Cruise America Inc.

Thank you for the information. I do sincerely apologize for the delay in my response. I have attempted to locate your rental information however I am unable to do so. I have exhausted all availbale avenues with the information provided. If you could please supply a contract or reservation number and...

I will look into this promptly and respond accordingly. Sincerely,
[redacted]Customer Relations Manager

Hi, I scheduled a trip with Cruise America a few months ago but cancelled the reservation 3 weeks before the trip was supposed to begin because of family issues. Their posted policy is this, "RESERVATION CANCELLATION FEES: With 7 days or more notice - no fee. With less than 7 days notice - forfeiture of $300 reservation deposit." It has now been over 5 weeks since I cancelled the trip and I have still not received a refund of $300. I've called in to customer service multiple times over the last two weeks. Each time they blind transfer me to some guy's desk who is never there. They say, "he is the only one who can assist you". I've left numerous voicemails and sent several emails - still nothing from Cruise America. I can't speak for their RVs, but their customer service reps are incompetent and have no care for their customers. Truly a disappointing interaction.

Dear Mr. [redacted],
Thank you for your reply. While I understand that you do not agree with Cruise America's stance on this matter I must further decline a refund of the KOA discount. As previously stated the membership was not activated until 9 days after the reservation was made with Cruise America. The policy of applying the KOA discount is strictly adhered to by Cruise America. I do apologize if there was any mis information, however the KOA discount can only be applied at the time of the reservation. I must politely continue to decline requests for the application of this discount.
Sincerely,
[redacted]
Customer Relations

Dear Mr. [redacted],Thank you for your e-mail regarding your recent experience with Cruise America. I am sorry to hear of the issues obtaining the KOA membership discount on the rental of the motor home. After a full review of the previous collected information about your KOA membership and...

reservation it was found that the Reservation was booked on 9/3/2014 and the KOA membership was initiated on 9/12/2014. Per Cruise America policy I am unable to grant the requested application of the KOA discount to the contract. The KOA membership was initiated 9 days after the booking of the reservation with Cruise America. Unfortunately the previous advisement that the discount is not applicable to the contract would stand as the KOA membership must be active and applied at the time that the Reservation is booked. I do apologize for any misunderstanding regarding this policy.Sincerely, [redacted]Customer Relations

Dear Ms. [redacted],
Thank you for the correspondence regarding this matter. It has again been reviewed however Cruise America is unable to process a further credit back to the contract that you are requesting. The proper funds have been applied to the credit cards that were used for the...

contracts in question. The refunds were applied to the credit cards that were supplied to the location at the time of pickup. As previously advised should any funds needs to be divided between the parties involved this would have to be done privately. Both contract have been reviewed and all appropriate funds have been returned.
Sincerely,

Dear Ms. [redacted], By way of introductions my name is [redacted] and I am the Manager for the Customer Relations Department and I have assigned myself to your file through this process. I want to thank you for taking your time to contact us about your recent experience with Cruise...

America and more specifically your rental from our Schererville location. We know that thorough, friendly, and professional service is essential.I would like to address the issues with the vehicle that you encountered. We do understand that taking time out of your vacation to repair a rental vehicle is not expected and can be very frustrating. I do apologize that you had to take this time to repair the vehicle. Cruise America appreciates your willingness to work with us in resolving this matter for you so that we could get you back to your vacation as soon as possible. Concerning your comments about the apathetic behavior of our staff; I want to express my deepest apologies. As stated in the opening portion of this e-mail Cruise America knows that proper service is essential. The experience that you encountered with our personnel is frankly inexcusable. A copy of your comments has been forwarded to the proper management team for review and internal handling to avoid such situations in the future.  While I do understand that you feel that the compensation issued and agreed upon is no longer satisfactory we must politely decline further compensation on this matter. For you reference I have attached a copy of the form signed at return outlining "I waive all further rights and claims against the parties named above and agree to this settlement as full and final compensation. I am not under any obligation to sign this form and do so of my own free will."  However we do understand that your trip was not exactly as expected I would like to offer a gift certificate in the amount of $200.00. This gift certificate is offered in conjunction if the refund that was agreed to as satisfactory at the time of refund in the amount of $396.00.Sincerely, [redacted]Customer Relations Manager

This company is absolutely horrible. The worse costomer service I have ever experienced! First call they were nice enough, but failed to send the email confirmation, second call again pleasant enough but when they finally sent the confirmation it was not as expected. Third call, to a third person named [redacted] who was absolutely terrible! Rude from the very beginning. Unwilling to listen. Did not care what I had to say and was only interested in lecturing me. Then argued what I had and had not said. Absolutely mind blowingly unneccasry! I've never heard anything like it. When I asked to speak to a manager she barked "No" I strongly encourage any would be RV renters to avoid this arizona company.

