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i wish i had seen this video before my recent purchase of an older allegro bay. private sale, seller told us everything was okay and than when money was handed over, started telling the flaws. wow crooked. now stuck with until resale ability in spring. yelled at us when we called several times complaining. hopefully better luck with next purchase, if it has not haunted me to not own one. Thank you for your knowledge.
@@juliacorpora4794 Julia, you probably could have refused to take delivery due to fraudulent representations. Or, have figured out the true value of the allegro bay and sued the seller for the difference between its value as represented and its value w/ undisclosed flaws. Depending on the amount, you might be able to go to small claims court which is easily done without a lawyer. A seller cannot make false representations about a product. When they do, they have breached the contract because you entered into a contract to buy a product that conforms to the seller's representations. When it does not, and the seller knew it when he made the false representations, it's fraud!
Odd couple - there are a couple of things on your "kitchen organization" page that Amazon apparently doesn't sell anymore. But Amazon does have other items like them in case you can link something else and get credit ???
Purchased: August 2023 - still works GREAT!I ru-vid.comUgkxxsUnXhGsSJLim_XnMHyQK0u3XVaW-CGn live in a studio and during the summer it gets scorching hot - really old building with no ac units. I can’t express how EASY it was to install. This unit has been a life savior during the summer and some days during other seasons where it can still be a bit warm at night. In this small place is my friend, a husky, poodle mix and myself. We need AC - lolI don’t use the dehumidifier option - I’m not sure if it will leak in my house, since I did not install the small draining hose that came with it. May look into it late but I don’t worry about much humidity in the apartment. I don’t understand why the negative reviews since all things mentioned, I personally did not find issues with. Definitely worth it!
Here is a big one, never finance your RV at the dealership. Go to a bank and get pre- qualified. The bank will tell you up front what the payment will be and how much you can spend. Then you walk on the lot as a cash buyer and can tell them to stick the credit app in their black water tank.
No,always use dealer financing because whether your financing or paying cash your purchase price will be the lowest(they think they will make up the profit through their lender)then when the first payment arrives pay the balance in full or refinance through your bank.Dealers make profit with financing more than the sale itself,especially camping world.
@@thomassmith8156 break that down for a 5 year old lol I was thinking of getting a loan through the bank because buying at the dealer they ask for a down payment
I am an ex-RV Tech. I saw your video about RV buying mistakes. I saw the video and see your points and they are valid. The problems are not as much of an issue with individual people as systemic and it is even worse than you have surmised. Let me fill you in on how the industry works. If you want a good RV don’t buy a new one. Get one that is one to two years old. That way all the problems have already been found and fixed and someone else had to put up with the headaches. Also, some of the ugly little secrets that a dealership doesn’t tell you about warranties is that there is a few fine prints clauses in most of them (not all of them so check yours). First of all they have to be repaired at the dealership they were bought at. You cannot just go into any dealership and expect the warranty to be honored. Second, the manufacturer states in the paperwork that these units are designed for temporary use. Not full time use. If you are living in it full time the warranty is void. So much more to say but I don't want to turn this into a novel so I will stop there.
Wow!!! Thank you so much for taking the time to contribute here. This is great info! We are going to dig thru the fine print and see. Thanks again for contributing! 😀👍😀👍
I'm from Alaska and I bought my trailer down in Arizona. During the drive up to Alaska the gas side of my water heater failed. After I arrived back in Alaska I took my trailer to the dealer that sells my brand and they fixed it under warranty in about 20 minutes. No fuss, no muss, they just fixed it. All it needed was a new circuit board.
oct171966 wow! Sounds as if you’d be better off taking your lawyer with you during a purchase! I just don’t get it... why isn’t customer satisfaction cheap advertising in itself? They sound like a dealership writing their own one-way ticket to their demise!
. Another thing from a victim of bait and switch, myself, a salesman showed me a pull-behind RV that was pristine and had every thing we wanted. Did not leak, looked great. When I picked it up, it did not look quiet right, but same model,same color. Got it home, leaked like a sieve, had manufacturing defects that could not be fixed, and more. How could ours leaked and the one we looked at did not? My advise is if you find one on the dealers lot that you like, write down the "VIN" number and make sure it matches the one on the purchase contract and the unit delivered.
@@RVOddCouple I made a mark on the underside of a cabinet we were getting. On delivery I looked for the mark and didn't find it. I turned to the salesman and said this is not the one we're buying .He challenged me and I told him of my Mark. They had sold the other camper and we walked away.
I have watched several rv life videos and I have to say yours is the first that I did not skip through and actually finished. A well put together video with down to earth good information. Thanks so much.
Thank you for sharing! I'm getting ready to start the RV life for the first after being a caregiver to my elderly parents for the past 5 years. Now that they are both in heaven, it's time to start doing what I always loved....traveling. This time with my dogs. 🐾❤😁
Why do you talk about it like your just like “omg finally I don’t have to look after anybody anymore, now I can finally do what I wanted to do now that my parents are dead (:”
@@taracarlos6069 because she did her Duty and took care of both of her parents and made sure they were comfortable and peaceful. It's her turn to live. I did the same thing my mother died relatively quick from lung cancer I took care of her from diagnosis to the last breath she took that was about two and a half years right after she passed We buried her in April and by November my father was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. Surgery to remove five feet of his: ending in a colostomy. Previous to this he was diagnosed at age 62 with early-onset dementia. It's okay in 13 years of being sick and colon cancer came back as well as prostate cancer. The prostate cancer was treated with hormones since he was topped out on chemo and radiation. He was 84 surgery for the colon cancer was successful but then he kept having small Strokes. We were no longer able to care for him in his home and had to put them in an old folks home he lasted about a month before he died of sepsis. After all that work and anguish and exhaustion and selfless dedication to both of my parents it was time for me to get on myself and go live my life at the age of 47.
