Episode Transcript
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Welcome to the RV Rental Secrets Podcast.
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.999I'm your host, Stacey Maxson, and I'm thrilled to guide you through the journey of launching, growing, and managing a profitable RV rental business.
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Running an RV rental business does come with its challenges, and making mistakes along the way is part of the learning process.
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However, some mistakes can be more costly than others.
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I want to share my five most common RV rental mistakes that you should avoid to ensure your business runs smoothly and efficiently.
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First on our list is skipping thorough RV inspections.
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Inspections between rentals.
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It's easy to overlook damage caused by previous renters if you're in a hurry to get the RV ready for the next customer.
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However, neglecting detailed inspections can lead to costly repairs down the line and unhappy customers.
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and owners if it's an RV rental management unit.
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Take the time to thoroughly check each RV after each rental.
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Look for signs of damage, wear and tear, and ensure everything is in working order before the next renter takes it out.
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You're also going to want to make sure that you're documenting all of the inspections, and that's by photos or video, and make sure that it's time stamped.
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An example of this is, sometimes I don't check all the details so I often don't necessarily see if the mattress pad covers Are stained or, torn.
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So if I don't bill that to the renter, then that money comes out of my pocket.
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Little things add up.,
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there could be plates missing silverware, and if you're not documenting all of that and billing that back to the renter, then that's going to come out of your pocket.
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So that's why it's important to do those thorough inspections and document everything.
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Next, let's talk about the importance of providing adequate renter education.
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Educating your renters on the proper use and care of your RVs can prevent accidents and misunderstandings.
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It's essential to ensure that they know how to operate the RV, use the appliances, and understand basic maintenance tasks.
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This not only ensures a better rental experience for your customer, but also reduces the likelihood of damaged TRVs.
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It's also going to cut down on the amount of calls that you get.
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So if you are providing documentation on how to use the unit, if you have videos that they can link to, this is going to help them.
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Know how to operate everything and then it's going to make them call and text you less When they're not sure how to do something So it's kind of training them so The first thing that they do when they have a question is go to the information that you provided instead of reaching out to you first what we like to also do is when you are doing the Walkthrough with them is have them videotape it.
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That way they have a video to go back to showing them how to use everything.
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So when you're guiding them in how to operate the hot water heater, how to level the camper, how to Drain the tanks you know, all of those things they'll have on video and can refer back to if they have any questions before reaching out to you Also, if it is a drivable unit or if they're towing themselves, you know, definitely go over tips for driving.
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We've seen the most accidents when people are in the gas station.
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They always end up I don't know what they're called, hitting those, you know, protector bars when they're turning to leave the gas pump.
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So make sure that they're aware try to guide them towards using a large gas station like gloves or buckies.
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If they're available and, make sure that they're aware of how tall the unit is, that they can't go on certain roads or other things.
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under certain overpasses.
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Unfortunately, we did have a renter that went under a low bridge, and it did total the camper.
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So having those conversations ahead of time, and if you know there's certain roads in your area that they should be avoiding, to make sure that they are aware of that.
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Another critical mistake is neglecting customer service excellence.
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Exceptional customer service is the backbone of any successful business.
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Underestimating its power can lead to negative reviews in a decrease and repeat business.
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Make sure you're prompt, empathetic, and effective in your communication.
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Address any issues or concerns your customers may have quickly and professionally.
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Happy customers are more likely to return and recommend your services to others.
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So a great example of this is, unfortunately, we did have an RV rental management unit that the owner had sold so we weren't going to have that unit available to the renter that booked the unit.
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The only unit that we had Was not comparable.
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It was a little bit smaller But we didn't want to completely cancel on them.
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So what we did is we offered the unit At the lower price point because the rb was lower And we did give them the option of being able to cancel If they found another unit, but they didn't so what we did is because we wanted to be empathetic to the situation.
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It was obviously our fault.
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We gave them a gift card for the campground that they were staying at, just as a little thank you for still sticking with us, even though, we had to change their unit out.
