U-Haul

Rented a 15′ truck round trip from this location this past weekend. Based on previous reviews I was really dreading coming here, expecting poor customer service and slow service. I interacted with 4 – 5 staff members here during pickup and return and every single one was super helpful, friendly, and courteous! During my experience the staff smiled, greeted me in passing, held doors, and went out of the way to help customers who simply looked a bit lost looking for items around the store… all this while they looked swamped with trailers/​truck/​vans coming in and out of their location constantly. Doesn’t get much better than this for customer service!
Parking tip: For day renters you can park in the large shopping center (Loehmann’s) as long as you get your car by ~10pm. For overnight renters, you can park in the neighborhood street on Putnam. Both locations are a short walk to the Uhaul store.
Renting tip: Depending on how far you are driving it may be cheaper to do a local rental (includes 30−35miles) rather than a rental that charges by miles. Also, if you go over ³⁰⁄₃₅ miles on a local rental it’s only 40 cents/​mile. I went 5 miles over and they didn’t charge me for it!

Fastest in and out service! Everyone that worked there was friendly, professional, and were a step ahead of me the whole time. Only took 30 minutes to hook up a 6′ x 12′ trailer and paperwork! Thank you so much!

Absolutely horrible customer service
Tried to charge us twice, we had to contact the corporate customer service and to prove by their counter surveillance camera system that we’ve returned the truck at the day we actually did although they’ve claimed we’ve returned it at another day and actually said (without knowing who their talking to) that they saw on cameras we’ve returned the truck at the day after we actually returned it. Shift manager didn’t even want to provide his name.
Unprofessionals. Will never rent through this store ever again.

In and out quick, no bs. Standard u-​haul, and while the staff wasn’t super awesome, they did their job quickly and accurately. Wasn’t thrilled that I had to pay 30 cents more per mile because I didn’t reserve online, even though reservations don’t actually mean anything at Uhaul (seriously…it doesn’t go into effect until you show up to pick up the vehicle… read the small print). Made it happen though.

Flawless return of a rental truck. This is a very busy location — had a long line at check in but the person was super-​helpful, and offered tips for making a cheaper rental next time (e.g. ask for a few extra miles if you need it). He waived the fee for extra miles used (it was 10 mi over) and the extra time (returned at 5pm instead of 10am). The store has supplies for every need. I would rent from here because of the wonderful service I got.

Terrible, horrible, ineffective customer service. They will keep your money and not do any work if you don’t stay on them.
I paid online to have my hitch installed at this Rockville location on May 17, 2015. The day before, I called to reschedule. I was told by the person who answered the phone that she couldn’t do any scheduling. I asked who could and she said someone would call me back. I never got a call back.
On July 24, I remembered that I never got a call to reschedule my hitch installation and called this store again. Again, I got a somewhat brainless-​sounding woman who said she couldn’t schedule for me. She said I had already been rescheduled for July 17. I told her nobody had called me to tell me that. Then she looked in the system some more and said she thought the installation folks had just been pushing back my appointment over and over. Uh??? She said she would have to have someone from scheduling call me back.
Nobody called me.
On July 27 I called again. Again I got a useless, clueless woman who couldn’t help me. When I started to lose my temper, she offered to transfer me to the 800# so they could tell me which store my order was at. What?!? But I let her transfer me, sat on hold for several minutes, got another useless person, pushed for a supervisor this time, and got transferred back to the division manager who happened to be pulling in to the Rockville store.
He told me they had refunded my money on July 25. What!!! I told him I didn’t want a refund; I wanted the work done. He said I would have to place another order. I told him I no longer wanted anything to do with U-​Haul. He could have cared less. I even asked him if he cared that he lost a customer and he said that it wasn’t his job to make me happy… that it was only his job to «solve the problem.» But if he had solved the problem I would have been happy!
Oh, and after I hung up with him I logged in to the U-​Haul web site and saw that my order had been marked as completed on July 17. So they were just planning to keep my money and not bother calling me to schedule an appointment.
Arghhhhhhaahghta;knsdfoiawngpokdfv!!!

