I wish U-Haul people would stop the booking in advance lie when the fact is booking a truck does not guarantee receiving a truck no matter when you booked it.

I'm not a UHaul dealer and I have the BEST tip ever: Don't rent from UHaul.

What do they mean by a MAJOR credit card? Does UHaul take Sears?

All these posts by managers sharing "tips for having a better experience when you rent with them" really get on my nerves.

Why doesn't U-Haul just fix the problems that plague their whole company, instead of telling the customer what they're doing wrong, and how the customer can make things easier.

@xay: It's the same with enterprise. I booked a car like a month in advanced, when I got to the rental location, I got there about 5 mins early and they didn't have my car. I asked where it was and it was at an enterprise at the airport. I had to wait while they went and got it. I asked why they didn't get it earlier and they said 'We don't get them until last minute in case you cancel.' Douche bags.

I have decided after renting a couple of Uhauls and Budgets that I will use Budget from now on. My reason is that at least around here, Budget has a policy to only rent trucks that are under 3 years old. Once the truck reaches that age, it is sold. Both the Uhaul trucks that I rented had over 300,000 miles on them and seemed to be way past their prime. I was doing in town moves and figured that they rent the new trucks to the one way long distance moves and leave the old trucks near a repair shop and to let them die here. I don't know if this is the consensus around the country.

I recommend that you do not use the website to reserve your truck. They queue the website reservations until the day before then look for a location with the equipment you are trying to get. If all the local centers have reservations, you are out of luck. Call a center and reserve with them so they can get the equipment and have it waiting. I ended up with a smaller truck and an 8 hour delay because I submitted my reservation online. I kept thinking I was in a Seinfeld episode as they gave me one excuse after another. The truck I ended up with couldn't fit all my stuff and I had to leave appliances and furniture behind.

fuck uhaul.

"Book well in advance( at least a week) with a MAJOR credit card"

LOL. Heck, why not book 3 years in advance. You stand just as much chance of having the truck actually there when you go pick it up.

I've rented 3 U-Hauls and never had an issue really.

"Take the insurance, but only if you are not covered by your auto policy. No credit card will cover damage."

Mine specifically says it covers Uhaul BY NAME.

I have one and only one tip for having a better experience with U-Haul:

1) Rent from Penske

@Bladefist:
The few experiences I've had with them have been more or less positive.

I concede that my dissatisfaction meter might be skewed by a 24-foot Ryder truck that died and left me stranded on the interstate at 3am, requiring a six-hour wait for a tow into Wichita and a complete transfer of the truck's contents to a different truck. On a Saturday morning. With zero assistance from the Ryder staff on hand.

The few gripes I've had with UHaul pale by comparison.

He certainly does read The Consumerist, since many of those "tips" can be translated as Blame The Consumer, the new theme here.

@homerjay: I'll second that.
There's a reason I avoid Uhaul vehicles on the roads at all cost and it's not because their renters didn't have a "happy rental".

@apotheosis: bummer man.

No problems here with UHaul either. Rented from them many times over the years (last in 2005), it was all good. Maybe they have gone downhill since then, it happens...

(*cough* Sears! *cough*)

@Bladefist: I've had mixed results with U-Haul. Their equipment has been fine. My main problem is that no matter how overbooked they are, they continue to take reservations. Then they give out the trucks to whoever gets to the office first, no matter when the reservation was made.

A friend rented a U-haul years back. The tank showed 1/4 tank, enough to get us to the gas station so we could put enough in to move him.

It ran out of gas 5 blocks from the rental place.

I'll never use U-haul; there are other rental places plus I have family/friends with pick up trucks.

U haul is the best buy of the truck rental industry

Book at the local location not the 800 number. National didnt even list three local places when I called.

The local store got me the truck I wanted on the date I wanted it because they wanted my money.

@agdTinMan: All these posts by managers sharing "tips for having a better experience when you rent with them" really get on my nerves.

I love these posts, especially when there's something preventing them from doing a good job for the customer that the customer wouldn't otherwise know about (like call center metrics). The tip about bringing your DL and credit card made me giggle, because I'd like to think people don't have to be TOLD "bring something to pay with," but there it is.

@Starfury: Nothing like having a friend with a monsterous Ford F-350...runs on biodiesel too, so we don't feel bad driving it around town schlepping stuff. Sure, it only gets about 8 mpg, but the exhaust smells like freedom fries!

So, no booking with a MINOR credit card?

me and a buddy got one to move some stuff from storage to his house, it had a bad alternator and it stalled, it needed to be jumped every time it needed to be started. u haul said deal with it.

