U Haul Needs an Overhaul U Haul
My wife and I have moved three times in the three years that we’ve been married. We finally have bought a house and are no longer renting, so hopefully the last move really will be the last for awhile.
We have used U-Haul on two of those occasions. The first time, we didn’t have any major troubles. Their staff was very unresponsive and bordering on downright rude, but other than that, the rental and move went smoothly. The "fun" began on our second move.
We decided to go with U-Haul again, mainly because there was a U-Haul practically next door to us and it would be a breeze to pick up and return the truck to that location. After getting everything all set, we headed off for the 60 mile or so drive to our new home. Most of this trip took place on a very busy stretch of US Highway. My father-in-law was driving the U-Haul for us, while I drove one of our cars and my wife drove our other car with my mother-in-law along for the ride with her. My father-in-law and my wife were way ahead of me. When we finally reached our destination, I was alarmed to see the U-Haul sitting bumped up against a hill as if it had been rammed into it and the whole front end of the vehicle smoking! Turns out that the brakes went completely out on this U-Haul, the brake fluid caught on fire (I happened to miss that part), and if that hill hadn’t been there, who knows when the vehicle would have stopped? U-Haul’s apparent lack of maintenance put the life of my father-in-law and all of the other people who were on the road with him in danger.
It took us forever to get contacted with their customer service to report this problem. Finally, we were told that someone would be by to tow it away and that it would be taken to a nearby city. We also got the rental free (a value of about $100). We were instructed to call back the location that we rented it from and explain the situation to them. When I did so, the manager’s only comment was "Well, that location that they’re towing it to isn’t convenient for me to pick it up from. That’s not a local move, like you stated it would be." Well, our reply was that "Well, you didn’t state that this vehicle was going to practically blow up on us!" He finally agreed to refund us the total price, but did not do so in a cheerful manner. I do not recommend U-Haul at all.
On our last move, we used Penske and the whole experience was wonderful. They were responsive, helpful, and friendly. I would never use a huge company like U-Haul or Ryder again.
Tags: brakes
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