Blue Compass RV Des Moines (RV One)

Reviews

Reviews are sorted by relevance, with the most helpful and insightful feedback listed first for easy reference.

  Dawn Marie Joseph
2 weeks ago
Incredibly excited to start my adventure I called Michael to inquire about a new RV/Travel trailer in January noticing Airstreams had a large discount for up to $10,000 off new airstreams. I travelled to Des Moines after a snowstorm to look at what was available. Jada and I wanted to see what was available and would work for our family. I was in the process of relocating to Oregon. I spoke to both car dealers & Blue Compass. I am in sales myself so law of attraction would say that I would get the top salesperson. I didn t have a truck to tow and Michael suggested that I get a trailer first before buying a truck. After several months without a new truck the trailer was stuck at Blue Compass for over a month yet the financing had went through and my credit affected. I traveled through Des Moines on my way to Oregon to stop by and get an orientation but my trailer was already in storage and I wasn t able to get a proper walk through. When I got friends with a truck to kindly pull the trailer back to Robins my father had found that it had an old battery, the second battery was missing as well as all the catalogues for the airstream nest, all the appliances inside were not provided, the latch was broken, and there would ve been no way for me to live in the RV in the condition that it was sold to me. I also looked closely at the contract and had signed off on several other things I should have negotiated for better pricing. I followed up in Oregon at a different Blue Compass location and ended up getting really great advice and customer service. I am grateful and thankful to my parents for taking the time to thoroughly inspect my new Airstream nest; something that should ve been done at the dealership. I know they were excited to get a sale during a snowstorm in January but I was without a trailer/home and ended up living in an Airbnb spending twice as much because the trailer wasn t ready for transport. I feel that the dealership could ve/should ve taken better care of me their customer and asked more questions to qualify me before going forward with a transaction. I was put in between a rock and a hard place and rely on the trained salesman to guide me on my new RV adventure. My parents were also very concerned due to my lack of towing experience & knowledge of trailers. When I go to a dealer I have faith that I am getting the top customer service & experience. When Jada & I left we were incredibly excited about starting our new adventure and now we are having to wait for my father to do the research, get on the airstream forum and replace several things that need to be fixed and he doesn t even want to go back to the dealership he would rather fix it himself because he is disappointed. I really believed this transaction would ve been taken care of with more love being that we are first time trailer/RV owners. We even had a mix up with the vin number that had to get fixed and I am waiting to hear back from the financial company about changing the date after a week. After all that I would do your research before making an RV purchase. Getting financing and insurance for both vehicles at the same time is really the best route so having dealers working together for the customer seems like the best model to give superior customer service & experience with both vehicles & financially. For a used trailer I could ve bought brand new and got a much better deal with all the incentives, I trusted and believed I was getting the highest & best service. I know Blue Compass of Des Moines will do their best to make it up to all new RV buyers going forward! I also poured my own tea after I was leaving, paying attention to all the fine details is helpful especially when I was the only customer in the building. Looking forward to seeing improvements with Gratitude & abundant Love

  Michele Penning
a month ago
Blue Compass RV has been a fantastic experience. We are first time RV buyers and they have made the purchasing process very easy. From our very friendly, responsive salesman Cam to our final walkthrough with Jill and Ronsson, we highly recommend buying your first or next RV from Blue Compass RV.

  Ronda Livingston
2 weeks ago
We were extremely pleased with the service we received when we hauled our 2023 Airstream International to Blue Compass RV in Des Moines, IA, for installation of a lift, repair service, and a thorough evaluation prior to our upcoming extended travel.Jill, in the service department, was efficient and knowledgeable. She was able to assist us with a myriad of questions on our service and provided us with contacts regarding other future repair questions.Marvin, our Technician, completed a 50-point inspection and made necessary repairs. He was knowledgeable and thorough. Following the inspection, he reviewed his findings with us and answered all the questions we had.We will definitely be using Blue Compass RV, Des Moines, IA for all of our future service needs!

  Danielle Gilbert
a month ago
Worked with Blue Compass RV to fined the right new camper for us and our families needs. We were helped with nothing but patience and guidance with answering all questions and buying the camper. Whole process start to finish was so great and took off the pressure of buying a new camper. Would highly recommend to buy your next camper. Worked with Jasmine, Jill, come on wonderful staff in the maintenance department that took 2 hours to explain the camper from top to bottom.

  Samantha Schaefer
a month ago
I bought my first camper at Blue Compass RV and had a good experience. We worked with Cam who did an amazing job as a salesperson and worked with us to get a camper within my budget. Taking off a star due to some of the company policies like not being able to take the camper home with us the same day and a long paperwork process. On his own, Cam deserved 5 stars and was great to talk to!

