I really wish I could discuss this with other Camper World members, but as there doesn't seem to be any forum anywhere, I am going to blog, and hope that people comment on it.
We bought into Camperworld about 3 years ago. We were excited to join. We paid an upfront cost, and then annual dues. We knew that those dues could and would be increased.
A couple days ago, we got a letter, talking about GREAT NEWS! They have some debt on three of the resorts. They want to become a "pay as you go" resort, incurring no further debt. They are demanding an additional $600 from each member, due on June 1. They are offering a GREAT (note my sarcasm) offer as well! You can pay $2200 on June 1, which will pay that $600 AND your annual dues for 8 years. They have a couple other payment plans that basically entail the member paying a grand total of apprx $2300-$2400 by March 2010.
Honestly, this deeply concerns me. I don't buy their stance that the economy is bad, and that they are trying to hurry and pay off debt in case it gets worse.
If I truly believed that I was going to pay that money, and not be expected to pay a dime for an additional 8 years, and had a written guarantee to that effect, I would feel a lot more comfortable with it. But who is to say a year from now, they come out with another note saying they need more money?
If you know any Camperworld members, or are a Camper World member yourself, please comment so we can discuss. I'd love to know if I'm being paranoid or not.
49 comments:
Wendy,
We too are frustrated with this seeminly "special offer" for Camperworld members to receive "tremendous cost savings".
We bought our membership three years ago. One of my concerns from the start stemmed from posts from previous years on the Internet stating that the members were asked for large sums of money in addition to their yearly fees.
I was assured by our sales person that this had happened in the earlier years to establish some resorts, but that this "should" not happen again as they were well established.
I have been concerned for a time when one of the camp hosts told us that the camp we have attended was full and they were trying to find additional ways to come up with revenue.
Then the letter came in regards to selling timeshares for the cabins. Again asking for more money.
The movie "Money Pit" is coming to mind at this point.
I, like you, don't know what our recourse can be on this last letter demanding $600.00 by June. My husband is out of work due to this economic setback and we will simply not be able to pay the additional fees. But do we have a recourse?
I started a Facebook group - Disgruntled Camperworld Members. I was hoping to get some hits. I am glad you sent this post and hope more members will post a comment.
I for one am worried that these funds are to keep the company afloat, but at what cost to the members. And at some point with this fail and we are left with a worthless membership.
My confidence level is at a low point right now.
Thanks for letting me vent. I will also be writing the company a letter with these same concerns.
I, along with about 6 other members agree with what you're saying. Any suggestions as to what we can do? I'm thinking that legally they can't do this "assessment" or kick us out if we don't come up with money that we haven't already agreed to pay. I worry for the future and how high these dues can go.
Cindy,
I have started a yahoo group for all Camperworld members to discuss these exact same things. You can go to the group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/camperworld/
Please join the discussion!
Hello fellow camperworld suckers! I feel strongly that what they are doing is not only unethical but illegal. We, like many others purchased from Camperworld 3 or 4 years ago. Much of what you were told we were told also. When we bought we only purchased some of the resorts. For these resorts were had an anual restriction on how many days per year we could stay and would only hve to pay $195.00 per year. These restrictions are one of the only reasons we bought the membership. These promises only lasted 1 year. Two years ago they upped our dues to $350.00 still restricing our resort access. We were upset then, you can only immagine how we feel now. Some of the resorts they are proporting they are going to pay off we are not even allowed to visit! We will not be paying this or any other assesment and are considering creating a legal class to take action against Camperworld. Is there anyone else who is considering this?
We have been members of Camperworld for 3 years now. I must say that I am outraged that somebody can issue a "Mandatory" assessment of this nature. I have given this a lot of thought, and the thing that really bothers me is that they want 8 years of dues now as well. Seems like somebody might be going into bankruptcy and wants to squeeze the last drop out of the bottle before doing so.
The only proof or guarantee that you even have a membership with these folks is the card they give you.
Other than a sticker to put on the card, what else do you have as proof of payment or membership?
If anyone pays this crazy amount of money by June 1, hang on for a rough ride.
What kind of trouble are they in that they need this amount by June 1st?
Also, look at how many members there are! If there were 1000, the amount of money they stand to rake in is at the very least $2200 x 1000 =$2,200,00 dollars.
