Damage or injury during a rental is rare, but when it does happen, Ruckify RV strives to make the process as smooth as possible.
Guests may be financially responsible for physical damage to the owner’s trailer if they are found in violation of the Terms of Service, were found negligent and created interior/exterior damage, or misused the travel trailer.
The following represents the 10 steps of a typical claim. Depending on the specific circumstances, your claim process may deviate slightly.
1: If damage occurs during the rental period, the guest must report the damage to the owner and Ruckify RV immediately. Guests can also report the issue to Ruckify RV by going emailing rvsupport@ruckify.com and upload pictures, a detailed description of incident, and the relevant information of all involved parties. (names, contact information, insurance policy information, police information, etc.)
2: If an owner discovers damage, they must report claim to Ruckify RV within 48 hours of the end of reservation (or 48 hours of learning about the damage, or before the next guest picks up the trailer, whichever is first) in order to be eligible for coverage. Owners can open a claim by emailing rvsupport@ruckify.com and upload the mandatory pre-post trip inspection checklist, pictures and a detailed description of the incident. The photographs must be taken within the first 48 hours and must be included for the claim to be eligible for coverage.
3. Ruckify RV will review the information to confirm it meets coverage eligibility, (e.g., that the damage is neither pre-existing, nor "wear and tear", and that it has been reported by the trailer owner (as described in item #2 above). Both the guest and owner should expect to receive a response as soon as possible, usually within a couple of days of submitting the relevant information.
4. Until a claim is settled, Ruckify RV will hold the guest's security deposit of $500 until a final decision has been reached.
5. Ruckify RV always stands ready to have its third party claims processor process an eligible claim, in which case the guest may be subject to a nonrefundable processing fee.
If there are no other parties involved, and the amount of damage in question is relatively small (e.g., broken window or missing camping chairs, bumper scratch) the owner may choose to work out repairs with the guest directly.
If the owner determines that he or she does not wish to have the claim processed through Ruckify RV, the owner must notify Ruckify RV in writing. Once this decision is communicated, Ruckify RV will release any payment/security deposit hold assessed to the guest, and Ruckify RV will no longer have any obligation to the trailer owner related to the claim.
6. If the trailer owner elects to have the claim processed against Ruckify RV(or it is obvious from the nature of the circumstances that Ruckify RV must process the claim, e.g., there is a third party involved), Ruckify RV will submit previously collected information. Ruckify RV customer service will be the point of contact should questions arise through the process.
7. Trailer owners must obtain two comparable repair quotes from two different repair facilities for Ruckify RV to properly open the claims process. Ruckify RV will then determine if an independent appraisal is necessary and will coordinate with Ruckify RV to arrange with the trailer owner.
8. In the case of a collision, until a third party has accepted full responsibility and wholly satisfied all financial obligations relating to the incident, the guest remains responsible for 100% of the costs associated with the damage to the owner's trailer; these costs may be limited depending on the circumstances. Ruckify RV will charge any remaining balance after the extent of the damage has been determined by estimate or appraisal.
9. The trailer owner will schedule the repairs after the repairs have been approved and communicated to the trailer owner by Ruckify RV. Trailer owners will arrange for their travel trailer to get to the mechanic or repair shop.
10. Once the repairs are complete, Ruckify RV will arrange for payment to the mechanic or repair shop directly, and the trailer will be released for the owner to pick up.