Penske Truck Rental Reviews

I know that we cleaned the vehicle out it if anything there were maybe a bottle of monster or two and some dirt in the carpet which is normal use... as for the gas I know we did refuel the truck so if anything there were maybe a few gallon from fuel spent from driving to return it. But still $194.40 is crazy when gas is only $2.19 a gallon. All in all I was charged $425 over the actual cost. To top it off these guys were rude and just seem crooked. I've used PENSKE for years because they support Veterans but no more.

Don't know about the passenger’s seat. The ride was comfortable enough as far as road conditions and noise goes. The cruise control was a definite plus. I-40 through AZ can be very rough. Depends on whether you are in the left or right lane much of the time. So... so far as a moving experience goes the truck and Penske crew were right on.

The company that Penske used was called Most Valuable Movers, based out of New Jersey. I cannot say enough bad things about my experience with this company. They told me they would show up in the early afternoon. They didn't show up till 7 pm that evening and worked till 2 am loading furniture. After the truck was 3/4 loaded I was told I would have to pay several hundred dollars more than my estimate to load all the furniture I had mentioned in the estimate. I had no choice at this point but to not ship some furniture I had originally counted on shipping.

I was told in writing that it would take 7-10 days to get the furniture shipped to its destination 2000 miles away. After waiting nearly a month I was told that what I was given in writing by the driver/loader was wrong and that the company had the right to ship my furniture within a month. When the furniture arrived several pieces were missing and damaged. I was told I could file a claim for partial reimbursement of the estimated value.

What I later found out was that 3 separate companies were involved in the move, The first "Most Valuable Movers" loaded my furniture and transported it to their warehouse in New Jersey from Boston. The second, reloaded it into their truck and transported it to Colorado. The third reloaded it into their truck and delivered it locally to Durango Co. During this process, various pieces of furniture will inevitably get damaged and misplaced. Again. Don't be deceived by the name. Penske only wants a booking fee from you and they will low ball you with an estimate just to collect that fee. Once they do you're at the mercy of smaller companies like Most Valuable Movers who have awful reviews and who reserve the right to charge you much more than what Penske quoted you upfront once your furniture is loaded.

My mechanic said the engine needed rebuilt, to the tune of 13,00.00 dollars, that oil had been blowing around the valves for quite some time. When I purchased the truck they assured me they go over them to make sure there are no issues. One of their employees who was trying to talk me into a maintenance program, told me they sell their highest maintenance per mile vehicles. I believe Penske sells trucks they know have design and mechanical issues. Never again, buyer beware.

The representative was very helpful and I was told it could take up to about 2 hours before a technician would be able to come to where we were. However, it only took about 45 minutes before the guy showed up. Here comes the fun part: once the roadside assistance guy took the wheel off of the trailer, not only was the wheel and tire loose, the rotor wasn't even secure on the rear hub. And, upon further inspection, there wasn't even a brake pad in the rear brake caliper!!! I also noticed that that same tire was rubbing up against the inside of the trailer frame (there was a clearly visible black groove where the tire was rubbing against the trailer) and I could hear a grinding sound whenever I made a turn to the right but I couldn't figure out from where the noise was coming... until this incident.

Not only was my and my passengers' lives in danger, also the lives of other drivers near us were at risk of being lost due to Penske's poor equipment maintenance practices. Because of this gross oversight on Penske's part, they arranged for a replacement trailer to be delivered to where we were. The second technician who came out was thorough and professional with his service and in about an hour to an hour and a half, we were on our way back on our journey. However, at this point we were already about 4 hours behind schedule. I don't mind that, in the grand scheme of things, because our lives were spared solely by the grace of God.

After that, the trip went off without a hitch. That is, until it was time to return the equipment. When my brother attempted to re-hook the trailer onto the truck, the trailer jack that's used to line it up to the truck's level no longer worked. So, once again, I had to call the roadside assistance line. I was told that the driver was about 15 minutes away but it took him more than an hour and a half to get to my location. Not sure why that is but anyway... within a few minutes of his arrival, the driver was able to not only lift but also secure the trailer back onto the truck. After he was done, he gave me the address to where I was supposed to drop the truck and trailer off, which was different from the address in the contract. I was okay with that because technically, it was closer to my current location. So, we finally dropped the truck and trailer off at the main Hub in Houston and were on our way.

However, when I went to check my bank account for a completely different reason, I noticed a $160+ charge from Penske. I quickly got them on the phone after making the startling discovery and learned that, because I dropped the equipment off later than the original agreement, even though I explicitly expressed to the roadside assistance rep the issues that I was facing w/ the equipment and largely due to no fault of my own, I was charged an extra day. When I explained this discrepancy to that particular location's manager, he was quick to provide a viable solution, which included an approximately $135 refund.

While I made it safely to Houston, I'm very displeased with the quality of the equipment that I received and would like to speak to someone from corporate about this situation. Because, as previously stated, my life was at great risk and in a largely avoidable way that was clearly due to gross negligence on the part of the person who's responsible for inspecting the equipment BEFORE it's rented. Because of Penske's fairly rapid response time to equipment issues, I might consider renting from them again for any future, larger scale moves.

No one ever told us that we should weigh it! For that matter no one even told us how to drive it and it is HUGE! They asked us how many rooms we were packing and what kind of car we were towing and they recommended this setup, so we rented it. I'm sure the people at the rental facility were just following protocol. Penske would rent these to anyone with a license and a credit card (not even sure about the credit card). We expected them to be the experts and followed their advice. We were a little alarmed at the size of the truck with no (at least) brief training. There are a million dash lights, air brakes, etc. The truck is misfiring and shaking, but mostly only until it drops below 3/4 of a tank of diesel. This sure seems like a truck engine issue. Why only when it is full of diesel???