Dear Ms. [redacted],
 
Thank you for your response. However as directed on previous occasions all communication must be completed through your merchant bank.
 
Sincerely,
 
[redacted]
Customer Relations Manager

Here is a copy (without the pictures) of the email I sent to cruise america
I am writing this email hoping that someone in cruise america will realize that customer satisfaction is not only a matter of price and will get back to me with a better compensation than what I have been offered upon returning the RV in San Francisco.
Indeed when we planned for our trip in the US we selected Cruise America and the reservation process when very smoothly.
Having read on Cruise America website that "Cruise America purchases new vehicules every year" we were expecting a relatively recent RV when in fact we were given an RV with more than 140000 miles and probably more than 10 years (the microwave was dated 2004) !!!
This in fact should not really be a problem if the condition of the RV had been good but it was far from being the case and when I returned the RV with a written list of what was wrong with the RV I was not listened to
We were only offered a "refund" of 2 days of location.
So here is this list again with more than 20 items !!!
1. Registration was overdue for more than 1 month... Not that it is a safety issue but we could have been fined for not respectif the law
2. City Water connection was broken : the plastic thread was completely gone and it was impossible to attach the hose to the RV.
ALthough we paid for full hook ups sites we could not plug in the water before having this part replaced when we returned to the Cruise America location in Las Vegas, losing 3 hours in the process
We still had Leaking water after the replacement as the hose connector has not been replaced
3. Burner Grille making a rattling noise as the rubber pads were missing : we travelled with the grille put on the rear bed !
4. Side windows making a rattling noise + locks locked in place : had to put oil inside the locks to free them and be able to slide the windows !!
5. Driver wiper bent !
6. Radio with poor FM reception and no AM. No user manual for example to understand how to change the time when we change time zone
7. Curtain bar with screw coming out which could hurt
8. Bathroom door [redacted] unscrewed
9. Bathroom dome broken
10. Curtains unstitched
11. Bed made with table falling down during the night...
12. Some lamps burned put and impossible to replace (stucked !)
13. Lamp shades burned through !!
14. Gas safety broken
15. No cord on kitchen shade
16. No shade on cabin door and roof domes = how to sleep when it is daylight from 5:30 AM ??
17. Cigarette Lighters : one is broken and the other one is not working
18. Cruise control disconnecting by itself !!
19. A/C grilles VERY dusty !!
20. the ignition key platic holder was broken : happend several time to let the key in the ignition and lock the door !!!
21. Side cupboard key already bent and will break very soon inside the lock
and last but not least used water leaking when trying to empty.
Moreover there was a mistake in the mileage out on the contract : it was indicated 145668 miles. Upon returning the RV this mileage has been corrected to 143529 miles which caused an extra charge of 992 miles and almost 400 USD
How do I know if that was the correct mileage out ???
when we took the RV the tank was not full : I had to put more than 100 USD to fill it in when I gave it back with the full tank
I proposed to Cruise america to cancel the extra mileage charge as a compensation but they insted offer a 300USD coupon valid on a future reservation.
Not only it is not probable that living in France we would rent again from this company but we will certainly not offer the coupon to our frineds (unless you want to lose your friends...)

Dear Mr. [redacted], Thank you for contacting the [redacted] regarding this matter. I have initiated and completed a secondary review of your case and while I understand that you feel that Cruise America has not acted in a judicious manner I must politely disagree. Upon initial contact to our Customer...

