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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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My name is richard i work for u haul in key largo fl i hear alot of stuff from customer that come from u north and they say that people at the u haul companys up there act like they don’t care while here at my u haul company customers are more important then making money we would like for are customers to be happy i know it sounds like i’m stand up for u haul but i’m not u guys have to put urself in are shoes and see what we deal with every day we have people that comedown here from up north and yell at us about something the other store did wrong and all we can do is call the other store and rty and fix it but the diffenrt between us the other places is we are a center and they are a dealer they have there rules just like we do and i understand that it is not right for then to act like they do it is because they don’t care about what uhaul does are has to have they care about there money that is it but u guys need to see this shit that they don’t care but we do and we care about our customer and we are here to help. we are a center and all most all centers care but it is the ones that get people that don’t like people that have there first job and don’t care about them but u know how that is u had a first job too. but i ask that u guys give uhaul one more chance and see if they made a differnts in the company so i ask please think about the people that need jobs and have to make money to life off of
I had an aunt work at the uhaul in (Gulfport MS) and when she was working there she would come home and talk about how things was not 100 percent like they claimed. She worked for about 8 months , my point to my story would be the fact that she would come home and state how when she first started working every body that was there was newto the system. Her and the other employees had to take a drug test, after that the manager that hired her was fired then they brought in another manager that hired people that was not tested for drugs and they also was smoking on the job there was alot of theft going on in the place the manager was always sleeping on the job in a shutoff room so that no one could spot her sleeping but the employees and the employees was told to let customers know that they would have the truck for them so that no other rental place can bet them from gettin business , just say it is alot that goes on that shouldn’t.they do need to be investagated.
A lot of these rental agencies advertise attractive fees… but, that “$19.99 In-Town Move” quickly becomes a $120 ordeal, when the extra fees they *don’t* advertise are added on. Then, there’s the gas issue… I have yet to take away a truck with 1/2 a tank of fuel, yet they require you to turn it in with 1/2 a tank, or you pay a $90 penalty. What happens to that fuel?
If they’re going to charge you over a hundred bucks, no matter what, why don’t they just advertise that? Better yet… how about they just stop charging the extra fees? Those trucks are fully insured, regardless of whether the customer pays the extra $60 for insurance, or not. And, the customer is fully capable of cleaning up after themself… so why the extra fee for cleaning the truck (which they hardly ever do, anyway)?
The inconvenience of their stringent requirements on renting tow dollies are also pretty damn awful. They told me that I would be unable to pull a 91 Mazda RX-7 (a small sports car), with a 4×4 Toyota Tundra (a full-size pickup), because the car was too heavy. So, I brought my friend over with a Ford F250, and they still denied me rental, based on the braking power of the truck. As a last ditch effort, I told them I was instead going to tow a 68 Volkswagen Beetle… again, I was denied, due to the weight and ground clearance of the car. The only way they would rent the tow dolly, was if I also rented a truck. So, why advertise that you rent them separately from the trucks, if it is IMPOSSIBLE to do so?
I’m pretty smart when it comes to cars… and, I know that when a manufacturer tells you that your truck can tow 5 tons, they mean it. My Mazda weighs 2800 lbs, and the trailer weighs 400. Trust me… the Tundra will pull 2 tons, with no problem… and, the brakes will not fail. Much less so, on a Ford F250.
The bottom line is… all rental companies are corrupt. False advertising, hidden fees, and predatory business practices are rampant throughout the entire rental industry. This includes hotels and motels, as well as furniture rental companies.
Something needs to be done, before it gets even more out of hand.
If you want a real joke go look at the trucks FOR SALE at a local UHAUL place! Those were/are actual trucks people got stuck renting! I was passing a UHAUL today in NJ and saw a big FOR SALE sign in a truck window and pulled in because I’m in the market for a truck. What a bunch of POS!! The DMV should make UHAUL scrap these death trpas from being put onto our nation’s roads! I would definitley sue UHAUL if any of their trucks got into an accident with myself or my family! RUN AWAY from UHAUL! Rent from a monkey before you go there! No wonder everyone that owns a pickup truck is always deluged with pleas to ‘help me move’. I etter go buy a station wagon….
I have to say most of the comments I have read about U-Haul really angers me. I agree with Bill M.’s comments.
