2019 Thor A.C.E 30.2 Bunkhouse

2 reviews

(3.3)

Elizabeth E.

2September 2020

At first glance, this RV and Kirk seemed like a godsend in the COVID-era of summer vacations. However, what we quickly learned is that not everything is at it appears. From the very beginning Kirk was slow to communicate and unclear in directions. He mis-listed details of the rental (like when it was to be picked up and how much the mileage overage would cost) and then called in a panic on the morning we were to pick it up because he had not made it clear how we were to enroll for insurance. He forced us to choose his insurance upon pickup so he could release it to us even though we had full intentions of being covered under our own insurance. The situation was later rectified however without any clear direction from Kirk. Be prepared that almost all communication with Kirk will be outside the platform.The RV itself was very clean and comfortable. It was easy to drive and navigate and was perfect for our family of four. However, from the minute we got on the highway, the driver side window shrieked at us at any speed higher than 60mph. It was ear piercing and headache inducing. We pushed on the window, we taped it up, we told Kirk about the problem and nothing but luck spared our ears on our two week adventure with the rig. He offered no apology or fix for the window even when we recorded the noise and sent it to him for reference. Second, the AC in the main part of the cabin worked for only the first four days or so into our trip; by the time we got out west into the desert the AC only worked in the back bedroom. Again, we documented the problem with him but he offered no solution other than telling us we don’t need two AC units anyway, one was enough. Finally, he handed us a rig with the radio/GPS system not working correctly. He shrugged and said he didn’t know why it wasn’t working. There was no offer of discount for any of these problems with the vehicle.We had no major mishaps along our two week 4,500 mile route and when we returned the rig to RV Life, they signed off on it as being in good repair and we went along our way. The next day, Kirk texted (outside the platform) to inform us that he had found two window bullets and damage to the lower front bumper. He then submitted a repair quote to us of $5800 to which we referred him to our insurance. He continued to text outside the platform to harass us for information until he was satisfied. He collected from our insurance and kept our entire security deposit for a couple of dings that in our estimation were wear and tear. Note that he continued to rent the vehicle for weeks after we returned it (it even went out the same day even though we informed RV Life of the vehicle issues) before making the insurance claim.Kirk is a bad businessman. He is overwhelmed with the RV demand and he doesn’t recall any conversation he had with you, even if it was the prior day. He is clearly over his head and is obviously relying on your insurance to keep his RVs in perfect condition. The RV itself is comfortable and pleasant. Be wary of working with him or make sure you are more detail driven than he is. Document every conversation, document ever bit of damage to the vehicle before taking it (even if minor), and make sure you have very good insurance. Finally, expect every problem to be yours to deal with, and don’t expect any compensation for your trouble.

Kirk’s answer

Elizabeth it's not right to be upset and state the falsities above when you caused quite extensive damage to our New (3 month) Class A RV that had 6500 miles on it when you departed our lot. The overage milage is clearly stated on each of our 12 listings on Outdoorsy and so was the time you were to pick up the RV. Lets remember the reason I had to call you the day of your departure was because you wanted to use your State Farm insurance and hadn't sent over the addendum that we told you we needed so we had no choice but to run you through the Outdoorsy insurance so you could be approved and head out on time. We then received it with about an hour from your departure time so I then made many calls to get Outdoorsy to credit back the insurance charge they charged you. With regards to the window noise which had not been an issue with any previous renters all I could do (until you returned it back) was to ask you to run some tape at the point were you said air was whistling in....I did offer an apology and you said that fixed it so I thought all was good? Upon your return we found the insulation seal had been flapped over in one small area and was the reason for the air passing through and the dealer took care of it through our extended warrantee. As for the AC unit you said it was intermittent and said the unit was staying cool enough. Upon your return we had it checked out by a mobile mechanic and the AC has never had an issue since. We have no idea if you froze up the coils but we never heard back from you from your first call and now in the review you state you were stuck in the desert without AC. Now the 3 major damages you caused to the RV on your trip are really what this is all about. You contacted me and told me your husband was pushing really hard on the touch screen radio/navigation/camera system and broke the screen.
The replacement for that unit from the Thor factory was $1900. Then you took two rocks to the large Class A front windshield which you stated you were close behind semi trucks but you stated "That should be considered normal wear and tear". Outdoorsy offers windshield replacement and it's clearly spelled out that you are responsible for damage to the windshields and tires while on your travels. The Windshield was $3300 to have it replaced. Then lastly you ran the front end of the RV into a cement parking stop or a large bolder at a campground and damaged the fiberglass front. This was $550 to have fiberglass repair and custom paint job done. We supplied your State Farm insurance with all receipts and photographs and they agreed to all the damage. I understand that your frustrated but we didn't cause the damage. I cannot afford to let you take our new $110,000 RV out on a family trip and have it returned with the damages you caused and be expected to cover these costs. If that was the case I couldn't continue to offer our great RV's to other family's because we would be completely upside down and then our units would not be up to par for the next renter as it was for you. I wish all this didn't happen also because you have no idea of what we have to go through in order to coordinate the repairs around other renters and still try to keep everyones trips alive.

Brian R.

4.5August 2020

This is the second time we have rented the 2019 Thor ACE from Kirk & Melissa. We were new to RV'ing, but my family and I really enjoyed it both times and we will be back again. The operation to have them cleaned and outfitted for your trip is top notch and the pick-up gets easier each time.