I Hate U-Haul Truck Rental (And So Does Everyone Else)
U-Haul is, in my personal opinion, quite possibly one of the most poorly managed businesses still in business and the only way they get away with it is because they’re almost the only game in town. The U stands for Unreliable. Ask anyone if they’ve ever had or heard of someone having a bad experience with U-Haul and prepare yourself for an intricate story about how U-Haul screwed them This is exactly what happened to me this weekend. (I added to the title because everyone else hates U-Haul too!)
I was to help my girlfriend and her roommate move out of their apartment in New Jersey starting at 10am on Saturday. The night before, her roommate called and confirmed (the guy said they had the truck on site and she could pick it up at 10ish the next day) that the truck they reserved was ready for us tomorrow. She calls the next day right before she is supposed to leave - truck isn’t there. Truck was never there. In the general area, there were no one-way trucks available for rental because it was the end of the month and they were all booked (reserved! ha!). We didn’t get a truck until 7pm, didn’t depart until 11pm, and worked all through the night until 6am unpacking.
One year ago, when my roommate and I moved out of our apartment (and into another), we too ran into the same situation. The U-Haul site had decided, even with our reservation, to rent our truck out to a walk-in customer because they didn’t know if we would show up. We didn’t get a truck that day until 2pm. This year, we opted to use a minivan from a reputable rental agency.
U-Haul is unreliable and dishonest. While they’ll gladly take your cancellation fee, they won’t give you any money if they screw you and rent out a truck you need. Most of the time we’re talking about end of the month moves where you need to follow a strict schedule in order to check out of the apartment, complete the final walk-through, and get on your way. If we didn’t move, we would have to continue paying a rent because of U-Haul’s unreliability. Don’t call it a reservation if you don’t reserve anything.
My fellow bloggers who read this, write a post about how U-Haul has screwed you and trackback to this one. Non-bloggers, send this to a friend and have them comment and/or pass it along. Spread the word, like a virus, that U-Haul is a business that should go down the tubes.
If you need to move, use these alternatives (I haven’t used them but U-Haul has screwed me two out of two times, so I’d use any of these before U-Haul ever again):
- Budget/Ryder - Ryder was acquired by Budget, so try Budget for your moving needs.
- Penske - I see their trucks all the time and the drivers are always smiling, so they can’t be all that bad.
- Hertz - Word on the street is that Hertz rents trucks as well.
- Public Storage - Storage companies typically will let you use their truck if you rent from them and with the smallest storage closets running about $30 a month, this is a great deal for in-town moves.
From the comments, it also sounds like even if you get a truck (the “lucky” ones), they aren’t reliable (surprise!) and could die on you.
U-Haul CEO’s Cell Phone Number
Courtesy of the Consumerist:
The CEO of Uhaul gave out his cellphone number last night on an episode of Inside Edition, inviting consumers to call with complaints or questions. Joe Shoen explained saying, “People can’t get this organization to behave, I can.” That number is 602-390-6525.
Let him have it!
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206 Comments - Share Your Thoughts
As Jerry Seinfeld once said: “It’s not enough to TAKE the reservation. You must HOLD the reservation!”
I’ve never been left totally out in the cold by them, but I’ve often been given a MUCH bigger truck than I reserved, which costs a bunch of extra money in the form of gas.
Oh, and I’ve had good luck with Penske.
Penske all the way. Those U-Haul trucks are a piece of shit. Penske trucks are more solid.
For those saving a buck, if you have car insurance, that normally covers the truck. I asked State Fram what it would cover. They asked me how many wheels the truck had. I said 4. She said, it’s covered.
Public Storage also has rental trucks that were inexpensive. Most people don’t think to get trucks there.
I rented from Uhaul once and though they had a truck for me, it was much bigger than what I needed. Not only did I spend more on gas, I had trouble getting the truck in and out of the alleyway near my new house. The truck itself was BEAT UP. Dents everywhere, cigarette burns all over the seat, the knob for the shifter was duct taped on, and the windshield had a massive crack running right through the middle. The truck also reeked of smoke, so much so that my belongings smelled of cigarette smoke for days after only being in the truck for a few hours.
That’s nothing, though; I had a friend who moved from Florida to California and had not one, but TWO Uhaul trucks break down on him during the trip. Ended up taking him over a week to arrive at his destination, and they tried to charge him extra for the additional days.
I, too, got screwed over by U-Haul. I’ll spare you the finer details of the story, except to say that I ordered a truck and it wasn’t there on a moving day. Oh well, they said. No apologies and no attempts to otherwise fill my order. Luckily I was able to rent a Hertz at the last minute.
Anyway, the company that owns them was operating under bankruptcy protection for a while, but I would like to see if we can’t drive them totally out of business. An organized blogging effort might do the trick.
I was present for your move last year, and I will concur that it was a horrible experience.
I had rented a Uhaul once before in a move (I hired a moving company for my last move - smartest $350 I could spend figuring I didnt have to do all of that manual labor and the move was finished in 3 hours) and it was naturally awful. I rented with a little po-dunk company in Glen Burnie, MD that apparently did not tie into the national company’s system. I got the email and confirmation number from the corporate offices, but it wasn’t until I actually called my local pick-up location that I actually found out that my reservation didn’t go through. I got lucky though, because after a couple of phone calls, I had a truck available the day I had originally reserved.
I found it cheaper to do a 1-way move than to use their intown rental rates and pay by the mile. Well, the return location near my new apartment was in a terrible location. I finally made it to the service station early the next morning to find a long line and the two customer serice reps fighting. The one kid, my guess still in HS, obviously did not want to do any work at all and the other lady who was trying to move the line had her dog behind the counter. At one point in time, I think she had to run outside for it, leaving everyone waiting…
Last year I rented a truck from UHaul. Unlike many people I know, I was lucky in that I was able to get the truck on time. I didn’t run into a problem until after I returned the truck. About 7 days after I returned the truck I received a letter from the UHaul main office stating that I never returned it. Furthermore, the letter explicitly accused me of abondaning or stealing the truck and notified me that I was being sued. I immediatly went to the UHaul store and saw the same damn truck I rented sitting in the parking lot. I was at first relieved to see the truck, but then I quickly became very pissed off for being falsely accused.
It turns out that the people in the local office neglected to tell Uhaul’s main office that the truck was returned, and UHaul’s policy is to mail the stolen vehicle letter within so many days of not hearing from this local store. You would think that - prior to writing an accusatory letter - that someone from the Uhaul corporate office would contact the local office to confirm that the truck is missing. Uhaul blows.
I echo Brian’s story. “Oh well.” Not to mention unbelievably RUDE staff. We unfortunately had to rent a storage space at the location, and I called because they overbilled me. I complained and the lady was super ghetto (for lack of a better explanation on her attitude), and proceeded to talk in Spanish to another staff member while on the phone with me (presumably complaining about me). We complained to Uhaul THREE TIMES and did not get a response.
In a couple of occasions I have gone to pick up a uhaul truck that I had reserved months in advance and they didn’t had it.
I am very disappointing with that company.
