Cruise America RV Rentals Review

After reading a lot of reviews that were mixed for Cruise America my family and I were hesitant to rent from them. Thankfully I live close enough to were we rented I drove there and checked out the units they had. I was told there is no guarantee on which unit we would get but from what they on the lot I felt better. The day we picked up our 25-ft RV we did the walk through and I was happy with the unit. It defiantly smelt and looked clean and we checked to make sure everything worked. During our 2 week trip we had no issues at all with the RV and upon return we were very satisfied with the whole experience. For the value this is the best option for us. The RV did not have all of the bells and whistles but for paying a 1/3 the cost was well worth it. We brought along our own TV and the RV was equipped to be hooked up to cable at sites. I would recommend and will in the future rent again from Cruise America

Ridiculous . . . We rented an RV through Cruise America this year because we enjoyed doing so the previous year. This time, has been a terrible experience and we've just started our trip! We had problems with the AC and generator from the time we picked the RV up. We have called multiple times but, nothing useful has been done. We have bee told we were "a priority" twice, that only managers can send out service calls (so, we'd have to wait for a call back) and even told that a tech was coming. No techs, no progress. We have 2 small children in an RV with limited AC and no Generator! We will NEVER do business with Cruise America again. Customer service is nonexistent.

Our 19 foot unit should NOT have been rented to us. We have rented RV's for years from other companies, and have never had any issues as this. Probably because this being an older unit with over 114,000 miles on it.

The main issue is there is a large fresh water leak in the bathroom that loses water into the grey tank so you have to turn off the water pump after each use. Due to this leak, with a conservative water usage, we were only able to get 1.5 days out of the fresh water tank until we needed to refill. When using city water the leak is so bad that the grey and black water valves need to be left open or toilet will overflow at night (YUCK!).

Safety Issues: The Fire Extinguisher was EMPTY (we didn't find out until we were cleaning it for return). Windshield wipers are useless making driving during a surprise storm difficult. We know that camping is not a germ free experience, but come on; the fresh water hose was stored with black water dump hose which is completely unsanitary. The dump hose didn't fit in its compartment and the plastic lock did not work on that door anyway for proper storage. Black mold present in bathroom. The unit needs some kind alignment (wheel or frame) as is unsteady driving. Steering is difficult to keep going straight with a lot of play in the steering wheel. The smoke alarm had been removed.

Bathroom issues: Grey water indicator shows 1/3 full even after dumping, black never shows any level at all. There was a hole in the sunroof allowing rain and bugs to get in. We had to put duct tape over it.

Annoying Issues: Unknowingly, we were given the unit with the L.P. gas turned 'OFF' and told everything was on. During the walk through we were told that the reason the refrigerator was blinking 'CHECK' is we were not on level ground. After a day, due to zero cooling in refrigerator and many blocks of ice, we had to call Cruise America: The L.P knob is not labeled for open/close, so it wasn't obvious. The stove starters do not work, so we had to buy a lighter. There was dog hair everywhere, even in cabinets & drawers. Extremely heavy in rollup curtains and the upholstery was dirty w/body or animal fluids & spills, not just dog hair. With a picture of a dog on the window I assumed there would be some mess, but this was really excessive. The right speaker hisses making the sound system unusable. The 2 dump handles were not labeled which one was grey or black.

As far as clean it was ok but dash rattled a lot the radio was awful the side mirrors rattled so much u could barely see something with a/c leaked and the refrigerator didn’t work we spent about $4,000.00 won’t recommend.