A very nice customer service girl at Penske tried to help us, but they are not allowed to think outside the box! The only solution we were offered was to rent a second truck (at a discount) and hire someone to drive it to Mississippi. What??? Really??? I asked if we could park the truck at one of their yards, drop the car, return the car trailer and drive the car to Mississippi and fly back for the truck (which should not be overweight anymore) and they could not do that for us.

So, he is driving this truck the way it is. I am a wreck, so is he I think, the dogs will be in the cab of that truck for many extra days due to the travel time and then they will most likely charge us for the extra days. If it even makes it! I called several places and talked to diesel mechanics and they all said that that truck should not be running like that even overweight. People evidently drive them a lot more overloaded than that! I didn't even mention about how they didn't have the hand truck or 42 packing pads we ordered and didn't tell us until we picked the truck up. I am very disappointed in Penske. We will never rent from them again and will tell everyone our story!

I could hardly see and had to drive 40 mph when it rained, which it did for most of the 8 hr drive. In addition the seat was so worn out it tilted at a 30 degree angle and killed my back. When I unloaded the truck I found out the van roof had leaked water on my teak furniture and mattresses. I told all this to the Home Depot folks when I dropped it off. I complained on the survey I received by email from Penske. No response. Don't rent from Penske.

The Penske Truck Rental store here in San Diego people were very nice. The truck was ready the afternoon before the day I was rent it at no extra charge. In short there is no fast or cheap to move! Penske truck was slower than I thought but I have another very heavy load to take and I will use them again because self-moving trucks with lift gates are hard to come by when moving welding tables that weight 600 lbs and other very heavy stuff. O/A 3 1/2 stars.

The facility was a You Ship It type business in a strip mall in Hiram, GA, west of Atlanta. The people were very nice and even opened the store 30 minutes early for me to get the reserved truck at the requested time. Check out and payment was quick and easy, and I was on my way in less than 20 minutes, including inspection. By comparison, trying to open a US Post Office box was a bigger pain in the neck. The truck was quite new and in good, clean condition. So far, so good. Again, would have preferred gas over diesel but Penske obviously delivers trucks to this location, so they don't have an inventory on site.

The diesel has a remarkably SLOW rate of acceleration. Noisy, nasty, but lots of torque for pulling heavy loads. Diesel fuel runs about 20-30 cents a gallon more than gasoline. The Penske website tries to sell you on diesel with a comparison chart that suggests diesel gets 8 mph and gas only 6 mph, suggesting better fuel economy. Do you really believe that? Maybe under certain circumstances. But then they use the price per gallon as $2.37 per gallon for diesel (pretty close) and $2.23 for gasoline. BUSTED. I don't know where you live but in the southeast (AL, SC, GA, FL) the average prices are more like $1.91- 2.15 for a gallon of gas. Of course prices and conditions vary but keep in mind Penske does not offer gas (as far as I could ascertain) vehicles for the 26-foot truck, so this comparison is a little on the disingenuous side.

But once you are on the interstate and cruising (the truck did have cruise control!!) the vehicle is OK. And the longer the vehicle runs the more well behaved it becomes. Still if you are not familiar with diesel performance and characteristics, it will take time to adjust (Don't forget to not start the engine before letting the ignition system warm up. Turn the key to the first position and wait until the beeping and the six hundred lights on the dash stop sounding/flashing before starting the engine. Best to let the truck idle for a few minutes to warm up the engine).

OK, so I get to the storage location to load up. I had friends coming to assist at 9 am, and I had to be in Savannah (260 miles away) that evening. Truck took A LOT to get used to, especially being a diesel. More on that in a moment. So I go to pull out the ramp (again I wanted a lift gate but didn't have time to quibble) and the ramp only pulls out about 4 feet and jams. I tried multiple times to slide it in and out with no success. In the meantime my help arrived and now I am behind schedule and wasting others volunteer time.

I called the place I rented it from and the referred me to the 1 800 Roadside Assistance number. They answered promptly and were very friendly and efficient. They said they would call me back in 5 minutes and they did. A repair man was dispatched to the site, and I was advised it would take up to 90 minutes. He arrived in less than an hour. The rails the ramp slides on were bent in and corroded. He repaired the unit in under 30 minutes and we were back in business. The rest of the trip was uneventful and truck return was quick and easy. However this is a large truck AND a diesel. I experienced what amounts to a chiropractic back adjustment as this truck communicated every bump, nuance, and irregularity on the highway. And it is noisy. You wouldn't expect a great ride or quiet. But I have driven similar trucks in the military that were much better behaved.

Further, I have rented large trucks from U-Haul and moved household goods and cars hundreds and thousands of miles. This one was the worst I have ever experienced. I haven't driven a large U-Haul in the last 5 years so I won't venture a direct comparison, but I recall they have a advertised air cushion ride. Further, my memory of my U-Haul experience was generally more desirable. Keep in mind while most my drive was on Interstates (20, 75, 16 & 95) it was still nasty. The roads around Atlanta were painful to endure in this truck. However, once running on the flat roads of I 95 in Florida, it wasn't too bad.

So, with all that said, you might ask "Why didn't you rent a U-Haul?" Simple: money. Penske was hundreds cheaper than U-Haul. I called U-Haul to shop the Penske quote and try as they may, I didn't get close. Budget was WAY cheaper than both but did not come close. My son in law fared better months earlier, going from Atlanta to Dallas, and U-Haul really beat Penske's when he shopped the quote at the national toll free site. Again, U-Haul didn't come through for me.

