U-Haul consistent policy of overcharging outlandish ripoff late fees victimized many consumers evil dirt bags deceptive company Phoenix
I recently rented a truck from U-Haul. On approximately March 29, 2003 I made an online reservation (#reference number 29357541) for a 17 foot truck and auto transport to be picked up on 4/3/2003 at 925 Niagara Falls Boulevard Amherst, NY 14226. In retrospect I wish I had never rented any equipment from your company.
The following will explain why. The first problem I had was when the general manager of the facility (Terry Sahr) neglected to place the utility dolly in the back of the truck prior to my taking possesion of the truck.
Only after I had opened the loading door to the truck to begin loading the vehicle did I notice that the dolly was not in the truck. This required me to return to the facility to acquire the dolly whose rental I had already paid for. This act by your manager wasted not only valuable time but gas as well. He did hand write on my receipt an adjustment for the mileage but this failed to save me problems in the near future which I will comment on shortly.
Also, when I rented the dolly there was a promotion in which I could rent the dolly and furniture pads for a combined cost of $10. Instead, Mr. Sahr charged me $10 for the utility dolly and $5 for the furniture pads. I also noticed this promotion at the facility in Baltimore MD also.
However, my chief complaint regarding the rental of the equipment is that upon the return of the equipment I was charged $100.09. Upon calling the regional manager in Baltimore, MD, "Mr. Wallace", at 410 325 1550 to inquire what these charges were for I was told by Mr. Wallace that there was a $29 refueling fee and a $25 cleaning fee.
When I attempted to explain that these charges must be in error Mr. Wallace was very rude and disconnected the line from me! For that reason alone I want a complaint filed against this person and I want the complain placed in his personnel record.
He is partly to blame for the feeling of disgust I have in this entire experience with U-Haul. As for these charges: the truck was returned in a clean condition. I was and am fully aware that doing otherwise would cause me to be charged a $25 cleaning fee. The only thing that was possibly left in the truck were 5 furniture pads and that is because I was under the impression that the $5 fee I pad for these pads was a rental fee. If it was, in fact, a purchase fee then these pads are my property and I want them returned.
Now! Also, I will remind you that I was already overcharged for these pads since, in effect, the fee should have been $10 for BOTH the dolly and the pads. Furthermore, it was necessary for me to call your customer service line in order to get the exact breakdown of the $100.09 charge since Mr. Wallace had hung up on me before it was possible for me to do so.
I also mentioned that I was charged $29 as a refueling fee. I was told that this was because I brought the fuel level to just below the level I picked up the truck (which was the 3/4 tank mark). Keep in mind that it was necessary for me to refuel the truck approximately 3 times during the period of the rental due to length of travel from Buffalo, NY to Baltimore, MD. The last time I refueled the vehicle the gas station pump stopped refueling automatically, indicating to me that the gas tank in the truck was full.
I did notice that the trucks fuel gauge indicated less than full upon re-entering the vehicle but I surmised that it must be that the guage was not reading correctly. Furthermore, having said that: why would I risk a refueling charge when it was obvious I had refueled the vehicle at least once? I did not want to risk overfilling the vehicle and cause a fire hazard by forcing more gas into the tank. Since the gas station pump stopped pumping automatically it indicated to me that the gas tank in the truck was full. Do you know how furious I am?
Here's what I'd like to see happen: U-Haul has overcharged me $100.09 in extra fees that should never have been placed. Furthermore, the furniture pads and furniture dolly fee was overcharged to me by $5 and the furniture pads should be in my possession since I did buy them. Also, U-Haul caused me to incur an additional $29.75 fee in overdraft charges from my bank because U-Haul charged these fees to my bank account as I was in the process of closing my account. (I used up the funds in the account, bringing it to a lower balance than the $109.09 that U-Haul charged me, in order to be able to close the account since I was switching banks since I was moving to another city).
To put it bluntly, I want each of these fees refunded to me immediately. Also, I want the furniture pads delivered to me, at U-Hauls expense. I am not willing to pick up the pads at a U-Haul facility because I no longer have a car. U-Haul has been a disappointment to me every time I have rented equipment from them. I rented a 28 foot truck from U-Haul when I moved from Syracuse, NY to Buffalo, NY several years ago. At that time, just as I was about to begin the drive to Buffalo with the truck full the engine lost its' coolant. After the mechanic showed up I finally pulled into Buffalo after 11 pm the night before I was to begin DENTAL school at SUNY Buffalo at 8 am. That is another unpleasant experience I will NEVER forget with U-Haul. Furthermore, a customer service manager has sent me $30 in U-Haul VIP Certificates for the troubles I have received on the most recent rental. I know that you will surmise that unless satisfaction is made regarding this rental you will have lost a customer for life. These certificates are worthless to me. You may as well provide me an address to return these to as I do not intend to use them.
