General RV Center

My husband and I purchased a fifth wheel this past weekend. We had the pleasure to meet and work with Tom Deter. Tom was super friendly, knowledgable and professional. We haven’t experienced customer service like this from a salesperson anywhere in a long time, in fact, everyone we encountered throughout the sale process treated us very well at General RV. Vern, John Hutton, you guys were great to work with!! So, if you are looking to purchase an RV look up our guys at General Rv.

We purchased a travel trailer from General RV in Huntley.
Our initial experience was great our sales man VIctor was very nice and helped us decide what worked best for us.
That’s where it ends
Our trailer needed new mattresses for the bunk beds and it was agreed upon that they would be replace, it’s been 2 weeks and still no mattresses. I called victor a couple times and he has no answer as to why we don’t have them and says why can’t we buy some, we shouldn’t have to, they are supposed to come with our camper.
And they still owe us a refund check for the trade in of our pop up camper, we were told we should have no later than the following Friday, again it’s been 2 weeks and and no check and we have left NUMEROUS messages for Brad in finance and he has not returned any of our calls.
Once you pull off there lot they don’t care about any of there customers.
A friend of mine was going to go there and purchase a camper and we told her not to go there and to go somewhere else.
Trying to get anyone to help you once you drive away is impossible
I am very dissatisfied with our experience and we will never go back and we do not recommend any one using them
We are actually looking into how we bring back our camper to them and purchasing else where.

I was so excited to purchase my first ever RV last year and was very happy with the sales department at General RV in Huntley. It took a bit of work coming to terms on the deal, but I was really comfortable with the whole thing when it was completed. I picked up the trailer and did the final walk thru, I was totally overwhelmed and wasn’t prepared for everything that happened. It was like a whirlwind going over everything, but I thought I had it covered. I was counting on having a permanent spot at a local campground, but that didn’t pan out so my new rv spent the better part of it’s first year season in storage. When I was able to use it for a night here and there but I wasn’t able to fully enjoy all of the features. (basically using it as a place to sleep. I was able to obtain a permanent spot late last year, just in time to close it up for the season. You can imagine my horror when I was finally able to use the awning to cover my new desk to find that there were 2 small holes in it. In addition the exhaust fan over the stove worked for about ½ an hour and the toilet constantly runs. I immediately contacted General RV to report the problem, making sure I did so before my 1 year warranty period was over. Guess what — They’ll fix the fan and toilet, but the major problem — the awning– It’s not covered because I didn’t report it within 3 days of delivery. My initial question is this — Why do you sell a 1 year warranty when you actually only honor issues of major proportion that are discovered within 3 days of deliver. I’ve contacted General RV, the manufacturer Prime Time Mfg and the maker of the awning all to no avail. Nobody wants to take responsibility for the damage and correct it. My advise to anyone looking to buy from them — Buyer beware. They not only walked away from my problem, but after talking with several others at the same campground I go to, they’ve done it to a LOT of others. Very disappointed with them, their service department and the manufacturer. I will not refer anyone there and in fact would warn everyone to stay away. There are other dealers in the area that have far better reputations that actually stand behind the product they sell. (Never mind the fact that my friend who referred me there STILL HASN’T GOTTEN HER REFERRAL FEE AND I’VE INQUIRED SEVERAL TIMES ABOUT IT?) They sell and then disappear.

Went here as we start looking for a new RV on our anniversary. We were just dreaming a little, and had a good time talking with our salesman. He listened to us and took note if the kind of RV we wanted to find.
A day later we received a call from them with «great news». We we excited. We thought maybe they actually had gotten in an RV that we wanted. We were wrong. The great news turned out to be a «prize» that we had to go back in to get (they wouldn’t tell us what it was) and oh, by the way, would we like to take a survey.
Really? You called me with slimy underhanded sales tricks? And you did this after your salesman impressed me? After your stock and pricing looked good?
I wish Unilocal would allow multiple ratings, for different aspects of the business, but they don’t. You get two stars, but only because the salesman knew his stuff.

