MASTER U-HAUL INCIDENT, INJURY & EVIDENCE CHRONOLOGY Contract/Reservation #: 84180517 Complaint Reference #: 6039760 October 2 Roadside Customer File #: 3723973 Equipment: 15-foot U-Haul moving truck and Auto Transport Towed Vehicle: 2021 Toyota Highlander Pickup Location: Parking And More, 3424 Old Capitol Trail, Wilmington, DE 19808 Pickup: September 28, 2026, approximately 5:13 PM Destination: Reno, Nevada Return Location: U-Haul at Oddie Blvd, 1790 Silverada Blvd, Reno, NV 89512 Equipment Returned: October 3, 2026, approximately 3:16 PM RESERVATION AND PROMISE OF HANDS-ON ASSISTANCE Approximately two weeks before my scheduled September 28 pickup, I spoke with Robert, whom I understood to be the owner of the original pickup location, when I made my reservation and provided my payment information. Because I had never used an Auto Transport before, I specifically discussed needing someone knowledgeable to show me how to connect and safely use the equipment. Robert assured me that he would personally be present when I picked up the equipment and would show me how to hook up and use the Auto Transport. I relied upon that representation when proceeding with this rental for my cross-country relocation from Delaware to Reno, Nevada. The total rental cost was more than $3,000. SEPTEMBER 28 — PICKUP IN WILMINGTON, DELAWARE When I arrived at Parking And More, 3424 Old Capitol Trail, Robert was not there. Instead, I was assisted by an employee named Josh. Josh told me words to the effect of, “The owner is on a cruise, and I will do my best because I’ve never hooked up the Auto Transport.” This was immediately concerning because I had specifically arranged for someone knowledgeable to be present. If it had not been for my best friend, Kia Madden, who has significant experience with construction and machinery, I do not believe we would have successfully gotten the Auto Transport connected to the truck. Kia Madden performed the precision driving necessary to properly position the truck while Josh stood behind it directing her, at times telling her very precisely how far to back up and how much to turn. Instead of an experienced U-Haul representative demonstrating and connecting the equipment as promised, Kia Madden had to rely upon her own experience with machinery to assist with the process. SEPTEMBER 28 — DEFECTIVE DRIVER-SIDE FENDER/RAMP IDENTIFIED BEFORE DEPARTURE After the Auto Transport was connected, I drove my 2021 Toyota Highlander onto it. Before we ever left the rental property, we discovered that the driver-side fender/ramp assembly alongside the Highlander’s tire would not release or lower. Because it remained raised, I could not sufficiently open my driver’s door to exit the Highlander normally. Josh attempted to release it using tools, including wrenches. I observed him striking and kicking the mechanism, but it still would not release. Josh ultimately told me that he did not have another Auto Transport available. This means the equipment problem was known before I ever began the cross-country trip. A U-Haul employee attempted to correct it, could not correct it, and I nevertheless left with that Auto Transport because I was told no replacement was available. SEPTEMBER 28 — MY INITIAL NECK INJURY Because the driver-side mechanism would not release and I could not sufficiently open my door, I was forced to climb out through the window of my Highlander. During that process, I hurt my neck. The inability to normally access the Highlander then continued affecting us throughout the interstate trip. SEPTEMBER 28 — MALACHI JONES’S ARM/WRIST INJURY There was also an injury involving my grandson, Malachi Jones, during the original attempt to release the stuck fender/ramp. I did not learn about this injury until October 4, when Malachi Jones told me what had happened. While I was still inside the Highlander unable to open my door, Josh was attempting to release the stuck metal fender/ramp assembly. Malachi Jones assisted Josh by attempting to pull the stuck mechanism down. Malachi Jones has now reported that he hurt his arm/wrist during that effort on September 28 and that his wrist has continued hurting since the incident. He did not tell me at the time, so I was unaware during the trip that he was experiencing ongoing wrist pain. On October 4, after he disclosed the injury, I photographed the affected wrist/hand area to document its current appearance. The photograph shows a small visible area of skin injury/discoloration near the wrist/base of the hand. I am preserving the original photograph as evidence. I am not assigning a medical diagnosis to Malachi Jones’s injury. He is being medically evaluated today. REPEATED REAR ACCESS TO THE ELEVATED HIGHLANDER Because the driver-side mechanism continued interfering with normal access to the Highlander, Malachi Jones repeatedly had to climb/jump into and out of the rear of the vehicle throughout the cross-country trip. This was particularly necessary because we were traveling with our cats and needed to check on and assist them during stops. The Highlander was elevated on the Auto Transport, making entry and exit substantially higher than entering a vehicle normally. During one of these instances, Malachi Jones’s back struck the interior light, and we did not realize that the light had remained on. That became relevant the following morning. Malachi Jones has now reported continued