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Walt Michaels RV Complaint - Do not Rent from Walt Michaels RV - RV Rental
RV Rental - Complaint
BELLVILLE, MICHIGAN -- This summer (2006) we decided to take the family camping and the tent method would not work with small children, so we decided to rent a motorhome for a week of camping. Walt Michaels RV advertises to make it easy for "beginner" RV'ers with an instructional DVD and a walkthrough to show how to use the features, so we decided to rent from there. The Walt Michaels RV staff went through a checklist to explain how to use the different systems in the RV and note any damage. On the checklist was the overhead antenna, difficult to see standing next to the motorhome it looked odd...the dome was lower on the backside and higher in the front but not knowing what it is supposed to look like thought nothing of it. So I drove off and for the first 30 miles I heard this clanking above the roof, so I checked the overhead vents and they were tightly closed (In the walk-through they emphasised closing the vents or it could be damaged by the wind resistance).
The next week I returned the RV parked and walked in. There was a short round women bullishly telling staff members about a broken microwave antenna (I thought wow the rental staff nows appliances enough to diagnose the problems of a microwave). Sure enought the top half of the antenaa housing blew away and there was evidence of it being hit. I explained what happend but that did not matter because it was not on the paper work, so sure enough they charge me full retail price and a labor rate approaching aerospace levels of almost $100/hr ( I gues parts and service need to profict off rentals too).
Then the short round woman approached me confrontaionly and asked what did you put in the cargo area? There was a huge gaping hole along the edge of the cargo hold, and I noticed that in the initial walkthrough and was noted...Walt Michaels RV need to be more rigorous in their pre-inspections no staff members noted a huge hole in the RV until I returned it! There were numerous minor items that were broken but I did not dare tell them as first intended or my "repair" bill for things I did not break would be larger....yeah I should charge them 1/2 hour labor time for the vent handle that I installed.
The next week I returned the RV parked and walked in. There was a short round women bullishly telling staff members about a broken microwave antenna (I thought wow the rental staff nows appliances enough to diagnose the problems of a microwave). Sure enought the top half of the antenaa housing blew away and there was evidence of it being hit. I explained what happend but that did not matter because it was not on the paper work, so sure enough they charge me full retail price and a labor rate approaching aerospace levels of almost $100/hr ( I gues parts and service need to profict off rentals too).
Then the short round woman approached me confrontaionly and asked what did you put in the cargo area? There was a huge gaping hole along the edge of the cargo hold, and I noticed that in the initial walkthrough and was noted...Walt Michaels RV need to be more rigorous in their pre-inspections no staff members noted a huge hole in the RV until I returned it! There were numerous minor items that were broken but I did not dare tell them as first intended or my "repair" bill for things I did not break would be larger....yeah I should charge them 1/2 hour labor time for the vent handle that I installed.
Comments:
Posted by Doc J on 2006-07-08:
Thanks for your excellent post and warning to others. Some on this site may bash you for not looking at the RV as thoroughly as you should have. However, I think your conduct was about right for someone inexperienced with rentals. My money says the dealer knew about the damage at the time of the rental and was waiting for some pidgeon to walk in to rent it. You, my friend, were that pidgeon. I don't envy you for your position in the matter.
Posted by Anonymous on 2006-07-08:
I doubt anyone will "bash" you, DocJ is being a bit dramatic. Good post though, let that be a less to all of us about THOROUGHLY inspecting rentals of any type. (tr)
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