The rental did not match what was promised, and many issues severely impacted our trip. Before posting a public review, I want to bring these concerns directly to your attention.Issues experienced:
Communication prior to pickup was very difficult. The phone number provided with my reservation was disconnected, I found an alternative number online and used that, no answer on multiple days, left messages that were never returned, filled out online inquiry and eventually heard back by email.
We had arranged to pickup vehicle by 3pm, left home at 6am to drive to Longmont, at the request of Breezy to arrive an hour before closing. 15 mins out we got a call from Corbin asking when we would be there to pick up, after we hung up I immediately got a text from Corbin saying: “I forgot to mention, While Vinny was filling propane in your unit earlier today they found a propane leak. We will have to swap you into a class C RV as that is the only thing we have available. Please take a look when you get there to make sure that will work for you.”
When we arrived, there was a class C that was dirty and old, had the side mirror hanging on with duct tape, didn’t look like it would make it out of the lot, let alone to Minnesota. We could not take this vehicle, the point of us reserving the van back in March was to have the class B van. Two weeks of campsites had been planned around the van. This was extremely stressful and upsetting and we thought we’d have to cancel the whole trip at this point. Again, no communication on what was going on. We got Corbin’s number and called him - we were told the mechanic would know by the next morning if the propane leak could be fixed.
We paid an extra $95 to change our KOA site in Fort Collins to stay in a cabin that night.
The next morning it was fixed and we were told we could pick it up at noon.
We arrived at noon and Vinny was helping another guy who had rented a class C but the vehicle was also not roadworthy, Vinny was actually duct taping the roof when we arrived!! The guy refused to take it. We waited for him to get a replacement vehicle and about an hour later we got our van loaded.Vinny did his best under difficult circumstances, but it was unacceptable for him to be left alone to manage multiple unsafe and unprepared vehicles. The van should not have been rented in its condition.As soon as we started the engine, the service message came up on the dashboard that service was needed and tire pressure alarm came on, the change oil and service sticker said the van was about 3000 miles past its due date, I texted Corbin but he said it was fine and it would be serviced after our trip.We got out of the driveway and there was a clunking sound from the rear passenger tire and a warning message about tire pressure. My husband got out to look and both the rear tires were worn smooth in places, zero tread, and you could see threads coming out. It would have been totally unsafe to drive our 2,800 mile journey on them.We went back to poor Vinny and he was great to get us to his tire shop immediately, tire guys said they were unsafe and replaced the rear two tires.We finally got on the road 24 hours delayed. Because of the delay we could not make the distance to our second nights campsite reservation and lost the fee of $48.97 and had to book an alternative for $52.50.The van was supposed to be equipped with basic kitchen equipment but the drawers were full of other people’s dirty old junk. No dishes as promised or cooking pans as promised, not trash can. We had to empty out all of that and store it in our vehicle to even make room for what we brought.Vinny gave us a rushed tour of the van but didn’t know how some things worked and didn’t show us how to fill up the water or empty the grey water, we’ve never used a van so this was all new to us, I had to look up videos on the road to figure things out. He said the awning was broken and the button on the screen that displays all the info for the van was missing.Other issues:
Brakes - when we were driving downhill on day 2 the brake warning message came on and the brake light. We figured they overheated and pulled over to wait a while not sure if they were actually going to fail. For the rest of the trip we changed our routes to try and avoid elevation. The light continued to come on so they need to be checked. This problem resulted in more driving time and gas expenses for us.
Screen - the sliding door screen would not open and close properly making it very difficult to get in and out when camped.
Awning - did not work at all.
Pop up - we found out when we got on the freeway that it wasn’t latched. It flew up and we had to make an emergency stop in a construction zone on I25 to latch it. It’s not functioning properly. Every morning my husband struggled to get it to latch again, I could not have done it.
Drawers - all three were broken and didn’t slide or stay shut when driving. We had to add more duct tape to the top drawer to try to stop the contents constantly sliding out the back and down behind. We had to prop things in front of the drawers to stop them slamming open and closed as we drove.
Cupboard door under passenger seat was also broken.
Dirty - van was dirty inside and out, we never used the shower as the pan was broken and exposed wood under it so that water would have run who knows where. It was a biohazard in there.
Backup camera - worked intermittently, mostly not at all.
Table - was supposed to open up but was broken and just hanging from the wall - we were never able to use it.
Hot water - we had none
Windshield wipers - desperately need replacing. Dangerous when it rained with little visibility.Given the condition of the van and the overall experience, we are requesting a partial refund. We request compensation for the unsafe and substandard rental experience, lost campground fees, and extra expenses incurred due to the condition and delays with the van. This van should not be rented again until things have been serviced and fixed. I will make a review online but would like to hear what you can do to compensate us first.Sincerely,
Clare and Mike Mullin