I believe they are in deep financial trouble and wish to make a lot of quick cash before flushing us all down the toilet.
Illegal? Yes! Ethical? No!\
We were told that they would always have a limit as to the amount of memberships they would allow and to join was by special invite.
They are always trying to sell memberships. At the RV show they were pushing sales big time!
I have come to the conclusion, that they suck you in, let you pay off any options you have, then raise your fee's and go the extra mile for a mandatory fee.
A scam? You be the judge!
This will wipe out family vacations to Camperworld because who could afford to go?
Check and see what the new owners dues are.
The one thing that they really pushed about buying into Camperworld is how much it cost to stay at other places.
Hell! Who can afford to stay at Camperworld!
I agree with all that has been said. I have been with camperworld for several years. I am still waiting for a good experience. I have a 10 park 'beneficial' and a one park 'membership'. I use the membership once a year and they give me a hard time each year. I take my brother-in-law, instead of one of my children. Think this through, $499 + $600 = $1099 for one night and I have to fight for that! I would like to de-activate that membership if possible, however, I have sent them 2 e-mails, one letter and called twice. They have not returned my calls or answered my letter/e-mail. I am guessing that if I don't pay the $600 by June 1st I will loose the $499 I have already paid and my membership.
We are going to a camper world presentation tonight. Glad I came across your blog. Boy, did I learn a lot. Thank you for doing the post!
I was a Camperworld member. We received a one resort membership with the purchase of our trailer in 2005. I persuaded my husband to buy the additional parks memberships for an additional cost of $4,000. We were able to pay it off even though they didn't have us pay interest. I thought it was a great thing since we had young boys. At the time the membership dues were $299 which I felt were reasonable since you spend $35 to $40 per night a some rv parks. They increased the dues by $20 a couple of years later. Then the recession hit and I heard all kinds of stories about the management doing some not so cool things with the Cabins. Then I get the news about them increasing the cost of the dues to $499 per year. What I have a huge problem with is that now that I was stuck with it I couldn't sell it. It seems as though I was paying for membership dues for all of the other members who lost their jobs, etc. due to the recession. They made it sound like a wonderful thing to be able to pass onto your children/grandchildren, etc. But what they don't tell you is that the membership fees are much more than what you would pay... If you are going to travel, you would have your parks picked out in advance. also, they seemed to keep changing the rules as some of the parks. You pay for use at a specific group of parks and then they tell you that they had to sell it, etc. I cancelled my membership and will be taking a loss on my purchase on my taxes next year. I paid in over $5,000 just in rights for specific parks and didn't even count the annual dues. This is my live and learn... I am frustrated beyond belief because we purchased this as a legacy for our children to be able to use. To have my daughter even use the membership was a hassle and it wasn't even a very nice park.
We were staying at The Oasis RV resort in Las Vegas, the first week of November 2011. During check in we were approached by a lady from a booth in the Oasis lobby We met with a salesman named Ned Brown who works for Camperworld, not Oasis RV Resort.
We were told we would be getting hundreds of camping locations, all across the United States under several groups. He showed big charts showing several different groups under one umbrella all having hundreds of locations. The two big ones were RPI and Coast to Coast RV parks exc. All included in the price of approximately $5,390.00 one-time fee, a yearly maintenance fee of $150.00 not to exceed $200.00 yearly for our lifetime for the whole package. We even had him write that on the paperwork.
We also told Ned we would not be using our home base park in Utah, because we lived in Michigan, and it was to far and too cold in the winter. He continued to show us the hundreds of parks in the south that he said would be available to us.
We found in the first few months that most of the southern parks that are listed in the books and charts he showed us are closed to our membership during the winter months, again something Ned did not tell us. Before you pay and sign up you do not have access to the web pages showing the parks are closed to Camper world rates in the winter. There is no way of finding this out before hand, and he never once told us that.
Many times these closed parks to our membership take dozens and dozens of parks and locations in a state down to only a few during the winter. When we called camper World to talk to Mike Hatch he seemed not to know that this was happening. He referred us to Coast to Coast, they told us it was and has always been their policy, with camper world membership But no one tells you that at Ned Browns sales pitch he said the opposite. In Florida alone the 39 parks on the web page drops to 15 available to Coast to Coast for the winter time use.