We bought our first camper ever at General RV, a 1996 Jayco pop-​up, and that whole process went fairly well. We were excited as we could now go camping with friends without having to try and rent a cabin. When preparing for our first camping trip, we raised the camper and found that the roof leaked significantly and there was mold and mildew in all the cushions directly under the leak. Leak testing the camper was supposed to be part of the testing General RV did before they sold it to us. Apparently they did not do this test. I had to caulk the camper myself and still don’t know if my caulking job worked because the camper broke before it rained again. We did take it camping that first time and after we brought it home, we cleaned it out and stored it for a couple of weeks. Then it rained… so we went to raise the camper to we could check things out and one of the 4 corners would not raise. Took the camper to General RV and got the major run around from Scott, the service manager and Josh, the sales manager. They talked about what to do for me and then went their separate ways, no one came to talk to me. I had to find Scott who said to talk to Josh… I found Josh who said talk to Scott. Finally Josh and I sat down and he told me there is most likely nothing they could do for me as the camper was sold AS-​IS, no warranty. But that their goal is to make customers happy, so he’d look into it. He did mention that when a corner breaks, it’s usually a cable and people don’t usually get that fixed because it’s too expensive. When I asked if checking the cables was also a part of their pre-​purchase check, Josh said yes. A week and a half later, Josh called my wife’s phone, not mine, to tell us that there was nothing General RV was going to do for us and it could cost us anywhere between $ 800 and $ 1300 to fix the one corner. She asked him to meet us in the middle and let us finance our side of things so we wouldn’t have to pay so much out of pocket up front… especially after paying almost $ 4000 and only being able to use our camper once. He said he’d check into that and call us back. Nothing from Josh since then and I’ve called 3 times this week leaving messages. I finally got Josh on the line this morning and he said he’d have to call me back. I understand that there is no lemon law for campers, but given that the leaky roof and the cables were both things General RV should have checked prior to us buying the camper, I feel this is fully their responsibility to fix, warranty or not. Post sale experience has been horrible and after speaking with other locally, family owned RV businesses, they have all said the same about General RV. Nothing can make this experience right unless they own up to their faults and fix this for free. I’ll right this same review everywhere I can to let people know to look elsewhere if they can. Would have given 0 stars if I could given the post sale experience we’ve had.

All the people we worked with were very friendly. We came in knowing the camper we wanted and they helped us get into it. From our initial shopping, through trades and financing and ending in the final walk through of our new unit and the installation of our anti-​sway/​weight distribution hitch everyone was awesome.
I would definitely recommend General RV to anyone looking to purchase a RV or RV accessories!

Enjoying an EXCELLENT experience of warranty work. Initially went to Camping world and had a typical negative experience re: exercising warranty. Purchased our RV, new, out of state. Did our shake out drive to Chicago. Brought it into General RV, family owned since the beginning, for all the issues that invariably come up when purchasing new. Bob C. in the Service Dept and all the technicians have provided Superior service, work and professionalism. Bob in particular has been the most accommodating. So willing to work with us, answering all questions, sharing his time and very importantly experience. Will probably purchase our next rig at General RV. Also, just went to the RV show in Rosemont and General RV’s exhibit was GREAT, the largest, with the most vehicle choices. The personnel were great as well.

I have to tell General RV about my recent experience with the Service Department. I purchased my new RV out of state. For service this makes me dependent on the closest Tiffin Service Center to my house which is General RV in Huntley. The dealer of my first RV told me I would now be an orphan due to my service and storage being with someone other than where I purchased. When the RV arrived there were numerous small and not so small issues with the coach, from DVD, Direct TV, and outside locks not working to desired cosmetic changes like adding shelves, a new toilet and fixing the ladder. So naturally I was concerned with the service I would recieve from a dealer I didn’t buy at.
I have to say right up front that the service was excellent. My service rep was Bill and the tech was Ryan. Between the two of them eveything was taken care of and that was no easy task with a couple of the issues I had. The entire DVD and Direct TV boxes all had to be rewired and when that was done, get the DirectTV working. It was a new account with Direct TV and a lot of very unhelpful people there. But Ryan persisted and got everything going, rewired, activated, and working. Bill kept in touch the whole time the coach was in service to let me know the progress. The coach was not only ready when promised but cleaned as well. And upon pickup, both Bill and Ryan spent as much time as we needed explaining the wiring and working of the Direct TV. They both answered any other questions we had as well as provided us with a lot of tips and information to keep the coach in top shape.
We didn’t buy at General RV… but I am so glad that the Service Department is so good and many thanks to both Bill and Ryan.
Jeff and Pattie Penner
Deer Park Ill

I want to give a big THANK YOU to Jason and the team at General RV for the service they provided when I purchased my Kar Kaddy.
They kept me in the loop at all times and were great at explaining how this tow dolly works.
Thank you,
Jim

To All,
We purchased our first RV from General 3 year ago. The experience after the sale was not good. T he service department was excellent and because of the efforts of the service department staff and the service manager, we decided to give them another chance when we wanted to trade up for a new RV. Mike Chobak, in sales, Scott Roesslein, Service manager, Jim Divita, Service Writer, Jim Mervis General Manager, Melissa Melone, Parts Jim Ebel, Service Technician, Tom Davies, Service Technician were incredible! I would highly recommend these folks to anyone who wants to purchase or have service done. Bobbi and I are extremely satisfied. I know this sounds like they paid me, but believe me, they are that good. Thanks General!!!
Regards
Jim Vinton

Great service. Very knowledgeable staff. Came in to look & ended up buying. Ready for vacation travel.

