Cruise America Consumer Reviews

MESA, ARIZONA -- Rented a Hot Deal Factory Delivery from Cruise America from Franklin Park, Il to Carson, Ca., in December 2016.

I was informed, did research, read, planned the trip and decided to book a brand new RV to deliver to LA after discussing with my fiance.

What could go wrong? it seemed liked a great deal, low rate, 200 miles a day, insured, brand new never rented before vehicle. My only concern was the weather in Chicago being so cold, but we were headed south. 1st few days were nice, made it through, Illinois, Missouri and Oklahoma. Everything was functioning properly, then came Texas and Christmas Eve.

Nothing out of the ordinary, but cold, so we were using the furnace. Was nice and warm, except under the mattress was ice cold. I pulled off the rubber mattress to see why the bed was so cold and found a piece of non insulated thin piece of material covering the opening from the storage space, which was directly under the mattress. The winds were in excess of 50 MPH and were ripping through the RV everywhere. The windows were not proper sealed, cold air was coming in from underneath the RV and ripping away the heat. The cabinets on the walls were like a freezer when we opened them. The RV was built in Indiana, rented in Chicago and destined for Los Angeles, so I guess from the sounds made from tapping around on the walls, floors and roof that this RV was given the bare minimum of insulation or none whatsoever. Only the cheapest materials were used in this brand new vehicle.

It is already rattling, shaking and falling apart after 2000 miles. Ok, we're not complainers, re-positioned the RV for the night & we headed towards Amarillo. The furnace completely stopped working and only blew ice cold air.

Hmmmmmm, propane empty?

Nope, just checked, read 3/4 quarters full. Read manual. Went and refilled at Flying J to make sure, propane tank took only 3 gallons. Air in lines, Fuse?

Nope. Nope. Called Hotline and did everything again that was in the manual to get air our of the lines. Needless to say, I drove 12 hours and the Customer Service Rep stated that we would need to drive over 400 miles to Mesa, Az for service to look at the problem. I told her that would mean breaking off of our intended route through, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Monument Valley, Az. That was the heart of our well planned vacation. We were told that Cruise America doesn't send anyone out and it was Christmas Day!

Well, we said how in the heck can we do that? It's impossible. She then stated we could go to Walmart and buy a small heater for 75.00 which they would reimburse & run off of the generator at 3.50 an hour. Huh??????

It's my gas and then that for 6 hours a day for the next 6 days. She realized what she said, then gave us a 12 hour generator credit for 6 days. How nice!

We decided not to break off the main part of the vacation, went to Walmart, bought an electric mattress pad, blankets and lots of fleece to stay warm.

We still had hot water, the range, car heater and fridge still. Yup, we'll be fine, just a furnace issue. During the next day and a half, we lost hot water, the range and finally the refrigerator. We got down into Arizona into somewhat warmer weather and headed through New Mexico when I called Customer Service and there was nothing they could do.

They didn't even offer a place for us to eat, shower or rest. We had nothing and the desert is pretty cold at night, but not as cold as 8750 mountain on Mesa Verde, Co. I called Customer Service again and they said all claims need to be resolved at the Drop off location. She also said, "We refused service, by not driving over 400 miles to Mesa, Az after already driving 12 hours"! What the ***, CDL Truck drivers can only drive 11 hours in one day, minus a 30 minute break! I beg your Pardon! Well, disgruntled we made it to Carson, Ca., and they knew we were coming. We made it perfectly clear in recorded conversations on both sides what we thought of their brand new un-insulated, non propane working RV.

We were the first one's there, we waited all night out in front to drop off this ice bucket. A mechanic greeted us, asked us how it went, we told him the story and he stated that they have had this problem a lot & it was a manufacturer's defect, because the valve stem had been modified causing the hose to bend and crimp where you can not see and get to. Also, he said the gauge was showing 3/4 quarters full but there was no propane in the tank. Huh? I filled it in Amarillo.

He said, the tank was probably full with air, so no propane could be forced in under pressure until the tank was decompressed of air which takes a day. Wow!

That was enough to hear. Cruise America knew of the problem beforehand, allowed us to travel 2300 miles across country in a brand new RV to have it delivered to LA.

That's all that mattered to them. My fiancee has Stage IV cancer and can not get sick. If we would have only known. Well, it came time to turn the vehicle over.