First of all most of you complainers have no clue what you are talking about besides personal experiences. Did you actually rent from a U-Haul center or did you rent from a dealer who uses and accepts U-Haul equipment is the first question? Secondly, like Bill says it is customer’s like all of you out there that cause the truck problems. You say you’ll have it back by 3 pm but you return it at 5 pm so the person who was scheduled right behind you has to what for the next available truck or get upgraded to a larger truck. Or how about the people who steal the trucks, keep them for a month, drive them 2500 miles, live in them and trash them out, break the radio and door handles, wreck them, leave them out of gas and many more numerous things and then just leave them in a bad neighborhood or at a bus station and then the thugs and hoodlums get a hold of them and tag them and destroy them. Then when they are finally able to recover the vehicle they have over $5,000 worth of damage to the vehicle. They then try to charge the card you left but it’s declined or you left a $100 deposit. They then try all methods and means to track you down and re-coop the cost but you’ve dropped off the face of the earth and they are now left to eat those repair costs and not to mention another place was expecting that equipment in to cover a One Way but now they have to scramble to find replacement equipment for it and it’s busy end of the month weekend and what equipment in the area they have they already have set aside for the other reservations because they had no clue someone wasn’t gonna show up with the truck. Or how about you people who disconnect the speedometer cable to keep the miles the same and screw them out of their money? Or how about you people who damage them and don’t pay? You say your insurance covers it so then why don’t you pay and then take it up with your insurance company like they explain if you don’t take their offer of safe move protection; it’s called third party re-reimbursement! Most of you have no clue about the way the equipment is cared for either. Every time a truck comes in it goes through one kind of an inspection and that same inspection is repeated once a week whether it has been rented or not. Then once a month it goes through a more thorough inspection and both these are done on-site. But then every 5,000/15,000/30,000 miles they go through different levels of inspections and those are done by certified mechanics at the local shops. Then to top it off they go through a DOT standard inspection once a year. When they start out new straight from factory they are categorized as One Way and then when the meet certain criteria they become in town equipment, after that the are repaired and sold. You have all the accessibility in the world to go online and find out all the information you want before you buy one of them and each vehicle has a list of repair and etc. done to them that you can look at. NO ONE MAKES YOU PURCHASE THEM! So how can you complain about the vehicle you have willing bought. It’s just like a used car you can drive it, have a mechanic look it over, and etc. so it’s your fault it’s not the vehicle you expected because you were too LAZY to properly investigate it and be more informed. And this equipment is like any other vehicle that has been used and abused; it’s gonna break down at sometime eventually they can’t stop that the can only maintain it to the best of their ability. So any of you out there who take care of their vehicles as well as U-Haul feel free to give me some feed back. But, if you don’t feel compassion for those who are trying to serve you because it is not their fault always that things like this happen. So if a fog rolls in and the airport has to cancel all of the flights is that the attendants fault? Think about the intricate details and organization of running the business and all that is involved before you start hating and being accusatory to all. Be knowledgeable and informed about all the facts before you start a SLANDER campaign because that is ILLEGAL!!! Not all U-Haul centers have such complaints or problems. Many are very dedicated to their customer and a job well done. How many of you have had a bad experience in any other business transaction from the check out lady at the grocery store who is having a bad day, or the waitres who brought your order wrong (could have been she took it down wrong or the cook made it wrong, but you blame the waitress no matter what), or the doctor who wrongly diagnosed you because you were to embarassed to tell him/her all of the symptoms that have been happening, or what about the many other daily business problems WE ALL go through? How many of you actually take full responsibility of your part? Not many of us do now a days and I am just as guilty as the rest. So let’s stop pointing the finger of blame and the next time you have a business transaction do your best to hold up your end and be understanding and compassionate if the other party is having a proble m with their end because you have no idea why and it could just very well be out of their control like it is your. Like my mom always says “When you see someone with a bad attitude; give them a smile and a kind word. You never know what made them that way but you generousity may have just changed a persons day and life. And it cost you nothing but a mere second of your time. They may have lost a loved one unexpectedly and were unable to get off for the funeral for all you know and it’s not for you to know their problem; it is for you to lend out a hand towards humanity!”
I had an experience that started sour but ended up AWESOME!!! I was supposed to pick up a One Way 14′ truck in OKC to Tulsa but the only trucks coming into the area so far were the monster sized ones. I couldn’t fit that into where I was going and didn’t want the extra gas price. I went up to the store; irate and ready to tell them off. But the lady treated me so well no matter how angry I got with her; I even was in her face screaming at one point about what bulls**t this was when I had a reservation. She still calmly explained that on the one way equipment all they can do is set it as expected in and hope the customer shows up with it on the where and when that they say they will. Not to mention if you schedule a truck it doesn’t always mean that they will always receive that size in or enough of those sized ones in to cover all the reservations and reservations are covered according to who is leaving first. Plus someone may have reserved to leave DC with a 14′ truck and return it to our center the night before your due to go out so we figured that we’ld put you in it. But then they get bad weather up there and the other customer isn’t able to leave for another day and that puts him here SUnday night after your reservation. She then gave me several options. I ended up taking a local truck to Muskogee then to Tulsa and then BACK TO OKC & HAD NO PROBLEMS!!!! She discounted my cost, let me use the dolly and pads for free, and extended their new $50 refund for reservation guarantee. Even after I returned the gas to where it was supposed to be I was still $30 up. SHe went out of her way not only to make me happy but to help too because of small things like saying she’ld add the dolly and pads for free to make the move faster because I truly wasn’t going to ask for any because of the extra price and I was on a budget! WAY TO GO U-HAUL!!! ANOTHER SATISFIED CUSTOMER!!! No one ever complains about the good things in life, something to think about huh? They have been in business for almost 65 years so they must not all be too horrible!
u hauls sucks the sweat off a dead mans balls
I think old GET A GRIP works for Uhaul or U ASS HAULS, as i call them. He should state that 65 years of being fucked in the ass with no lotion is horrible. Thanks U ass hauls.
the old bait and switch is the uhaul sales pitch. yeah we have that truck for 19.95. you get there and suddenly the truck is gone..
No Shit? I just called you from my cell phone in the parking lot and no customers have come or gone, lying mother fuckers.
Oh, hey i can give you this 27 foot gas guzzlin mother fucker for only 39.95,, instead of the regular 44.95,,
oh thanks what a deal , i only pay 20 more and i save 5 yippie.
bait and switch, call the BBB and see the complaints, holy shit, If it werent for these fuckers ther BBB would be out of business.
FUCK YOU HAUL IN THE EVER LOVING BUTT
OH GOD!!! lol.. I am renting a Uhaul truck for my move from West Virginia to Georgia.. I found this site when I was trying to find out how much I was going to pay in gas… I sure I hope I dont pay this much in pain and suffering… lol.
Super nervous now.. but will post to let everyone know how it goes. But I think it is true that we do only complain about the bad things in life. Its rare when we enjoy the good things…. I reckon we just expect them when we pay for them so they go unnoticed….
Wish me luck!!!
i work for u-haul,and yes assholes work for this company,but not all the people that work here are like that, i have been with u-haul for over 3 years,and we have ass holes as customers. i have been called all kinds of
names,and some are going to beat my ass,or shot me,because things do go
wrong,with getting a truck or a trailer for a move. other companys have the
same problems,as u-haul does,bad csr,and not everone that works for u-haul is an asshole.
I HAD NO PROBLEMS WITH MY MOVE USING U-HAUL. I EVEN GOT A EXTRA COUPLE OF DAYS JUST BUY ASKING. I CALLED A GREAT INDEPENDENT U-HAUL AND THE TOOK REARLY GREAT CARE OF US
I hate uhaul, but unlike most of the people on here, one bad experience was enough. It’s very simple people: don’t re-rent from them if there are other options.