  Stephen S
3 months ago
We purchased our first camper, a travel trailer, from Blue Compass in Des Moines and the overall experience has been very good. We haven't actually picked up the camper yet because they agreed to store it for us until March, which I thought was very nice. We went to look at one unit, which we decided not to buy, and ended up buying another. The sales team, Andy and Ryan, were great. No pressure and they seemed genuinely interested in finding something that worked for what we wanted to do with it as opposed to just trying to make a sale.

  Mohamad Rabah
2 months ago
The experience I have had with this dealership ever since we purchased our travel trailer. This horrible experience started when we put our travel trailer up for consignment with them starting in June 2023, they never uploaded pictures of the travel trailer and when we would call to ask why their response was always "Oh we took the photos and they should be uploaded in the next couple of days" and we called several times questioning them. They didn't upload pictures to the Blue Compass website until December (6 months after we dropped it off) and never uploaded pictures to RV One website. After keeping it on their lot for 6 months their solutions to why it wasn't selling was because of the price so they wanted us to drop our consignment price by 7,000 dollars and that should make it sell. We decided to remove it from their lot and try to sell it privately. When we arrived to inspect the travel trailer, we noticed that they broke they freezer handle and just left it inside of the freezer without informing us or making any attempt to fix it. They had also broken one of the keys inside of a lock to the outside storage areas and never told us. We spent the next two weeks waiting for a repair, we spoke to Ryan (one of the managers) on 2 separate occasions letting him know we would need to pick up our travel trailer but before we can pick it up we needed the freezer door repaired as well as replacing the emergency brake cable and one of the master bedroom doors was off the hinge but never received any response from him or the service department. Ryan promised on both occasions that he would call us back, but never did. My wife and I decided to stop in on Friday but before we did we gave the dealership a 2 hours heads up and asked to meet with Ryan, when we got to the dealership we saw Ryan and one of the sales people let him know we were there to meet him but he didn't make any attempt to talk to us or even look at us, he just continued to do whatever it was he was doing, the sales person took us to Pat who I believe is a service manager (I could be wrong) and I explained the issue and what needed to be fixed. He assured us it would be taken care of and would let us know when the work would be done. About an hour later he called and let us know the Travel Trailer was ready and all the work had been done. I ended up paying 136 dollars for about an hours worth of work which is fine as long as I don't need to worry about anything. Now this is my fault I should have checked their work but I figured, hey its a dealership and they would know what they were doing..... I was wrong. Today while I showing this travel trailer to a interested party, the door which should have been fixed, fell off the hinge and wasn't repaired. We are now forced to take the trailer out of storage again and drive 30 mins to have the door fixed, when it should have been fixed the first time we asked. Please before you even think of coming here to purchase your next RV make sure this place is your last option. They were so nice and professional until you purchase the RV, then they honestly couldn't care less about their customers and will start to ignore you when things go bad.

  Scott Lourens
a month ago
We re so happy with our Toy Hauler Michael was our sales person he was so excellent. I would recommend Blue compass to anyone looking to purchase a camper RV toy hauler. Ask for Michael he s so awesome. We were blessed to have gotten our a chance to enjoy the service of Blue Compass

  Nomadicwanderers Motorhome Rentals
a year ago
I have purchased two Class C motorhomes and one Class B from this dealership. Each one has been a great experience. Working with the service department each one was prepped before it left the lot. The after-service has been good too. I had one instance where I had a rental going out in a few days and the A/C went out. They were able to get me a quick replacement to hold me over. With the number of miles, I put on these it's great to know that I have support when I need it.

  Jon Gilbert
a month ago
I cannot speak highly enough of the team at Blue Compass RV! From the first time a sales rep. (Jasmine) made contact with us regarding purchasing an rv from them has been top-notch. Everyone including manager (Jill) and the tech that walked us through the camper where extremely professional. I wish they had more stars for me to give because I would definitely give more.

  Greg Jones
5 months ago
This is the first review I've felt compelled to provide without actually making a purchase. Our salesman, Andy, was very personable and easy to talk to...making our experience very comfortable and stress free. Although timing didn't work out for us to make an Airstream purchase, I would highly recommend this dealership to anyone shopping for an Airstream...whether you live in Iowa or not! Highly recommend!

