So here is todays tale of how horribly inconsiderate and downright rude and stupid people can be...
Last year I bought a small boat - complete rookie mistake - thought hey, always wanted one and it will be fun. Able to go out to the lake with family and friends weekends - have a good time and we will use it regularly. Anyone that has ever owned a boat knows exactly how things were bound to wind up - you spend all your time working to PAY for the boat, and what limited time off you get is spent working ON the boat with friends and family only showing up on the holiday weekends with a bag of chips expecting to be entertained for the day by you driving them around on YOUR boat using YOUR gas.
Well - a funny thing happened before all that could shake out....I discovered peer2peer rental. Kinda like an AirBnB for boat owners. You provide the boat - renters take it out for the day and the website handles all booking, payment and insurance for a fee. Being first time boat owners - we bought low end stuff really and don't have that "personal" attachment to anything - and renting has went great for us.
Now we are not making a "profit" - but we are covering all the expenses, with the added bonus of having a boat available to us during the week most days - its the weekends that are busy, but thats when the lake is packed and its honestly not as enjoyable to me.
So 40+ rentals into this venture and only 1 really "minor" inconvenience renter (young party crew who left a few empties on the boat, tied off at wrong slip - but did leave me a 12 pack in the cooler). Everyone else has been genuinely decent and some downright nice to deal with. For that reason - I decided to keep pricing lower - give more people the opportunity enjoy an AFFORDABLE day out on the water.
I thought I was also getting good at "screening" renters - again, the booking company does the first round - credit check/identity verification, security deposit processing, ect. They also allow me to approve/deny any renters - some questions are bound to generate an auto deny....but you can typically tell when someone is genuinely interested or a complete PIA I thought. Last minute booking request for example - there are alot of weekly rentals around the lake - and some of the operators pass along my info to their renters who are looking for something to do. For that reason - I book out weeks in advance many times. When I get that message looking for a same day weekend rental = its an easy no. If you are planning things last minute - greater chance its a simple pop up party or you got tossed from your party pad early and are seeking to extend the "fun".
So yesterdays rental headache was a kind of shock - they texted me 3 weeks ago asking normal questions - hours, rate, safety equipment..ect. Certainly didn't come across as your typical party crowd. Booked and scheduled for 10a pick up...I understand most people operate on "vacation time" so running early or later is not a problem - 10a is not a firm appointment. Anyway - 9:55a get the "i'm running a few minutes late" text - fine, no problem....10:30 no more text and not there (lives 15 minutes away)...11a - still nothing - so I call and text....no reply.
By 11:30a - I am getting a bit hot....so I call the booking company, ask them to call/text and see if they can get a reply....find out the reason for the delay and let them know at Noon I leave and its a no show/cancel with no refund/reschedule allowed. 5 minutes later - I get a reply from them...yes, they are on the way - having problems as "feeling sick". Of course that prompted a whole new round of questions with COVID and the sick person was changed to a family member they are caring for - who will not be going with them. 12:15 - renter actually shows up...does apologize, and admits they were simply too hung over...of course they are not going to be the driver - her brother is and he's not coming out to 1p. Against my better judgement - I say ok and turn over keys and go over return process and safety gear.
1:45p - phone rings - boat will not start....ask basic questions - is it in gear....no, what do you think I am an idiot....ok, did you accidentally pull kill switch - no....what does it do - it just beeps when I turn the key (indicator it is not in neutral). So I have them do 3 or 4 meaningless things - turn off and on radio, lights, ect and then tell them to push shifter to opposite direction - ok, now put it in neutral/ OK - now turn the key idiot - BECAUSE YOU HAD IT IN GEAR. Ok - didn't say this exactly, but I think they could tell I wasn't pleased having to spend more time on the phone and having them ask me to run back out - ALL BECAUSE THEY COULDN'T BE BOTHERED TO PAY ATTENTION THE FIRST TIME I SHOWED THIS.
6:00pm - boat is due back...they are supposed to text on return/again - I understand some people take their sweet ass time - so I dont bother them. 7:00p - no text - I text and no reply. 7:30p - still nothing call...no answer.
By 8p - just send a message off to lake patrol - let me know if you see it out there tonight....renter is not replying - so taken without permission. If you see them just guide them back in and let me know...
Checked phone this AM - nothing....from either renter or lake patrol. Odds are I will go out and it will be there this morning - not like theft is a strong possibility.....but just pisses me off to no end. ZERO RESPECT for other peoples time or property - asked booking company to block from future rentals - and make sure the card run is good as we can expect a chargeback/fraud I suspect....makes me not want to bother doing this anymore or to just raise the damn pricing to make it WORTH the effort I have to put in. All because one ass-head ruins the experience for everyone else.
All of this over a simple boat - I cannot imagine what it would be like with jet ski rentals....I have had a few people pushing me to go that route and resisted - seems the target audience is exactly what I am trying to avoid and the insurance/odds of damage to equipment seems ALOT higher risk. A boat full of 8-10 adults floating around enjoying a drink and the water view is one thing...2 dumbass teen/early 20's zipping around a busy lake at 60 in between boats is another.