Problem after problem.
When you reserve a truck online,
reassuringly informs you that your truck will be ready to go, at the reserved time, with any additional equipment you requested loaded up. Great! I had labor hired to do my moving, so I scheduled them a half hour after my «appointed» pick-​up time.
When I arrived, there was a long line waiting for the store to open. When it did, there were four clerks at the counter ready for customers. Within minutes of beginning to work, three of them had wandered off – trying to find a truck… trying to find something else… trying to help a different person… who can keep track. They’re on radios with the employees outside, trying to figure out why nothing is where it’s supposed to be. Every customer they ultimately – miraculously – manage to get out the door reappears for some reason. Missing equipment. Can’t get out of the lot. Wrong size truck.
When it’s my turn, I fare no better. After an interminable wait at the counter while the one remaining clerk types and clicks and types and clicks and types and clicks (WHY? WHAT ARE YOU DOING?) I get my key. It’s 45 minutes later by now…
Out in the lot where the trucks are, it is chaos. There are customers’ cars choking up the tiny lot, and nobody can get their trucks out. There is no customer parking at this business – you are told to park across the street at Safeway. (Hello, Safeway? Do you guys know Uhaul is using your lot?) The problem is that the customers are not told that there is no customer parking until they get to the counter. AFTER they’ve parked… and waited in line… see the problem?
So the various customers get their cars jockeyed out of the way, and I get the truck, at last. Open up the back to make sure the two hand carts I’d rented were indeed in the truck, as promised.
Nope.
Back into the store, like every other customer. Where are my dollies? «You have to drive around back, and my employee out there will help you.»
So the bit about everything being ready to go at your appointed time is a fat lie. All of it. It’s an hour after my appointed time now, and I’ve driven around back to find… NOBODY. Not one person. Walk around the yard, peek into the garage – nobody. Wait and wait, again, and eventually who arrives? NOBODY. I gave up, went into the garage, found a couple of carts, and took them.
One hour and ten minutes after my «reservation» time, I was finally on the road. The truck was fine, it had all the qualities one needs in a truck; i.e., it is a truck. The return was easy. But I will never go back here again, for anything.
To add a bit of head-​shaking to the whole ordeal, I later received an email from the business begging me to contact the local government about impending plans to take its property for a roadway realignment/​expansion. That was delightful news to me – I am looking forward to driving along Randolph Road one day in the future, over the spot where this horrible business once stood.

Super nice and efficient staff. Jose was very helpful. No issues with the truck. No hidden fees. The only negative thing is that there’s no on site space to leave your car. You have to leave it a couple of blocks away.

Super Fast and Easy to rent. Great customer service — got me a real good deal on a one way. No pressure sales, easy to use. Thanks

The trailer I rented was shy of the advertised size by several inches, which made my move more of a hassle than it should have been, requiring us to take apart and put back together furniture that should have been fine to simply move whole. When I told the man who was checking me out after the use this, he was completely unhelpful and unconcerned. He said he thought maybe they measured from wheel well to wheel well, but we had measured that too and it was much larger than the advertised size. The location was fine and most of the service was good, but I will not rent from UHaul again due to the discrepancy in advertised and actual size of the trailer.

I had made an appointment on May 19 to have a hitch installed on my Honda Fit on May 30. I prepaid and the website told me I would be contacted to schedule a time to come in.
I heard nothing til May 30, when I was called and told they didn’t have the part but it would be there the next day or Monday and someone would call me when it did.
Nobody called ever. I called 3 times the next week and the person who answered the phone said they’d tell someone to call me. Nobody did. So I went in on Saturday because I was tired of not having anyone return my phone calls. I was told that they didn’t have the part and someone would call me when I did. Then the owner/​hitch guy said the manufacturer recalled the part and he didn’t know when they’d have it. Ok, fine. Could you maybe have told me that? No, evidently he cannot call anyone until he has a part. As in, he is physically unable to pick up the phone to tell someone who has already paid $ 215 for her order that the part was recalled and they don’t know when it would come in. The guy at the counter said he doesn’t know much about hitches, but this isn’t a hitch issue, it’s customer service.
So then I decided (clearly) to cancel the order and had to come back with the card I used. The counter guy recognized me and said he’d just process the return, so I go up to the counter. He evidently has issues with the computer and, saying nothing, goes to the one on the other side of the store. Then he asks for the next person in line. Um, what? The owner/​hitch guy saw me and said «you’re still here?» Yep. That computer wasn’t working well and he had to find someone to enter in my card info by hand and he was like, «save the receipt, make sure this did what it was supposed to do.» Luckily the money was back in my account this morning and that’s the best I can say about this whole experience.