  Robert Kearn
a week ago
i am very happy! Michael Rutan at Blue Compass in Des Moines really helped me out, getting an off-the-grid camper van!He is a soft spoken person and i knew i could trust him and have an informative dialog.PEOPLE are a big part of things for me, and of course, everyone else was nice, but i WANTED to work with Michael.Michael has an extensive background in "boondocking" (just learned a buzz word in the van life universe) and he told me of his camping adventures in his own off-the-grid capable camper van.i know all salespeople are supposed to be 'nice', but 'Iowa nice is very real!i came here to practice in Iowa as a traveling respiratory therapist, and have senlen that 'Iowa nice' is a thing.i feel i can mostly 'read' people and see what they're about. i am spending a lot of money and buying a camper van is a PLUNGE. But, i learned about how other clinician travelers were doing the same thing, in the name of saving money, since traveling nurses and therapists almost always pay rent in 2 places.i had all my questions written down before i went in, and i found out these camper vans can go in very hot and cold environments, and that i would be 'covered' for power to run heat and A.C., and all appliances.i learned a LOT. i never done anything like this before. i feel i can go anywhere, to a city or a campground, hot or cold, or whatever, and be fine. i will be more than fine, especially since i can run my espresso maker! And, because there are added protections available for the ENGINE and everything else. i have peace of mind for the next 5 years now, so i can go to any hospital for a job, and not have to be overly concerned about finding a deal on a room or an apartment.My life just got easier, and i will enjoy this super beautiful off-the-grid capable camper van. i will probably take more time to enjoy the surroundings i find myself in, and still have the mobility to gi to a favorite restaurant or coffee ship. i can even drive it to work...park at any hospital.So, anyone can do it. Michael answered all my questions and dispelled some misconceptions i had about extreme weather conditions. i am super excited to ALWAYS have power WHENEVER i need it; i learned i don't even have to plug into shore power at a campground, or at someone's house.And, the dealership even TEACHES you how to use the many features on the camper, power sources, how to fill the propane, EVERYTHING.Michael asked me what i wanted and i told him what i wanted, and he found it for me quickly, since Blue Compass RV has over a 100 locations across the country (which was another big positive). i want to work with a company that has resources.i don't know anything about van life but Blue Compass offered me apps to get around, where to park and plug in, and peace of mind concerning addressing potential maintenance for the engine and camper: appliances,shower, solar, everything.Just very happy that i got to work with a genuinely nice person, Michael.Hope whoever is reading with this will understand and KNOW that, you can get a beautiful off-the-grid camper. You do NOT have to be an expert to run camper utilities. You won't feel pressured. You WILL get answers. You do not have to have everything figured out.i am not fabulously wealthy or anything like that. i am just a regular person trying to do my job and be happy.i feel if you were to drive in, just to look around, and meet Michael, you will see possibilities and know he is the person you want to work with.Cheers,robert from Seattle, working a contract in Iowa.

  Donna Lessig
8 months ago
Great experience in purchasing our new RV on 6/28/2023. On our way back to Nebraska we realized we were missing a part that keeps the refrigerator doors from opening while traveling. Called 3 times to have the part mailed to us without any luck. Ended up calling the Winnebago company direct on 7/21 and received missing part on 7/26. Customer follow through is not the best.

  Allan Baird
2 months ago
I drove 1000 miles to work with Jacob on an RV. I have never in my life been treated so fairly and with such respect. These guys are amazing at customer service. I have already referred somone to them.Their whole team works to make sure the customer is happy.I AM HAPPY!AllanI would like to add more to my review.It has been a few months since I purchased my motorhome. Their follow service has been great. They have followed up with everything they said they would. I would still give them 5 stars even for the follow up service. These guys are great!

  Gary Olson
7 months ago
We purchased our 2023 Atlas in Des Moines. Upgrades included three additional 100w lithium batteries, new inverter and router. On our first night camping I discovered the router that is plugged into an inverter outlet did not work. Their service people should have checked that the new router was working properly after installation. I emailed the service manager explaining the circuit problems, and requested to talk to the technician who installed the inverter. They never responded to my email! I contacted RV Complete but they could not help and advised we drive 4 hours to Des Moines.I later discovered that the air conditioner also didn t work. Des Moines offered no help and advised we contact RV Complete.We decided to wait until our first trip and luckily found Boise Airstream Adventures in Boise, who were great.Email comments from the assistant service manager in Boise: The Soft Start was a component failure not an install error. The inverter outlets were definitely an install error, as they were not connected to the breaker panel, and where they were supposed to be tied together. They went into the old magnum convertor and cut off (see photos). They should have been tied together at that point. The Soft Start controls the air conditioner power surge.It was obvious Des Moines never did a final review to make sure everything was in working order before we picked up the Atlas.We purchased a HDM switcher from Des Moines. We decided to return it several weeks later, but never received credit. After multiple emails with no results, I registered a complaint with their service manager and finally received credit.I asked Des Moines to credit us for Boise labor correcting the inverter outlet wiring, and labor installing a new Soft Start. I also requested credit for the bad Soft Start.The Easy Start 368 Soft Starter is considered an aftermarket item and is not covered by Airstream warranty. Des Moines should have checked that major items were in working order, including the air conditioner and furnace. They would have discovered the faulty Soft Start and replaced it before we picked up the Atlas.It has been over 3 weeks and Blue Compass has NEVER called me or answered my email.

