Don’t use their reservation system!!! U Haul
rock bottom try Enterprise, Ryder, Budget, ANYBODY but U Haul. U Haul I made my reservation online, my reservation was promptly confirmed by e-mail and at the website, and I was supposed to be called the next d...
Unsafe Vehicle Rental, Poor Service U Haul We rented a 26' truck to move some furniture locally. Every time we stopped at a signal light, the alarm went off and the compressor would ...
The biggest problem: U-Haul’s Reservation System
Let’s just say that after dealing with U-Haul’s national “reservation” system, I’d like to catch the Board of Directors in a dark alley somewhere.
It “works” like this:
You can reserve a truck (and related equipment) either online or through an 800 number. I used the online system, as I prefer the automated nature of it. I selected a 14′ truck, a dolly, and 12 furniture pads. Then I selected my preferred pick up location, date, and time. After going through a few pages of agreements, credit card info, etc, I received an email confirmation of my reservation. The website and email both indicated that someone from my local reservation office would contact me within the next 24 hours.
The next day, I got a call from the local office. This person told me that a local U-Haul retailer would contact me within 24 hours of my preferred pickup time to let me know exactly when and where to pick up the truck. This was about 10 days before I needed the truck, So far, so good. Everything seemed to be proceeding smoothly.
The day before my move, I eagerly awaited a call from the local U-Haul retailer. At about 4:00 pm, I got a little nervous and decided to call the local reservation center. After being on hold for 20 minutes, the U-Haul representative told me that the reservation had not been processed, and that she would check on it and call me back within the hour. She never called back. The next morning (the day of the move) I called the local reservation center again, this time a little more nervous and a lot less polite. After a 30 minute hold, the rep checked my reservation and told me (again) that it had not been processed. So, here I am on the day I really NEED the truck, and I don’t officially have one reserved.
Finally, the local U-Haul retailer calls me. It was not my preferred pickup location. It was way across town. At any rate, I was relieved that I finally had a truck. When I got to the place, they didn’t have a dolly, and they only had 10 furniture pads. Also, the truck was quite old. Needless to say, I was not impressed. Additionally, when I was 300 miles into my move, I realized that the truck did not have a license plate. So far, I real class act.
At the very least, the truck was comfortable and it drove pretty good. The steering was a bit loose and the brakes needed some attention, but it did the job. Apart from the missing plates, I had no real complaints with the truck.
Reservation Cancellation Fee
It would have gone much smoother had I just gone to the nearest U-Haul retailer and made the reservation with that location. I would have been guaranteed the needed equipment and gotten the pickup location and time that suited me. However, once you make a reservation through the nation reservation center, you have to take what they give you, or face a $50 fee. (Since you have to provide your credit card info to make a reservation, they have no problem getting the $50 from you). Of course, you can avoid the fee if you cancel the reservation 2 days before the pickup date. But it isn’t until within the 2 days that you realize that the system is completely ineffective, and by that time it may be too late to get the equipment that you need. Weekends are often very busy and the trucks go fast. Getting a truck on short notice is a crap-shoot, at best.
In other words, by the time you realize that your working with morons, it’s too late. You’re stuck.
This is not an unusual scenario
Since my terrible experience, I have talked to 7 people who have similar horrible experiences with U-Haul. Five of the people had a problem with the reservations, and the other two had out-of-repair, dangerous trucks.
What to do?
1. Don’t use U-Haul. Take a look at Penske. Their rental fees are cheaper, and I have heard good things about them from friends.
2. If you have to use U-Haul, PLEASE DO NOT USE THE ONLINE OR TELEPHONE RESERVATION SYSTEM. It does not work. Go to the nearest retailer and work directly with them.
Final Thoughts
I will never use U-Haul again. I chose it over Penske because the drop off location was about 20 miles closer. In retrospect, an extra 20-mile round trip would have been a fair trade for the anxiety and extreme discomfort of working with U-Haul.
In the future, I will drive far out of my way and pay much more money to avoid using U-Haul.
I would much rather be publicly flogged than subjected to the truly sub-standard “service” of U-Haul again.
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