Very disappointed with my experience at U-Haul. I had a few simple questions regarding my rental, and instead of getting helpful customer service, the manager immediately became defensive and rude. It felt like asking questions was somehow an inconvenience. Customer service should make people feel informed and respected, especially during stressful moving situations. Sadly, this experience did the opposite. I truly think this manager could benefit from some coaching on professionalism and how to communicate with customers respectfully.
Co N
Customer Reviews for Empire Mini Storage
(U-Haul Neighborhood Dealer)
Testimonials From Recent Customers
Customer feedback is extremely important to us. We use these reviews to guide our efforts and improve our service. Everything that follows is direct from our customers, without any filtering or editing on our part.
Lots of places rent vehicles and equipment for moving and storing stuff -- lots of competition. The individuals at Empire Mini Storage separate themselves by going out of their way to actually serve you: they know everything you need and help you make the best choices; then they deliver above and beyond their promise. Very flexible in meeting your needs. I've been renting storage space from Empire Mini for over 10 years; rented trucks / vans several times. Always an excellent experience. Recommend very highly.
Kevin OGreat customer service. Friendly and answered all my questions
Colleen CThe staff was very friendly, flexible and extremely helpful!
CESAR HThey were very helpful. The gentleman that was there helped me even though I pulled in right at 5. Absolutely wonderful, I wish I caught his.
Rebecca SThe staff is always so friendly and helpful - each person does their part with a smile! Recommend highly!
Donna HThe people at this location were great. My problem is with Uhaul itself. I booked a reservation at the San Rafael store and they changed it to this location less than 48 hours before pick up. It was incredibly inconvenient on moving day. Also, it’s time for Uhaul to upgrade these vehicles and add more safety features. Add some alarms and back up cameras.
jakob mit was a first time experience for me. i enjoyed the trip and thank you for making me feel comfortable. Love your teamwork at Empire Mini Storage and professional approach to us as individual customers with our needs.
Salanieta CStaff at the Novato location were super friendly and extremely efficient!! Wished all the locations were as good as this. They were professional and those when we arrived and there were a ton of ppl, they worked and got everyone out the door in a super timely manner.
PANULY VGreat customer service! Everything was easy and as expected.
KELLY HMy experience was as perfect as you would want. I lived in the same house for 43 years thus I moved in when I was 34 and now I was77. In talking with them I used the van as a work horse and rented the 28 footer to move Clean on time no problems. Highly recommend
JAMES GEverything was fine during pickup, but the return process was very frustrating. At pickup, the mileage and fuel level were clearly documented on the rental agreement. I was also asked to upload photos through a link sent via text. I attempted to access the link, but the page would not load—likely due to poor reception in the area. Since there were no visible damages and all details were already documented on the rental paperwork, I did not consider it necessary to follow up further. When I returned the truck, I made sure to bring it back with the same fuel level as when I received it. However, I was told that because I did not upload photos to their system, they could not verify it and I was charged an additional $13 for fuel. Additionally, I was charged for 70 miles, even though my actual usage was significantly lower. I moved from downtown Novato to the Pacheco Valley area (approximately 6 miles away) and made four trips, so my total mileage should have been much lower than what was charged. Again, I was told this was due to not having uploaded photos at pickup. It feels unreasonable that documented information on the rental agreement is not honored unless additional steps (like uploading photos) are completed—especially when the system itself may not function properly and the requirement is not clearly enforced. I would strongly recommend that future customers: take photos of mileage and fuel upload them immediately through the system to avoid being overcharged. While the rental itself went smoothly, the return process and billing practices were disappointing.
ARLIN BThe engine light came on almost immediately.
EMILY KI’d like to compliment Dennis, who works at 425 Bel Marin Keys Blvd in Novato. He is super friendly and super helpful. He showed me how to wake up the truck, gave me solid advice on choosing a 15” vs. 10” truck, and answered every question I had with really detailed explanations. He’s patient, knowledgeable, and makes things easy to understand.
