Complaint Review: CORONA MOTORHOME RENTALS - Norco California

A couple of quick questions for the owners of Corona RV Rentals Mike Bandfield and Loretta Cuningham....why is it when my reservation got screwed up did you blame Ryan the customer service / reservation representative (aka your stepson) implying that he was incompetent and needed a job and hasn't worked there long?  Then you blame us for not being on level ground so the fridge could work.  Then you blame us for not letting Armando (rv mechanic) help us.  Then you blame us for not waiting around for your mobile mechanic while we are in Yellowstone.  Then you blame us for breaking the leveling jacks?  Then you blame the manufacturer for the gearbox that fell out the back of the RV.

 Then you blame us again for the uncontrollable loud beeping from the panel.  Then you blame us again because we couldn't fix the door.  Sorry I didn't bring my tool box on vacation nor am I an Rv mechanic!  Then Loretta Cuningham has the nerve to say "couldn't you guys have bought a cooler?". Thanks, We did buy coolers, they were used as a table top since the table broke in the RV also.  Then when we come back and you admit to knowing that the RV had these pre-existing problems?  So what was all the song and dance for?  Then you blame Me, again, stating I knew and rented it anyways for full price?  Thats your answer?  Question, The people who rented the Caymen RV from you that broke down in Santa Clara and altered our trip/reservation, did you blame them?  

Or how bout the Caymen manufacturer?  Maybe Ryan or Armando?  At some point in time you need to do the right thing, quit making excuses, and quit blaming everyone and everything.  YOU are the owner of the company.  I could have went right down the street and rented an RV from someone else so cal rv, cruise America, elmonte rv, silva rentals.  You people knew the RV had these problems before we left with it!  You Knew!  I hope that's in your little rv contract.  No wait, is that fraud?  You said its not about the money....BS!  Then give me a full refund!!!  Beware people, Shady business practices are going on at Corona RV Rentals.

  Mike Bandfield and Lorretta Cuningham, husband and wife (Corona RV Rentals owner), continue to make up stories to cover their AS_!  Amex sided with you?  Denied my chargeback?  Really?  That's funny, the Amex agent assigned to the case just requested my timeline and evidence package on Friday September 27.  I just submitted it on Saturday September 28th.  And they advised me on local legal counsel available as a valued cardmember.  You wrote your last rebuttal on September 20th.???  Check your source on that.  Is this another, I spoke with Kelly the actual renter and everything is 'Hunky Dory'? Or, I informed Kelly that the Rv he was going to rent was busted up but he wanted to rent it anyway for top dollar?  Try to throw me under the bus or shall I say RV, C'mon man!  I know, you had witnesses that heard the call..... Was this the call when you butt dialed me and said "people like this, I swear, make me want to drink an smoke marijuana?"  Ya, I heard it dufus!  Anyways, you are right we are getting nowhere with this.  These things take time Mike Bandfield and Loretta Cuningham.  Please be patient, you will be hearing from us soon.  

 Im sorry that we both see things differently. I was never trying to put a wedge between you and Kelly Berry. I just stated conversation facts that happened. I had 2 witnesses sitting right next to me when I had the conversation with Kelly Barry on the phone about the refrigerator AND about the type of person you were. I had nothing to go on except his remarks. HE is the one that set the tone of what you were like. I even told him that if you were going to be an issue starting out with I did not want to even rent the RV out to Kelly Barry. I dont know you and your right we have never met so I am not sure what the "Man up" is all about. Everything I posted step by step with our actions with the RV are true and not made up. I had only contacted Kelly Barry ONCE via phone and left 1 message after the rental. That was it.

Also you stated the a chargeback was done AND accepted by Amex. That too is untrue. Yes Kelly Barry called Amex and disputed it but due to the contract he signed his attempt was denied and I have NOT been charged back. HE was attempting (and was denied by Amex) to charge back the ENTIRE amount of the RV which would be extremely unreasonable.

