A storage rant!

[Dawn Michelle]

I want to start off by saying that I am not a newbie to the whole "if your rig is older than ten years you're not welcome here."  When we full timed eight-nine years ago, we had a 37 foot Bounder that was just at that 10 year limit.  We were actually never challenged, but it had started to become worrisome to me.  The fiberglass had faded and the design sure did look "square" compared to all the new motorhomes with their shiny flash and dash.

Fast forward to yesterday.  So, we bought this 84 Class C - I knew I wanted vintage and I also knew, not being full-timers, and not stuck circling Denver, that I could choose where we would camp.  Public and state parks here we come.  If I do ever full-time in the baby-bear rig I also hope to go out west and do a lot of boondocking.  So my partner is stuck in Denver at his job til the beginning of December - can't park our new rig where he stays, so we'll store it, no problem, right?

I choose an RV park in central Denver called Flying Saucer RV park.  Not as cute and whimsical as you'd expect - it's got a rusty saucer, wifi that you have to sit on the office (a trailer if I remember right) steps to use and it's pretty worn down.  However, they were good to us eight years ago when we stored our RV before selling it - even not charging us one day to take it out and hook it up in one of their spaces to test all the systems.

I called twice in advance - to get the rates, to see what we needed, etc. I don't remember it being a big deal - it's a field.  You just park your RV in a field that has a fence around it and a gate code.  I was going to try to reserve it with a credit card over the phone - she said no, we have to have you come by so we can see it.

Why, I asked?  To record any damage, she says.  Okay, that kind of makes sense.  Maybe they've had damage claims by people that store and just want a record of what it looked like before we shuffled it through the gate.

So my poor BF walks in yesterday, mentions I've called and says he needs to sign that storage lease.  She looks at him like he has two heads.  Or three.

Now you can see the camper we bought from the pictures - it's not as pretty as she can be but she's not dilapidated - things aren't hanging off, there's no window unit hanging out the back, it doesn't smoke or anything.  But she tells him that to STORE the RV they have a 10 year rule.  Has to be newer than ten years to park in their field piled with junk!  

I couldn't believe this!  She says to camp is 15 years (and yes, many rigs older than 15 years in that park - it's pretty ghetto!). 

Says she doesn't remember talking to me.  So for the next two hours, my BF sits in a parking lot while I scramble to try to find some place to store it.  Very difficult in Denver - no the public storage places don't have any concern about how old a vehicle is.  The problem was simply finding one that wasn't 20 miles outside of town - no one had "parking spaces". And then, this added to the frustration - two major chains required I be present since my name is on the registration and insurance.

I am happy to say after several hours of this I finally found a place at U-Haul storage.  They had no problem taking our money :-)

I will say - I did find one other place a "discount rv storage" there in Denver with the same rule.  The other RV storage places I found just laughed at that idea.

And, today I am laughing - but I wanted to share - I just can't believe our RV was not acceptable at this rundown park with a field, wherein they charge more for storage by the way, than I'll be playing at U-Haul. FACEPALM.  Better deal, just blood pressure out the roof.

I highly recommend avoiding these folks if you are in Denver - this "rule" wasn't on their website and she didn't tell me this in two phone calls from her.  I really had no idea I should ask.  It's storage.  A proper business owner would have offered this information.

I did read a review where they turned away a black couple with an empty park saying the spaces were all reserved (and they don't take reservations).  What an awful feeling that must have been.  For us it was a major inconvenience but we don't have to worry about prejudices. These are definitely some unhappy folks that just decide what business they want based on their mood.  They give mom and pops a bad name.

In the end, their park isn't up to our rig's standards is what I say!

Okay, rant over!

[Dawn Michelle]

Nailed it, yes!

[Rich Thomas]

It would be nice if there was an attitude towards vintage/classic RV's like there is to almost every other class of vehicles, I mean we celebrate vintage cars, motorcycles, tractors and other farm equipment. as well as furniture and other things of that nature. Why not RV's

 

[Dawn Michelle]

Wow, five years?!!  Forget the class snobbery of it - but it's environmentally indefensible. Of course I'm a "thrift" girl where I can be.  Recycle, recycle, recycle.  The idea of planned obsolescence just gets my goat.

And this may just be the eighties, but Rick points out how he can already feel the difference in workmanship - everything feels more solid in how it's built.  I know when we looked at newer RVs - even the really expensive "yeah like I'm going to roll a hundred thousand dollars down the road" ones, they all felt - well like a well appointed cardboard box.  And very sterile.  

[Lakota Wolf]

That was a great RANT...... The 10 year rule is bad,, BUT Californias, 5 yr rule takes the cake,,,lol, or if you don't own a Mcmansion, ( those tour bus type that cost a hunert bazzilion dollars and basically rolling real estate).