.png)
My name is Greg, my parents Larry and Linda are 78 years old and live on their combined retirements. It isn't a lot of money. They enjoy camping with my family but they are not very knowledgeable about RVs. However, they like to be as independent as possible. In this case I wish they had not.
In 2018 my parents bought a new Forest River Rockwood Freedom 1950 pop-up trailer for roughly $13,000, added some upgrades, and have since paid it off. It served it's purpose and was a great unit for their needs at the time. Unfortunately, they are now in need of something a little bit larger and more handi-accessible due to some of my father's physical conditions. This trailer information will come into play a bit later.
On July 28th 2021, my parents went to Camping World/Blaine Jensen RV in Kaysville Utah, to RV shop. They have patronized that location with all of their service needs and upgrades on two separate trailers. They trusted Camping World to take care of them.
On that day they were sold a 1990 Tiffin Allegro motorhome. It had 78,000 miles which for a motorhome of it's size and engine type is a bit high. Mileage is near to or to end of life. Especially for something that old. Currently low retail is $10,800 which is high in my opinion based on the physical condition the vehicle was in at the time of purchase. The awning is torn and weather cracked (useless). The AC was not functioning at all. These are just to name a few. (I have added a link below to Nada Guides with their values of the Motorhome). (Also attached is a link to and a screen shot of the same motorhome in Jackson MI.) which is the identical model but is in top shape, and with only 28,000 original miles. They have it listed for $5,900. That is what I believe is a fair price.
My parents were charged the astronomical amount of $20,000 for this fossil of an RV. Camping World took the aforementioned 2018 pop-up trailer on trade and gave my parents $8000 for it. Camping World now currently has that trailer on their lot for $17,999 (link below). They stand to make 110% profit on that trailer. They also asked my parents to put another $4000 down payment in order to make the deal work. I believe this is because they knew that no banking establishment would finance more than $9000 for it. They practically emptied their savings and 401Ks to put the 4k down, and they financed the remainder.
To top things off, the dealership did not provide or have my parents sign a mileage disclosure agreement on the motorhome, nor was it stated on the sales contract. My parents believed they were getting a good deal because they trusted this establishment and what they were being told by the sales and management staff.
A few days after purchasing it they realized the AC wasn't working and took it back to them to the dealership to have the AC replaced. Camping World had the motorhome for over three weeks to work on it. My parents picked up the motorhome with the new AC on the 24th of August and began packing it up for their very first camping trip out in it.
The entire family was headed to Bear Lake for one last summer trip. We all have motorhomes and trailers so my parents were excited to join the pack with their new purchase. They left their home in Farmington Utah headed to Bear Lake on Thursday the 26th of August around 8am.
Shortly after leaving my father noticed the transmission had started slipping. After passing through Brigham City headed to Logan, the engine started backfiring, knocking and losing power. Trying to climb a hill in the canyon it blew a radiator hose. They immediately pulled over and spent half the day on the side of the road waiting for family members to find replacement parts to get them back on their way.
In the early even and after a large expense, they were back on the road. The engine sputtering and backfiring got worse the further they drove. After arriving in Logan, the transmission was increasingly slipping and quickly worsened until they could not get over a top speed of 15mph with the engine maxed out. But they were so close they decided to press on and at least camp and try to enjoy the weekend. They limped along and finally arrived at our campsite around 10:30pm.
This all made their trip from Farmington to Bear Lake close to 14 hours long. At the end of the weekend we scheduled a tow truck to pick the motorhome up at our campsite and take it back to Davis County. While being towed, the motorhome blew out two rear tires and had to be left on the side of the freeway to await another flatbed tow truck to pick it up. The total cost to tow it was just over $2000. It's now in need of several thousands of dollars in repairs, to include rebuilding the engine and transmission (Estimate pending), to even get it back on the road. Technically they had possession of it less than a week and all of this happened.
I went with my father to Camping World on Monday after returning from Bear Lake to try to get the deal reversed. I spoke with the Sales Manager, the Salesman and ultimately the General Manager. Each one acted as though they were unaware it was a bad deal. Each one pointing the finger at someone else. Each one also seemed surprised and didn't expect anyone to call them out on their shady deal.
The General Manager told me he would do nothing to fix the issue other than to take the broken down motorhome on trade for something else. He stated that it was a fair and signed contract. "I didn't force them to sign it" he said. I mentioned getting an attorney involved. He said "good luck" to me with getting anything from them. He stated that in all their dealings where a customer felt cheated, they always win. No one has ever been able to force them to be accountable, or get their bad deals rectified. We were actually laughed at by the General Manager and his Service Manager. We had to just walk away broken and empty handed.
I have since contacted the office of the Camping World CEO to let them know the situation. They have begun an investigation into the matter. However, I have heard nothing since, and believe that ultimately they will only offer a similar solution as did the General Manager. That would be to take the broken down MH for what it's currently worth ($0) on trade for something else from their lot. That scenario and this whole situation is unacceptable.
At the time of their purchase, I was unaware of the overly inflated price my parents had paid. I would've never allowed this deal to happen had they let me know they were buying. They are too nice, trusting, and uneducated in the world of RVs. The employees of Camping World knew this and took advantage of it. I don't believe my parents are the only ones who have been taken by these people. Something needs to be done and the community needs to be made aware of it. All sales documentation can be provided upon further investigation.
Stay far away from these people!! They will ruin you and smile about it.
Gregory A.
Forest River Rockwood Freedom 1950 - Camping World of Kaysville - 2070225
$17.00
Forest River Rockwood Freedom 1950 - Camping World of Kaysville - 2070225
2018 FOREST RIVER ROCKWOOD FREEDOM 1950
1990 Allegro M-30 Prices
1990 Allegro M-30 Prices
Research 1990 Allegro M-30 standard equipment, prices & specs at NADAguides
https://www.rvtrader.com/listing/1990-Tiffin-allegro-m30-5016422466 (listing has since been removed)
Allegro2.png
909.4kB
Name: Greg A.