The people at Cruise America gave us a 350.00 credit, along with the 75.00 we spent at Walmart for the blankets, etc. I read what I was signing very carefully at the Drop off. I told them I do not agree with my signature and I wrote on the return that I do not accept and reserve the right for further legal action. I also made the manager initial the statement that I had handwritten.

The manager then told me he couldn't offer us anymore and to call corporate for further action. We thanked them and left for a warm hotel room and a flight back to Chicago. We arrived on January 1st and I called Cruise America on the 3rd to be told, that once I signed at the drop off location our contract was considered closed and no assistance could be offered.

WTF!

OK, let's do this.

Called my Credit Card company, explained in detail what happened. Charges are being disputed at the moment. Am consulting with an Attorney for damages. Did further research to find out Cruise America is not BBB Accredited!

Wow. Take a look at the complaints. Google the Reviews about this company. Look at the Videos on YouTube.

Well, now these guys are in for the fight of their life. I'm ready, I hope they are.

See Below Email Response from Cruise America!

From: CustomerRelations@CruiseAmerica.com
Sent: Monday, January 2, 2017 10:50 AM
To: ME
Subject: Regarding your Email to Cruise America

Thank you for contacting Cruise America Customer Relations.

This email will acknowledge receipt of your correspondence to our Customer Relations Department. Please be assured your comments and concerns are very important to us, and we are working diligently to provide a personal and professional response to every email we receive.

This e-mail was sent from an auto-notification system. Our Customer Relations team will respond to your feedback as quickly as possible. While most submissions are answered within 7 days some inquiries may take up to 30 days for an adequate response.

I wanted you to be aware of a very disappointing experience we had with Cruise America while renting an RV. The Fresno dealer literally had us drive the vehicle off the lot with a flat tire. Here is what happened: We reserved a 25 ft motor home from their Fresno, Ca location. I tried calling on Thursday and Friday to confirm our reservation, but all I got was the answering machine. I left messages, but I never received a return phone call. I called the 800 number to let them know that I could not contact the dealer and that I needed to talk with someone about picking up the RV.

On Saturday, we drove from San Diego to Fresno to pick up the RV. A few miles north of Bakersfield, we called the RV dealer to let them know we were on our way. Again, there was no answer. At this time, my family was upset that our vacation was going to be ruined. I called the 800 number to let them know of the situation. The person said she would contact the district manager to find out what was going on. She also mentioned that she would check to see if she could find another dealer nearby that we could rent from. She was very helpful throughout this ordeal.

A few minutes later the owner of the Fresno store, called and let me know that he was sorry about what happened and that someone should have been there. He said that there would be someone thereby the time we got to the RV lot. We arrived at the Fresno dealer at 1:45 pm. After we found out which vehicle we had, I noticed that the right rear tire was flat. I pointed this out to the employee and he said it would be taken care of. After contacting service, he said he would take 2 hours before the service truck could come out to replace the tire. After I said that was too long, he contacted service again and they said I could take the RV to a tire store about 2 blocks away.

The RV was in poor condition: broken shelves, cabinet door completely removed from the hinges, an explosion of some cleaning solution in one of the drawers that was not cleaned up and a missing fire extinguisher. Then, we had a problem with the payment due. For some reason, the computer system could not match the amount due as what I had listed on my quote and they wanted to charge me an extra $200. After about an hour working on this, the customer service person was able to get an amount due close to what I had been quoted.

We finally left the lot at 3:50 pm. I drove over to the tire store where they told me that they were closing in 10 minutes and could not help me. I drove the RV back to the RV lot, where it was closed. At about 4:15 pm I called the 800 number and they said a service person would be there in about 30 minutes. The serviceman called me about 5 pm and told me that he would be there in about 30 to 40 minutes. He said he had just got the call about 15 minutes ago.

The serviceman showed up around 5:30 pm and worked on the tire. During this time, he was interrupted several times with personal phone calls on his cell phone, at which time, he promptly stopped working on fixing the tire and talked with his friends. We finally were able to leave Fresno at 6 pm - over 4 hours later. After I notified the main office of this issue, they insist that the extra $200 they tried to charge me over the quoted amount and that they adjusted before the trip, was actually a credit to make up for the problems. Do not rent an RV from this company. You will be in for some headaches.

