El Monte RV Rentals & Sales

Our Vehicle Was 11 Years Old, 114,000 miles, falling apart. Generator didn’t work at all, rattled like crazy. Cost $ 3,000 for 11 days. I wish I had checked Unilocal before renting from El Monte RV.
Our vehicle (#76 118) was old, run down and by far the oldest rental RV we saw during a 9 day trip to Utah and Arizona. While El Monte’s phone support was great, when we returned the RV and told them the story below, one person admitted the vehicle «should never have been rented». But the manager gave us a $ 80 discount «for our trouble» ON A $ 3,000 RENTAL!
We only successfully ran the generator twice for 15 minutes during a 1,500-mile trip. Because we couldn’t run the generator, interior temperatures rose to over 95 degrees for cabin participants for hours at a time on the freeway, there was a strong sewer smell coming from the bathroom despite using enzymes and adding water. Of course, we were unable to watch TV or recharge phones, etc. Finally, the shocks were totally shot, so the vehicle drove like, well, an old truck with 114,000 miles on it.
We called in twice for technical support. The phone support was great, very nice and prompt and responsive… only problem is they couldn’t fix the problem. They arranged for us to take a detour from our vacation and bring the RV to the El Monte Las Vegas Location on Sunday, June 5^th.
In Vegas, their service department technicians determined it was simply «too hot» in Las Vegas and assured us that would work at cooler temperatures, showed us everything we needed to do with the generator. However, over the next five days our trip took us to places like North Rim and Bryce Canyon, and we couldn’t get the generator to work in 55 to 85 degree temperatures either. This is despite adjusting the altitude knob, having the plugs connected in lower compartment, ensuring the motor was on, auxiliary battery at 100%, turning off interior devices and A/​C systems prior to start to reduce load, etc. Eventually we just gave up for the rest of the trip, including a 10 hour, hot-​and-​bumpy-​as-​hell drive back from Vegas to the Bay Area.
Aside from that, this RV is literally falling apart. Screws came out of three armrests and additional trim during the trip; we bought a screwdriver to help keep it together. One of the handles for the exterior storage panels fell off. Windows rattled nonstop, the TV was old and we were unable to get it to work after buying a coax cable hookup (our RV did not come with a cable), and many of the blinds are bent so don’t keep out the light while sleeping. We were very concerned that the vehicle would have motor failure while driving. This is unacceptable for a $ 3,000 rental.
We stayed in four different RV parks in California, Utah and Arizona, and it became a game to see if we could find another rental RV with the older cab grill. We couldn’t! Not once! Not once among hundreds and hundreds of RVs. We noticed that the RVs from Cruise America
and — although we didn’t see many — the other El Monte vehicles were all modern too.
It’s actually a shame that El Monte baits-​and-​switch customers like us because in general we found the Dublin and Las Vegas staff to be nice, although not particularly prompt, in our interactions.
Bottom Line: If you rent from El Monte, get them to promise in writing a vehicle 5 years old or newer. And if you get stuck with an old one, they won’t do anything for you. You’ve been warned.

A group of us seven families rented 22′ RVs from El Monte Dublin in early April 2016 for 3 – 5 nights. This was my family’s first time renting an RV, and the experience was nothing but positive. We called the day before and were told that we could pick up at 1pm the next day. Then in the morning we were told that the RVs were ready for all of us at 8am! Went in and picked up the RV, watched the video showing us how to operate it, and off we went.
The RV was perfect. We got a 22ft Leprechaun and it drove wonderfully and was extremely clean. Everything worked as specified. The beds were comfortable, and the fridge was cold and clean. Everything was set up nicely for us. It didn’t smell. The water pumps worked, and hot water came on after awhile as expected. The only problem we had was that the 22ft had a very small gray and black water tank, so after only 1 day of use (with 4 very short showers), our gray tank was 100% full and water refused to drain from our shower stall, so we had to go dump it ourselves at the campsite, which thankfully had a dumpsite. It cost $ 25 per dump at the campsite. We bought the dumping option for $ 20 from El Monte, so we didn’t expect to have to do it ourselves, but it’s an experience and not their fault. It’s still worth paying the $ 20 for them to dump it for you when you return.
One family had a road hazard slashed their RV on the side. Luckily they declined the rental insurance at pickup, so their own auto insurance kicked in and they just had to pay a small deductible ($ 600). We opted for the insurance, but if anything were to happen to us we would have to pay up to $ 1000, because once you opted for the El Monte insurance, your own auto-​insurance will not pay anymore, and the El Monte has a higher deductible (1K). So, something to think about when you’re asked whether you want to buy insurance from them at pickup.