wrist pain since September 28. I am documenting both the original injury and the repeated climbing but am not claiming that the repeated climbing medically aggravated his wrist injury. That determination belongs to his medical provider. COMMUNICATION PROBLEMS BEGINNING AT THE DELAWARE LOCATION During the rental process, I repeatedly reported that I was not receiving U-Haul’s emails or written documentation. When I questioned the individual I understood to be the owner, I was repeatedly told that the information had been emailed to me. Because I was preparing for an interstate relocation, I repeatedly checked my regular inbox, spam folder and junk folder. The communications were not there. At the time, I did not know why. This contributed to my repeatedly having to communicate with or return to the location to obtain information and updates that should have been reaching me electronically. The reason would not be discovered until October 3 in Reno. SEPTEMBER 29 — UNIONTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA: DEAD BATTERY AND TIRE STRAPS OFF After our first night of lodging, on September 29 in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, we encountered multiple problems at the same stop. My 2021 Toyota Highlander’s battery was dead, requiring a jump-start. At that same stop, we discovered that the Auto Transport tire straps had come off and needed to be reapplied. Roadside Assistance responded and reapplied the tire straps. Despite Roadside Assistance responding after the straps had already come off during interstate travel, the roadside provider did not tell me that the straps needed to be inspected and potentially retightened every time we stopped. No one told us to check them when stopping for fuel, food, lodging, rest breaks or other stops. The straps had now already come off once and had been physically reapplied by Roadside Assistance, yet we still were not told to check and tighten them at every stop. SEPTEMBER 29 — BATTERY EVALUATION After the jump-start and reapplication of the tire straps, we continued traveling. Approximately an hour and a half after leaving the Uniontown area, we stopped at a Walmart Auto Care Center. Walmart tested the Highlander’s battery at no charge and advised us that the battery was no longer reliable and should be replaced. That Walmart did not have the appropriate replacement battery available for my Highlander. We obtained lodging for the night. I am preserving the relevant receipts and records so that the exact Walmart location can be established from documentation rather than relying upon memory. SEPTEMBER 30 — APPROXIMATELY $300 REPLACEMENT BATTERY The following morning, September 30, we went to Advance Auto Parts, where the appropriate battery was available. I purchased a replacement battery for approximately $300, and Advance Auto Parts installed it. I have documentation of this purchase. I am not claiming that the Auto Transport mechanically destroyed the battery. The factual sequence is that because normal access to the Highlander was restricted, Malachi Jones had to repeatedly enter the vehicle through the rear while helping with the cats. During one instance his back struck the interior light, the light was inadvertently left on, and the battery was subsequently found dead. CONTINUED INTERSTATE TRAVEL WITHOUT THE EVERY-STOP STRAP INSTRUCTION We continued west. By this point, the straps had already come off once and Roadside Assistance had physically reapplied them. Yet no one had specifically instructed us to inspect and tighten the tire straps every time we stopped. That instruction would not come until October 2 in Wyoming. OCTOBER 2 — ROCK SPRINGS, WYOMING: TIRE STRAP COMPLETELY OFF AGAIN On the morning of October 2, we were preparing to leave our hotel in Rock Springs for the final leg of our trip to Reno. We were ready to depart on schedule when we discovered that the tire strap had once again come completely off the driver-side front tire of my Highlander. I immediately contacted U-Haul Roadside Assistance rather than knowingly traveling at interstate speeds with my vehicle improperly secured. OCTOBER 2 — FIRST REPRESENTATIVE TELLS ME TO “FIGURE IT OUT” I explained to the first representative, a female representative, that the strap had completely come off and that I did not know how to put it back on or properly operate the mechanism. She began asking me about specific components using terminology I did not understand. I explained that I am a customer, not a U-Haul technician, and did not know the technical names of the components. The representative told me, “We don’t send roadside for tire straps. You will have to figure it out. I will send a video.” She subsequently sent the instructional video. I have retained documentation of that communication. OCTOBER 2 — KIA MADDEN AND I ATTEMPT TO FOLLOW THE VIDEO Kia Madden and I then made a genuine attempt to follow the instructions we had been provided. The video demonstrated repositioning the tire-strap assembly so that the strap could be properly centered over the tire. Part of that process involved manipulating a metal sliding portion of the strap/ratchet assembly, which moves to properly position the strap over the tire. The mechanism on our Auto Transport was extremely stiff and difficult to move. The components were metal, exposed to the elements, tight and dirty. Neither Kia Madden nor I had been properly