El Monte RVReviews of elmonterv.com

I got exactly what I needed on somewhat short notice. From the communications by email up to dropping off the RV at the end of the trip, everyone was easy to work with.

Josh was helpful and apologetic for a 2hr wait while our vehicle got serviced at pick up- unfortunately we had no fridge for the 10day trip due to it breaking down (did have freezer).Phoned arts owner , supplied a photo of the serial number as requested he never bothered to follow up .El monte help desk did respond we did a full 12 hr defrost as requested, and no joy and no follow up. Obviously the fridge condensor fan is stuffed.Generator exhaust fell off , no tools to fix it, Warped oven hobs. And no water in fresh tank at first stop.50K miles on clock vehicle was nice to drive.

Quick friendly staff. Took awhile to pick up RV due to a family of 30? renting 4-5 RV's lol. All good, the receptionist let me know what was going on. Drop off was a breeze and again with very friendly staff.

The personal staff

A bit more costly, but well worth it. Picked up in Orlando, FL drove to NY and then Las Vegas, NV. Quality RVs, flexible scheduling, great support and easy pickup/drip off. Had to extend an extra day towards the end, no issue. Will be using El Monte again.

Australian Family July 2026 I booked through a 3rd party provider only weeks before we departed. I got quotes from four different companies. I called Cruise America directly from Australia. I did this because when we travelled around the USA in our own RV 10+ years ago, they seemed to be the most popular on the road. The Cruise America agent was so uninterested, and when I said I had a price from a 3rd party provider that was better than his, he couldn't get off the phone quick enough. The Australian exchange rate is very weak against the USD! Hiring an RV in the USA when you're located in another country is quite daunting. You're basically driving around in a house. You have a sewer system, hot water, shower, bedrooms and an engine to move it. We had a couple of issues whilst on the road: the shower mixer looked like it was going to detach from the wall, and the stove took a special technique to light (which our 16-year-old mastered). The mixer didn't stop us from showering you just get on with it. The reviews for all the hire companies were shocking. For this reason, I didn't pre-purchase miles as I saw they were non-refundable and the savings were minuscule. If we broke down and ended up in hotels like some reviewers of other companies had said, we would be out of pocket for the miles. The check-out process was easy. Get the agent to start and open everything. Start the stove, start the generator, roll out the awning, take a photo of the fuel tank and a photo of the LPG tank (ours wasn't full). I advised the agent when I returned, and they charged us a nominal fee for what we had used, no biggie. The check-in process at Sante Fe Springs, CA would be better if you could drop all your suitcases, etc in the pre-departure area instead of in front of the boom gates. Thanks, El Monte RV Santa Fe Springs.

We chose El Monte RV over Cruise America because of its reputation for having a newer fleet and providing a higher standard of service. Unfortunately, our experience was the exact opposite. Our RV had a serious ventilation/HVAC problem from the beginning of the trip. Whenever the engine was under load, the airflow almost disappeared from the dashboard vents, leaving the rear of the RV hot and stuffy while the driver was left with freezing cold air blowing onto his feet. During engine braking, the airflow briefly switched for a few seconds before changing again. This happened continuously for 21 days and more than 7,000 km (almost 5,000 miles). This was not a minor inconvenience—it affected every single day of our journey across the United States. To make matters worse, the shower curtain had apparently been contaminated by animal urine before we picked up the vehicle. This should have been identified during cleaning and inspection, but it wasn't. We spent almost three weeks with an unpleasant smell in the bathroom. When we reported the ventilation problem, El Monte's solution was for us to interrupt our vacation, find a service center ourselves, and spend our own holiday dealing with repairs. We had planned a 21-day cross-country trip with campgrounds, attractions, and reservations booked months in advance. We were paying approximately USD 310 per day for the RV. At that price, I did not expect to become part of El Monte's service department or spend my vacation organizing repairs for their vehicle. I expected El Monte to arrange roadside assistance or replace the RV. Neither happened. What disappointed me even more was how the complaint was handled at the end of the trip. I asked to speak with a manager, but no manager ever met with us. Instead, a staff member repeatedly walked back and forth asking management what they were willing to offer. It did not feel like anyone was genuinely interested in solving the problem or even listening to the customer. The final resolution was: waiving the cleaning fee, and offering USD 100 as goodwill compensation. Considering that we spent 21 days with a defective ventilation system, endured an unpleasant smell throughout the trip, and paid thousands of dollars for what was supposed to be a premium RV vacation, this compensation felt completely disconnected from the inconvenience we experienced. The amount itself is not the point. This trip cost our family many thousands of dollars and was a once-in-a-lifetime vacation from Europe. We did not expect perfection—mechanical problems can happen. What we expected was a company willing to take responsibility and genuinely care about its customers when something went wrong. Instead, I felt that the priority was simply to close the case as quickly and as cheaply as possible. I accepted their offer only because I live in Europe and extending the dispute in the United States was simply impractical. Based on my experience, I cannot recommend El Monte RV. If I were planning another RV trip across the USA, I would choose a different rental company. Premium prices should come with premium customer service. Unfortunately, that was not our experience with El Monte.

It was so easy to rent from this location. Very helpful staff. Location was close to my home. Class C RV was easy to drive. And loved the the extra room with the slide outs. Awning was a plus. And as I camped at a campground with electrical and water, hooking up was easy.