We rented a 25 ft class C RV and had a good experience with El Monte R V rentals. We had appointment for pick up at 1 pm, but due to my daughters track tournament we got delayed. They were very accommodating and we picked up at 3pm and we were out in 60 minutes. That is what they told us to expect. Only 2 complaints… no batteries in either DVD or TV remotes. And the unit was a bit cramped for the 4 of us. Next time we know to go instead with class A or bigger class. C. But that was our error. All staff very professional. We ended up returning it one day early and it would have been nice to get partial credit. But again it was our decision to return a day early. Overall we would rent from them again.

My comments relate to Service Work only, not renting. Frank is awesome, better service than from my new MBZ dealer. I gave Frank a long list of warranty complaints expecting «Push-​Back» on most items. Instead, Frank C. fixed EVERYTHING, or replaced with BRAND NEW PARTS, No cost, no hassle, no arguments — Just dropped off and picked up a few weeks later, they are really busy, sorry if you are in a hurry, I had a Europe trip so no prob here. I hope they can service my 2016 MBZ too. *** El Monte stands behind their Warranty 100% !

The best service I’ve ever had. The RV I rented was clean and the salesperson walked me through how each and everything worked in the vehicle. I can’t wait to rent again from them. I got my full deposit back with no drama.

We purchased a 2008 rv from day 1 we had nothing but problems. Slide wouldn’t stay in securely. Dash a. c didn’t work properly. 5 days into the trip we hit rain all around the roof and slides even the windshield leaked and had been patched with goop. There were cracks around the slides We called the sales manager who never returned our calls just like everyone else. For 2 week’s we have been living in hotels while it’s fixed. We purchased an extended warranty which is a scam it doesn’t cover any of our problems. After fighting back and fourth and threatening a lawsuit we got them to take it in so let’s see if they reimburse us for hotels meals ETc like they say they will. I will never use or refer them again they are scam artists wanting to make money. They also said after the fact it’s sold as is we never heard or saw that. If it’s as is why is there a 12×12 warranty they provide in addition to the scam warranty
Update still nothing no emails calls or anything it’s been 15 days and no response from them. It good a lousy fix job even I could have done only thing done riget was the windshield

Our vehicle wasn’t in great shape — clogged sink, wheel covers popped out while driving, stereo wasn’t working, but was drivable.
The earliest pick-​up time is 1pm and it takes about one hour to be on your way. You’re going to lose half a day of your vacation just to get going.
They seem to have a shuttle to and from San Francisco, but it was «too late» in the day for us, both at pick up and at drop off.
I’ve mixed opinions of the staff. Some are nice, others are bored and even aggressive /​rude. They were even yelling at each other when we were checking out.

Not sure if folks are giving these guys a fair shot. There are a lot of details renting/​operating one of these large vehicles, and it’s up to the renter to pay attention. We worked with Andy throughout the entire process, and we were treated professionally the entire time. The RV was clean, full of fuel, and ready to roll when we arrived. Our orientation was thorough and we were ready to take off within 30 – 40 minutes. Driving a 32′ vehicle takes some skill, but you get used to moving around in tight spaces. I wouldn’t look at all the 1-​star reviews as anything other than expectations that are out of sync.

Surprised to see so many negative reviews. Just coming off an awesome 4 day rental from El Monte (25 foot). Rv was new and immaculate — more than we expected — and the service was fast and friendly. It was almost easier than checking out a rental car. Will def rent there again soon.