My additional cautions: 1. If you can pay for an RV up front, DO NOT let them tell you that they have to charge a fee for cash payment. Some dealers will try. They want their interest one way or another. Tell them where to go and threaten to bring your money elsewhere. I know somebody they tried this with and a threat to walk away does the trick. 2. Refuse to pay an "inspection fee." It is the dealer's responsibility to inspect EVERY unit they sell before they send it out. They rarely do any inspection at all anyway, more than glancing at the rig, and for that they defraud you out of two or three thousand dollars. If they won't let you bring in an independent inspector if you want one, walk away. Threaten to walk away, and read to make sure they don't just creatively work this and things like the cash payment fee in elsewhere. 3. Assume that every "nice" salesperson you talk to is lying and that every dealer will do everything they can to cheat you on their poorly slapped together junk, because those three things are most likely true. 4. Never buy new. Buy one a year or two old that the first victim has had to deal with and has gotten some bugs worked out of and has depreciated an embarrassing amount, to your benefit. 5. The convenience of multiple locations of the aforementioned dealer is irrelevant. They'll screw you over every chance they get. I wouldn't stop in there to use the restroom. 6. If you don't feel comfortable in any way with the dealer, walk away. If you feel very comfortable with them, you are probably far too trusting and should be more skeptical.
Thank you thank you thank you!!! These are phenomenal cautions and suggestions! ☝ You have a ton of experience! Randy L thank you for sharing these. If you look at the comments, we have a ton of people that are planning on hitting the road soon. Please don't hesitate to share any more nuggets of wisdom!!!
@@RVOddCouple No. Thank you for listening to all that. I can get a bit wordy sometimes, when I get started. I've learned some scary things, mostly from a lot of other RVers' horror stories.
Randy L I was wondering why they refused a large downpayment from us. They said the bank will not approve us if we increase our downpayment. 🙄 (I thought before, it didn’t make sense)
We took what would have been our down payment for a new RV and used it to buy a well maintained unit from an older couple. Being first timers we didn't know if we were going to actually enjoy it and get stuck with payments and depreciation over the next 15 to 20 years. If you don't enjoy RVing you might take a small hit of 1k or so if you go to sell it in a few years. I have heard some people say "ewww" I don't want to own a used one that someone else already slept and cooked in, until you remind them that they have probably never stayed in a brand new Hotel/Motel room. Just buy a new mattress and give unit a good detailing if you have cleanliness issues. Older people seem to love to keep maintenance records and to maintain a safe unit everything works as it should. No monthly payments and I'm enjoying the Hell out of it.
You two are the best at presenting the story together. Though I’m only considering a small trailer, I watched the whole video mesmerized by your unwavering support to each other while describing such difficult times! You are the Couple of the Decade! And your advice is as priceless as your style. Thanks!
Thx for sharing such honesty it’s very rare 🥴. We’re on 2 RV opt to get an older model without the bells & whistles. Mostly manual & elbow grease wouldn’t change it. 2nd owners with only 20,000 miles when we bought our GyPsy WaGon. We looked at so many newer models that during the sales pitch some bells & whistles broke or didn’t work 😳. 1st real lesson were the tires. 🥴 Learned Not to buy the RV tires but commercial Tires. RV tires blow out on the sides, even though we kept our tires covered in sunny places cause they crack & dry. 2 lesson was if ya ever in colder climate FT’in condensation is ya Enemy. So we got small fans placed them in cabinet the front cab & sleeping areas. Air is ya friend. 😄😃. Love ya videos love honesty & the true reality of FT RVing. There’s the Good, the Bad & ugly but what an awesome time exploring this great Country God placed us in. Happy Safe Trekking God bless 🚎✌️🙏. shalom
Lots of great information! We had to replace a tire in the first month! And mold is a major concern! Appreciate your willingness to share your RVing tips and tricks. Thank you for the kind words. God bless you and yours!
These tips are basically life lessons when purchasing anything. Thanks for mentioning sales person part and warranty part. These tips are invaluable. So glad I subscribed
You two are ADORABLE together & this single video information is INVALUABLE for anyone considering RV life, especially about Camping World bc so many folks just go there by default, thinking the same thing you did about the sales staff & warranty only to be heinously disappointed. Looking forward to more of your videos. Safe travels!
I have to say, you two are so genuine, candid. We are planning to RV fulltime in two years. So appreciate the valuable information you two have shared. Thank you.
You're right about getting everything fixed before taking possession. We noted only a very few things. They told us take for a shake down trip or two, then schedule an appointment for all the repairs. However, once the appointment was made and we took it in, we were told the list couldn't be more than 7 or 8 items. Then, because we already had a coast to coast trip planned, we were told it would take 4 weeks. Four weeks turned into 7-1/2. When we went to pick it up, we found they had fixed a couple of things that didn't need fixing and neglected to fix things that needed to be fixed. Luckily they were things my husband and I could fix, which we did. Then, I found a 2-1/2' cut in the linoleum floor behind the driver's seat where no repairs were to be done. When I told our service writer, he said bring it back and we'll fix it. The problem is the tech that caused it used a greasy box cutter and that grease spread and discolored the linoleum. I told my husband there's no way I would take it back because everything they touch something, they wreck something else. We did not buy into the extended warranty and I'm so glad we didn't. They fixed most of our list and the rest we will live with. It's really a shame that the RV dealers are such shysters. You should probably subscribe to The RV Show on RU-vid. They talk a lot about Camping World.