trained to perform this procedure. OCTOBER 2 — KIA MADDEN’S RIGHT-KNEE INJURY While Kia Madden was attempting to move/release that mechanism in accordance with what we understood from the instructional video, she lost her balance and fell into/against the metal portion of the Auto Transport near the wheel/rim area. Kia Madden struck and injured her right knee. She has continued experiencing knee pain and is currently wearing a knee brace. Kia Madden is being evaluated at urgent care today, October 4. Her medical provider will determine the diagnosis, severity and appropriate treatment. OCTOBER 2 — MY HEAD STRIKE AND INCREASED NECK SYMPTOMS During this same attempt to follow the video instructions, I had to get down on the ground beside the Auto Transport and attempt to understand and manipulate the strap/ratchet mechanism myself. When I attempted to stand back up, I struck my head on the underside/front portion of my Highlander. I already had a neck problem and had aggravated my neck when I was forced to climb through the Highlander’s window at the original pickup. Following the October 2 head strike, my neck pain became noticeably worse, I experienced a grating sensation in my neck, and I developed a headache. I am documenting the sequence without assigning a medical diagnosis. OCTOBER 2 — SECOND CALL AND ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE DISPATCH After our attempts to follow the video resulted in these difficulties and injuries, it became clear that we could not safely correct the problem ourselves. I contacted U-Haul again and told them that someone needed to come out and properly address the equipment. The second representative handled the situation differently and dispatched Roadside Assistance. We were advised that the estimated response time would be approximately one hour. At approximately 11:19 AM, we remained delayed. At approximately 11:31 AM, U-Haul sent me a GPS/location link. I completed it so the responding provider would have our precise location. At 11:34 AM, I received written confirmation that Sweetwater Trailer Sales & Service – Rock Springs was on the way with an estimated arrival time of approximately 60 minutes. The incident was documented as Customer File #3723973. I have retained the text-message documentation. IMPACT ON MY RELOCATION AND EMPLOYMENT October 2 was our final travel day to Reno. I was relocating to Nevada for a new home and new employment, and people were already making arrangements to meet us and help unload my belongings. Every equipment failure, telephone call, roadside-assistance request and delay consumed additional time. The repeated problems pushed our expected Reno arrival toward midnight and substantially interfered with our relocation schedule. Safety, however, had to take priority over the schedule. OCTOBER 2 — NATHANIEL DULIN While we were waiting for the dispatched roadside provider, Kia Madden walked around the hotel area and unexpectedly discovered that there was a U-Haul facility directly behind/adjacent to the hotel. We went to U-Haul Moving & Storage of Rock Springs, 2450 Foothill Boulevard, Rock Springs, Wyoming. There we met Nathaniel Dulin. Nathaniel immediately assisted us. He properly reapplied and secured the tire straps. Then, for the first time during this rental, someone specifically told us that the straps needed to be checked during our stops. Nathaniel told us words to the effect of, “Each time you stop, check the straps.” More importantly, he physically showed us how to check and tighten them correctly. By this point, we had already traveled through multiple states, experienced the straps coming off on September 29, had Roadside Assistance reapply them, and then experienced another strap completely coming off on October 2. Nathaniel Dulin was the first person who specifically told us to check the straps every time we stopped and demonstrated how to tighten them. CANCELLATION OF OCTOBER 2 ROADSIDE DISPATCH After Nathaniel Dulin properly secured the Auto Transport and showed us what to do, I canceled the pending Roadside Assistance dispatch. I did not cancel because assistance was unnecessary or because the problem resolved itself. I canceled because while facing another approximately one-hour wait, we happened to discover the U-Haul facility beside our hotel and Nathaniel Dulin personally resolved the problem before the dispatched provider arrived. NATHANIEL DULIN DESERVES FORMAL RECOGNITION I specifically request that U-Haul recognize Nathaniel Dulin. He was professional, patient, kind, helpful and safety-focused. He took responsibility for assisting us with a problem he did not create, properly secured my vehicle, and finally provided the practical safety instruction we should have received before beginning the trip. ARRIVAL IN RENO — MY ADDITIONAL FALL AND RIGHT-LEG INJURY After arriving in Reno, there was another incident while I was accessing the rear of my Highlander to attend to my cats. During the final night of unloading/accessing the vehicle at the hotel, I fell while getting out of the back of the Highlander. I twisted/injured my right ankle/foot and injured/strained my right knee. This was a separate event from the October 2 head strike. I continue to have symptoms and am being medically evaluated today. OCTOBER 3 — EQUIPMENT RETURNED U-Haul documentation shows that the equipment was returned in Reno on October 3 at