Obviously you are not happy. We feel we did everything that we could and were fair and forthcoming (Only myself, my crew and Kelly Barry know this for sure as you were never involved in the pre-rental conversations).

The part you put in about the Roadtrip Guru was what he ended with. You left out all the other claims he stated against you. Even AMEX has sided with us.

I am no longer going to participate in this conversation. It is not getting us anywhere. Did you have some issues? Yes. Do I feel we did everything we could from the beginning to the end based on the circumstances? Yes. Are you happy with the end result? No. We waived over $500.00 in charges. That was unacceptable to you even though you wee asking for about the same in return as a credit. Now you think its fair to be refunded the entire rental amount via Kelly Barrys attempted chargeback. I dont get it. This whole thing has been blown way out of proportion but it is what it is....

 Kelly nothing I have stated is a lie. You know that we did our due diligence with you from the very start and was candid about everything. You appeared to be satisfied with what we had done since the beginning but since have changed your tune. I believe most of that is due to the behavior of David Berke. I believe that if you were on this trip without him it would of been a different story. I think this whole thing would not of been blown out of proportion like this. I am truly sorry this all happened but we did what we could with timing Mr Berke allowed us. RVs are not perfect like I had mentioned to you at the beginning. Things happen and we do our best to keep things going.

I am responding to the latest post by CORONA MOTORHOME RENTALS, addressed to my dear friend and traveling buddy, Kelly. Corona's ongoing attempt to drive a wedge between us is both lame and inexplicable.  We were on the trip together, experienced all of the same faulty product and bad customer service, and see eye to eye on where the blame lies, and that is squarely with CORONA MOTORHOME RENTALS.  In Corona's last "rebuttal," even though it knew the statement to be false when made, the company suggests that "everything was resolved with Kelly." ("Instead, we have talked directly with our customer, Kelly Barry, and have resolved all of these complaints with him"). Untrue, and it was untrue at the time Corona wrote it. So untrue that Kelly had to write back to correct the record, and remind Corona that he had already issued "chargebacks" on HIS credit card, which were accepted by AmEx, and that he had advised Corona as much. So good luck with the strategy of trying to cast Kelly as the "good guy" and me as the "bad" -- as seen throughout your entire first post -- we are as one on this matter, and it's time for you to recognize accordingly.  

Now, on to your first "rebuttal," sent in response to my initial complaint (it saves time for me just to combine them).  Before anything else, we begin with the credibility issue referenced above; your insistence on misrepresenting the true state of affairs between Corona and Kelly.  Things are not "resolved," and your insistence on suggesting as much when untrue will live on -- like so many things -- as an admission of your lack of candor.  Indeed, you might seriously consider not writing any more posts.  So far, they are a treasure trove of lies to be exploited when this dispute goes to the next stage, which it will unless you give US the satisfaction we deserve. 

For anyone who cares, please compare my original post with Corona's original "rebuttal."  In my post, you will read me setting forth the details relating to the defective RV and poor service we experienced in our recent rental from Corona Motorhome Rentals. My post sets forth the relevant FACTS in a clear, mostly dispassionate fashion, without sarcasm or persoanl slights or attacks. Corona's response, on the other hand, is filled with constant negative sterotyping, snarky asides,   ad hominem attacks, professional slights, even an outrageous commentary on my parenting!  And that is quite aside from the mistruths.  Isn't it usually the other way around? Isn't it more common for the complainer to be the one raving, while the vendor attempts to be reasonable? Hopefully, just from the tone alone, then, the casual reader will quickly intuit which side to believe. Corona's owner Mike, who I never ONCE spoke with (live or on the phone), or met, or dealt with in any way, somehow seems to be an "expert" in my conduct and character.  He is neither.  You can decide for yourselves.

