Is It Okay To Send My Turo Vehicle Out Like This?
In a Facebook group recently there was some conversation about sending vehicles out with cracked windshields.
A lot of hosts were saying it's okay to do so as long as you disclose it. This morning I was reading the guest reviews for a host who buys super cheap, 12-year old, high mileage vehicles for Turo and I read about check engine lights, bald tires with wires sticking out, vehicles shaking at certain speeds, bumpers falling off with the guest having to duct tape them back on for the rest of the trip, and more.
So you're getting ready for a trip and you notice something isn't perfect. Maybe a windshield crack. Maybe a check engine light. Maybe a headlight, or signal light burnt out. Maybe the windshield wipers are worn out, streaking the windshield.
You don't want to cancel the trip and take a metrics hit and you're wondering if it's okay to send the vehicle out anyway and hope for the best. Should you?
Here's a good rule of thumb.
The photo below is of the annual inspection form. If there is anything going on with the vehicle, which would be marked as a "fail" on the inspection form, and you knowingly send it out on a trip with that issue, you stand a very good chance of your protection plan being voided in the event of an accident, and all damages/injuries being on you.
Here's what you do:
First, you need to cancel the trip. Don't send it out and hope that nothing happens. Maybe nothing will. But is it really worth the risk?
Ideally you would have another vehicle you can swap them into. If so, ask the guest to agree to the swap in trip messages, and then call Turo to process the vehicle swap. This will take care of the guest, and prevent you from taking a metrics hit.
If you don't have a vehicle to swap them into, call Turo to cancel instead of just doing it in the app. I have had Turo waive the metrics hit in the past when I've called in and cancelled for a maintenance issue. I don't know if they always will...maybe I got lucky...but it's worth a shot.
Think about the traditional rental car companies.
Our competition is Enterprise, Hertz, Budget, etc. You will never get a car from any of these companies with check engine lights on, bald tires, bad brakes, burnt out lights, loose bumpers. At these places, every vehicle goes through a post-trip inspection before going out on another trip. Your vehicles need to be just as safe, road-ready, and defect free as a vehicle from any of these companies.
The first 11 years of the Turo (formerly RelayRides) platform were like the Wild West. Hosts got away with a lot of crap, both in vehicle quality and the way guests were treated post-trip. Turo has gradually been raising the bar over the last few years leading up to going public with their IPO. Once that IPO happens and Turo is a publicly traded company with shareholders, government regulators, etc. I believe the bar will be raised even more. Though I have no knowledge of any of this being planned, here are some predictions I'll make for a post-IPO Turo:
They will change the vehicle age requirements. Right now you can list a vehicle up to 12 years old. It wouldn't surprise me if they cut that in half eventually, or at least tighten it up some.
They will change the max mileage requirements. Right now you can list a vehicle up to 129,999 miles on the odometer. It wouldn't surprise me if that limit is lowered.
They will force-retire vehicles at a set mileage. Right now you can keep a vehicle on the platform indefinitely as long as it's not causing trip disruptions due to safety or mechanical issues. It wouldn't surprise me if they set a mileage limit at which your vehicle is automatically retired/unlisted at that mileage.
They will more vigorously delist hosts and vehicles for cancellations.
Let me reiterate: All four of those things are my predictions only. Nothing more. I could be wrong about all of them.
But I spent 30+ years in corporate leadership roles and I feel pretty confident of those predictions on the other side of the IPO. Publicly traded companies are held to a much higher standard and face more public relations, media, financial, and regulatory scrutiny.
Why are you doing this?
If you're doing this Turo thing as a hobby for just a little extra income, cool. Do it in such a way as to protect yourself against lawsuits and financial ruin by sending out vehicles the right way.
If you're doing this as a business, you need to offer the same quality, experience, and customer service, as the big boys. Don't be the "slumlord" of the car rental business. Not only can you badly damage yourself and your financial position, but you do a lot of damage to Turo brand reputation, which affects all of us.
If you want to build a Turo business, but don’t have the time to do it correctly, and would like to explore a completely passive approach, with professionals managing your vehicles, click the blue button below.