So, in summary, Penske was cheaper but the truck was brutal to endure over most highways. My suggestion is to shop early and often until you find what you are after. If you are moving anything that isn't sensitive to road surfaces, then Penske could be the best bet. But you may be better off with a gas driven U-Haul with a lift gate for household goods moves. This is definitely true for expensive furniture and personal goods.

One final thing, give yourself wiggle room on pick-up date/time. Renting at a large lot that has many trucks to choose from offers replacement options if your truck is a dog. Check the ride, rear door, ramp, or lift gate for satisfactory operation. That way they can effect repair or provide replacement vehicles on the spot. I needed the truck immediately and had a tight schedule, which is toying with disaster. Thankfully, I had a successful move.

At this point I do not believe that they act in good faith and are trying every trick they can to get more money out of me instead of going through the proper channels with the insurance company. I have already filed a fraud dispute with my credit card to try to get this money back, and I will not be dealing with Penske ever again.

When returning the truck, he asked if he could fill out an incident report. The Penske manager told him they didn't have any. When they were asked to please call or email up the chain of command to report the crushed foot, he replied, "Even if I did, corporate wouldn't do anything." Found out after the fact the lift-gate may have been broken from the start. Two weeks later, part of our director's right foot had to be amputated as a result of this accident. But we do credit Penske with showing concern. Five minutes before our director was sent into surgery, a representative called him and asked what he "wanted." We are totally disappointed in Penske.

Called Penske, told us to drive 20 miles back the other way to get a new truck, which we would have to unload and load ourselves (the truck was full). On my return to Home Depot, it literally took an hour to try and check out, and the Depot computer program is so screwed up, they couldn't close my account unless I paid them even more money, even though I had a refund coming. The rental was put on a corporate card when rented online - a card not in my possession.

The mileage was over the estimate, the days fewer than estimated, and the "deposit" processed on the credit card way more than the estimate or the final bill. They owed a refund of $91. However, before they could close the account, they wanted me to charge $58 on my personal credit card to pay for the extra mileage, which they would then transfer to the corporate card in order to give a refund of $150.

It's been several days, and they flatly refuse to close the account and give a refund, much less give any sort of credit for the faulty vehicle they shouldn't have allowed on the road in the first place. Budget and U-Haul have crappy trucks but good service. Penske used to have good trucks, but whoever bought them out a few years ago has run them into the ground. I never had this kind of problem with the old place, although I did show up a few times to find they had lost my reservation and had no truck for me. But now having to deal with Home Depot idiots clinches it. Run, don't walk to find another company.

After about waiting an hour in the car for roadside to come again, it was about one am and I called to complain. They said the roadside guy was going to be late and that they would PAY for a hotel and any expenses from the problems we've had with them. So we walked to the hotel. We left the keys with the front desk for the service guy to work on the truck. I get a call 5:00 am saying that the truck needed to be driven to the Penske shop in Columbus.

So we take the Penske truck to the shop when it opened only to find out that it would take too long to fix so they would have to trade out trucks and all our stuff. So we waited 4 hours for the "credible" people they hired to move our stuff. They broke the filing cabinet, bent a handle on my dresser, and DENTED my 100-lb safe. How do you dent a safe? I found all this out after we moved into our new place. So we finally got back on the road again. We arrived too late to sign for our keys to our apartment so we were forced to get a taxi to a hotel and stay at a hotel for the night. Thank God my apartment understood and let us wait another day to sign.

The next day we move in and go to drop off the truck. I was told I was going to get my expenses paid for there. The drop-off location was a Home Depot, and they said they couldn't do anything. So I called a number I got from an operator and get the Manassas VA direct #. I get a hold of a guy named Henry **. He says that there is no notes or anything on our policy saying we had any problems. I tell him to listen to the recordings and he'll hear it all. I had to call him every few days to check up on how it was going and he kept avoiding me. After about three weeks he finally said they would pay for our hotels and the taxi but nothing else or even give us a discount on our truck rental. No $ for damages. Nothing.

Two weeks later after Henry ** said he sent the check in the mail. It has yet to arrive. I've called twice with no answer and a girl named Tiffany answers and says he's "out on the lot". He never calls me back and I'm the one who has to do all the work. I am fed up with this company and I should have just taken them to small claims in Pittsburgh PA. I cannot stress enough how sketchy this company is and how they don't even know how to take care of their trucks. This isn't just for Manassas but any Penske dealership nationwide. I called and wanted to file a complaint and the operator looked up the truck rental and policy. There was still no notes of any problems or any damages that we had to go through.

Not only that but because I had to spend two days driving in a truck instead of one. I was sitting for too long. I got a pain in my leg. It was so bad I went to the hospital. I ended up having a blood clot in my leg. I have to be on blood thinners for the next three months and I am out hundreds of dollars even after insurance.

Please do not use Penske. If you do make sure you get all of your problems in writing and if you have to put a holding payment on the truck make sure you get that back because I still am waiting for the $150 to go back on my card. In total this place has probably cost me hundreds if not a thousand dollars that I wasn't expecting to have to pay. And they think that 345.45$ will make up for it. I moved March 2nd of 2016. Returned the truck on the 5th of March. It is now April 25th 2016. And I haven't seen a penny and I've had to fight them every step of the way. I will be writing to corporate and my step father's company that uses Penske is reconsidering. They probably rent five trucks a month. So they will be losing some business. STAY AWAY!! Even if they are the cheaper option there is a reason for it! You will have problems and it's not worth it! AVOID AT ALL COSTS!