MESA, ARIZONA -- I recently rented a 24' trailer from Cruise America's Los Angeles (Carson) location in September 2010 with the intention of traveling to a campground near Kernville, California, which is approximately 200 miles from my starting location. I along with 14 members of my family departed for Kernville the following day at approximately 9:30 AM.

At approximately between 11:30 AM - 12:00 PM and 130 miles into the trip, one of my family members who had rented a 19' RV from Cruise America (due to my recommendation) and had been following behind, noticed smoke coming from the rear of the trailer I was hauling. I immediately pulled to the side of the highway to investigate the source of the smoke. The smoke appeared to be coming from the rotor drum, so we decided to exit the highway into the nearest town which was Mojave, CA.

As I was returning to enter my vehicle from examining the source of the smoke, I noticed the electrical connector from my vehicle to the trailer had come off from the end attached to my vehicle sometime between the time we left and reached the Mojave desert, which prompted additional concerns because I was aware that meant I had no brake lights or turn signals.

The connector end that had come off was severely damaged due to having been dragged in transit. This was only the first of many problems/issues I would have with Cruise America. (If the connector can easily come off, it should have been secured using other means when the trailer was hitched to my vehicle at the time of pick up.)

As I made my way to a gas station to assess the situation, one of the trailer wheels completely came off... tire, rim, lug nuts, and rotor drum all intact! I immediately contacted Cruise America's Traveler's Assistance phone number and spoke to a representative who advised me that he would contact a local towing company to assess the severity of the situation.

Due to the obvious damage to the vehicle, I requested for traveler's assistance representative to begin looking into the nearest replacement for the trailer as I was certain that it would require several hours repair the damage even if it could be repaired. He advised me that it was Cruise America's policy to have it assessed by a mechanic or tow truck operator before taking further action.

To my recollection, the towing company arrived approximately 20-30 minutes later and determined that the damage was a mechanical issue and was in no way my fault. In addition, the towing company advised me that even if they were able to fix the rotor drum and tire that had come off, they could not allow me to continue on with the trailer for concern for my family as the other portions of the trailer may have also been damaged or compromised (example of great customer service shown by the towing company, NOT Cruise America). As a result, the towing company relayed this information to Cruise America.

By then it was approximately 12:30 - 1:00 PM and Cruise America's traveler's assistance representative followed up by contacting me with the following 2 options: (1) Drive back 120+ miles to pick up a replacement back in Los Angeles (Carson) OR (2) Wait for a replacement trailer to be brought to my location in Mojave, CA which would take at least 5 hours.

The representative advised since it would take much longer for a replacement to be brought out to me because the replacement would have to be prepared prior to delivery, I should consider option 1. However, I advised the representative that I had 14 members of my family (which included my 8 month pregnant wife and several children which are under the age of 4) sitting in 90+ degree heat in a gas station parking lot so leaving them behind to pick up the replacement trailer only to return after dark was not an option I could consider and waiting for a replacement to be delivered 4-5 hours with rush hour traffic crossing through Los Angeles was also unacceptable.

I advised the representative that in addition to having my family stranded in a parking lot in a remote desert location, most of us had taken the day off or vacation and that we had paid reservations for the campground so all the time we were spending waiting for Cruise America to make the situation right was essentially costing us money. At one point during the course of my conversation with the Cruise America representative, the representative would not acknowledge me or respond. When I asked if he was still on the phone listening, the representative advised me that he was listening but was not acknowledging me as to not escalate the situation.

This may be Cruise America's standard procedure, but it seemed very insensitive and actually made me more outraged. As a result, I immediately requested to speak with a manager or supervisor, at which point the representative advised me that he was the manager on duty and those were the only 2 options I had. I advised the representative about my dissatisfaction with the way I was being treated and the 2 options that were being given to me. I then advised the representative that I would call him back after consulting the other members of my family regarding the options that were given to me.

My family members were obviously outraged, disgusted, and appalled as any reasonable human being would be with the options I was given. During my discussion with the other members of my family, it was pointed out that the nearest Cruise America hub was in Bakersfield, CA so I once again contacted the representative to inquire if a replacement could be provided through the Bakersfield hub. The representative advised me that the Bakersfield hub did not have the same exact trailer as the one I rented so unless I was willing to take a pop-up trailer which was smaller and a down grade, there was nothing he could offer me.

