24 May 2019

The Start of USA Part 2

Icelandair delivered us to Orlando on 23 March at about 9pm local time, but our bodies thought it was 2am. Sleepily we followed signs to taxis. They seemed to be a very long way from the arrivals hall. Eventually we emerged into the open air where traffic noise further fuddled our tired brains. We were approached by a man asking if we wanted a taxi. His vehicle had a printed sign in the window, “Taxi”. Usually we would ignore such a doubtful conveyance, but our decision making abilities were at a low ebb.

He did have a meter; it was an app on his 'phone. We had selected an Airbnb close to the airport for our first 2 nights, but it seemed to take rather a long time to get there, despite the driver following GPS instructions – on his 'phone, of course. The fare seemed high, but at least we were at our lodging. Payment was by swiping a card through a small reader attached to the driver's 'phone. If you have a car and a smartphone you are all set up to become a taxi company!

There is an odd postscript to this journey. We paid using a New Zealand credit card, and the next time we checked the account we found the exact amount of the charge in NZ dollars on the screen. But when the monthly statement was issued the charge had vanished and has not reappeared. Very odd. And of course we cannot contact the driver to arrange alternative payment.

We knew in advance that we would have to let ourselves in to this Airbnb. We had been given a code that unlocked the front door. Inside we were met with a loud yapping from a small dog. He was behind a gate and could not get at us, but he was persistent and kept up his noisy verbal attack until we were out of his sight in the bedroom. The bathroom was adjacent so we were very quickly ready for a long sleep.

In the morning we found the lounge/kitchen area dogless so were able to make ourselves a cup of coffee before our hostess appeared. Ere (Err-ay) was very welcoming. Properly introduced, Oscar the dog was quiet and friendly. There was another couple in the house, also Airbnb guests and charming. The sun was shining. It was a lovely day.

But we had work to do. We summoned an Uber to take us to the CubeSmart storage place where our motor home, Gregory, was parked. This felt safer and was MUCH cheaper than the previous night's ride.

The key concerns were the possibility of mould (Florida can be very humid) and whether Gregory's motor would start after 3 months of idleness. CubeSmart had recommended an anti-damp product that had worked very well. The plastic bag was full of water and Gregory's interior was totally dry and mould-free. It even smelled fresh. Bill had disconnected the engine battery before we left America, and now re-connected it. He took a deep breath and turned the key. The motor started .

It was a Sunday, but there was a CubeSmart employee on duty. Mark was doing a tour of the site on his golf cart and paused to ask how things were. We thanked him for his initial advice on how to prepare a vehicle for storage, but there was an issue. CubeSmart had overcharged us. He ferried us back to the office and looked up our account on the computer. Yes, we had been debited for a full month on 17 March, even though we had given plenty of notice of quitting on March 25. But Mark couldn't do anything. The Manager, Fernando, was handling it and he was on leave until Tuesday. And refunds had to be approved by a regional manager, and she was also currently on leave. Mark was a very nice person, but at the time of writing this, a month after quitting the site, we have still not received our refund. Emails are unanswered, even the one complaining to CubeSmart Head Office. We recommend that you avoid this company.

For Sunday evening we asked Ere if she could recommend an eating house. She not only recommended a very nice Italian restaurant, she drove us there and we dined together. It was a very pleasant evening.

Monday was not such a good day. Getting work done on vehicles is often frustrated by workshops being booked up for weeks ahead. We thought we had overcome this by booking Gregory in for some non-urgent work before we left in December. While in Iceland we had received an email from Camping World to say that they could not do the work and asking to re-schedule many weeks hence. This is a very large organisation, and what were they doing cancelling our booking at short notice? We went in anyway, prepared to thump the table.

Thumping the table would have done no good. The Kissimmee branch mechanics had resigned en masse and they simply had no-one to do the work.

So we set off on the road. Filling the tank with gasoline and the fridge with food was easy enough, but where to get water? We tried a Florida state park with a campground. The ranger was apologetic, but water was not available. The reliable, but expensive, option was to book in to a campground. It was a very nice campground in Wildwood, with water and electricity and showers and all the good stuff you want from a campground. They even suggested a local business that could possibly do some repair work for us.

On Tuesday morning we tried Alliance Coach, the local RV sales and service establishment, for the one task that we really needed doing. Hooray: They managed to fit us in. Fitting the new valve would take place in the afternoon, so we had plenty of time to sit in their customer waiting area. We got talking to another couple who were also waiting for work to be done. Hooray 2: They had a tow vehicle, so they were mobile and gave us a lift to the nearest town and we had lunch together. We gave them our email address and we do hope they get in touch.

Not only was the new valve supplied and installed by Alliance Coach at a reasonable price, there was a “customer campground”; a level paved place to park with a power supply. And it was complimentary. Now that's what we call customer service!

Finally, on the Wednesday morning, 27 March, we got properly under way on the second instalment of our travels in the USA.