I called Penske and spoke to a Brittany **. She didn't even apologize for any of the issues and said that "there will be no refund because they charge 100 per extra day not 50." I am furious that she was not able to resolve this. Maybe 100 per day is Penske's policy but that is not what I was told. And with all of the other problems that happened, it's crazy to think the 550 wasn't immediately refunded! The truck was simply sitting in my neighbor's driveway because I sold my house and the closing for the home I was buying got pushed back. I think the fact that I am still willing to pay a total of 909.50 for this terrible experience is kind of me.

Original Review: March 14, 2016

I had my reservation weeks in advance to pick up 3/13/2016. I go to pick up my truck and there is a parade on the street and I cannot get to the location. Sure, the truck was physically at the building, but I can't get there to pick it up or even if I were to walk there I couldn't drive it away. They say they guarantee your truck, but what good is it if it can't leave their parking lot. It may as well not have wheels.

I spoke with their customer service and was basically told tough **. Spoke with a manager this morning and again was basically told tough **. "It's not our fault the city was holding a parade on the street." Well no of course not, you don't have that kind of power. But you could have informed me "Hey, the location is inaccessible at your reserved time, we can change your reserved time or pickup location." I regret not going with the FAR cheaper U-Haul option.

The supervisor also sent me an email of receipt and if the money is not on my card in 3 days I need to contact them. I also will receive a discount on next rental. The reaction to my issue was quickly resolved by ^KB, which he responded to me on Facebook from Penske Corporate Office. I will give a 4star now because of Management resolving my issue.

Original Review: Feb. 25, 2016

ON 2-19-16 I rented a truck from Penske located on College street in Beaumont, TX. Unit no. 9170654. I was charged $426.00. I only used 141 miles on truck. The sales clerk was a liar. I was told I would save on one way trip. Let's see... .79 cent a mile, truck 38.99, and 9.00 environmental fee is way less than 426.00. Who in the world would want to pay a flat rate of 426.00, when they would save paying by miles if one not traveling too far. Do Not Rent from this company!!!

I am totally disappointed and will never use them again. With two trucks I could have just hired a company to do it all and would have come out spending less and without the hassle. Both trucks were rented from Steve at the Nolensville Road location for December 4th and 5th. They were both returned full of gas and swept out before they were returned to the Tullahoma location. They can provide the paperwork. They apparently have it since they had my credit card number. Since I don't have the paperwork they can provide the location.

Never felt it was an issue, helped with getting more boxes, changed pickup location when Home Depot employees said they couldn't take responsibility to help me load my car (a woman alone, I just feared doing this myself despite the videos I watched on "how to..."), and Vinnie was absolutely amazing from start to finish! He went over and beyond the call of duty in Sterling, VA, and I arrived safe, sound, as well as my car, in Connecticut 10 hours later! He even made suggestions on directions, where to get help, how to feel more confident, whom to call if this or that happened.

Nothing went wrong, the truck was NEW, the carrier was easy, and he made it all happen for me, when all I could do was wring my hands, anticipating the worst! An amazing company, a true asset to the company, Vinnie ** and a great experience overall for me! I would give 10 stars if I could, but I guess 5 is the limit :-) Thank you, Vinnie, for all you have done to help this difficult move end happily ever after! Penske should be proud and thankful to have you as a manager/leader in their industry!

A month after returning the truck with a full gas tank and in the same condition I received it in, I had a charge for about $40 placed on my account. Another $40 charge was added shortly after. No one at Penske would return my calls regarding these charges, and there is no information available anywhere online to explain them. I will never use Penske again. Their service was sub-par, and they are genuine thieves.

I also tried to book my reservations 3 times on their website and the website would not allow me to do it. Eventually I went to Budget website, booked a truck in 5 minutes, and was moving my things a couple of hours later. I also had another problem with Penske in 2009 when their truck broke down on me while I was moving. Given my history with them; I have no plans of ever using Penske in the future. What a nightmare.

My brother was with me when I filled the tank and we both agreed that another drop could not be squeezed into that tank. I want my 92 dollars back. The tank was full and anyone who says otherwise, I would have no problem calling them a liar right to their face. I am a triple As member and have rented from Penske before and never had any problems. They need to make this right. If they do not, I will report them to the BBB and tell Triple A's of my experience. Don't know if it will do any good, but I will do it anyway. To be continued.

Original Review: Aug. 20, 2015

When I picked up my truck the fuel gauge read 3/4 of a tank. I pointed this out and the service person added additional fuel and said that the tank was full. However, the gauge did not read full. I figured this was just an issue with the fuel gauge. Before dropping off the truck, I fueled it up and again the gauge did not read quite full, but I could see the fuel at the very top of the tank. Not bubbles, but pure diesel fuel. After dropping off the truck using the after hour drop box, I was informed 2 days later that the tank was not full, despite being able to see the fuel at the very top of the tank. I was then charged $8.00 per gallon for 9 gallons ($72) and told that sometimes the tanks can be difficult to fill up.

If the service person that topped of the tank when I pick up the truck was not able to properly fill it or the gauge is messed up, why am I being charged??? This is a total rip off. $8.00 a gallon for diesel when it is only $2.50-3.50 around the country is a rip off. Although the fine print of the contract may indicate this, nowhere was it posted in the pickup or drop off location as with rental car companies. Poor customer service!!!