Then we find out 10 months later when we started getting several membership renewals that it is a total scam and we really only bought a membership in a few local resorts in Utah, and only under the campers world membership.
During the presentation we were told that there were different groups that had been taken into the camper world program that were all under the same umbrella at one cost. All the paper work with headers of all these various groups have the same one time price we paid, even the yearly fees all match. We were told that the yearly fee that was guaranteed to us not to go over $200.00 a year covered all of them. It turns out It does not cover anything other than Camper World.
All the rest of the parks he tells you are included with the package, really are not, after the first year. It will cost you each year separately for each of the different RPI, Coast to Coast, plus the original camper world resorts. He never told us there were three different yearly fees to keep what he was showing us.
That would be almost $500.00 a year for what he told us is approximately $150.00 yearly cost. I have called to talk to Ned Brown and have never gotten a call back. I again called camper world on 9/26/12 and left a message.
I called back to camper world on 9/27/12, 10/8/12, and again on10/16/12. Mike Hatch finely called me back on that day. When I talked to him I told him how we felt about being deceived He told me he would take the problem before his board and see if they would reimburse us our upfront payment. He called back on 10/19/12 and told us they would not offer us anything back.
We feel that the program was sold to us was completely under fraudulent means and most of the information told to us was and is not accurate and was explained in a way that was false and incorrect. The cost was vastly mis-represented; the amount of resorts we could use in the winter months was vastly mis-represented as well. The entire program was falsely represented.
I am so sorry for your frustrating experience. If you have a lot of the promises made in writing, it may be wise to consult a lawyer.
We had a similar experience with the same man and are currently in communications with the company though a different person. I believe if more people can establish that this is misrepresentation instead of misunderstanding we might have a leg to stand on. It seems that Ned is being intentionally dishonest. I would love to talk to you more about this and am hoping if you call the person we are dealing with we can validate each other and get some resolution! Please email me at maryecarlton@gmail.com ;)
We have gotten in touch with the UT attorney general their office is looking into the Camperworld sales practice. We will e-mail you and would love to add our complaint to yours.
We tried the TU BBB and that was a wast of time. So I would tell every one not to use the BBB.
if you are not making any progress we would love for you to add your complaint with ours at the AG office. It seems like they know about the problem.
Scoutmaster, we just had the same talk from Ned Brown yesterday and asked if we could come back today after checking the information. After reading your post we have agreed, if it's too good to be true then it's a scam. Thank you
It is worth anyone's time to investigate what is going on with Camperworld Utah.. They are currently in a wrongful lawsuit for terminating the founder and President of Camperworld, along with long time employees. The same person who tried to do this 6 years ago.. The result of his devient actions caused all of the Camperworld members to be assessed a $600 assessment to pay for the legal fees he caused. I would tell anyone that is looking to buy a membership to Camperworld - to beware! This company is headed down, in a big way. Save your money and look into other options. As a long time member of Camperworld, I am hoping to sell off my membership and salvage anything I can.
Scoutmaster here
the only way to get your money back is to go through
UT attorney general, they got right on it and with others reporting the same thing they got all of our money back.
Don't bother with the BBB it is a joke they are in bed together.
The UT attorney general is the only way to go, if you have already lost your money. If you go to the RV park and see Ned Brown, Run he is a cheat and not much of what he says is true, like the other poster said if it is to good to be true, it is even if he tells you otherwise.
I am trying to sell my parents membership for them, as they no longer use it. I called Camperworld's office to complain that there was no way I would ever be able to sell this knowing that anyone looking into it would find only negative info online. They said that the lawsuit is over, they have new management, and things are fine now. Does anyone know if this is true?
I can promise that this is a ripoff to the members and potential buyers. They assess fee's at will, withhold membership and keep dues after payment and deny access until you meet every spec of their criteria. I was threatened that if my dues were not paid in 15 days they would just take my membership. I gave them $499.00. A week later Did not get my new card. Called and complained and was told they wanted photo copies of all drivers licenses etc. Can't access their stupid forms. Just got a letter tonight they now want another $800+ in 90 days or the same. Camperworld is a blood sucking pocket book leach. If I were to pay the $1300+ dollars for the year, I could have gone anywhere in the country and stayed for a heck of a lot cheaper.
I am not making this up!
