U-Haul Moving & Storage of Lincoln Park

I have only rented trucks from here and not used any other services. Rented a van and a pickup truck; both experiences had me in and out within 10 minutes. One time took place on a Monday around 7pm and the other was on a weekday around noon. The people are friendly and the place seems organized and well-​run. On the first occasion, I dropped off the truck after they were closed and left the key in the drop box. On the second occasion, someone was there to tell me my total, charge me, and have my receipt emailed to me. It took all of two minutes.
A note: you cannot leave your car in their facility while using a truck, but there is ample street parking around.

I’ve rented 2 trucks and 2 storage units from Uhaul recently. I’ve had nothing but good experiences thus far.
Truck Rentals
— Both times, I was in/​out of there in 15 minutes. Amazed at how fast/​efficient the checkout was. Note: both times were during the week. I can’t speak for peak times or weekends.
— The first time, I rented a 10 foot truck. The second time, I rented a cargo van. No issues either time.
Storage units
— The first unit was a smaller 7×4 unit. This was the first storage unit I’ve ever rented. I can’t say I was thrilled to see that the ceiling was chicken wire. Also, each unit has a rat box. I wasn’t sure if they were being proactive, or if they had rats at one time. I’ve been to other facilities that don’t have rat boxes (which either mean they’re less clean or less concerned). But overall, I was happy with the unit.
— I quickly outgrew the first unit and got one of their larger 7×9 units. This one is considerably larger, and has higher ceilings. Cleanliness was average at best, though. But at least this one has an actual ceiling instead of chicken wire.
— A lot of the storage units on the north side close at 5:00 or 6:00 pm so they’re pretty much inaccessible during the week for the 9 to 5’ers. Uhaul stays open until 8:00, which is nice.
— There are certainly nicer storage units out there. But they’re either a) very expensive, b) open at inopportune hours, or c) located on the South Side. Overall, I’m happy with Uhaul.

Terrible. They scammed me.
I was given a truck with just under ¼ tank of gas. I verified that there was a ¼ tank of gas, which was a mistake on my part; I trusted that the guy was going to be decent. I returned the truck after driving six miles total, for a short move across town. I was told there was a $ 30 fee for returning the truck with less than ¼ tank of gas. Fun, because I was given a truck with less than a ¼ tank to start! So I had a choice between buying $ 45 worth of gas to get the truck to ¼ tank of gas, or paying $ 75 (the fee, plus the gas). I bought $ 45 worth of gas for the six miles I drove. And the guy who checked me in when I returned the truck was a jerk; very condescending and cocky; insinuating that I might have smashed up the truck. And he said I was getting a «deal,» by avoiding the $ 30 «fee.» Ha ha ha.
My final receipt shows that the truck had ½ a tank of gas when it was given to me. Hilarious. I have a receipt from when I checked out the truck that shows there was ¼ tank of gas, how did it magically get to ½ a tank Uhaul?!
There are other moving truck rentals. I will be hiring people to run my move the next time. Ultimately the whole process still cost under $ 100, but its the principle of it. These guys jerked me around for an extra $ 45. What kind of business is that?
These guys are clowns.

I hardly ever write bad reviews. but this is warranted.
1) The lines while moving were INSANE. I waited a little over 45 minutes but watched the line triple after I left. So, slightly annoying, not the end of the world but definitely something to consider when you’re moving out.
2) After getting to the line, my truck was ready fairly quickly, but did not have any of the items I had purchased in it — mattress covers/​dolly/​furniture pads. To be clear, the individual at the desk specifically told me that the items would be included when I got there. I asked a few people to help me who said, «Sorry, that’s not my truck so not my responsibility…» which helps me 0% when there is no one else around. I had to ask two other individuals, one of which was able to help me get some of the items on my list, while the other individual asked me to drive back to the Uhaul location later in the evening so that he could find them.
OKAY, fine. I will leave Uhaul without the items that I need and drive back, later in the day, so that you can find the items that were supposed to be in my scheduled pick up at 5:00 PM. Those items were found and picked up, eventually, but having to drive back to the location an hour later is annoying for all parties and frankly, terrible service.
3) Because of previous poor service at Uhaul, I had a gift certificate that I asked to use. They told me that they didn’t think that they needed to apply the gift certificate in advance and that I could use it afterwards. Because I had to come back to the Uhaul location to pick up the requested/​pre-​purchased items, Megan, from the Fullerton Uhaul location told me that I was no longer eligible to use the gift certificate that I have and hung up.
That’s right — because Uhaul did not get my order correct, I am not able to use the gift certificate that I received from Uhaul for previously abysmal service. I’ve reached out to Uhaul about the issue and have not heard anything. Megan, the individual at the Fullerton location, told me that she would not do anything for poor service at her location, even if I complained.
If anyone wants my gift certificate they’re welcome to it, although good luck trying to apply it…