While I do not have any intention of becoming "pen pals" with this person, some response unfortunately is required. I do not intend this to be a point-by-point rebuttal, so please be advised that if there is a "point" raised by Corona that goes left unmentioned, it is not somehow being "conceded." Some things are just too silly to merit response.  No vendor, however, should be permitted to mistreat a consumer in this fashion and get away with it, so once more into the breach we go.

Thus, in no particular order:

I am amused and amazed by Corona's insistence on referring to my as "Attorney Berke."  Only my mother calls me that (just kidding).  Using this appelation is Corona's not-so-subtle attempt to conjure up some negative professional stereotype that being an attorney who practices in Beverly Hills (there are 1,000s) is somehow a "bad thing."  Think I'm exaggerating?  Near the top of his diatribe, "Corona Mike" tosses out this little honey: ". . . we also recognize that you can't please everyone, especially Beverly Hills attorneys."  "Especially Beverly Hills attorneys?  Just why is that?  Being aware of our rights as consumers, are we a little less likely to put up with vendors who try to take advantge of their customers?  Are we a little more experienced at reading contracts, like the one that Mike is currently butchering in his comical efforts to "tread water?"  No sir, I'm not "Attoney Berke," I never referred to myself that way in my post, or at any other time.  "I'm just "David," a regular guy you ripped off.  You use the phrase "Attorney Berke" as though an epithet, like everyone will suddenly cop to your negative steretype.  How would you like it if I said, oh, you know who I mean, those toothless, brain-dead, unscrupulous, cheating, Hillbilly RV renters in Norco, CA?"  But of course I wouldn't say that, because I am not sure just how many Norco RC Renters fit that description.  That's why I tend to stay away from stereotypes; you should too.

Perhaps the most outrageous thing found in Corona's "rebuttal" is Mike's attempt to impugn my character as a father.  This is where we leave the playing field.  In my original post, I explained how the front door lock (the only door on the rig) malfunctioned near the very beginning of the trip.  I explained how this left us and our possessions vulnerable, because we had to leave the rig open if all 4 of us were leaving together.  Corona never offered to fix the problem but, when we returned, they sent a worker out to fix it during the 4 minutes it took us to walk from the office to the parking lot.  Is that low rent or what?  In any event, what did "Corona Mike" make of all of this in his "rebuttal?

For this trip, I took my 12 & 13.5 year old sons from Los Angeles to Yellowstone, Little Big Horn, Mt. Rushmore, Deadwood, the Crazy Horse Monument, Chimney Rock, straight through the Rockies and back down home down I-15.  Nine states, 3,501 miles and a veritible graduate school course in Western American History.  I have yet to meet a single person who thought that this was anything other than an epic voyage, or who thought that my sons were anything other than fortunate to enjoy the opportunity.  So what does Mike have to say?  According to the man who rented us a busted-up, hardly functuing RV, he is suddenly qualified to comment on my parenthood.  Thus, I happened to mention in my original post that some of our trip took place close to Sturgis, where the Rally was set to take place during the week after were we passing through.  I mentioned it because there were times when our security -- caused by our rig's busted door -- was less than optimal.  Here's Mike's version:

"If you truly planned your trip, why would you expose 12- and 13-year old boys to the nudity, drinking and danger associated with 450,000 Harley riders that were in Sturgis that week?"

Is this Corona Mike's little personal Sturgis fantasy, all those "nude" biker chicks?  What kind of sick nonsense is this?  My sons were "exposed" to nothing, we were never closer than 40 miles from Sturgis and saw nothing of Mike's sexy little imaginative story. The timing of the trip was defined by my sons' Camp schedule and the custodial arramgement I have with my ex-wife.  Please, look at my itenirary and compare it to Mike's dirty little dream; who's tripping?