Have been here twice in the last 3 years to rent a truck to move a studio apt (2011 and 2014). I always move during the week to avoid traffic etc so never had an issue with this place. Hardly ever a line, quick and easy service, and the truck was clean both times (though the office is a bit of a dive). They told me upfront the gas and mileage in the truck which I confirmed once I got in the truck, so no miscommunications there. I appreciated that the tank was full and the truck (10′ this last time) was very easy to drive. Got a dolly and moving blankets which were a huge help. Was a very easy dropoff — gas station is right there (they own it) and I didn’t even have to park the truck after. The guy came out and took care of everything. Overall very happy with this place, though it is a little tricky to pull out of since it’s right on the corner of a major intersection.
I had to extend my reservation but when I called they said just return it by 9 (closing time). No charge or anything.
I do recommend confirming that any items you order are already in the truck. I was told the dolly was in there but when I looked it wasn’t. Would’ve been a pain had I not checked.
I’d recommend this place. Last thing I need during a stressful move is more stress from a rental truck company and this uhaul was great for making life a little easier.

STAY AWAY
They do not honor your reservations here and talk down to you when you inquire «where is my 24 foot rental truck»? Result is I couldn’t complete my move.
Don’t pay any attention to the 50 dollar guarantee, that is BS. The guarantee is only valid when the uhaul location where you reserved the vehicle calls you and confirms with you over the phone a couple of days prior to rental. Guess what — they don’t call you so you do not get a guarantee. Go somewhere else for your rental needs.
So I guess all I really can do is vent here and tell all my friends about my Uhaul experience.
I hope this location goes away and is leveled to make way for that new road DOT is planning.

I’ve been here 3 times, to use vehicles and storage, and I’ve been happy with the service. The vehicles work well and are clean, the storage space is also clean and plentiful, you can even get a month free (with certain conditions). If you want to pop in an use a truck on a weekend, call in advance to reserve it. Those trucks go like hotcakes on the weekends, even though they have guys cleaning them as they are dropped off.
A few suggestions to take things up to 5 stars:
1) More than one clerk. Every time I’ve had to wait a long time, even with a reservation, because there is (necessarily) alot of paperwork to rent a truck for a day. They could speed things up with more people at those computers.
2) Let people load storage through the front door. We were told we could carry our couches through the narrow hallways across the storage building, and when we got to the other side, we saw there was a door right next to our unit that no one had told us about. Thanks alot.
I would be back though.

I am moving some stuff and needed to rent a van. So I rented a 14 foot truck for the weekend. The good thing about this place was that they honored my reservation and the truck was ready when I arrived. The bad thing was that the line to sign the contract was 90 minutes long! Ridiculous! They need to hire more workers to make it a better user experience.

Just a quick THANK YOU to the man behind the desk who cut us some slack when we arrived 30 minutes late due to some confusion on our end about when the clock had started up in Baltimore — thanks for not charging us for a whole extra day!

I had made a reservation for a Pickup Truck and Dolly online 2 days in advance and received confirmation that my reservation was all good to go. When I arrived at the location to pick up my rental prior to the appointment time, I was told that they did not have a key for my reservation. It took the staff approximately 20 – 30 minutes and calling around to find the key to my rental (even though I had received confirmation via email & text). I was told that there was an error when someone was writing the reservation slip for my key (which I found odd). I was finally told that the truck was ready and I walked around back to pick up the vehicle and dolly, however the dolly was not yet attached.
The U-​Haul employee came hooked up the dolly (while trying to run around the lot helping other customers) and we noticed that one of the lights was out on the dolly. When the employee managed to get the light out of the dolly, we noticed that a wire was broken and required repair. After being repaired, the light was unable to be press fitted back in (apparently the manufacturer uses rivets instead of bolts on an item that may require regular maintenance… silly if you ask me) which the manager came out and re-​riveted the light on. I did not leave the location until 1 hour after.
The actual rental was great. However returning the vehicle was also troublesome.
When I returned the vehicle, one of the employees told me that the truck was accidentally checked in already and that I would receive my receipt via email. I drove home and noticed that my receipt was for 400+ miles, 2 days, and returned at 2PM (While I had only driven 30 miles, 5 hours, and returned at 4:00PM). I contacted the store and the manager was unavailable and a message was left. I called the manager’s cell via the number on his business card, and he said he would look into it. It wasn’t until next morning that I received an updated receipt (that was corrected for the most part, they still had incorrect fuel status) with no followup communication. The only thing I can say that was positive other than the vehicle and dolly I received was that, the employees working with me during picking up my vehicle had a great attitude and were really trying to help out. However I find it quite alarming that had I not checked my receipt, the potential for me to not notice all the errors could have resulted in me paying $ 100s more or that such a huge mistake was made!
The reason that this place gets 2 stars is that, of the employees that were trying to help me, you could tell that they were really trying their best and had a positive attitude. Also I got my truck and dolly and it was in good condition. However more time should be spent to ensure that the right vehicle has been checked in with the right mileage number. More workers should be used to help with actually preparing the vehicles for pickup, I felt bad for the on guy running around trying to help out multiple people.
*Edit* 11-​5-​2013
So the manager called me again today in response to the feedback I left for my rental. He apologized and stated that normally, this kind of thing doesn’t happen. I stated my concern again that the reason I felt so worried was, «How could such a large error be made? And it makes me wonder how many people don’t notice it because they don’t look at their receipts until it’s too late?» Anyways, he issued me a certificate for some money off my next rental. I still feel that although I understand the need to get people in and out, take a breath and make sure that careless mistakes like these don’t happen. Based on Unilocal’s descriptors for the stars, I agree that the 2 star «I’ve experienced better» is still warranted.

