Consumerist
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moving
Rent A Truck From U-Haul If You Want To Stay Put
Chris and his wife moved recently. To do so, they rented a truck from U-Haul. They planned ahead, booked their truck in advance, and did everything correctly. They just had the audacity to request a truck that wasn't located an hour away from their new home. This was apparently too much for the U-Haul infrastructure to handle. More » -
uhaul
U-Haul Forgets Customer, Forgets Guarantee, Then Forgets Extra Day Agreement And Threatens Criminal Charges
Consumerist reader Dionicious and his brother tried to rent a trailer from U-Haul over the weekend. First they were faced with a closed location, then they had to ask before the company followed through on its $50 "Right Time, Right Location" guarantee. They hoped that was the end of the screw-ups, but the next day an angry employee called and threatened to file criminal charges against the brothers. Too bad there's not some sort of $50 "We Threaten You, We Pay" guarantee. More » -
ASAP Van Lines, a moving company we've covered in the past for alleged abuses against customers, has changed its name to Chicago Moving Systems. You have been warned. [MovingScam.com] (Thanks to Christopher!)
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moving
Quality Van Lines Responds To Complaint
Earlier this week we posted about Cory, a man who had a bad experience with the moving company he hired to schlep his belongings from New York to North Carolina. Now Quality Van Lines has responded with their side of the story. More » -
moving
"The Moving Company I Hired Was Incompetent—What Do I Do Now?"
Cory and his girlfriend moved from New York to North Carolina this summer. They hired Quality Van Lines out of Clifton, NJ to handle the move, but soon regretted the choice: they overcharged him, failed to deliver on promises, and damaged not only his belongings but his car. Cory wants to know what his options are now—and we want readers to know how to avoid hiring companies like Quality Van Lines in the future. More » -
morton van lines
Movers Turns Musicians' New Zealand Adventure Into Fiasco
Ah, New Zealand, the land of kiwis and hobbits. Daniel and his girlfriend went there to set up a studio and get paid to do recording sessions. They're musicians. They hired Morton Van Lines to ship their equipment from LA to NZ, but after over seven months of struggle, they got it, or their money back.Turns out the equipment was shipped to the wrong country and then returned to the USA. Maybe if Morton Van Lines ever returned a phone call or an email it could have been straightened out. But nay. Here's Daniel's story... More » -
call joe shoen
Uhaul CEO Gave Out Cellphone Number On National TV, But Never Picks Up Or Returns Calls
In what looked like a daring move, the CEO of Uhaul, Joe Shoen, gave out his "cellphone number" on national TV and invited customers to call him with their complaints. The problem is, when you call, he doesn't pick up. If you leave a message, it's not returned. You get to hear Joe's gruffly charming voicemail message, but can't leave one of your own. His mailbox is full.
UPDATE: It seems this post may have had an effect. Commenters are reporting that Joe is now picking up. He even reportedly said to one of them, "Yes, this is Joe Shoen, are you calling about the internet?" Good on ya, Joe, now make sure that voicemail box is cleaned up. More »
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Movearoo
Moving With Movearoo's Help? Hope You Like AT&T, Verizon, And Qwest
Movearoo.com is a new website that appears to offer free assistance with your move, helping you set up things like phone service, gas, and electricity at your new address. The site calls itself "Your Total Moving Resource." It's a helpful site, sure, but you should be aware that it's funded by AT&T, Verizon, and Qwest, and exists primarily to promote their services. In other words, you won't find a comprehensive list of competing phone service providers through Movearoo, only those offered by the three sponsor companies. A consumer advocate points out the drawback of making Movearoo your sole relocation resource:
More »"If you go online and you only have one choice of a subsidiary of one of these companies, it's not one-stop shopping," [Ev Liebman of New Jersey Citizen Action] said. "It's simply misleading. Consumers need to be aware that there are other companies providing similar services and possibly at lower prices."
