TeardropForRent thoughts/opinions?

[TeardropForRent]

So I'm a first-time poster long time lurker on this forum I started my first build Ruby in November and couldn't have done it without you guys. I launched a teardrop rental business in the Rapid City area about a month ago I wanted to say thanks to everyone that makes this forum great and see what you guys think of the teardrop and business.
http://Www.TeardropForRent.com

[QueticoBill]

Good luck! Here's hoping for your first fleet.

[TeardropForRent]

IMG_0404.JPG (86.11 KiB) Viewed 1739 times

Thanks, I don't know about a fleet but the second one is well on its way.

[QueticoBill]

Franchising in your future?

[TeardropForRent]

Maybe in a few years, just the two of them plus a full time job is enough for right now.

[elcam84]

I had that thought as well. Dont know what to charge how to insure them etc. I could crank out campers in my shop pretty fast if i had a set design and a market to rent or sell them.

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[TeardropForRent]

I will let you know about the market and price point, I know I am priced under what a lot of people charge, but I really want to keep it affordable for the average person. Insurance is insane! Since your the manufacturer and doing rentals it is basically like needing two insurance policies. I couldn't believe how hard it was to find someone to insure me and the cost was definitely more than I originally thought, but I am going to try and make a go of it and so far it's looking good just need to hurry up and get the second one out the door.

[RonS]

I like the idea of a rental business, I hope it goes well for you. I know an RV dealer in PA has at least one tear they rent out. Seems like a good option for those who like to camp 1 or 2 times a year and can't justify the expense of building or buying their own.

A couple things I noticed on the website, that you probably want to fix (could be more, this is just what I noticed as I was reading it)

There's what appears to be a link on the bottom of every page for "Our Rules and Service Agreement". Clicking it does nothing. From any of the pages. Not sure if it's a issue on my end or yours, but I'm using Firefox on Win10.

On your FAQ page. Under "What to bring", this line needs typos fixed: kithchen clening suplies and trash bags.

There are some other typos on the FAQ page, that line was just the worst one, and why it jumped out at me.

Also in the FAQ is this "The battery automatically charges anytime you plug in the teardrop and has a voltage meter in the cabin so you can keep track.​" I was wondering "How are they charging the battery through a flat 4 plug?" Then I realized you likely meant any time you're plugged into shore power. Probably want to clarify that.

Don't take any of this the wrong way, I'm just trying to help. Plenty of typos slip out of my office, because people don't have someone else read things over before they distribute them. I keep saying there that we need to have at least 3 sets of eyes looking at things before they're made public, just to try and eliminate as much as possible. One person will catch things another won't. And often the original author "knows what he/she meant" and doesn't see it from the perspective of someone who is reading it to learn the information.

[TeardropForRent]

Thank you for catching the website issues, I am much more of a woodworker than a website builder or writer . I appreciate any constructive criticism, I don't have three eyes to run things by, which is why I'm hoping to tap into the forum for help with that and any other feedback. I will get those fixed.

[mary and bob]

Back in the mid 80's Uhaul tried renting campers, didn't take them long to figure out they sustained abuse and damage and that venture just wasn't worth it. Sold them all in the early 90's. We own one, it has obvious repaired damage front and rear. My opinion is the worst thing to rent out or loan out is a camper. Hope I'm wrong in your case, good luck.

[elcam84]

I would also mention under "can my vehicle tow it" what size ball. Im assuming 2" as no one in their right mind would put an 1 7/8 on anything....

Good point raised about the uhaul rentals. Manke sure when you build that you overbuild. Any time something is used as a rental its used and abused and few people realize that all campers of all types have to be treated with kid gloves as they are all light duty.

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[TeardropForRent]

The fact that people definitely treat other people's property differently is a great point. In my current job part of my responsibilities include maintaining and coordinating repairs for our fleet vehicles and I have definitely observed some of the pitfalls of someone driving a vehicle they do not own and pay for. I also have experience in customer service and hospitality industry so I am not going into this completely naive. My strategies for combating this is simalar to a rental car agency but without the backup of comprehensive insurance (I can barely cover the liability insurance, I don't even want to price comprehensive). In my opinion the best defense is a strong rental policy, doing my best to insure renters are comfortable with the safety aspects, and trying to keep the investment cost as low as possible on any given trailer. I am going into this knowing full well at some point I will have to smile and nod as someone explains to me how the mostly destroyed trailer that represents half of my life savings is my fault or have a trailer stolen or vandalized. I don't think this is a business for the faint of heart.

[elcam84]

Yeah. Thing is i treat other stuff better than my own but thats the exception these days. Speaking of car rentals. I have never understood how they can rent cars so cheap these days. I typically pay $10 to $15 a day for a car. I remember when $50 a day was typical. I know they get a deal on the cars but still thats a very narrow margin for profit.

If you ever get going good maybe i can crank out a few units to your plans for you. Just a thought. Easier and more fun than building furniture and kitchen cabinet doors...


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[TeardropForRent]

I typically pay $10 to $15 a day for a car. I remember when $50 a day was typical. I know they get a deal on the cars but still thats a very narrow margin for profit.

If you ever get going good maybe i can crank out a few units to your plans for you. Just a thought. Easier and more fun than building furniture and kitchen cabinet doors...

As far as the car rental margins go my understanding is they have found out how to asses risk and manage it with much more precision, they also understand that the profit made on the rental is in addition to the money they get for the cars as they cycle them out of their fleet (I don't know too much about the car rental industry but in a few business classes I have read case studies on them)

As far as outsourcing some of the production I will keep that in mind if this really gains traction, I enjoy building them but trying to crank out these two back to back as quickly as possible plus all the work that goes into launching a business in my free time plus a full time job has definitely taken some of the joy out of it for sure..

[Graniterich]

It says Queen bed? Queen bed is five feet wide. Very nicely equipped

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