I proceeded to inquire about the possibility of replacing the damaged trailer for an RV instead, at which point the representative advised me that he could only replace the damaged trailer for the exact same trailer unless it was a lesser trailer such as the pop-up trailer. Again I advised him that I felt there was a severe lack of customer service and urgent concern for my family's well being, so I wanted to speak with his superior about this matter. The representative advised me that he was not authorized to escalate the call to his superior unless the situation called for it.

I told him I thought my situation was sufficient to escalate the call and he advised me that he would call me back after consulting his superior. The Cruise America representative called me back 10-20 minutes later and advised me that his superior offered a 3rd option, which was to terminate the contract/rental agreement on the spot. I was speechless for a moment, but mustered up enough to tell him I would again consult my family and call him back.

At this point, my family and I had enough of dealing with Cruise America so we tried to figure out every possible solution to get out of the predicament on our own but being in a remote desert town, there were not sufficient options available to us to do so. Not to mention that all the back and forth between myself and Cruise America's traveler's assistance department, it was now between 2:30 - 3:00 PM.

Having been put in a helpless situation without any other options, I made an attempt to contact the representative that I had been dealing with to inquire if the trailer could at the very least be delivered to the campground in Kernville, CA instead of the gas station in Mojave, CA so we would not have to waste any more time at the gas stations and we could at least check in for our campground reservation. At that point, I spoke to a new Cruise America traveler's assistance representative.

I pleaded with the new representative to deliver the replacement trailer to our campground, so at the very least we would not lose our reservation at the campground. The representative advised he would have to confirm if this could be done and if Cruise America was willing to accommodate my request. The representative called back and advised me that it would be delivered to the campground.

Shortly afterward, I received a call from the towing company assigned to deliver the replacement trailer wanting to verify the location of the damaged trailer and the delivery address of the campground at which point I was advised that the replacement would be delivered approximately between 9:30-10:00 PM. My family and I left the gas station location approximately at 3:30 PM. At that point we had spent 2-2.5 hours on the road before the incident and another 3.5-4 hours dealing with Cruise America's TA department pleading for a fair and reasonable solution. My family and I eventually made our way to the campgrounds approximately 5:00-5:30 PM.

After arriving at the campground, I contacted the Cruise America Los Angeles (Carson) hub to speak with one of the maintenance technicians to ensure that the correct electrical connector was supplied with the replacement trailer because at the time I originally picked up the first trailer the electrical connector had to be modified. Although I did not speak to a maintenance technician directly, a service representative relayed the request and received confirmation from a maintenance technician that the exact same connector that I was originally provided would be with the replacement trailer.

Following the call to the Cruise America Los Angeles hub, I called the towing company several times to obtain delivery status updates as the hours passed. Although I was initially advised by the towing company that the replacement trailer was on the way and it would arrive approximately between 9:30-10:00 PM, 10:00 PM came and went. I again contacted the towing company and was advised that although the trailer was en route they could not reach the driver by cell phone or radio due to poor reception.

During this time while waiting for the replacement trailer to arrive, a good portion of my family could not rest easy or lay down because we only had folding chairs. My family could not shower either, because that if they had, they would be exposed to the cold fridge air of the night because we still had not received our trailer and had no other shelter. Keep in mind that we were no longer in the hot desert, but in the mountains where it gets extremely cold at night.

Eventually, the replacement trailer arrived between 11:30 PM - 12:00 AM at which point I checked to see if the trailer had the correct electrical connector I called about, but it did not. At that point, I realized I was looking at a trailer that would not have brake lights or turn signals again!

Having lost an entire day the day before (Friday) dealing with the mechanical issue of the original trailer and Cruise America's traveler's assistance department, I found myself having to spend additional time (Saturday) seeking out and obtaining an adapter to make sure the electrical connector would work and I could safely operate the trailer with brake and signal lights when heading back home.

I initially went into Kernville to find an adapter but was advised that I would have to travel 10 miles down the mountain to the next town, Lake Isabella to find one. The round trip to Lake Isabella just for an adapter took approximately 40 minutes and a traveling distance of approximately 20 miles down and back up the mountain.

