The trip was a once in a lifetime vacation for myself and my kid; I work in social services and getting the time off and funds to do this cannot be repeated. The safety of myself and my child are my main concern, but the frustration added to the loss of a very important trip effectively ruined our experience.Included below is a list of problems (including serious safety issues) I encountered with the 1995 Dodge Sportsmobile Pop Top July 8-18, 2022. Based on the description of the van as advertised on the Outdoorsy website, all of the functions should have been available and working properly for the entire ten-day trip.Beginning July 12, the refrigerator no longer functioned properly. I lost food (my daughter and I both have dietary needs that are near impossible to address in a national park), and I had no way to keep food safe to eat for the rest of the trip. Camping for days without the food we needed was not safe.
Sometime over the next 24 hours, the electricity (the outlet and the lighter plugs) stopped working. The solar inverter and water pump would not work. We did not bring water because we believed we had access through the sink. Only the light near the back doors worked for us to see at night. We did not bring extra lights because we didn’t think they’d be necessary. Relying on non-existent solar power and water was not safe.
On July 15, I awoke at 5am gagging because the air in the van was incredibly noxious. The smell was of strong sulfur, and since I’d been feeling sick before going to bed, I turned off the propane in case there was a leak. A fellow camper suggested I try filling the grey water tank, which was low after needing to be emptied previously. I was told that since the water pump had stopped working days before, it’s possible that a broken gas barrier, which would’ve existed with enough water present, allowed the horrible fumes to develop. I don’t know if that was the actual cause, but after filling the tank with some antibacterial soap and buckets of water, the smell remained. We had to leave the park that day, and the van had to come with us. My child could not breathe in the van and had to ride with friends (whom I can’t imagine surviving this trip without). I had to open all of the windows and drive for hours in 96 degree heat before the smell dissipated. The noxious fumes we breathed all night were unhealthy and unsafe.
Without electricity or the use of the lighter plug, I had to drive for the last three days without charging my phone. A single mom and her child driving through five states in summer without a cell phone was not safe.Because I did have four days with the camper functioning as advertised, I offered the owner keep my payment for those days at the designated rate. In addition to a refund of the remaining funds, I asked for the $500 security deposit to be returned in full as well. At the time I dropped off the vehicle, the owner implied that she was amenable to my request and told me to follow up with the Outdoorsy team to attain the refund. Once I did, I was informed that the owner is contesting my dispute. She has already taken $145 out of the deposit in spite of the horrendous situation she put me and my child in with this vehicle.Outdoorsy says they are working to help with a resolution. I want to believe this very much. However, they asked me for documentation of the problems listed above to prove my side. Besides the texts I sent the owner once I had access to electricity and WiFi, as well as the claim I began with customer service before the end of the trip, I do not have physical or electronic evidence. Without electricity, I could not charge my phone; even if my phone had been charged, I do not see how I could document something not working, such as an outlet, in a photo. I definitely was not thinking about ways to document the toxic smell that chased us out of the van for a solid day, while I was gagging, trying to make sure my kid was okay, and figuring out how we could get home safely.When I dropped off the vehicle, the owner told me she just "fixed it" and spent money on a repair prior to a trip a couple took over the July 4th weekend, noting that they had no problems or complaints. The fact that the people before me did not have a problem on their trip does not mean something else couldn't have gone wrong with the very old vehicle the following week. She also told me at the time of drop off that in light of my experience (and her new job), she was going to sell the vehicle, no longer advertising it for rent on Outdoorsy. That says a lot to me about how seriously she took my dispute at the time. Regardless of what she decides to do and what future renters may decide to do, it is clear I need a resolution with a significant refund immediately from Outdoorsy to make things right and to show they care about the safety of the single parents (or anyone) who venture out with the vehicles they promote on their platform.