We spent a year checking 5th wheel toy haulers out not at Camping World. Hubby decides he wants a particular one that I didn't want so... I give in. The manager who sets up the paperwork asked if we wanted the "Camp Ready" package for $1000.00 which means as soon as you drive off the lot your rig is supposed to be 100% ready to go camping. Wrong, there were so many problems with that 5th wheel that it took 4 to 5 weeks to get it completed. I went to the manager to ask for a refund on the "camp ready" contract because they hadn't filled their obligation for it. He said "NO". I then decided to contact the owner of the dealership to which the repair man said he couldn't give that information so my husband says "I bet my attorney can get it quick". He gave us the contact information. The owner was terrific all the way around. I got that $1,000 back & some brand new tires as the ones on the coach were not so good. We learned a lot through this even though it wasn't our first rodeo. Sorry this is long but maybe someone can get help through our mistake.
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us all. Glad that you got a chance to talk to the owner and that he made it right. Merry Christmas
My family is shopping for our first RV. Thank you so much for this valuable information. The comments are from smart, well informed and experienced people. You have given us golden nuggets of knowledge. Thanks so much.
Don't be embarrassed. Grateful you don't have RV ego's and are open to sharing in order to help others. Every time I call my RV lady I apologize cause I feel like I should have purchased by now or I owe them and I get so bummed about it because of the amount of time they spend with you. But I had to learn " It is their job". I feel your energy, John. It's contagious and inspiring but sometimes we need Mercedes energy in order to make our dreams come true. And i think it's awesome how you guys were able to do so taking steps together. I had a very similar experience a decade ago when purchasing a car. They suggested i sign something to hold the vehicle since they had someone else interested in purchasing the car. So i did with a deposit of a thousand $. The next morning I call to tell them I can't go forth with the sale and they tell me " We're putting the new tires on right now"... I passed out in the dentist office. I threatened to sue and i was able to walk away. But this experience has held me back and has haunted me. ps: I got your backs from the trolls. xo Thank you for being you
Thank you so much for this! I made John stop what he was doing to read this to him. You're absolutely right! Revealing that we had made this very poor financial choice was extremely embracing. But then we started thinking to ourselves, "We've been binge watching RVers on youtube and never once heard of this. Why?" And that's when we knew. We don't want anyone to experience what we did. You're a nice person, so of course, you don't want to waste their time. But when it comes time to make the monthly payments, the sales person will be gone. :-) I'm so sorry that experience happened to you. But on the bright side, you haven't let the lesson from that escape you. And thank you about the trolls. I'm starting to feel bad for people that have nothing better to do than watch something they obviously don't like and be mean. Who does that? Life is toooo darn short! Thank you again! :-)
Great video again, thanks. I have been watching RV videos for about 5 years. My wife and I bought our new 2018 Montana 5th wheel after I spent a good 3 years researching. You can never do too much research. We had a travel trailer for 8 years and plain outgrew it for longer trips than 3-4 days, so we knew what we wanted in our new 5th wheel...more space and comfort. I bought the new full ton HD truck in 2017, then the 5th wheel in 2018. Our big mistake was rushing the dealer to get our custom order RV done in time for our first month long trip to Arizona for baseball spring training. We ordered our RV with the custom paint, the Legacy package, etc. When we picked up the RV, they said to make a list of problems and they would take care of everything when we got back a month later. Well, we put together a 22 item punch list during that month in Arizona. They honored their word and fixed everything on our list, but it took nearly a full year at the dealership. We had to delay any further trips while waiting. Then when we picked it up again and checked all fixes, we drove it home to clean it really well. On the way to our house, the large rear window dual roller shades fell down again. I told the dealer service guys that the cheapo brackets were no match for the weight of the dual roller shades. While bumping down the road, the brackets just bend outward and the shades fall onto the rear sleeper sofa. I have my own machine shop for my business, so rather than taking it back to have the same cheap brackets installed again, I machined a set of aluminum support blocks to hold the shades in place, works perfectly, no more problems. It was a design flaw, not the dealer's fault. I really recommend learning to fix things yourself if you are so inclined. I must admit, although it took a long time, the dealer did fix every other issue on our list. We did have to fight them a few times as they said manufacturer won't cover this and that and blah blah blah, but we held firm and they did it all at no cost to us other than time. We do not plan on buying a new RV every 5-7 years like others recommend. We take very good care of our RVs. Our 8 year old travel trailer which we traded in was in such good condition that the dealer's wholesaler dragged it off the lot to resell it before I could even give them the keys. My best advice is to learn your own maintenance on things you can do yourself. It is not that daunting to educate yourself about all the systems and save the time your RV spends at the service department. RV ownership is not for folks who are not mechanically inclined unless you want to spend a lot of money and time without your RV.
Wow! We're so happy to hear that they took care of all of the items, but the amount of time that you waited is unacceptable. It's just not right. Ultimately you're right. If you are going to RV, you have to be handy. And not "duct tape" handy. You actually need to know how to solve problems. :-) . Thank you for sharing your story. We agree, there's no such thing as too much research!
After owning 3 sailboats over the past 20 years, and two trips to the Bahamas, my wife and I have decided to buy a class A RV and hit the road for a couple of years. We are giving ourselves 18 months to sell our boat, find an RV, rent out the house, and learn what we need to know for life on the road. I stumbled across your videos after our first visit to an RV dealer 3 weeks ago - we drove 90 minutes because their website showed they had about 12 - 15 RV's in our price range to look at. We called and talked to a salesman, and he indicated that the RV's we wanted to see would be opened up and ready for our inspection. When we got there, only 1 of the units we wanted to see was actually on site. It was Camping World - go figure! I have been watching your shows everyday for the past two weeks, and have learned so much. I have been a professional video shooter, editor, and producer since the mid 80's - so I'm a bit particular when I watch shows on RU-vid. You guys have such great chemistry and enthusiasm - I always look forward to your next production. Keep up the great work! Hope to meet you in person somewhere down the road!