I WORKED FOR U-HAUL FOR A WHILE, AND I AGREE WITH EVERYTHING ALL OF YOU ARE SAYING. IT IS A PIECE OF SHIT COMPANY, WITH SHITTY MANAGEMENT, AND NOTHING BUT “MONEY-HUNGRY C.E.O.’S” RUNNING THE SHIT! WHEN I WORKED THEY’RE (HEY THEY PAY AT LEAST RIGHT?) I DISCOUNTED ALOT FOR THE CUSTOMERS! EVERYDAY ACTUALLY! THEY NEED MORE PEOPLE LIKE ME !
u haul in norton va. sucks.The only place to rent uhaul is in coeburn va.,ask for ron.Uhaul is all we got so what do we do.they charge 80.00 a day plus .70 a mile ,BIG RIP,40.00 to put gas in + 4.50 a gal. 40.00 more if you dont clean it+ anything they say you done to it.They charged me 15.00 ins. that I didnt want and then told me what all was not coverd,about 13 things so I said what is coverd she said a flat and if it dies and wont start back.So not only is uhaul a rip so is this renter.This renter is ripping the people off to.This is in Norton Va.24273.If you want to be ripped off ask for Beth.
But what does one do? I’d like to tow my car behind a one-way rental van/SUV from DC to Newfoundland Canada. The companies that allow one-way rentals don’t seem to allow towing and Budget won’t let you drop off in Canada, so it seems I’m stuck with one of U-haul’s trucks?
I AM SURE RENTING A UHAUL IS BAD, BUT TRY WORKING FOR THEM, THEY ARE THE MOST UNDER HANDED COMPANY TO WORK FOR … FROM THE REGIONAL SUPERVISORS ON UP, YOU GIVE THEM YOUR DEDICATION AND THEY GIVE YOU A FOOT IN THE ASS. THEY WILL ASK YOU TO DO DISHONEST THINGS ( BUT LET THE BIG DOGS COME IN TOWN AND THEY WILL LET YOU TAKE THE FALL BELIEVE ME ) I MYSELF WORKED FOR THE COMPANY FOR A LONG TIME AND THE DEPARTMENT I WORKED IN ..BOY I HAVE NEVER SEEN SO MUCH FAVORITISM BETWEEN A SUPERVISOR AND AN EMPLOYEE IN MY LIFE ( I THINK THEY ARE TWOT LICKERS ) WHILE ALL THE OTHER EMPLOYEES GET SHIT ON.
#1.I have only, personally, rented from U-Hell…oh, I mean U-Haul. We rented on 12/23 to move into our new home on 12/24. I picked it up and noticed slight shaking. We loaded our things on it and went on our way. My husband drove behind me to make certain that I would be ok. We made it ok and unpacked. We got up the next morning to go drop off the truck. I drove again and approx. halfway to the drop off location, the windshield popped out of the truck. (Not completely, but wind was coming through.) We had paid the extra insurance on the vehicle so we called the 1-800 number to tell them our problem. They said to pull over and leave it at a safe location. We did. They also told us to lock the keys inside and record the gas. We did that too! We also called the drop-off location to tell them what happened. Well, a week or two later, we received a letter in the mail telling us that we stole the vehicle and we owed xx amount of money. I called and explained. They apologized and said the problem would be corrected.
#2.We attempted to rent a trailer from a U haul in Olathe, KS. The young guy at the counter was pretty helpful. He explained that we owed nearly $1000 for a Uhaul in GA. (That is where we rented the first time.) We needed the trailer to haul a boxing ring back to GA. (We had just driven straight from south GA to KS, with two kids under 3, in less than 14 hours so we could be back before Christmas.) The young guy said he would handle everything and we went to hook up to the trailer. Several hundred miles down the road we realized he had used a mixture of mine and my husband’s info. Mixing our ss#’s together, our street address with KS as the state and zip, “mistyping” our credit card number (We paid cash.), and putting that it was a one-way rental. The tires were nearly bald, floor was “busted” in a few places, and I believe the tail lights didn’t work properly. Once back in Albany, GA, we called and were told “I don’t know what to do.” Long story short, the trailer was eventually stolen from in front of our house and we didn’t even report it. We figured u haul had either came and picked it up or code enforcement finally came and got it. Whatever the case…oh well. We well not rent from U haul again…just from our experiences with the dishonest customer service people and the “emergency” service reps.
I will share my most recent story of Uhaul and how abhorrent the service is and how inconvenient the entire system is.
I have moved 22 times in the last 10 years, unfortunately many of those times I have been forced to use Uhaul because there were no other truck rental companies near the small towns I have lived in. Each and every time something has gone wrong with the truck rental process or the truck itself. I do not understand why you call it a “reservation” online when I really do not get to reserve a truck at the location nearest me or where I would like to pick it up. I am forced to make a reservation and face a cancellation fee even though I am not privileged enough to find out where I can pick the truck up until the day before.
I have taken to calling the location directly or stopping by instead of calling the 800 number, where the motto should be “we don’t give a damn what you want or do we care to help you, but we will take your money and say good luck”. There is a reason that people want to make reservations, its called planning. When you have to move on a certain day, you need to know that the truck is yours and that you do not have to drive 50 miles to pick it up. Its not like Uhaul will give you gas to get back to your moving location after driving 2 hours away to pick up a truck.
It is completely unbelievable to me that Uhaul does not focus on what is right for the customer in any way and that the customer service seems to get worse instead of better each time I call. I called the Sacramento, CA regional office today and spoke to a Rhonda who interrupted me continually and offered no solution to the questions I had. On top of that she stated she was the manger on duty and would not allow me to speak to her manager. She stated that they “do not have voice mail”. I am expected to believe that in today’s workplace?
I work for a large corporation myself and I guarantee you if I EVER acted that way I would no longer have a job. These types of events are what ruin a reputation and push people like me to go out of my way to use another company for my moving needs and tell everyone I can NOT to use Uhaul.
