Having previously rented at U-Haul with no issues, reader Robert was surprised when a U-Haul agent wouldn’t rent him a truck unless he had a land line phone number. Robert tried giving him his work number but agent promptly dialed and when he realized it wasn’t Robert’s personal phone number, he hung up and said, “Land line!” Not having an actual land line number Robert was in a bit of a jam. Robert’s letter, inside….
Hi,
I rented a van from U-Haul in Jersey City, NJ on Sunday 5/11 and had a bit of a run-in with the rental agent. He looked up my reservation and they demanded a land line phone number. I don’t have a land line number and figured it was for marketing purposes. I resist giving extra information so I just gave my employer’s main number. He immediately picked up the phone and dialed the number. When it was clear this wasn’t a private line he hung up and demanded a “LAND LINE” I was a little startled and started asking why he wanted a land line to call. He was clearly irritated and kept saying things like “it’s policy” or “it’s 9am, don’t start with me!”, and finally, “so I know you are who you say you are.” He already had my driver’s license and it matched the info in the reservation so this step seemed unnecessary but I wasn’t getting anywhere.
Luckily my brother was with me and has a work line that has his voice saying his name on voice mail. Having called and been satisfied the rental agent then asked for a SECOND credit card. I didn’t have a second card with me other than the one used to reserve the truck. When I protested things got heated again. A second agent tried to step in and explain that the second card was because I was renting a truck and was a very expensive piece of equipment. The first agent tried to keep her from talking to me and appeared to be the manager. Requesting a manager wasn’t going to work and I needed the truck. My brother used his card as the secondary card.
Now, I have rented trucks from this location in the past and never needed anything other than 1 credit card and a driver’s license. Apparently one now needs a land line with your voice on voice mail or a land line where someone will vouch for you, two credit cards and a driver’s license. I don’t see these requirements anywhere on the web site or rental paperwork. I even asked what I needed to get the truck when I called to make the reservation and was told I needed nothing more than the credit card used to hold the truck and license. Consumerist readers might want to keep this story in mind if they ever consider renting a truck from U-Haul.
Rob [redacted]
In the end Robert needed a driver’s license, 2 credit cards and a land line phone call in which his name was spoken on the recording to rent a truck. Our quick research didn’t reveal anything about a land line either. We’re guessing that this is the local agent’s not-so-brilliant way of deterring vehicle theft. But just because he has good intentions doesn’t mean he has the right to do it. We wonder if U-Haul corporate is on board with this policy. We’re guessing there is no shortage of truck rental places in New Jersey. Maybe it’s time to start looking elsewhere.
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I was asked for a phone number for returning a product at Pepboys. I refused, since they already had my name and credit card info. The cashier got all uppity and refused to do the return, and the when I asked her about the policy she just threw her hands up and called the manager, saying she didn’t know anything and was just a cashier. The manager was very nice, explain why the policy was in place (of course, to stop fraudulent returns) and said that the phone number was not necessary. I just gave my name and that was that. All this extra info stuff can really get out of hand, especially if it takes a landline and two credit cards to rent a U-Haul.
I live in Jersey City. I no longer drive. I do not have a credit
card. But when a friend of mine was destitute but had to move on
short notice, I went to local rental agent – key word “local” – not a
chain. I explained the situation. The owner (another key word) of the
place asked me a few casual questions to confirm that I’ve lived here
for decades (as he has).
I gave him a $200 cash deposit. His only concern was that whoever was
going to show up and drive the truck two days on would show a valid
local driver’s license.
He provided a nice, clean truck, one in good shape, and at the end of
the day, everyone was happy. For those who know this area, he’s out
on Ocean Ave near the turnpike entrance.
Lesson – and this applies to everything from truck rentals to a cup
of coffee – whenever possible, stay away from chains and franchises.
Seek out locally owned and managed businesses. You get better
treatment in just about every service or product you buy.
This is bs. Your cell number is okay with UHaul
Just give this noob grandcentral.com forwarding number. God I hate people who requests landlines. How are they going to know it’s a landline or not? By the prefix? Uh hello, number portability. By the voicemail prompt? Uh hello, that’s my call forwarding. Ridiculous.