In August 2015 we rented a 26 foot Ford Jamboree Slide Out for one week. Costs crept up with forced mileage expense. It was $ 2600 for 8 nights. NOT WORTH THE MONEY!
The RV was quite shabby. Upholstery on the seats was old and stained so badly it looked filthy. The small areas of carpet were disgusting. It had been vacuumed but was old and dirty.
The RV had 130,000 miles on it (I begged for a newer one but they claimed they did not have anything with less miles). When we picked it up, we saw two LARGE lots with over 100 RVs in storage. I suspect they had something with less mileage. The way they responded to my request sounded scripted –like they had said this many times to many people.
We will not rent from them again. Surely there has to be a better rental option in the Tri Valley area, if not I will drive farther from home to find something better in the future.
The people there were VERY nice. But the owners appear to be greedy…

This is the nightmare place. Dirty cars mean sales people. Never will come again. They charge hidden fees. They are rude and unreasonable. They treated my 70 year old parents like dirt. Just prepare to be cheated like in a middle eastern carpet market.

Pass by this place!!! Seriously! We’ve reserved 34 class A RV, 2016 year made vehicle more than six months in advance and got car with completely ripped of tire (it was not obvious for us cause the second tire locates behind the other one and you can only see it while driving behind the vehicle). They DIDN’T check air pressure and tire conditions when check in RVs. Dangerous!!!
Awful customer service at the time of picking up and check out, even the email conversation with these folks leads to injustice.
Never again!

This place is a scam. RV was filthy and they want to charge a $ 189 prep fee. The manager here is so unprofessional and trying to intimidate my parents. He never said please or thank you the whole process. DONT RENT OR BUY FROM this bunch of Used car salesman. I’m so appalled by this place STAY AWAY. If my parents had not already pre paid I would have left. BEWARE BEWARE USED CAR pressure tactics and hidden fees.

These guys are plain horrible, I have rented an RV for burning man, class A, for 8 days I paid $ 8,300 including the cleaning charge, prepaid for 750 miles, here is the story:
From the first moment the instructions were very poor, the guy giving the overview of the 2016 ford RV did not know jack about it, he gave me general phrases like — it’s a new model, everything works, don’t worry, switches here for everything, if something happens — just call roadside, they will take care of it.
Slide operation — can’t demonstrate it now, parking lot is full.
Stabilization system — perfect order, it’s new.
Technical condition — top notch.
Above is what the guy was telling us as he rushed through the presentation.
The tank he says is full, I look at the tank and it’s empty, I let him know — he jumps in unhappy and goes to fill the tank, comes back, gives me the keys and runs away says he’s busy with another client and the Rv is bulletproof and if there is anything — call roadside and they will help.
We picked up the Rv on the busy Saturday and had to drive to Burning man festival 350 miles on Sunday.
Right away I noticed the problem with the alignment, I ask myself, did the technician not notice that the RV is pulling to the left as he went for gas station?
I right away notice a cracked windshield that hasn’t been noted on the Rv checkout list — it was misty, can only see it from the drivers seat.
I tried calling their office — no answer, called roadside — message… Called 6 times!
Long story short, the Rv had a blown inside tire on the left side from day one, left side is the side of the slide out, the heavy side of the 20,000 pound RV, nobody checked pressure, we endangered ourselves for 700 miles passing heavy rigs on a freeway going normal speeds of 60 mpg not knowing that our RV is crippled.
I found out about the blown tire on the way as one of the motorists told me about it at the stop sign.
I called road side assistance in total 20 times, they don’t pick up during the day and are closed on Sunday’s (the two days we actually drove the crippled RV for a total of over 700 miles.
Then there is the fact that the AC doesn’t work, in the RV, generator did not work properly and kept turning off, electrical issues with the RV outlets, stabilization system did not work and kept giving me errors so we couldn’t use the slide out.
This was a nightmare and I couldn’t even talk to anyone as «their system was down apparently», all they said is fill out the survey and we’ll just charge your card for damages later!
We have rented an $ 99,000 RV for ¹⁄₁₀^th of its price in s poor condition and endangered our lives on the way with no support — horrible experience!
Here is the link to a similar RV for sale:
I’m in shock!