They also have the bad habit of loaning trucks to people for a few hours but still charge the day. They purposely loan the same truck to two parties on the same day to get more money out of it.
I would prefer to pay more money for a truck and not to go through the aggravation they provide.
I’ve moved a total of 4 times, 3 of which I used UHaul for.
The first time, we just rented their largest trailer. No issues there, aside from having to buy their “adapter” as they don’t use standard plugs for their hitch wiring.
\#2, I rented a 17′ van. The vehicle wasn’t safe on the highway, it simply could not get out of its own way. The interior was horribly maintained, the mirrors vibrated so much they were almost useless, and the steering was so sloppy I thought it was broke. I’d have to turn the wheel 90 degrees to even get it to engage.
\#3 I didn’t actually drive, my brother did. It was a 24′ truck. The headlights, both of them, were burned out (low beams - highbeams were OK). The transmission felt like it was slipping constantly. The interior, again, was not very good. He was scared out of his mind most of the time he was driving it.
\#3a - Same move, my wife & her brother rented a smaller van from UHaul, this one with a diesel engine. UHaul didn’t properly instruct them on startup procedures, so they had a hard time leaving the loading location. The van also wasn’t ready when they showed up to get it.
\#4, we rented from Budget. The van was in good condition throughout, felt solid and safe on the road, and much to my shock, only consumed about 5 gallons of fuel for about 60 miles of travel. It cost more than a similarly-sized UHaul, but was well worth the extra $20!
I didn’t have the logistical issues described here with Uhaul, but their counter staff aren’t the nicest in the business and the vehicles are just scary. I was very pleased with the Budget truck and the woman I dealt with, and will definitely look to them the next time I need a moving van.
My father in law used Penske about a year ago, got one of those big trucks w/ the International cab, and it was outstanding.
Sorry about those fonts, don’t know what happened. I put a pund sign in front of 2, 3 and 4, does that change the formatting?
hahaha, don’t worry about it, I bet it’s just the Markdown plugin for wordpress working overdrive.
i’ll edit it so it won’t be so angry. 
I’ve had two experiences with U-Haul: one okay, one terrible.
Obviously, it’s much more fun to talk about the terrible experience. After taking the truck to my place, I locked the door, not wanting to deal with the consequences in the unlikely event someone tried to steal it. For some odd reason, the key which worked in the ignition, did not fit the door lock. I call the service number provided and wait….and wait….and wait. After nearly two hours, their automated system timed out and hung up on me. Fabulous. So, I call again and this time make it through in a stealthy hour flat, and am told that someone will be sent to come unlock the truck, which I believe took another hour. Unfortunately, I’ve wasted a ton of time I needed to spend packing, and I’m unable to load up the truck until the next day, as I don’t want to leave my belongings in the back of an unlocked truck overnight. I end up having to start packing the truck at about 4 am so that I can get everything packed, moved, unpacked, return the truck and catch a flight that afternoon.
I’ve used Uhaul twice, in rural and northern VA, with no problems. I do recall one truck not having a radio, but not a big deal. 60 miles of silence didn’t kill me. And Uhaul was much cheaper than its competitors.
I will never rent from U-Haul again. Last summer I had a “confirmed” reservation in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. My daughter had to move out of her apartment and she and I were going to use the U-Haul truck. I called about a week before the moving date and was told all was well and that the Winnipeg office would call me the day before the move to let me know the exact time I could pick up the truck. As we we driving from another city to Winnipeg to make the move, I thought they would try to call my home number. So, I called on my cell phone while we were driving to Winnipeg the day before. I was told, “We are unable to schedule you for tomorrow.” My protestations fell upon deaf ears. So the next morning, I “set up camp” at the main U-Haul location in Winnipeg and make a big fuss. Again, I went away empty-handed. Later in the afternoon, they called me on my cell phone to say they had a truck that I could use but it had to be returned to the Winnipeg office (the move was to another city, 400 miles away and we had reserved a one-way truck). So we got the thing and loaded it up and my wife and I made the trip, unloaded, and drove back. The truck had a mirror on the passenger side that would not stay in one place and was useless and the “alternator light” was on the whole time; I’m surprised it made it.
I wrote to the regional head office and complained and asked for financial compensation for my time and fuel (I had to pay for all the fuel -even the return trip when the original rental was for one-way). They sent me a voucher for $40.00 which I threw away (an insult). The regional manager then called me a few weeks later with all kinds of excuses.
I agree that U-Haul should be put out of business - cease to exist.
I was using U-haul for the longest time to pick up inventory for my company when my other trucks were otherwise disposed. Needless to say, I eventually got rid of U-haul after being screwed about a half dozen times and started using a local company that only rents to businesses.
Let me tell you about my U-Haul experience. I rented a truck and a tow dolly in gallup, nm. I loaded up my stuff and took off. They didn’t tell us how to use the truck nor did they inspect the tow dolly. My old car was destroyed by this dolly. After that my car smoked and I had to donate it to a charity. Not only that, but the truck broke down and when we called their help line, it was manned by idiots (literally). The pay phone only let me stay a few minutes and I couldn’t explain that to the idiot in time before I was cut off. I called about 20 times before I got someone who had reasonable intelligence. I was stuck out in the middle of nowhere for about 12 hours before I was picked up. Then the guy blamed me for the destruction of the truck. (I bought their stupid insurance, so I was let off the hook.) That’s my story, and I’ll never rent from U-Haul again.
U-Haul is the suck. Penske is the bomb. ‘Nuff said.
A piece of junk U-Haul moving van died on me too. The buggers wouldn’t lift a finger to help, so I abandonned it and told them to pick it up themselves, and if they attempted to charge me for their crappy truck, I’d scream to all high heaven on them.
Anyway, I’m moving again. A problem is that all the other rental agencies I called do not supply trucks for moving from out West (Alberta) to East (Ontario). No bloody way I’m using U-Haul again. Looks like up hooped, and am going to have to hire movers for 3x the price it would be to move myself; My life just isn’t worth the risk of rental a U-Haul junker.
I Placed a “reservation” with ‘Hertz’ in “Pahrump, Nevada”- AND, ( of course ) “Hertz” was the ONLY Moving Truck rental business in that weeny town, and even then they have to “Get ALL their Trucks sent up to them from about FIFTY Different Hertz Locations in Las Vegas”-so ’should be NO Absolute problem in getting ANY Size Truck-at ANY Time- and NO “possible legit excuses what-so-ever,right”?…….
