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The pick-up/return depots
are located at Baltimore (standard rates only), Birmingham (standard rates only), Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver,
Las Vegas,
Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville (standard rates only), New York, Oakland (standard rates only), Orlando, Phoenix (standard rates only),
Reno (standard rates only), Sacramento (standard rates only), Salt Lake City, San Francisco, San Diego,
Seattle/Tacoma SEA (standard rates only), Seattle/Vancouver YVR, Tampa (standard rates only), Tucson (standard rates only),
and Washington, DC.
The minimum official rental durations:
One-way motorhome rental is possible between these depots for normal one-way fees ranging from
US$ 250 to US$ 750, as figured and presented by our online reservation software.
However, if upon receiving a one-way motorhome rental order this vendor sees that they would need to send a
driver to the return location to relocate the vehicle back to the pick-up depot or to another depot,
they likely will not agree to book the rental unless the customer agrees to pay a "recovery fee"
in addition to the normal one-way fee.
Similarly, if upon receiving an order this vendor sees that they do not have the requested vehicle type available
at the pick-up location for the requested time period but that they do have it available at another location,
they might offer to specially move such vehicle to the requested pick-up location for the rental.
In such a case, this vendor would not agree to make the booking unless the customer agrees to pay a special
"import fee". Such fee is non-refundable in the event of cancellation. For one-way motorhome rentals
the import fee would be in addition to the normal one-way fee but would incorporate any recovery fee.
Clients are allowed to pick-up the rental vehicle on the day
their flight arrives — but only if the client calls El Monte RV at
tel. 800 367 6507 upon that arrival and arrives
by his/her own means at the rental depot no less
than one hour before the depot's official closing time. El Monte RV does not
provide transfer service in connection with same-day flight arrival.
Whether the flight is domestic or international, the rules regarding same day flight arrival are the same.
Similarly, other clients who provide their own transportation to the rental
depot — i.e. who do not take advantage of El Monte RV's
transfer shuttle service — must call El Monte RV at
tel. 800 367 6507 between 8:00 am and 9:30 am on the morning of the pick-up day,
this to learn precisely when the vehicle will be ready that afternoon;
such clients must arrive at the rental depot no less than one hour before
the depot's closing time. Under no circumstances should clients arrive by their own means without first calling El Monte RV as described above.
Customer vehicles cannot be stored at the rental depot without
prior authorization from the depot's rental manager; and nominal
charges apply, typically US$ 5 per night.
Towing is allowed with non-one-way rentals of the
C25, CS25, C26, CS26, C28, CS28, AS32, AF35 and AB35 El Monte RV vehicles,
but a 3000 pound maximum weight applies (therefore most cars are
prohibited; small utility, motorcycle and single axle enclosed trailers no
larger than 5 feet by 8 feet are usually less than 3000 pounds).
Only one object may be towed at a time and the combined length of motorhome or campervan and object being towed cannot exceed 65 feet.
The towing surcharge is US$ 10 per night
(with a US$ 100 minimum). The vehicles have a
2 inch x 2 inch square receiver mounted to the rear. However, El Monte RV
neither carries nor provides nor installs a towing hitch nor assists
clients in this respect.
There are different plug-styles for electrical hook-up; 2-prong, 3-prong and 4-prong systems exist.
This feature varies year by year, model by model and manufacturer by manufacturer.
As the specific vehicle to be received is not assigned until the day of scheduled pick-up,
the clients will need to find out at the counter what plug-style is in place on their assigned unit.
Only then should one acquire an adaptor.
El Monte RV provides no insurance to cover towed items.
Standard shuttle transfer:
The shuttle service is available at Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, Orlando, San Francisco
and Seattle/Vancouver YVR only.
This shuttle service costs US$ 15 per person per direction in connection with standard-rate rentals,
but for flex-rate rentals it is be free of charge.
Note: At Seattle/Vancouver YVR depot the service is available in connection with
Vancouver YVR airport area hotels only (not with the Seattle area and hence not
with Seattle/Tacoma SEA airport), and there is a
US$ 6 fee per person to be paid
(in US$ cash to the US government) at the
border.
(Due to increased security and traffic, delays crossing into the USA
are possible. El Monte RV is not responsible for refunds of any type as a
result of border delays.)
The client opting for this service must call tel. 800 367 6507 no
later than 9:30 am the morning of motorhome pick-up, this to
schedule transfer and the precise pick-up time.
