I Want to Give a Positive Review to Thompson RV — But I Can’t

Randy and I had been looking everywhere for a new-to-us RV. We were hoping for a 2018 or newer but had set a budget and didn’t want to go much beyond the set amount. After looking at almost every brand, we had settled on a Tiffin or Newmar. Both offered many of the same features but we preferred the quality of the Tiffin based upon how much the closet doors shook when closed among other things. To read about our new Tiffin, read this.

My husband and I became compulsive in our search. Sometimes looking at the same rig repeatedly. We took road trips to other states to look at different designs. Then late one evening, a 2020 popped up on our screen. “Randy, have we looked at this?”

“No, it’s new to that site. But it’s too much money.”

“It looks like it just arrived on the lot. Maybe they will consider less. Call the salesman and ask some questions.”

Anyone who knows my husband will recognize our desperation. He actually picked up the phone, called, and left a message. He is not a man to act quickly and will postpose phone calls unless they are emergencies. Kevin, the salesman called us first thing in the morning. When we heard all the details and the price, we kindly explained it was everything we wanted but beyond our budget. Before hanging up we asked him to watch for anything that met our criteria. He agreed but being a determined salesman asked if we would be interested if they could get the price to where we wanted it.

Our verbal response was, “Yes.” However, we knew there was no way they would go down $20,000. We went to a movie.

During the movie Kevin called. Assuming his persistence would strongarm us into changing our minds, we both sighed heavily. But instead, Randy heard the words, “Better get your airline tickets.” They had agreed to decrease the price by $18,000. Time to get serious!

Kevin sent us videos of our dream RV totally 20 minutes. We purchased one-way tickets from Boise to Palm Springs on January 5th.

On the drive to the dealership, Kevin called to ask if we were going to register it in CA because if we weren’t, we would need a driver to take us out of state. This added a complication and prompted this story.

Be Informed Before Buying an RV in California

Since we were already in California, we pushed forward. When we arrived at the dealership, we waded through puddles of rain, proving the saying it never rains in southern California to be false. The rig was in pristine condition from everything we observed. A checklist documented everything that had been done to prepare it for travel, and we agreed that they would send a few supplies to our home that they had on order: a light, a hood latch, an outside compartment latch and a rear ladder. After some confusion and a lot of frustration, a deal was made and we were on the road, us passengers with a paid driver escorting us to the Stateline. We should have been more informed about the restrictions of buying a motorhome in California.

At the Nevada boarder, Randy took the wheel and it didn’t take long before he realized something was terribly wrong. At higher speeds, shakes and shimmies alerted his Spidey senses. Upon further inspection under the chassis he discovered this.

A concerned phone call provided us assurance that Thompson RV would fix this problem and they did. However, since the salesman had assured us the motorhome had been aligned, and they had conducted a thorough safety inspection, we were mad. Mistakes are one thing; lies are something else.

The steering stabilizer, the tie rod ends, and center blink were severely bent and needed replacement. The front air dam required repairs. By the time we had driven the motorhome to Idaho, two new tires were also required. From the time we drove off the lot we never heard from Salesman Kevin again.

However, a manager named Jeff swooped in to solve our problems. Thompson RV paid for everything. We were impressed that they were reputable in standing behind their promise. However, it was a problem that should not have happened and a huge safety concern.

We have owned the RV for three months and been traveling for two. Most the promised parts arrived at our Idaho home before we hit the road — minus the ladder and the hood latch. At first we were told that the ladder was in the mail. Then we were asked if we could send a picture of the tag on the ladder. I responded by informing Jeff that there is no ladder. It seems strange that after two months of waiting, after being told the ladder is on order, and after being assured it was coming UPS and the tracking number would be provided soon, they now do not even realize our situation.

So back to the review.

We love our rig and are excited about the price. Prior to the actual purpose, pertinent information was not provided which made the process difficult. Though we incurred no additional costs, the vehicle required repairs and replacement parts causing inconveniences and continual contact over the last couple month. The employees are all nice but don’t seem completely competent. Promises have been fulfilled so far but not in a timely manner.

You decide if Thompson RV is a dealer for you.

Want to read why we love our Tiffin Allegro Open Road Motorhome?

Roughing It Smoothly in Our Tiffin Allegro