I rented a u-haul last year to move. I took the day off from work, not an easy thing to do. Got my nephew and his friend to help carry stuff. Made the first of three trips to my new house, told the guys to go get some lunch, i’d meet them back at my old place in an hour. they drove off, i went to leave about five minutes later and the damn truck wouldnt start. then it starts pouring down rain. I end up knocking on a door of a neighbor and ask to use the phone. I call u-haul and get a total run around just trying to get someone there tobring me a different truck, or come and fix it long enough until i can get it back to the uhaul place and switch out trucks. They say they’ll be there within an hour. so, two hours later my nephew comes back and i explain all the problems. I end up trying to jump the trucks battery with his car, and amazingly after a couple failed tries it starts up. I immediately drive back to uhaul and they give me another truck. So I pretty much waste the whole day on something that should have taken three hours tops. I didnt finish moving till 2 am that night. They never did show up to jump the battery, nor did they even call. So if you have a broke down uhaul truck, dont expect to see anyone come fix it even if they say they are coming.
Stick with the small independant dealers who care about your business. Forget U-Haul or Budget. Avoid them like the plague.
You are taking a huge risk by using them.
A few years ago a U-haul truck I rented BROKE DOWN TWICE in one night !!! My room-mate and I were left in a freezing cold for hours both times while we waited in the unheated truck for their repair man to arrive.
Because they are the only major rental in our town, we foolishly went to them again this year for a move from Michigan to Chicago. The U-Haul representative was so dim-witted or addled on drugs that he insisted that Chicago was located in the state of New York and not Illinois — thereby giving us the incorrect quote on an out of town truck. Avoid them at all costs. They don’t seem to care.
I had a “Guaranteed Reservation” for a truck at U-Haul. I made this reservation in person at the local U-Haul Center (not a franchisee) as I felt the service would be more reliable.
On moving day I arrived at opening time to find a long line of customers in front of me. Everybody had a problem! No car dollies as promised, no appliance dollies, no trucks, etc. When it was my turn to be waited on there was no truck available! Big surprise, right! They found me a much smaller truck 40 miles away at a franchise location. Upon arriving, the franchisee refused to honor my Guaranteed Reservation for a 24 hour rental period. They would not rent me the truck unless I agreed to return it in 6 hours. I had now wasted 3 hours of my time on moving day, driven 40 miles to get a smaller truck that would require 2 trips to move and found out that the truck had to be back in 6 hours. I was stuck between a rock and a hard place so I agreed to return the truck in 6 hours. Apparently, U-Haul modifies their rental agreements at will so they can rent a truck out 3 times in a 24 hour period.
The truck was a POS and would not start. The franchisee did not even have a set of jumper cables on hand. I lent them mine! The truck was low on fuel so I stopped at the first gas station I saw. I checked the oil just to be sure and found it was low. I added 3 quarts to bring it up to the add mark on the dipstick. When I attempted to restart the truck the battery was dead again as it was every time I started it that day.
I learned fron this experience and now rent trucks from other companies. One piece of advice I might give is to rent the truck a day or two before you actually need it. That way if there is a problem you have time on your side to work things out. I recently reserved a 15 passenger van for a church group. I arranged to pick it up the day before I actually needed it. I called the rental company (Enterprise) the day before I was scheduled to pick up the van to confirm the reservation. I was told everything was fine. 10 minutes before I was scheduled to pick up the van they called me to tell me there was no van available. They wanted to know if a 7 passenger mini van or suv would work? The local Enterprise manager bent over backward to find a van and had it driven in from the next state. Because I had time on my side everything worked out. The Enterprise manager even told me to bring the van back on empty for the inconvenience. Guess where I rent trucks from now?
Yes…U-Haul sucks.. Looking to move again and it will NOT be with U-haul.In 2003 we made a move from the Seattle area to So. California. Reserved a 26` truck and 40 moving pads. When we picked up the truck, it was ancient and we had no moving pads,they said they would locate some for us and deliver…that never happened.We ended up using every blanket and rug we had to pad our belongings.We were on a time schedule and like most had to be prompt with the move. From the moment we set out my husband was mortified…the stirring was horrible, the wheel shaking back and forth, the radio didnt work and come to find out as we made our way south the a/c didnt work either. The first stop for fuel he checked the oil and found that there was no cap on the oil fill, oil had splattered all over the inside of the hood…we had to stuff a rag into the fill spot to contain the oil. The first night we stopped in Yreka,Ca. We woke in the morning and when we started the truck water blew out the bottom of the radiator, we called for service and the nearest u-haul mechanic was in Medford,OR..we were stranded all day and did not get back on the road until 9 pm that evening. Wasting a whole day of travel put us behind on everything including our new jobs…when I called into U-haul to complain and ask for a refund or credit or anything…they said” so sorry you had a bad expierence…byebye!”
I was furious..never again U-haul…never and every chance I get I tell people not to use them…They are horrible!
Wow, what some amazing stories. Boy am I glad I found this site. I just made a reservation yesterday when I called to check for rates and the sales assistant was persistant on me booking now to lock in rates for a moving truck for December to go one way from Michigan to Florida. I found this site today and just so happened saw a neighbor of mine who moved yesterday so I thought. But she was back because her truck she rented from uhaul broke down that she had to drive 45 minutes to get. They left her on the side of the road and she had to find a way to get back to where she was.
She was informed that another truck would not be avaliable until tomorrow and she would have to move all her stuff from one truck to another.
Well since hearing that from her and reading everthing here, I am cancelling my reservation as I write. Thank you all for saving my life…………………….