  Bryon S
a month ago
Terrible service. They had my camper for months. I had to make over a hundred phone calls and dozens of emails just to keep tgem moving forward. They rarely responded to messages I left. Follow through was abysmal. They told me they had over 500 repair tickets in yheir shop that they were working on, which means most people are not getting any service. Corporate Office isn't any better. They have no public phone number, and tell you to send Facebook messages. When you message them, it takes over a week to respond and the redirect to the store.We traded off our almost new camper to a local family owned dealer, so we wouldn't have to deal with these guts ever again.Look at their reviews and number of stars, then move in to someone that will take care of you.

  Ernie Nester
4 weeks ago
I ve never bought a camper before. We bought a 2018 arctic fox from the Des Moines location. Took it home loaded up and I set out for a new job I. Tennessee. The salesman knew this was my plan. It had 2 tall propane tanks. One completely empty and one 3/4 full. Also the black tank was completely full of waste. I had to find somewhere to dump it in Tennessee. I m not staying at an actual campground and didn t plan on using the black tank at all. The grey tanks were 3/4 full. Now that I emptied the black tanks I went to flush the toilet and the toilet pedal valve sprays on the floor. Ridiculous experience all around. No remote for my Jensen receiver so I cannot navigate the dvd menus. The salesman looked for a tv remote in the showroom but didn t have one. I don t need a tv remote I need the one for this receiver. Terrible walk around and I was stupid for not taking someone who knew about rvs. I trusted blue compass and they hosed me and charged 650 for a prep they didn t do. They washed the camper that is it.

  Ron Denney
a month ago
Purchased a toy hauler from Michael Rutan! From the time we started the process to the finish everyone that we dealt with was very accommodating!!! Thanks to Michael the GM Michael in sales , Rj in finance and Phil & David in service! Top notch treatment!!!!!

  Zach henninger
2 months ago
We contacted Blue Compass RV of Altoona looking to trade in our small camper for a larger one. We had one in mind but it was already spoken for. Our sales associate Michael Rutan however showed us another option that we weren t initially interested in but soon fell in love with. I cannot thank the team at Blue Compass for a very very easy low pressure sales experience! I will surely send anyone asking your direction! Thanks again!

  Ron Geiger
a year ago
We looked at different Class C's in Minnesota and online for a year. In March most dealers hardly had any on their lots. When we stopped at RV One in Des Moines they had about 20 Class C new motorhomes. Chloe was the sales rep we started working with and she was Awesome to work with. We originally ordered another brand but ended up changing to the Jayco 29MV. The two floorplans were identical but the Jayco had a better rated ride and finishes on the outside for the same price. Chloe was able to grab one coming offline and we came down from Minnesota and everything was perfect. Chloe was so easy to work with we communicated via text and phone calls and we could not have been happier. We just picked up and Dennis did a great job showing us everything. Jill in the warranty department was also great to work with. Very happy, thanks Chloe!!

  Robert Welker
3 months ago
Our tongue jack malfunctioned while we were on the road. Pat in service got us in quickly and replaced the jack speedily. Friendly service techs. I recommend them highly.Addendum. Two months later. It turned out that the product they sold us was defective. When we called them we were told to contact the manufacturer. They offered no help with this.Also, their charge for the repair was way too high according to the trailer mechanic we usually use.

  Deb Milligan
4 months ago
We are rookies with RV s. Marvin did a great job explaining everything there is to know about an Airstream. I took a copious amount of notes. Jill was very helpful getting us set up and checking us out. I would highly recommend doing business with the staff at Blue Compass.

  patty lourens
a month ago
I absolutely love Blue Compass our sales person Michael is a very wonderful young man. We are so pleased if you are looking for a RV please use Blue Compass they are so great with everyone and ask for Michael.