Another one of Corona's truly bizarre obsessions is that my observations can somehow be discredited by the fact that"[o]ther than as an "additional driver," we do not have a contractual relationship with Attorney Berke." This theory, in one form or another, is repeated throughout the "rebuttal."  But to what end?  Let's say for the point of argument that Corona is correct (they're not).  Would that make me any less a witness?  I can see it now, Kelly calls me to the stand to testify as to everything I saw, did and heard first hand.  What are we sayinng here, that "Corona Mike"will be able to successfully "muzzle" me because I'm "only" a "witness," and not the actual contracting party?  Utter silliness (Ironic, isn't it, that Corona Mike, the party who continually insults lawyers, is the only one to cite a legal case authority, is actually the one who fancies himself a lawyer, citing a truly ancient British case in his "rebuttal" that he obviously found on the Internet). It's embarassing actually; I'll save my legal arguments for the lawsuit, here I'm just a ripped-off consumer, trying to get justice.

The other irony about Corona's argument regaring the identity of the "contracting party" is that when we first showed up at Corona to pick up the RV, I came with a cashier's check in the amount of $3,500.  Even though it was "cash," we were told that it was "unacceptable."  As a result, my buddy Kelly put the charge on his credit card, and thus was the one to sign the paper.  Corona and I have a contractual relationship in any event, because I am the one who handed Mike's wife $1,094.64 in cash to pay for "excess charges" upon our return. It's right on the receipt; the paper doesn't lie.

There are so many other mistruths, half-truths and outright delusions in Corona's version of events that truly, I cannot take any more time off work to address them all.  On the one hand, Corona claims that we "knew" beforehand about the problems with the refridgerator. Really?  Why then did we pay full price?  Why then is the contract silent about this issue, while, at the same time, we did a "walk through" whereby a Corona employee marked down every scratch and bump before we left.  All this, but nothing about the fridge/freezer?  And why did we buy $100s of food if we "knew" that the refriderator was broken?  Corona's arguments/allegations are not just wrong, they offend common sense.

Reading Corona's "rebuttal," there is paragraph after paragraph of quotes from a person on another website that Mike tries to use to buttress his "case."  But that gentlemen was not on our trip, was he?  Corona Mike wasn't, either.  And again, for all he talks, you'd be forgiven for thinking that Mike and I actually dealt with each other personally, at least on some occasions.  One occasion?  Nope, never.  Never met the man, or spoke with him.  And while Mike is so comfortable pulling out non-contextual quotes from the "Road Trip Guru and moderator on RoadTrip American Forum," speaking on a different forum, here are some choice quotes that Corona left out, like: That's not to excuse anything on Corona's end of things, as again, we certainly appreciate your cautionary tale. . . . [8/13/13]," or "I don't blame you at all for being pissed at Corona, it sounds like a lousy situation and as I said, we thank you for warning others[8/17/13]." How did you manage to miss those quotes from the self-proclaimed "expert" you so enjoy citing?  You want to play lawyer, Mike?  Do the time, go to school.  You are in over your head

Like I said, some of Corona's "rebuttal" is just pure crazy talk. On that same Road Trip website, the moderator had been singing the virtues of going to out-of-the-way places.  Agreeing with him, I responded by describing a very positive experience we had by going off the "beaten track."  Completley misunderstanding the point, here's how Corona Mike explained my post: 

Attorney Berke also wrote, "On August 1, 2013, we spent the night at a desolate RV Park beside Pinnacle Rock."  Given that much planning, why choose a "desolate" spot to camp?  If Attorney Berke actually planned to camp at a desolate park, then why did he highlight that point as if to make his case seem more sympathetic? 

What?  This is hallucinegetic stuff.  I was taking about Pinnacle Rock as a HIGHLIGHT, and my reference to the fact that it was a "desolate park" was by way of comparison to some of the other, more commercial parks we stayed at.  Looking for "sympathy?" We didn't "choose" the spot, we found it because we decided to "wing it" by taking a different route south out of the Badlands.  Corona Mike read my post, mangled it, and then spit it out as pure nonsense.  Trust me, the rest of the post is no better.

