Chapter 2 of The Camping World Saga
TLDR; This is the evidence vault. Dates, emails, work orders, photos, camera footage, and a corporate escalation that took fourteen+ months to produce a two-word reply. I’m also going to walk through Marcus Lemonis’s own 3 P’s framework — People, Process, Product — because it turns out it’s a remarkably useful lens for understanding exactly how Camping World failed. He’d probably agree. If he ever read this. (One can hope!)
In Chapter 1 I told you how this felt. This chapter is about what actually happened. Probably way more details than you care about, but if you are ever faced with taking your RV in, you probably should review this before you give too much trust.
I kept everything. Every email. Every text. Every date a callback was promised and didn’t come. Every photo I took the moment I noticed something wrong. My RV also has internal security cameras — I didn’t mention this to the shop, but didn’t not mention it. They are in plain sight, and there’s a warning sticker on the entry door. That footage became part of the record too.
I’m not presenting this to be vindictive. I’m presenting it because the pattern is the point. Any single incident could be explained away. A missed callback. A late part. A miscommunication. But when you lay them all out in sequence, what you see isn’t a string of bad luck. It’s a system operating exactly as designed — just not in your favor.
Let’s go through it.
The full timeline lives on the timeline page. Here’s the condensed version for context as you read:
The claim was called in March 29, 2021 — exactly 69 days after diagnosis was confirmed on January 19th. I know the exact date because I called the warranty company directly later and asked what the delay was, and if I can do anything. They said, they just received the claim HOURS prior.
The claim was approved the same day it was submitted. One phone call. Approved within hours.
There is no mechanical reason this couldn’t have happened in January. The diagnosis was done. The parts were known. The warranty company was available. The only explanation is that nobody got around to it. I even mentioned during the walk through to just give me a price and I can work with warranty if needed.
The unit sat outside through winter with documented leaks for those 69 days. Neglected, tucked into a corner of their lot under loads of trees neglected.
On June 28th, frustrated by weeks of “still waiting on parts” updates, I called Thor’s parts department directly. I spoke with Gale.
Come to find out, the parts had shipped early in June. They arrived either June 2nd or June 12th. They were signed for. They were sitting in Camping World’s own parts department.
On June 14th — after the parts had already arrived — the service advisor emailed me confirming there was still no update and that parts were still outstanding. “They (the service department) were calling the parts company DAILY for part updates”.
I escalated to Camping World’s corporate office that afternoon. I spoke with someone in their “VIP” team for about an hour. I said, I kept getting the run around, I kept hearing they are waiting on parts, I kept hearing they were on the phone DAILY with the parts supplier. I asked – what are you talking about, because it’s definitely not about my parts. Because, as I said, I called the parts company and casually asked – if I were to need to buy part # XYZ, and part #abc, and part number #999, how long would that take if I placed the order today. Knowing there was lead time, shipping, and maybe even some custom manufacturing, what kind of lead time would it be? They casually answered – oh yeah – just a few weeks, but what’s your VIN number, because this sounds familiar. That’s when I found out from the part supplier that the exact parts I referenced were already shipped. But, there was a caveat – one of those parts (the rear end cap) was no longer available. I kept that in my back pocket when telling this VIP team. She listened, and didn’t have much to say other than she’ll escalate this.
The service manager at the location called me within 40 minutes.
Forty minutes. After months of nothing.
He told me they found the parts. The reason they didn’t know, he said, was that Thor hadn’t included a PO number or VIN on the shipment. Their parts department had received them and couldn’t match them to a work order.
I’ll let that one sit for a moment: a parts department that receives a shipment and, rather than cross-referencing open work orders to identify it, simply sets it aside — while the service team tells the customer the parts haven’t arrived yet. By the way – this isn’t a box of playing cards, or even a case of Pepsi. This is a box that’s easily 4+ feet tall, 3+ feet wide. Not just casually sitting on someone’s desk.
So, he says, “Great news – we’ll get this part installed tomorrow (as it’s almost 7pm), and we should be able to get you out of here in the next day or two.
Let that sink in – remember my work order had 7 or 8 items? One of those, was indeed, the Slide Rails (the big box). But, the others? Sure – some silicone and such – no big deal. The replacement pin for the drop down bunk – probably sitting in a big box of spare parts in every mechanics toolbox. But, remember that part that’s no longer available? I have emails after emails when they quoted me $36 out the door. I know, because my RV was involved in a hit and run driver (see that post here) and they had to replace AND paint those end caps – and that wasn’t anywhere near $36. But, let’s just say that it was – they mean that they can replace my slide rail system AND put on a new fiberglass end cap AND they can paint it (full body paint), seal it and let the paint cure/dry in 24 – 48 hours? Nope – I don’t want to rush a paint job.
So I ask the logical question – ok, thanks but have you reviewed ALL of the work order items? He asks to review it tomorrow and give me a call.