They had 7-SEVEN Trucks avail. there the “Day before”- I.E. LESS than 16 mere Hours from the “Time I NEEDED said truck and supposedly ‘RESERVED IT SPECIFICALLY Too”- and their “Comment” was if we don’t have it ‘Here’, we can get it Immediately and here within an HOUR from anyone of the OVER FIFTY ++ other “Hertz Truck rental locales within Las Vegas”- so “Hence supposedly NO Problem-right”? HA!!…I showed up at ONE Minute after they OPENED the Very Next Day. They had ONLY “Rented Half of the Trucks they had on their Lot the day before”- and then had ALL the Remaining ones Driven to Las Vegas so “they could have them on hand there”!!…OOOps, we Forgot YOUR “Reserved Truck”!..Killed the ENTIRE Day that I had to HIRE “Loaders-since I am DISABLED No Less TOO” and they arrived-BUT “NO Truck”..More $$$ Later, a truck finally arrived..BUT, the “Car Dolly” I had asked to be included, and was supposedly “Tested and Perfect and ready to Go”- and ONLY after a Whole LOT of “Near Miss rear End COLLISONS” to my being towed “Classic MUSTANG” and 50% of my trip completed / 50% Left to be Driven- did I Finally Notice that the “Tow Dollies Lights did NOT WORK”!!!! They did NOT Light up for “Braking at ALL”- AND, when I put the “Right turn signal on” the “Tow Dolly lit up the ‘LEFT Hand Side Turn Signal- and the Other Side did NOT Work at ALL Also”!!!!..Plus; I tried to “adjust their Wiring from dolly to the Truck”- and when I “Stupidly thought they may have ‘Cross-wire the dolly’s lights”- NOPE, when I tried them in EVERY Combination Possible aside from how they wired it up and TOLD ME it was “Perfect /SAFE /and Ready to go-’NO Worries”!!! The “Other wiring combinations only made it worse- Like it would show left blinking on dolly when I had right blinker on the truck turned and same to same for the Left- and STILL Absolutely NO “Stop Lights on Dolly- and MY “Car” covered over the “Trucks Tail-Lamps”-Hence people behind me had NO CLUE what I was doing Nor Trying to turn or go to at ALL!! On top of, I was Driving OVER the “Continental Divide” I.E. The Rocky mountains from west slope Colo. through the 10,000 foot+ Elevation Mtn. Roads past ALL the “Ski Resorts” along the I-70 Corridor- and in WINTER-TIME TOO No Less!!!!My “G” in Heaven!! How I was “Not Rear Ended” and MY Priceless Classic Mustang NOT “Demolished” was ONLY by a “Proverbial ACT of GOD”!!!…. And “Hertz” acted like “Gomers” when I finally arrived in Denver like “Shazamm and Golly”, boy those guys in Nevada really gave you a “junker”- NO Kidding Numb Nuts…. But- any “discounts” or anything like that- OH NO- it was “those Other guy’s fault and Not “Ours” type B.S…….Disabled People of America- NEVER-NOT Ever Rent from these People- they will give you dilapidated equipment that could EASILY KILL You!!!!
Thanks-you’ve saved me a lot of grief-was shopping for prices from Michigan to Tenn.
then saw various negative feedbacks on U Haul-decided to go with Budget-thanks again!!
I am a military, retiree, disabled as a result of military conflict. My doctors recommended I move to warmer weather because my disabilities worsened in my hometown (New York City). I chose a small beach town in Florida and rented a truck from U-Haul to make the move. That was 3-weeks ago and I still have nightmares and feel angry because U-Haul violated everything I believe in by subjecting me to the worst businesses practices I have ever encountered.
Any military and civilian person who has moved as often as I had to can attest to the fact that anything can and will go wrong on moving day. But what U-Haul did to me is purely un-American. They did not have a truck for me even though I had made a reservation 45-days in advance and had told them that I was disabled and had to hire help on moving day. I paid for movers I was unable to use, and when they finally gave me a truck at 2PM that day, they gave me their largest truck (with 227,000 miles on the odometer), which could go no faster than 45 mph, and consumed gas at the rate of 5-miles per gallon. I had to vacate the premises by noon that day or pay $2485 for violating my lease and be subjected to legal action from the person scheduled to move-in the same day at midnight. As such, my furniture sat in the corner of a New York City street while I tried frantically to appeal to U-Haul to please help me get a truck.
I called U-Haul several times on my way down to Florida because once I left the city, the truck developed too many problems and it was unsafe to drive. Every person I talked to was rude and they would hang-up the phone whenever I told them my name and situation. We drove as far as Virgina, where State Troopers pulled me off the road and said I was driving a hazardous piece of equioment…and to have U-Haul come tow it. I called them and explained my situation, but they hung-up the phone. The trooper called from his phone and they sent a tow truck. When the trooper left, the tow truck asked me to follow him. Two exits down the highway, he told me that his job was to escort me out of that county and to wish me a safe trip. I was left on the side of the highway at 5PM and I was too tired to continue a battle I could never win. My driver was exhausted from trying to keep the truck on the road, so we stayed at that exit and crawled to a hotel and stayed for the night. The next day they said they were not sending anyone out to check the truck and that if I left it there, they would sue me for abandoning their equipment. At 40mph I finally made it to my destination several days later.
U-Haul employees at all levels are nice when they take your reservation: they start treating you as a non-person once they procure two credit card numbers and non-refundable charges are made to your card. A reservation and confirmation number mean nothing: as the regional officer manager told me, “You are welcome to send me your confirmation number on a piece of toilet paper I can use to wipe my a$$***e. I bought their “Safe Move” insurance, but collected nothing because they say that I ultimately made it to my destination alive and there was no basis for a claim! When I returned the truck they continued to be rude. They were so abusive I had to call the police to leave one of their operating locations. There is a police report on file as the officers who responded to my call believed that the “brother” of a U-Haul employee threatened me with bodily harm within the U-Haul facility, and they were sure he intended to hurt me before I left the premises. Now I have this case pending in court as the officers asked me to please file charges and not let the individual get away with it. As I was leaving the facility, one of their empoyees yelled that I had to bring the cops because I was a scared “faggot.” The cops ended their yelling, but that is hardly a way to treat anyone who has done you no harm.
If you love yourself and trust in good, hardworking principles, please do not rent from U-Haul. They did everything in their power to make my move a living hell. I am not a cry-baby, and as I said, I expected things to go wrong. I have been to wars and conflicts and I know that life is not fair. I would always expect any business to make as much money as possible to maximize their profit, but I do not see why U-Haul employees at all levels feel the need to disrespect people at will. I never once asked for anything special in return for my military service: I did what I wanted to do with my life and I must live with the consequences of a decision I made when I was 18-years old. Regardless, I would have enjoyed basic courtesy from the people who work at U-Haul. They are un-American and if you can refrain from using them, please do yourself that favor.
I am sure there are good, hardowrking people associated with this company, and I am truly sorry that I had to bad-mouth U-Haul in general. Whoever such good people are, I am sorry that I did not have the pleasure of meeting you.
Thank you for reading this.
Don
Don,
“Blah blah military blah retired blah blah military blah blah blah… I never once asked for anything special in return for my military service…” Then stop talking about it! Your gratuitous mention of your military service detracts from your story. I’m sure everyone will agree that the experience you relate was horrible. There’s no need to try to make people feel like you’re owed something for your military service.
correction jackass, he is owed something.
e.g. not receiving stupid remarks from jackasses like you.
he mentioned it three times. to make clear why he’s disable, to refer to why he moves a lot, and to reaffirm how he doesn’t expect special treatment. yeah, it really really detracted from the story, didn’t it?
please.