approximately 3:16 PM. OCTOBER 3 — CHARLES LUCAS DISCOVERS THE EMAIL ERROR In Reno, I spoke with Charles Lucas, who was extremely helpful. Charles Lucas listened to what had occurred and assisted me in formally documenting and escalating my complaint to the regional manager responsible for the Wilmington area. I told Charles Lucas that throughout the rental I had not received emails and documentation that the Delaware location repeatedly claimed had been sent. Charles Lucas opened my account and turned his computer screen toward me, asking me to verify the email address. That was when we discovered that the original location had entered my email address incorrectly. An additional “S” had been inserted into the “investors” portion of my email address. This explained why I had repeatedly been told information had been emailed while nothing appeared in my inbox, spam or junk folders. Charles Lucas documented this issue in the information he submitted to regional management. Complaint Reference #: 6039760 Contract #: 84180517 OCTOBER 3 — DELAYED RECEIPT OF U-HAUL DOCUMENTATION AND SAFETY INFORMATION After the email problem was corrected, I began receiving documentation that should have reached me earlier. I have screenshots showing that my U-Haul transaction receipt arrived October 3, after the cross-country trip was completed. The documentation ultimately received identified the towing vehicle as the 15-foot truck and the towed vehicle as my 2021 Toyota Highlander. It also provided links to U-Haul’s Auto Transport User’s Guide, Safe Trailering Videos and Full Safe Trailering Course. These were precisely the types of towing and safety resources that would have been useful before and during the interstate trip. I recognize that U-Haul’s system may show that electronic communications were generated. My position is not simply that U-Haul never generated them. I did not receive them. I repeatedly reported that I was not receiving them, and Charles Lucas ultimately discovered that U-Haul had an incorrect email address in my account. By the time that problem was corrected and I received the materials, the cross-country towing trip was over. OCTOBER 4 — , KIA MADDEN AND MALACHI JONES SEEKING MEDICAL EVALUATION As of October 4, 2026, all three of us are going to urgent care for evaluation. I am being evaluated regarding the September 28 neck injury while climbing through the Highlander’s window, the October 2 head strike followed by increased neck pain, grating sensation and headache, and the later Reno fall involving my right ankle/foot and right knee. Kia Madden is being evaluated regarding the October 2 injury to her right knee sustained while attempting to manipulate the stiff Auto Transport mechanism after we were instructed to use the video and address the tire straps ourselves. Kia Madden is currently wearing a knee brace. Malachi Jones is being evaluated regarding the arm/wrist injury he reports sustaining September 28 while assisting Josh with the stuck driver-side fender/ramp mechanism. Malachi Jones reports that his wrist has continued hurting since that incident. I photographed the affected area on October 4. We will rely upon the medical providers to determine diagnoses, severity, necessary treatment and prognosis. EVIDENCE AND DOCUMENTATION BEING PRESERVED I am preserving the U-Haul reservation and contract documentation; photographs of the Auto Transport and tire-strap problems; screenshots of U-Haul communications; Roadside Assistance communications; documentation from the September 29 Uniontown incident; documentation concerning the jump-start and strap reapplication; Walmart and Advance Auto Parts records concerning the battery; the approximately $300 replacement-battery receipt; lodging and travel records capable of establishing our locations and chronology; the October 2 instructional-video communication; the October 2 GPS/location communication; the 11:34 AM Sweetwater Trailer Sales & Service dispatch confirmation; Customer File #3723973; photographs of the equipment; documentation concerning the incorrectly entered email address; screenshots showing when the transaction receipt and towing information were finally received; the photograph of Malachi Jones’s wrist/hand taken October 4; documentation of Kia Madden’s knee injury and use of a knee brace; and all medical documentation generated from our October 4 urgent-care evaluations. OVERALL CHRONOLOGY AND REQUEST FOR REVIEW I specifically arranged in advance for an experienced person to teach me how to use the Auto Transport. That person was absent. The employee present acknowledged that he had never hooked one up. Kia Madden had to use her own machinery experience to help accomplish the hookup. The driver-side fender/ramp would not release. Josh attempted unsuccessfully to correct it. Malachi Jones assisted Josh and now reports that he injured his wrist/arm during that effort. I could not open my driver’s door and had to climb through the window, hurting my neck. We were told there was no replacement Auto Transport. The defective access situation continued throughout the interstate trip. Malachi Jones repeatedly had to climb into and out of the elevated Highlander to assist with the cats. His back struck the interior light, which was inadvertently left on. On September 29 in Uniontown, the battery was dead and required a jump-start. At the same stop, the Auto Transport