I rented our Moose to two crazy ladies and some kids and I am now sitting in the Las Vegas airport waiting for my connecting flight to Albuquerque so I can pick the bus up and take it home. I am going to refund them all their money because I know they are going to take me to small claims if I dont. All this because the engine got hot on them and the windshield wiper stopped working for some reason and they are scared its unsafe to drive which it's not.
On the other hand I have rented it twice before with no problems and made some decent money, but this is definetly the downside of this rental idea...
Thanks Nick and luvrbus for your help last night, as usual the people on this site make bussing more fun.
Jimmy
Thank God I have a four speed Spicer so renting is a no factor. That sounds like a nightmare. Hope it ends well for you.
For your sake I hope all you end up out of pocket is the airfare and some fuel to get your bus home. No way in H anybody but me ever gets to drive this bus as long as I'm awake and armed. There's just way too many expensive things that could get broken through simple ignorance.
Just curious what your criteria would be to rent to an individual.
I also wondered how you work insurance?
I wouldn't rent ours to anyone, simply because I know what a bus is and does. I KNOW that things WILL happen, maybe later, maybe sooner, but I know that I will be there to fix it.
God bless,
John
Hey guys,
I got my bus back. Just in case I haven't had enough they hit something and it really messed up the paint on one of the sides and took a fender out. Happily we have an insurance binder so that is a blessing. We have already started the claim process so I will keep everyone updated on how that process goes. Basically if you want to learn what not to do just follow my posts...
Dave G and John316 - my criteria for who I rent the bus to was obviously WAY too low. I have learned that lesson in a big way. Like I mentioned before I have rented the bus 2 other times, both very successful and it really helped offset some of the costs associated with owning a bus. However this is obviously not worth it so I will be re-evaluating the rental idea.
I mentioned the insurance earlier, there is a standard form I have filled out and it binds their insurance company to the bus. It will come in very handy since I now have a bruised side of my bus.
AHHHHH life lessons. If you don't know I am obviously still a pretty young chap (30) so I am still learning lessons the hard way. Thanks again for letting me vent.
Jimmy
Hi All, Mrs. Jones is a one man Bus! ;D M&C
Can we assume the engine is OK?
The engine is fine thanks for asking. The other issues they had I fixed in 5 minutes. Roilyn (my wife) flew out with me so we are going to take a couple of days to get back and hopefully make some happy memories out of this.
Quote from: JT4SC on July 17, 2009, 09:36:40 PM
The engine is fine thanks for asking. The other issues they had I fixed in 5 minutes. Roilyn (my wife) flew out with me so we are going to take a couple of days to get back and hopefully make some happy memories out of this.
NOW THAT'S what I'm talking about! A good ending with HAPPY memories!
By the way I hope the insurance thing works out for you! Many insurance companies will laugh at you and your binder as not worth the paper written on and refuse to pay! I would not refund ANY $ until unit is fixed 100% and if they took me to small claims court I'd file counter suit and take my chances!
JMHOFWIW!
By the way THE ONLY WAY WE RENT OUR UNITS IS WITH DRIVER! (charter)
Good luck and enjoy that bus! ;D BK ;D
Well guys I should keep this to myself but Mike has told these guys buying these buses that one way too help on expenses is to rent or sell a partner ship in these units he rents them also fwiw.
Not good advice for me I look at my bus like my toothbrush it is personal to me.
As the insurance goes Penske(class 8 trucks) and other rentals use the binder system I know Marathon and Featherlite are ok with it Try Featherlites rental rate 10 grand a month plus mileage not bad if you want 1.5 million dollar coach for a month LOL Good luck
Well, I'll try to not get too harsh here, considering the pain and expense you are going through, but.... basically, my feeling is you got what you asked for.
You bought an old 40ft bus, known to have quirks and potential problems (especially with engine cooling and air wipers), which was converted by someone other than you. Then you let two unqualified women take it to one of the warmest areas of the southwest with little or no training on how to drive a vehicle of that size, let alone fix it. Now you're upset because they had some serious problems that caused them a delay in their vacation and left them feeling that it's not a reliable and safe vehicle (and with good reason, I might add)? Overheating is not their fault, and non-working wipers in a rain storm is a serious safety issue. Abandoning the bus in Albuquerque was a sound judgement on their part.
Frankly, if you get out of this with just having to refund their money, you'll be lucky. I would expect you might also need to pay for their troubles in renting something else or the cost of getting their family back home. I also submit that had they had a real problem, such as losing control of the bus and killing someone else, you could have been held liable for allowing unqualified people to drive your commercial vehicle. I'm curious what kind of insurance you carry for your rental business?
You chose the wrong vehicle for RV rental. You should have bought a Class C RV instead.
And of course, that's my own opinion, but I have little sympathy for you on this one.
My thoughts are very similar to Craig's. I know our bus (which is probably siginficactly newer, and fewer miles than yours) has issues. I know how to fix it (sometimes), and others usually don't. Our bus has a solid engine and tranny, and great brakes, etc. Still, I KNOW things will eventually happen sooner or later. Just this last trip we blew a coolant line, and lost 10 gallons of coolant on a very remote stretch of the road. We stopped, got the fire extinguisher, and were amazed that the back wasn't on fire. My point? Things WILL happen even with a meticulously maintained coach.
Now, that being said, I don't want to sound like a know it all....BUT, did you really think that two ladies (most aren't very mechanical at that, I know that Cat is one of those rare exceptions) were going to be able to drive a hulking bus, and repair any mechanical issues?!?!? I am being serious here! This is one of those penny wise thousands foolish examples. If you happen to have the proper insurance (not just standard RV insurance, but real rental insurance), then they will probably just raise your premiums. Otherwise, my guess is that if it is just a standard RV insurance, they will laugh you off, and then you are out all of the fixing money. If those ladies would have had a wreck, and killed somebody, the family of the person that died would have had every right to sue you for the death of their loved one.
Granted, it was stupid of those ladies to even think about renting it from you. BUT still, you rented to them, and have that responsibility.
I hope that you are only out the trip money, and not much more! I would advise against ever renting you bus to anyone else, unless you are driving.
God bless,
John
"I would advise against ever renting you bus to anyone else, unless you are driving."
Then he is carrying paying passengers, and essentially operating a charter service for which he would need commercial insurance, likely an upgraded drivers license, etc.
Personally, I would advise against renting. Period.
No one drives my bus except me, my mechanic on rare occasions, and Mama if necessary.
YMMV
Mark
Brandon,
Good point about the license etc. I agree. I won't rent ours out.
God bless,
John
In hind site probally not a wise desicion. I was surprised just reading this post. These aren't pop ups at a KOA. Most women not to mention a large majority of men couldn't handle a bus or the attention they require. I wouldn't have even considered something like that. Just my opinion. Hope all works out ok. Later