I have to stop now; i could go on forever.  We rented an RV from CORONA MOTORHOME RENTALS, and had a horrible experience.  Broken refridgerator, broken freezer, broken dining room table, broken front door, broken levelers, broken sliding doors, broken gear box, and nothing but attacks and excuses from Corona.  I made no less than 21 telephone calls to that place during our trip; I called my office maybe 4 times.  Worst of all, they now admit (unwittingly) that they knew about these problems before we left, yet now lie and claim we knew it all too.  Huh?  What, we "knew," but still paid full price on a busted up RV anyway?  Not bloody likely. 

Okay, almost done.  Corona Mike wonders why I gave up the $1,4000 cash at the end of the trip, speculating -- absurdly -- that it suggests that I was actually "satisfied."  This, of course, from the man who claimed that his dispute with my buddy Kelly had been "resolved," when the opposite was true, and Kelly had to write to keep the record straight.  Does Mike want to know why I gave up the $1,400?  I did so because that's what the contract called for, and I wanted to act in compliance with the deal.  That's what honest people do.  Heck, that's what real attorneys do.  I gave up the cash because Mike's wife promised to "consider" my VERY modest refund request.  Corona "considered" it, all right, and gave us nothing. 

Time to do the right thing, Mike. I know you don't get it, but every time you post, you dig your hole a little deeper.  You already know that I am not afraid of lawsuits, and both Kelly and I are very passionate about justice.  You just picked the wrong people to treat poorly, and now you are dealing with the consequences.  Don't bother Kelly anymore, he'll just refer you to me.  And stop sending your wife out to deal with us, or your step-son, or your employees, it's time for you to "man up."  No more "letter writing litigation."  Who do you think is listening.  I made my complaint, and now Kelly and I are moving on, and moving up the ladder until we get satisfaction.  I offered you a great deal on the day we returned, and you spit on it.  Not twice, you won't.

I have not confirmed anything.  Corona MOTORHOME rentals lie!  Awful service, rv etc.. I have charged back my credit card for the entire amount of the trip/rv.  Mike (the owner of corona MOTORHOME rentals) knows this but continues to post that I was satisfied?  Beware people!  Corona MOTORHOME rentals lie!  By the way this is Kelly Barry the actual customer.

Corona Motorhome Rentals, Inc. takes these allegations very seriously and has sought to resolve the issues raised by Beverly Hills Attorney David Berke, but Attorney Berke has rejected our multiple attempts to resolve his complaints at every turn, and instead chosen to lodge his complaints on Internet sites rather than resolve his concerns with us.  We are disappointed that he chose this route, but we also recognize that you can't please everyone, especially Beverly Hills attorneys. 

We Have No Direct Contractual Relationship With Attorney Berke 

We would like to point out that Attorney Berke was not our customer at any time.  He did not rent a motorhome from Corona Motorhome Rentals, Inc.  Attorney Berke's complaints were made in his role as a guest of our customer, Kelly P. Barry, who listed Attorney Berke as an additional driver of the motorhome that Kelly Barry rented from us.  Other than as an "additional driver," we do not have a contractual relationship with Attorney Berke. 

Instead, we have talked directly with our customer, Kelly Barry, and have resolved all of these complaints with him. 

Background

We see Attorney Berke's claim that he planned this trip for the last two years, but he did not tell us that he had spent so much time planning this trip, so we could not have known the significance of the time investment that Attorney Berke claims to have made.  There is an old English contract case from 1854 known as Hadley v. Baxendale that Attorney Berke likely knows well (he probably studied it in law school).  It states (substituting in the relevant names): 

Now, if the special circumstances under which the contract was actually made were communicated by [Attorney Berke] to [Corpona Motorhome Rentals, Inc.], and thus known to both parties, the damages ...  would be the amount of injury which would ordinarily follow from a breach of contract under these special circumstances so known and communicated.  But, on the other hand, if these special circumstances were wholly unknown to the party breaking the contract, he, at the most, could only be supposed to have had in his contemplation the amount of injury which would arise generally …