After a while, the noise stopped and the gas indicator dropped a quarter of a tank. About 4 exits up, it started again. The noise was unbearable. We could not talk to each other or hear on the phone. Finally, after going several hundred miles a road, side service came but he told us all of Penske trucks did this. Also the person on the phone said it's normal. The normal cost us more than a tank of gas. The ride was awful and we all three has headaches from the noise. The gas tank was not full when we left home depot and was marked on paper full tank. I called Penske and they agreed to refund some money but I have not received it. After all this, I feel a refund would be fair.

On a good day, the truck rode harshly and the cab, with A/C on full, was still hot. My wife's soap melted in her bag. But the truck ran. On day two, we were about 35 miles north of Jacksonville, FL when the Check Engine light went on. We called Penske. They scheduled a guy to look at it. "He should be there in 60-75 minutes." (We had made it into the just-down-the-road-so-close-you-can-see-it Florida Welcome Center.)

We waited 2 hours for him to show up. He said it looks like a fuel injector, "Let's go to Penske. Maybe they can get you back on the road." So off we go to the Penske garage. Nice folks. Sal, the manager, said "We can drive you to your hotel, we'll call you when it's fixed. If we can't fix it, we'll have another truck and a crew to move your goods." They made us feel they would take care of us. A fellow named Duane hooked up a PC and he determined that it was an informational Check Engine light as opposed to a Stop Right Now Check Engine light. He ran full diagnostics. We passed and got back on the road. All told 3.5 hours wasted. $40 in tips. And a curse for whoever designed that error message.

I filled in a survey for Penske after the rental and told them the story. All I wanted was for the next renter to not have the same problems. Never expected anything from Penske other than a "Thank you for filling in the survey." Two months later, I get an e-mail from the Customer Development Manager in Florida. He says he was very sorry for the problems we had and issued a $300 credit to our credit card. Also offered a discount on the next Florida rental. I was really blown away by that. Penske went out of its way to make a customer happy - and that customer hadn't even complained. Penske stays #1 in my book.

How about these: Environmental fee - $3.00; Licensing recovery fee - $3.00; Motor fuels tax - $4.21; Weight distance tax - $2.29. Now get this, I filled the tank and so any fuel tax was paid when I bought the fuel. As for the other extra fees, well Penske tells me they are "Standard". I tell you what is standard, I never call Penske again.

After driving it for like a month or so, the drivers that had driven it said they thought the Transmission was going out, so we had it checked out in local truck place where our "National Truck Protection" warranty we bought through Penske. And sure enough we needed a new transmission. So naturally we called Justin over at Penske and he said that they would look into for us and came back a week later saying they would not cover it, and neither would National Truck Protection. So we just ended up paying for it ourselves and taking that huge bill for the transmission, which we thought we had covered in the Warranty we bought for over $3500! But needless to say we do not recommend buying anything through Penske or protection plans for trucks or semi-trucks from National Truck Protection. And we will never buy anything from them ever again.

I finally get my truck that I reserved and had to wait for, get my load and begin my journey. The truck was all over the road. Once I found a service station, the tire pressure read 25 Psi on an outside dually. It was supposed to be 65 Psi. Penske put me in serious danger on top of renting my reserved truck. Upon contacting them, they offered me nothing to rectify the entire situation. Customer safety nor satisfaction is not a concern of Penske and they should be avoided.

The truck was given to us with no fuel cap. Given that the tank is just a big metal drum underneath the cab with an open spout, we spilled diesel all over my driveway and probably left a trail of drips from the pick-up locality. Radio did not work. Leak in the roof of the storage area. Extremely temperamental transmission, which no one warned us about. We were able to start the truck only with great difficulty at our first fuel stop and had to divert to a service facility only to be told this was normal.

Exhaust filter warning light came on as soon as we left the service facility. We called the roadside hotline to see if this was something serious and were told that we could expect a callback in 45 to 60 minutes from a live person. And they never called back. Imagine if we had actually broken down. The drop-off point was a Home Depot with no actual Penske employees for us to complain to.

When we told it when returning the truck they did not do nothing for us! Not even apology or trying to make our experience better!!! For $800!!! Ridiculous! And the last stroke was that we wanted to cancel the reservation that we had for tomorrow (because those obvious reasons) and their answer was - you don't have a reservation. Period. Not even - would like like to make one now or anything... Terrible!!! And we made a reservation when we took that truck for 5 days. In the same location... With the same people!! That was the end of it! That was in Albuquerque, 1400 Candelaria location. Do not rent from them!! Totally not worth it!!! (And the truck doesn't go faster then 70 m/h).

Upon return nothing was working in the office which only had the one lady whom selectively remembered my reservation needs. I had the billing corrected including personal insurance I clearly advised I didn't want added in. Now I look at my paperwork and it's again screwed up. After spelling my name out twice I have a totally different billing on my rental agreement that I need to turn in.

In closing, since I rented a truck at the Corona facility yesterday it's like I have had a dark cloud over me hoping to shake it! I think I spend over three hours in that office and if I were billed correctly the first time I wouldn't have had to locate extra cash to cover the mistakes. Not to mention nobody there could seem to find keys for the vehicles they were renting and having to transfer people to different vehicles to compensate. I did feel the two in the front office were polite and friendly despite the incompetence factors leading to a very frustrating rental experience. Thankfully the truck had NO issues. Management needs to get involved here and step it up big time.

Essentially the truck had to be towed 281 miles to Mobile. After a total of almost 10 hours off schedule, we were finally able to drive off without transferring vehicles. After being delayed for hours, stuck in a storm, and realizing we were given a defective truck we wanted our money back. We figured we'd request some form of reimbursement for the inconvenience. When returning the truck to its final destination. We were told that customer service is "swamped" and that we would have to wait until they could get to us. Oh, and despite being told that the vehicle will be decommissioned, they insisted that we fill the gas tank before they would take the truck in. Never again Penske!