PENSKE IS THE BEST… YOU THINK UHAUL IS BAD… BUDGET… WANT TO TALK NIGHTMARE… I MADE RESV. AND CALLED TO CONFIRM… THE PLACE TOLD ME THEY DIDNT HAVE THE RESV.. JUST GO ONLINE AND DO IT AGAIN.. UHHH.. THAT SOUNDS FUNNY, SO I CALL BUDGET, THE PLACE HAD CANCELED THE RESV.. SO THEY MADE ME A NEW RESV AT ANOTHER PLACE… WELL MOVING DAY COMES, GET UP EARLY IN THE A.M. .. BECAUSE.. ITS HOT IN AT NOON IN JULY IN VEGAS… WELL I SHOW UP EARLY AND THAT PLACE DOESNT EVEN EXIST ANYMORE… SO I AM ON HOLD WITH BUDGET FOR 30 MIN… FINALLY THEY SEND ME TO ANOTHER LOCATION ACROSS TOWN… I WAIT 1 1/2 HRS FOR A TRUCK.. A LOT OF PEOPLE THERE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM I DID… SO NOW ITS LIKE 120 OUT AND I LOST A FEW HOURS OF MOVING TIME… THEN TO TOP IT OFF… A FEW WEEKS LATER I GET MY CREDIT CARD BILL AND THEY HAD CHARGED ME $50 FOR NOT KEEPING MY RESV. AT THE PLACE THAT DIDNT EVEN EXIST…. THEY PUT THE MONEY BACK, BUT WHAT A B.S. NIGHTMARE… NEVER NEVER RENT FROM THEM!!
I rented a uhaul about 2 years ago and I was not satisfied. The truck I had, had a floating gas hand. Which I tried to tell the guy when I took the truck back. I had just put $40.00 in the truck was not a block away and when I get to uhaul the guy tells me that I needed more gas. And I tried to explained to him I just put gas in the truck, this truck was so old I know I spent about $80.00 for gas before I took the truck back, because it had a floating hand and because it had a floating had it cost me a lot of money that I should not have paid. Anyway I took the truck, across the street and put more gas. I was very upset and I wrote to the main office. I feel if you are going to rent truck you should keep the maintaince up. That was terrible. But what can you do there are not a lot of truck rental companies. So they get away with it.
I’ve never seen a blog post that got steady comments for three years before. What really surprises me, though, is that it doesn’t look like anyone has mentioned that even when they don’t reserve a truck for you, they still won’t refund the reservation fee.
I “reserved” a truck from them for a move once on a Saturday morning and paid an up front fee. I went to pick up the truck and was told they wouldn’t have them in until 8PM. I said okay, I’ll just go to Penske I want my money back. I was then told I could have it all refunded except the $5 “service” fee. I directly asked what “service” they had provided me and she said, with no apparent conception of the conflict, “reserving a truck.” I never could get them to agree to refund the $5 fee for the “service” of wasting my time.
As to the comments that some people have had a bad uhaul experience and the internet collects bad experiences. Maybe. I haven’t met them, but maybe there’s somebody out there who rented a uhaul and came away satisfied. I can say for my self that I will never deal with U-Haul or any subsidiary or affiliate of theirs again and I strongly discourage others from doing so any chance I get.
Wow… I’ve only had two experiences with U-Haul. Once we rented a truck in Los Angeles for a one way trip to Oakland. No problems that I remember, although this was in the middle of June. Truck had AC too, wish I’d ridden in it with my aunt rather than riding in my dad’s van with no AC.
The other time we used U-Haul was an in-town move that took two weeks (my grandma is a serious pack rat…). No problems picking up the truck we reserved, although we did end up using it longer than we had originally planned, they didn’t have a problem with it, but we did have to bring the truck back and get a different one because someone else had reserved the one we had started out with. Okay, why not give them the other truck that was the same size I dunno.
Only real issue we had was that the new house had a really steep curb going into the driveway and you really had to step on it to get up the curb and hope that you hit the brakes in time to avoid hitting the garage. But the second truck we got didn’t have that problem. Of course all of our neighbors have 4 wheel drive, and the ones that don’t usually put some metal plate in the gutter so they can get into their driveways, so I’m not sure how much of that we can blame on U-Haul.
Next time I have to help someone move I’ll probably call Penske first and use my AAA discount. But I did try them on my last move and they were all booked up for the size we wanted, which was why we went to U-Haul. So if Penske is booked next time I’ll probably call the same U-Haul we used before and keep my fingers crossed…
Of course, from the horror stories I’ve read here I get the feeling that maybe they have more complaints back east? So in general U-Haul isn’t as bad here on the West Coast? Well I’ve never used them anywhere else so I wouldn’t know…
It’s not just the US where U-haul sucks, it’s Canada too. I was moving from Toronto to Ottawa and needed a one-way. U-haul was the only rental company that allowed one-ways, so I went with them. I originally booked to pick up the truck on a saturday, but then called back to pick it up on friday (so I could pack the truck friday evening and leave asap saturday morning). When I called back, I had to wait on hold for 45 minutes to ask to change the reservation. They told me they could change it, and that someone would call me thursday by 5 pm to let me know where I could pick it up. At a 4:45 there was still no call, so I called them – again a 45 minute wait. They told me the pickup location would call me by 9 am friday. They left me a message thursday night at 11 pm, asked me to call them by 8 am friday, which I did. When I did call, the location said the reservation was for saturday, not friday, they wouldn’t have a truck until then.
Ok, not the end of the world, I’m just going to be leaving a bit late. Saturday I was about to go to pick up the truck, but decided to call first. Turns out there was no truck for me. Not only that, but the staff tried to make it sound like *I* was the one being unreasonable, and that I should be more understanding because they are so busy! They told me I had to call head office if I had a problem. When I said no, I’m not holding for 45 minutes again, they hung up on me.
Thank goodness Hertz had a truck available. I managed to work out an arrangement with my brother so that he could drive the truck back to Toronto for me.
I was also screwed by UHaul-Screw Haul-
I called the national line to rent a tow dolley to bring a car home from a distant city.
I explained my situation, gave all info for them to qualify me for a tow dolley, was given a reference number. Went to that city to pick up the dolley-was told I need a hitch installed with wiring, which I already had.
I just want the tow dolley!
