Family says RV from Camping World has been nothing but problems

A Fayetteville family says they bought an RV from Camping World to live in after their home caught fire, but they say the RV has been nothing but a problem in the year they’ve had it.

"It’s been challenging, trying," Ben Hutchins told 5 On Your Side.

In August of 2021, Hutchins’ says the house fire forced his wife and children to find somewhere else to stay.

They bought a one-year-old RV from Camping World and quickly made it into their new home while they waited for the fire damage to be repaired.

"We got it and it was immaculate inside," Hutchins said about the RV.

But the Hutchins say they soon started having problems.

"A lot of the times, you come in and all the lights are going crazy," Heather Hutchins told 5 On Your Side.

Ben Hutchins took cell phone video of the lights flickering and the same thing happened while the 5 On Your Side team was there.

The Hutchins’ say electrical outlets don’t work and at one point, the hydraulic leveling system malfunctioned.

"We were sitting outside one time and it just went ‘brrrr’ up in the air and it didn’t shut off and we had to call the fire department," Ben Hutchins said.

He took video of that too. In the video, you can hear fire personnel saying "that motors gonna burn up, its smoking now."

There were other issues, but the Hutchins thought they’d prepared for them.

"We got the best warranty that they had because we didn’t want to have to worry about anything," Ben Hutchins recalled.

But even after repairs, the Hutchins’ say electrical issues continued. New problems also showed up that the service plan didn’t cover, including a rotten roof.

Less than eight months in, the Hutchins wanted out.

"We’ve contacted Camping World, we contacted the manufacturer, we had an attorney that was dealing with this," Ben Hutchins told us.

The Hutchins’ service agreement appears to show a 12-month manufacturers warranty on the camper and their attorney cited that while pushing for a replacement or refund under lemon law protections. But Camping World said that warranty expired before the Hutchins bought it and the RV was sold "as-is."

5 On Your Side had multiple conversations with Camping World about this situation. We asked multiple times for an official statement, but have not gotten one.

The Hutchins’ are still worried about the electrical system and are considering taking a hit on their credit and having the RV voluntarily repossessed.

"It just seems so unfair, that’s not what we purchased," Heather Hutchins said.

As for the extended service plan the Hutchins bought, it covers repairs, but there’s no option to replace the RV if the problem can’t be fixed.

A reminder to be crystal clear on what warranties and extended service plans you have and what they cover, before you purchase.