The shuttle arrives between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm
(or at the Vancouver airport area about 12:00 noon) at designated hotels only.
… Transfer from the rental depot following the return occasion occurs
between 9:00 and 13:00 (9 am and 1 pm), although at the Seattle/Vancouver YVR
depot the shuttle departs about 11:00 am;
these return transfers typically stop at the airports as well
as at the airport area hotels.
… Delays may occur during peak season and certain holiday periods;
no refunds are given for transfer delays.
Transfers are provided as a courtesy and are not financially negotiable
or refundable. Transfers to the rental depot may occasionally be subject to
restrictions or limitations beyond El Monte RV’s control. In
such circumstances, transfers may be the financial and logistical
responsibility of the renter.
Priority am departure (PAD):
This option guarantees a departure-ready motorhome or campervan by 11:00 am,
this for a one-time surcharge of US$ 85.
However, the PAD surcharge does not include any applicable shuttle charge.
PAD departure must be booked at least 7 days in advance and
is available at Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, Orlando and San Francisco only.
The PAD shuttle service is restricted to those hotels
designated
as PAD shuttle hotels by El Monte RV. Upon arriving at the hotel,
clients should call tel. 800 337 2199 for recorded detailed instructions.
To meet the shuttle, clients must be at the designated point mentioned.
The PAD shuttle typically arrives between
7:15 am and 8:00 am, although it may need to arrive as early as 6:45 am.
There are no refunds for PAD surcharge if El Monte RV does not receive
PAD hotel information 7 days prior to pick up.
Luggage capacity of the El Monte RV shuttles is of course
limited and may require clients with excess luggage or oversized items
to store and later retrieve them from their hotel.
Typically the complimentary luggage capacity is
in accordance with the airline regulations: two suitcases weighing
no more than 50 pounds (23 kilograms) plus two pieces of hand luggage
per person.
Note: for motorhome or campervan travel soft-sided or collapsable bags are
the best sort to use.
Vehicle pick-up (or return) is not possible directly at locations
other than the depots.
The depots are closed during certain holidays, which are accounted for
by our online reservation software.
The depots are open for standard pick-up
Monday–Saturday from 13:00 to 16:00 (1 pm to 4 pm);
and Sunday from 13:00 to 15:00 (1 pm to 3 pm);
except Baltimore, Birmingham, Boston, Chicago, Denver*, Miami, Nashville,
Phoenix, Reno, Sacramento, Salt Lake City*, Seattle/Tacoma SEA, Tampa, and Washington DC,
which are closed all Saturdays and Sundays and are only open for standard pick-up Monday–Friday from 13:00 to 14:00 (1 pm to 2 pm);
and except New York / New Jersey, which is closed Sundays and which is moreover closed Saturdays during October–March;
and except Seattle*/Vancouver* YVR*, which is closed Sundays and which is moreover closed Saturdays and Sundays during October–March
and is closed 27 January 2014 through 7 February 2013;
and except Dallas, which is closed Sundays;
and except Oakland, which is closed Saturdays during October–March;
and except San Diego, which is open for standard pick-up Monday–Saturday from 13:00 to 14:00 (1 pm to 2 pm)
and Sunday from 12:00 noon to 13:00 (noon to 1 pm) and is closed Saturdays during October–March.
However, as described above, Priority AM Departure (PAD) is available only at certain depots and facilitates pick-up
between 8:00 am and 11:00 am for a surcharge of US$ 85.
In all cases clients must call ahead to El Monte RV,
as described above, to learn precisely the time the vehicle will be
ready for them. Clients must arrive at the rental depot no less than one hour before
the depot's closing time. Clients should allow 1–2 hours after arrival
for vehicle orientation and rental contract processing.
The depots are open for standard return
Monday–Sunday, 9:00 am to 11:00 am,
i.e. mornings; this with the weekend-wise exception
of the other depots which are noted above as being closed Saturdays and/or Sundays.
Recall as well, transfer from the rental depot following the return occasion occurs
between 9:00 and 13:00 (9 am and 1 pm), although at the Seattle/Vancouver YVR
depot the shuttle departs about 11:00 am.
A vehicle cannot be dropped off later than 1 hour before or anytime outside an El Monte RV rental depot's official hours of operation.
*
The New York / New Jersey depot is closed Sundays and Saturdays during October–March.