Of course, he calls saying he’s reviewed the emails, and unfortunately he can’t honor that price. Shocked, I asked why not? You have literally provided not once, not twice, not three times but FOUR times a written quote. Regardless, they still can’t give me an accurate price, and he said he will get back to me on timing to get the part in.
To my surprise, just a week or two later, I get an email that everything is ready. Hmm, I never heard back on the end cap, the painting or any of the rest of the work order items.
I email back to confirm, is this really ready, all items are ready and resolved? “Yes, please let me know what time you’ll be here and we’ll have it brought up for your pickup”.
The first thing visible before I even opened the door: the slide topper fabric was hanging three feet down the side of the unit. Job #6 on the work order.
Inside:
When I asked about these things:
The footprints is just from where the mechanic needed to get on top of the bench seat to get to the slide. I asked – can you not just wipe those down? Or, a better Process – PUT PROTECTIVE PAPER DOWN ON THE SEATS YOU ARE STANDING ON – you know, like they do when you take your car to get an oil change.
The “T” bar – I asked what this was sitting on the floor – the manager said oops, that definitely needs to be installed – that prevents your motors from pushing your slide all the way out.
I asked why there was a RIVER of water running (this is not an exaggeration – and unfortunately one I don’t have a picture of – my ears were steaming) from the newly installed slide sides, down the floor – down the stair well, and out of the RV. The response – well, looks like we forgot to put in the “drainage cup” – this part routes water off the top of your slide AWAY from the inside. Instead, by not having this, the rain came off the room, down the slide, to the bottom of the new slide rail and entered the channel that goes INTO the RV. Because of the angle of the RV in the parking lot, I just so happened to have the luxury of a river running through my $200,000 unit, no big deal. Of course, they need time to install the T bar, and they have to ORDER PARTS – they didn’t have those cups in place.
But remember – THE UNIT IS READY FOR PICKUP. Strange.
I left the unit with them again.
Arrive to pick up. A new service advisor who recently took over from the previous two – mentions, casually, that the awning tube is now bent. First time this has been mentioned in any communication ever. I still don’t know if this happened during the repair or if they broke it. No explanation was offered.
Bunk pins: still not installed. “Wouldn’t be here in time.” (And, they didn’t think to tell me before coming out – just chose to not do it)
I drive 110 miles to a campground. Start going through the unit:
I drive the unit back for a walk-through with Scott. His technician, inside my unit, on camera:
“Your floor is rotten, your floor is rotten, it’s rotten here, it’s rotten there, I don’t know what to do.”
The rear cap, for context: quoted to me at $36.16 in writing. Multiple emails. Multiple confirmations. I authorized it. By the time the Service Manager escalated to the repair, the price had become $1,332. What they actually did instead: removed my Flex Seal patch, glued sheet metal over the crack. It separated within days in the sun.
Service Manager acknowledges the water damage. Agrees to fix the front floor and windows at their cost. The rear floor damage — from the back patio seal that was Job #2 on the original work order, never completed — he describes as “more than he’s willing to take a risk on.” The quote for that work: over $11,000 in labor.
He also suggests I could buy the materials at Lowe’s myself to save money on markup.
My RV has internal security cameras. I use them for security and temperature monitoring when I’m away from the unit. I didn’t specifically tell the shop. They run whether I have power or not, whether I have internet or not.
Over the months the unit was in their possession:
Marcus Lemonis — the CEO of Camping World — built his public brand around a business framework he calls the 3 P’s: People, Process, Product. He’s talked about it on his TV show. In interviews. In business publications.
The idea is simple: every business problem can be traced back to a failure in one of those three areas. Fix the people, fix the process, fix the product — fix the business.
I’m not going to argue with the framework. I actually think it’s a useful one. I’m going to use it to walk through exactly what happened to my RV.
What good looks like: Consistent point of contact. Clear ownership of the customer relationship. Someone who knows the status of your unit without you having to ask. Someone who calls when they say they’ll call.
What I experienced:
My original service advisor left the company while my unit was in their possession. I was notified by a receptionist. My new advisor, was friendly and well-meaning but consistently over-promised on communication and under-delivered. I was told I would receive a Friday callback four separate times. Four times, I had to follow up myself. I even told her that this was an issue and she just said, ok please remind me if I forget to follow up.
In one email thread, after the advisor missed yet another promised update, her response was essentially: we’re really busy, you should feel free to call us. Meaning: the customer should manage the communication cadence because we can’t.
I also want to note something that happened on August 17th when I arrived for what should have been my pickup: The service advisor told me, unprompted, that she would never work for another Camping World again, and that the only reason she was still there was because of the service manager. That’s not a customer service conversation. That’s an exit interview I wasn’t supposed to be part of. I felt for her. But it told me everything about the culture she was operating in.
When I asked the service manager who the unauthorized people in my unit were — including the ones who appeared to be giving tours — he couldn’t tell me. There was no log. No sign-in. No record of who had keys or when. A customer’s home sat in their lot for months and they had no accountability system for who entered it.
A clipboard. That’s all it would take. A clipboard in the shop bay.