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u-haul
No, You Should Not Save Money By Filling Your Rental Truck's Gas Tank With Water
Look, we know gas is expensive, but don't save a couple bucks by topping off your U-Haul's gas tank with water. We won't pretend to care about U-Haul—not even U-Haul cares about their vehicles—but the next renter will want to bludgeon you with a rusty ice pick when their truck breaks down because you hosed the engine. More » -
uhaul
Angry U-Haul Manager Says You Stole A Truck
Now that it's summer, many people are doing the moving thing. For some, this might mean renting a truck or trailer from U-Haul, like reader Ryan. He reserved a truck from U-Haul online well in advance of his move, but when he went in for pickup was told none were available. Ryan called corporate, who called the store and convinced the surly manager to give Ryan a truck. Three days after Ryan returned the truck, he got this voicemail from from U-Haul: “This is Alexandria U-Haul Rentals. Your rental truck was due three days ago and you haven't returned it. If you don't return our truck today I will call the police." See how Ryan handled the situation, inside. More » -
moving disaster
Broadway Express Responds With More Information About The Moving Disaster
The moving company responsible for the moving disaster that we mentioned the other day has written in to share some information about the way insurance works in the event of such a catastrophe. More » -
moving disaster
What Do You Do When Your Moving Company Destroys Everything You Own?
What should you do when you carefully pack all of your belongings into a truck for a cross country move and the driver promptly drives under a bridge that's a couple feet shorter than said truck? That's the question that one couple is asking after their move from Boston to Oakland, CA went horribly awry. They shared their story with a Boston alumni email list and one user posted it to LiveJournal. Their letter, plus a gallery of photos generously donated by eyewitness (and Flickr user) K a t m, inside. More » -
complaints
Ultimate Van Lines Holds Belongings Hostage
More »Dear Consumerist,
We hired Ultimate Van lines, based in Dallas, TX, in April 2008, to transport our furniture and other household property from Fortville, IN to Lake Forest, CA, with an estimated delivery time of 7-10 days after pickup. Pickup in Fortville, IN occurred on 4/29/08. They have still not delivered our property to us as of 5/24/08.
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nightmare
Storage Company Disappears With Everything You Own
Kyle wrote in looking for advice after a storage company disappeared with everything they owned:Short story: We had 8160 pounds of personal items in storage with Wright Way Moving & Storage of Kent, Washington (not a self-storage place, a pallet-style warehouse storage place). They stopped sending bills. We called to find out why. Their number is disconnected, and their building appears abandoned. We have 1) filed a police report 2) informed our insurance company, and 3) contacted the military to find out if they can help us.
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invincible savings
This Reusable Best Buy Coupon For 10% Off Does Not Expire
Save 10% on your visit to Best Buy by bringing along this printable, reusable coupon that doesn't seem to expire. The coupon is accessible to the public, but it is meant to serve as a chintzy government house-warming gift from the Post Office to people who recently moved.
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moving
Uhaul Dealer's Tips For Happier Renting
A U-haul manager shared with us his tips for having a better experience when you rent with them:
- Book well in advance( at least a week) with a MAJOR credit card
- If you reserve through the 1800 number, get your reservation number and call back a day or 2 before to find where to pick up your equipment. Do not wait for someone to call you.
- When you pick up, bring your drivers license and credit or debit card. It makes things easier for everyone.
- If you know a location that you prefer to pickup or drop off, let uHaul or the dealer know.
- Take the insurance, but only if you are not covered by your auto policy. No credit card will cover damage.
What about all those tales about broken and poorly maintained trucks? His thoughts, inside... More » -
leaks
Uhaul To Start Charging $1-$5 "Environmental Fee"
Uhaul is going to start charging customers a $1-$5 fee to defray the cost of throwing away the various nasty junks associated with its rental business, according to an anonymous store manager. It will be called an "Environmental Fee." Ok, whatever, but we like the rebuttal supplied in the Q & A for Uhaul managers in case a customer complaints: "Do you want clean air and water thirty or fifty years from now? If so, pitch in." Nice, avoid raising upfront prices and get customers to cover your operating expenses through the power of guilt. Full text of the announcement, inside... More »
moving
New York, 6:29 PM
Sun Jul 5
6 posts in the last 24 hours
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