No, your truck is too light, you need to rent one of our trucks and a trailer. That car will never fit on the dolley, it’s too big.
I said I called the national number TWICE to confirm it and I wanted the dolley I had reserved.
They don’t know what they’re talking about! This is what you need! They aren’t her. We are and this is what you need!
I WALKED OUT!
After driving nearly 400 miles, I left without getting my car b/c I wasn’t going to give them a cent to upgrade and screw me over.
I will NEVER recommend that screwy company to anyone!
I will look into Penske and other companies.
Wake up UHAUL, you’re losing business and getting a really crappy reputation due to these tactics!!!!!
I’d always use U-Haul when living in Texas (over nine moves with various sized trucks and numerous trailer rentals) and have never had a problem. Expectantly as rental vehicles go, there was wear & tear eq. dents, scratches, etc. but the cab was always cleaned and smelled decent and furthermore, mechanically the trucks were sound. The U-haul rep and myself would go through a post-trip verifying that things looked satisfactory before I left the lot with the truck. Plus, I would stop ever so often on long trips and inspect the truck. (I doubt anyone that is complaining about a breakdown did their own inspection or observed warnings about appropriate weight and speed limits when hauling) Some of these stories sound a bit out-landish and more “mob-mentality” than actuality. Although, I’ve seen the U-Haul equipment being used in Arkansas and will admit I’d have reservations about renting it (haven’t had to yet). I think that is the real issue at play here: The location of these U-haul business’ and the character of the people that primarily use the equipment which, in turn, has it’s effects on the personnel that deal with them.
I’ve Had A Uhaul Before, OMG They Sucked!!!!
I live In Canada Moving from KW To Toronto. And Holy crap The Truck Like Broke Down only Like 5 KM from my Depart.
DO NOT USE UHAUL!!!
Use Budget They RULE!
I too “reserved” a trailer to move from one city to another and I too got the verbal runaround about how they would “try” and have a trailer for me on the day I requested. I could not understand why I was making a reservation for something I could not reserve! It had me batty! I kept asking Shawanda from 800ville how in the world this was suppose to work and she just kept saying the same thing over and over; “We don’t know if we will have a trailer there for you or not. Would you like to make a reservation?” I kept looking around for Ashton Kutcher! I was told to call back the following morning (of the day I was moving) and they would tell me whether or not the trailer was going to be there. “What about the guys I have hired to move me? What about the people moving into the apartment the afternoon of the day I am suppose to be gone?” Finally she just hung up.
Horrible company. Horrible employees. Horrible equipment. And they still use those outdated, freaky little 4 prong, flat headed connectors and OH…guess what??? They just “happen” to sell the adapters (for $3.00 more than they cost at ACE). Bastards!
I guess I have been EXTREMELY lucky based on these posts. I have never used any service except for U-Haul in my 23 years of adult life. I have done 3 state to state moves and nearly a dozen local moves using their big trucks. I have also rented their closed tow trailers for state to state hauling twice as well as renting closed and open tow trailers about 10 to 12 times for misc stuff. This math adds up to at least one rental from u-haul per year for the last 23 years.
In all cases but one, I put in a reservation, sometimes just a day in advance, and have NEVER had an issue with the reservation. The uhaul locations that I have used (8 different ones) have all had a staff that was a little over worked and somewhat frazzled, but never rude.
I also have several friends who use U-Haul all of the time and none of them have ever seen any issues. Between myself and the friends I have helped move, I have been involved in nearly 50 U-Haul transactions and have yet to see one go bad.
Guess I have just been very lucky.
Has anyone had a problem with; returning a truck and putting the keys in the drop box (after hours) and them saying “the truck was never returned?” If so I’d love to hear the story! It just happened to me. It’s really made me think that doing the after hour drop off is not such a good idea, it becomes your word against theirs.
Well, I work for the blasted evil company everyone here referrers to as UHaul. I don’t have great pride in my company for any means. I went trucks all the time from other stores and they are reliable. My store has only had one truck break down in the past 6 months and thats because the stupid guy ran it out of gas. Never would we schedule someone for pick-up and not have the truck waiting for them the minute they got there. I am not being bias, even though most will think that to be impossible. Uhaul in my opinion is hit or miss, depends on the store you go to and how good the manager is there, double check our reservations yourself and never use the 1800gouhaul phone number for reservations. Call the stores directly, or even better go up there your self to inspect the truck before your scheduled moving day. Just trying to help save you all a little money by using uhaul instead of a more expensive company.
My mom and I went to U Haul because we thought they were a reputable business, boy were we wrong. It all started June of 08. We were to move a pickup from Browns Valley, Ca to Thompson Falls Mt. We went to Yuba City CA to rent a car trailer. The trailer was going to cost $565.00 for a one way trip. We signed the contract after inspection of the trailer. We then had to buy a connector to fit the pickup we were driving. You would think they would have standard connections on them, just another way to get into your wallet. They hooked up the car trailer and my mom asked if the tires were all up and ready to go. They said yes, this sticker on the tailer says it has been checked. WE DROVE 20 MILES DOWN THE ROAD TO RESIDENCE WHERE WE WERE TO LOAD THE TRAILER. We loaded the pickup onto the trailer to find out both tires on the driver side was showing low. I took the air gauge out to check the tires. They were both showing 10 pounds. I started to air up the tire and guess what, the air was coming out of it as fast as I was putting it in. I went and aired up the other tire and told my mom to call the 800 number for road side service. WE ARE ON A TIME FRAME HERE WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN LOADED AND GONE BY NOW. Road side says that they would have somebody out to fix the tires within 2 hrs. Guess what, 6 hrs have passed and many calls to the 800 number. Still nobody showed up, they flat left us stranded. My mom is 75 years old and it was 100 degrees out that day. After about 6 hrs had passed I told my mom to tell them to come and get their trailer and that we were going to find another way to get the pickup to Montana. I called a friend and was able to rent a trailer from a private party. They charged us 300 dollars for breaking our contract. What about them breaking their contract when they left us stranded for over 6 hrs in 100 degree heat. WE HAVE BEEN LIED TO, DEALT WITH RUDE EMPLOYEES AND THE BEST OF IT, THEY SAID THAT THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE TIRE. THE WORST OF ALL THIS IS WE ARE THE PEOPLE THAT KEEP THEM IN BUISNESS. THAT THEY CAN TREAT THERE CUSTOMERS LIKE SHIT, LIE TO THEM AND TAKE THEIR MONEY FOR A SERVICE THAT DID NOT FILL. WE LOST ALL THE WAY AROUND. THIS IS A PIECE OF SHIT COMPANY AND THEY NEED NOT TO BE IN BUSINESS! If you are ever in Yuba City Calif. feel free to stop in and tell them that you read this and that they are a bunch of rip off bastards. Jerry L Truelock- pissed off customer
Hi, My name is Phil, and I work for Penske, I have been reading for a couple of days and I find it unbelieviable how many stories are on here. I am currently working my 3rd straight double shift here at the call center on one of the busiest weekends of the year. There have been COUNTLESS calls in today from customers of uhaul or budget. I feel very sorry for them because at this point and time we cannot help them. From this perspective I have come up with the following conclusion. You may see that Budget or Uhaul is cheaper. But if you want your truck actually GUARANTEED, call Penske and set yourself up with a truck. we are the only company who can actually guarentee the truck where you get it. I do have this site save on my favorites list and I would love to field and questions people have on here.
