U-Haul Moving & Storage at Main St

DO NOT RENT FROM THIS UHAUL LOCATION!!! EVER!!!
I made a reservation for a 17′ truck online and I also requested a furniture dolly. I was fine with the price, as I’ve rented from Uhaul before and have NEVER had a problem. Due to my movers showing up late (surprise, surprise!) I called ahead and asked if I could pick up the truck later. That call was easy enough and I was allowed to pick up the truck a few hours later (I guess people aren’t really in a rush to move on a Wednesday).
When I got to the location, the guy behind the desk, KENTRELL HURST, was on his cell phone. When I approached the counter, he barely looked up to acknowledge the arrival of a customer. When he finally decided his latest smartphone endeavor was no longer interesting, he greeted me and explained that their internet was down. Great. So I said that I had reserved a 17′ truck (I didn’t have a ton to move and 17′ would have been a tight fit for 1 trip, but it would have worked) and that I’d called earlier for the delayed pick up.
Kentrell was in no rush, clearly, and he took a key off the rack behind him without even checking a name or anything else. He asked for my license and credit card, ran it through what I can only assume is what humans used before high speed internet became readily available, and sent me on my way with the key.
When I got to the truck, it was a 10′. For those of you who move regularly, or even a little bit, you KNOW that 7′ is a big deal. Unfortunately I didn’t have time to haggle because the movers were on their way and I didn’t want to delay this process any longer. Kentrell did not give the truck a once over, nor did any Uhaul employee (if there was another one working that day), and I got in and drove off.
After the movers loaded the truck for trip 1, we got in. The truck wouldn’t start. Why? Battery was dead. Kentrell had rented out a truck with a battery on its last legs. Now, I’m not deluded enough to think that Uhaul is bringing customers top of the line vehicles, but a dying battery? Ugh!
So I called Triple A and, of course, was given an hour wait time. An hour, when moving, is COSTLY so I ended up having to pay the movers for their time. Before Triple A showed up, my neighbor offered to jump the truck since she had a similar sized engine (I drive an Accord) so we managed to jump the truck, let it run for a while, and then we drove to the new residence and unloaded.
Then the truck wouldn’t start again. Instead of waiting the hour to wait for Triple A, we called my neighbor and she came out A SECOND TIME to jump the truck. So we learned our lesson and left the truck running.
And we all know that running a vehicle burns fuel.
Also, having to wait for jumps and Triple A’s AND having a smaller truck require 2 trips and such caused me to be unable to return the truck in the 3 hours I’d originally rented. #lesigh. I decided, at 11pm that night — and no longer with anyone to drive me back from the Uhaul if I’d dropped the truck back off — I would return the truck in the morning.
I returned the truck before 8am and was prepared to pay for the extra day, even, despite the fact that it was Uhaul’s fault in the first place. I just wanted the ordeal over. Kentrell looked in the back and said «The dolly isn’t here,» and I said «Yeah, because it wasn’t there yesterday when I picked the truck up. Would have been nice to have, especially since I reserved it.» Then he checked the gas and said, «This isn’t at the same level as when you took it,» and I proceeded to explain what happened to which he replied, «You probably left the light on, we don’t rent out trucks with bad batteries.» Uh, sir. I took this truck at 4pm in the afternoon in the dead of summer. No lights were ON because the SUNLIGHT was out.
Kentrell was not inclined to hear or appreciate the drama his truck had caused me the night prior and proceeded, 3 or 4 days later (maybe a week?) to submit a receipt for $ 168. My initial quote was something like $ 45.
Let me be VERY CLEAR. I am NOT paying $ 168 for any of this bullshit. I called Uhaul TWICE and only one complaint was recorded on my contract number. The second time I called, the woman was pleasant enough (her name was Jody, I believe) and said I would receive a call back within 48 hours from the location manager. That was September 5 (the day Kentrell submitted everything, apparently, or the day everything was processed on the Uhaul end). It is now September 10 and I have YET to receive this call. However Uhaul knows how to threaten to send me to collections. Bring it, Uhaul.
It should also be noted that my reservation confirmation says 17′ truck. My online reservation says 14′. And I was given a 10′. How does that happen? Uhaul, #ufail