THE REALITIES OF BUYING FROM AND WORKING AT CAMPING WORLD.
Sexual Harassment, Assault, Hostility, Wrongful Termination, and Retaliation
*** Disclaimer: I worked at Camping World in Golden, CO for aprox 7months. This is my story and these are my experiences viewed through my eyes working there. These are not allegations, simply my experiences and opinions expressed.
I am also a 2 time RV buyer from Camping World. this is how they treat repeat customers who become employees and want to have a fun job.
My first section is going to be the experiences on the work side of things. I will also write about the products and the store - in my opinion, where to get a better deal with out supporting Camping World…
I moved to Colorado in the summer of 2013 due to my mom being diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease (like Michael J Fox and body trembling, flopping, etc). Not an easy process to watch - your mom dying.
Location: Camping World, 16000 West Colfax, Golden, Colorado.
I started at the parts counter, all customers do is bitch about the services provided, the bad attitude of service writers and quality of services provided… they are rightfully so. the service department is a mess, this is reflected in Valencia, CA also.
BTW - IF you get stuck in LA, Ventura, or Riverside - you have plenty of options… RV Repair on "the old road" ask for Dave, great guy and he has everything CW does not, and has no attitude, unlike Peter, in CW Valencia who has a "can't do" attitude. I rolled in there for minor warranty work and he says "Oh, we don't have time for petty warranty work".. petty? my hot water heater didn't work correctly and plumbing was leaking in 2 places. I was 2 months into my 12 month warranty and he says that.
back to Golden… Ordering Parts (non OEM parts) - customers are gauged for shipping and they come from a warehouse about 20minutes across Denver. Stag Parkway is who they use. Also, COAST Distribution. both are located in Commerce City just minutes from i-70 - (Aspen Distribution buildings.) Dometic is also in the same facility… although they are dealer only, so, internet - don't be afraid to order from Tweetys.com, I do.
the best way to get a part is do this…. go to camping world with a make and model of your rv appliance that needs fixing, go over the symptoms of the issue with parts department. they will tell you what they think it is. next, request a printout of RV Repair Finder exploded view, it has of all the parts for that appliance (schematic). on that list will be manufacturer part numbers and description. take that Part number and google it, you will find your part for a fraction of the cost, with out the that bitch Sam in your pocket… your welcome!
OEM parts - if you need Original Manufacturing Equipment parts, this is a crotched process in CW, go elsewhere, please. the software they use to order parts has flaws, you request 7 parts and only 5 show up on the PO screen.. Its a software flaw I pointed out and they thought I was crazy. so if any of you ordered parts for your rig and only half showed up, this is probably why. the software was written aprox 18 years ago. It has a blue screen and yellow numbers, older than dirt!! its called IDS and modeled after a brand that works correctly. the IT guys wasn't aware of the problem either. did they fix it? heck no, and have no plans for upgrades in this century.
OEM Parts, this is by far the worst area of CW Golden, by far. they lose parts, can't order the right part numerous times, and simply are a pair of unqualified individuals for this position..
Hostility in the work place never stops in Camping World, Golden. In a weeks span, I was grabbed inappropriately in the breast by a parts counter person named Zane. 2 days later, Lance, one of their techs slapped me in the face for no reason… and then the following week, another tech named Guy, poked me in the face with a copper metal rod.
I went to management and I said this is enough, three people in a week have violated me. a few minutes later I was presented two pieces of paper, I could chose one.. they said point blank "
you can quit or we can fire you…" take your pick.
I refused to sign anything, told them were out of line, and I reached out to Marcus. at this point I thought it was handled… as time goes on, it doesn't get better. Donnie Wagner, The GM in Golden never handled it at all. no reports were made to HR, HR never called me for my side. I requested several times to speak to HR and it was simply refused by 2 different managers (Brian Roberts of the store and Donnie himself.) At one point Donnie very loudly says to me
"TECHS DONT HAVE TO BE NICE TO YOU!!!".
I am doing a walk through with a customer and they are nervous about driving it. they have requested one more test drive before they leave the state. we find Daryl, the sales guy, we ask him to take them on another drive. Daryl says a smartass comment about 'its theirs, they can do whatever they want", and walks away. wow, customer was furious and that left me in a weird situation. Unprofessional in every department of the building.
I have seen and heard all kinds of level of hostility in this building, its been directed towards me, other employees, and even customers. I have witnessed the GM himself 'setting a customer straight'... down the road to another dealer, I'm sure. A customer bought himself a pop up Baja that he was not happy with. It didn't work correctly and customer was trying to go over the vehicle and its problems with Donnie. During this walk around with customer, Donnie proceeds to yell at the customer right in front of his 2 kids.
