Camping World's Big Moves Into Campground Management, Cryptocurrency, and Data
Camping World's Big Moves Into Campground Management, Cryptocurrency, and Data
Camping World is America’s largest RV dealership chain with over 170 dealerships – nobody else comes close. They’ve had their ups and downs, but the pandemic-fueled RV boom has CEO Marcus Lemonis muscling into all kinds of camping-adjacent territory.
Every week, it seems, we’re getting press releases from Camping World Holdings – about a new acquisition, and about their dealership network expanding. In this video, I’ll tell you what they’re up to lately, including entering the campground reservation game, accepting cryptocurrency, and more.
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Not a fan of Camping World. I worked for them in sales for a time and their tactics were awful. Plus when a customer came in we were to ask a series of questions, go the the manger and we would come up with three models to show them to pick from. No they could not look around at different models, it’s those three and we were to hard sell them. Everything was payment selling, not sales price or interest rates. And the service sucked,
Really thoughtful video Jason, per usual. I have a bit of an interesting insight of which I’m still forming my opinion. 6 years or so as a full-time RVer on the "other side" and now in a new role with Camping World/Good Sam after starting Campground Booking from the road. We had some really bad service experiences while on the road from a number of dealers and ended up going straight to the manufacturer when the rig we’d purchased needed a decent amount of service. When talking with other RVers and people in the space, I feel as though service always comes up as the primary pain point in the industry. The solution looks simple, which is to treat people fair and especially when it comes to full-timers — get them taken care of quickly so they can go back to their home. In reality I don’t know what that solution looks like and if it involves more logistics around better streamlined nature of parts and accessories or a combination of many items. All these items aside, one rule of thumb Alyssa and I have in our marriage is that we try not to complain about things unless we’re willing to put in the work to try and make them better (i.e booking campsites or lack of service for our RVs). Whether it pans out this way or not, I genuinely see this acquisition as an opportunity to be a part of a team that can help strive to improve service and the RV life that has been so meaningful to us. In all honesty I don’t know how it all will shake out but I’m hopeful that for all of us that service & quality in the RV life will continue to improve. Thankful for your videos and perspective.
We absolutely love your videos you have been extremely helpful throughout this whole process. Now if we could get them to look at the boating industry as well maybe I won’t be driving a rig that looks like it’s from the 70s
Camping world is crap… I wish they wouldn’t be involved in any RV stuff.
If you’re thinking go buying a new or used RV of any type, remember, dealers will always prioritize customers who bought their unit from them. Just try calling your local dealer and try to make an appointment for an RV you did not buy from that dealer. My repair experience with CW (many years ago) was horrible and I see no evidence anything has changed. We did buy 2 class As from La Mesa in Sanford FL and they were great with service and repair. It might be different over the last 16 months due to the surge from COVID.
Appreciated the mention of advantage of scale to invest in technology which provides and leg up against the small dealers who can’t compete. This might be similar to what your seeing with disruption of CarMax or other online platforms against local
Car dealerships
Yes you who do the LA couple you give them a crap a piece of crap to live in or the travel inn with holes all in the walls and it’s been patched over and the sales guy tells you all of them are like that which is a lie and we dislike camping world they who do this 37,000 for this little piece of crap we got it ain’t worth it camping world will screw you over
So, we are wannabes that have been looking for at least a couple years. Within the last couple years we have looked at many dealerships including a grand opening of a Gander RV and a recently opened Camping World. We were subjected to high pressure sales tactics at both locations even though we clearly stated that we were just looking. The CW location would not let us look at any rigs until we completed forms that asked far too many probing / financial questions. We looked at a used rig the Gander RV location and that rig was completely trashed: smelled of mold and mildew, furniture coverings were shredded, basement storage appeared to have not been cleaned at all. It should have been an embarrassment for it to have been on the lot with everything open for potential customers to look at. Those experiences were before we became aware of their reputation. We will never again fill out any forms to just look. The odds of us buying from the CW family of dealerships are about zero.
Unsustainable market when demand drops because of interest rates, loss of interest etc will be a great secondary market, where is the CARMAX of RV;s at? There will be plenty to choose from..
Amazing analysis! For a newbee to RVing (not camping) this is sooo helpful!