In other words, because Attorney Berke did not tell us that he spent two years planning his trip, we can't be held responsible for his loss.  As the English Court of Exchequer Chamber ruled in Hadley v. Baxendale, "therefore, […] the loss […] here cannot reasonably be considered such a consequence of the breach of contract [that] could have been fairly and reasonably contemplated by both the parties when they made this contract."  As you will see below, we don’t believe that we breached our contract Kelly Barry, and since we didn't have a contract with David Berke, we did not breach any obligation to him.

Our Questions

As a side note, we want to highlight a few points from Attorney Berke's complaints that call into question (at least in our minds) that he spent two years planning this trip.  Complaining about the door locks, Attorney Berke writes, "So, just to make things more interesting, our vacation coincided with the 73rd Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, and everywhere we went in the Badlands area there were literally 1,000's of Harley motorcycle bikers. That's right, thousands. Most were nice. Some were not." 

If you truly planned your trip, why would you expose 12- and 13-year old boys to the nudity, drinking and danger associated with 450,000 Harley riders that were in Sturgis that week?

Attorney Berke also wrote, "On August 1, 2013, we spent the night at a desolate RV Park beside Pinnacle Rock."  Given that much planning, why choose a "desolate" spot to camp?  If Attorney Berke actually planned to camp at a desolate park, then why did he highlight that point as if to make his case seem more sympathetic? 

Let's also take a look at other responses to Attorney Berke's complaints.  There were a series of responses written by the Road Trip Guru and Moderator on RoadTrip America Forum (we have no relationship with this site) to Attorney Berke's complaints:  "Not only does a 2 week trip NOT have to be planned to the minute, we strongly advise people not to plan down to the minute, as no matter what your vehicle there will be things that come up. I have to think if you hadn't been so hell-bent on keeping to your schedule, you could have avoided at least some of the problems."

To set the record straight here, Kelly Barry planned a 14-night trip, but only paid for 12.  On the trip, Kelly drove our motorhome 3500 miles, which is an average of 250 miles traveled per day.  In our opinion, they tried cramming way too much into such a short period of time.

The Road Trip Guru followed up with this logical response to Attorney Berke's complaints:  "Your RV refrigerator broke down just an hour outside of Los Angeles, it was foolish of you not to go back right at that point and demand that it be fixed."  If our customer had returned with the RV, we believe we could have fixed the problem and sent Kelly on his way.  The Road Trip Guru then quickly dispensed with Attorney Berke's claim that the RV had to be level for the refrigerator/freezer to work:  "I also don't understand the connection between levelers and the fridge, as the fridge should be operating while you are driving, and that's not a 'level' position."  The Road Trip Guru is correct:  that's the way the refrigerator/freezer on the Fleetwood Bounder works on the road.  It still cools, level or not.

Finally, the Road Trip Guru knocked out Attorney Berke's claims of his lost food:  "even if you refused [to] stop[…] at Walmart for 15 minutes to pick up a larger cooler [that w]ould have allowed you to [keep your food and] cook more of your own meals and avoid the fast food you supposedly despised so much (or if you were going to eat out anyway, why not enjoy some of the local restaurants along the way?)"  Beyond the value of eating local fare, a larger cooler would have saved all their food and been reusable after the trip. 

Finally and perhaps most telling, the Road Trip Guru questioned why Attorney Berke would pay the extra charges at the end of the trip for their mileage overage and returning the rental late:  "As far as your refund/payment situation, if your trip and RV was as bad as you said it was, I can't for the life of me understand why you would ever hand over an additional $1,400 cash at the end of your trip, especially when you are trying to get them to issue you a credit. Sorry, you should have had everything sorted out before you even thought of handing over more money." 