I called around the day of the move so I didn’t have an issue with any reservations. But my problem was with the dolly. The plastic string was broken when I arrived at my brother in law’s house to pick up the furniture. At first I thought it was free to use and thought it was nice of Uhaul to have a dolly. It’s like going to a nice hotel that gives you free shampoo I figured. But then I noticed that the blankets/cloths had a blue plastic string securing them.
That’s when I figured it out. That wwas when I first feared that they would end up charging me for a dolly even though I hadn’t touched it.
The next day sure enough the charge was there and the store manager would not hear about it. He was fixed on the notio that all trucks have the plastic string secured before they are rented.
I informed him that the sales person never opened the back door to tell me about the dolly or the blankets or to verify them in front of me. The store manager didn’t care.
The mistake here is $7. And I think I woulod let it go because that kind of money is not worth my agrevation. But, what pisses me off is this fucking store manager’s response.
I mean if he would have said he’s sorry, I would have let it go. The store in question here is the one in Cicero Illinois.
So this morning I put in a complaint on their website at http://www.uhaul.com. Within 15 minutes the store manager called me to inform me about the he received the complaint I had just placed on the web. I must say that is an impressive system they have. I hope that there is some kind of reconciliation process and that more than the store manager looks at it of the issue is with the store manager.
So in the call the store manager informed me that he would give me a $10 VIP voucher for a future purchase. I told him to forget it. He insisted he would mail it so I said fine. I can’t wait to get the voucher and throw it away. I guess my reward will be the time he will take to send the voucher and the money they will spend on sending it.
I will definately use Uhaul in the future ONLY if every other possible rental resource fails.
I was helping my boyfriend move last winter and when we got to the u-haul pickup place they had no gas trucks (like we had reserved, but as I have read, a reservation with uhaul means nothing). They had one diesel truck that they could let us have. Only problem was that the truck wouldn’t start without being boosted in the -10C weather. They went and boosted it and said “do you want to take it? I wouldn’t if I were you” — the glimmerings that good people work for this god-awful company. So we said NO, we don’t want it. They said they had a bigger truck up the road so we went there (we wasted at least an hour and a half between these two stores).
Then later, even this truck broke down and it took uhaul 3 hours to boost it. They wouldn’t tow it back to their store even though we were done with it and it was unreliable so we had to drive it ourselves, biting our nails hoping it wouldn’t break down again on the highway.
2 weeks later, a friend rented a uhaul truck to come from Toronto to Montreal. She parked it on the street overnight. It was on 1 cm. of ice. The tires were so bald that she couldn’t get it out of the parking spot the next morning despite the attempts every passer-by made to help. Uhaul never answered the phone. She was just glad she didn’t know how bad the tires were when she was driving on the highway.
I just came across this site ( http://www.rateitall.com/t-171-moving-companies.aspx ) that provides ratings on truck rental companies and other things. The results it shows may not be a good representation for every moving truck company based on the number of ratings, but it may help inform viewers looking for a truck rental.
06/2006
I move with U-haul for the last time in 2000. I moved my late Mothers property from PA to Calif. Along the way the truck caught fire in St. Louis. We had to unload and repack into anohter truck. As luck would have it, same thing happend in Wyoming. It took the local U-Haul dealer 3 days to fix the truck. If it were not for the nice hotel clerk, we would still be in that one hourse town. She called the nearest [company] location and they had a truck to us in a few hours. The local dealer was pissed off at the U-Haul company and was trying to milk them out of some more money at mey expense. BASTARDS. Well, U-Haul refunded me $ 150.00 for my troubles. That money went to my lawyer who had written them a nasty letter with the option of a court case. LOL.
Last time I moved, I spent the extra money and hired a local company. Cost me $ 600 and I never lifted a finger. If I would of rented a U-Haul truck the cost was over $ 1500. for the smae distance, etc.
U-haul is the most corrupt, and incompetent company ever. Here is the war story.
Stage one.
We planned to move from Westchester county NY to Los Angeles CA. My wife reserves a trailer online. We get an email and I think even a phone call saying it will be so. Day of move, my wife and her brother are going to drive across the country and there is a deadline so time is important. I call U-haul location where we are to pick up the orange piece of shit that would eventually be tied to our car. The manager at the location in Stamford CT says there is no 5×8 trailer there. So I call the regional office who assures me it is there. (bald face lie, they even put me on hold for a while to “check with the manager”. I call the manager back and say that the regional says he has one, he replys nope, I’m looking at the lot right now. So I ask him if he spoke to anyone from Uhaul recently about it. “No one called and I’m the only one here is his reply” Okay so I call back in a few hours and speak to some one who barely got out of 5th grade. “yeah it’s here”
Okay so we drive over to pick it up, big surprise there is no trailer. I bitch at the person at the counter who makes a half asses effort to locate another one. He finds on in Bridgeport CT. This is rush hour now so that is like an hour drive from where we are. Can you try White Plains, or Yonkers I ask? “I don’t know the number” he replies. A long pause as I stare at him with disbelief. He is standing in front of a computer, “411?” I suggest. He actually calls another location and asks them if they have the number. I look around for the video crew, but remember candid camera has been off the air for like 15 yrs. So they sent us running off, when we are sitting in traffic, we call the regional office again. “Bridgeport, you should be going to White Plains”. So we turn around and drive to White Plains, but they have the wrong trailer, it is one far too big for our car to tow. By this time the original trailer is in Stanford so we go pick it up. While we are doing the paper work we notice that the drop off location is Menlo Park CA. We need to go to Los Angeles (300+ mile difference). We ask if this is a problem, the kid behind the counter says no just call Menlo Park on the way and let them know. “There won’t be a fee or anything?” we ask. “No big deal” he says.
So we drive the trailer to LA, and call Menlo Park to let them know what we are doing. “we are going to have to charge you $46.00 they say. Well we take it to Santa Monica Uhaul on Lincoln St. and turn it in. Is there going to be a fee, we ask and explain the situation. “Uh all the managers are in a meeting” but the girl took my cell and said that they would call me if there were any issues. No call no nothing, ok that nightmare is over we think.
Two weeks later there is a charge of $411.15 on our credit card. I call up to fix it, get bounced around, hung up on, lied to many times, told to call other places etc. So we go down there. They have falisfied an entire document a “Promissary Note” that we have never seen nor signed.
Anyway we are still fighting with them.
Summary:
Lied to mulitple times by multiple Uhaul staff at all levels.
Fictional documents created
Unauthorizd charges
Probably burned over 400 cell minutes with them.
The next time I move anything, I will buy a string of pack mules before I use Uhaul.
I have a two stage system for rentals: Trucks and trailers
For trucks I recommend Penske. They seem to be well maintained, decent power, customer service seems pretty good.
For trailers (I have a pick up truck) Uhaul is about the only game in town. I have had (out of maybe a dozen rentals) 1 perfect trailer (no bad bulbs, good tires, clean), 5 ok ones (beat up, but ok), the rest were junk or I had to turn down really unsafe units.
UhAUL trucks tend to be breakdowns waiting to happen.
Had a bad time with Ryder (I think they are now owned by another company) they tended to put great big bodies on little trucks, unless you hauled pillows or balloons they squashed like bugs.