My experience with El Monte RV in Dublin (in mid-​June) was nothing but disheartening. While they do many things just fine in terms of renting RVs, we were treated so condescendingly (especially by their manager) that I would never rent from them again. Before our trip began, I called to inquire as to what was the earliest time I could pick up our RV. I was then told that I could try to come at 11am to get things started, but that «he doesn’t want to hear me claiming that it was supposed to be ready by then» because they only guarantee it will be ready by 1pm. I was simply inquiring politely, and was certainly caught off guard by his strong defensive stance.
Our 8 day vacation with a 30-​ft cab over style RV started out fine, until two key components were not functional. First, while our water heater was functioning, no one had bothered to check (or tell us) that the hot water did not flow out of the shower when you turn the knob. Thus, we were stuck taking some very cold showers for 8 days. When we called to ask about this issue and to see if it could be resolved, we were informed that the only help we could get was if we drove about 3 hours out of our way to a repair shop. Because we did not want to waste half a day or more of our trip at a repair shop (as well as pay increased fuel/​mileage costs) we simply said that we were going to continue our trip anyway and hoped they might consider giving us a discount. We were told that, «don’t expect much because we were unwilling to drive to the repair shop.» This in and of itself would not have caused me that much trouble, but things got much worse.
Even though we paid for them to discharge our waste tanks when our trip was over, we needed to flush out our sewage before the RV would smell. As our trip consisted of all men in their mid-​twenties, we didn’t mind having to do this task too much. However, El Monte provided us with a faulty hose that connected our waste tank to the septic tank in the ground at our RV site. The connection worked fine, but there was literally a hole in their tubing. HOW COULD THEY NOT CHECK THIS? When we tried to get rid of our waste, poop got everywhere and was incredibly smelly. We had to spend a great deal of time cleaning up, had to deal with a rancid smell for hours (one of us nearly threw up), and we had no way of knowing this was going to be such an issue. Thankfully, we did get rid of enough waste so that the RV no longer smelled and we had enough room in the waste tank to make it the rest of our trip.
Upon returning the RV, we informed the manager/​staff of the issues that we encountered. Instead of offering an apology or asking how they could make amends, the manager continued to ACCUSE US of being at fault. He said we could have called them and they would have come fix the problem. After carefully explaining to him, MULTIPLE TIMES, he finally realized that there was no way we could have known we needed a new hose before trying to use it and that after having cleaned up all the human waste that spilled on the ground, it was no longer an issue as we were returning the RV 2 days later. Finally receiving a meek and insincere «sorry» did not do much to quell my frustration. Even then, I HAD TO ASK to receive any discount. I only got $ 91 off (spent over $ 2300), which essentially just meant I did not have to pay more for the 300 miles that we hadn’t prepaid for. In what world is it ok to only give $ 91 off for having to deal with these issues that both stemmed from their incredible INCOMPETENCE?!! I even had the thought that maybe El Monte RV in Dublin is trying to make more $$$ by having customers rent RVs that have problems, so that they are rented out while they are in repair shops being fixed with customers instead of with them. I sincerely hope this is not the case, but I would not be shocked.
Please take your business elsewhere! There are many other major companies that rent RVs to choose from. If anyone at El Monte would like to discuss our experience at the Dublin location, please feel free to contact me and I will be happy to elaborate.

First time RV Renter and the experience was great. I selected El Monte RV because it listed a Modesto site (since closed — El Monte RV, please update the website). Prices were reasonable and charges were clear. After I received the confirmation I glanced at it and realized it defaulted the pick up to El Monte not Modesto. I called and the woman who answered very efficiently moved it to Dublin after checking that they had the same type of unit available. It was quick and painless. She emailed me immediately after with a confirmation of the change, a reminder on the insurance rider, rental conditions and a floorplan. Plus confirmed a AAA discount. Kudo’s to Elizabeth Smith.
A little confusion the morning we called to confirm the pickup but again quickly and easily resolved. They told us 1 but when I asked about being earlier, they said, no problem.
The checkout process is a bit lengthy but very detailed and a lot of information. You need to view the video, complete the forms and do the walkthrough. Be thorough and take notes/​pictures if you’re concerned. Scarily efficient people. They are full of warnings — There’s a late fee of $ 50 per hour, there’s a fee if you mess up the awning, etc. Pay attention! They are serious.
We had a great trip. Returned it with the tanks dumped, gas tank full. We swept and cleaned the bathroom and kitchen as best as we could given we were camping. The return process was quick, concise, thorough and reasonable. We were out of there in 15 min and that included unloading the RV.
Mileage is steep so be very aware of where you are going and how far it will be.