Attorney Berke's willingness to make that $1,400.00 payment doesn't make sense to us. either.  What does make sense, however, is that in our opinion, all of these "issues" were not really issues, but instead a backhanded way to try and leverage us to refund Attorney Berke's payment of Kelly Barry's contractual obligations to Corona Motorhome Rentals, Inc.  Since we have resolved everything with our customer, Kelly Barry, we believe that Attorney Berke's complaints were really just an attempt to get us to return his payment. 

As the Road Trip Guru said when he wrapped up his criticism of Attorney Berke's complaints:  "… at worst, it shows that you must have been satisfied with the situation, because common sense says you don't give someone extra money when you feel they still owe you."  Indeed, in our experience with attorneys – especially attorneys from Beverly Hills – they never pay over extra money if they're truly dissatisfied.  Instead, they demand money back from the very beginning; they don't pay additional money.

Last, but not least, if Attorney Berke planned this trip for two years, why did Kelly Barry wait until three weeks before his trip to reserve a motorhome with us?

History of Complaints/Responses

On July 1, 2013 Kelly Barry booked our 34 Monaco Cayman motorhome from July 23, 2013 to August 5, 2013.  Corona Motorhome Rentals, Inc. filled Kelly Barry's booking and sent all paper work to him that same day.  He then came in about a week prior to the rental because he did not have a way to fax the paperwork to us, and since he only lived a mile down the road.  He then called a few days prior and we told him then that the Cayman motorhome that he originally had reserved had broken down in Santa Clara due because the engine computer unexpectedly went bad.  Because of the downtime with parts and distance, that motorhome would not be back in time for Kelly Barry's rental.  Instead, we put Mr. Barry in the 34-foot Fleetwood Bounder motorhome, which is the same year, floor plan, had the approximate same miles on it and in the same condition.  In fact, that motorhome had actually been used less as a rental than the Cayman - it was newer to our fleet.

David Berke incorrectly stated that we had called him and that they had picked the Cayman because it was newer, nicer and in better shape.  The true facts are that we never had contact regarding the initial contract with David Berke before the end of their trip August 5, 2013, because it was Kelly Barry who was our customer.  We neither saw nor spoke with David Berke until he came in with our customer, Kelly Barry, to pick up the motorhome.  We did not show either the Cayman or the Bounder to Attorney Berke before the day of the rental. 

We scheduled Kelly Barry's pick-up time to be after 1:00 p.m. on July 23, 2013.  Instead, he called on July 22, 2013, in the morning and spoke with Ryan, our salesman, and asked if he could pick up the motorhome a day earlier than originally scheduled.  Mike Bandfield, the owner of Corona Motorhome Rentals, Inc. took the call from Ryan and spoke directly to Kelly Barry.  Mike explained to Kelly that whenever rushes come in at the last minute, problems can and usually do happen.  Mike further explained to Kelly that there was an issue with the refrigerator and that CMR needed more time to fix it.  The refrigerator needed time to sit to ensure that the issue with the refrigerator was fully resolved.

Kelly then offered to pay an extra night rental to pick up the motorhome early, but Mike responded that the timing was not about the money.  Instead, Kelly was insistent and stated that his client (David Berke) was a very hard person to deal with and while Kelly admitted that he understood our point, he had to do whatever it took to make it happen.  Instead, Kelly elected to pick up the motorhome a day early.  Kelly told us that David was Kelly's client and an attorney from Beverly Hills.  Mike then told Kelly that no matter what Corona Motorhome Rentals, Inc. could do to repair the refrigerator, we could not guaranty that the refrigerator would work properly due to the rush.

We should have listened to our intuition and not rented the motorhome to Kelly Barry.  Mike told Kelly that CMR had seen this very problem before and that it was really just trouble in the making.  Prior to even the day of the rental, Kelly had personally warned Mike how David behaved as a person, intimating that what we are now facing might happen.  Mike then responded that if such behavior was going to arise during their trip, then CMR did not want to rent to Kelly Barry if David Berke was involved.  Kelly promised Mike that those issues would not arise with this rental, so CMR proceeded to rent the motorhome to Kelly.