What good looks like: A defined workflow from intake to completion. Communication triggers at each stage — not reactive, proactive. Parts tracking that connects incoming shipments to open work orders. A quality check before any unit is declared ready for pickup. A clear escalation path when something goes wrong.
What I experienced:
The warranty claim sat for 69 days because no one initiated it. There was apparently no process step that said: after diagnosis, call warranty within X days.
Parts arrived and sat in the parts department unconnected to any work order for at minimum 16 days — possibly longer. There was apparently no process for cross-referencing incoming shipments against open jobs.
The unit was declared “complete and ready” in writing on August 13th. On August 17th I arrived to find an awning dangling, water running through the interior, and a critical slide component sitting on the floor uninstalled. There was apparently no quality walkthrough before customer pickup.
On my second pickup, the bunk pins — a $5.98 part available at any Lowe’s, on the work order since December — were still not installed. Not because of a supply chain issue. Because no one checked the work order against what was actually done before calling the job complete.
I counted the number of times I was told “I’ll follow up with you on Friday.” At least four. I can count on one hand the number of times that actually happened.
A basic ticketing system. Automated status emails. A pre-delivery inspection checklist. These aren’t revolutionary ideas — they’re table stakes for any service operation.
The unit was promised to be stored indoors or wrapped. Neither happened. There was apparently no process for flagging units with weather sensitivity or following through on commitments made at intake.
What good looks like: Technicians who are trained, qualified, and accountable for the work they perform. Quality that holds up. Repairs that are completed before a unit is returned to a customer.
What I experienced:
The primary repair — the whole reason I dropped off the unit — required installing a set screw in a Schwintek slide motor. The technician admits on camera: “I forgot to put a screw in it.” The slide failed again three days after I picked up the unit for the final time in September 2021.
The slide topper I paid to have replaced was installed without the set screw that prevents it from sliding out of the bracket. Noted on camera. Fixed on a return visit.
The “T” bar — described by the service manager as the most important part of the slide assembly — was sitting on the floor of my unit, uninstalled, when I arrived for pickup after eight months.
The drainage cups that prevent water from entering the slide were not installed. At all. I was told they’d have to order them and I’d need to leave the unit again.
The rear cap repair that was quoted, authorized, and never completed was replaced by a sheet metal patch that failed within days of sun exposure.
The window sealing — a job I paid for — was visibly incomplete. Gaps on the sides and top. Water continued to enter.
And then there’s the floor. The technician on camera: “Your floor is rotten, your floor is rotten, it’s rotten here, it’s rotten there, I don’t know what to do.” The floor that rotted because the back patio seal — Job #2 on the original work order — was never done, leaving the unit exposed to water intrusion for the duration of its time in their care.
The service manager’s suggestion was to put carpet down and sell it on Marketplace.
But what was the sticking point for me in the Product part? Camping World runs one of the LARGEST Camper Supply store – They usually have every gadget you don’t need. They cater to RVers – somewhat convenient locations where RVers are – they stock fun stuff like chairs, and other things like plumbing repair supplies and longer term things like… RV COVERS. This is the perfect conversation for them to say hey – we’d love to get this fixed, but while you have a failing slide – while we can’t guarantee we can keep it inside, we can go into our store and get the right Cover for your RV (and charge for it + a markup).
Literally, SELL THEIR OWN PRODUCTS they carry.
The 3 P’s are useful not because they assign blame to any individual but because they show where the accountability actually breaks down. In this case:
People failed at communication ownership and customer relationship management.
Process failed at every handoff — intake, warranty initiation, parts tracking, completion verification, pickup QC.
Product failed at the most basic level: the repairs either weren’t done, weren’t done correctly, or created new damage in the process.
That’s a complete failure across all three dimensions. Simultaneously. Over 700 days.
This isn’t a story about one bad employee or one unlucky unit. This is what happens when volume replaces accountability at scale — when getting the next customer in the door is more important than making whole the customer who’s already there.
On July 1, 2021 I tweeted at Marcus Lemonis directly. I tagged Camping World. I was specific: parts arrived June 12th, they “didn’t know,” I have solutions, DM me.
He replied on September 22, 2022: “I have no emails from you. Please send one.”
Fourteen months.
I did send the email. I also sent one through an attorney — a demand letter that was, charitably, a cover letter stapled to my existing documentation. The NC Department of Justice, to their credit, sent a formal notice to Camping World. Neither produced a resolution.
What finally worked was driving back to Marion, sitting down with their regional representative who presumably heard from Marcus on my email,, and going through everything line by line. Floors: not feasible. Everything else: they’d fix it. Two weeks. Done.
700 days. Six return trips. An attorney. A state agency. A CEO tweet. And what eventually moved the needle was showing up in person with a binder. Honestly, that original vibe I had and the joy of Camping – stolen, all the joy just ripped away from me.
Next: Chapter 3 — What I’d Do Differently (The lessons. The checklist. What they should have done — operationally, not emotionally.)
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