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I have asked CEO Marcus Lemonis several times to please help, and as of now he is looking the other way. this was his initial email to me, the GM, and 2 people in HR.
I'll get to the bottom of it. Behavior like that is not tolerated. Marcus A. Lemonis
CNBC's "The Profit"
Chairman and CEO
Camping World and Good Sam
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I believe this email from Marcus to Donnie telling him to handle it, set the stage for retaliation... and that's exactly what happened. Donnie retaliated against me for asking him to please speak to Lance and to ask him to grow up. Lance is 40 something and he acts like an immature 13 year old. The situation continued and actually got worse. My Boy Lance tried to hit with me a customers truck while backing out of the bay and I was on a golf cart. Management did nothing. this scenario of childish behavior continued and Donnie didn't take action to stop. What Donnie doesn't realize is that eventually when a person like Lance gets a free pass, he will end up hurting someone. which was the warning I got from 2 employees, "Dont let Lance push you around, it wont stop", so that's the advice I was yielding.
A Professional RV Tech Service Shop is not the place for playground behavior, you don't pull pranks on people in an environment where someone can easily get hurt. I guess that does take a college degree to realize... Along the way I went to se7en different people in upper level management, not one of them reported this to HR… Donnie, Donnie's Mom, Danny, Brian, Brenda, Sherry, and Carri. 4 of them are mothers.
After reaching out to Marcus, needless to say, nothing was done and behavior like that is tolerated in Camping World. IF it was handled and not tolerated, I'd still be working there and you wouldn't be reading this.
this bs went on for 2 months and only when I asked Marcus for HR help, it was finally provided to me. First conversation went great, 2 days later, the second chat was obviously dictated from above, she eventually hung up on me during discussion. they don't want to believe they have a problem, sweep it under the door mat and look east for the new day to rise.
please read company/employee reviews on Camping World, written by current and former employees.
basically they have a failing grade of 38% approval rating. with bs situations like this, its easy to see how this grade was formulated. CW is a failing company and Marcus Lemonis is too busy with Nascar to make it work. If you are showing a profit, I honestly don't know how with all the negativity circulating on this brand… A-HA, its the shipping charges that keep you a float, huh?
http://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Campin ... E19691.htm+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
these people in upper level are well aware of the situation…. write em, tell em how you feel.
Marcus Lemonis, CEO
[email protected]Rodney Anderson, HR
[email protected]Roger Nuttall, HR
[email protected]Donnie Wagner, GM of Golden Store
[email protected]Brian Roberts, Store Manager
[email protected] +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
As a customer…
first purchase was in Valencia, CA near magic mountain. I bought a used Montana, was told it went through service before we picked it up. laundry list: cold shower knob explodes upon setting it up, the kitchen sink shot water everywhere, they put a pencil in the breakaway switch - its the safety brake that activates upon truck and trailer separation - required by laws in every state… this unit never went through a lot prep or pdi which is required for resale of new and used rv vehicles.. you cant say its fine and its a surprise party. needless to say nothing but a grip of attitude to get a resolution. Marcus finally stepped in and resolved it.
Bought a 2nd rv from Golden. I went straight to LA for a job, I needed a few smaller warranty things done.. Peter in Service, round 2. Not knowing its the same customer a year later, he says "I don't have time for petty warranty things"… my hot water heater didn't work correctly and 2 pex fittings needed replacing. sorry this was too much for you. needless to say nothing but attitude and Marcus had to help, again.
Wait, what? you bought a second rig from the first people who F"d you over. I know it sounds stupid, but I respected the way Marcus handled it and was giving him the respect he gave me in Valencia during this situation.... so when I go to trade in for a toy hauler, I will go to Four Seasons and not Camping World, Anywhere USA.
Where are you now Marcus?
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Update Aug, 1 2014
THE STATE OF COLORADO AND OSHA HAS FOUND CAMPING WORLD IN VIOLATION OF THREE THINGS.... ONE BEING "VIOLENCE IN THE WORKPLACE"
Marcus, your silence is deafening, and that's why the sign campaign at your dealerships. your team in colorado clearly didn't realize the promotional brains they pissed off. and your little commercials with purple wife beaters need to go. you wearing a wife beater, osha finds you guilty of violence in the workplace... you need an image makeover my friend, and I can help. but you fired me because I was wanting a resolution of keeping the bullies away.... forty something year olds hitting each other. management looking the other way. my only guess is Donnie is hiding the salami with Lance, otherwise why would you risk your dealership for protecting a tech? a bromance.
enjoy the art story.
http://www.pinterest.com/spencereditor/ ... ing-world/