After 3-4 days, I still didn't have the deposit back so I called again and was told it would be 7-10 days. Now 10 days has passed and still no refund on my deposit. I call again and was told there was a cleaning fee for $121 and I wouldn't be getting a refund. I am furious at this point because I know I left the truck clean. I request to speak to someone higher up and the guy comes back and tells me that I will be getting a refund but for $121 and not the $150.

I question the $30 new charge and I'm told it's because I took out insurance.... YES, insurance I already paid for when I signed the contract and was only $17. Then a lady gets on the phone and tells me that they are keeping the additional $30 because I went 125 miles and they had to charge me additional. I went under 100 miles but because I can't prove it, it has ended up costing me another $30 out of the deposit that they say they now have to mail me a check for!!! I do not recommend Penske and will NEVER use them again!!

I called the company and they gave me $120 back for the truck breaking down. I was not looking for money or a damage claim but I told them the truck has to be inspected. They went on to tell me the truck is good, they checked it. I told them, "say I did have bed bugs and it is my fault there has to be bed bugs in the truck if I had them, which I know I didn't but if I did, that means I left some in the truck. I told the lady I don't want any money but the truck has to be cleaned, this is so awful for anyone to go through. This situation really took a toll on me, I was so disgusted and cried everyday knowing I have these things biting my kids and myself. Thank God I caught it in time and it didn't get out of control.

At about the 120 minute mark, the mechanic showed up, and promptly told us that electrical issues were not his specialty. After 2 hours of testing every single fuse and relay, and turning the truck on and off probably 200 times, this man tells us that it is beyond his abilities, and that roadside assistance would find a hotel for us, and that a new truck would be delivered at 8 am the next day, along with a professional moving crew to transfer our things from one truck to the other. After finally checking in at the hotel at 4 am, we managed a short nap before the scheduled 8 am drop off time. Soon 8 am went by. Then, 9 am. And then 10 am and 11 am as well. After another call to the roadside assistance line we were greeted with a response of "Hmmm. There's no truck there yet? Hmmmm. There's no movers yet either?", to which we responded NO to each. We were then told "Lets see what we can do about this."

Finally after another hour, we inform company that there is still no truck. We are then informed, that yes, a truck was delivered, and the keys given to the front desk, without notifying them of who they were for. After a walk around the building, we do indeed find the truck. However, when the key was put into the ignition, absolutely nothing happened. We were given a non-working truck to replace the non-working truck we already had. After ANOTHER call to roadside assistance, we are told that a service tech will be arriving within 90 minutes. Keep in mind, this is now 2:00 pm, and we still are within 10 minutes of where we started, and our movers have still not arrived. With the mechanic stating that "It sounds like a bad starter to me," then climbing under the truck to smack the starter 5 to 7 times, it becomes apparent that correctly fixing the issue is not as important to the mechanic as it is to my wife and I. Because after smacking the starter, it does manage to start.

After questioning the mechanic about whether smacking the starter with a hammer proves that it needs to be replaced, we were told "sometimes" and that "it will PROBABLY be ok" to continue to drive. At this point we decided that this was neither the safest nor easiest way to continue on our journey. Combined with the fact that it was now 3 pm and the moving guys STILL had yet to show up, we decided the only real option available to us would be to continue as long as we could, before running out of daylight, then stop for the night and continue the next day. The end of day 2 saw us make it to Abilene, TX. Nowhere near where we wanted to be. At this point, we wanted to be sure that not only would our room costs be covered, but additional time would be given to us to at no additional cost.

The next morning saw us loaded, packed, and ready to go by 8 am. Unfortunately, the truck would not start. As the realization that this was NOT the truck with starter issues, the sinking feeling of dread started to wash over me. As I again called roadside assistance, my wife called our contact for our new property in AZ, and was promptly told that if we were not serious about renting the property, there was no need to make up stories about broken trucks. At this point she began to cry, and I knew the trip was now seriously in trouble. After being on hold for another 30 minutes, we were told that a mechanic would be arriving within 90 minutes, and we readied ourselves for another short day on the road. After 90 minutes, we received call from the mechanic, who stated it would be an additional 60 minutes before he would be able to arrive.

At nearly 11 am the mechanic finally showed up. Without doing any more than simply inserting key and looking around, the mechanic turned the key and the truck started. At this time I was told that it was fairly common for a stuck injector to "fix itself" after a period of time of simply sitting after being attempted to be started. Nonetheless, he reset every computer setting and placed everything back to normal. Again starting after 1 pm, we managed to make it to Clovis, NM before running out of light. While the next morning did see us leave on time as scheduled, our happiness was short lived as the truck would not start after a refueling stop in Albuquerque, making our arriving in Gallup, NM as our stopping point of the day.

As per instructed, we contacted the roadside assistance line each and every day to get authorization for our hotel stay, and to add additional time to rental period. We were told that this was something that could only be done on a day by day basis. Day 5 finally saw us arrive in Kingman. However, any happiness was completely destroyed, when the next day we were told by the property management company that the home that we had planned to move into, was rented to someone else, as we didn't appear to be serious about renting, or we would have been on time as scheduled. So now, in addition to the extra expense of nightly hotels, excessive fuel consumption due to faulty fuel system, and lost wages because of not being here for the scheduled start date at her job, my wife and I have now also lost our home, with no back up home in place.