Also, I refuse to give them to anyone else because, unless I am refunded the funds rightfully due to me, I will actively recommend that people go to your competitors such as Ryder or Budget. I will also explain to people that it ay appear that U-Hauls rate quotes may appear to be cheaper, but they have an unwritten policy to sneak in additional fees wherever possible and it will be more expensive to use U-Haul in the long run. This complaint will be duplicated on several consumer websites such as The Better Business Bureau ( http://www.bbb.org/, Ripoff Report ( http://www.ripoffreport.com/
I'll definitely never rent from you again, and you can be sure I'll steer my friends away from your company.
Please get back to me quickly about this issue. I hope to hear from you within 10 business days.
Scott
Baltimore, Maryland
U.S.A.
Click here to read other Rip Off Reports on U-Haul
4 Updates & Rebuttals
Lonnie
Madison,Wisconsin,
U.S.A.
Pick your battles
#5UPDATE Employee
Sat, May 15, 2004
I manage customer complaints every day & would like you to try and look at your issues in an alternative way. I can understand being upset when you opened the box of the truck to find the dolly missing. But, on the other hand, knowing how important that dolly was, shouldn't you have taken the few seconds to ask about it or look yourself? I know it might be shocking but, U-haul employees put their pants on the same way you do, and they make mistakes, just like you. Problem
#2, which is the easiest to resolve. If there was indeed such a promotion in effect, simply call the marketing company for that area, they will most likely require you to mail in your receipt and make sure you were or were not charged properly. Problem #3: the charges, sorry but this is where I get a bit upset. At the time you returned the truck, were you told of the charges? If so, did you question each of them right then? Did you and the employee go out to the truck & verify the gas gauge, the reason for the cleaning charges? At the time of your rental, that contract you signed, did you read it over completely, making yourself aware of any possible extra charges you could be required to pay? When you dropped off the truck, did you take a moment to look at the fuel level? And my final issue, to be blunt, you did not & have never rented a 28 ft. truck from U-Haul. The largest truck they have is 26 ft. If you are going to rent or purchase anything from any company, when paying for products or service, remember, it is up to you to make yourself aware of all agreements and conditions prior to signing anything. Take a few minutes to make sure everything is correct and accounted for. I do wish you luck sir and remember, give respect, and get respect. Conduct yourself respectfully, caveman days are long gone.
Cory
San Antonio,Texas,
U.S.A.
Never ever leave a rental place until the total fees are agreed upon in writing.
#5Consumer Suggestion
Sun, May 09, 2004
Rented a $29.95 per day U-Haul van for 24 hrs which ended up costing me $250. Put a lot of extra miles on it and did the move myself, was sore for a week. My next move 1 year later, cost me $249 when I hired a small local Co. to do it and they did it in 4 hours and I didn't lift a finger. Learned a good lesson. There are several points in your posts that you share some responsibility for; you should have looked in the back of the truck for the dolly before you left. You should have looked at the gas guage before turn in. You might have a point about the clean fee. Never ever leave a rental place until the total fees are agreed upon in writing. That way they can't jerk you around after you leave. Lord if I read another post about someone who has been treated badly by the same co more than one time I'll barf. "U-Haul has been a disappointment to me everytime...." Fist time is their fault, second time is my fault. No excuse for rude employees. Good luck.
Jen
West Haven,Connecticut,
U.S.A.
fully read your contract
#5Consumer Suggestion
Sat, May 08, 2004
as was said in the prior comment, the move deal promotion, is for local rentals only(which is stated) the cleaning charge is more than likely for U-haul having to refold your pads, (it states the cleaning charge can be saved with a clean truck was furniture pads folded) and one way moves do not come with a utility dolly as everyone assumes and reservations for them are SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY ONLY.
There are also signs in the truck that state that diesel trucks have an automatic shutoff as a safety precaution and will still take up to five gallons, which may have saved you a $20 and $2 per gallon refueling fee. as for owning the furniture pads, you are indeed wrong, but you can pick up one furniture pad for $14.95. renting them is supposed to be a convenience to the customer who will never again use them. it may all depend on where you rent from(which is sad) but i can say that if you listen to the employees and fully read your contract and ask questions before you leave, you wouldnt have these problems, verify gas and mileage with an employee before you leave that center, instead of rushing out. you may be in a hurry, but they are not ...and will spend as much time with you as needed to make your move a pleasant one.
Alison
Hawley,Pennsylvania,
U.S.A.
The additional fees are listed in your rental agreement
#5UPDATE Employee
Tue, May 27, 2003
I work for an Independent U-haul dealer (not U-haul owned). The promotion you are referring to regarding the dolly & blankets for $10.00 is for local rentals only, meaning you have to return them to the dealer you picked up from. One way the have a different rate, which is $10.00 for the dolly & $1.00 for each blanket or a dozen for $10.00. As for you now owning the blankets, you only rented them to purchase them the are $12.00 each.
The additional fees are listed in your rental agreement which you would have signed at the time of rental. If you feel the charges you were charged at return shoud not be you need to contact Uhaul at 800-go-uhaul. Usually these fees can be refunded.