Hope they do a better job with the campground campaign, than their mechanics do working on RVs
Thank you for this information
Don’t forget Mr. Lemonus’s comments 4 years ago about what kind of people he did not want in his stores. I cancelled membership, changed to a better roadside service, and a month ago cancelled the disasterous new magazine. They didn’t even ask why.
I’ve always admired the contents and informative nature of this channel mate, you’re doing well. all hell breaks loss after just a few days of dip in price level of major crypto currencies, a lot of us keep forgetting that crypto is obviously exposed to a volatile market setting, though am 100% sure that cryptos would go up on a long run(new investors keep turning to crypto as investment resort). Though Personally a seasoned trader would agree with me that a trader earns big regardless of the price of crypto currencies, plus a dip in price equally represents opportunity towards acquiring equities towards gainful trading, Sir Floyd Wilson, a firm trading expert has been far more than a trading mentor to me, he has been the chief reason for the successes I’ve been recording under my personal trading sessions, his signal services remain unmatched when compared to other traders I’ve worked with. For trading related concerns Sir Floyd Wilson can be reached on tele-gram {@floydwilsonfxtrade} A trader is opportunistic, let’s not sleep on the benefits these crypto currencies offer.
You can let them clowns work on your camper, not on mine.
Regarding camping reservation programs: I was informed by a USDA Forest Service ranger in CA that more and more Federal campgrounds are turning to online reservation systems that sadly, turns the $6 campsite of yesterday, into the $22 campsite of today.
I’m one of those who purchased my class A @ CW…The deal process was easy, they honored the show price I demanded (months after the show), the walkthrough was thorough, no complaints about the "deal"…As many others mentioned…Service Dept is a different animal!
This crypto thing is pretty awesome.
I see many rentals in the future from camping world. As far as their sales tactics, many of them are very shady and i would never buy an rv from them.
The Walmart of RV centers.
What do you think about hailed RV
I thought Woodbury and Warren were doing a nice job but they just got lost iin the jungle with Lemonis. The campaign on the service contracts was nuts, and I don’t like CW. I sent an email to Woodbury quoting "When you shoot for the King, you must kill him." Chuck started deleting my posts and I left his little group. Seems like Chuck and Al drove the stock way down and Marcus bought a ton. So he’s a billionaire now. Unintended consequences?
I always tried to get these two to give more attention to Bob Wells and his movement. I wanted a broad RV movement with people fighting for things like parking rights in cities. Yeah, I guess Wells is pretty much a washed up has-been now (sarcasm).
Lot of tech out there that isn’t getting into RV’s except by the DIY side.. I mean cheap LFP lith from China, cheap solar controllers and inverters, inverter heat pumps, efficient electric fridges, low cost solar. It’s easy to put decent insulation in a cargo trailer, easy enough to do furnishings and windows and whatever. I don’t worry about what other people are doing.
You make some interesting points and this is definitely worth watching.
You completely lost me when you indicated that RV Show USA and Cheyanne camping center did a "Scheme" vlog. I can only describe how the information they presented effected me. I learned that Camping World advertises artificially low prices to get you in the door then inflates the cost many times over in addons and extras. The RV Show did indicate that its good to get your money out of the extended warranties as they pay less the 20% out in claims so regardless if they go broke or not its good to cancel those policies. I own a 30′ travel trailer and looking to upgrade to a high end 5th wheel and I believe the RV show and Cheyenne videos saved me thousands if not tens of thousands of dollars. If that is a scheme then I deeply appreciate the scheme. I look to those vlogs as good information.
They took me for a ride, after the camp fire and losing my house I needed to by an RV to live in,….so under duress they sold me a bill of goods. I told them several times that I live off the grid and need an RV with a propane refrigerator, so I assumed that the RV I was buying had a propane refrigerator, well guess what, it was AC only. Now I have to run a generator about every three days. I’ll never do business with them again, and I don’t recommend them.
The Best and Easiest way to hurt Camping World is Don’t buy anything from them, be it RV’s (an absolute NO, NO) or RV Parts or Service.
Spread the word and just DON’T BUY Anything. When enough people get burned by shopping at Camping World, maybe it will make a difference!
I haven’t purchased anything at Camping World in YEARS! If I can’t get it on Amazon or some other Online Parts Company, I just go without.
Final Note: DON’T BUY ANYTHING FROM CAMPING WORLD!
