RIPPED OFF--MOTOR HOME RENTAL/ALASKA

MaureenPT | 08/10/05 | MaureenPT

[2banana]

What was the cancellation policy when you booked?

[RushCrush]

How was the deposit paid?
And I think that is the purpose of a deposit anyway- by paying it you are agreeing to the rules of deposit.

[Mercat]

We've rented RV's in the past. They are usually owned by mom and pop franchises. I'm guessing that if the unit is not used, then that month's balance sheet is affected. I'm a small business owner so I can empathize with the person renting the unit. I can guess that they had to turn away other potential customers because of limited inventory. This is a lot different situation that the airlines. The airlines factor in these last minute cancellations and have lots of cash flowing in and out to compensate. Just my thoughts.

[Zavien Doombringer]

Tell your friend that everyone has a boss

Secondly, re-read the contract specifically about the deposit. Then Get the business owner, if that doesn't get anywhere, call the local TV Station in Alaska and explain the issue.

[Abathar]

If they paid for the whole thing up front and the owner rented it out during the time they were to have it then yes, they should get a refund. If it was just a deposit to hold it, a partial payment, then the owner should be able to keep it if he can't rent it out during that time. Short notice like that he will be out the rest of the rental money during that time so he is trying to recoup his loss. How much was the deposit?

[RushCrush]

If you want to make a big deal out of it, and the deposit was paid with a credit card, you could call the credit card company and dispute the charge.

But again, a deposit is a deposit. I am an event planner and we scrutinise contracts for deposit information BEFORE signing or paying anything. You won't get out of it. Emotions really have nothing to do with it, though you may ask if you could just use the RV at a different date and not lose the deposit.

[baltodog]

Ummmmm.....

Here's how I feel: Somewhere, something that someone signed when the deposit was negotiated stated a no refunds policy.

That being said, the proprietor could have a change of heart in this situation and at least give a partial refund.

THAT being said, the demand for these kinds of rentals are probably great...therefore, in order to accept the deposit, he had to turn someone else down..get my drift?

Unless someone calls and wants a rental right now, this business owner is probably out a couple bucks.

[BreitbartSentMe]

Travel insurance - don't leave home (or even plan a trip) without it. Perhaps check with their credit card company, if the deposit was put on that, to see if they offer any type of travel cancellation reimbursement...

The proprieter is not necessarily being totally out of line, after all he probably will not be able to re-rent the motorhome for that time period, so he is out that money. If he offered to just switch the rental, he would be displacing a future potential rental just to replace the money he lost.

[RightWhale]

Was the RV rental in Anchorage?

[varyouga]

Legally, you are bound to the contract and there is very little you can do.

It's completely up to the owner to decide outside of the contract.

[Arthalion]

That's the risk they took and what deposits are for. By reserving the mobile home, they prevented the mobile home company from renting the vehicle to anyone else. While your friends situation is unfortunate, the deposit acts as compensation so the company won't completely lose out by your failure to rent. Why should the rental firm be punished financially for your friends health problem?

That said, you may want to see if you can resell your rental anywhere. My dad used to rent his mobile out through a service that refused to refund deposits for cancellations not made at least 30 days in advance. They did, however, allow deposits to be refunded if another renter could be found. It may be worth checking up on.

[oldenuff2no]

I used to be an outfitter for hunt camps in the mountains. Sorry folks but there are two things that make this a difficult situation of the business man. I always gave half of the deposit back if they told me at 30+ days that they couldn't make it, and none of their money back from 29+ days notice.
It always cost me money to have the slot sitting and waiting no matter if I had a customer of not. It was almost impossible to fill that time slot with less than 30 days notice. I kept a waiting list, but even with the list I almost always had to discount the hunt to get someone to go on that short of notice.

[rabidralph]

I think I saw a Seinfeld episode similar to this once.

[BlackRain]

Unless there was a clear cancellation policy on the rental contract, you are responsible for the deposit.

Why come a political website about this issue in the first place?

[Ursus arctos horribilis]

Sad to say, the devil is always in the details. Before signing on the dotted line, read the fine print, very, very, carefully.

[Zavien Doombringer]

Hmm, I guess it does go with the situation.

You have a valid point, especially when it comes to your livelyhood...

[Steelerfan]

Couple things. If it was in the contract, as several posters have explained, your friends are out of luck. If not, many states require no cancellation, no refund policies to be posted or otherwise affirmatively disclosed in some fashion. Alaska may be one of those states. If your friends really want to make an issue out of it, they could contact the state's attorney general's office and file a complaint. Most AG's office have a consumer protection division that will at least listen to the complaint. They could also contact the better business organization for that area. Hitting them in pocketbook (what they did sounds insensitive, even if it was not illegal) is probably a better solution than any legal remedies.

[mc6809e]

You take a loss because you pay but don't get the RV.

Thay take a loss because they missed out on renting it. Their bills don't stop coming just because you didn't rent the RV.

So the deposit is a way of slipping the loss.

[hosepipe]

NOW is peak season for RV rentals.. ANYWHERE.. especially in Alaska.. Even IF.. they kept the deposit it cost them(the renters) money.. no doubt..