TUAN TI had issues with the vehicle itself. It was a 9’ cargo van, and every time I stopped and turned the engine off all of the doors unlocked, which was very unsafe for a single woman with a full load! Anyone could get in my passengers door or the side doors or the rear doors as soon as I parked! It also meant that I was forced to walk around the whole vehicle to re-lock with the manual key the rear doors, side doors, and passenger door for the cargo and my safety! The other issue I had with this cargo van is the matting on the floor of the van prevented any sliding of the cardboard boxes towards or away from you, so everything had to be lifted and carried out, you couldn’t slide a box towards the exit doors, which is very difficult when stuff is heavy for both taking out and putting in! Every box I put in, I had to climb into the van to move it away from the doors a very poor design. I would not recommend this vehicle!
FELICIA SNothing the truck ran excellent and was nice and clean!
yolanda dU guys r doing a great job
DANIEL MNothing!! This location is so efficient easy in easy out!!
Jeffrey PGreat service. Proactive staff. Efficient service. Overall, great experience.
RONNO LJust a heads up — the owner charges a fee for almost every little thing and is not very accommodating.
Michelle PEach of three times with three different vehicles, I was sent a link to upload pictures of the license and vehicle. All three times the webpage failed to load. It simply gave an all black screen. All three times I was using a Android cellphone. There is a time limit to post these photos. Once, many hours later, the page loaded after the allotted time. This is not a failure of the rental location. This appears to be a corporate failure (or whoever wrote the code). Fit it.
MARK MAll was perfect
WALTHER SEarlier opening time… 9am is late and they got there at 8am but wouldn’t open the door. They also need to offer the ability to dump a minimal amount of trash (cardboard boxes).
Joshua TSuper friendly staff :)
NANCY WOverall this was a good experience. It was a little rough when I received a text telling me I could not get the van I reserved but would get a truck. Not happy. Spoke with Connor at San Rafael location where original order was placed. He was able after a long phone hold to get me a van in Novato. He was so great not only in solving my problem but in his phone manners and professionalism. He was nice and helpful and he is an asset to the success of your business. Told him Santa was watching. Happy holidays.
TERRY EFriendly service, easy pick up and drop off.
Robert MGood customer service. Friendly & fast.
Duncan REverything is great.
VICTOR EAll was good
VICTOR HThe two people in the office were very friendly and made it clear as to the rules of renting a truck. A very very good experience all around!
Janet Ccheck headlight alignment
MARK WVery blase staff. Made me mop the whole truck with ammonia or pay $200 cleaning fee. Never renting U Haul one way again.
KARA SSupposedly, I was given a vehicle with a full tank of gas. In total, I traveled 22 miles in the van, 22 miles. For the 22 miles, I was billed for 3 gallons of gas. That means the van got just over 7 miles per gallon. It seems ridiculous that a gas vehicle gets 7 miles per gallon these days of frugal mpg.
Tom TAll good experience
VICTOR HAll was good. Exterior of vehicle very dirty, but it was fine.
JOHN FAll good, thanks!
CHRISTOPHER BThank everyone the checking in- out with equipment is great, the staff is always helpful an on time, efficient
TAMMY SI have used this location a few times in the last several months and have been impressed with the service and trucks
LISA NEverything went well, thank you everyone for helping me, you took care of things
TAMMY SVan could have been cleaner but the rep told me it was a little dirty
Kurt AFriendly people
VLADIMIR KVery helpfull and knowledgable.
FRANKIE RHave used and recommended this location multiple times. They are always helpful.
VICKI AI had a very positive experience dropping off my U-Haul truck at Empire Mini Storage. The facility was well marked, and the staff was very professional and courteous. The entire drop-off process took less than 5 minutes and was quite pleasant. I would definitely recommend Empire Mini Storage to anyone looking to rent or drop-off a U-Haul truck in the SF Bay Area.
KEVIN PStorage manager Dennis is extremely helpful with all aspects of transaction, including highlighting equipment features (gas, button key, etc) that might be unknown to renter at first. would rent again from this location.
KATHLEEN GNothing needed improving. Thank you to all the employees ! :-)
LEAH SIt has been great doing business with Empire Mini Storage, both renting a van twice and renting storage.
KRISTY CVery helpful staff!
ALLEN MThe service was great, quick and easy.
Ekaterina MQuick service. In and out!
ORLANDO W