  Gary Mraz
6 months ago
While the sale process was smooth, the warranty and service has not been great. We purchased a new 19BH and we got a new unit specifically so we wouldn t have to worry about issues of bad silicon letting water get in and rot things out. Within the first year we found a laundry list of items on things that should have been caught during the pre-sale inspection process. In my case I am somewhat new to campers, so I didn t know what to look for however do to all the problems we have had with this new unit I now do know some of the things to watch out for.First warranty trip there happened pretty much right after picking the unit up and took 2 trips to get it fixed and would have been 3 trips because they didn t actually fix it on the first attempt of the second trip. I made them stay there until the thing started functioning properly (and this is after they told me everything was good, and you can go home) and sure enough it still didn t work. 1 hour later that issue was finally resolved. Due to the cost of hauling the thing back and forth some of the simpler items I just took care of, like the fill hose on the freshwater tank not being attached and causing the inside of the camper to flood the first time we went to use it.As mentioned above there has been a laundry list of things with the final big thing being the roof leaking on a new machine that spends most of its life inside a climate-controlled facility and out of direct sunlight. When I took that in for service it took about a month just to get the green light to do service work on it and that didn t even start until after I asked for an update and was told that no one had approved anything yet. I then emailed the Service Department stating that if we didn t hear something soon that I was going to sell the camper back to RV One and then the next day the approval was through. We are now about a month after that (2 months into this endeavor) and I asked for an update and was told almost nothing outside of the unit is in the shop but no idea when it will be done.While some of the things I am sure is outside of RV Ones hands (like the lead time on getting parts) I also know that many of these items should have been caught initially and now I have a heck of a time trying to get good updates on this. Still have no idea if they found a leak in the roof or if the unit is just going to come back with a little extra goo on the top in the hopes that did the trick. Based off previous history with RV One my guess is that hope is involved, which makes for a very poor business model. I'm not saying that RV One is a bad store, but I am saying that my experience with their service team has been less than stellar, and I really hope that after this I don t need to warranty anything else because I would prefer to not go back there.

  Brad Vos
a month ago
It has been a great experience all around. Helped us understand our new camper. Everyone treated us awesome. Highly recommend.

  Janine Van Vark
5 months ago
The whole team at Blue Compass was fantastic! Thank you Andy for being so patient with us and answering all of our questions the support team, Jill and Trent, explaining what we need and how to run our new purchase to make our camping experience perfect. Thank you Blue Compass team, we highly recommend you and look forward in our camping adventures.

  Valerie Conzett
3 months ago
Our second purchase from this dealer. First a Jayco, then a airstream. Even with staffing transitions and dealership change we are pleased with the pricing, support and attentiveness to our needs and questions. Recommend!

  Dawn Wood
a year ago
Chloe and Kiara were absolutely wonderful! We did not plan on purchasing this weekend but these 2 made it seamless and affordable. We have the camper we wanted and dreamed of. Thank you both so much!!!

  Anthony Anderson
7 months ago
Stopped at Blue Compass looking to get repair quote for insurance purposes because a tire blowout the night before had totaled our camper. Phil immediately took pictures of our damaged camper. Then we spoke to the sales manager who assigned Skyler to my wife and I. Skyler listened to what we were looking for and he showed us 4 options that fit our wants and needs. We ended up with our second choice, which should have been our first. We explained our urgency to make the transaction quick because we still had a long drive. Skyler worked up the paperwork and got us a better price. Then the sales supervisor saved us even more money. The Finance Rep complete all his work in what I can only assume, was record time. Chase and the other service guys prepped and inspected the camper. By 3 pm, Chase was giving us a demonstration answering all our questions. By 5 pm, my wife and I were on the road again with a new camper. I don't know anyone who has bought and took possession of a camper in a single day. All of the staff were amazing. I felt like we were their only customer. Easily a 5 Star rating.

  Stacy Anderson
a year ago
What a great experience purchasing my first travel trailer with RV One! Despite a nearby Airstream dealer (a mere 15' away) I decided to reach out to RV One 4 hours away. Not only did they beat them on pricing, it was the other aspects of the purchase that made this entire process so special and I wouldn't go anywhere else. I'll be recommending these guys to anyone I run into looking for an RV!Phil was amazing in helping me with financing and answering a ton of questions; it was almost painless! The rest of the team was fantastic too. Andy was so responsive with last minute emails, Jill patient with me being a wide-eyed first time RV owner and Marvin...can't say enough grand things about Marvin. He took us through the trailer and explained everything so well and didn't flinch with my dumb questions.We were given a group send-off by the team that made it extra special! Luckily we were 2 hours behind a hail and damaging wind storm on our way back home and we're looking forward to using our new Caravel soon!