More important!! NEVER buy your last RV first. Always buy a cheap used RV to start out this way you get to know how you camp and how your family relates to the space. What we thought we wanted dramatically changed over the three years we got our feet wet with our used TT. Also.. go to RV shows. The salesman are busy and leave you alone. Last of all. Once you do find your dream RV, look for it used by a year two at the most. You save a ton of money that way. as for us. We narrowed our shopping down by manufacturer. We knew we wanted a grand design but was waiting for the right floor plan. We broke our rule and bought brand new at the Hershey show. Only because we got two dealers into a bidding war over us. We walked out saving almost 50 percent 🤗. Don't be afraid to take your quote to another dealer and ask for a better deal 😉 oh and we walked away with a free lifetime warranty.
@@Lauren-vd4qe nah.. grand design stands behind their products and they gave us a one year warranty. This isn't our first dealings with Stoltzfus we know they also stand behind their service. We shopped dealers long before we shopped RVs. If our dealer didn't carry it, we crossed it off our list.
No we purchased our First and Last. I didn't want someone else issues so we got new. We didn't care about depreciation because we don't plan on selling. We paid cash everything within even all upgrades. We started debt free purchased a 2019 Puma FKRK
We love our Forest River too and have tips on buying one. After deciding on a model, find which dealer advertises the best price and obtain a 5 year loan with your credit union. Then one spouse takes a certified check to that dealer and brings the RV home. It's a huge mistake for both spouses to go because RV salespeople are pros and they play the hubby against the wife so pretty soon you're getting sold worthless add-ons like paint and fabric protection, extended warranties, gap insurance, etc, etc, etc. and are agreeing to a disastrous 20 year loan. All told a 38RKFK advertised for 52K will cost over 100K if you don't have the discipline to say no. Hope this helps.
Thanks for being vulnerable and sharing you mistakes so we can learn from them. One of my famous sayings that isn't famous yet is, " You can learn from a person who's perfect." I'm not saying there are "perfect" people, after all perfect is relative. I'm just using that expression to highlight how important it is to be open and honest about mistakes and difficult moments. It's more beneficial for those who get it. Anywho, I'm hoping to be full timing and running a RU-vid channel sooner than later. So I appreciate you guys putting this and you other experiences out there.
So glad. We just want to save you from the same problems we experienced. You may want to watch our "worst RV dealer" video. We share the actual document that they use to close you on the additional policies. You have to see it. So sneaky! :-)
She pirate: Terrytown R.V in Grand Rapids Michigan. A Super Great Dealer for prices, customer service and after the sale service in the midwest. This dealer also does a huge amount of business Nationwide I have done tons of research on many Dealers and they are one of the best. 4 of my friends have purchased new from Terrytown in the last 3 years and are very happy with their overall experience from sales to service which is crucial when making such a big purchase. Customer service is a high priority there. Im also about to purchase a 5th wheel as well at Terrytown. Google reviews are rated at 4.7. Just some Words for thought. Night and Day compared to Camping World and many others..
Any one has a dealer recommendation for near central California? Me and the hubby looking for our 1st. Got 2 boys and looking to show them some fun adventures. But definitely do not want to make to many mistakes 😉
That's what makes us mad. That's their practice. The more we research the company that we went through, the more that we hear stories like ours. But we are hopefully helping others avoid our mistakes. Thank you for the kind words and well wishes. We appreciate your support! :-)
hg2 He probably became the sales manager... It’s sad to see people treated like this so they can make a living. There are ways to make and KEEP customers but most don’t understand how to do business. Word of mouth is the cheapest advertising that works. It’s also the knife in your back! 🤬 in the end, it all comes around. (Both ways) Thanks for the video! Bill
#4  especially good. #6 🤣. On warranties, always shop. Budgeting the cost and paying up front can save 1/2 to 2/3 over what the RV dealers get, not counting the financed interest. And at such time as you sell the RV you can often cash in the warranties for a prorated refund. The dealer and the salespeople get a kickback off anything they sell. (RVing and camping for 60 years, full time for 10, and doing 4-8 months for the past 16 years. 24 RVs of all kinds between the 2 of us over 50 years.) Good to see you out enjoying the life. Thanks for sharing your adventures.
We just bought our 1st RV! 2020 Winnebago Outlook 25J. Absolutely love it & wanted to thank you for all of the videos | advice! Y'all helped make the entire process easier than falling in love! We wish every 1st timer would watch THIS video! 🦈🇦🇺🍺🦈🇦🇺🍺🦈 -Jason | Taz
We wish we could say "this company is great" but we don't have experience with a good dealership. But members of the RV Odd Squad tend to have a better experience with smaller rv dealerships.
@@RVOddCouple I went to a locally owned smaller dealership, made multiple visits with checklists, did extensive online research and still got screwed. After they sold the one I wanted out from under me and lied about it, two came in of the model I got but they said the first had already sold and I could have the second one about to roll in (this was during the covid panic buying of RVs, but not my reason). Turns out they ended up giving me the first one, as if they were doing me a favor to let me have that one. The truth was the first one was completely messed up, so since I was a newbie they thought they could pull it off on me. They ended up delivering it with 24 major problems, that I'm still trying to get resolved a year later. So much for small dealerships, but maybe it does work better most of the time. It's just not foolproof.
Y’all were right on about Camping world. Went to look at RVs today and went there to look and was up front that we were starting search and not buying today. So after the salesman showed us 3 RVs and wouldn’t let us look without him he tried everything to get us to buy and we said no just started looking he said that’s all I have to show you and showed us the door. So I told him I’ve been watching a lot of RU-vid and doing my homework about buy RVs he said that was the worst thing I could do. And walked away. Will never go to CW again all were every rude.