I have previously had bad experiences at this location and it always seems incredibly busy whenever I’m there. However, this time they really had it together. The line moved quickly and when I got to the front, I gave my name, but it turned out I had reserved a van at a different location. Will took care of everything and called on the walkie to get me a van right then. He was very nice and professional and did a good job explaining how everything works with renting and returning the van. I went out and met Rick who handed me the key and checked the gas gauge. He noticed it was a little lower than was marked on my paper and went in to get it fixed right away. Again, super nice and professional.
This was a really good experience and I will definitely be back to this location, especially if Will and Rick are an example of the service I can expect.

Picked up a moving van a couple days ago. When I picked up, the fuel level was BELOW the usual level marked by the contract. Uhaul guy (M.J.) hand wrote the level on the contract and initialed it. He specifically told me to fill up the gas to that level and leave the contract in the truck so they do not charge me extra for fuel.
I used the truck, filled up the gas to that level, and returned it afterhours. Left the contract as I was told, locked the truck, then slid the key into the box.
NEXT DAY, I CHECKED MY EMAIL AND ELECTRONIC COPY OF CONTRACT STATES I AM BEING CHARGED EXTRA FOR FUEL.
I called the number to this location and they do not pick up so call gets transferred to the central customer service center. The rep there told me she left a message for «M.J.» to check the hard copy of contract at the branch and process the refund. She says they will call me back on the next business day as they are really busy on the weekened.
On the next business day, I call the branch and of course they do not pick up. I am still waiting to hear back from them. You should be aware that this can happen and insist on getting a truck with proper fuel level or return the truck during normal business hours if not.

Understaffed. Waited 30 minutes in line to pick up vehicle. Should have staffed properly for the number of reservations.

From truck rental to storage, every detail was easy and every employee was tremendously helpful. Even though moving is stressful, Uhaul made everything so much better. They were awesome every time I talked to them on the phone and in person. I can’t thank them enough for all their kindness.

Was in the middle of my moving madness and the people working the shift that day were SUPER helpful and friendly! I ended up having to make THREE trips back and forth because all the specialty boxes I purchased didn’t quite fit in my car. One of their mover guys helped me load the car up /​watched and waited outside with my purchases in between these trips. Definitely a ‘above and beyond’ service experience!
FInal Verict:
Get your moving supplies from here for sure!

This place deserves the overall two star rating… if I could I would say ZERO stars. My husband reserved a one way rental over the phone with someone at the shop. When we went to pick it up the trailer was no longer available. The desk clerk said «oh sometimes that happens…» What do you mean? That happens? A reservation is worth nothing?
We ended up getting a much smaller trailer then we needed, which means we can’t move everything in one trip… so what’s the point.
And while we were putting the trailer on our hitch the worker was saying that we had the wrong hookup. Huh? We actually had the hitch installed at this location!!!
Rent some place else!

While U-​Haul as company SUCKS!!! This place really had it together. The service we received was by FAR the best service we had from the company. From start to finish we had a miserable experience with U-​Haul and hopefully will never have to use them again. Seriously, who gives someone the wrong truck then makes the customer come back to fix it?
Crystal however was very pleasant and really helped us out. but i do want to reiterate that this review is not for u-​Haul as a company because they did nothing to make this moving experience worse, but it is for Crystal who made the ending pleasant.

Made my reservation for a truck over a month in advance for my move. I was to pick up my truck at 5:15 in Lincoln Park. All was fine, I even used the express check-​in a few days before. Then it was 8:30pm the night before the move…
I received an automated text and email at 8:30pm that said, reservation now as follows: 3 o’clock pm pick-​up at a location 37 miles away! I went to call to switch this immediately and all offices were closed so I was sent to corporate. All they could say was, «we cannot guarantee any pick up locations, it is too hectic.»
It is a horrible system, and I relied way too much on Uhaul for my move. Now I am in trouble, day of, looking for an accessible truck to use. I have been placed on hold for more than 15 minutes, three times already today. After finally getting through, I was told NO TRUCKS AVAILABLE IN CHICAGO. Unless all you need is moving supplies and boxes, I would NOT recommend Uhaul — at least not this location. Way too unreliable.
I have contacted other moving companies and gotten better quotes, amazingly better customer service, and they have been in constant touch with me.