In CMR's opinion, David Burke was not involved in the contract or payment on the original rental,  but he was very rude, inconsiderate and uncooperative throughout the entire trip and afterward.  In CMR's opinion, Attorney Berke wanted no part in a resolution, instead he just wanted to complain.

But we need to get back to the last-minute rush to get the motorhome ready at Kelly Barry's request.  Mike told Kelly that CMR would use its best efforts and see what it could do to get the motorhome ready early as Kelly had requested, so CMR rushed its technician to handle Kelly's request and Mike promised to call Kelly back with an update later in the day.  Mike did call Kelly back just a bit later and told Kelly that CMR thought the motorhome would be ready early (but that our theory to repair the refrigerator hot not been tested) by the end of the day and Kelly essentially, said something to the effect of, "Great, I appreciate your efforts, but I need to pick it up early."  

Mike again told Kelly that it was not about the money, and to confirm that the requested delay to test the refrigerator was truly about confirming our repair of the refrigerator, CMR would not charge Kelly for early, one-day pickup in case something did happen.  Kelly Barry, however, did not show up that day.  As CMR was getting ready to close, Mike called Kelly shortly after 5:00 p.m., and Kelly responded with his apology, stating that he had his kids and was not able to make it until 6:00 p.m., a half hour after our scheduled closing time.  Mike replied that delay wouldn't work and that CMR's repair tech Armando was off at 5 but was still waiting (on overtime pay) for Kelly to show up.

Kelly then stated he could come at 9 a.m. that next morning July 23^rd  and despite our policy never to make appointments that early in the morning (to allow us time to finish repairs and final cleaning), we agreed.  We truly believe we did EVERYTHING we could to finish the refrigerator repair and allow Kelly Barry to leave as planned.

The Road Trip

While we believe that we've addressed the true problems, here is Corona Motorhome Rentals, Inc.'s response to the remainder of David Burke's complaints:

            1.         Refrigerator

During one of our technician's conversations with Kelly Barry while they were out on the road, Kelly stated that he had to walk outside, away from the motorhome due to David Berke's screaming.  In fact, Kelly Barry – as our customer  –  told our technician to ignore and not to listen to David Berke because he was not our customer.  In fact, there have been times when our technician Armando has even driven to Las Vegas, Phoenix or San Diego on a Sunday to repair items for our renters, and we would have driven to Los Angeles to fix this problem had we been given the opportunity to do so. 

            2.         Levelers

We resolved this problem when we were notified of it on the seventh day of their trip.  Three levelers still worked, which were all that were needed for the motorhome to be level.  Ideally, all four should work, but one suffered a mechanical failure (the cylinder that fell out).  This problem was a manufacturer's defect that has since been repaired.. 

            3.         Alarm

CMR immediately showed Kelly Barry how to fix that problem.  That's how they noticed that the screws were loose.  We have now repaired it.

            4.         Table

We acknowledge that we discovered the table was broken when the motorhome was returned, but neither Kelly Barry nor David Berke notified us of this problem during their rental.  Unfortunately, the manufacturer used short screws to secure the table; we have since replaced them with longer screws and glued them in.

            5.         Locked doors

We were only notified of this problem on the fifth day of their rental.  We advised them how to fix the problem, but they did not follow those steps.  The problem was resolved in less than five minutes once the motorhome was returned to CMR. 

The Resolution

Corona Motorhome Rentals, Inc. waived $580.00 in late fees on Kelly Barry's account.  We believe that we have resolved all of the issues that our customer, Kelly Barry, raised with us, and Kelly has confirmed his agreement with that resolution.  We are sorry that we did not satisfy David Barry's complaints, and we accept Attorney Berke's promise never to rent from us again.