We rented a 30′ Class A RV online initially, but after going out to another El Monte in Rancho Cordova to check them out, we called reservations to try to find a newer model. I was told that the 28′ Class C was much newer, so we changed our reservation (at no charge)…As it turned out, it was only newer by a couple of years…2009/2007. We were expecting much newer units and better equipped than Cruise America, since we were paying more. (That’s ONE of the reasons for the downgrade.) We weren’t told that we could pay extra and guarantee an early pickup; if we had known, we would have done it. We called the day before, as advised, and asked what time our RV would be ready for pickup, as we were hoping to possibly get in early. The person who answered the phone said it would be ready at 1. I asked them how they knew OUR RV would be ready at 1, and they said that’s what the contract says. Having read some of the other reviews, I pressed the issue to make sure OUR RV was actually going to be ready. Some other gruff person came on the line a few minutes later and said it would be ready on time. So, it seems to be stock answer that everything will be fine and then you just deal with the consequences on pickup day. We did call again the day of pickup and the person in Dublin who answered the phone said the RV could be picked up now. (It was 10am, we live 2 ½ hours away, so it didn’t do us any good…) Reason #2 for downgrade rating. Frustrating, because it would have been nice to pick it up earlier as getting out of the Bay Area on a Friday afternoon is trying at best. The agent who showed us the RV was spot on with our experience level; she didn’t over or under-​do it with the instructions. It was quick and to the point, BUT she made a point of telling us to check the hubcaps every time we stop, because they have a propensity to come off and we would be charged if we lost one. Seriously???, then don’t put them
on in the first place. (If they tell you that, have them take them off before you leave, because they DO get lost.) Reason #3 for downgrade. The RV was very clean, but they put some shiny stuff on the floor mat in the cab and made it very slippery! Bad idea. Everything worked fine, except the screen door. Not a big deal. You don’t need special RV sheets. Any regular queen size sheet works fine, don’t waste your money, but the RV comes with NOTHING. So be prepared. The check in process was quick, and they actually seemed concerned with some of the things that we reported that needed to be worked on. No extra charges and we were out of there in about 10 minutes.

In all fairness, I have not even been here yet. However, I have tried calling them for 2 business days to inquire about their motorhome inventory in the sales area and can not get through to anyone. It goes to a voicemail that is full. I do not want to drive over an hour to find out they have nothing I want in their inventory… This may be a sign to stay away,??? I will update any changes that may or may not occur.

We rented an RV for 9 days for $ 6000(six thousand) just because it was the same week as some hippy desert festival. The generator and auxiliary battery stopped working after 4 days. Our food in the fridge got spoiled and my wife and 18month old girl got food poisoning and diarrhea.
I called roadside assistance who were unable to help. Our phones cannot be recharged because is the dead generator and battery. I was told to take it up with the manager.
The manager Amar Gill said that it was MY fault for not calling them up, despite being out of cell phone service. I told him to pull up the roadside assistance notes, then he offered me a paltry $ 200 refund for a faulty generator and battery.
I will be contacting the Better business bureau.
Take your business elsewhere.

I don’t usually like to complain on Unilocal,but I just thought this place was pretty awful.
The advertised price ended up being about $ 1,000 more than what we walked away paying. They tack on a bunch of hidden fees — a «starter» kit, carbon offset charges, a mileage fee, etc which really end up adding up and they dont tell you this. The salesman told me I had up to 800 miles to use and I said «great.» Then I found out what he did was sold me the $ 50/​miles a day package. I didnt know I could opt for less miles, I used way less than that and would’ve opted for less had I any idea. They even tried to charge me $ 150 per person for their «convenience» kit which included such items as RV sheets. They said it was so expensive because we had to «buy» the set. Like WTF is this?! Do you think I own a set of RV sheets? And if I am renting an RV, do you think I want to buy them?
Their used car salesman tactics and sleazeball pricing schemes disrupted what would have otherwise been a great experience.