May 7, 2010

Stinky week at Camping World

After 3 weeks that we were gone, we finally came back home with our new truck, hoping to hook everything and hit the road. 3 weeks were not enough to fix our unit, but this is nothing compare to the surprise that was waiting for us

Pinch you Nose

See full size imageWednesday, May 5th, 2010 – We knew that by the time we came back from the National Park, Camping World will be closed so we stayed one extra night at a motel in Winslow, AZ. In the morning we got up early to be as early as possible at Camping World for our appointment. We arrived at about 9:00AM just to learn that our appointment is actually scheduled for noon, and anyways – the part that they were waiting for, still did not arrive. Three weeks, and no part… does it make any sense?
Well – The service manager said he will take out the RV and let us stay in it in the yard for few days until the part arrives.
BellemontAZ 003They pulled the RV out, and gave us a connection to water and electricity. As soon as I opened the door I knew something went wrong. I mean royally wrong. The RV stunk horribly from spoiled meat and blood was all over the carpet underneath the refrigerator. Patti tried to open the freezer door, but before she could even reach the handle she ran out gagging.
True – we did not ask the service guys at Camping World to keep the refrigerator going, but they knew we are full timers, and they knew we will be gone for 3 weeks. For a company that its main business is RV, I would expect to think that full timer might have something in the refrigerator… They are doing it day in day out, for god sake. We don’t.
They did not seem to think they have any part in it whatsoever. Oh well – deal with the smell. And we sure did.
I spent 5 paper towel rolls, 3 bottles of Clorox, 409 and 6 packs of baking Soda. Nothing helped. We threw away everything we had in the freezer/refrigerator and did not stop scrubbing but to this day the smell did not go away. and believe me – it is a bad smell.
The weird thing is that the propane did not run out, it is the battery that died, and stopped the refrigerator. Conclusion? Even if you turn out everything in your RV (5th Wheel) the battery will run out within few days (unless you have solar panel and a battery array installed).
BellemontAZ 002 View from Camping World Parking Lot
Friday, May 7th, 2010 – Our truck was in the shop yesterday to fix some dent we had, and the fifth wheel hitch was already installed by Camping World  on Wednesday. The part finally arrived last night, so they are going to finally fix the slide-out.
BellemontAZ 007 At 5:00pm we were ready to roll, with a new gear, a new battery, a new truck and a new hitch. We did not want to stay one extra moment so we headed north – to Utah. We were looking forward to be in this state for so long, as there are so many beautiful places to explore – can’t wait to get there.
We drove on Hwy 89 all the way, and crossed the Colorado River in a beautiful bridge, just at the south of Glen Canyon Recreation area. ZionNP_iPhone 039
We stopped to take some pictures, but let me tell you – as soon as you hit UT the way is nothing but a path through nature most amazing creations. Every turn reveals another feature, another color, endless glory. Can’t wait to explore it.
ZionNP_iPhone 072

Made it to the campground

GlendaleUT 010 We arrived to Bauer RV Camp in Glendale, UT where the owner waited for us and showed us to our site. The RV campground is just inside Glendale, it is very small quiet and nice place, that is really close to everything. A great gateway to many of the area endless attractions. Did I mention I can’t wait to start exploring? Just hope the bad smell will finally go away!

9 comments:

  1. Man, don't you just hate it when that happens? One more thing to add to the "If ... Then, Do This ... Else THAT Happens!" list. Stop by a mortuary and ask the mortician what s/he recommends for dealing with the death smells. You are basically dealing with the same problem. Good luck to you -- I hope you enjoy Utah.

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  2. Motty, Coffee grounds for the smell. Google it!!!

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  3. What a bummer, but this is a ME world now and Camping World won't do anything they don't have to. I agree with you that common sense should have been used, like the other poster said, coffee grounds and then a couple of boexs of baking soda for the next month or so should get you back to normal.Or maybe by then your nose is used to it. Your Utah pictures are great. keep it up. Be safe out there. Sam & Donna.

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  4. That was sure a nasty bit of business having your fridge quit like that. Who knew!! I first saw Utah back in 1992 & it quickly became one of my favorite States for scenery from that time on. Just soooooo much to see there. Wished it was warmer during the winter months though.

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  5. I've heard/read several times about coffee grounds - even the Car Talk guys recommend them. Hope they work for you!

    In our experience, it is totally typical that all work stops on your rig once you leave the repair facility - every other job takes priority. It is both a curse and a blessing to be a fulltimer when something breaks - although it brings your travel to a screetching halt, you can be on site every day, several times a day, keeping an eye on things. I'm sure service people hate it, but constant prodding gets the job done. I can only believe that the part would have been found and delivered much sooner had you been living outside their building, asking about it daily. So sorry about your bad experience!

    If you haven't already, be sure to add your comments to rvservicereviews.com... it helps us all. Thanks, and safe travels!

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  6. We continue to hear horror stories about Camping World's service record. Yes, there are horror stories everywhere, but the Camping World name seems to pop up frequently.

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  7. I hate to say it, but most Camping Worlds that I have been in have a big sign behind the service counter that state they aren't responsible for contents (including refrigerator), even if plugged in. Really sucks, but that's the reality of business today.

    Worse than that, having owned a cleaning business and having done clean-outs on folks that just walked away, I know the smell you are talking about. The refrigerator had to be tossed...the smell gets into the styrofoam in the insulation. We had to also professionally clean the carpets and drapes to remove the smell.

    I hope you can get the smell out...be sure to try charcoal (not the grill kind) and newspapers. That was what finally took the smell out of a leather jacket I had that got gasoline all over it.

    Hate to hear about this...truly "stinks" for you. Sending big hugs...

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  8. Go to the pet store and get some Nature's Miracle. It's a fluid that is used for pet messes in carpets. It will remove the smell permanently.

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  9. I heard that crumpled up newspaper left in there, will absorb the smell. Then you can throw the paper away, and put more in there, even when it is in use.

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