Uhaul tends to screw their franchises big time as well. So one reason the customer service in Nowheresville tends to be bad is that the boss just got a letter saying “we aren’t going to send you trucks/money/paperwork this month, have a nice day” from Uhaul.
I too have had a bad,expensive experience with uhaul. Therefore I’m seeking help from anyone that might have an alternative. I’m moving from Long Island to Tallahassee the end of August and nobody rents cargo vans one way. I only have a few items and don’t need the 10′ gas hog that is only rented one way. Even a pick up truck would do but all the rental web sites that say they have a van or pick up truck and after filling out all the information forms, there’s not even a mention of a pick up truck. Help.
Anyone ever tried to sue Uhaul? It appears that is has been done before with a positive outcome.
My story? I was scheduled to move 450ish miles yesterday. My wife had called a few times and was told that she would have a truck. She flat-out asked if we would have a truck on Saturday because we had originally had a truck scheduled on Sunday and were told that would be unavailable or not guaranteed.
So, she asked ‘If I change the reservation to Saturday will I have a truck for sure’ ‘Yes’ was the answer on the other line.
Saturday comes and we’re waiting for our pickup call….waiting….waiting. Finally call at 3 pm and told they are backlogged and that we are No. 4 on the list. Told we’ll be bumped to No. 1. Call at 4:00 because nothing appears to be happening. Talk to anoter rep who states we are No. 6 on the list. Very rude and states that they have 1/3 of their 104 rentals for today that are backordered. Pretty much blames me for choosing to move at the end of the month ‘because of eviction notices’ and says I was only guaranteed the truck space. States that I was called and told about this (blatant lie) and that I can take two small trucks and a trailer and ’she’d be happy with that’.
Yeah, real happy when I had movers scheduled, an apartment to pay rent to tomorrow, a space to be out of yesterday and now I have to pay gas for two trucks and get a friend to drive one down to LA and then pay for a fligth back up to Sacramento?
So, in doing research, it appears uhaul constantly overbooks so as to never have any trucks not being used. In my cases, this meant I was No. 6 on a list.
It appears that class action suites have been silenced, but small claims court lawsuits have been met with success. I am not a lawyer, but it would seem to me that Uhaul is rather blatantly breaking implied contracts. We were never told our reservation was not a guarantee and were, in fact, told that our truck would be available on Friday somewhere at sometime (while not guaranteed a time or location) and this simply never happened.
I feel like I am kicking a dead horse here but I wasted two entire days of my life thanks to U-Haul. “Someone will call you before 5 P.M. the day before your move to let you know when and where you can pick up your truck” I heard trustingly, repeatedly. After waiting all day five came and went with nary a peep from U-Haul. I spent a good twenty minutes on hold (My call is important to them — how nice!) I was assured that a representative would call in the next half hour. After waiting over an hour I called back and proceded to wait on hold for another twenty minutes (Is my call really important to them?) and again be told with 100% philosophical certainty that someone would call within the next hour. By the time I tried calling again after no one called I discovered that they were closed for the night, God bless them! Their 1-800 number was another massive waste of time as the rep informed me her only power was to send an email to someone who would call me — what is the point of that? The next day, the day of my scheduled move, I called the instant their call center opened, but still spent a good ten minutes on hold only to hear the same old line “someone will call you…” and I cut her off informing her of my experience the day before. The call was cut off after I asked to talk to a supervisor. Livid I went for a long walk to my office to discover that U-Haul sent me an email describing when and where I could pick up my truck. Why didn’t anyone tell me to check my email?! My experience with the staff at hte U-Haul store was not much better as, of course, they did not have the truck I reserved, but something bigger that I did not want but had to take. The move went smoothly, seven hours behind schedule, leaving me to pay for the truck for an extra day. . How could I forget that their was only 1/4 of a tank of gas in the truck when I picked it up– lovely! Even though the truck looked brand new it did not run very well. Trying to return it was also a nightmare as the staff seemed more interested in loudly discussing their seemingly soap opera-esque lives than helping customers. I have learned my lesson — I would sooner carry all my belongings on my back then use U-Haul ever again.
I LOVE this! I did not know that I was not the only ones being tooled by U-Haul. We have had great luck with Penske. When I went into to make a reservation, the service rep encouraged me to make it on-line to save money. The call ceter was very helpful, and gives and addtional discount for AAA members. As an aside, Penske gives you two days for the same price as one….so you could pick up and pack the truck the day before your trip.
We found U-Haul to be incredibly rude and unreliable. The LAST and I mean the VERY last time we used them, my rather large son and I had to basically sit on their front stoop, forcing any other customers to step over us, until they gave us a truck that was sitting right there on the lot. They said it was reserved by “someone else”, and “our” truck was not there. They told us SOOO many lies that day. Such as “Well, you hung up on me last night when I called you.” Did it ever occur to her that she might have had the wrong number.
To Carolyn: You might try calling the major movers and see if you can add your load to a partially filled truck. We moved an inherited dining set and piano that way once.
I love that this little “Chat room” comes up when you google U-Haul.
I have rented from U-haul many times it the past and the co. has gone from good to bad. Last Nov. we moved from Mechanicsburg PA to Tallahassee FL, in a 6′x12′ trailer, no problems, but $710.00 on way + safemove. We just moved back to Mechanicsburg PA with a 24′ truck $566.00 one way, does this make sence??? We also had an auto transport $255.00 one way, no problems with it. The truck was there when I went to pick it up, so was the auto transport that I was told was not. Upon examination of the truck I found the right side hood latch missing, the battery was not secured, the right side spot mirrior was dangling in the breeze, and the front tires had 50psi out of the 100psi required, when I informed the manager of my concerns, she told me there was nothing she could do. I took the truck drove home, vibrated badly on the way, loaded the truck and stated driving to PA. The truck broke down at exit 90 on I95N, AC went and the volt meter dropped to 10 volts and the temp gauge started climbing, stopped opened the hood, found the AC belt missing, called roadside, they arrived 2 hours later, was told if it’s anything more than a belt to roll the windows down and drive, while on the phone with roadside my dog has a heat stroke. They bring the wrong belt, they test the alternator its putting out 14 volts, its working they say the truck must have a short in it, it’s ok to drive. We go up 95 to exit 119 to the TA truck stop so they can put the right belt on it and we can get some dinner, get a motel room for the night and start again in the morning. We get up get going, everything is fine until we get to the beltways around DC, the belts start screaming, the brake pedal goes to the floor, and the left rear wheel starts smoking, carefully we get off the beltways on to 40 get stopped, call roadside, wait 4 hours for them to get there to tell us we’ve seen worse and to drive it to our new home 60 mi. away, after being told they were going to tow it to our house. I’am traveling with a 24′ U-haul, 2 Ford F-150s and a Chevy s-10 and 2 drivers. When I was told they were going to tow it from the back we changed things around, trailed and towing vehicles, and had to reassemble to our original configuration. We get back on the road, refuel the truck, get on the highway and the truck breaksdown again. I called roadside, they tow the truck to my house, we unload it, I call again to have them tow it away, 3rd phone call later they finally get the truck and tow it in to a service center. Two days later I am finally able to locate the truck to close my contract. I am told to contact the renting ofiice to make a complaint, I do so, this is after getting the run around about who to make the complaint to, the manager tells me the items I showed her didn’t cause my problems, I didn’t have a complaint, and she wasn’t taking one, and that this truck was well maintained. I beg to differ!!! I called regional here in PA, they took the complaint, told me to contact Tallahassees’ regional office if I didn’t hear from the manager in 24 hours, I did that today and they refunded my money, so they say. If you don’t get satisfaction keep climbing their corprate ladder until you do, or get a lawyer. I don’t think I will use U-haul again, even if they are the last moving co. around. I will update if and when I get my refund
I rented a truck from UHaul to drive to Chicago from Boston. When I got the truck wasn’t there but a very old truck was being worked on. I asked why they truck wasn’t ready when I reserved it and only got an annoyed look. Later I was told they lost the key to start it. I waited close to an hour to get the truck I reserved for a certain time.