Thank you for sharing this! I believe (IMO) CW is on it's way out of business! The pressure on sales people must be pretty high... Thanks again and stay away from CW😀
Our experience was the same. A sales lady didn’t want to show my son a floor plan he wanted to look at. Unless he was going to buy it. She finally gave in. This isn’t the only bad experience we had either them. They advertised the price with delivery included and the increased the price of delivery. They didn’t want to honor their pricing from on line. I blame there high top management or the owner for training them.
Omg, we had nearly the same experience buying our new camper at camping world. The enormous list of problems took nearly a year to fix and they damaged our camper as well! Not only and If they dent it and crush in the cargo door, they broke a downspout and replaced it with a white one and the other three are black!!! Great video.
This video was very helpful. When I bought my second travel trailer I am totally sold on the RV dealership we went through in Minnesota.The sales person asked up front what kind of truck we were going to be using she said we don't let you buy something to make a sale. If your truck isnt big enough we tell you. When we purchased it the sales person, mechanic and us walked through we all made a list to be fixed and when we picked it up all 4 of us walked to make sure every thing was fixed they showed us how everything worked and gave us a card to call them if needed.
I’ve owned an RV ( 5th wheel ) for over 10 years and I would add start with a used one and work your way to a newer ( not new ) one that has all of the bugs fixed and you save a ton of money because of resale value goes way down the minute you leave the lot ! Many people have little to no experience pulling a 5th wheel ( I drove OTR for over 35 years ) and they get into situations a lot ! I found a 1976 24ft. Mint shape 5th wheel for $1,000 , now for that kind of money it was worth seeing if we liked to RV ! Our next one was a 28ft also very nice shape ( always check the floors for soft spots ) for $5,000 and it’s a 2006 and when we buy our next one it will be a 34ft and we will upgrade our truck from 1/2 ton to a 1 ton , all in due time ! Like you said take your time ! Oh and it pays to join a club like GoodSam and AAA !
Thank you for the advice. You are right. The first owner of the RV takes the brunt of the depreciation! We wanted new and assumed that new meant no issues. (like with a new auto). lesson learned! :-)
I am an older single lady and I guess you could say I am a full time RVer...6 months on the open road in my motor home and 6 months in my 35 ft Prowler in resident owner RV park in Leesburg, Florida. I had 2 different little Toyota Class C motor homes over 25 year period and loved them so easy to drive and go anywhere. Well, my last one got totaled in an accident 3 years ago no fault of my own. So in 3 weeks I had to find something and ended up with a now 28 year old Dodge Roadtrek Class B. I ended up with a little settlement and want to go back to a Class C. Thinking of a Jayco Redhawk 22J. Any advice you or others can give me will be appreciated and kept in mind. There are tons if dealers within 50 mile radius of where I live here in Florida. I guess I will stay away from Campers World. I went to one while up in NH...not crazy about their small Thor Class C anyway.... I felt like you guys that they are everywhere so if you have a problem you could get them serviced almost anywhere on the road, but I guess that is not really a good thing! Thanks for reading my comment... I give you guys lots of credit with your frankness in your travel adventures!
@@RVOddCouple Your welcome! Wondering if you are in Florida for the winter. Maybe I will find you in my travels somewhere. Will be looking for more helpful hints. Please check out my RU-vid site; lol You can find me filming some of my trips and music...karaoke ... lol not very good at it, but it is fun! Happy travels, Marion
They prey on and take advantage of the naive first time buyer. That's the bulk of their business. I bought from them. was charged $2000.00 destination fee. Never again. Lemonis is a crook. Oh and if your a Trump supporter he said he doesn't want your business.
@@sarahann530 a deposit to hold the vehicle we tested that evening. They put the money back into our account, the sales representative told the managers not to run our credit or run the card til we tested the other vehicle, if you cant trust someone why will you even buy from them.
@@sarahann530 well the issue here is you, either you're a camping world manager or just a bully, why don't you try to find the fifth horse's leg and go screw yourself while you at it.
I just discover you guys so I am going through your old videos. I am really enjoying all your content. I just wanted to say that I knew before you even said so that you went to Camping World. We bought our first Travel trailer from them. While I have to say that our sales guy was a lot of fun. They really pressure a person into buying. We were newbies and didn't realize a lot of things. We will never go to Camping World or any big RV dealer chain again. We found a small family owned (third generation) RV dealer and we are thrilled with the whole buying process for our second RV. These people have been wonderful. No pressure, no hidden fees. They did a very thorough education and walk through with us which we did NOT get at Camping world. They DID teach us about the camper, but it was NOT good. f
Welcome to the RV Odd Squad. Glad you joined us. Taking time is such a big heart-ache saver. I'm so glad that you didn't do the "bone headed" thing that we did. :-). Expensive lesson to learn.
Great stuff! Y'all are a great fun couple. A big part of Rving is problem solving and stories. Doing it as a couple just enriches the experience! Look forward to watching more of your videos!
Just subscribed. We should have watched this video first before buying. But then again, I've only started watching RV videos after we purchased as we are planning our trips! Your videos (all that I've watched so far) are so much more relatable. So much to learn and we are probably still an embryo as we have only been out once in our newly purchased RV. We have rented 2x before. Renting is so much more different than owning... I think!
This video is so true. Here in Australia the experience of buying an RV is exactly the same. The dealers play the same game. We have a lady here who got "duded" by a RV dealer and she has made the whole consumer law thing turn on its head.This lady has cleaned up and still cleaning up the industry through litigation. Her name is "Tracy Leigh" and has thousands of followers and financial supports. We have "doggy" dealers going into liquidation like crazy all due to this lady's input. I'm really writing this to say thank you for sharing your experiences. As you tell your story I'm thing just how dishonest and conniving some dealerships are everywhere. Thanks guys.
She needs to visit the states! :-). Tell her to clean up our RV industry too! Yes, unfortunately some dealerships are very dishonest. There are a few good ones, but they are few and far between. Hope we help others avoider mistakes!.