On June 5th 2021 we rented a 25’ RV from Capitol Rentals in Carlisle, PA. When looking at the pictures for the RV online and then actually seeing the RV in person, the pictures are VERY DECIEVEING. They do NOT accurately represent the size or elegance of the RV being rented. I have enclosed a comparison of the pictures online compared to what it looked like when we actually picked it up. In turn, upon picking up the RV we were very astonished to see how small the RV actually was and how lacking the amenities were. The personnel that rented us the RV did a very good job of showing how everything was accessible on the RV as far as gas, electric hook up and sewer drain lines, HOWEVER he failed to notify us, as did your website, that the RV air conditioning only cools the RV to 10-15 degrees cooler than what it is outside. Also, he failed to show us how to move the dining room table to a bed for which I had to call customer service before I was made aware of either. We had people that had taken off of work to enjoy the vacation that we had set out to embark on so changing RV’s at this point was not optional. Upon getting to our destination on Florida, which was a whopping 100 degrees somedays, the air conditioner stopped working properly around Wednesday June 9th. Even for it only being able to cool down the RV 10-15 degrees from what it was outside, it was not blowing any cool air out AT ALL. So on Wednesday June 9th, we had called the Traveler’s Assistance number to try and get some maintenance on the RV for the air conditioner to see if it was working properly. We were told that the issue was noted and that we would receive a call back to direct us to a service station in the area that could help us address the issue. 3 days later we still received no call back about service and had to end up buying fans for the RV and running the engine just to get some cool air circulating. Because of this issue we had to leave our destination 2 days earlier than expected which we have been told we can not get refunded for those non-used days. In addition to the above mentioned issues, there was hair in the shower upon going to use it for which we have photographs of and the outside of the RV had seemed that it was never cleaned prior to out use. The whole RV seemed like it was not looked over properly or explained properly before use or we would have NEVER rented this unit. In response to this I feel that it is your duty to reprimand the rental place through which you contract and to reimburse us for pain and suffering due to your lack of consideration for your renters. Whatever you can do to rectify the situation would be very much appreciated possibly in the form of some type of partial reimbursement. I DO NOT want a credit or anything of the sort towards another rental as I will NOT be renting from your company again in the future.

RV RENTAL from HELL
Rented an RV for 10 days. Looked beat up but swept. Had to make a trip back the first day because the unit was missing its window screens. During the drive to NY, discovered the locks on the cabinets above the futon and dinette were broken, so the cabinets were flipping open--HUGE safety issue with 2 little kids in car seats in the dinette! My husband had to use safety wire to keep them closed so we could finish the drive. Once at the campground, we had to scrub the inside of the RV because it was filthy. We found metal shards, bits of sharp metal screws and broken washers all over, in the furniture/couch/dinette, on the floors, in the cabinets, under the futon. Upon further examination, the panels around the futon and dinette had been partially and fully ripped off and just propped/shoved back on, leaving exposed screws. Someone had noticed in the past because they taped OLD DIRTY BANDAIDS on exposed screws in the dinette. The panel under the futon literally fell on my feet when I lifted the cushion to make the bed. And the bedframe had been ripped from the wall! There were metal shards and bits of broken screws, used medical masks, old food bits, and splinters in the storage under the futon and in the lower kitchen cupboard. We had 10 days' food in the freezer/fridge, only to realize that the freezer/fridge was dead from the start. We were told it would take time to come to temp, but turns out it was missing the wire that controls temp and never ran at all. So ALL our 10 days' food defrosted and lots of food rotted.
Cruise America corp help line tried to help, saying we had to swap units, and the original location would refund the lost time/gas/mileage, the trip back to swap, $50 for a cooler and $20/day for ice. But no other franchise owner would take a non-functional unit in return for a rentable one, except for the original renting location--Cruise America Lake Hiawatha. So we had to drive 10 hrs round trip back to Lake Hiawatha to swap the unit, using a full tank of gas, mileage, and tolls. 10 minutes into the drive back to NJ to swap the unit, the "check transmission" light went on! I called to confirm the swap, and Abril said that while they "fully maintain" the units, their turn-around is often so fast that they don't really have the ability to check anything beyond tank status or really do a full clean.
Joey (manager) and Abril did a walk-thru of the non-functional unit with me and said, "This NEVER should have left the lot. I am so sorry." Abril said that they would process what refunds they can upon return, but any additional would need to be run through corporate, but she would speak with her district manager to confirm how to do it.
So we completed our trip and went back today to Cruise America Lake Hiawatha to return the unit and receive our credit. The owner ACCUSED my husband of doing the damage himself. He said, "I find it puzzling that panels were falling off... I think you pulled them off yourself." We had been in contact with Cruise America (corporate) multiple times/day for the whole trip to resolve the issues, and corporate told us that Lake Hiawatha would refund us for all the lost time, gas, mileage, tolls, cooler, and ice.
BUT the owner initially refused any refunds, and when my husband refused and said that was inappropriate, he offered a credit for a single day's rental rate. And then charged us $100 extra because we were over the intended mileage--BY THE EXACT AMOUNT OF THE TRIP REQUIRED TO SWAP. They told my husband to sign the contract and a "Resolution Agreement" stating we would not take any further claims against Cruise America. Which we wouldn't sign. The owner told us he wasn't budging. My husband said it isn't right and he would call our credit card to stop payment, to which the owner said, "Take it up with your credit card company then!" I would NEVER recommend renting with this location. RUDE, awful service, and they let dangerous units leave their lot, letting families unknowingly put kids in their UNSAFE RVs.