With our options being to place our possessions into storage, while living in a hotel until we can find housing, or leaving the items on the truck and keeping them there until we can unload them into a new house, we are told by roadside assistance, that they are no longer able to help, and that we will now be taken care of by the District Regional Manager, who was supposed to have called to discuss what was to be done next. However, after 2 days we have still yet to hear from ANYONE regarding the status of our rental term and whether any costs will be reimbursed, waived, or refunded. To expect us to pay for ANYTHING at this point, including the initial rental cost, is insulting beyond comprehension. We never should have been given a truck with faulty lighting.

I fully expect that when someone tells me that the product that they are giving me is ready to go and is in working condition, that it is in fact true. Why would I expect anything other than that? Not only were we given a truck with less than perfect lighting, after a little inspection of the truck, we also found the scheduled maintenance placard, that shows the vehicle is over 5000 miles beyond its last recommended service, that should have been completed back in January. To try and ignore these issues by not returning our calls, and contacting us like we were told would happen, is a new low in customer service.

Apparently a call to the BBB as well as all local news outlets is in order, as they may generate the necessary response to get this resolved. With that said, neither my or I will ever use this company again, and I will tell this story to every person I am able to, in my job as national speaker for a nationwide marketing company, during the multiple television and radio interviews I perform each and every day. Eventually, someone will have an interest in hearing our experience.

When I got to the truck it was hard for me to climb up to load 2 dozens pads. Once I got into the truck it would not start. I tried to start it over and over again, then I had to go back inside and another rep came out to help and tried to but couldn't start it either. This was so upsetting because I had 2 helpers waiting for me and had to call them to delay them. They were charging me by the hour. I had to wait a while and the second rep finally gave me another truck that belong to another customer that was coming to pick it up soon. They didn't have any other trucks available and they always tell you your truck will be ready when you arrive, that's a lie! They don't even check the trucks to see if they work. The first rep should of had the courtesy to walk me out to the truck and put the pads in the truck for me and made sure it worked. Very dissatisfied of his performance. I will not rent from them again!

Now let’s go to 12/08/2014. I called him in the morning around 8 am and he said they would bring the trailer to their Tucson location. He inquired about the insurance and I stated that all I had to do was call my agency and he would have a proof of insurance certificate within 10 minutes. I asked him to notify me when the trailer left Phoenix. He said he would do so. By 11:30 am I was starting to get nervous so I contacted him. He stated that they had not moved the trailer due to not receiving my insurance information. I asked him why I had to provide the certificate when the trailer was still in their possession not mine. My intention was to bind the insurance when I actually laid eyes on the trailer. He said it was company policy so I complied and he had the certificate within 10-15 minutes and he confirmed receipt of it.

Now it's about 12:30 pm and the phone rings. It was the agent saying he needed a $5000 certified check to secure the rental. I asked him where I was going to get a certified check being 2400 miles from my bank. I informed him this was not acceptable whereas the agreement for the last 3 days was a charge on my card for a deposit. He referred me to his supervisor, Ron, who reiterated the same policy. (When I got to the facility in Tucson the agent stated he had never heard of such a policy). Ron finally said the credit card security deposit was OK because it was what myself and the agent had agreed to.

The trailer finally arrived in Tucson somewhere about 4 pm. When I inquired as to if my rental trailer was there Julio stated that it was but I couldn't take it till they did a PM service on it. Well the service was half done in Phoenix but in Tucson they didn't know what had been done and the technician had gone home for the day. We finally decided that I would take it as is. Why you would start a PM on a trailer that was going out is beyond me. We went out to look at the trailer and it had A LIFTGATE!

Meanwhile my phone has been ringing all day from the truck broker wanting to know when I would be there to load. At this point in time I had to take this trailer. I went and loaded the same load that I load every trip and weighed the unit and was 4100 pounds overweight. I went back to the loading dock and we took 2 pallets of product off. I was then legal on gross weight but over on the trailer DUE TO THE LIFTGATE and tried to slide the trailer axles but they wouldn't budge. I tried 2 more times between there and New Mexico. By then it was morning so I called their road service and was given the address to Penske in El Paso. It took 3 of Penske's technicians with sledge hammers, pipes, pry bars, lubricant, and 45 minutes to slide the axles. OK that problem solved.

I received a text from my broker stating that he would have to deduct $200 from my freight for the 2 pallets that could not fit. I had to agree because the original freight was $6300 and the 2 pallets were 10% of the load so I figured that I got off cheap. I continue on my way and call customer service explaining to them that this trailer is unacceptable and that I needed to switch it out somewhere due to the weight requirements of my load from NJ back to Az.

The agent said the equipment was location specific and had to be returned to where it came from. I explained to him that there were at least 2 stickers from California locations, I dealt with the Tempe office, the trailer came from the West Phoenix location and I picked it up in Tucson. I asked for a supervisor and after 10 minutes I spoke with one and proceeded to tell him about the security deposit issue and he said he was the one that I spoke with yesterday. He asked me which cities I was going through and I stated at least Dallas, Little Rock, Memphis, and Nashville. He said he would get to work on it and call me back. I never heard anything back but I had his direct phone number.

I called repeatedly over the next 3 days and he WOULD NOT ANSWER THE PHONE. He answered it fine when we had the money issue. Cute right? Now I am in Nashville and someone flashes their lights at me and points to the trailer so I pull over and lo and behold a flat tire. I had not stopped in at least 400 miles so I knew that I did not damage it so anyway I called their road call line and they dispatched a Petro truck stop tire truck. I asked him if he saw any damage and he said it was consistent with basic tire failure. It says on their report that there was 3/32 tread on the tire which is 1/32 from being illegal. He checked the air in the other tires on that side of the trailer and they were all underinflated. Underinflated tires generate heat which leads to failure. I should not have to pay for a tire which was just inches from the scrap pile and more than likely underinflated also.