We bought our Fifth-Wheel at Berryland Campers in Ponchatoula Louisiana and the dealership had us triple check the RV and wouldn't let us leave with it until we were familiar with the right, plus we got a great deal
Thank you! We have been dreaming of RV living and finally about to make it happen. My husband has been doing all this research, but I told him that I need videos that also talk about the bad stuff and the mistakes! Just like parenting, I don't want to get into this with only half the knowledge! Not everything is sunshine and rainbows!!
Wonderful August 😀 Welcome to the RV Odd Squad. We keep it real and share all of it. The good, bad, and ugly. We love the lifestyle but it is not all rainbows and butterflies :) Let us know what you end up doing :)
We bought our camper also from Camping World and you are right their prices are good but from that point on it's an absolute nightmare. This service department is atrocious we brought it in for warranty work they had it for 6 months and damage the camper on the way out the door then denied that they even made the damage however we never fell for their upsell on warranty items. Good luck hope to see you out there
Glad you didn't fall for the warranty items. Love the use of the word atrocious and that is a perfect description of our customer experience with Camping World. They damaged ours too. Safe travels!
John and Mercedes love watching you guys. As a widower I recently rediscovered my youth in camping although believe that RV is a better way to go. I should add I neither own presently or will for next 5 years. Goal is at that point to tour through Canada and the U.S. visiting as much of the parks and trails humanly possible. While you opt for a larger trailer I think my first trailer will be a 20' or so and as I spend most of my time outdoors or sleeping I'm not in need of larger home style at this point - that could change. The question I have is did you jump into a large trailer or did you do a step up or steps up. I love that you pray, although I'm more a spiritual person as opposed to religious and believe treat others as you would expect to be treated. I love your RU-vid episodes and look forward to conversing. When hiking I tend to hike 24 km a day so base camp is important :) Second question is did you declutter as oppose to sell off everything or simply sold everything and as the episodes grow I notice items have expanded - what items have you discarded while on this 6 month tour?
Thank you for being a part of our Journey Michael💚 Great questions! Hope one day we can sit around a fire and get deeper into these questions...Here's the short answers: Our 42' Rig was our first Rig, 20' sounds perfect for one or 2 people in our opinion. We too are Spiritual not religious! Our relationships with God are direct and personal. We decluttered and rented 10'x10' storage unit for the things that we saved. Sold or donated everything else. Thank you💚💚💚
You guys are awesome! I love your honesty. The first video I watched was the Pissed Off video. You are spot on about the RU-vidrs that don’t respond. We follow many sailing groups and find the same thing! I too feel so connected to them but honestly, they don’t know or care that we exist! So happy to have found you. We are just beginning the RV lifestyle possibility. Your channel will be a huge help.
RU-vid just recommended this site to me. Glad they did. You two are a pleasure to watch, and since you are new to RV life, I am learning a lot about the process of purchasing an RV and adjusting to the lifestyle. The mistakes that you chronicled in the video are very helpful. The same can apply to purchasing a new car. I had heard others talk about service at Camping World, but also avoid Lazy Days in Tampa FL. See the recent videos from "Next Exit" and an older one from "Greatescape." They will send chills down your spine. Since you are just starting out, and still learning, your videos will be very helpful for someone like me starting out with the purchasing process. Thumbs up! And subscribed!
Grand Design seems to be the best brand out there from what I have seen on You Tube. You really have opened a lot of eyes...you have to stay sane during all the excitement.
Great advice. We took delivery of our camper with damaged refrigerator door (small dings) after being promised dealer would repair. A year later dealership customer service parts dept still hasn’t resolved problem.
Didja get it in writing? Because if you did, and they didn't fix it after, say, three or four months *_(more_* than a reasonable time!) and I could document that I had pestered them repeatedly about it (e.g., took notes every time I called them), then I would just take my rig to a different dealer and pay full price for the appropriate repair and then sue the first dealer in small claims court for the cost. And I would file a complaint with the New Motor Vehicle Bureau too, while I'm at it.
Thank you so much. This really helps me. I typically start researching a year or two before I buy anything, and that is usually because everything that I'm researching is new to me. It is when I get to a dealership that I would start to falter. They would make me feel bad for the time that I've taken or am taking in that moment. So knowing in advance that this too is part of their strategy to promote quick sale when possible is a plus for me not to let my guard down. So, thank you for sharing y'all experience. I've learned to "check everything 3 times" or better and lol, to have somewhere to park a camper before buying. (I was thinking that I would be fine if I went with a small class C or larger B, but, to be safe I will now research that as well) 😊.
You are very welcome Sabrina😀 Happy to help where we can. Go slow, look at all options, go to an RV show and walk on as many as you can, know exactly what you want before hand and then have them bid for your business. Thank you and let us know what you decide😀
Just purchased our first RV and we love our unit, no buyers regret, but ohh I wish I’d seen this video first!! We did our research, knew what we wanted, and wasn’t in a hurry. I’m currently fighting with the dealership to get things fixed that we found wrong during demo, things that were broken before delivery, but they were all “ohhh we will take care of it, go ahead and take it home!” Yeah, big time BS. I’ve begged and pleaded and tried to be reasonable and patient. Now I know it was a big scam.
Say I really enjoyed your presentation the sincerity bleeds through. Usually husband wife kind of presentations are campy, but yours had a genuine feel to it. Thanks for all the information!
This was a great video. Many of the rv videos are people with unrealistic expectations. I’m looking to buy my first and am a little scared. I appreciate your honesty
shawn winn look into used RVs with about 15 to 20 K miles. We bought ours in 2015 but was a 2016 model. It was a previous rental from Road Bear. It was 20K dollars less than brand new and it was almost new. Never had to bring it back to the dealership. I think if there was anything that broke down has already been fixed before I bought it.