I can promise that this is a ripoff to the members and potential buyers. They assess fee's at will, withhold membership and keep dues after payment and deny access until you meet every spec of their criteria. I was threatened that if my dues were not paid in 15 days they would just take my membership. I gave them $499.00. A week later Did not get my new card. Called and complained and was told they wanted photo copies of all drivers licenses etc. Can't access their stupid forms. Just got a letter tonight they now want another $800+ in 90 days or the same. Camperworld is a blood sucking pocket book leach. If I were to pay the $1300+ dollars for the year, I could have gone anywhere in the country and stayed for a heck of a lot cheaper.
I am not making this up!
Camperworld new management or not is in a huge financial mess and will go down with your money. Who would want to buy into a dead horse?
Just got the s as me letter asking for 880.00 assessment fee. I say go f....... yourself. I hope no one isdumb enough to pay this. This company is history
I agree, Camper World is a sinking ship and although I just paid $5,300.00 for what they told me would be an ownership On top of the $6,500.00 I paid in 2007 to join and the $2,400.00 for 8 years I'M NOT PAYING ANYMORE. This will go on and on and one. Let the bank take it over. IT'S HISTORY
Our original purchase was $9,000.00
Then a couple years later we were Invited to a mandatory meeting and were told we HAD to purchase into the coast to coast or else we would loose our camperworld membership so another $7,200.00 and then the $2,400.00 assessment and now they want another $880.00 because the board has
mis-managed the business... Riiiiiight..... and now we need to get online and "reserve" our campsite
What a total joke....
we received a mailing that specifically said that all further correspondence would come in e-mail form and WOULD NOT BE MAILED TO US,so then here comes the letter demanding $880.00 due in less than 30 days,
So one one here needs to go to jail for this fiasco....
So since we joined camperworld there has been NO ONE IN THE OFFICE that has not lied to us, told us half truths...
Sounds like Gephardt needs to look at this one and see what is really going on... and put it out there for all to see ...
We also received the letter and are very upset. They send out membership due notices in September and you have till December to pay. Now we get a letter demanding $880 and we have less than a month to pay it? Ridiculous! Then they charge at $65 service fee for installment payments. My car insurance charges only $3. All this looks very illegal. Can anyone find where they can do this kind of thing in their contracts? We can't. I believe that it is time that we all come together and find a solution. Nobody pay anything!!! Is there a member who is a lawyer and could advise us? Can we file a class action suit against them? Can we as a group contact the State Attorney General or even contact Get Gephardt and see if he can help us out. Perhaps getting this company's practices out in the media might help. We are looking for help and solutions and as soon as possible.
I also received this letter and will never pay this. If I can help with a lawsuit or anything please call 801-941-4868. I have 4 other members looking for somewhere to go with this
Jeremy
there is face book chat group titled
"Camperworld Unofficial Chat"
where folks are talking and who have the same views, questions and concerns, you may want to join...the only way C/W will move or listen is if we are united in numbers.
Also received letter. I have invested over $10,000.00 to this company. All we wanted to do was camp not buy the damn campground. They want the members to pay for the money the directors are lining their pockets
We planned on joining family on wednesday of this week at the Plymouth Hot Springs campground. They arrived today (3/21). They made their reservations on line and so when they arrived they immediately went to their site. They hooked everything up and then were about to head down for a swim when the manager came and told them that they had to pack up and leave. The manager had just received a call saying that at midnight all power was being shut down and the campground was closing. They and the manager were upset. Evidently, the central office is getting a lot of feedback on the refusal to pay the $880. It is my understanding that all the parks are being shut down and will not be available for use by anyone. We must not let them BULLY us. We just don't know what to do and where to start but something needs to be done. We are available at 435-512-4184. We went to the camperworld unofficial chat on facebook and clicked join and hope that lets us in. We are not all that familiar with how to use facebook.
We received our letter also asking for $880.00. We do Not want to give Camperworld a dime more until they can prove they are a company the members can trust. They cannot be trusted with the peoples money. A lawyer should be involved and if the company is bankrupt we need to know. What they are doing is dishonest and I have no desire to give them a dime more . Many people have lost a lot of money and this is not the way to solve it.
