RV Rental Negotiation | How To Negotiate with RVShare.com and Outdoorsy.com RV Owners to get the best deal.

Negotiation can be a vital factor in getting yourself the best possible RV rental deal. Here we answer the most popular questions in this regard and also share some tips that you can use when negotiating with an RV owner.

Can I Negotiate With RV Share or Outdoorsy Owners?

Yes, why not! 

You can negotiate with the owners if you have something that works for both the parties – You and the owner.

RV Negotiation With Individuals – Treat Each Owner Uniquely

With RV Share and Outdoorsy, you are interacting with different owners. Each RV owner is altogether a different individual and they may have different priorities and concerns. 

Hence, you have to realize that it is an individual and not an RV rental company (such as Cruise America or any other local one) that you’ll be interacting with. Unlike such companies who have been practicing for a long time, many individual owners might not be experienced enough. You might have to negotiate differently with each distinct owner.

RV Negotiation Will Happen In Multiple Iterations – Effective Communication Is Key

A communication channel with the RV owner must be established. You can then slowly take your negotiation forward, bit by bit. 

Outline Your Trip Details – Comforting The Owner 

When you initiate your conversation with the RV share or Outdoorsy owner, it is important to realize that they might have a certain level of anxiousness too. Just as you will be anxious about your RV rental trip, the concern of handing over their RV to someone else will have the owners sweat a bit too – with regards to proper handling by the renter, risk of damages, etc. 

Hence, it is best to outline your trip details in advance and communicate the same with the RV owner. You can highlight certain details. 

For example, communicating to the owner that you will be traveling with your family will send out an implicit message that the RV will be well looked after as you will be looking after your family as well. 

Also, you can share certain other details such as whether you will be renting the RV for just the weekend to go to a nearby campground that is just 50 miles away, or whether you will be renting it for a whole week and go someplace else that might be at a distance of 500 miles or more. 

Sharing as many outlines as possible, without having to give away a whole lot of personal details will awaken the appetite of the RV owner. And if your RV rental needs suit the expectations of the RV owner, you will be obliged with a response accordingly.

Read Between The Lines – Analyze The Response

This means that on receiving the RV owner’s response, you must try to analyze their response. 

The analysis can be based on how timely their response is, what amount of details have they provided, and what is the tone of the response. Answering such questions will give you a better idea of what your handling of the response should look like.

For example, if the response is very brief, you can gauge that they might have certain other options to consider and aren’t eager for doing business with you.

Understanding Peak Season Scenarios In RV Negotiation

At the time of negotiating, you should be aware of the time or season it is when you are looking to rent an RV. 

For example, if you are renting during prominent holidays such as memorial holidays, July 4th holiday, or Christmas, the demand for RVs during such peak renting times will far outstrip the supply. Hence, you should be aware of what the scenario is. 

For example, if you want to rent an RV during the July 4th holidays – and your trip pans over several days before and after the weekend, highlighting the same could help sweeten the deal for you.

On the other hand, if you want to rent an RV for the month of October when the schools have reopened and people are back to their routine work lives, it will be much easier for you to negotiate a rental deal for yourself.

Give Examples Or References Of What The Other RV Owners Are Offering 

During the negotiation, you can quote what the other RV owners are offering to get a better deal. 

For example, with regards to the excess miles charge, you can tell a certain RV owner charging 50 cents per extra mile that another RV owner who’s close by has quoted 33 cents per extra mile. This way, you can make an offer to the first RV owner to negotiate his way down to 40 cents per extra mile. 

Also, your quotations of the other RV rentals can help the owner you’re bargaining with, understand what the underlying market looks like. 

Any Negotiated Agreements Should Be Brought Into The Contract

After the negotiation with the RV owner with regards to certain aspects of the RV rental, make sure that the contract which the RV owner sends to you at the time of booking contains the points agreed upon. 

For example, if it is mutually agreed that you will be getting 125 miles per day instead of the standard 100 miles per day, or that the pick-up will take place at 11:00 AM instead of the standard 3:00 PM, you can have the RV owner reflect the same under the dedicated fields present in the contract. 

This will avoid any issues or misunderstandings that may arise at the time of RV rental checkout. As far as feasible, always try to get the agreements noted down in the contract. 

However, under exceptional circumstances such as when the RV owner forgets to imbibe a certain point in the contract or there is no specifically allotted field in the contract for a certain point, the messages that you exchange with the owner in RV Share or Outdoorsy are reliable enough. 

In case of a dispute, you can go back to the messages and hold your stand. 

Another thing that you can do is note down the negotiated points in the checkout documentation at the time of checkout or if it is an online form, you can note it someplace suitable.

EndNote – Keep Note Of Certain Things And Do Not Hesitate To Negotiate

You should not hesitate to negotiate with the RV Share or Outdoorsy Owners. All you have to keep in mind is that you will have to deal with different individuals in a unique and professional way. Also, proceed with the negotiations gradually and always try to give some incentives such that it becomes a win-win situation for both the parties. If the negotiation doesn’t work out, it’s always worth giving it a try.

If you are looking for further assistance, feel free to contact us at support@rvrentalguru.com and we will get back to you in the shortest time possible.