Been there, done that with Camping World. Purchased June 1, had some things added, didn't get it until late August. Things still not done, took it to another Camping World closer to me, didn't get it back until the end of September. They also did damage to it before I picked it up the first time and that's why I ended up at another Camping World after I got home and discovered the problems. Never say never, so I don't know if I will deal with Camping World again, but I will certainly shop around first and use what I learned from my experience. You are right on with your tips and conclusions.
I had absolutely no problem with my purchase at Camping World. I saw the bag of chips I wanted in the vending machine, put in the dollar, pulled the lever, and out came a bag of potato chips. No hassle, no fast and loose contracts, no problems.
Here's a tip. Buy any extended Warranty with cash in a non-sales tax state. Example Oregon. Call a dealer there. They will sell you an extended warranty for $100-200 over cost. Works for cars, trucks and boats too.
Just found your channel...YAY! My hubby and I have been researching full time rv living for almost 2 years, and I go Friday to try to negotiate a deal and get the one we want built, (my hubby is currently stationed in Japan until Sept, and when he returns we hope to take delivery of our rv). I am so glad I found your video! I talked with another channel yesterday about rv buying tips, and I appreciate all the advice from those of you who have done it and learned what the best strategy is! 💗
Thank you both for your service. Families sacrifice a lot too, so thank you. Don't be afraid to walk away. They will call you back, so don't let them tell you that someone else will buy it from under you. Take your time. And make sure you don't get the extra warranties that they sell. Check out our "Worst RV Dealer video" where we show you the documents they use to sell you. You are better off putting money in savings. Hope this helps. Welcome to the RV Odd Squad! :-)
@@RVOddCouple Thank you so much for your kind words!! My hubby and I have been married 25 years, and he has been a Marine for 23 years. After hundreds (and hundreds) of thousands of dollars spent on military housing, and only 7.5 years left, we realized we have nothing to show...so we are moving into a Grand Design 397 toy hauler, lol! Our 22 year old daughter will be moving into a house to finish up college, and our 21 year old daughter, Sis, has Williams Syndrome, functions at 8 years developmentally, and she will always be with us...no empty nest, YAY!!! 💗 We will be stationed in Cherry Point, NC for 3 years, then back to San Diego to finish up his time. We are originally from the Smoky Mtns of TN, but we also love TX, so not sure where we will retire. We are super excited to start a journey that is focused more on less stuff and more journey/experience. We know it won't be easy, but at least we will own a tiny home that is OURS and can take us on amazing adventures....eventually, lol! We are so excited to follow your journey! 🥰
Jackie, me, and Gray went to the Kentucky Expo Center RV and Boat show in Louisville, Kentucky today. Two weeks prior, we put an order in for a Rockwood GeoPro 15TB. The show was huge. There were a few thousand people there and little Gray did very well in the crowd considering all the distractions. However, we were disappointed in the following: there were too few small campers that a Wrangler or small SUV could tow. Only really saw three. And there were absolutely no tear drop or overland trailers of any kind. Also, there were almost no vendors who were selling products that the camping communities would be interested in. There were many boats, and some associated vendors, but in the grand scheme of things few associated water sports vendors as well. Having said that, I did inspect many campers and am happy in my selection of the Rockwood GeoPro. Its standard features, as well as all aluminum framing, azdel vacuumed sealed walls, and one piece fiberglass roof make us feel assured we made the right choice for our first camper!
So glad I watched your video. I did find a TT that was used at Camper World but due to reviews I decided not to even go see it physically. Ended up buying from an individual,so glad I did. Appreciate your openness. Thanks.
I’ve had good luck with sams roadside service with tire problems. Had 3 flats at different times in different states. They’ve always been very timely and changed the tire or towed the rig. When it comes to repairs, I’ve found dealerships in several states subpar. They always say they are already backed up and when they complete the repair many times it’s not done right as their main job is to sell RV’s not repair them their service people are not the best. I’ve had good luck with mobile repair people in many different locations around the country. For major work we’ve gone back to the factory in Indiana where the best people are available and it’s been worth the expense of going many, many miles out of our way to have the repair done right if it’s something really major.
Glad to hear that you had a good experience w/ Good Sams Roadside. We had Good Sams Roadside when this happened but we called the "tire warranty" insurance that they sold us and we got sub-par assistance. This is fantastic advice! Thank you so much for sharing this! We're considering going straight to the manufacturer. :-)
You guys are so cute, honest & fun to watch ❤️❤️ thanks for the info - I’d rather have a B or C van/ RV so if I have to drive off, I can without having to get out of my unit like you have to in a 5th wheel
Hi Valerie. Funny, I'm gravitating towards a B or C. I'm not realistically ready for the next level of downsizing that it would require, but the idea of being able to stop anywhere sounds awesome! Maybe in the future. Who knows?
Great video, as far as camping world goes I was dealing with them for 5yrs with my previous travel trailer for repairs and such and it was a huge pain. Weeks, months dead ends and empty promises. I recently bought a new trailer from general rv and the experience for me was amazing from start to finish.
I read one of the comments and I agree. Buy used. The money you spend to drive it off the lot is not worth it. But to each his own. I bought new and didn't get the gap insurance. It got wiped out by a tornado about 4 years in and we ended up owing about $8K after insurance. Lesson learned the hard way! We can all probably find something to be embarrassed about with our RV purchases. We looked and looked until I walked into THE ONE! I knew it was my new home and my husband had been working out of town and was just exhausted by the entire process at that point. I called him and he told me to go ahead and get it! Wow! He loved it when he did finally see it so it all worked out. I think you guys are fantastic for sharing your truth with the world!
