The box had not been cleaned. We were offered to wait when they cleaned it but did not have enough time. The staff working there where efficient and friendly
Carlos B
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.
Thank you Dennis - YOU ROCK!
DANIEL Onot to have a drop off rentals is inconvenience, to wait until 9 am for them to open.
Miguel AWe rented your van was clean. I was working properly until it wasn’t. It was like 30 seconds from my house and I drive and the radiator blew out. I just finished filling the vehicle with gas on my way back to the house. I let it cool down for about an hour, filled it up with coolant, and then I drove it back to the rental place. I explained everything I believe in detail the motor did not overheat more than 20 seconds so I turned it off immediately put water into the motor Radiator and everything was good. It was a little touch and go because I did not know whether or not I was gonna have to tow it back to the rental place luckily for myself it worked ok
MARIO CThis location truly supported my rental experience from online reservation through the drop off process. Management, especially Dennis, went out of their way to ensure my experience went off without a hitch, was successful, and safe. Thank you very much!
David MFrustrating experience—hidden closed days and strict fuel traps I would not recommend this location due to misleading policies and poor customer service. Forced Extra Day Charge: The online booking system allowed me to select a Sunday drop-off. However, upon arrival, the location was closed. Because of their system flaw, I was forced to keep the car an extra day and pay for it. Fuel Measurement Trap: They handed over the car with the gas tank filled to a vague mark between 5/8 and 3/4 full. Matching an arbitrary baseline is nearly impossible, and because it was off by a tiny fraction at return, they slapped me with a $13 fee. Customer Service: Staff were unhelpful and unsupportive when resolving issues created by their own system errors and policies. Save yourself the headache and rent elsewhere.
Brittan GEmpire Mini Storage in Novato, CA, and the U-Haul customer service teams both made this experience a delight! Keep up the good work!
Matt GEverything was fine, experience was fine. Nothing wow'ed me, but nothing annoyed me. overall a good experience.
ross rThe Operations Manager Jeff Spinelli was extremely clear and courteous in explaining everything about my truck rental policies. He also provided a very clean, undamaged truck that ran smoothly my whole trip. ( Novato, Ca. )
ROBERT WSimple reservation, pickup and drop off Thank you
Teri HThey were helpful and clear about what was needed for a successful drop off
WILLIAM BEasy process! Great customer service from the Staff
Susan BMy rental truck broke down (likely a transmission issue). Fortunately it was right in front of my storage unit! So not a huge deal!
Mark CSmooth process.
Susan BDennis was friendly and knowledgeable .
Maria GExcellent customer service
Michelle Zthe person was stressed and confusing, i hope i never have to go to this location again
WENDY JGreater flexibility would be gr
GISELLE KWhen I set the reservation up I picked the San Rafael location. I went there and the service was horrible. I then found out that my reservation was switched to Novato. Which Novato did work out but that location was further out and with that I had to pay for mileage as it went over. I feel that it unfair to customer.
Zaire WDennis is such a wonderful and helpful person! Lots of supplies available and a very convenient location. I highly recommend Dennis and his team! Thank you!!!
Deborah WVery good customer service. Clean and functional equipment. Easy and clear check in / check out process.
Chris YMore than anything exceptional customer service. The employees here were very welcoming and communicative. Thank you!
Andrew HWent 24 miles put 4 gallons in they charged me 14 extra dollars for fuel that would be 6 gallons. and their customer service was terrible I asked for a refund and they said no.
LUCAS LI was told they were open until 7pm, but when I showed up, they had closed at 5pm. I hope I am not charged for an after-hours return, especially since I returned the truck a day early. Thanks!
Aleese PIt was very kind of staff and well maintained clean car.
Robert SI had a last minute change to my reservation and Dennis, the manager was so accommodating and came through big time for me. He took a stressful situation for me and completely alleviated my stress! I highly recommend the U-Haul location on Bel Marine Keys in Novato!
Julie DEverything was perfect!!!!!!
FRANKIE RAll was very good :)
Van OThe van was good. The man who helped me was very helpful. Perfect!
Eric ANothing to improve keep the good work
Esteban LStaff is very friendly, courteous, and efficient. Check out & back in is very quick and simple.
Michael DI was amazed how dirty the windshield was, it looked to haven’t been washed or wiped for months. Dennis, the guy inside, was fabulous, he called me the day before, very very polite when I walked in, the check-in and checkout process was seamless, he was a perfect employee.
Matt MStop asking about the rental locations. They’re fine. It’s U-Haul corporate that needs work! Last week there were no pads available. Both last week and last weekend the entire IT systems were down. This is not the time of year to figure out you cut the IT budget too much.
Kevin KKeep up the good work!
David JWe just rented a 20 -foot truck for 24 hours, but it was a great experience. The 15-foot truck we wanted wasn't available, so they provided the 20-foot truck at the 15-foot price. Pick-up and drop-off were easy, conveniently located, and the employees were helpful and friendly. We would definitely rent from this U-Haul location again.
Lesley PVery 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 NLots 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 P