We called KUTV 2 news last evening to try and get a hold of Gephardt. He was unavailable but we spoke with the KUTV Tip line. They took our information and said they would pass it on. We are hoping they will call back. If they do not, we will call again in a few days. KUTV news did a story on Camperworld back in 2009 when they were again asking for additional money to bail them out. We were not members back then so we are not aware if it made a difference. Hopefully, they will take it up again and they can help us members find a way to solve this problem. Also, we spoke yesterday to our nephew who attended the webinar information meeting that was held yesterday morning. He told us that Don told the people the company was going into bankruptcy. There are over 4000 members but only 800 are paying their dues. Don was asked and confronted with many questions most of which he wouldn't answer and got more and more upset and after only 30 minutes (the meeting was scheduled for 2 hours), Don ended the meeting and 10 minutes later the new home page for camperworld came up announcing that all further meetings were cancelled and the $880 was still due on or before April 20th. Today's website has changed somewhat, it still says the same thing but it says that Don resigned as of today. Now what?
We have paid our fees for 2014 park usage and now all the parks are shut down. Are they going to give us back our money? Of course not, they are resigning and taking it with them. We are being bullying and blackmailed. This is wrong. We need as many members as possible to also call KUTV and ask them to investigate this story. The more that call,the more apt they are to take up our cause. Please help. One more thing, our nephew also told us that at the meeting, someone talked about a class action suit to which Don responded that if members did such a thing they would probably win. This might be the best way for members to recover at least some of what they have invested in this company. Is there anyone out there that can help us in this area? We can't just complain, we must act and do something.
The class actions suit he referred to was toward the marketing company Camelot not Camperworld. He said that Camelot misrepresented in specifics to dues. He said that only those who were sold contracts that didn't require annual dues would be able to file suit.
A facebook group has been started that is called "Camperworld Unofficial Chat".
Feel free to join.
As of this evening I found that all resorts are closed. Camperworld has been the largest money pit I have ever had the most miserable experience with.
I purchased a trailer from Ray Citte in 2006 and this was the first time I heard of Camperworld.
These Bozo's in their meetings tried to make you feel that there were no more places to camp and that staying other places would cost a fortune.
Well, I along with thousands of other have been taken to the cleaners.
They threatened me 2 weeks ago that would confiscate my membership if dues were not paid.
Paid the dues and then got the notice of the additional $800.00
Called and they would not give me an updated card. They ripped me off for $499.00
I know many people will lose a lot and for this I am sorry but I hope they fall off the "Rip Off Ladder" and hit every damn rung on the way down.
As of this evening I found that all resorts are closed. Camperworld has been the largest money pit I have ever had the most miserable experience with.
I purchased a trailer from Ray Citte in 2006 and this was the first time I heard of Camperworld.
These Bozo's in their meetings tried to make you feel that there were no more places to camp and that staying other places would cost a fortune.
Well, I along with thousands of other have been taken to the cleaners.
They threatened me 2 weeks ago that would confiscate my membership if dues were not paid.
Paid the dues and then got the notice of the additional $800.00
Called and they would not give me an updated card. They ripped me off for $499.00
I know many people will lose a lot and for this I am sorry but I hope they fall off the "Rip Off Ladder" and hit every damn rung on the way down.
Wish I would have seen this a few weeks ago!
March 8, 2013, Becky H.