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And it just kind of showed that we cared about them.
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That we understood their situation that they were in and gave them something to look forward to on their trip, they might not have gotten the RV they wanted, but they could, spend the extra money at the camp store or do an activity there that they might not have been able to do.
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So just, going above and beyond and trying to make the customers happy.
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I feel like that's really important and something that I've really focused on in our business.
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And it's gotten us a lot of repeat customers.
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And, during our customer surveys we're often getting 10 out of 10s and people are naming us by name my husband and I about the great service that they've received.
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That's something that we continue to strive for.
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Next is regular maintenance checks.
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These are crucial for the safety and reliability of your RVs.
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Overlooking routine maintenance can lead to breakdowns and costly repairs that could have been prevented.
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Set a schedule for regular maintenance checks and stick to it.
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This includes checking the engine, tires, brakes, and all appliances.
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Keeping your RVs in top condition ensures a safe and enjoyable experience for your renters.
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So, obviously, if something breaks in the RV, it's going to make the renter have, a terrible trip.
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It's going to be an inconvenience to them and they're not going to end up being a happy customer.
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Of course, there's ways that you can turn that around with excellent customer service, but it's still going to be an inconvenience to them.
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to them and something that they're not going to want to deal with when they're trying to relax and take a vacation.
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So Outdoorsy, they actually require a 90 day inspection.
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So if you're doing that, then that's going to help you keep up on your maintenance.
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And of course, you're going to want to record all of that information.
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This also helps you if there's a dispute where something breaks and the renters Trying to get money back on the rental.
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If you show that you know, that it's kind of just an act of God and you've been keeping up with maintenance and can show all of your maintenance records you know, then they, you have a better chance of winning that dispute and not having to refund that money.
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So, you know, even if you are delivering it yourself, it's a longer distance, one of the things we like to do is every time we stop to get gas my husband, he delivers most of our units, he does a walk around and just checks all of the tires make sure that there's nothing abnormal there.
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That way it's going to help.
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so that you don't have a blowout.
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We had an instance where because of him checking that, he saw there was a broken belt on the tire and we were able to just switch it out to the spare tire.
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And although that did delay us a little bit, you know, there was no additional damage and we were still able to deliver that rental on time.
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So just make sure everything is in good working Condition before you send out the camper on the rental.
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Lastly, let's cover the importance of proper insurance.
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Operating without adequate insurance coverage for your fleet and customers is a huge risk.
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Without proper insurance, you could face significant financial losses from accidents, damages, and liability claims.
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Make sure that your insurance policy covers all potential risks in that your renters are also properly insured This will protect both your business and your customers this is one of the reasons why I use nba insurance.
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So that's a commercial insurance that's going to cover The RV during the rental and outside of the rental.
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I am in New York state So the rules are a little bit different here.
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So make sure you're checking in your state.
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But one of the things that I like about the insurance is, you know If we have to take the RV to go fill the propane tank or go put the gas in it before a rental It's going to be covered.
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If you're just using platform insurance on rv share or outdoorsy You That only covers you during the rental period.
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It's not covering you as the RV rental business owner when you're having to do other things with the RV outside of that rental period so there are other coverages like Romely that would cover you you know, you might look into getting added on the RV owner's insurance policy if it is a consignment unit.
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So there are different ways to make sure that you're covered, but it's definitely something that you're going to want to look into and make sure that also the tow vehicle extends to coverage of The unit that you're towing.
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So definitely talk with your insurance provider and make sure that you're going to be covered for those rentals that's all I have for you guys today just five common rv rental mistakes to avoid for a smoother more efficient operation By steering clear of these pitfalls you can enhance your customer satisfaction Protect your investments and position your business for long term success.
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I want to thank you for tuning in to this episode of RV Rental Secrets.
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And if you found this episode helpful, please subscribe to our podcast and share it with your fellow RV enthusiasts.
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Until next time, happy renting and safe travels.