Camping World of Chicago

I read some negative reviews, but I’ve found something different. I’ve purchased an RV (Travel Trailer) 2015 from this place. My experience has been outstanding from the beginning of the first call until I got it. Larry Bethers, a salesman, skillfully handled everything, made a great deal for me that I didn’t expect. Larry is a knowledgeable, honest man. He’s treated me like his old, close friend. He is a great addition to his store as well as customers. Also, the guy who did the demonstration, his name is Brian, is super excellent. He knows everything in trailers not to mention his patience with me. Lastly, Roma, a person who does the document stuff, did a great job with me and got everything done in a short time. I love this place.

7 HOURS AND 1 COUNT OF ATTEMPTED THEFT LATER…
We’re off on our cross country road-​trip adventure beginning at the front door of Camping World in Island Lake (Which I thought was Wauconda) and ending in the beautiful Central Valley of Northern California.
We show up at Camping World of Chicago before 8am, their opening time, tired from flying all night out of SFO Airport. A cab ride gets us to Camping World’s front door and THE SLOWEST TRANSACTION IN HISTORY commences.
I’m not exaggerating when I say 7 hours. It took so long to get through the paperwork that my cousin and me fell asleep in the RV waiting for my Dad to finalize.
We finally get to do the walk-​through, which we found out later was woefully incomplete. Walk-​through consisted of this shop technician-​type guy (who was nice, yet quircky) explaining the various features, compartments, electrical systems, mechanical systems, and electronic systems in such a way that it became clear he had no idea what he was talking about concerning this model.
In all fairness the RV is a brand new (2016) Palazzo by Thor. This thing is frickin’ nuts with newly invented bells AND whistles on top of all the bells and whistles that come standard on RVs. So I guess it’s too new for any RV dealership personnel to know intimately but, let your customer know if you’re not up to speed. BS’ing gets you no where. I learned this lesson during the first day of my very first job as a lad.
Using terms like «should» and «probably» concerning a rig that contains multiple complex pieces of machinery doesn’t exactly instill confidence in a jet-​lagged crew of guys taking a rig out on its maiden flight of over 2600 miles of straight-​up America.
Pre-​flight Checklist:
Sawdust in the Vent Registers: Check.
Busted LED Side Marker: Check
No Audio Cables for TV Soundbar: Check
Detached Dining Table Bench Outlet: Check
Leak between Shower Pan and Liner: Check
Empty Coolant Resevoir: Check (What if we didn’t catch that until later?!)
Detached Kitchen Drawer Slide: Check
Incomplete Customer Walk-​through: Check
Leaking Water Valve behind Cabinets: Check
The list continues but you get the point…
This is a list of items that should have been checked and repaired before the arrival of the customer and I’m still kind of amazed just thinking about it. Although I am not in RV sales, I’ve been around various blocks enough times to know this is amateur hour at Camping World. The «Manager» should be ashamed of himself both for his actions and that of his staff. The Supervisor should be ashamed as well, this isn’t rocket science people, unless there aren’t rockets in the greater Chicago area that is.
Happy to be free and clear for takeoff, it is then that we start to get some details out of my Pop about what went on in the office…
1. The «Manager» tried to sell additional insurance to my Dad despite the fact he had already explained to multiple staff members he had kick-​ass insurance already.
2. The «Manager» tried to steal a manufacturer’s rebate of $ 2500. Yeah, steal. He handed my dad a form and asked him to sign it without explaining what it was hoping my Pop wouldn’t notice as he had been sitting there so long going over so many papers already. My Dad ain’t no fool and checked it first. Nice try dude… Now I’m not saying this is standard practice of Camping World or of that particular site. All I know is it DID indeed happen, so I’m left to assume that it has happened in the past as well. The moral here is what we all know to be true, READ ANY AND ALL DOCUMENTS YOU ARE HANDED TO SIGN BECAUSE PEOPLE SUCK.
So here’s the kicker, if attempted theft isn’t a kicker that is. We were there for at least 7 hours while «The Team» got all the last details squared away on the vehicle itself, broken items fixed, fluids checked, blah blah blah. They had the vehicle on site for a week prior to our arrival! It sat there on the lot ignored and neglected until we showed up. I didn’t want to cause any drama since I knew my Dad and Cousin were just as tired and I know my Dad was pissed about the entire deal. He doesn’t show it though so these chumps at Camping World should be grateful he didn’t go nuclear. It is a sight to weaken the knees of even the battle-​hardened.
My advice to any potential or current customer of this location: Run and do not look back. Price or selection is not worth the minefield of issues this den of incompetence presents.
I will be in contact with Camping World’s Corporate Office regarding these matters, chiefly the attempted theft issue. I really shouldn’t be too surprised there would be a crook here given their proximity to Chicago.
P. S. On a lighter note, the rest of our trip was awesome (In many ways) and I am posting reviews of most of the stops we made along the way.