Ps. If anyone could find somewhere on the internet that has a lot of negative penske comments i would love to see it. I know of epinion.com, but it looks a lot like this here.
Thanks for reading.
To all the morons here with bad stories about U-Haul you guys are the biggest bunch of procrastinators I’ve ever heard! I work at a u-haul and i stumbled on this site when I googled u-haul at home for no reason. people dont come to this site to post happy moves because no with happy moves comes here. If a procrastinator makes a RESERVATION AT LEAST 3 DAYS BEFORE THE MOVE, LIKE A SMART PERSON. you would be as happy as the people who praise u-haul for being the most affordable and the best move. THE MORONS who have nothing but bad times with u-haul are the only people who would call the night before or last minute to reserve something. GRANTED NOONE KNOWS WHEN WE WILL BE KICKED OUT OF OUR HOLMES, for example, on the west coast where i live there is a decrease in the realty market, houses are being forclosed and banks are repoeing houses. anyways to this guy JOSE ” In a couple of ocassions I have gone to pick up a uhaul truck that I had reserved months in advance and they didn’t had it.” THIS IS NOT TRUE, I DON’T KNOW WHERE YOU WENT BUT IT WASN’T A U-HAUL OWNED CENTER! MOST OF YOU PEOPLE GO TO HOLE IN THE WALL LOCATIONS OR MOM AND POP STORES WHERE THEY DON’T GIVE A CRAP ABOUT CUSTOMER. TO JERRY ABOUT THE TRAILER “You would think they would have standard connections on them, just another way to get into your wallet” JERRY YOU ARE COMPLETELY WRONG. THE STANDARD CONNECTION IS A 4-WAY FLAT CONNECTION FOR TRAILER WHO ONLY HAVE BRAKE LIGHTS, TURN SIGNALS AND DAYLIGHT HEADLIGHTS.
NOW I WOULD HATE TO PRETEND TO LIKE U-HAUL BECAUSE I WORK FOR THIS COMPANY, OR EVEN DEFEND IT BECAUSE I MYSELF HAVE SEEN CRAPPY SITUATIONS. BASICALLY IT’S LIKE THIS, THE PEOPLE WHO I HAVE SEEN TALK CRAP ABOUT U-HAUL IS BECAUSE THEY ARE HAVING A CRAPPY TIME MOVING. FOR EXAMPLE LAST MINUTE RESERVATIONS. I HAVE SEEN PEOPLE SHOW UP AT THE END OF THE MONTH, WHEN ALL OF OUR TRUCKS ARE RESERVED 2 WEEKS IN ADVANCED, AND ASK FOR A TRUCK OR TO SEE IF WE HAVE ONE AVAILABLE. OF COURSE WE TURN THEM AWAY BECAUSE SMART PEOPLE COVERED THEMSELVES 2 WEEKS IN ADVANCED. WE GET CALLS ALL DAY LONG ” do you have any trucks available today?” NO!!!!! IF YOU WERE SMART YOU WOULD HAVE MADE A RESERVATION! ” oh, i was thinking about that but i just forgot and we were doing something else “
Penske Employee again, Just wanna comment quickly on the above emloyee up top, if you want to deal with this guy, go with uhaul, if you want to deal with above and beyond customer service, give penske a call. even if you call the night before, we will try our best to get you a truck. not like this “employee” from above. I even apoligize for him. Seems as though he is having a bad day. Dont forget, if you have any questions, just give us a call and we would be more than happy to assist you. or just ask here, I will check frequently.
U-Haul guys apparently can’t read either, or they would have noticed that the majority of the complaints on this page are from people who have RESERVED THEIR TRUCKS WEEKS OR EVEN MONTHS IN ADVANCE!!! And yeah, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that the reason they’re complaining is that they are having a bad move…they’re having a bad move because the POS TRUCK THEY DID ACTUALLY GET SCREWED INTO TAKING BROKE DOWN MULTIPLE TIMES! I’m sorry you work for UHaul, I’m sorry you can’t read and I’m sorry your skills in logic are so under developed. Poor guy.
Anyway, I have had a couple of bad truck experiences with the Milwaukee Wisconsin USuck but the Madison and suburban Madison locations are all passable. In the Madison area I have rented three times and although the trucks were worn they didn’t break down and we weren’t moving too far so it was tolerable. I wouldn’t ever rent USuck long distance and ever since I found Penske I wouldn’t rent from UHaul again period.