Long story short, my parents are retiring this fall, and their dream has always been to sell their home, and just travel the country with an RV as their home. Their plan was always to purchase their RV right after they sold their house, which hasn’t even been put on the market yet, however at the RV/​Boat Show in February, this General RV Center ‘dealership’ had a exhibit, and ended up offering my parents a deal they couldn’t refuse. So, they ended up purchasing their RV way earlier then they ever thought, even though theirs was going to be custom made, and take a few months to come in. I was weary from the beginning, especially because it felt way too early, but I couldn’t help but be excited for them because they were so excited. They really felt like they got a great deal, and I just had to hope it was true.
A couple weeks later, they asked me to come with them to this dealership to see a sample of the RV their purchased. Of course, theirs was being custom made and wouldn’t be available, but they wanted me to see something very similar, because they were very excited. Immediately walking into the dealership, something just rubbed me the wrong way. Meeting their ‘salesman,’ Derrick, literally just made it ten times worse. He is the typical sleazy ‘used car salesman’ type, and treated us as a burden having to show us the RV again. Clearly, he had already made the sale, and saw no purpose in helping us anymore after the sale.
Today, finally after three months of waiting, their RV had arrived. The dealership called, and invited them for a full ‘tour’ of the RV, so they could teach them how everything worked. Once again, I was uneasy walking into the dealership, and it just got worse and worse the couple of hours I spent there. Certain things they were told were ‘included,’ ended up not being included. Certain parts of the custom order didn’t seem right to my mother, especially in the bathroom. The worst offense of all though, the biggest promise they made to my parents to get them to buy in February ended up being a huge lie. One of the tactics they used to get my parents to buy in February, when they knew they weren’t ready yet, was they promised my parents could store the RV at the dealership for free as long as they needed to store it there, and that they could even come practice driving with it in their giant parking lot to get used to it. Literally, the main reason my parents bought right away, and it was a lie. And yes, when we visited the first time, Derrick actually mentioned the promise to store it again, so I personally heard it too.
The entire time we were there, literally everyone working here kept asking about how they were driving the RV home. Each time, my mother said they would be coming back to get it later on, because they weren’t ready to take it home yet. Plus, they still needed to install the hitch onto the truck, and extra mirrors. Not to mention, they’ve never driven an RV like that before, so they didn’t feel comfortable driving the hour and a half home with it. At the end of our visit, Derrick came up to us to tell us we couldn’t leave it there any longer, and that we wouldn’t want to anyway. He explained that, and I quote, «we hire a bunch of high school kids for minimum wage to move the RV’s around the lot, and if you store here, one of them are definitely going to hit your RV a couple times.» He explained that since they ‘own’ the RV now, if one of the employees hit their RV in the lot, they aren’t liable. Picking my jaw up off the floor, I asked that if one of the same employees hit my car parking in the lot, were they not liable because I ‘own’ my car. Really?!
After explaining to them many times that they didn’t have the ability to take it home today, Derrick finally offered to ‘deliver’ the RV to their house and park it in their driveway for them, something my parents really didn’t want as they are showing their house. Having no other choice, they agreed though. What’s most frustrating though, was how stupid everyone played at the dealership. They acted like they never would have promised anyone to store an RV, and it’s something they never have done. They had no idea why everyone, including myself, was under the impression they would. Clearly, they don’t like to admit they lied to make a sale. At the end of the day, I work in sales myself, so I see it everyday. I guess I just am one of the only ones who refuses to do that to make money. Sad this business doesn’t have the same ethics.
I will say, I have to complement Rich in the service department who spent a couple hours today giving us a complete tour of the RV, showing us how everything works. He was very patient, and answered every question we had. Still, he tried to upsell us on a bunch of stuff in the retail store, that would have added up to over $ 400. After a quick search online, I found everything they needed for $ 97. Really? Their store prices were quadruple the cost. No thanks! AVOID this place at all costs!!!

What they promise and deliver are two different things! We took our camper there in preparation for selling it. We paid for them to clean the camper inside and out. After we had paid them, we decided that we would only have them clean the outside for which they quoted us $ 200. However, when we picked it up, the unit was still covered in bugs and road dirt still on it. (typical dirty, not excessive). When we questioned it, the representative (unfortunately we did not get a name) looked at it and agreed and lowered it to $ 120. He aid that they would have to wait for 3 days for the check to clear and then they would refund the balance. We weren’t worried about it since we were planning to purchase a new RV from them, as well as get a hitch put on our truck. One month later, we called again and they said it would be taken care of in 2 weeks. Still, nothing. In November (4 months later), he said that their corporate office held up the check and he would get back to me. Later the same month, Scott said they had no record of the poor cleaning job and wanted us to take the unit back to be cleaned. (It was not possible since it was sold). They asked for a receipt for the re-​cleaning, but since we did it ourselves (the unit was being picked up by the new owner that week). Still as of today, we have not gotten a refund.
During the same time, we were trying to purchase a motorhome. They did not have it in stock, but potentially had it in their Florida location. Since we were going to be traveling that way, we said we would go there to look for it and possibly trade our camper (that we had with us). It would be inconvenient to do this in the middle of our trip, but we were willing. After repeated phone calls and excuses, this never came to be either. In hindsight, it was consistent with our other experiences. We live just down the street and had been good customers to Abel RV until they closed down. We were excited to have this resource nearby, but learned our lesson as to what type of company they are.

Very helpful, knowledgeable and courteous staff. Worked with us to find the right camper for our budget. We really enjoyed it this summer. Thank you !