Rant over - enjoy your Monday.
Last year I bought a small boat - complete rookie mistake - thought hey, always wanted one and it will be fun. Able to go out to the lake with family and friends weekends - have a good time and we will use it regularly. Anyone that has ever owned a boat knows exactly how things were bound to wind up - you spend all your time working to PAY for the boat, and what limited time off you get is spent working ON the boat with friends and family only showing up on the holiday weekends with a bag of chips expecting to be entertained for the day by you driving them around on YOUR boat using YOUR gas.
Well - a funny thing happened before all that could shake out....I discovered peer2peer rental. Kinda like an AirBnB for boat owners. You provide the boat - renters take it out for the day and the website handles all booking, payment and insurance for a fee. Being first time boat owners - we bought low end stuff really and don't have that "personal" attachment to anything - and renting has went great for us.
Now we are not making a "profit" - but we are covering all the expenses, with the added bonus of having a boat available to us during the week most days - its the weekends that are busy, but thats when the lake is packed and its honestly not as enjoyable to me.
So 40+ rentals into this venture and only 1 really "minor" inconvenience renter (young party crew who left a few empties on the boat, tied off at wrong slip - but did leave me a 12 pack in the cooler). Everyone else has been genuinely decent and some downright nice to deal with. For that reason - I decided to keep pricing lower - give more people the opportunity enjoy an AFFORDABLE day out on the water.
I thought I was also getting good at "screening" renters - again, the booking company does the first round - credit check/identity verification, security deposit processing, ect. They also allow me to approve/deny any renters - some questions are bound to generate an auto deny....but you can typically tell when someone is genuinely interested or a complete PIA I thought. Last minute booking request for example - there are alot of weekly rentals around the lake - and some of the operators pass along my info to their renters who are looking for something to do. For that reason - I book out weeks in advance many times. When I get that message looking for a same day weekend rental = its an easy no. If you are planning things last minute - greater chance its a simple pop up party or you got tossed from your party pad early and are seeking to extend the "fun".
So yesterdays rental headache was a kind of shock - they texted me 3 weeks ago asking normal questions - hours, rate, safety equipment..ect. Certainly didn't come across as your typical party crowd. Booked and scheduled for 10a pick up...I understand most people operate on "vacation time" so running early or later is not a problem - 10a is not a firm appointment. Anyway - 9:55a get the "i'm running a few minutes late" text - fine, no problem....10:30 no more text and not there (lives 15 minutes away)...11a - still nothing - so I call and text....no reply.
By 11:30a - I am getting a bit hot....so I call the booking company, ask them to call/text and see if they can get a reply....find out the reason for the delay and let them know at Noon I leave and its a no show/cancel with no refund/reschedule allowed. 5 minutes later - I get a reply from them...yes, they are on the way - having problems as "feeling sick". Of course that prompted a whole new round of questions with COVID and the sick person was changed to a family member they are caring for - who will not be going with them. 12:15 - renter actually shows up...does apologize, and admits they were simply too hung over...of course they are not going to be the driver - her brother is and he's not coming out to 1p. Against my better judgement - I say ok and turn over keys and go over return process and safety gear.
1:45p - phone rings - boat will not start....ask basic questions - is it in gear....no, what do you think I am an idiot....ok, did you accidentally pull kill switch - no....what does it do - it just beeps when I turn the key (indicator it is not in neutral). So I have them do 3 or 4 meaningless things - turn off and on radio, lights, ect and then tell them to push shifter to opposite direction - ok, now put it in neutral/ OK - now turn the key idiot - BECAUSE YOU HAD IT IN GEAR. Ok - didn't say this exactly, but I think they could tell I wasn't pleased having to spend more time on the phone and having them ask me to run back out - ALL BECAUSE THEY COULDN'T BE BOTHERED TO PAY ATTENTION THE FIRST TIME I SHOWED THIS.
6:00pm - boat is due back...they are supposed to text on return/again - I understand some people take their sweet ass time - so I dont bother them. 7:00p - no text - I text and no reply. 7:30p - still nothing call...no answer.
By 8p - just send a message off to lake patrol - let me know if you see it out there tonight....renter is not replying - so taken without permission. If you see them just guide them back in and let me know...
Checked phone this AM - nothing....from either renter or lake patrol. Odds are I will go out and it will be there this morning - not like theft is a strong possibility.....but just pisses me off to no end. ZERO RESPECT for other peoples time or property - asked booking company to block from future rentals - and make sure the card run is good as we can expect a chargeback/fraud I suspect....makes me not want to bother doing this anymore or to just raise the damn pricing to make it WORTH the effort I have to put in. All because one ass-head ruins the experience for everyone else.
All of this over a simple boat - I cannot imagine what it would be like with jet ski rentals....I have had a few people pushing me to go that route and resisted - seems the target audience is exactly what I am trying to avoid and the insurance/odds of damage to equipment seems ALOT higher risk. A boat full of 8-10 adults floating around enjoying a drink and the water view is one thing...2 dumbass teen/early 20's zipping around a busy lake at 60 in between boats is another.
Rant over - enjoy your Monday.