Soon they told me the old truck that was being operated on was mine. It looked VERY shabby so I asked for another and was rudely told that’s all they had, which was a blatant lie. The mechanic working on the truck looked at me funny and asked if I was taking the truck to Chicago. I said yes. “This truck?” he laughed. I answered yes, why? It’s only for crosstown trips, I was told. Again I asked for another truck but was ignored. Stressed and already late I took the truck and moved all my possessions into it. After I finished I realized I didn’t have the lock to the back gate so I had to go back to get it.
Once there the manager seemed happy to see me and ran out as fast as his fat little legs could carry him to tell me they forgot something. Then he opened the hood and pulled out the key that was lost, along with the original contract. Wondering how the hell a company could be so negligent, I was given the key and then ignored again.
During the trip the truck had all sorts of problems. It slowed down, the brakes would whine like they were about to break, it would shudder and shake. I wonder what condition the truck was in before they worked on it. Halfway to Chicago, in Pennsylvania, the truck stopped going up an incline and began to go backwards. Then it caught fire. I leaped out, along with my friend and grabbed only what we had on us. Within a minute. The cab was engulfed in flames. I called 911 immediately but, being on the highway, it took half an hour for them to get there. By that time the truck, along with everything I owned, was destroyed. The windshield and all the tires popped, the gas tank exploded and one side and the roof of the cab was blown out from the heat. The fire was so intense in the cab that nothing survived but the metal frame.
I called U Haul to tell them and they seemed indifferent (later I would learn such an incident was all too common) and they gave me the run around before telling me to call a number. I did but was put on hold twice. Finally I was able to speak to someone who treated me with condescension but got a tow truck out to claim their truck. Meanwhile the fire department was sweeping out the ashes of what once was my truck.
U Haul’s attention to this problem has been nonexistent. They have avoided my calls and hung up on me when I tried to come to a settlement. DO NOT DEAL WITH THEM. Their actions are atrocious, dangerous and illegal.
Some pictures of the fire and the truck:
The picture didn’t link, if you would send me the location of them I can fix the comment.
Thanks!
As of this morning I have recieved my full refund from U-haul sent in 500.00 batches.
U-Hell is horrible. Went one time to get the truck… no truck. Wasted hours finding a nearby truck.
On another ocassion I got a truck and loaded to move Ga to DC. The engine was in such bad shape that I couldn’t go over 45mph uphill on the interstate. Stopped in Winston-Salem at the U-HELL PLACE! and asked to change trucks. Was told no. The lady at the UHELL station handed me the phone and told me to call the 800 trouble line. I talked to some dork in India who made arrangements for a local mechanic to repair the truck I was using. Cost me hours of time and anger and frustration.
Moving from DC back to GA, I called UHELL again (no competition or it is too high) and “reserved” a truck. The day before I call to confirm and I am told it will be ready at 4:00PM!!!! I have made arrangements for two of my kids to be in DC to help me move thinking I will get thje truck early in the morning and load up all day and drive that evening.
The outside right mirror on this truck was broken and visibility was about 25% on that side.
Used Budget this week. They may be better but I am not sure. Service was inadequte at the res desk. Attitude at return desk was crappy. Equipment was ok but I sprang the front bumper on my Accord when backing it off the tow dolly. Not sure if it was me or the tow dolly design.
Will try Penske next time, and I tell everyone that UHELL in pathetic, don’t go there.
U-Haul is the first company that does’t pay their bills, and tell this company that they didn’t do the work.Do you know of any one that owns a business that just sends out bills to companys for work they haven’t done. Well there is a first time for every thing.
But try to call Mr Joe Shum and guess what he is never there. I guess they just have to much estrogen in this company & not enough testosterone.
I also hate U-Haul with a passion for several botched “reservations.” I have discovered that some Home Depot stores rent trucks in the same area that they rent large tools. I have even been unlucky enough to have a phone number that is one digit different than our local “Screw Haul.” We get lots of ticked off wrong numbers on a monthly basis.
So Budget is on the same path as U-HAUL. I reserved a a Budget truck for two days but the website seems to force a three day rental. Called the rental office to “modify” the reservation as Budget instructs. The agent said she took care of it. Went to pick up the truck three days later. There was one rental agent and eight people lined up at opening time. I was number eight. by the time I got to the counter there were eight people behind me. The agent printed out the contract, being in a hurry and not wanting to hold up the line I signed the paper without carefully reading it. Turns out that the reservation change was apparently not “taken care of”. I use the truck and return it less than 48 hours later. By now I have seen that the agreement shows three days. I figure the return agent can adjust the bill and charge me for two. She says no, I must call “customer service” (ha-ha). They say I reserved three days, I must pay three days even though I used only two. Cost me about $100. So Budget just bought a $100 anti-Budget truck rental campaign. I will talk them down to everyone I know for as long as I live. These companies are predatory and prey on the lower third economic strata. I smell class action suit.
Agree, avoid U-Haul like the plague. I rented a 5×8 trailer, filled it about half full, and began my cross-country move. On day 2, the transmission blew and off the road we went. Two different wrecker drivers and the AAMCO manager advised me that no way should my car have been pulling a trailer of any sort, U-Haul would have known this but is inthe business of renting equipment, and expect U-Haul to blame any and every problem on my car. Exactly what happened. I was stranded in OK for days getting a new trans and had to have the contents of the trailer boxed and shipped. To add insult to injury, I have just noticed U_haul in OK charged me to pick up their trailer which was in the hotel parking lot. They wanted to know why I didn’t return it myself, even after I explained that the vehicle was having the trans rebuilt. Unbelievable. I have filled out a ‘Damage Claim’ form and am just waiting for U-Haul to reimburse me for nearly $4K in full. What do you think????
Hi U haul sucks because they never have any trucks you cant ever reserve an intown rental and some things like their trailers certain vehicles wont be alloud to tow it because of some insurance problem they suck i hate them we just want a freakin truck for 2 or 3 hours for sat. gosh u haul sucks
—FUCK YOU U HAUL—
U haul is a pain in the ass rip off!! , My girlfriend and i reserved a truck 1 month in advance to move from alberta to b.c., they confirmed the hole bullshit reservation told me some dude would call me the night before to confirm the pick up time. so the 29th came and we recieve a call saying that the truck will not be available, but if we were willing to travel 3 or 4 hours elsewhere in the provence we might be able to get a truck, we dont have a fucking car man, so i ask to cancel and i am told that there will be a cancellation fee but a truck might be ready in 3 days and maybe they will call me. We need to leave on the 30th (because you know end of the month need to move out!!) they are fucking asshole jerks and we are still dealing with them DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DEAL WITH UHAUL, just another corporation thriving on money!
