Recap – Major RV tire blowout on I 75 in Florida. The first experience using Good Sam Roadside Assistance. The RV suffered major cosmetic damage and is not sure about its structure yet.
Where do we go from here?
So the Good Sam Roadside Assistance mechanic finished changing the tire, however I was honestly very nervous about driving the RV. That’s when I got another call from Good Sam Roadside Assistance. The operator was confirming that the mechanic had arrived and was able to replace the blown tire. She asked if there was anything else she could do to make my day easier. I have to admit it brought a smile on my face because I was very nervous about the impending drive. I asked her where the nearest RV dealership service center was located. A few seconds later via FaceTime, she told me there was actually a Camping World location less than 5 miles away. Talk about a smile on my face, that was the good news, the bad news was that location was closing in an hour. So I made a decision to drive slowly to that location.
There I was hoping that one of their service technicians could take a look at the RV and make sure it was sound enough to continue my journey back to Atlanta. I figured the worst case scenario, I’d sleep in the RV in the parking lot for the night, and hopefully they could look at it in the morning and I could be on my way. Sounds like a good plan, right?
Camping World to the rescue
I’ll admit that the 5 mile ride was one of the longest rides I have ever taken in my RV. My ears were primed for any possible foreign noise, vibration, you name it I was on edge. I arrived and pulled into the open lanes in the parking lot. I went inside and inquired about adding a service inspection. Of course, to my shock and surprise, the technicians left for the day and would not be back until the next morning. I inquired about having them take a look just to make sure the RV was structurally sound in the morning, and the service manager said they would do their best to squeeze me in. So I said OK I’ll just sleep in the coach overnight and be ready in the morning.
Easy, right? Wrong. The manager came out and informed me that due to the location and the fact that they close and lock their gate, they did not allow overnighting in the parking lot. But right next-door was an older motorcycle shop that was not open and customers were allowed to stay there. A manager actually took the time to walk me all the way over there, show me the lot, and show me the best route to get in and out. I was very grateful for that.
Friends in high places
As a reminder we are influencers that work with Camping World. As great of an option as the external parking lot was, I wondered if our influencer relationship with Camping World would allow any special privileges? So I politely asked the manager or I politely explained to the manager that we are influencers with Camping World and have a great relationship with them, and if I could reach out to the Marketing Department to possibly grant approval for me to just stay in the parking lot.
He was absolutely wonderful and said if I could get approval he would be more than happy to let me stay where I was. So that’s exactly what I did, I reached out to the fantastic people in the Marketing Department to ask them for a favor. After explaining the situation, they were more than happy to place a call. Did I mention I love the people that work at Camping World? Not 15 minutes later, the manager at that location was knocking on my door. He stated that he got the message and I could stay where I was and if there was anything I needed. He then gave me his card and cell phone number. For the first time since the rumbling in my RV, I felt like I could relax. Now, I understand that not everyone has a corporate marketing department they can call for help. That’s not the point. The point is even before the manager of the Camping World knew that we worked with the company, he had taken the time to not only offer us a solution, but physically show us how that solution worked. That’s someone who cares.
On the road again
After a restful night of sleep, I was so stressed. A service technician visited my RV and checked it over, and based on what he could see he determined that it would be OK for me to make the drive back to Atlanta. He put duct tape over the open diesel gas cap that had been blown off, so no debris would enter my tank. Even with his thumbs up to drive back, I was nervous to say the least. The five plus drive hours ahead felt like it would be a true test of my nerves. Thankful that I make that drive multiple times each year, I was able to keep anxiety to a minimum. I’m sure I was gripping the steering wheel tighter than normal. It’s hard to describe the pure joy felt when I pulled into the parking lot of NIRVC, where we store the RV.
Now that the RV was back at the dealership, the next part of this saga would begin, getting the RV repairs done. How did that turn out? I’ll answer that in part 4 of our RV Tire Blowout series…
