"But the tank was empty when I drove away!"
Written: Mar 16 '01
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Pros: In most cases, equipment is clean, reliable and on time.
Cons: Read your contract....even the small print. Check equipment before you drive away.
The Bottom Line: U-Haul Equipment has usually been clean and reliable for us. The quality of service depends on the local agency. If one office is unhelpful, try another, if there is one.
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| patsyv's Full Review: U-Haul |
The first time I rented a U-Haul truck, I was very trusting. Without knowing all the rules, I rented a small truck, got in, and drove away. I was about two miles down the road when I noticed that the gas gauge read “Empty.” Since it was a gas station that had rented me the truck, I had expected that there would have been gas in the tank.
Not wanting to drive all the way back to the rental agency (BIG MISTAKE) and tell them about it, I pulled into the next gas station and bought two gallons of gas, and was soon on my way. I was only using the truck for a very short haul, about two round trips of three miles each. Two gallons should be plenty to get me where I had to go.
I had the truck overnight, but parked it where I could keep an eye on it, because some of my things were in it. The next afternoon I returned the truck. When I went in to sign my credit card receipt, I noticed that one of the employees drove the truck to the gas pump and started to fill it.
I ran out and said that the gas was not my responsibility, that the tank had been empty when I picked it up. Not so, they said. You have to fill the tank and pay for it. I stood my ground: No! They would not budge: Yes! No! Yes! They threatened to call the police. Go ahead, I said. They backed down.
I asked them how I could use a whole tank of gas to drive less than fifteen miles. They said I must have siphoned the gas out of the tank. I said no. They said someone else must have siphoned it overnight. I said that it was empty when I picked it up, or else why would I stop two miles away and buy two gallons of gas?
I asked to speak with the owner. They telephoned him, but as it was now dinner time, he refused to speak with me, but told his employee that I must pay for the gas. I said no....and so we argued on into the evening. Finally, after a few more calls to the owner, he reluctantly decided that I could leave without paying for the gas, if I signed the credit card receipt. Evidently the owner didn’t want to pay his employee overtime, as it was now closing time for the gas station.
I must say now, that I had just finished an assertiveness training course, and this was the first time I had ever stood up for myself. I think I passed the course with flying colors. Oh yes, did I mention, It was New Years Eve. A night for celebrating!
In spite of this unfortunate incident, I have always used U-Haul for my van rental company, and most of the time, their equipment is clean and well maintained. We have towed a van behind a 28-foot truck on two occasions, and have had no trouble (although I would recommend not having to back up with this arrangement). On occasion, however, pick-up time has been delayed and the equipment has been sub-standard. Perhaps this is the fault of the local office, not the parent company. I would suggest that when you rent a truck, check it out very carefully for dents, tire wear, fuel, cleanliness, and see how the motor sounds. If there is body damage on the truck, have them make a note of it on the paperwork, so that you will not be charged for the damage.
The U-Haul office in Stratham, NH, certainly went out of their way to be accommodating. We had arranged to pick up a 28-foot diesel truck on Saturday morning, but by Friday night, the truck had not yet been turned in. The owner of the U-Haul office called around, located a truck about two hundred miles away in Maine, drove up there with her son and brought back the truck in time for us to pick it up Saturday morning, as planned. They spent the whole night driving, so we would not be disappointed. I was certainly impressed with this service.
I have had a van break down on the highway only one time. I’m not sure if the truck was to blame, or if the rough road I had been on affected the motor. Here is the tale of a trip of over two thousand miles, over mountains and prairies, by a neophyte truck driver:
This was a disaster waiting to happen. I have one bad habit. I think I can do anything! So when my sweetie and I decided to move from Denver to Tampa, I volunteered to drive a U-Haul truck. Alone. I had never driven a big truck before, but hey, it couldn’t be that hard, could it?
My sweetie had taken a job in Tampa, but we were not sure he would like it, so we left our furniture in an apartment in Denver, in case we wanted to come back. We also had things in storage on the west slope of Colorado, and in a small town in southern Minnesota.
We drove to Tampa in early October, found a great apartment, and settled in with sleeping bags and a few cooking utensils. By early November we decided that Tampa was for us, so Sweetie put me on a plane and I flew to Denver, while he stayed in Tampa with his job. I went to the apartment and packed our stuff. That was the easy part.
Then I rented a 24-foot U-Haul truck. My credit card company gave me the third degree when I was trying to charge $2,000 for the truck rental. I had never done anything quite like that before. They finally gave the charge their OK and I coaxed a couple of extra free days from the U-Haul guy. After all, I had to drive over the mountains to pick up my refrigerator, washer, dryer, and assorted boxes from a storage company, drive back over the mountains to Denver, load up the furniture and boxes there, drive to Minnesota, load furniture and boxes there, and then proceed to Tampa, and unload. No problem......