I strongly encourage anyone that is traveling long distance, out of state, to save up and spend the extra cash to have a reputable mover take your belongings to your next home. READ UP ON THE MOVERS FIRST! The internet is awesome, saved my sister a bundle when she found out some international packers/movers had a bunch of consumer complaints and lawsuits out against them. Better Business Bureau is a great place to start, as is your state’s Attorney General Consumer Protection division (they’re there for your complaints if you DO end up getting porked too).
Hey “U-HAUL EMPLOYEE”
Perhaps you can explain what went wrong in my situation (see above post, dated 04/27/2008). I personally went down to my local U-Haul Center almost 30 days in advance to make a reservation. I received a “Guaranteed Reservation” for a 24 hour truck rental. After finding out there was no truck available for me I was sent to a dealer who would only rent the truck to me for 6 hours (there was no discount on the daily rate or for the dead battery). We are not all procrastinators. Most of us knew we would need a truck and made a pro-active effort to reserve one. Perhaps you could show your customers some empathy. We trusted that U-Haul would deliver on it’s promise of a “Guaranteed Reservation” only to find out it means nothing and that U-Haul makes no apologies for it!
I must be a very lucky one. I recently moved about 800 miles and used a U Haul for the trip. The online service was very easy. I got a call the day before my move to confirm my reservation. I did have to wait on the attendant to finnish with another customer for about 30 minutes before I got helped, but I don’t think that’s U Haul’s fault. I called U Haul when I got here and they helped me find the nearest center to return the truck. The truck was in great shape and only had about 4,000 miles on it. I am in no way affiliated with U Haul, just a recently satisfied customer looking online for another quick in town move for some of my stuff and ran accross this site.
I will list a helpful hint. When entering in your two destinations, use Zip Codes and not city names. Try it and you’ll see why.
Rented a U-haul trailer to go from MT to AZ; wheel (entire wheel) fell off–lugnuts wore through–on the interstate in ID; items broke when the wheel fell off and the trailer hit the pavement–no, speed was not a factor as the truck pulling it was a dog. U-haul paid for hotel room for the night, but did not compensate for belongings–took 6 hours to come help. Used Budget to go from MT to OH last year. They were expensive, but there was no headache in the process.
They scam you on in-town moves by “allowing” you, ie forcing you to pay, for 50 miles upfront with no hope of refund if you do not need that much driving. Hey, I’m moving in town, why do I need to drive 50 miles? $19.95 my ass, with their comprehensive insurance they want $84 just to get the thing out the door whether you only need it for a couple hours and 10 miles usage or for the whole day and a trip to the next county and back. And Billy Joe Bob at the quickie lube did not impress me much as a UHaul representative either.
Wow, and I thought I was the only one. U-Haul is horrible. This weekend I was double billed, and they claim the fuel tank was not filled to 3/8′s. The penalty was a $30 service charge, plus $25 for fuel. The U-Haul was returned with 3/8′s, and so far they denied my claims. They say I wasn’t double billed, but I was. U-Haul charged my VISA 2X. As for the fuel charge, I was told: Too bad. That’s ok, because I will sue them. I suggest to all that are are unhappy, to do the same. Thanks for nothing U-Haul !!
I am a uHaul dealer. Trucks are hard to get a hold of. Also a lot of dealers are pressured into making high profit reservations so they try to get as much money as they can on each truck they have. The smaller dealers only make a few hundred a month on UHauls, more like 700 in the summer so any money they can get they do. As for other stuff, make sure you check the mileage on the truck and the gas before renting. when you return, fill that gas in advance. Some of the ford gas guages are slow in reading so you have to drive 2 miles before the needle reads correctly. This is especially true of vans.
I’m with you all. In this age of “service me or I’ll sue because that’s the American way”, all the rest of us normal folks who just want to get our business taken care of fairly and in a timely manner get shafted time and again.
That said, there is a couple in Jennings, La who run a UHaul business. Around this time last year, I was on a road trip with 2 teenagers and a baby – and my engine blew up. The cheapest way I could think to get all of us and our disabled car back to Texas from the armpit of Louisiana was to rent a truck and haul it. When I explained to the woman what my situation was and that I was stranded with these kids, she had her husband go to another town to pick up a truck for me (yes, they were out) and he hooked up the tow, put my car on it and got us on our way. No extra charge – just really good people.
I was in such shock at how these people from UHaul behaved! They were my guardian angels (that says a lot from an agnostic!) It doesn’t make me loyal to UHaul, but it reminded me to always try to take the time to see people for who they are – not just what they do.
Good luck with your future moves – always make the journey the best it can be.
Oh, and when you’re on a narrow highway and you’re coming up on a rental with a car in tow – just slow down until the road clears up – most renters get really nervous trying to keep those monsters between the lines!
i cant belive all of u making a web site even first of all lets face it shit happens some trucks are not avl. cause other customers have not returnd them on time ever think of that or ya maybe they had a one way for u the day befor but come the next day something is found to be wrong with it would u rather have the truck and break down in it maybe that will give u something else to b- about as far as fuel goes its in clear print that u sign what the charges r and that u must return it on what it left on not that well u went only this many miles or u put ten bucks in it just return it on the line it left at whats so hard about that and watch ur ass like u would any other place re check the fuel or miles we all know moving is stressful i have moved many many times and u haul has always been easy and simple sure some things may go wrong from the truck not being avl right when i need it or as long just the same me not being there on time to pick my truck up but they worked with me like i worked with them point is its moving day things r going to go wrong i dont know any one who has a perfect move unless u have some one doing all the packing driving what not but still there is is the apt going to be ready on time did we break anything this and that but u just have to be flexable and expect the worse and hope for the best so to u all better luck on ur next move i love u haul will never use anything else and thank any one there who has helped me in the past and will next time its not easy dealing with angry customers who are already stressed anout their move so ty and keep up the good work
DOING BUSINESS WITH UHAUL IS A NIGHTMARE. I WILL NEVER RENT FROM THEM AGAIN. AVOID. RENT FROM PENSKE OR ONE OF THE OTHER REPUTABLE TRUCK RENTAL COMPANIES !