The Oakland and San Diego depots are closed Saturdays during October–March.
The Seattle/Vancouver YVR depot is closed Sundays and Saturdays
during October–March,
and is closed every day the last full
week of January through the last full week of February.
During October–April this depot closes an hour early; therefore the
standard pick-up window becomes 13:00 to 15:00 (1 pm to 3 pm).
A non-standard return time (i.e. an afternoon return) entails an
extra night's worth of cost.
The vendor imposes the standard pick-up and return times such that most vehicles can be prepared
during regular business hours and delivered to a client on the same day that
the vehicle is returned by the previous client. Thus the vendor doesn't lose
out on renting that vehicle for that night.
The IdeaMerge software accounts for non-standard return times.
A fee of at least US$ 50 per hour applies to unauthorized late return of the
vehicle. Authorized extensions of the rental duration are those
which occur at least 48 hours prior to the scheduled date of return.
El Monte RV provides free storage of luggage at the rental depot
(but at the client's risk).
Again, for motorhome or campervan travel soft-sided or collapsable bags are
the best sort to use.
If you want to park a car at or near the rental depot for the duration of your rental,
please contact the depot directly a day or so before your rental, this to learn whether
they happen to have room. Such parking is generally at the client's risk and it typically costs about US$ 5 per night.
A set of keys must be left with the El Monte RV staff.
El Monte RV is not responsible for items left in the motorhome or campervan after
the client returns the vehicle and departs. El Monte RV will not mail
such items to the client; instead El Monte RV reserves the right to
donate or dispose of such items as it sees fit.
A thorough explanation and demonstration of the rental vehicle will be provided
upon pick-up. This orientation, together with completion of the relevant
paperwork, requires approximately one hour,
although clients should allow 1–2 hours for this.
No special authorization is required by El Monte for non-Canadians to travel into Canada, Yukon, the Northwest Territories
or Alaska, but travel to the latter three regions is at the
client's risk, as described our El Monte RV "Insurance" page.
IMPORTANT: Canadian residents are not permitted by Canada to rent a motorhome in the USA
to travel in Canada. A similar restriction applies to Mexican residents renting in the USA and
wanting to travel in Mexico.
The El Monte RV vehicles are otherwise allowed to travel into
Mexico if such
travel is confirmed in advance and the client purchases
directly from a southwestern USA El Monte RV rental depot
(typically upon the pick-up occasion) the vendor's
Mexico Auto Liability Insurance (MALI) to cover the specific
range of dates during which the vehicle might be in Mexico.
The cost of this MALI coverage is US$ 22 per such calendar date.
Relative to travel in Mexico, MALI provides coverage for physical damage to or total theft of the
El Monte RV rental vehicle, as well as third-party liability and medical
payments, and legal assistance (especially to aid in preventing the client
or clients from being jailed in Mexico).
El Monte RV's On the Road Support Helpline does not extend into Mexico;
and any repair costs, lost use, towing or fines incurred in Mexico are
the client's (i.e. customer's, traveler's, renter's) responsibility and are
not reimbursed by El Monte RV.
At the Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, New York, Salt Lake City, Seattle/Tacoma SEA, and
Seattle/Vancouver YVR
El Monte RV rental depots each motorhome or campervan
is winterized during November through April or during any other
stretch of space–time in which the ambient temperatures of the
low-altitude regions near the depot are expected to be below the freezing
point during a client's rental. Winterization means that the water is
drained from the fresh water tank, hot water heater and both waste tanks. Of
course this drainage involves the water pipes, toilet, sink, shower,
and external shower (if this latter feature is present). Once the vehicle is winterized, no water
should be put into the fresh water tank and it should not be hooked up to the public
water supply. Therefore no water at all is available from the
motorhome or campervan. The toilet, however, can still be used as long as windshield
washer antifreeze is poured down to rinse it. Pink RV antifreeze will have
been run through all the pipes and put into the black and grey tanks. If the
client removes the antifreeze and puts water into the system, the tanks and
pipes will likely crack. If this damage occurs, the client will be responsible
for repairing these systems and any other consequent damages. If the client
unwinterizes the vehicle for travel into a warmer climate, it is the client's
responsibility to have the vehicle re-winterized before returning it.
Of course upon the pick-up occasion the vendor can provide instruction regarding
the draining and rehydration of that system.
The El Monte RV rental depot addresses and contact numbers are as follows:
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