By far the worst experience EVER. There was a carbon monoxide leak in the vehicle (as confirmed by the local fire department,) and we couldn't get in touch with anyone from Cruise America for almost the entire week we were on our road trip. This includes calling their supposedly emergency number.
After dealing with that our entire trip (having the fridge and heat off, so that the CO leak didn't kill us,) we returned the vehicle and got charged for the repair man that the company finally called to come out and fix the leak.
Aside from that, there was a water leak and cracked windshield, so the vehicles are in really terrible condition.
If you can find pretty much ANY other company or individual to from whom to rent, I highly recommend you do that.

We rented an RV in Dundee, IL to drive to San Francisco to close up my apartment at the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak. Our plan was to drive 700 miles per day, get in and out of San Francisco in a couple of hours and drive back home. We packed all of our own food and planned to sleep and shower in the RV to limit our contact with other people. When we got on the road we realized that the water system was broken. When we turned on the pump, water sprayed out the bottom of the vehicle, and water began pouring out from under the sink cabinet inside the RV. We could not run water, flush the toilet, or shower for 7 days. Instead, we had to use the bathrooms at truck stops along the highway and shower at the KOA parks we stayed at each night. This was not only unsafe but utterly disgusting. I contacted traveler services when we discovered the water system was broken and they offered to make an appointment for us at a service center. They told us it could take a full day to repair assuming they have the right parts. We decided to just press on since we were on a tight schedule and didn't want to stop and risk being in contact with other people more than we had to.

When we returned the vehicle the rental dealer washed his hands of the problem and told me I had to contact customer service at Cruise America corporate. I submitted a request via their website on 4/7. They finally replied on 4/21. Their offer was a $100 gift certificate for a future rental. I reminded them of the awful experience we had and the told them I was not interested in a gift certificate. I refund commensurate with the inconvenience we experienced. Here's the response:

"We understand that you are requesting monetary compensation for your experience, but we need to be open and honest in advising that this is not something we would be able to offer. While researching this case, we found that you contacted our traveler’s assistance department who offered to locate service at a repair shop, but service was refused. The fact that we were not given the opportunity to resolve the problems does affect the compensation that we can offer. We also reached out to the East Dundee office with regards to this matter. They advised that they attempted to replicate the problem with the water pump when you returned the vehicle, but they were unable to do so and it functioned normally. While we certainly gain nothing from negative attention, we understand that you are within your rights as a consumer to share your experiences. We truly do want you to rent with us in the future, and while we would not be able to offer monetary compensation, we would like to revise our offer. We would like to extend an offer to send you a gift certificate with a value of $150.00 as opposed to the amount of $100.00 that we offered previously. Our gift certificates are fully transferrable and can be freely gifted or sold, so they still have value even if you do not intend to utilize the certificate yourself. If you accept this offer, please let me know in an email response."

Beware of this company. They rent old, rusty, broken down rubbish, charge a premium price for it, then take no responsibility and call you a liar. Run away.