Relations department an auto response is generated that states the following: "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." Looking through the file as kept by our Customer Relations Department with each communication the initial response was approximately a month. As there was a discrepancy in the estimate that was provided further research was then needed to ensure that all information was correct. Upon this secondary review of the estimate it was found that the charge for the bumper replacement and labor was included mistakenly. Upon this discovery the charge for the bumper and the associated labor was removed from the estimate and the updated estimate was provided. However upon the updated estimate there was immediate responses (approximately 5-10 minutes for each response supplied) to any communication sent with regards to the questions about the estimate. As stated in those communications Cruise America did not alter the estimate to suit ourselves, nor did we alter the estimate so that the labor charge was more on certain items. We simply removed the bumper charge and labor associated with changing the bumper. I have supplied a copy of the initial estimate that was provided and highlighted the bumper damage and labor charge to change the bumper. Additionally I have supplied a copy of the updated estimate as was supplied showing that just the bumper charge and labor was removed and no other alterations were done to any other damages.With regards to evidence showing that the damage as charged is valid I have attached photo of the damage. Additionally I have attached copies of the Vehicle Acceptance forms for the customer prior, M.  [redacted], and the customer post to Mr. [redacted]. As can be seen the damage is very visible and was documented upon return and by the following customer who rented the vehicle while there was no damage documented prior to Mr. [redacted].  As outlined in the Additional Terms and Conditions that is agreed to upon pick up of the vehicle, Section 5 (b): "If the Vehicle is used as permitted by the Terms and Conditions of this Contract, the following applies: You are responsibly for any and all loss of or damage to the Vehicle from any cause regardless of fault to a maximum of $1,000.00 per occurrence." While the damage did total over $1,000.00 Cruise America has not charged any further charges for the damages as outline by this provision as we do believe that the traveling party was using the vehicle as permitted by the contract.While I do understand that you wish to have all damage costs refunded and an additional $5,000.00 to each person in the party refunded I must decline. Cruise America feels that it has done its due diligence in correcting and providing sufficient information showing that the damage that occurred to the vehicle and the subsequent damage charge is valid and did occur on Mr. [redacted]'s contract. Sincerely, [redacted]Customer Relations Department Manager

Dear Mr. [redacted], Thank you for contacting the Revdex.com regarding the issues as presented. While we do understand that you do not feel that the amount offered is sufficient Cruise America stands behind the offer that was made of the following: 1/2 refund on kitchen kit cost, $25.00 refund of late...

fee and 1 day refund and additional $150.00 gift certificate for the inconveniences as faced with the vehicle. While we do understand that you do not feel that is offer is adequate we must decline further compensation. Additionally the offered gift certificate is not transferable to a monetary refund. Gift certificates are offered so that we do hope you will allow us another opportunity to assist you in the future. As previously stated with regards to compensation please review section your additional terms and conditions section 9(c): "Lessor assumes no responsibility for any expenses incurred by reason of a breakdown of the Vehicle, whether or not causing a delay en route, including, but not limited to, subsistence, accommodation, and cellular phone expenses. [redacted] maximum liability shall be for refund of daily time rental charges as a result of mechanical breakdown which results in loss of use of the Vehicle. Radio, automatic entry step, air conditioning, refrigerator, microwave or other appliances, cruise control or generator malfunctions are not considered to be mechanical breakdowns. Vehicle exchanges may only be considered in the event of a mechanical breakdown. Lessor assumes no responsibility for Your delays as a result of Your decision to wait for third party Vehicle repairs or exchanges, in regard to non-mechanical breakdown repairs, as defined herein." You experienced no breakdown as defined by the contract. Additionally when a call was placed to our Travelers Assistance line the offer of service to repair any issues with the vehicle was declined. Our Travelers Assistance Department is authorized to compensate for time spent in services. Had the vehicle been serviced on the road the service time would have taken less than approximately 2 hours to have the water system operating properly for usage. While this was declined our Travelers Assistance Department was able to note the problem as it was indicated that it was preferred to discuss the issue with the return location. However because there was an issue with how the vehicle was prepared for the rental we are able to offer the previously mentioned amount. As indicated in prior communication we simply request that you sign the attached form agreeing to the compensation and it will be applied to the contract. However we must decline further requests for compensation above the offered amount and changing the gift certificate to monetary value. Sincerely, [redacted]Customer Relations

Dear Mr. [redacted], Thank you for your e-mail regarding your recent experience with Cruise America. I am sorry to hear of the poor customer service experience that you had. I can assure you that Cruise America is looking into this matter internally to ensure that no such situation occurs in the...

future. Please again accept my apologies for the poor impression you received.With regards to the deposit I do see that a full $300.00 refund was issued yesterday (1/19/2015) to [redacted] ending in [redacted]. The refund may take 5-10 business days to process to your account. Should this not process to the account in this time please contact your merchant bank to inquire about their refund policies. As a note Cruise America releases all applicable funds within 24 hours of the application of the refund, from that point it is then up to your merchant bank to post it to your personal account. Thank you for contacting us regarding this matter. I do hope that you will provide Cruise America another opportunity in the future to serve you and gain back your trust. Sincerely, [redacted]Customer Relations Manager

Thank you for contacting the Revdex.com regarding this matter. As Cruise America has made multiple points of contact with you previously we will continue this response from the most recent e-mail that was received on April 6th, 2015 by Customer Relations.Reference was made in your...