DO NOT RENT FROM U-​HAUL, AND ESPECIALLY NOT THIS LOCATION.
We all know that moving in the summer in Chicago is a drag, and rental locations’ reservations fill up quick. That’s fair, it’s a big city. So in advance of my move on June 30^th, I thought I was way ahead of the game when I called to make a 24 hour truck rental reservation on May 19^th… a whole month and a half in advance. Initially the service was nice, I get my confirmation email and everything seems hunky dory and squared away as needed…
…Until I get a call this morning from a rep at this location to tell me that my truck is suddenly NOW only available for a 13 hour reservation, and not the 24 hours that I needed it for originally… but «hope that’s still ok!» No, no it’s actually not only not ok, it’s a major problem. The whole point of me reserving something for 24 hours is because I can’t move into my new apartment until late afternoon on June 30^th, but I also have to be out of my apartment by 11 am on June 30^th. And as much as I’d like to say I’m a superwoman and can lift whole couches on my back, I’m not… so I also need to be able to load up the truck the night before on June 29^th when people aren’t at work and are available to help me. Oh, but the rep mentioned that if I wanted to, I could pay $ 100 ($#*^&@!! – INSERT MANY EXPLETIVES HERE) more to confirm a one-​way reservation, SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY, which means I could have it for longer than 12 hours. Why can’t I just have it for the original time, rate and duration I originally set it up for? I’m not paying $ 100 more to move my belongings 2 miles up the road. The whole point of a one-​way reservation is for people moving out of state. Absolutely absurd.
What I failed to realize upon my initial booking is that when U-Haul’s reservation confirmation says «subject to availability,» it really just means that reservations can change at random, without rhyme, reason, or authorization, and U-​haul will just cross its fingers and «hope» it’s ok with the customer. In my experience, a reservation means a «hold,» so if someone isn’t able to reliably assure a customer that something is ACTUALLY reserved for the original time/​date specified, then it should really be called a «lottery» instead. I just don’t understand this business model at all.
So long story short, I said f&*k this place, and reserved a truck at the Home Depot through Penske for $ 5 more, which offers later pick-​up/​drop-​off times, and offers GUARANTEED reservations… like, actual REAL reservations, and actual holds on equipment.
Thanks for nothing U-Haul…consumers beware, take your business elsewhere.

I returned a truck here after moving from the suburbs. I arrived 5 minutes after the facility closed and was told by employees to park the truck and they would do an after-​hours check-​in. The next day, I received an invoice through email from this facility which listed an additional charge for extra mileage. Per my original receipt given to me when I picked up the truck, I was allowed 38 miles, plus 100 additional miles (additional miles added to my account by UHaul corporate because I was forced to drive 15 miles just to pick up the truck). Despite the fact that I was given 138 miles, and used only 55 miles, when I called this facility to try to cordially work out the issue, they refused to do anything and were down right rude. Extremely poor customer service. Would not recommend.

We called to rent a truck the morning of the move and were pleasantly surprised when we were told that there was one available at 10:30, about an hour later. Perfect, we thought! So we booked it and, because we’d just gotten off the phone, didn’t think to check the confirmation email very closely.
We should have. When we were on our way to rent it, we were about five minutes behind and called to confirm that we were still on our way. Turns out they gave us a 2 hour window– not four, as we’d been told– and it was scheduled for 2:15, not 10:30.
I mean, I guess that’s sort of our fault for not immediately reading the confirmation email, but we were very clear on the phone and received verbal confirmation of both our pickup time and rental window. There was no apology offered– we called back and didn’t speak to the same person– and we had to scramble to find something else.
I’m sure others have had better experiences. Just take this as a warning to carefully check confirmation emails.

I had a great experience renting a truck to move some furniture. I made my reservation over the phone a couple of days in advance. Everyone was very friendly and helpful. We barely had to wait in line when picking up the truck and even then the receptionist apologized that it took as long as it did. The truck was clean and we had a very friendly employee explain to us how everything worked to help us get on our way. The truck was in very good working order and was totally clean. The return process could not have been easier. Another friendly employee got us all checked in and explained all of the charges to me. No issues at all.
I don’t know why this place has so many bad reviews but I would definitely use it again!

I have no idea why this location doesn’t have better reviews. I’ve used them twice within the past month and everything was perfect.
Both times I’ve used this location it has been a last minute reservation and I was still able to secure a truck. The staff is very efficient and friendly.
I feel like their business is very systematic and formulaic. Everything seemed to just run smoothly.

I reserved a ubox and a truck– The reservation process went well for both. However, when it came time to get the box out– I got horrendous customer service from this location and reported them to their corporate customer service FOUR times. The agreed to pay for my truck after that but now I’m getting a bill saying I now have to pay for it.
GO ELSEWHERE!

