I know the name says Affordable Trailers, but when I went it definitely was not the most affordable experience. I went in expecting to pay around $75 to rent a trailer for the weekend (which is what I was told on the phone), and ended up paying well over $100 before leaving for one of the skittish, noisiest, and by far the scariest trailer I've ever used.
I went here because a friend referred them and I desperately needed to find a trailer to get my car to an event because the ones I usually use were all booked. My friend said he's gone here numerous times and never had any issues, always picking the trailer up on Saturday morning and dropping it off Monday morning for a good price, no problems. I called to make sure there was a going to be a trailer available, and they let me know that there would and that for the weekend it would be around $70. That's totally fine with me, awesome. I get there, and about halfway through the process of signing papers to get a trailer another customer comes in asking for a spare because his friends or family or whatever had just experienced a blowout on a trailer they had rented from them. Fantastic, that's just what I want to here before driving to Dallas and back.
During the process, I told them that my hitch is a 2 5/16", which they promptly ignored. So I repeated myself, making sure they could hear, and they responded by saying that's fine and continued about their business. I also told them I have a 7-way plug, which they also said was fine. Finally, they told me to drive around to the back to get my trailer, which I did and was greeted by a trailer that looks like it's weathered the sands of Death Valley after taking a detour through the Black Forrest. It definitely wasn't what I was expecting. The wood was splintering like crazy, most of them were sticking up slightly, one of the ramps didn't even really fit properly because the tip of it was bent, all of the wheels on it were mismatched, three of them sporting crudely spray painted stars and another sporting "SPARE" roughly spray painted on it in two places. That's reassuring.
I reverse up to it, and the gentleman helping me asks me for my hitch, so I get my 2 5/16" out of the back of my truck, which he denies and tells me the trailer is a 2". I told him that I let the girls in the office know that my hitch was 2 5/16", and all he said was to go inside and get a 2" hitch. This was just frustrating, so I head back inside and tell the girls behind the counter that I asked for a 2 5/16" trailer, and they said they were sorry and that I had to rent a 2" hitch for $15/day. This wasn't mentioned at all until this moment. Stuck, I said fine and went about my business. I get back out, show the man my receipt and he pulls out an old U-haul 2" hitch and gets the trailer on.
He then gets to hooking up the wiring, and asks if I have an adapter. I tell him again, I told them that I have a 7-way plug, and he again tells me to go back inside. At this point I was so frustrated that I just wanted to leave. After going inside, they tell me that I need to buy a 7-way to 4-pin plug and that it'll be around $20 or whatever. Fantastic. Another charge that was not mentioned. After I finally got everything and the man finished hooking the trailer up I bolted out of there, eager to leave before they charged me yet again for being on the property or something, who knows. The second I start driving I discover that this trailer was squeaking more than any trailer I've ever used, it sounded like those god awful towel/shammy drainers at do-it-yourself car washes that are the equivalent to driving your nails down a chalkboard. The second I get onto the access road, do the turn around, and hop on 410 I notice that the trailer was also easily the most skittish trailer I've ever used. It felt as though it wanted to just do it's own thing at all times. The direction I was in, just a suggestion. I figured I'd get my car on it, and see if that made it a bit easier to drive. Nope. Just as skittish, just as scary.
All in all, I had a horrible experience. The ladies behind the counter were okay, the older one was very nice but the younger one acted like she just did not want to be there at all the entire time. The dude in the back was pretty cool, can't blame him for all of the nickel and diming that went down. He can go ahead and rock on with his rad self, he and that mustache of his. I think he had a mustache.
Anyway, the only reason I gave it 3 stars is because the ladies behind the counter weren't rude or anything, and the trailer did in fact make it to Dallas and back, surprisingly. Plus, my friend has always had good experiences with them. But honestly, I've got MAYBE one more attempt with these people as an absolute last resort. Otherwise, I really don't want to ever come back here again. Their trailers in the front were very nice, and when I am ready to purchase my own I may come back for those, but the rentals? Nah. read more
