In 2008 we bought a brand new 2009 Forest River Wildcat 30 Loft 5th Wheel camper from Camping World in Snellville, Ga. We paid well over $30,000 for this camper and had been looking at Forest Rivers for a couple of years prior to making the purchase. We have owned many campers over the years and expected the best from Forest River. We loved this camper! It was perfect for our family and the type of camping we do. We go camping at least 6-8 times every year.
Right away, we had a few problems and we joked to our friends that we had to work on our new, fancy camper every time we went on a camping trip. The ceiling fan switch and motor went bad and the automatic jack motor stopped working too. We had trouble with the TV and audio system. Camping World fixed these things for us and some of the work was even under warranty. These were problems that were an inconvenience, but we still loved our camper. Little did we know that our opinion about Forest River and Camping World was about to change forever.
After about a year, we noticed a wet spot on the carpet on the right rear corner. We took it back to Camping World and they "fixed" a leak and charged us close to $400 and told us that it was leaking because the sealant was cracked. They said that WE should of checked the sealant and it was our fault, and that sealant is only covered for 90 days on the warranty. Now, when we purchased the camper, not one word was mentioned about putting a sealant or checking the sealant on a brand new camper. We never had to seal any of our other campers and who would of thought a brand new camper would have issues with sealant within a year of purchase. We paid for the repair and started checking the camper often for leaks or problems with the sealant.
In about another year or so, we noticed wet carpet again. We took it back to Camping World and this time they wanted $10,000 to "fix" the leak and repair the water damage. We could not believe it! $10,000 worth of damage? At this time, we contacted Forest River hoping to get some help. We truly believe that our camper has been leaking since it left the factory. We do not feel like it is our fault or our responsibility to pay for the repairs. We take pride in taking good care of everything we own, especially a major purchase like a 5th wheel camper and there is no way this is our fault! Forest River did not help us one bit! They said that the sealant was only warrantied for 90 days and it was our fault for not checking it for cracks or leaks. We did not know it was leaking until the carpet got wet... A year after we purchased the camper! Supposedly Camping World "fixed" the leak and we did not know there was another problem until we noticed wet carpet again. Even after sending pictures and details, they said it was our problem. We even tried to get our insurance to pay for the damages, but they said it was a maintenance issue and would not pay a dime (we are getting rid of our Allstate policies too).
Now, camping season is here and we are leaving for the beach in 3 weeks. We took the camper to another dealer and they wanted $14,000 to fix the mess. They "fixed" the outside for $1000 (that is all we could afford). We are trying to repair the inside ourselves. We tore out the paneling on the back wall only (we are afraid to tackle the damage around the slide out) and all the wood was rotting with mold and mildew everywhere. It also looks like the camper has been leaking from the left rear side as well. We ripped the nasty, wet carpet out, used a dehumidifier to dry it out, sealed and caulked everything possible, kilt-zed the mold and mildew, replaced the carpet, put it all back and we are currently waiting for the paneling to come in ($120 per sheet from Forest River... The only place you can buy it from) so we can use it this summer. We are still very worried about the water damage that we could not get to in the upper bunk and side walls. Now we are stuck with a camper that is falling apart and is not worth a thing!
What a horrible disappointment and a financial nightmare! We will never do business with Camping World or Forest River again. We encourage everyone to think twice before dealing with these businesses. They have been no help to us whatsoever! What a rip off!
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