U-haul Center Of Alafaya
Uhaul Truck Rental ripoff 2 counts of ripping me off! Never use Uhaul - rent elsewhere or hire movers!

Uhaul has failed me twice - Once when moving into my new place, then again when I moved to another place. Here's what happened this first time:

I go into the Uhaul "Center of Alafaya" because it is the closest truck rental place to where I lived at the time. Two weeks in advance, I reserve a truck for my upcoming move, in person and with my credit card. On the day of moving, I go back to Uhaul only to find that they have lost my information.

I was not given a confirmation or receipt when I reserved, so I was SOL. What worried and confused me was that they took my credit card information (I swiped it) and entered my info into the computer. They could not find me in their system and didn't seem like they were going to offer any resolution to their "screw-up". Not until I lost my temper was I able to get the manager on the scene. He was a real piece of work.

After a long time of standing there and arguing, he "dispatched" me to another location out by OIA (a good 30-45 minute drive away - I was moving one block over!) I show up to that place and they didn't have the truck they were supposed to and didn't even know I was coming! I ended up having to get a much larger (and more expensive) truck, drive 45 minutes back to my place and load/unload etc.

But I had to argue another 30 minutes on the phone with the manager guy from the Alafaya Uhaul to get some "vouchers" to help offset the mileage cost ($1 a mile!) He was expecting me to pay for a 60 mile trip (or whatever it was) when I would have only put about 5 miles on the truck had they not lost my reservation. That day sucked, but we moved in to our new place, and moved on with our lives.

Second story: Uhaul Strikes again!
2 years later, I find myself needing to move again. Uhaul basically has a monopoly in my area so where else do I go? But this time I think I'm being smart and decide to reserve online. If it's online through their corporate website of a professional company than some shmuck can't screw it up, right?

Wrong! First off, it lets you pick the location you want to pick up from. I did this well in advance but still go booted to another Uhaul vendor - a POS gas station 3 miles down the road. I think, "that's okay, I'll call and confirm". I call and cannot get through - just an answering machine that sounds like someone's home. I call Uhaul corporate and get an alternate number. I call that number and the guy with bad english on the other line tells me he can't check the reservations right now, but if I signed up online, not to worry the truck will be there.

I go there the day of moving and the guy's wife (I'm guessing) is there by herself. She has no clue. They have 3 trucks in their parking lot. I tell her I made the reservation and I'll just take whatever truck they have available. She said all the trucks they had were broken and not running! I ask, "What do you suggest I do?" She tells me to go to the Uhaul "Center of Alafaya" and speak with them.

I go back to the Uhaul "Center of Alafaya", or as I like to call it, HELL. They're not open for another 20 minutes and there's a line at the door. I wait. I wait some more. When I finally get to speak with the Uhaul person it's the new girl and it must have been her first day. They don't have a truck for me (despite the 55 trucks in their lot). After about 2 hours of waiting and bullsh*, I do finally get a truck (14' instead of the 17' I reserved online). But the rudeness and unprofessionalism of the people at Uhaul was just as bad as my visit 2 years prior.

It's a shame that a company that has "control" over the truck rental business in my area is such a screw-up and that they can only hire incompentent douche bags. Next time I have to move I will be hiring movers, and every other time after that. I will never deal with Uhaul again, and I hope someone bigger and better comes along and puts them out of business!

John
Orlando, Florida
U.S.A.

Company: U-haul Center Of Alafaya
Country: USA
State: Florida
City: Orlando
Address: 11815 EAST COLONIAL DRIVE

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