I rented a U-Haul truck from these guys over the weekend. It didn't go so well, although I don't think the fault is as much theirs as it is U-Haul's.
Anyhow, here's the scoop:
The guy who was there when I picked up the truck was nice enough - easy to work with.
The truck, however, had several issues:
1. Trouble starting. I had to crank it for 30-40 seconds before it would turn over - but at least it did start each time I needed it to. Still, that was annoying.
2. Twice it lost power when cornering - when you are driving a fully-loaded 26' truck and you lose power steering going around a corner, it's a bit disconcerting, not to mention dangerous.
3. The key did not unlock the driver's door, so I had to climb in from the passenger's side - not a big deal, but still a maintenance issue that the customer shouldn't have to deal with.
I would have overlooked these had I not also gotten screwed on the price. The website (where I made my reservation) said that the mileage rate was $.69/mile - when I got my contract e-mailed to me after the fact, it noted that I'd been charged $.79/mile. When I called to inquire, the excuse was "Well, the $.69 rate doesn't apply to Fridays or Saturdays." Really? Then how about putting that on the website? Nice bait-and-switch there.
So, in summary - I got over charged for a poorly maintained death trap. Thanks for nothing U-Haul, I guess its back to Penske for me.
I want to reiterate that the guy I dealt with at this location was super-nice, so this critique isn't directed towards him personally. In fact, had I not gotten jobbed on the price, I would have overlooked the truck's deficiencies because the gent I dealt with was so accommodating. But if you want to jerk me around on the price (looking at you, U-Haul), then I'm going to be vocal about informing other consumers about my experience. The truth is that I've heard the stories about the poor condition of U-Haul's trucks, and I was prepared for some issues - figuring, "Well, you get what you pay for." But when I get jacked around on the price and end up getting LESS than I paid for...well, then I gotta open my big mouth and tell people about it. read more