DO NOT BUY AN RV HERE. They will tell you anything to get your money. We bought a new rv in February of 2016. I should have known from the start when the finance guy said I could pick up the trailer the day after it was funded, but the store said I could not pick it up till a week later. As part of the deal we had a new hitch and our satellite swapped to the new trailer. We arrived at the dealership at 10:00am and did not get to move our stuff till 4:30pm. We were told we could move the items in the shop since it was awfully cold and windy outside but when it came down to it they set it in their parking lot with no power in either unit left to swap out both trailers in the dark. Thank god we had a flashlight. They also said during negotiations that they would help us with our stuff, when we got the trailer they all got into their vehicles and left us in their parking lot completely by ourselves. They quoted for swapping the satellite and when I got the bill it was double the quote. I went directly to the salesperson and he said it was higher because they had to run coax cable. This to me was utterly disappointing because the trailer is pre wired for the satellite that I have. Do not trust anything these people tell you get everything in writing.

I just had to let others know that we had the BEST experience buying from Camping World of Chicago thanks to Jon Murphy our sales rep. He made the process painless and stress free. He is a great asset to them and to us. If you go there please do ask for him. We went to look at a used unit right before closing time. He was very patient and didn’t seem to mind. He mentioned to think it over and to give him a call if we had any questions or if we’d like to make an offer. Surprisingly we bought the camper the next day over the phone… when we picked it they were helpful explaining how to use everything. Jon even made sure we were ready for our first trip.
thanks Jon & thanks Camping World

Had an awesome buying experience here. But have now had it in the shop over 6 times since we purchased in May. Three trips were warrantees, the other 3 were caused by the service shop. Left our door open in the rain. Hauled the trailer around with the extension out. Real frustrating. What’s worse is they have a HUGE staff, but things get done at a snails pace. We had to threaten to go to the RV show and complain before we finally got a call back. Can’t decide if we got a lemon or if we are just dealing with a service department that doesn’t care. Either way, service is important to me… and these guys don’t have any idea what service means.

After having read the previous reviews, I can honestly say I was afraid to visit the dealership when we considered shopping for an entry level RV. I was pleasantly surprised to meet «Jim» who greeted us enthusiastically, ushered us in to his cubicle and spent the next hour answering all our basic questions about RVs in general. He then escorted us by golf cart around the premises to inspect new & used inventory. My husband and I both were impressed with his knowledge and friendliness. If we do decide to purchase an RV, i hope any future experiences at this dealership will be similar. I guess the lesson to be learned here is to keep an open mind & try not to be influenced by other’s opinions.

We had an excellent experience with all the staff at Camping world of Chicago. Their staff worked with us and were true to their word. We found a motorhome which was in great shape. During their inspection & cleaning, which cost $ 650 Missy spent over an hour going over each feature on our rv. She was very knowledgable and gave us some great tips. When we were driving away we noticed the airconditioning wasn’t working. Darrell said to come back the next day and they would make it good for no charge. They fixed it in a few hours and also helped my husband fix 2 of the recepticles that were not working. We were able to get on the road by 1:00 PM.
Terry

Awful awful customer service. We drove over an hour and not one person in the retail department knew anything about the stuff they sold. We use to be loyal camping world customers but we will never be back.

My initial review still stands. Jon Murphy is a good guy and I highly recommend him as a salesman. However… it is buyer beware when buying used units. I bought used in November. I’ve now had it out twice. I knew it had cosmetic issues like blinds that fell and weren’t rehung by the dealer, and broken latches… Don’t really think it good business that the brakes are in need of replacement. Upon inspection they are in bad shape and work horribly inconsistent. One constantly locks up once warm, even with proper adjustment. The trailer dog tracks down the road, the axles are out of parallel once measured. It is obvious they don’t look at these trailers before turning them around for sale… at least a safety inspection would be good.

Bought the rv there. Worked with Darrell. Nice guy. Felt we got a fair deal. The service department is horrible! Mark in the service department is as rude as they come. They tried to charge us $ 60 on an rv that had 400 miles on for a couple of items that werent working. It ended up being battery related so the warranty wouldnt cover it. Darrell got the fees reversed but it took almost 45 minutes to get the bill corrected. Then Mark came out and accused me of taking money away from his service tech and asked if when my husband goes to work if he gets paid. I have never encountered a more rude human being. This could have all been avoided if Mark initially suggested that we plug the rv in overnight or if he just did it when we brought it in. The gauges said the battery was charged but he pointed out that the gauges are not always accurate. If he knew that, he should have plugged the coach in. When you enter the service department, no one greets you. They all just keep their heads down and ignore you. Its like they are all praying someone else will help you. I have written a letter to the owner, as well as various managers at this location, along with the manufacturer, as Mark insisted that their product was inferior. I will never go to that place again if that is the caliber of employees they chooses to hire. Sad… they took something we worked very hard for and should be enjoying and threw it in the toilet over $ 60. Bad business!