Its called Uhaul for a reason, because when the trucks break down U Haul your crap with a Dolly!!!

I also hate their fuel policy, the tank has to be returned at the level it was when it was rented. So with prepay pumps, you swipe credit card, put in a couple of gallons, stop pumping, go start the truck, nope, not enough, OK, swipe credit card, pump some more, etc. Just give me the dang truck full of gas and I'll return it full. Add that to the list of why I hate uhaul.

From the OP:

"Speaking for our location, I honestly never want to send someone out on a rental if I feel the equipment is unsafe, and with our primary business, there is NEVER a need to lie or treat people poorly."

That's all nice and fluffy and everything but given that no company representative will ever say that they send people out with unsafe equipment or that they tell their employees to "lie or treat people poorly", I think this is an information-free statement.

As to whether U-Haul is worthy of our business, here's the bottom line: my wife and I have had issues with U-Haul every time we rented with them. We never had an issue with Enterprise even after multiple rentals. Guess which company we now patronize?

I've rented several times from U-Haul. The most recent time they tried to give me a truck with over 300,000 miles on it that was visibly leaking fluid, and that died as they were pulling it out of the garage for me. The only other truck they would offer me was a size too small, forcing me to move in two trips. Never again.

If you actually go ahead with U-Haul for some reason, bear in mind that, at least in the NYC metro area, the communication between their corporate offices (800 number) and local offices are complete crap. Do not expect rentals made through the 800 number to be there when you get there. Bug the crap out of the local office and make sure they have your reservation. One-way rentals are the most problematic because they keep the 1-ways and local trucks in separate pools; if your one-way truck isn't available (b/c the last person using it is returning late) they may not have an extra, and they won't give you an extra truck from their pool of local vehicles.

Try Penske.

I don't think this manager is right by just saying it is based on each location. On 3 seperate occasions in 1 year, I had each UHaul truck break down on me at some point (each with helping different people). This was even across 2 different states.

Each time, once the vehicle was turned off it just didn't start again. UHaul's solution was usually just finding a way to turn it on and then never turn it off....great service.

The U-Haul "reservation" system is a joke. All you are "reserving" is the opportunity to be first in line, should you show up at the same time as somebody else. The "reservation" contract clearly states it reserves nothing and guarantees nothing except for the fact that U-Haul will charge you a fee if you don't show up. If you do show up, and they are out of trucks, too bad for you; you get your money back and nothing else.

My credit card insurance (which is exactly the same for all Visa cards) clearly covers two-axle trucks. For this manager to state otherwise clearly shows he has never read the credit card's policy.

And what the heck is a "MAJOR" credit card? As opposed to what? Diner's Club? No $hit, Sherlock.

SirWired

he must have forgotten Tip # 6:

Rent from anyone else and forget UHaul.

Because, more likely than not:
"Anyone else" won't conveniently forget your reservation.
"Anyone else" won't gouge you on the price once your carefully made reservation has been lost and it's the day of your move.
"Anyone else" will rent you a safe truck that has been inspected during the current century.
"Anyone else" probably won't require that you return the truck in Timbuktu.
"Anyone else" wouldn't respond to documented safety concerns with claims that the safety stickers must've fallen off the trucks.

"Anyone else" may not be better, but they are not likely to be worse than UHaul.

Last time I rented at U-Haul, I filled out all of the rental paperwork and they handed me the keys.

As I was driving out of the lot, the employee stopped the truck and asked to see my receipt.

Rather than start down a slippery slope of eroding consumer rights, I decided it made more sense to run the guy over with the truck.

Tread marks over what was formerly his face and everything.

It made me feel good that I was standing up for the rights of the common man.

My experieces with U-Haul have not been great:
1) Their $29.99 truck actually costs you $39.99 (+ applicable fees). When I asked why I could not get the 24' truck for the $29.99 price listed in all of their advertisements, I was told it was because the location only had the 24' truck of the $39.99 variety (but could not be told what the difference was between the $29.99 or the $39.99.

2) A 24 hour rental is actually only 8 hours long. If you want the truck overnight, you need to pay for a second day (even if your drop the truck off the minute that they open their doors.

3) Receive equipment with the "Check Engine" light on and thick blue smoke blowing out of the exhaust.

All of this was at different locations around the country, and subsequently, I will never rent from U-haul again

"When you pick up, bring your drivers license and credit or debit card. It makes things easier for everyone."

Never, ever use your debit card for anything like this unless you want to jeopardize your bank account.

