I had an incredibly negative experience trying to reserve my uhaul. I originally requested a 15’ truck to pick up at the Ace Hardware from Williamsburg, VA. I made the reservation 3-4 weeks in advance. The day before I need to pick up my rental, someone calls to say the closest truck is on main st in Smithfield, VA. So, I called customer service. I spoke with a rude woman who is clearly a lazy employee and a blatant liar. I specifically asked her if there were any trucks in Norfolk or Virginia Beach. Before I could even finish my question, she tells me no, that Smithfield is the only place that has trucks. And, here’s my problem with that. Ace in Williamsburg was about 50’ from my apartment that I was moving out of. The agent on the phone specifically told me that the Smithfield location was only 21 miles away. I told her that wasn’t true, because it’s not. I can understand if the mileage is “as the crow flies,” but it is not the physical, drivable mileage. IF I took the ferry, it’s about 28 miles, including an extra hour to wait for the ferry, get across the water and then have to wait to get off the ferry, then continue into Williamsburg. I would not have been comfortable taking the 15’ truck that way anyway, because I’m not accustomed to driving moving trucks on small, winding roads. So, because of that, if I had to go the quickest route, which has larger roads and no 2 lane highways, it’s about a 44 mile drive from Smithfield on main st to my apartment in Williamsburg, which is directly behind ace hardware. The mileage would have significantly surpassed the allotted 63 miles. The agent on the phone said they added 50 miles to my trip, but that put me right at the threshold of 113 miles, estimating right at about 110 miles. I specifically inquired about a rental truck in Norfolk or Virginia Beach, because I live in Virginia Beach now. For reference, Smithfield is about 39 miles from my current location, which would make at least a 3 hour drive from Virginia Beach to Smithfield, to Williamsburg, then back to Virginia Beach. If you aren’t local, that may not make sense. However, that would include the ferry or going across the bridge to get to Williamsburg from Smithfield, which takes forever, AND going through the Hampton roads bridge tunnel to get to my new house. A lot of non-locals aren’t used to driving through Hampton roads area, but the traffic is horrible. Do you understand how incredibly unacceptable that is? I assist customers in emergency situations all day long, and I can assure you, the agent I spoke with had no customer service skills whatsoever. Honestly, if I had to inconvenience a customer so badly, I would have at least offered a different truck or even a trailer of some sort, at least give me options instead of just “no!” She did nothing except lie to me. So, I go on the uhaul app later that evening and was able to rent a 15’ truck in Norfolk, about 10 minutes from my new house. if it was that easy to fix, why couldn’t she be honest and tell me there were trucks closer to my location. So, I go to pick up my truck Tuesday morning. The manager there was very kind and helpful. He discounted my mileage rate and extended our hours for using the truck. I didn’t need the extra time, but his kindness and assistance is what mattered. It still cost me about $175 which is just ridiculous. It would have cost less had uhaul actually managed their reservations properly and coordinated having a truck ready for me at the ace 50’ from my apartment. Instead of only paying for 55ish miles, I ended up getting charged for 125 miles. Just in case you aren’t aware, that’s a 70 mile difference. That is horrible customer service. Had it not been the day before my move, I would have found a truck elsewhere, because I hate the idea of giving an incredibly poorly operated business that employs liars who get off on inconveniencing people and telling them no, instead of clicking a few buttons to see if there was a better option, all for basic customer service reasons. The way you treat your customers goes a long way, and this was an awful experience. I absolutely hate uhaul. I’d rather pay Penske $800 than have to deal with the stress, inconvenience and poor attitudes of your employees. This experience was not acceptable. Thank goodness the gentleman at the rug store was so kind and professional. Because I respect him and his business, I’m rating HIM 5 stars. Uhaul doesn’t deserve any stars.
MeLoni M
Wahi Rugs & Carpet
(U-Haul Neighborhood Dealer)
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One-Way and In-Town® Rentals in Norfolk, VA 23502
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Very nice people
Christlpher RExtremely thankful for such wonderful customer service.
TAMARA EThe brakes did not work, no fluid in reservoir .
TERRY LTruck smelled horrible. Needs to be washed/detailed inside & out
Danielle B