HORRIFIC... never ever book to go with Cruise America! Everything that could go wrong with the camper did, almost all of the campers we saw (over three different offices in California) were shocking quality and falling apart (which does not reflect the €1200 for two weeks price). We had to exchange a van, that was in even more shocking quality and then the furnace broke in a -5 degree snowstorm on Thanksgiving and after the FIFTH time of me complaining during a two week holiday, the senior customer complaints manager James’ solution was ‘drive to the nearest Walmart, 40 miles away and buy some space heaters.’ With no all the phone lines, internet out of action, in a snowstorm of maximum 5mph and on Thanksgiving.

Customer service: shocking, price and quality: shocking, David Elsary, the manager of the Los Angeles office is incapable and sexist, never spend any money ringing Traveler Assistance - they will not help or listen to you. Oh and for fun, every Camper van is covered in free advertising for Cruise America so despite them ruining our holiday, we were a walking billboard for them. AVOID AT ALL COSTS!

Rented an RV from Cruise America in NJ to travel across the country with my wife and 2 baby girls (2 year old and 2 month old). They didn't properly clean the unit. It has bedbugs on the bed in the back, we had to cut our trip short and my wife and I went to the urgent care with allergic reactions. The company proceeded to tell us there was nothing in the RV, that we were to blame for bedbugs, and offered no real assistance. We arrived in California and waited 5 hours for a manager or anyone to call us to figure out what to do next - the call never happened and we had to leave riddled with bite marks and had to throw out half of our stuff in the garbage as we were afraid to bring anything back home with us. Cruise America told us they could only refund us the days that weren't used which wasn't remotely close to the amount of money we spent on the trip itself and all the things we've had to throw away. Absolutely awful experience. It's been a month and we have yet to receive a call or anything from this company to help us. it's absolutely ridiculous.

We rented an RV to travel from CO to CT. The RV rental they gave us was all beat up. Duck taped side mirrors, Duck taped sky light over the bed, etc. 2 days into our trip the transmission dies. Customer service was no help. We spend the day at a repair shop while they ignored our calls and where figuring out what to do. One of their options was drive 5 hours south of where we wanted to be in a rental car. On top of it all. They were supposed to pay the repair shop for diagnosis and we ended up paying. They say a replacement RV is on the way and will be here in 7 hours. I’m still waiting. I’d never rent or recommend Cruise America.

We rented a 25-foot Cruise America RV to drive from CA to NC.

To my surprise the vehicle was old – front and back bumper was dented and the interior was nasty. It had approximately 100k miles.

It started off well but got progressively louder over-time. Almost sounds like a loose belt or whistle blowing - I am not a mechanic but I know when something does not sound right. The vehicle was very noisy – beyond the point to where you can’t even have a conversation with the person sitting next to you. It only handled well at 45-50 mph.

We got pulled over in Tennessee and North Carolina because we had 4 months expired tags on the vehicle. I managed to explain what we were doing and what happened on both occasions and was let go with a warning. Tennessee state trooper nearly searched the vehicle with his canine and told me the vehicle’s registration is expired and that it was their problem, not mine. The state trooper interrogated both me and my wife… it was very embarrassing and stressful.

Antonio with Management will not help us out and he is forcing us to drive an unsafe vehicle over 5 hrs away to another state when they have other drop-off points that are much closer.

They hesitated to even show me proof the vehicle was registered and I had to ask for it multiple times.

Why they would release a vehicle in this condition was beyond me!

They are also extremely rude and are not on your side, they are only worried about their own pocket books and the contract. No apology was ever issued or a valid explanation of how this happened. Not even a worthwhile discount.

Now I am forced to drive an unsafe vehicle with expired tags 268 miles away across state lines with the risk of getting pulled over again. They did send me proof of registration after I asked for it but that still does not help the situation. After looking at the registration they had sent, it was valid 2 days after we picked it up.

If you are considering a rental, I would suggest demanding a newer vehicle and make sure registration is all up-to-date, better yet stay far away and choose a different company, a company that cares about your safety and a company that does not lease out unregistered vehicles.

Everything went well. It was a great rental. Brand new tires, pots , pans. Sheets pillows and doonas were nice. Plenty of hot water. Lots of miles on the clock but the RV didn't really seem to show badly for it. Recommended