If the retailer screws you around you are out real money if you use your debit card. Use a Credit Card to protect yourself.

"I honestly never want to send someone out on a rental if I feel the equipment is unsafe"

But that does not mean he won't

.

i have never had a good experience with uhaul, ever. rented a several times. one time they didn't have a truck at all. one time i was left waiting at their shop for 3 hours for a truck. another time the truck was reported stolen by uhaul, even though i had all my paper work. i could go on and on. simply put, uhaul sucks. if my only choice was uhaul again, i think i'd just sale everything on craigs list and buy it new when i got to where i was going. uhaul is full of liars, cheats, and death-trap vehicles. bare in mind i've rented their trucks in 3 different states, they all suck.

but hey, that's just my luck, your millage may vary.....

Ive got a tip for all of you... use PENSKE. They are the best always have new trucks and friendly people. I have always used them and NEVER had a bad experience.

@Bladefist: Neither have I. I rented a 5x8 trailer one way from Michigan to Dallas when I moved to Texas. It was a great experience!

@sirwired: Actually, U-Haul does take Diners Club as they now have an alliance with MasterCard.
[www.mastercard.com]

Just make sure that you bring you Auto Insurance with you for proof of insurance or you are "required" or forced to take min coverage. That is what I was informed of when I rented a vehicle from them this past weekend, even though I wanted to waive the insurance I could not.

Anything they can do to suck your wallet dry they will do it.

@apotheosis: I'm sorry for your pain, but...
"...zero assistance from the Ryder staff on hand."

While it would have been nice for them to offer, I'm not sure that you would want to do it if you were the staff. 1. They're not paid to do any heavy lifting, and if one of them were to get injured while 'helping' I don't know where the liability would lie, but I'm pretty sure they would try and get you on the hook.
2. What if they dropped or broke your stuff while transferring it? Would you have just laughed about it or tried to hold them liable?

I'm not sticking up for them, but try to see things from another perspective.

The only rental company I like would be National, and that is because they have gone above and beyond on several occasions.
UHaul is just above enterprise on the seventh level of hell (just below Budget)

After my hellish U-Haul experience (rented a truck 4 months in advance of my move; day of move, no truck... anywhere in the greater Boston area) I will never use their service again. If I make a reservation 4 months in advance, you damn well better have my truck on the day I need it. U-Haul is the worst, and you'd be better served finding a different company with which to do your business.

About 5 years back I rented a U-haul to move some furniture and odds & ends out of my parents house to move to my house about 35 miles away. When I got to there, the vehicle in question was dented and had graffiti on it.

I mentioned this to the associate and made sure he marked it on the rental agreement.

I had no problems when I returned it.
Guess from what I'm reading I'm lucky.

@beavis88: Penske is expensive. Uhaul is dirt cheap, in comparison. And I've done two one way hauls. Also, penske isn't everywhere (like in my rural vt town), uhaul is far more ubiquitous.

The only thing I ever need a rental truck for anymore is getting stuff home that I buy that's too big and they don't deliver. I'm glad to see that home improvement stores now offer rental trucks, that's about all I use them for anymore anyway.

It's a franchise, and a loosely-controlled one at that. Your experience will heavily depend on the owner/management of the location(s) you go to. That said, my experience with U-Haul in central Massachusetts was sleazy enough that I now use Penske or Ryder when I need to rent a large truck.

"Their software could use some streamlining and their intractable attitude as well."

Gee, ya think?

The last time we ever rented from UHaul, it was because my husband's company paid for it. We brought the truck home, just a few blocks away through a congested residential area with a 25 MPH speed limit. That's why we didn't discover that it only had two gears -- first and fourth -- until the truck was completely loaded and we were getting on the highway. UHaul was nice enough to replace it with a truck that was less than half the size but agreed to eat the mileage "as a courtesy". Many trips later, we returned the truck and they tried to dun us for a huge bill for mileage anyway. We got that worked out -- or so we thought, until a couple of months later when my husband didn't receive a paycheck, because his employer took out the "excess fees" for the truck rental from his pay.

Contrast that with Penske: They're a lot more expensive, but we were moving clear across Texas and they have free mileage. Hey, they couldn't be worse than UHaul, so we thought we'd try it. We were moving during the week before Christmas and expected to return the truck on Xmas Eve. My son got seriously ill that week and we fell behind. We called to ask how much it would cost to keep the truck an extra day. "Hey, don't worry about it. We're closed the next day anyway, so just have it back to us by opening time on the 26th."

Penske has my business forever.