All the Glampers have ruined the RV lifestyle.
Great assessment Jason, really appreciate your insightful videos. Keep these coming.
avoid them
I couldn’t agree more – I’ve had the exact same type of experience with Camping World in El Paso Texas! Bought a brand new Jayco in Jan 2021, paid $160K, it has been held hostage in their service department for a total of 10 months, don’t do the same mistake that i did" they just don’t believe in customer service.
Camping World will screw this up, too!
How could camping world sue a dealer for telling the truth about a sleazeball?
Another great episode. Keep up the great work.
Now that Camping World is "on a roll" it would be of GREAT value if they can push for states to open up "one night stays" at roadside rest areas and other state owned properties. In my state, one CANNOT use roadside rest areas, along expressways, to spend the night. As more and more people become interested in RV living and/or travel, there should also be some pressure placed on state officials to relax these prohibitions. Also, Good Sam, camp grounds are too expensive. Good Sam card holders should get a SIGNIFICANT cut in price, at least 50%, rather than the "measly" 10% that some camp grounds offer. As long as the price to stay overnight in your own vehicle, is about the same as staying at a low priced motel, the impetus to buy an RV will be lowered, especially as the COVID fears diminish.
Always glad to hear your reports. Informative and timely. Thanks Jason.
Bringing horrible customer service to a campground near you.
I’ve purchased an RV from Camping World and have had no complaints with their service….until this year. I think the deluge of RV’s they sold have overloaded their service departments and there are currently LONG…I mean REALLY LONG…wait times to have RV’s serviced. One thing I’ve learned: Manufacturers of RV’s, at least some manufacturers, have very poor QC on their finished products before those vehicles are shipped out to dealers. As a result, many newly purchased RV’s require maintenance work before they can be turned over to new customers. Sometimes the deficiencies are not found until the new customers have had a chance to use their vehicles. As a result they have to return the RV to places like Camping World and have to wait a LONG time before they get their vehicle back. I’m guessing this is a common problem across the industry. As I said I was VERY satisfied with Camping World’s, quick turn around…almost "personal" service up until this last year’s buying frenzy. Hopefully, by the end of this year, Camping World’s service departments go back to normal.
I just bought a new 5th wheel from Camping World. They had what I wanted. Nobody else did.
So let me guess. You book a large site with full hookups and you get a primative site too small for your rig.
Camping World bought out the place near me.
Another really informative and well-presented video, great job. I want to be optimistic about change in the RV industry, especially around service, but I’m not sure what the catalyst for it will be. Autos used to be unreliable, rust-prone, and dealer service was a joke. What changed that industry was competition from Japan. Dealer networks, not affiliated to a manufacturer, have no reason to change as long as checks from RV sales cash. As it was in the 60’s, knowing a good mechanic is your best bet.
Subscribed!!!
I haven’t met anyone who trusts Camping World. And if they could even provide consistent average service, they would cone out on top. Everyone is in to selling RVs but no one knows who they can trust for repairs or simple maintenance. It’s a huge issue!
The one advantage of Camping World, one can check their web site and see RV’s for sale at other locations. The last RV I purchased was 700 miles away. I COULD have flown out to pick it up but I wasn’t able to…so I had it shipped to my local camping world (and I had to share the expense for the move) but I was able to complete the contract and sign for it there. A BIG plus for buying from Camping World.
Just what America needs…. another monopoly.
Covid was a blessing for the entire RV Industry. Re: Camping World, rather than looking at stock price, digging into financials and the balance sheet will provide a look at “how leveraged” a company actually is. As long as interest rates remain low and sales are over-the-top strong, prices should remain astronomically high (IMO). If (when) the economy slows and (if/when) interest rates rise, things will likely change quickly (and not for the better). Thanks for the mention. All the best!
"big scary internet thing" lol
Camping World sucks anyway. They are crooked and do bad deals.
Well, I can sadly say I fell to the Camping world sales pitch I have a 2020 Forest river mini lite 2109s and 10 more years to pay it off. I hope to refinance and pay off sooner. And CW service department sucks
I’ll never buy anything from Camping World. They’ve hurt too many folks.
Great insight! CW if it has the money with sooner or latter take over most of the camping industry other than manufacturers. The Google or Amazon of camping! Ugh? 😳