MOVE IT!
I needed to make a pickup at the last minute on a Friday. I originally was going to grab a trailer and hook it up to my SUV but it started to rain hard. I needed to keep my content from getting wet, so I had to go for the covered box truck.
I first went online to make sure that this location had the vehicle I was looking for. It also showed that I could pick it up immediately. I decided to not reserve online and just do it in person, just in case I needed to change my truck choice.
I walked up to the front counter and was helped immediately. There was a lot of potential for me to be waiting around with the number of people lingering in the store. Many were just walking around picking up flat boxes for there future move. That looked like fun! Not!
The guy behind the counter was all business. He didn’t even crack a smile when I joked with him. He walked me through everything. The coolest thing was the gas gage printed on the receipt. It also estimated how much gas you needed to fill back up to return the gas at same level in the truck. My receipt told me I needed 1.9 gallons and I put in 2.1 gallons. It was a perfect match. I love technology.
The guy grabbed my truck in the pouring rain and he asked if I wanted to check for damage. I informed him that I bought the full insurance, so it didn’t matter to me. He then told me please don’t rip the roof off because insurance doesn’t cover that. I’m so glad Mr Personality at the front counter informed me about that, when I got the full insurance, said in a sarcastic tone by me! That seems like an important piece of info which wasn’t given to me.
The box truck was loaded full of miles… almost 52,000. This little truck has seen a lot. It would be cute if there was a log book in the glove box that chronicled the trucks journeys. That would have been fun to read. Is there a suggestion box anywhere?
The truck was $ 29.99 to rent for the day not including, insurance, gas and mileage. Mileage was $ 1.29 a mile which seems very high. Of course, I had to do some math to figure out this little box truck has made $ 67,080 just from charging customers per miles.
I was hoping to be done in an hour but between the rain and traffic I ended having the truck for 4.5 hours. I also had to find a gas station that was easy access for me to fill up the tank. Again another challenge that wasn’t fun.
When I returned the truck I noticed the truck checking in before me was full of garbage and food all over the place. It looked like someone through a party in there and they didn’t clean it up. I asked the U-​haul employee if trucks were suppose to be returned clean. He said, «Yes but that truck was stolen and the repo company found it in an empty lot!» It was like an episode of cops. The sad part of the story is that a thief stole the truck with the person’s stuff in it and then after emptying the truck, left it abandoned in a lot. Then a homeless person moved in the back of the truck. The truck also got tagged with graffiti and lost the drivers side mirror. I sure hope the original renters got the full insurance.
Speaking of insurance I had two choices. $ 14 for insurance or if I didn’t get insurance then $ 24,000 charged on my credit card, if I had an accident. I thought the $ 14 was a better option, so I went with that. I think there scare tactics worked on me.
Returning was easy. I went to the front counter and was given a receipt. It was really easy and painless.
I’ve visited many U-​Haul locations in my life and this location was well managed. Everyone was working and I received efficient service. I never felt like I was standing there wasting my time. So I would recommend this place for any future moving needs!

U-​haul should take responsibility for their recommendation of movers. In this case, a «moving company» named Moving Strength whose «employees» single handedly damaged or destroyed each piece of furniture they laid their hands on.
The couch was DRAGGED along the ground, not even on the feet, but on its side, through a mud and puddle covered alley (it’s white, go figure), coffee tables which weighed less than 20lbs and are relatively small are nicked, with chunks missing, tv stands now have giants scratched down the side. On top of that, they moved so slowly, that it took almost double the time, I’m talking two guys, carrying small boxes, one at a time to the truck. They moved so slow, they may have well just gone backwards. THEY WERE MOVING A SMALL ONE BEDROOM TO A STUDIO! With everything packed, that shouldn’t take 2.5 hours.
Also: THEY LOST THE TELEVISION. Yes, a television, they LOST it. To the point where security footage didn’t even show them putting it in the truck. Somehow, they managed to misplace a large television on route from the apartment, to the truck.
Any and all complaints are met with excuses and lies” «while on the job those guys called and told me a couple thing throughout your move» followed by, same paragraph (no punctuation) «[they] didnt have there phones to take a pic before they touched it and they also informed u about they couch just to show u before they touch itand u said it was fine and that u knew about that». THIS IS THE «MANAGER,» spelling and grammar as per the email.
U-​haul needs to take responsibility for their recommendations for this a joke of a «service,» and admit fault. If they’re going to list themselves as movers, which they do in this Unilocal page, then they need to have bonded and insured people, not a bunch of goons that are friends with the assistant manager, or whoever.