I think this Bullshit…
Most people use a UHaul to MOVE…
Hence maybe NO PHONE at old place or new place…
Trying to get a Blockbuster card I got the same resistance. They refused my cell or work phone on my application, and would only take a landline number. Since I don’t have one, I now use Netflix. So thanks, Blockbuster, I love Netflix.
“credit card used to hold the truck”
Hahaha…U-haul doesn’t do that.
@Ethek:
Penske and Ryder do not exist in most small towns. U-haul does. If you’re willing to drive an extra hundred miles to drop the truck off, there aren’t many places you can’t avoid U-haul. But even then there are some (Alaska, last I checked).
@johnva: Yah, you are probably right. You know, I would actually probably be a happier person without this cellphone on my belt, but it has come in handy in too many emergencies. And it is better than the pager I used to carry.
I grew up with one phone, in the kitchen, where everybody congregated and there was no privacy. Of course, I was making phone calls from a walkie talkie in 1989 when I was 14 years old thanks to a nifty (and legal) little ham radio trick called an “autopatch” that would patch a ham radio into the phone system.
I guess I’ll be one of the few old fogies to have a home phone line in 30 years. And, if perchance they are no longer available, I’ll just have a cellphone dedicated to the house.
On topic… I have had nothing but good service with Uhaul the few times I have rented a trailer (2 local, 1 long distance (1200 miles)) and the one time I rented a truck (local).
Some people on here just seem to have real bad luck!
actually, uhaul caught my identify thief! however, the fact that they let her rent a truck with my stolen driver’s license (i am asian, the girl in question i believe was black) kind of confounds me. basically, the only way they figured out that she wasn’t actually *me* was because she signed the wrong name on one of the waivers. when i asked them why they didn’t realize this before, they said that it was because my driver’s license picture looked “dark” so they couldn’t tell.
@gyroball: Unless you rented a truck from the same UHaul place, from the same employee, how can you claim it’s bullshit? As others have mentioned, when you’re dealing with a franchise you can get different rules, regs and crap at each location.
[www.companypay.com]
Name and Principal Position
Edward J. Shoen
2005 646,157 – 3,673
Chairman of the Board
2004 467,307 3,000 1,987
and President of AMERCO
2003 503,708 – 334
and U-Haul
Mark V. Shoen
2005 646,154 3,000 3,673
President of U-Haul
2004 623,076 3,000 1,987
Phoenix Operations
2003 617,308 – 334
James P. Shoen
2005 586,923 – –
Vice President of
2004 187,503 3,000 –
U-Haul Business
2003 201,543 – –
Consultants, Inc.
Ronald C. Frank
2005 259,962 86,058 3,673
Executive V.P.
2004 240,852 198,805 1,987
U-Haul Field Operations
2003 237,995 15,704 334
Jack A. Peterson(3)
2005 259,974 65,000 –
Chief Financial Officer
2004 4,808 – –
of AMERCO until July 2005
2003 – – –
Gary V. Klinefelter
2005 190,387 650,000 –
Secretary and General
2004 285,581 3,000 1,987
Counsel of AMERCO
2003 251,738 55,000 334
and U-Haul through
November 2004
*The above executive compensation data is an excerpt from the proxy statement filed for
AMERCO /NV/ on 7/22/2005
Search
Executive Compensation:
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Com
That actually did not convey very well, sorry.
I had to do the same thing when I rented my UHaul van. I had an out of state driver’s license (not surprising, I was renting in Brooklyn, how many people in Brooklyn actually have NY driver’s licenses?) so I needed to show 2 credit cards. Then they asked me for a land-line number. I gave the number for my legal residence, which is in NH since I’m a college student in NY. The woman couldn’t have cared less.
Also, this was a corporate location and not a franchisee.
Who the fuck still has an active land line when they are moving!?
I can vouch for Penske. If there’s one nearby, that’s the way to go, at least for long-haul moves. My Penske quote was about half that of U-Haul’s, and the truck was clean as a whistle and didn’t shed any parts as I made my way down the highway. Forget U-Haul.