Arrived to find the van in clean condition with a full tank of gas but ran into a few issues with the host that resulted in additional $200 being taken from my deposit, for future renters PLEASE watch out and read through every document when booking with this host specifically :The van is winterized from September 30 - May 15, if you book around the same time I did (09/27-10/01), you may be greeted with a van that was winterized early! You might receive a message the day before you are going to pick up the van with detailed instructions highlighting how to use the hot water and shower, don't let this confuse you into believing onboard shower capability is there. I recommend reaching out to the hosts early and often on the water status if you're booking around this time to prevent having to unexpectedly take showers in creeks during your 5-day trip like I did. There are numerous van rental options in the area at a lower price point that do not come with a shower option. The hosts messaged that they have since updated the listingDo NOT, under any circumstances, be late picking up the van from their home location. If you are late picking up the van the hosts may happily choose to retain $200 of your security deposit ($50 per hour) if you are late picking up...even on a day you already paid for and despite communicating traffic issues to the hosts. Prior to taxes and fees being added on my booking, the van was $199 per night. Because I was late the hosts were essentially able to retain an extra night of rental charges and justified this because they had to change their meal plans. Look for these additional hidden potential charges under "Add-ons" on the site. I don't recommend this listing for those traveling from out of town as traffic coming out of DIA through Denver is very unpredictable.Under Amenities the listing has "Awning", what this means is the awning is on the van and in photos, but you'll be responsible for a very expensive tow bill if you use this because it will disable the vehicle…not sure why its listed as an amenity.I communicated the issues I had above to the hosts and they adjusted the listing to more accurately reflect their policies...and still kept $200. Proceed with caution here.
Alex and Virginia’s answer
Thank you for your feedback, Denny. We’re genuinely sorry you are unhappy with your experience. We refunded you $100 for the inconvenience of winterizing. As we explained, we can’t always predict the night-time temps in our alpine environment, which is why we must drain the water in the fall when the temperatures require it—to avoid freezing the waterpipes (and necessitating a multi-thousand dollar repair).We charged the Late Pick-Up Fee of $200 as listed in the Add-Ons section, as the posted pick-up time is 3 pm. You did not request a different time in advance, but let us know around 8 am on the day of your reservation that you would arrive at our house at 6 pm. You arrived a little after 7 pm. We are happy to arrange a different pick-up time in advance with renters with more than 24 hours notice. We do hope all renters make appropriate pick-up and drop-off arrangements with us in advance.The awning on the van is a feature that we don’t recommend renters use in high wind, which we often experience in the Rocky Mountains. If the awning gets damaged in the extended position, the sprinter automatically disables the ability to drive. The awning and this safety feature are both standard on Revels and therefore beyond our control.