I had decided to pick up the things that were on the other side of the continental divide first, so the truck would not be too heavy on the mountainous part of my journey. That was a good idea. The truck was HUGE. I drove very cautiously at first, but soon got the feel of it and in no time was heading up Loveland Pass and through the tunnel. Unfortunately, a major snowstorm was forecast, but I had to stick with my timetable, because Sweetie was supposed to meet me at the Des Moines airport on Thanksgiving Day and drive the rest of the way to Tampa. Time was of the essence.
I got to the storage company about noon, and they packed my belongings very professionally in the front of the truck box. I immediately started out for Denver, but then the snow started. I stopped for something to eat near Dillon, and by that time it was dark and snowing quite heavily. But, onward and upward. The truck did not do well on the uphill slopes; it just crawled along. I am sure the other drivers hated me. On the downhill slopes, with the snow and ice building up, I was terrified. I stayed in first or second gear all the way, and kept a lookout for runaway truck lanes. I finally arrived at my Denver apartment about midnight and heaved a sigh of relief.
The next day I arranged for a couple of teenagers to help me load the furniture. They were willing workers, but not very good at packing. We finished the job in one day, and the next morning I started for Minnesota.
That’s when I discovered some flaws in the truck that was to be my companion for the next few days. When I got on I-76 north from Denver, it felt like the truck had square wheels. I got out to see if the tires were flat, but no, it was just the rocking concrete panels in the roadway. What a jolting, uncomfortable ride it was, almost to the Nebraska line.
I stopped for fuel, and discovered that it was impossible for me to raise the hood to check the oil. U-Haul had warned me to do this every time I stopped for fuel. I therefore could not stop at cheaper self-service stations. I had to have an attendant check the oil for me. This cost a lot more than planned.
One good thing about the truck: there was lots of room in the front seat, so I could sleep in it at rest stops. I was planning to arrive in Minnesota on Tuesday, and was running a little late, so I did not stop at motels.
I was near the border of South Dakota and Minnesota, when all of a sudden there was a horrendous noise coming from the motor. Banging, clanging, metal on metal; I had no idea what was wrong. I was miles from anywhere. No cities, no traffic, no gas stations, no McDonalds, just fields as far as the eye could see. I was totally on my own. I stopped the truck and tried to raise the hood. No dice. It was late afternoon, and I only had a couple of hours of daylight left. There was nothing to do but drive on and hope I didn’t destroy the motor. I drove about 20 mph, but the noise was just as bad as when I had been going 60 mph. I finally came to an interchange, but could not see any businesses. I didn’t dare go on, so I exited the highway and went down a country road.
About a half mile down this road was a seed growing company. I drove into their parking lot and entered the office. They allowed me to use their phone and I called U-Haul, explaining my difficulty. They said they would send someone out. Believe it or not, someone from the U-Haul agency in Sioux Falls was there within thirty minutes, and ten minutes later, another U-Haul rescue truck was on the scene. The main problem with the motor was that a few of the spark plug wires had come off and were being tossed around. I don’t know why they all came off at the same time. If I could have raised the hood, perhaps I could have fixed this problem myself. However, these two efficient mechanics took care of the problem, and with many thanks, I was again on my way.
When I arrived at the little town in Minnesota, I stayed at a motel next door to the storage building, which was a very unique facility. It was a large building that once had been an auto dealership. They had built a new facility in front of the old one, and rented out the old space as storage. The storage units were separated by chalk lines on the floor. That’s all. A padlock was the only security, and everyone who had stuff stored there had a key. Our belongings had been sitting there for several years, and as far as I know, nothing was missing.
I was fortunate because our things were sitting right next to a loading dock, and I was able to back the truck up to the door. This was a lifesaver, because I found out that I could not hire anyone to help me load the truck. It was the day before Thanksgiving, and everyone seemed to have things to do. Two of the mechanics who worked at the auto dealership agreed to come in during their lunch hour to help me, but they had to return to their jobs in the afternoon.
I first had to partially unload the truck, because I saw that the available space would not accommodate all the things I had to load. I repacked the Denver things more tightly, leaving the heavy furniture for the noontime helpers. I worked from 7 a.m. in the morning, without stopping, until 6 p.m. At that time, one of the noontime helpers stopped by to see if I was OK, and he helped me load the mattress and box spring on the very end of the truck. Between us, we managed to force the back door down, and I was through. This storage building was unheated, and the temperature was well below freezing. After eleven hours of working in the cold, I was glad to be able to get something to eat in a warm restaurant.
I met Sweetie at the Des Moines airport, as planned, the next day. We had Thanksgiving dinner in an almost deserted airport, and then headed for Tampa. At last I could relax and enjoy the ride. We were able to get the truck back within the allotted time, although I forgot to get my money back for the oil I bought.
The next time we moved, we used professional movers, but we have since used U-Haul a few more times. Usually we have had good equipment and courteous service.
Recommended:
Yes
Punctuality: Showed up on time
Ease of Filing Claim: N/A
Lost Goods: N/A
Amount Paid (US$): $2,000
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Epinions.com ID:
patsyv
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Member: Pat
Location: Florida
Reviews written: 55
Trusted by: 188 members
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