e-mail that our Travelers Assistance team was rude and played games with offering service for resolving the issues with the vehicle, only to rescind the offer when it was accepted. However, through the records and recorded calls a total of 6 un-returned voicemails were left by our Travelers Assistance team in the effort to resolve the vehicle issues that were reported. This included multiple follow up calls after each e-mail was received. Unfortunately our Agents in Travelers Assistance were not contacted back and provided the opportunity to set up a service location to repair any shortcomings that you reported with the vehicle.However on 3/10/2015 (Tuesday) at 9:56am (Arizona time) when an agent was able to have contact with your party the offer to locate service by our Travelers Assistance Agent was declined. As previously advised services after hours are almost nonexistent. Regular repair shops hold standard business hours of approximately 8am to 5 pm. Unfortunately Cruise Americas Travelers Assistance Agents are at the mercy of the service location hours.  Concerning the reference of the Travelers Assistance Agents insisting on specific locations for repairs I must politely disagree. Through every review that has been done the only location that would have been a requirement was a Cruise America location in order to add the towing package and unlock the hitch pin for your usage. Other than the requirement of that our Travelers Assistance Agents made two separate offers to locate service along your route to resolve any issues. As stated multiple reviews of this file has been completed and Cruise America has determined that the Travelers Assistance agents attempted to assist you to the best of their ability. We must again decline compensation on this matter citing the previously mentioned Additional Terms and Conditions Section 9 (c) “Lessor assumes no responsibility for any expenses incurred by reason of a breakdown of the Vehicle, whether or not causing a delay en route, including, but not limited to, subsistence, accommodation, and cellular phone expenses. Lessor's maximum liability shall be for refund of daily time rental charges as a result of mechanical breakdown which results in loss of use of the Vehicle. Radio, automatic entry step, air conditioning, refrigerator, microwave or other appliances, cruise control or generator malfunctions are not considered to be mechanical breakdowns. Vehicle exchanges may only be considered in the event of a mechanical breakdown. Lessor assumes no responsibility for Your delays as a result of Your decision to wait for third party Vehicle repairs or exchanges, in regard to non-mechanical breakdown repairs, as defined herein."I would also like to add another provision in the Additional Terms and Conditions Section 13: “: “Necessary and reasonable expenses for transportation and lodging only are covered in the event of a mechanical breakdown requiring the Vehicle to be in repair for more than 12 hours. Radio, automatic entry step, air conditioning, refrigerator, microwave or other appliances, cruise control or generator malfunctions are not considered to be mechanical breakdowns. Incurred expenses to a maximum of $30.00 per person per day for lodging and other expenses (to the maximum capacity set on Page A) and $30.00 per group per day for transportation will be reimbursed subject to a limit of $3,000.00 per tour. The provisions of this paragraph are not valid in case of a collision or accident. You must present all receipts for refund of expenses.” However as previously stated you experience no mechanical breakdown as outlined in the contract that was agreed to at the time of pickup.However as Cruise America does understand that the trip as planned was not what you had expected we have offered a gift certificate towards a future rental in the amount of $200.00 as a gesture of good will. This is standard practice in the travel industry when an unpleasant travel experience occurs. However as we do understand that you do not wish to utilize the certificate it is fully transferrable to another party of your choosing. This meaning that you may give away or sell the certificate to any party you choose should you wish to not utilize it. Sincerely, [redacted]Customer Relations ManagerF: ###-###-####

Dear Ms. [redacted],

Thank you again for your response. However I must again decline your requested for a refund of 800 miles. As previously stated when a location is moved compensation is offered. You were offered 350 miles and 1 day compensation. This amount that was agreed to has been applied to the contract. Generally when compensating mileage it is the mileage that is traveled to and from the location and your home address. This is approximately 250 miles round trip. You have been compensated an additional 100 miles to assist with the inconvenience that has occurred with the move of the location.

While I do understand that you feel a refund of approximately 1/2 the mileage traveled in the RV should be compensated I must politely decline any further compensation than has already been applied.

Sincerely,

Customer Relations

Warning do not rent from cruise American poor customer service they give u a unit that is completely broken and then expect u to pack up and bring the unit back to wait for the repairs you take the unit back and show them what is wrong with the unit for the inspectors to say oh there's nothing wrong with it!!! Completely none livable for a week rental do not waste your time or money in this business Randall Smalley (CEO) doesn't want to help out his customers in any way to better his company help put him in debt do no rent from cruise America!

