmember, who reassured me that the installation was going smoothly. However, when I went to pick up my RV on June 17, 2021, a different staffmember told me -- for the first time -- that there was a problem with the installation. The Bigfoot system installed by Camping World beeped constantly whenever the engine was turned on -- a clear sign of an installation error. At the time, Jorge claimed that Camping World had followed the Bigfoot installation instructions exactly. I spent over 30 minutes trying to troubleshoot the problem with "Ben" that day, but he was still unable to diagnose the problem. Since I needed the RV for a road trip the next day, we agreed that I would disable the system while driving to keep the system from constantly beeping until I returned, at which time Camping World would fix the problem. Since the installation was incomplete, I also asked that staff member (let's call him "Ben") what we should do about the bill. "Ben" told me to go ahead and take the vehicle for my trip, and that we would deal with the bill later.
During my RV trip, I discovered another error with the Bigfoot installation. The Bigfoot motor did not automatically stop running when the four hydraulic feet were fully retracted, as the system is designed to do. Instead, it required a manual shut-off.
On or about June 25, 2021 I called Camping World and left a message for "Ben" with a receptionist, asking for him to call me so we could figure out how Camping World could fix its installation error and get the Bigfoot system working correctly. He did not return my call. I called back and left a second message for him with a receptionist a few days later. He did not return that call either.
In the meantime, concerned that Camping World’s installation error posed a safety issue -- and not merely a malfunctioning leveling system -- I began researching the problem on my own. Although I am not a mechanic nor an auto expert, after several hours personally researching the possible sources of the problem, I discovered that Camping World had neglected to install the switch limit pins that are part of the Bigfoot Quadra System. Switch limit pins are an integral part of the system because they trigger the motor to stop running when the four feet are fully retracted, thereby preventing motor burnout (and related problems resulting from motor burnout).
On Monday June 28, 2021, 11 days after I picked up the RV from Camping World, "Ben" emailed me a bill from Camping World. I questioned "Ben" by email about two items on the bill: $30 for shipping/handling receiving, and $115 in unexplained “shop parts” -- neither of which were part of the original agreed-upon estimate. By email, "Ben" agreed to drop the $30 receiving charge and the mysterious $115 “shop parts” charge. I asked "Ben" to provide me an updated bill without those charges.
That same day, I emailed "Ben" a photo of the hydraulic foot assembly with the missing switch limit pin and asked him to validate my diagnosis. "Ben" responded by email concurring that I had diagnosed the problem directly. I responded by email asking "Ben" to call me so that we could discuss what to do. The next day, I left "Ben" both an email and voicemail asking him to call me. That email exchange is attached as Exhibit C.
"Ben" did not respond to me by either email or phone. Neither did anyone else at Camping World. Since "Ben" was not returning my calls, and I needed the Bigfoot system to work correctly, I ordered replacement limit pins directly from the manufacturer and installed them myself.
This morning, July 10, 2021, "Ben" finally called me. On the phone, he refused to acknowledge that Camping World incorrectly installed the Bigfoot Quadra system, let alone take responsibility for Camping World’s installation error or offer any remedy for Camping World’s error. Instead, he demanded immediate payment on the original bill. I asked "Ben" about the limit switch pins. He claimed, for the first time, that Camping World never received the pins. (Note: If this were true, and Camping World actually had followed the manufacturer’s installation instructions as they claimed, Camping World should have identified this problem during the original installation and notified me then.) I told him that was untrue, as I had checked the manufacturer’s packages to confirm they contained all the parts before I delivered the Bigfoot system to Camping World. His tone throughout the conversation was impolite and offensive.
Shortly after my conversation with him today I received an email from yet another Camping World staffmember with an updated invoice -- the first invoice I have received from Camping World since the original inaccurate invoice on June 28, 2021. While this updated invoice correctly eliminated the charges Camping World had previously agreed to drop, it neither acknowledges, nor offers any remedy for, Camping World’s installation error.
I will not be patronizing Camping World in the future, nor will I recommend others with an RV do so. This glaring disregard for competent work and quality customer service -- from failing to complete a routine installation to failing to diagnose an obvious installation error to going incommunicado several times on a customer attempting to resolve the matter to contacting said customer weeks later solely to demand full payment for a job not completed -- is appalling.
Name: Anonymous