Re: [VAL] Re:Camping World

["Thomm" <thomm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

It is Camping World's attitude when they said to me, "We only get a couple 
of Airstreams in a year *anyway*" that really caught my ear.

Camping World also said to me, "I wish Airstream would get with the rest of 
the RV world and not do things differently ... " or words to that effect.

I then politely reminded this Camping World store manager that AIRSTREAM 
will be 75  years old next  year, that AIRSTREAM has been around longer than 
ANY other SOB that they sell or service today.

So you see, Camping World really doesn't care about servicing our needs as 
far as the Dometic Penguin air-conditioners are concerned even though the 
Penguin has been *standard issue* by our factory since they stopped using 
Coleman a/c's back in the 70's.

Also, Camping World is very expensive for a lot of items that both you and I 
choose to buy elsewhere using our feet. ;)

I don't know how to convince you otherwise that Camping World really does 
NOT care about OUR needs in regards to the *factory* or OEM Dometic Penguin 
air-conditioners.  Now IF they'd put in their ads when they are trying to 
sell us Dometic Penguins that it WILL cost extra (shipping, remember?) up 
front then there'd be no complaints.

It was however, their attitude that they will sell you an air-conditioner 
AND the installation for lots of money and THEN turn around and tell you 
that price is good only IF you decide to go with the "rest of the RV world" 
and NOT install a drain pan.  Of course, if you demand a drain pan so your 
a/c doesn't leak all over your roof and down the walls it will cost you, 
big-time.

Camping World could just say up front that "we don't do Airstream 
air-conditioners" for whatever reason and I'd be okay with that, but they 
didn't.  What Camping World DID want to do was get even more money from me 
to do a promised job that there were far from prepared to do.  See?  That's 
bad business practice as far as I'm concerned.

Granted, I'm just one person who had this experience.  From what I've read 
here it seems that no one in their right mind would ever go to Camping World 
to get an exact replacement air-conditioner installed.

I've yet to hear anyone say that they bought and had installed, a Dometic 
Penguin *with the drain pan* from Camping World.  Have you?

Tom Meeker
WBCCI 5303