Follow Up: Camping World Tallahassee increases price on custom order after delivery

[JFlightRisk]

I agree it's all about the bottom number that matters. Just that they broke that out to a separate charge caught my eye.

Someone once said, when one door closes, another one opens. It's very true, and profound, so it may be you'll find what you're looking for somewhere else, and this'll just turn into a faded memory. We're all hoping for the best for you and your family.

[mgparr]

Thanks. I appreciate it and I agree with your sentiment about doors opening and closing.

I'll update if we manage to work a deal of some sort. Otherwise, we'll figure out some other ways to make memories with our kids.

[JFlightRisk]

Please do. We're all behind you, and will be waiting for the outcome, whatever it might be. Take a deep breath, and carry on.

[Poppyof5]

Originally Posted by Midnightmoon

OK, now is the time that I would like to offer you some advice. Please accept this from someone who also has younger kids (16 and 6) and has been at this RV lifestyle for some time. Go out today and buy yourself an RV off the lot somewhere and get out in the wind. Don't allow your negative experience with this dealer sour the experience that you could be having with your kids. I can just picture both of my kids when they were babies and we were traveling with them. It was just like it was yesterday. I seemingly blinked my eyes and all of a sudden I have a high school age kid planning to go away for college. It goes by much too fast to be derailed by something like an RV deal gone bad.

I realize that it is hard to forget this negative experience that you had. But don't let that discourage you in your future RV adventures. Pickings are slim on the lots right now. But, units are still out there if you are willing to compromise on size, floorplan, and manufacturer. Kids 9 and 5 don't need a ton of space. Go find something that fits your minimum needs and get your family out camping. Trust me when I tell you that you will not regret the choice.

I agree get out there and see what ever it is you want to see.

[mgparr]

We just came to terms on a Rockwood Ultra Light 2887mb. This was with internet sales and will be picked up at Lazydays of Wildwood. We've given a refundable deposit and are working on delivery timing now.

We tried to stay with an Eagle HT 31MB but just couldn't get dealers to play ball. We're at 51K (25% off) out the door on the Rockwood. About 4k more than we planned but that's livable. The best I could get on a 31MB was less than 20% discount. In this market, 25% seems like a strong deal.

I've heard very mixed things about Forest River but the Rockwood showed really well. Cabinets and things felt every bit as well made as the Eagle HT. I'm going to line up a 3rd party inspection and hope we don't have to use the warranty. I've read that Forest River isn't great for that.

[2021JayFlight28BHS]

Agree, find you something cheaper that will just get you by for a few years that you might not otherwise consider. I imagine in a year to 2 there will be quite a few barely used decently priced RVs out there when the markets are flooded with people wanting to sale the RV they bought for Covid and no longer use.

Start making memories…. ASAP…. I’m 47 and remember us camping just about every weekend as a kid from 5 years old or so up. Good times!

[Jopopsy]

Originally Posted by Midnightmoon

OK, now is the time that I would like to offer you some advice. Please accept this from someone who also has younger kids (16 and 6) and has been at this RV lifestyle for some time. Go out today and buy yourself an RV off the lot somewhere and get out in the wind. Don't allow your negative experience with this dealer sour the experience that you could be having with your kids. I can just picture both of my kids when they were babies and we were traveling with them. It was just like it was yesterday. I seemingly blinked my eyes and all of a sudden I have a high school age kid planning to go away for college. It goes by much too fast to be derailed by something like an RV deal gone bad.

This is what I ended up doing. I had to punt on my deal due to it being built but delayed to a multitude of missing parts. My selling dealer would not play ball on ANYTHING that came on his lot in the meantime. Essentially charging ~5% off sticker if you were lucky.

I moved on to another dealer and am in the process of purchasing a Winnebago - assuming everything checks out in prep and w/ Ford (its at Ford right now due to a check engine light; the code says something w/ the EVAP system).

My oldest has 2 summers to go before she goes to college. I can't get that time back.