Headquarters hangs up on you what kind of business is it? Nothing gets resolved! Cruise America only care about the money not their customers!

Watch out if u make a complaint on their web page it get forward to that location they then "pretend" they are the correct rep you need to be talking with about your concern but it's all a lie!!!! Once you catch them in their own lie they completely stop responding! That's ok though since everything is done in "writing only" I have all our copies of conversation that will get looked by lawyers and be taken to the next step Cruise America wants to try to pull one over on me we see about that!

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

Cruise America states that they could have fixed the water problem in 2 hours. The nearest service center was in [redacted] which was a 2 1/2 hour drive from our location in Canyonlands National Park. We were not prepared or able to drive 5 hours round trip plus 2 hours service time to have the water changed out. We already had driven many over 150 additional miles to purchase bottled water for use in the vehicle to drink, wash dishes, and wash ourselves at considerable additional cost of time, mileage  and gas. Not to mention the stress we suffered from worry that the water we used that night for washing dishes and glasses as well as showering ,had anti freeze in it. They ruined our vacation due to incompetence and are only willing to reimburse this small amount with a gift certificate of $150 which is worthless as I could never use their services again with confidence of safety.

Regards,

Dear Ms. [redacted], Thank you for your reply. After a secondary review it was found that the initial offer of the $300.00 gift certificate is satisfactory. As a note to the questions of maintenance of the vehicle our records indicate that all proper maintenance steps were taken to ensure that the vehicle was fully operational. Each time the vehicle returns and is rented the vehicle is inspected to ensure that all components are operating properly. These steps were taken on your rental, as you indicate in your correspondence everything was operating properly at the time of pickup. Unfortunately while traveling situations do occur that are out of your control as well as ours. Cruise America does it's best to assist you and ensure that you are back to your vacation as soon as possible. As stated this includes getting at minimum a diagnosis on the vehicle and with regards to after hours services our Travelers Assistance service is limited to towing services and tire services. Our team ensures that you are in a safe location for the night until they can locate the proper service to ensure we are getting you back to your vacation as soon as possible. While I understand that you do not agree with how our Travelers Assistance limitations/options after hours I can only apologize. Our team offered assistance that was available and this was declined. Again while I do understand that you do not agree with the findings and offered resolution to this matter I must decline compensation for this matter. We have issued a gift certificate in the amount of $300.00 as a gesture of good will. Should you not wish to utilize the certificate it is fully transferable to another party of your choosing. Sincerely, [redacted]Customer Relations Manager

Dear Mr. [redacted], I would like to thank you for taking the time to write us about your recent experience with Cruise America and the situations you mentioned regarding your rental from our Ottsville location. We know that thorough, accurate, friendly and professional service is essential....

Your comments are appreciated since this is one of the best ways we have of knowing which areas need additional attention. Concerning the chassis issues you encountered, I understand that vehicle service issues during your vacation can be quite frustrating and warrants our attention and consideration. I regret that we were not able to resolve your concerns to your satisfaction while on rent. Although I cannot go back in time to correct the problems you encountered, I can say with the utmost confidence that the problems that you experienced are the exception and not the rule with Cruise America. The behavior of the Travelers Assistance and Ottsville staff I am troubled by. The apathy they exhibited towards providing a vehicle that was prepared for the rigors of camping and assisting you in a professional manner is frankly inexcusable. I can only apologize for all of this again, and hope that this did not completely inhibit you from enjoying your holiday. We will investigate this internally so that hopefully we can prevent situations such as this from occurring in the future. However, Cruise America is dedicated to your satisfaction and we appreciate your loyal business. In that spirit, I would like to offer  you a $300.00 gift certificate and a refund of 50% of the daily rate ($521.50). If you would like to accept this offer please sign the attached form. Please again accept my sincerest apologies regarding this situation. Sincerely,[redacted]

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

 

Regards,

 

It seems that we are going around in circles. Every resolution offered from Cruise America Customer service is an apology and reiterating that they are not willing to do anything else but try to convince me that the $98.10, in lieu of a refund for the $409 spent, and a gift certificate that requires me to spend almost triple its worth to be able to cash it, is appropriate for services not received. I stated in a prior response to be willing to receive 50% refund, but they have made no further effort to try and resolve this. I am 100% dissatisfied. Why would I want to transfer this burden to someone else by giving the gift certificate to anyone else, so Cruise America can con them into spending money for its use? This is just wrong!

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  I will wait until for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.

Regards,