tire straps had come off. Roadside Assistance reapplied them but did not tell us to inspect and tighten them every time we stopped. Walmart subsequently evaluated the battery, and on September 30 I purchased an approximately $300 replacement battery from Advance Auto Parts. We continued traveling without the every-stop strap instruction. On October 2, another strap came completely off the driver-side front tire. The first Roadside Assistance representative told me, “We don’t send roadside for tire straps. You will have to figure it out. I will send a video.” Kia Madden and I attempted to follow that instruction. While attempting to manipulate the stiff mechanism, Kia Madden injured her right knee. While I was on the ground attempting to work with the mechanism and subsequently stood up, I struck my head, after which I experienced increased neck pain, a grating sensation and headache. We determined that we could not safely correct the equipment ourselves. I called U-Haul again. The second representative dispatched Roadside Assistance with an approximately one-hour response time. While waiting, Kia Madden happened to discover a U-Haul location beside our hotel. Nathaniel Dulin properly secured the straps and was the first person to specifically tell us to inspect them every time we stopped and physically demonstrate how to tighten them. After reaching Reno, I subsequently fell while getting out of the rear of the Highlander while attending to my cats and injured my right ankle/foot and right knee. On October 3, Charles Lucas reviewed my account and discovered that my email address had been entered incorrectly by the original location, explaining why I had not received U-Haul’s electronic documentation and towing safety resources throughout the trip. Only after that problem was corrected did I receive documentation containing links to the Auto Transport User’s Guide, Safe Trailering Videos and Full Safe Trailering Course. By then, the trip was over. I am requesting a thorough investigation of Complaint Reference #6039760 and Contract #84180517, including the representations made when I reserved the equipment; the preparation and condition of the Auto Transport; the experience level of the employee assigned to assist us; the known driver-side mechanism problem before departure; the unsuccessful attempts to correct it; the absence of replacement equipment; the decision to release the equipment in that condition; the instructions provided or not provided at pickup; the incorrectly entered email address and resulting communication failure; the September 29 Roadside Assistance incident; the failure to tell us at that time to inspect and tighten the straps at every stop; the repeated tire-strap failures; and the handling of my initial October 2 request for Roadside Assistance. I am requesting review of the financial consequences and documented expenses, including the approximately $300 replacement battery and any additional losses or expenses established through my records. I am also documenting the physical injuries and symptoms reported by me, Kia Madden and Malachi Jones. All three of us are obtaining medical evaluations on October 4, and the resulting medical documentation will be preserved and added to this record. I am requesting an appropriate refund, reimbursement and/or adjustment based upon the equipment problems, service failures, safety concerns, additional expenses and substantial disruption of my interstate relocation. I specifically request that U-Haul formally recognize Nathaniel Dulin for his exceptional assistance in Rock Springs and Charles Lucas for his professionalism, investigation and assistance escalating my complaint in Reno. This was not simply poor customer service. An Auto Transport carries thousands of pounds of a customer’s vehicle at interstate speeds. The equipment needs to function properly. The people preparing it need to understand its operation. Known problems need to be appropriately addressed before the customer leaves. Customers need to receive the safety information necessary to properly monitor and secure their vehicle. I specifically sought hands-on instruction before renting this equipment. Instead, I began a more than 2,000-mile interstate relocation with a known equipment problem, inadequate hands-on instruction and electronic safety communications being directed to an incorrectly entered email address. Over the course of the trip, we experienced repeated equipment problems, repeated strap problems, roadside-assistance incidents, a dead battery and replacement expense, significant delays and multiple physical injuries or symptoms that now require medical evaluation. No customer undertaking a five-day cross-country relocation should have to experience what my family and I experienced with this Auto Transport.
Tyra B
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How U-Haul Reviews WorkTook over 1/2 hr to pick up truck, due to computer connective issues... Not the fault of person behind counter. He did all he could to get us on the road. He gets 5 stars. Their system got 3 stars due to the computer issues. So 4 stars for the overall experience at this location.
Richard LThe staff was very friendly and helpful. I would highly recommend this location to anyone.
Randolph HService was very good, informative, and in general good interaction.
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