—JOIN THE ANTI CORPORATION MOVEMENT—
For many years, I used U-Haul as they were usually the least expensive for the duration of the rent. At $20 a day, I never expected alot. Until one move my family moved across town. I rented a truck on Saturday to be returned on Monday morning by 9 am. I would have rented only for the one day, but the office was closed on Sunday and thus, I was coerced to rent for yet another day. I tell the clerk that I have work in the morning but will be able to return the truck during my lunch hour at 11am. The clerk goes to the “manager” and affirms that this is okay. So we proceded iwth our move and I reluctantly pay for an extra day of use in which the empy truck sat in my driveway.
That following Monday, I call the U-Haul Office from my work to confirm my late drop-off. I had an uneasy feeling that I was going to get screwed somehow. The clerk (a different one this time) says that I MUST turn it in by 9am because it has been reserved, or I will have to pay for yet another day of rental. The time was 8:30am and there was no way I could make it anyway. I explained to the clerk the arrangement I made with the “manager” and the clerk hurriedly agreed and qucikly ended the call.
11am that same morning, I drive the truck from my work to the gas station to “return it with a full tank of gas”. After paying $35 in gas to fill it, I then drive to the U-Haul Lot to return it. Yet another, different clerk assists me in the return and he tries to impose a late fee for the truck. Again, I explain the arrangement and again he talks to his “manager” whom recalls the arrangement. Appearently, nothing was noted on my account about this, which was the explanation for the confusion.
But that isn’t the end of this fiasco….
As usual, the clerk checks the milage and fuel. I was in a state of shock when I got my bill for the milage. Not that it wasn’t expected (as it states the charges on the contract), but more that I didn’t realize I drove the truck as much I did. Two trips at about 8 miles a piece, and driving the truck to work added to about 35 miles. At .67 cents a mile that about ate up my “deposit”. It was what the clerk said (and marked on the return slip) that got me heated.
The fuel guage was reading 7/8 a tank. Slightly under being full which, under contract, I am obligated to return the truck as. The penalty for not bringing back the truck with a full tank was a fee of $35. I was outraged and explained that the truck was full. The backed thier claim by taking me to the truck (now moved to another spot) where the tank did register just under full. The common explanation would be that the truck was on a list (which it was) causing an unjust reading. But the clerk (and now his manager) were adamant about this.
They were getting my money, no matter what.
Not arguing the reading much further, I offer to take the truck myself to the gas station that was literally across the street to “top-it-off”. But they weren’t accepting this. Not only was the truck “late” and them “doing me the favor” by not making my pay the late fees. It was already registered in thier system as being checked in and now assigned to a reservation (the next sucker must have already been there for the truck). I argued with the manager and was getting nowhere. I showed him the receipt for the gas purchased not an hour prior.
He finally “waived” part of the penalty by “giving” me $10 off my bill as a “Customer Satisfaction” discount. Customer Satisfaction my lost tail!!!!! So in reality, I only paid half a days rent on a day that I didn’t need anyway because they were closed. What I did pay was $35 for a refueling charge on 7/8 Full tank of gas. Time was running short for me, my lunch hour nearly spent and my co-worker paciently waiting to take us back to the office; I had no choice but to accept this BS of an offer.
Needless to say, I have yet to rent from U-Haul ever again. As a business owner, I find myself renting cargo trucks at least once a month and Budget Truck Rentals have gained a good share of my business. In fact, they’ve even offered more economical means for me (such as renting vans or minivans). So it is true, U-Haul is indeed hated by everyone (or at least many)…..
wow - I have also been screwed exactly like this. I complained to the Better Business Bureau, but obviously, it just keeps happening. Penske came through in that crunch - which was unbelievable as it was moving day for 25,000 college graduates and I had to “reserve” my UHaul months in advance.
My wife and I reserved the truck, got email confirmation (in all caps, kind of rude), and the call saying when we could pick up the truck - at a location 20 minutes farther than the nearest one in a part of Denver I don’t know very well.
When we get there they won’t accept my check or credit cards, even though I specifically asked about this over the phone. So we hunt around for an ATM, come back and get our truck with cash, 3:00 later than we thought. I guess that’s not as bad as it could have been. The whole time we were there, a 17 year old kid was behind the counter trying to help us and two other customers while the other employees were seemingly on perpetual break - smoking cigarettes out front and distracting the one guy who was working.
We drove it to Michigan. We had a blowout in Nebraska, so after we pulled over, we called the help line and were put on hold. Just then, a big U-Haul tow truck comes down the freeway. The driver sees us and pulls over and asked what happened. When we told him, he gets out his phone, calls somebody, and says a guy will be there to change the tire in 30 minutes and that we can hang up from the U-Haul help line. It happened exactly like he said and we were on our way less than 30 minutes after the blowout. It was a miracle.
The experience left us not knowing what to think (bad service at the front end, but miraculous roadside service). When we started talking to everyone else, we realized that we had a good experience by comparison.
Anyway - next move we rented Penske. Two thumbs up.
I had an 888 number for several years for our vacation rental which must have been close to a U-Haul number because we always had people calling for U-Haul… mad, broke down, missed reservations, wanting refunds. They were always at wits end. There is no way I’d ever use U-Haul again.
I recently moved with Penske on a one-way trip and saved about $700 dollars compared to U-Haul. I had to return the truck about 50 miles away because they didn’t have a drop-off here, but it was worth it. On-line reservations were easy, service was great, and I didn’t have to wait in line. I highly recommend Penske. (Oh, and their trucks are really nice too.)
Another vote for Penske!
I’ve used U-haul a couple of times with les than stellar results, luckil nothing like the horror stories on here. Moved from Missouri to Pennsylvania with Penske this summer. It went great. Easy online reservations, competitive rates! The give a 12% discount for AAA members. I wasn’t a member, but Penske has a link on their site so you can join. I think it cost me $55 to join, but it gave me an $85 discount.
I’ll use Penske again if at all possible!
We too had a problem with U-haul or after reading Walter’s comment “U-Hell”. My husband and I moved from Montana to Calgary two years ago. We rented a truck in Kalispell, loaded it and we were on our way. We only made it about 12 miles out of town when we stopped to fill the tank and discovered that the parking break did not work. We called the 800 number and had to wait about 30 minutes for a call back. Then they advised us to drive back to Kalispell to have it fixed. We turned around, drove back, and waited an eternity for them to check out the problem. The guy brought out a chunk of metal and clunked on a part on the truck to make the brake light work. THEN……. I kid you not… gave us a piece of FIREWOOD to stick under the tire in case we had to park. Again, as mentioned previously by others…. There were no other trucks available. We made our trip and every stop was a major hassle. The next delightful moment we had with U-haul was when we returned the truck after the move and they told us that we had gone over our mileage and tried to charge us. My husband had already explained our whole ordeal to them and we didn’t even get an apology. When the girl tried to charge us, my husband basically had to speak very slowly and say…”OK, No….do you not hear what I am saying?….U-haul and this crappy truck are the reason there are extra miles.” “Not only are we not paying for extra miles, we are not paying full price for this piece of junk!” He had to walk them outside and show them the metal piece used for banging on the brake part and also the chunk of firewood before they finally got it. What a joke! I have never experienced such poor customer service. Some basic training here would be really helpful although it doesn’t sound like the managers have much more of a clue. Next time around I think we will try Penske.
