Our experience with U-Haul was not simply inconvenient--it was dangerous, unacceptable, and handled with some of the worst customer service I have experienced.
Shortly after picking up our U-Haul truck, we stopped at a Wawa gas station and filled the tank with gasoline. Within moments, we discovered gasoline POURING OUT OF THE TRUCK and spilling throughout the gas station area. We were sitting at a gas station with a truck actively leaking fuel--a serious fire and safety hazard. We could not safely start or move the vehicle.
What followed was hours of frustration. We sat stranded in the Wawa parking lot while making call after call and being transferred among roadside assistance, towing, and multiple U-Haul representatives. At one point, someone from roadside assistance called only to tell us that he was not the correct person to help and that we needed a tow truck. Meanwhile, gasoline continued leaking from the vehicle.
It took hours before a tow truck finally arrived. By that point, gasoline had accumulated in the truck, creating an extremely concerning situation. Even after the truck was towed back to U-Haul, gasoline continued pouring out of it onto the U-Haul property.
This was not a minor mechanical problem. U-Haul rented us a vehicle with a condition that created a legitimate FIRE HAZARD. A vehicle actively pouring gasoline should never have been provided to a customer.
We were approximately FIVE HOURS behind schedule, our entire trip was disrupted, and we ultimately had to obtain a hotel room in the middle of the night.
We contacted U-Haul corporate and requested a full refund because of the severity of the situation. Norman told us that he understood what we had been through and would help compensate us for the trip. We are now being told that this did not mean we would receive a full refund and that he supposedly did not have the authority to make such a commitment.
After everything we experienced, U-Haul's proposed resolution was only $500. That is completely unsatisfactory.
We spoke with numerous representatives throughout this ordeal. The final representative, Heather, was extraordinarily rude and dismissive and told us that their marketing department had said "absolutely not" to refunding our money.
That response is astonishing given the seriousness of what occurred.
This was not a complaint about a late truck or a minor inconvenience. WE WERE GIVEN A TRUCK THAT WAS ACTIVELY POURING GASOLINE WHILE WE WERE STRANDED AT A GAS STATION. Attempting to start or drive that vehicle could have created a catastrophic fire and placed us, Wawa employees, customers, and everyone nearby in danger.
U-Haul's lack of urgency during the incident was unacceptable, and its handling of our complaint afterward has demonstrated an equally troubling lack of accountability.
We lost hours of our trip, incurred additional hotel and travel expenses, were placed in a genuinely dangerous situation, and spent hours trying to obtain assistance. A $500 offer does not adequately address what occurred.
Based on this experience, I cannot recommend U-Haul. A rental company has a fundamental responsibility to provide vehicles that are safe to operate. When a serious safety failure like this occurs, the appropriate response should be accountability, concern for the customer, and a full resolution--not transferring customers from person to person and then arguing over compensation.
Safety, responsiveness, accountability, and basic customer service should not be negotiable. read more
