Buyer Beware of General RV

[ARD]

Recently a friend of mine purchased a preowned Newmar Dutch Star from General RV. It has been a nightmare for which she has received zero recompense to date. She was assured that they had thoroughly inspected and cleaned the coach. Being in the coach for a very short time, she got ill and her doctor told her to go to the ER. Turns out she has a rare Staphylococcus aureus in her lungs. It was discovered that the coach was full of black mold and bacteria to name just a few of the issues. General RV initially said they would work with her, but instead decided to lawyer up. Meanwhile, she is a full timer and has been out of a home for several months and it will cost $18k for the mold remediation, duct work cleaning, etc. Of course, this does not even include her health issues for which you cannot put a price tag on.

AND she is not alone in having a wretched experience with General RV. See the following links:

Is General RV Getting as Bad as Camping World?

We've seen a lot of comments recently about customer service going downhill at General RV. Some are even saying it's as bad as Camping World!

www.getawaycouple.com

https://www.yelp.com/biz/general-rv-center-dover-3?start=20

https://general-rv-center.pissedconsumer.com/review.html

It would appear that General RV has a reputation of using deceptive and unfair sales and services practices to defraud the public. Numerous complaints have been filed, yet General RV tends to ignore these complaints which seems to work out well for them, as most consumers will eventually "give up" and not proceed to litigation. Let's get the word out!

I am appalled at how she has been treated, especially in the light of it being an extreme safety issue and health hazard. I am further saddened to see such a dealership winning a Newmar Sales Excellence Award. Not all dealers are as unscrupulous as General RV, so avoid this one like the plague.

As a reminder to anyone purchasing a new rig, especially a preowned one, do yourself a favor and spend the extra money and have a 3rd party inspect the unit.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

If I felt that the court system wasn't broken, I might recite the mandate requiring disclosure. But alas a court case in a broken system would just add insult to injury.

 

[AbdRahim]

Sadly, too much success, without a moral spiritual foundation often leads to contempt of the very people that made them successful. Shameful. I much rather do business with, and help small family owned businesses to stay alive.

Of course this behavior is most illogical.

 

[jaydee325]

Interesting to note that General RV was awarded the Sales Excellence Award at the Newmar annual dealer meeting last April! I can only surmise that the award was based on sales numbers only and not customer satisfaction.

There are several General RV centers within driving distance from me. I did not look at any of them when we were shopping in early 2022 due to their poor reputation.

Newmar Honors Sammut, Top Dealers - RV News

 

[FLSteve]

@ARD .... thanks for posting this. I have heard too many of these kind of stories about General RV to every go near one. Hope your friend gets some relief soon.

FLSteve

 

[John&Andrea]

I hope for the best for your friend. It is sad companies continue these practices.

 

[AbdRahim]

Unfortunately another dealer near where I used to live (also part of a larger chain), is one of the top sellers of Newmar coaches in the country. However, their reputation for service is similar to the above. Salesperson was quite upset that I purchased elswhere.

 

[Bigblockyeti]

I would think it advisable for anyone buying a used RV from a dealer or private party to negotiate into the deal the cost of a 3rd party inspection. I know if I were to pay out of pocket for a 3rd party inspection and my purchase was contengient on their findings, it would be a simple "yes" or "no" from me to the seller. If they need a detailed explaination for a "no" they would need to cover my time & travel on top of the cost of the inpsection.

 

[DennisT]

We even hired an inspector for our new one.

Peace of mind that all is good more than worth the cost.