On the day of our departure (Sunday), I was preparing to install the trailer hitch to my vehicle when I noticed the hitch pin/clip was missing. It was either taken by the tow truck driver who delivered the replacement trailer or was never included with the replacement trailer. As a result, I found myself scrambling once again to find and obtain another component, but a hitch pin/clip this time! The campground check out time was 11:00 AM, but it was already 10:00 AM when I realized the replacement trailer was missing the vital component.

Fortunately, the campground staff was sympathetic to my situation (another example of great customer service shown this time by the campground staff, NOT Cruise America) and the events leading up to that moment so we were granted a late check out without penalty. I ultimately located a store that had a hitch pin/clip and was able to get the replacement trailer hitched to my vehicle.

By the time I arrived back home on Sunday evening, I and everyone else in my family were exhausted more from the terrible experience caused by the trailer incident which was compounded by Cruise America's unwillingness to provide a prompt and fair solution, more than the trip itself.

When it was all said and done, we lost a full day of our trip which was time off/vacation time, we were made to spend several hours in 90+ degree heat in a gas station parking lot, we lost a full day of spending time at the campground which we paid for reservations, we received an incomplete replacement trailer which required for me to spend additional time to locate and obtain parts in order to haul the trailer safely, I spent additional time explaining the situation to additional Cruise America representatives upon returning the rental, and spent time composing a formal complaint to Cruise America, while reliving every moment of it again.

The right thing for Cruise America to do would have been to replace the damaged trailer with an RV from their Bakersfield hub and have it delivered to us immediately regardless of whether it would have been an upgrade. Although it may not have been a profitable rental, it would have surely generated repeat business from my members of my family as well as referrals. Instead, Cruise America now has over a dozen people telling others about this horrific experience and advising them if they are looking to rent an RV or trailer... not to rent it from Cruise America.

MESA, ARIZONA -- I would not recommend renting an RV from Cruise America. The RV we rented was not properly maintained. The wheel studs sheared off during our drive cross country creating a unsafe situation. We were fortunate not be involved in an accident. The travel assistance that Cruise America offers is very disorganized and not very helpful. The travel assistance staff wanted us to drive the vehicle in its unsafe condition to a Cruise America rental office that was 30 miles away. When we refused, the representative sent out a tow truck the following day. There was not an apology or concern about the loss of time to our vacation.

When the tow truck driver refused to tow it due to safety concerns, the travel assistance supervisor had to be pressured into offering us a replacement vehicle. It took a full day to receive the new vehicle which was an older model than we had rented. It had smaller storage space and it did accommodate all of our storage needs. When we complained we were told there was no option and nothing they can do. The travel assistance staff was not very helpful and not forthcoming with full information. Upon return of the RV, the rental company did credit us for the down time that we had. However, we were not informed this would be the case by the corporate office.

Each time we called the 1-800 number, we were placed on hold, we had to leave our information and then wait for a representative to call us back. At times we had to call several times to find out information regarding a replacement vehicle. We had to argue in order to get permission for a rental car while a replacement vehicle was being sent to us.

The new RV did not have the registration, insurance information, or rental manual. After receiving the replacement RV, a representative did not call to make sure we received the replacement RV. We rented from a national company because they advertised nationwide roadside assistance and their roadside assistance was poor at best.

Both RV's were in disrepair including: AC vents were broken, draws and cabinets did not remain closed during driving, outside storage units did not lock properly, screws were falling out of the bench seats, the refrigerator was missing shelves and storage compartments.

The digital display on the refrigerator was broken, the indoor under the bed storage compartment was broken, the side windows did not close properly, and gas mileage was far below advertised mileage. The local rental agent was far more accommodating and was concerned about the safety of the vehicle. But if you rent an RV and have any problems, the corporate services are poor and the vehicles are not well maintained.

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA -- We rented an RV for a trip of 3 weeks starting in San Francisco and ending in Salt Lake City. The RV we got was old (140.000 miles on the odd meter), dirty, had a flat tire, many kitchen doors did not close properly. We asked to fix this which meant that we had to wait extra hours, but most of the problems were not fixed properly. 2 times during the trip we had to visit a garage, because of a flat tire (indeed the same) and engine problems. The service was very, very bad. Before making costs the user is obliged to contact the Cruise America Service number, which meant hours of waiting. 5 times they promised to call back, which happened only the last time.

Never rent a Cruise America RV. You can get a very old and dirty RV, with lousy service for (about) $ 1500 a week. There must be better deals.