This company needs to be put out of business. I am currently sitting, waiting for a truck, 8 hours after I was to pick up the truck I “reserved” (U-Haul ought to look up the definition of that word in the dictionary). With no option for other companies at this late stage in the game I am at the mercy of the heartless giant. If I had kown this beforehand, I would have rented with Budget. I will from now on.
DO NOT EVER RENT FROM “UHAUL” UNLESS YOU ENJOY PAIN AND MISERY!
I WOULD NOT WISH THIS ON MY WORST ENEMY!
I’ve used U-Haul twice. The first time was pretty bad.. but their on-site staff at the Winnipeg St. James location did everything they could to help us out. Called us the night before to tell us there was no truck.. all they had were trailers. Luckily my moving buddy had a big F150 and could pull one. When we got there, we found that the wiring plug on the truck was in bad shape and not even compatible with the trailers. The guys at the store were very apologetic about our situation and didn’t make excuses. For no charge they re-wired my buddy’s truck.. just had to pay for the wiring attachment, which was like $10. I had no complaints about the staff, which is why we used them the second time.
Second time went off without a hitch, but we did move mid-month which likely accounts for that. This next move is into our first house and I don’t want to mess with it… I’m gonna hit up Budget. Anyone know other truck companies in Winnipeg?
I rented a uhaul and they said i was getting the truck that the woman told me i was going to get and t turned out she wasnt going to bgive me that nice newer one and by new i mean like a 1989 so instead she gave me this crappy stick shift with grinding gears and a transmission that sounded like it was about to fall out . Damn piece of shit drove like a pig. it had no working ac or radio or lowering system and the back was full of someones junk. you could hear me start it up a half of a mile away. almost around 300,000 miles on it before i used it . they charged me 300 for a day. screw that i said i threw them a 150 dollars and they took it and i screwed never again will i use there crappy trucks.
I must say that there are a lot a similarities to the airline industry here. Everybody wants their truck rental or plane ticket dirt cheap and then whine up a storm when things go poorly due to lack of maintenance, delays or poor customer service. In all fairness, my experiences with most truck rentals have been mixed bag- some good and some bad. I have only had one truck quit on me completely and it was no fun. When I rent power equipment in my business, I only deal witht the most reputable firms, not because I have money to burn, but because it is ultimately a better deal to spend more on newer and better maintained equipment that is less likely to fail then to have to pay for all the wasted time. I would be willing to pay up to 50% more for a higher quality truck rental experience or plane ride for that matter- it would be well worth it in the long run.
Re: Dan Kope
The airline business like the hotel business tends to overbook reservations (I was in the business for years) UNLIKE U-haul, when they oversell and end up with more people than flights or hotel rooms they don’t tell you that you are S.O.L., they generally bump you to another flight or even hotel room somewhere else (and pay for it) NOT U-haul, Hell I have flown SW airlines, the least expensive out there that I have seen and have always had great service with them. I don’t agree that cheap means crappy. I don’t think this has to do with people trying to get something dirt cheap, I think it has to do with a huge company not training their staff! U-haul needs to get a clue!
As an employee at West Sac UHaul I must say these comments disturb me. Of course if you go across the nation some nightmarish stories will start to pile up. Every company has its problems, and when viewed on the scope of the whole nation, it may seem like this is the majority of happenings, but I assure you it is a smaller percentage by far than those who have had a great experience at UHaul. Everyday I get told at my job how great people think we are and how they have had nothing but wonderful UHaul experiences. My store has been commended through letters for our excellent customer service (710-056), and in some of these stories I noticed a common thread. Unfortunately reservations are subject to availability, and trust me no matter how soon you think you made your reservation, someone else beat you. We can only have so many trucks on each site, and there are so many people who need to move, especially on peak moving dates, such as the end of the month, and to expect a big company not to have something awry, when in such demand you must admit is ludicrous. I feel for people, I have been a customer, and I know what it’s like to be angry. I got furious at Target the other day, but this does not mean that I now hate all Targets. It just means that employee was not the best. Come out to West Sacramento UHaul, and we will take care of you , I promise.
-Ryan Kile
i have read all of the bitching and moaning that people have posted here
all i have to say is i move every 18 months or so for the past 25 years (FOR WORK) i have used every rental company there is and i can truefully say i have never had a single problem with uhaul
yes i have ran into a few rude people along the way tell me one company that dose not end up with a rude employee now and then
and really would you want there job dealing with people at there worst (everyone hates to move.)
as for the resv. people need to learn how to read they tell you everything pick up time subject to availablty location same thing rate subject to change equiment subject to avilabilty so on and so forth
you need to contact joe shoen he is the owner of uhaul he makes the rules all his employees have to do what he says is the right way to run his company
a bit of advice dont use dealers (ie; uhaul at a feed store) go to a center if you have one in your city most of the people who work there a nice well trained and truly want to make your move easier
and i do feel sorry for all the people who have had problems and i feel lucky ive never had to deal with anything like that.
i use uhaul because i have had problems with budget and penske and ryder
budget never has a truck when you need it
penskes are way to hard to find
and well ryder went out of bussiness need i say more
U-HAUL REALLY DOSE HAVE THE RIGHT EQUIMENT AT THE LOWEST PRICE
When I read all the postings about U-Haul last spring, I decided that for my cross-country move in a 24-ft truck I would use another firm. Since none of my friends had any experience with renting big trucks, I decided on Budget because I could find practically no bad comments on the web. The local agent (in Delaware) was quite experienced and a former U-Haul agent who had given up and switched. To make a long story short, without asking I received a 20% discount and everything went according to plan. The truck had only 8,000 miles on it. When I returned it to a Budget agent near the PHX airport, it turned out this agent too had been with U-Haul and had given up on them (must be a reason for this pattern). When he learned I was going to get a taxi to the airport, he volunteered to take me there in his car, for free(!). Trip number 2, in August, was totally uneventful, and the truck had only 8,500 miles on it when I picked it up. I’ve now booked 2 more trips 9the last, Thank God!), both in October, and again the local agent has gone out of her way to give me good service. Of course, now I’m a returning customer, but she didn’t have known that when I made my first rental.
I doubt that I will ever have the occasion to rent a big truck again. But if I do, it will be from Budget. I even wrote Budget about my favorable experience…but didn’t get any response from them.
I don’t know how Penske compares to Budget, but both names appear to be superior to U-Haul.
i just won a lawsuit with uhaul today. I &#