Never buy an RV here. They lie just to get your money. We got one that was supposed to be winterized and ready to live in year round in cold temperatures, and it is everything BUT that. The pipes disconnected from the tanks and flooded everywhere. All the pipes and sewage valves are frozen. And we have a heated water hose and we insulated the pipe and everything. One week in and every day something else is wrong. And Camping World refuses to help us even thought they sold us a piece of shit.

Just had a great experience looking at RV’s at Burlington RV outside Racine. Then we came here.
After telling us to go ahead on the lot, we found all the RV’s were locked. The woman with whom I had spoken then said a salesperson was on the lot and she would «see if he could open some.» No one came.
Burlington had prices right on the RV’s, payment plans sketched out, and an amazing selection. This place could not have been more useless.

We purchased a new camper in the late summer of 2012. At first, we were very happy with CW… Within two months the door warped so we were unable to close the door. The trailer was level, just a defect in the keystone product. Our faucet blew off, and some other minor issues arose. After a fight over warranty, CW had the trailer for 10+ days (they knew the issues for months and had them documented) it took us going up there to have the problem addressed. The «tech» was useless, and tried to simply adjust the latch, and didn’t understand the DOOR WAS WARPED! It has been almost a month, I have talked to several people, yet still don’t have a door, or faucet!!! I keep getting the run around from service, no one will act unless I sit and complain, yet I’m still waiting, months later. CW has real problems with following through, I think they need to drug test employees that deal with campers, and they need to honor promises that are made. They sold us on their top notch operation, yet all I’ve had are headaches… I would get better results from some Craigslist hick… I have waited to write this review, in hopes that something would be done to make our situation better, but nothing has been done. I am the first to write great reviews, but this negative one needs to be shared. maybe now I will get someone to standup, apologize, and solve these issues. I want to see someone make this better ASAP! We have been more then understanding, but when you pay for a camper monthly, pay for a year-​around permanent site, and you can’t enjoy your purchase, I expect some «top notch» company to make it right! I’m out almost $ 1000.00 in payments, but couldn’t enjoy our trailer. I would suggest a smaller operation, you might get better service, and quicker results. Service blames it on the keystone ordering warranty process, yet can’t explain why it took us coming up and demanding a new door, to get the ball rolling. This has been a disaster so far, and our issues aren’t even resolved yet. I will gladly revise this review, if someone takes control over there, and gets my trailer fixed!

My wife and I drove 75 miles on Sunday, April 28 to very seriously look at a new motorhome. (I might add it was to be a 42′ diesel pusher)
Wow! What a disaster. We walked into a remodeling project, we had no problem with that. But then we started our tour our tour of the store we overheard a couple ask about a satellite system for a motorhome. CW rep had no idea about the system but, never suggested «Let me get someone whom might assist you». No you’ll have to come during the week when someone more knowledge is available.
Then we went to the front of the store where the reception desk is now located. The CW rep who was behind the counter was busy talking with a customer so we stood back waiting patiently. During this time the receptionist answered the phone numerous times. After listening to his responses to the callers questions I questioned myself and my wife if we wanted to stay here. (Overheard time after time horrible customer service responses. ie I don’t know anything about that. We don’t have a brochures for additional information on the satellite dish. I’m to busy to get that for you. etc., etc, etc.
Finally we had our turn to approach the counter. We stated what our intention was look at a motorhome.
CW We only have three salesman today.
US That’s fine here is our name we will be sitting out front in the beautiful weather. Come and get us when someone is available. Forty five minutes later we still didn’t have a salesman. We returned to the reception deskj to «I forgot all about you folks». (Oh during that time «The Sales Manager» sat in an office on the compute the entire time we were in the CW store.)
We finally went back to the counter and stood listening over and over again to a CW rep driving people out the door with customer service at the level of a junk yard parts puller!
I turned to my wife and said «this is NOT the place we want to buy a motorhome» and we left.
WOW instead of remodeling the building CW needs to address a BIG customer service problem!
It was clearly obvious excuses for not being able to do the job or know the job exceeded customer relations.

Great place to buy an RV. The best selection by far. Our salesman Roger was the best.

I called for the RV service. The person who answered the phone was very rude and treated me as I don’t know nothing about RV. He boost himself too much. I owned RV for last 15 years. He also make comment on the sales person that I am dealing with currently for trade in, very bad manner. Only reason I called this place for the service first time was that my sales man was very nice and knowlegeable of RV.
He should not work there and answer the phone. How rude he was. He has to remember that people who want for the service knows RV’s and experience as RV owner. RV owners are well off than most of worker there.
Not recommend this place at all.