My nameis Becky. I worked for the marketing firm that was fired by Campingworld. I can only tell you what I witnessed firsthand. Two weeks before Christmas the founder Glenn Hatch was fired. We were getting ready to have a retirement party for him. They did this so he would not be able to collect his retirement from them. Then, as members heard rumors, they sent a letter saying all was great and the founder retired. Not true members. Don't be blinded. The board of directors got a mole to steal documents from the marketing company in order to blackmail the founder for money. Because without the founder, they have no money. Other than your dues and special assessments that you can count on this year. You will be assessed something for repair in the parks etc. they will come up with some excuse but it will be to cover their own payroll. Nothing will be repaired in the parks you can be assured of that. If it is, many would be very surprised. After the takeover and the firing of all salaried employees, the founder is suing the board of directors of Campingworld. He will win and the members will lose. Someone will have to pay for the fees etc. and sadly, it will be the members. They will feel they have no choice because they do not want to lose their investment. People, a membership in a park program is NOT an investment. You are only paying a fee to camp. The board is corrupt. They receive a salary and they are led by randy Townsend who's father was also one of the founders but is now sadly deceased. I think he would be shocked at what his son has done. The sales director is Robert Newman who is a pedophile recently released from prison. Google him. He is in the park with your children. Go camping, but please don't let your kids out of your sight. I am very saddened by what was done to the last living founder. It was unwarranted and undeserved. Sadly, since the recession, sales were slow and the board was worried about their salaries. Their answer was to fire anyone who drew a salary and sell their memberships in house so they wouldn't have to have a marketing company have dinners for new RV owners while they told them about the program. Now dont misunderstand me, the parks are nice. You pay about 7 grand for membership in the club and then 500.00 per year in maintance fees. Actually a good deal. But the members should know the truth and then they can decide if they want to be involved. I think it is a good product if you camp and well worth the money. But when the founder was in charge. Now that he is gone, it is being run by a pack of barbarians. They aren't concerned about the parks or the members. We were also let go without pay. Because we were told they had no money. That should scare you. We are owed thousands of dollars still. They are in a massive lawsuit with the last surviving founder. He will win because what they did was illegal. So be ready for special assessments because someone has to pay for legal fees. Again, only my opinion in what I saw and heard. Could I be wrong? Certainly. Just do your homework if you choose to join because I think you may be boarding the titanic. Again, only my opinion. Which may mean nothing. But we do live in this amazing world where we do have freedom of speech. And with that, then all views can be made public and each can choose. Good luck.
How do you join the Facebook Camperworld unofficial chat. I could not see where I could join. It said closed group.
Camper world has lost it good name and should look to SALE the parks to a Reputable company such as Coast to Coast RPI Enchore.etc. Let the members transfer there membership over to a reputable company and Don and the Board get out of the business. You are not trustworthy. That is why only 800 people paid maintenance dues out of 4000.
I to am a member of camperworld. I did pay a large lump some when they needed money fast. My yearly dues are paid until 2017. They say if we do not pay this 880 assessment that our membership is forfeit. Me question is ; is it legal for them to refuse me to use and have access to something that I have already paid for in full?
Craig Hyde is actually a hatch family member. Marci smith is carol the old bookkeeper from Camelot. Others are mike hatch and Cindy hatch. Don't be fooled.
@Craig Hyde:
Where did you find that post allegedly written by Becky H? I've been trying to scour the internet and have had no luck.
The post by Kitt Masters stating that Craig Hyde is a Hatch family member is a total lie if he is speaking about me. I am in no way tied to the Hatch family and only affiliated with Camperworld as a disgruntled and ripped off member.
What a total lie! Read my post from 2009 before you spread your deceptive tactics!
We bought in 2005. Paid the big assessment until 2017. REFUSE TO PAY ANOTHER PENNY to a rip off company!! Got an email today DEMANDING $880.00
or we can't use the facilities. NO WAY!!! I will join the Facebook unofficial page.
We have learned a HUGE lesson with this experience. Bye bye thousands of dollars!!
We bought into Camperworld in 2005. Paid the big assessment a few years ago - supposedly paid up through 2017. Now they want more!! Got the letter. Told them NO! Got an email today. NO WAY!! They can't even spell "together" correctly. What a bunch of thieves!! Not one more penny is going into this scam!! So frustrating!
My apologies to the man who I said was a hatch. That is what I heard. It goes to show you what damage gossip without fist hand knowledge does. My sincere apologies sir. I am trying to work off only facts now and not heresay, opinions, lies and assumptions. It would be good if we all did that.
Well I think after reading all the info ALL of you should get ahold of theUT attorney generals office, They got all but $300.00 of my $5500.00 back with in six months, they told me that they would be taking CW to court fro frad if they did not compley and I got all of mine back
Good luck to all of you.
Got a letter today stating that they, Camper World, have seized my membership which I bought for thousands and paid dues on for the past 7 years including 2014. I can't afford the $880 extortion fee.
Ripoff of biblical magnitude!
Craig Hyde, after you lost your membership privileges for not paying, did they hit you up for dues, etc? I am considering not paying any further on my membership.
I guess I still do not understand why several of you do not get together and file with the UT Attorney General, When they finished my case they told me they had a good handle on what was going on at CW but people need to go to them they do not file unless some one complains to them..
Good luck all
Post a Comment