*I don't plan on leaving the JOF though - this has been my forum 'home' for quite some time and I still want to contribute*

[kirkelli]

if the end selling price is not disclosed in contract, then the dealer can charge what they want at the end.. For example, if you special order a new car/truck the order will detail deposits, down payment etc. and amount due when you take delivery.. I've ordered 3 new vehicles in my lifetime and each of those contracts state this info. Each time i paid exactly on the contract and even financed the vehicle in advance after manufacture issues dealer the VIN. Now as far as deposits, i believe that is 100% refundable depending on state laws. Some States stipulate sellers can deduct shipping cost and special handling cost from deposits and some states i.e. Calif, say that deposits are 100% refundable and must be within 30 days. I would say if you did not have a VIN on the sales order, you pretty much don't have a completed sales contract.. Now in good faith, the dealer should have honored their original selling price. Camping World has a very bad track record for customer service and exactly why i never do business with them,.. I'm glad you posted your terrible experience as this will at least help other potential RV buyers in the future.

[CGLaz]

Congrats! and I hope this one works out. We got super lucky and bought used through a private seller May 2020 right before the prices went crazy.

[Mad5581]

That's a truly disturbing situation you had. I personally have purchased multiple rv's from the same person at the same CW. The last one I purchased was 3 months ago. I always purchase from dealer stock. Always. The friend I buy from and my other contacts in the business all say the same thing "do not order a new rv right now" why? Manufacturers are desperate and are doing things they never do. They are making deals with trash vendors just to finish rvs and get them out the door. They are stopping production mid way though a build to get parts. That's extremely difficult for them to not forget something. They are building 20 rvs in a run and they may have to put 3 different water heaters in the run. They don't normally do that. Manufacturers are getting daily price increases on parts some hourly.. they are getting per unit prices on delivery to the dealer. Some dealers have been able to counter this with there own transportation. But to see a $3k to $6k price jump from when you order to when it's delivered is not uncommon right now. It's not good business and yes the dealer should have built some room into your deal but in this case they didn't and that's not smart.

I purchased my first New rv from CW and got 38% off msrp that was a great deal. But that being the case jayco put $2500 in factory discount on the deal because i made the deal at an rv show.
The days of 30+% off are gone (for now) we as rv owners need to understand that. Manufacturers are not discounting products because they don't have to.
My newest rv I purchased from CW was 26% off msrp and it was dealer stock but the last one of this model in the area. My sales manager friend told me she got her butt chewed by her district manager because of my deal. And I believe it she showed my the computer and it was a net profit of $167. And believe me she earned it because I wanted a better deal. 30% or more off. She said the $ just isn't there anymore. Believe me she was scared she was gonna loose my business and didn't want that. I buy new rvs from her every other year and finance them and pay them off in a year. I rent them for 3 to 4 years then sell them sometime though this friend of mine. I always spend another 3 to 5k on dealer upgrades. My point is dealers can order rvs but they hate to do it. Your best bet to control your price is buy dealer inventory and have the dealer do the upgrades. Yes you will have to be more flexible on the options. If you want what you want then yes order them and get your check book out and be ready to wait 6 months to a year. Again I can't believe you had this experience its unbelievable. I would definitely go to every forum online and post your story. They could have handled this situation so much better.

[pitman44]

Originally Posted by mgparr

Everyone wants to blame Covid but that's a partial truth. I think it's a combination of supply and demand, greed, and materials cost increases. Seems unlikely that materials shortages alone would raise the price of an RV by 15%.

I can't reasonably address RV price increases, but I work in construction and can state we've been seeing unprecedented increases in many raw materials. PVC pipe and fittings have increased by over 100% in less than a year. A sheet of 1/2" CDX plywood over $75. Parts that we often use in our HVAC work have risen 50-100%.

Many industries have been impacted by the lack of workers and have had to pay higher wages to compete with the federal and state governments increasing UE benefits. Do these total a 15% increase in RV prices? I obviously don't know, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was justified at this time.