Thank you Tammie! You're right. Buying new means you take the brunt of the depreciation! So appreciate you leaving so many kind and uplifting comments!
Yeah, I watch a lot of RV-related RU-vid videos, and if there is one common thread among them, it's that Camping World _sucks!_ Their reputation is horrendous. It's hard to believe that any company whose products or services you don't _have_ to buy would allow their reputation to sink so low. How do they stay in business? In the past, I might've just chalked it up to lack of knowledge by the public. After all, buying an RV isn't something you do every day, nor is it something that everyone does. So it's not like you can rely on previous experience or discuss RV dealerships with your friends and neighbors. But in this day and age, with the internet and social media, I'm amazed that there seem to be so many consumers who apparently don't know about the awfulness of Camping World. That's the only way they could continue to treat people like crap and yet still stay in business. I've never bought an RV in my life, but I watch RU-vid, and I know that when I _do_ buy one, it won't be from Camping World!
Here's one more thing you should look into I would check on AAA they have it Premier packaged that has Towing one time up to 200 miles you have to think about the stress that the extra weight of the camper puts on your vehicle this can be a lifesaver I should know when I after I blew up my motor you got me back home just Towing the truck would it cost me roughly $1,000 and I still had to get my camper home so just a heads up from somebody was lived in RVs for years best of luck and enjoy
Love your honesty! Mistakes happen to everyone but many people like to forget about therm and don't pass the info on. After spending a day or two with your sales person, with (a lot of) them acting like your friend you start thinking/feeling like you can trust them to be totally honest. Unfortunately, many aren't 😟. I probably would have made 90% of your mistakes and another 10-20% different mistakes. Love your energy and chemistry!
Thank you Smit! We are Blessed to be living this life and are grateful to have learned so much from our viewers. We think that simply being honest about our mistakes has helped us grow. Thanks again😀👍
I'm so grateful to YT'ers who do these honest posts. After over a year of research, I've decided against buying an RV. I'm still going camping but I'm building my own.
Just watching a few vids....is never enough...watch hundreds....that's what we are doing....but as you know now.....you live....you learn.....but very informative things to know....!!!
Like buying a motorcycle, learn as much as you can, ask people. Never assume you know what suits you or your needs. Easy to overlook basic practicality: I have more than one m'bike but use the lightweight bike as my "go to" more often as it's easier to move in and out of the garage. Only take out the "heavy artillery" when I'm going a long enough distance to justify the hassle of moving it. You never take this into account when buying. Same with an RV, a lighter and smaller RV might be more useful
Yeah, Camping World has a terrible reputation. I don't know how they get away with it in this day and age, with the Internet and social media and everything. I wouldn't go within a mile of the place! 😀
I thought this was delightful even if you, the presenters, felt like you made a lot of rookie mistakes! You were honest about it and that is so helpful. Also you are so nice together, it's refreshing. You were under a lot of pressure while at the dealer and still are together! When you said to keep your emotions out of it that was good. My husband and I played "good cop, bad cop." I got to say things like "I don't know, I'm really tired, I think we'll go home and think about it." My husband did give completely towards the end and that was great because then I got to say things like. "I'm bored, let's go home." I thought the sales person was going to croak right there on the spot!
My husband and I lost our house after 10 years...We could not find an apartment because of of two cats and two dogs! so we found an excellent deal on a RV and since we are retired it was an excellent monthly payment so now we will have to live full time no. I made sure I did what you told us and we now have our new home. We also looked around stores like home depot and walmart to get things that are cheaper that we need to live comfortably.
Stop paying for extended warranties. A one year manafacturer warranty for the RV is already included and 3 years on the chassis and power train from Ford, Ram ect. Just be sure to submit for any issues before this one year runs out. Also there are usually one year warranties on individual components and there respective manufactures for example Coleman A/C, Truma water heater. Most insurance companies include towing on policies so dont pay for it at dealer. All Rv dealers have horrible service nightmares and will lie about progress on your warranty repair. One way to combat the long wait and light a fire under the dealers ass is to follow up with the manufacturer to cofirm they have received a request for warranty authorization and if it was approved and if the parts were shipped out. Hope this helps you.
LOL, I’ve got a mr-fixit for a husband, he can’t sit still and I’m sure he’ll enjoy any ‘issues’ that need his attention as they come up when we finally hit the road...I used to be so annoyed that I couldn’t get a new vacuum cleaner cause he’d always be like, ‘no worries, I got this’ and he’d fix it🤨 (always reminded me of the movie ‘Holes’😊)...the only way I finally got one is that once when moving stuff in a pickup, the vacuum fell out and broke up 😂🤣😂...but then I noticed that newer ones were built like crapola,...ergo....he got to do even more fixin’. He’s a real ‘do-the-same-thing-everyday’ kind of guy, so I encourage him when he gets concerned about the uncertainess of rving, that think of all the stuff he’ll get to fix🤷🏻♀️😆. This is a great episode..always enjoy your channel!🙋🏻♀️
That's dumb. You go ahead and replace and pay for ac units, heaters, vent fans, electrical panels on and on and on. Of course if you want to let people get away go ahead.
Totally Agree however we bought a warranty here in Canada, it is honored in Canada and the USA, it covers bumper to bumper, cosmetic, structural and thius is a class C so engine, electrical, Power-train and so on, it was $5000.00 for 5 years and if we do not use it, we get 50% refunded after the 5 years. So I am making sure we do not use it unless we absolutely have to so as I am a Truck and Coach Mechanic (Retired) I will do most of my own repairs, keeps me busy and I know it was done right ;)
This reminded me so much if my first financing of our family suv. 🤣🤣🤣🤣 very good tips you have. I left all those tips on that car sites review 2 years ago so its nice to see I'm not the only one who had such an experience and learned so much. Only difference is rv for you guys. Thanks for sharing.
