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I Hate U-Haul Truck Rental (And So Does Everyone Else)
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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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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’ve got an even bettere one: I rented a U Haul truck, extended the contract after two days, and the regional office came by and TOWED the truck away with all my belongings in it, and never informed me!! I came to get my truck from where it was legally (and with permission of the adjacent business) parked, and IT WAS GONE!!!!!!!!!!!! The manager of the store where I rented and extended, never enteered the exteension into the computer! and when they finally located my truck a WEEK later, they terrorized ME into going over 100 miles away to retrieve my rhings, and then had the audacity to produce a bill of over $1100, including $210 for gas, when my move was less than a mile.
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.