[Mad5581]

Originally Posted by pitman44

I can't reasonably address RV price increases, but I work in construction and can state we've been seeing unprecedented increases in many raw materials. PVC pipe and fittings have increased by over 100% in less than a year. A sheet of 1/2" CDX plywood over $75. Parts that we often use in our HVAC work have risen 50-100%.

Many industries have been impacted by the lack of workers and have had to pay higher wages to compete with the federal and state governments increasing UE benefits. Do these total a 15% increase in RV prices? I obviously don't know, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was justified at this time.

I would bet a 15% increase in costs is pretty conservative. I've seen it in the transportation business. Fuel prices are up, labor cost are up, material costs are up. My company is offering $15,000 sign on bonus for drivers and still struggle to get drivers. We are paying retention bonus to keep drivers. In the state of Oregon where I'm at new taxes are hitting at the same time. I'm not going to go political but this is what people voted for. I know my company has seen close to 12% increase is just labor and fuel costs. In the last 12 months.

[DaveT]

Call your lawyer and get them to contact the dealer.

[duncanwg]

I can say camping world is off my trips to find my next rv

[Della]

I'll throw in my 2 cents about camping world- They haven't been reputable in quite some time, as far as I can see. It's just a crying shame how they treated you, but it will come back around, it always does. Personally, I would rather buy a used camper from an individual and go over it with a fine tooth comb, take my chances with my own knowledge (and call some friends to help out), than deal with Camping world. In fact, I haven't had a good experience at ANY vehicle dealership in quite some time. Call me Old School, but that's how i roll. Upshot for you is, you may be able to buy "slightly used" rig from someone with serious case of "buyer's remorse" from pandemic craze. Good luck to you.

[MRichaud]

Originally Posted by mgparr

We just came to terms on a Rockwood Ultra Light 2887mb. This was with internet sales and will be picked up at Lazydays of Wildwood. We've given a refundable deposit and are working on delivery timing now.

We tried to stay with an Eagle HT 31MB but just couldn't get dealers to play ball. We're at 51K (25% off) out the door on the Rockwood. About 4k more than we planned but that's livable. The best I could get on a 31MB was less than 20% discount. In this market, 25% seems like a strong deal.

I've heard very mixed things about Forest River but the Rockwood showed really well. Cabinets and things felt every bit as well made as the Eagle HT. I'm going to line up a 3rd party inspection and hope we don't have to use the warranty. I've read that Forest River isn't great for that.

Before we switched to a motor home, we had a Rockwood Mini-Lite and were very pleased with it. Congrats on the find, and hope your experience is similar to ours.


Mickey

[Cincinnati Kid]

Originally Posted by mgparr

What they want to charge for psi is irrelevant. They can call the fees whatever they want as long as the bottom line is a good deal.

True.

[16WhiteColly]

Camping World does not care about having a repeat customer, they cater more to first time buyers. They get way more of them than they deserve. I know because I WAS one.

[Cincinnati Kid]

Originally Posted by Grumpy

Check this place.

https://www.wholesalervclub.com/

Interesting. This is home office of the same dealership where we bought ours. I didn't know they had a wholesale division.

Another interesting thing- We priced our 5th wheel at a lot of places, including the famous RVOne (best price). We ended up deciding to pay a little more to buy from the local dealer. The funny part is that our local dealership is now owned by the same Fort Lauderdale corporation that owns RVOne!

[Grumpy]

Originally Posted by Cincinnati Kid

Interesting. This is home office of the same dealership where we bought ours. I didn't know they had a wholesale division.

Another interesting thing- We priced our 5th wheel at a lot of places, including the famous RVOne (best price). We ended up deciding to pay a little more to buy from the local dealer. The funny part is that our local dealership is now owned by the same Fort Lauderdale corporation that owns RVOne!

Yep, for years...

But the local dealership still has the same management team which is the key to good service.