I booked an appointment to have a hitch installed on my SUV to accommodate a bikerack, and made an appointment before I scheduled bike trip. On the day of the scheduled appt, UHaul canceled on me – after I was there to drop my car and had arranged transportation. I was very disappointed.
I dropped a note on the corporate website alerting them to the hassle it caused me, since I was scheduled to depart on a trip and had to delay.
To my surprise, they contacted me and arranged to have the needed part delivered the next day, and for a mechanic to install it. The mechanic was very qualified — told me he worked there for 24 years installing hitches.
So, after my initial disappointment at their service and organization, they made it right. I recommend them, but you may want to confirm your appointment just to make sure.

I’ve had little issue with the place and they have a decent staff.

If u gotta get a truck u don’t have a lot of options. They were slammed when we came in (we were moving furniture to a New England vacation house — one way rental). We made a reservation only to be told 2 days before pickup they didn’t have any trucks but we could get one at a Gaithersburg site. It’s not a uhaul store bit a contractor via a mail package store on a strip mall near the air park. The sole employee locked the store and went to eat lunch at 3 pm when we showed up. 15 min of calling and banging on the door he saunters up not a worry in the world. The truck was a POS. with broken mirrors and heavy industrial cleaning scents. The check in was painful in that the one way drop off was also a «contractor» not a uhaul that was listed on the website but NOT in his computer system so he couldn’t figure out how to process the paperwork. Finally we were done and we were lead out thru the back store room to the truck. The actual back of the truck was fine. It was all the chaos around getting it and the poor quality of the cab that were of concern.

I’ve rented trucks from here twice and both times had great experiences. I reserved my trucks and supplies online about a week before I needed them, and even though both times I arrived before my scheduled pick-​up time, they were able to get my truck and send me on my way. I recommend reserving your truck ahead of time, as both Saturdays I was there they had to turn away walk-​ins because their trucks were all reserved. I also completed the early check-​in online, and one of the guys who was helping me said that they really appreciate that. It takes about 2 minutes, but saves them time when there’s a long line of people.
As for the people who complained that they were lied to about how much gas was in the truck, I’m not entirely sure how. When you return the truck they check how much gas is in the tank before you leave and they enter that information electronically. Then, when the next person comes to pick up that truck they access the gas info for that specific truck and actually draw you a picture of the gas gauge needle so that you know exactly how much you’ll need to fill the tank upon return. Just beware that on GMC trucks the gas gauge is backward. I initially thought they had given me a truck with a quarter tank of gas. They politely pointed out that I’m an idiot and the F and E were reversed. I had ¾ of a tank.
Finally, all of the people I dealt with were friendly. Sure, they spent a bit of time talking amongst themselves and cracking jokes with each other, but they still answered all of my questions and told me everything I needed to know to make my moving days go smoothly.

Flawless experience with U-​Haul. Rented a cargo van to move a huge sofa; initially booked the van over the phone a few days ago. I showed up on time & the van was ready for me… staff checked me in quickly so I was able to get on my way pretty quickly. Granted, I came here on a weekday (late afternoon) so they weren’t busy.
I returned an hour later and they checked me out quickly. I give them 4 stars because the staff I interacted with was friendly and no one tried to pull «a fast one» on me. they were up front about all fees/​charges, etc.
I’m sorry to see that others have had crappy experiences; that really sucks! I haven’t rented a moving truck from them in a few years but I’ve never had any issues w/​U-​Haul in general. I’d rent from them again based on my experience today.

We paid a deposit in advance to lock up a truck, only to get a call the day of the move to let us know that they had no trucks available.
We literally had 100 boxes ready to go in the garage and they totally left us sitting there like asshats. We had to really make some moves to find a replacement rental, but, fortunately, we got it done.
Not only do you get 1 star, but I hope you all spontaneously combust on your birthdays.