Also to insult my intelligence the agent of Phoenix stated that all tires were inspected for condition and inflation each time they left the facility. Yeah right! So anyway I am out $517.24 for a worthless tire and $200 deducted from my freight due to weight issues on a TRAILER THAT I SPECIFIED THAT I COULD NOT USE IN THE MANNER INTENDED. This was not my mistake and I feel that Penske should pay for their worthless tire themselves and reimburse me my loss of freight. As of today 12/26/2014 I HAVE NOT RECEIVED MY SECURITY DEPOSIT BACK AND they have been paid already so as it stands right now I AM OUT $4032.45 FOR A 10 DAY RENTAL.

The second day we went back over to Penske and talked to the manager. He said he didn't know anything about it and took a report and gave us the phone number of the person in Phoenix that took care of claims. We called several times that day and the next and finally on the third day she answered and said we'd have to call another number for the adjuster to come out and look at our stuff (which by then was dry!!). My husband called that number for the next two days and never got an answer. No answering service... nothing. We finally gave up. We don't plan on moving again, but if we did, or if we know of any one moving, we wouldn't recommend Penske... ever!!

Once we got there and unloaded the truck, we noticed a lot of our items were soaked (flat LCD TV 55", several other electronics, bedding, shelves, stands, etc.) and were damaged or ruined. We informed the place where we returned the truck to and found out that there were several holes in the top of the truck which allowed for the rain water to soak in and ruin our items. They gave me the numbers for the insurance people to call and make a claim which needless to say, I did. Ryan the adjuster wanted an e-mail with all the listed items and I have sent it to him like 5+ times, he sent a man out to look at the items but is not returning phone calls, e-mails or anything else! This is crazy, we lost several thousands in damaged items and they don't want to own up to the fact that they are not maintaining their trucks properly. I just want to get my items replaced and the ones that can be repaired I want them repaired. My God it's been over 2 years it should never take this long to get things done.

Then when I got to where I was going, I turned truck in a day early which where I had to take it back. Had no room to park plus there was nobody there to check me in. Employees were there but they said they needed manager. They called the manager and he said he would be there 45 mins later. Manager never showed up so the employees were like, go ahead. One week later, I get a call from the guy and said he is gonna charge me for the gas. I said, "No you're not on my paper work." It showed 3/4 tank of gas and I had more than that in it. Then 5 mins. later, he calls me and tries to tell me, "I took the trailer back somewhere else." I drive back by there and the trailer was still hooked up to the truck. I was suppose to get a 50.00 rebate but nobody knew how to do that. I have use you 3 times in the last two years. I will never use you again. I don't believe your company lets people do this to people.

Thankfully, a Georgia State Trooper stopped to check in on me. He advised that a small fire had ignited a little ways down the road due to the tires blowing out. I received a call from another rep who offered conflicting information and was very rude. This time I was accused of putting too much stuff in the car that was being carried and basically said this was my fault. I had to call back several times to find out the status of assistance. The last rep that I spoke to was Liz and she was very kind and helpful. She informed me that the wrecker would be another hour.

When the wrecker service finally arrived, he said that Penske sent them to a closed location. They were unable to gain access to the carrier so they sent him to another location over 40 minutes away. I sat on the side of the road (I-75) by myself for 4 hours. The Penske representatives were very apathetic to my situation. I had to delay my trip another day since it was so late in the day. About 130 miles from my destination, the engine light came on and off. I called roadside service again to find out what was wrong. I told him I would not pull over due to the situation that I had just experienced the evening before.

On Monday, I was referred to the Tampa district office. I spoke to Rachel and she was very kind. She offered to compensate me for the cost of the carrier. She needed to call me back in order to go over this with her supervisor. I received a call back from James who was very rude, unprofessional and apathetic. I am terribly disappointed that a company who is in business because of its customers would treat them so poorly. I will never rent from Penske again.

Now I returned the truck and dolly on the 11th, paid until the 13th. Here they get the truck and dolly and can rent them out making more money, yet their policy is no refund on early returns on one ways. That is unfair and not right, they can make money off me and if they rent it out. That is not right in any case. So this is an unfair policy. They charge you a lot of money to even rent one and the insurances you put on it. Something should be done about this. Any other company refunds early returns but this greedy one. I will never rent from them again.

The truck was uncomfortable with a bench seat, rode like a brick. I have a CDL and have driven a lot of large commercial vehicles and this one had trouble on highways climbing hills. I was down to 35 mph at times driving up them. This is not safe or acceptable in a truck. Handled horrible I could not even go 55 mph, I was at 45 to 50 mph all the way. One the way to drop it off the check engine light came on. I Left it cleaner than I got it. As I said will never rent from them again. They have made about $428.00 on me returning it early. No refund yet can rent it out making them more money. Unfair and unreal.

I returned the truck to the location where we reserved it and the next day I got a call from the location we picked up the truck telling me that I would be charged another day because I dropped the truck off at the closer location. Needless to say, the branch manager, Jenna, told me it was ok to drop it off but no one checked the truck in. My credit card was charged 3 separate charges and I called again to ask what the charges was for and the employee, Phillip, said he couldn't tell me that, only a manager could and she left early.

I asked if he had any information on the truck status and he told me that he thought Jenna had contacted me and that they checked the truck out and there is nothing wrong with it. It is working fine. I called again on today because still no word from Jenna and she asked me why didn't I call roadside for assistance with the reefer. I wasn't aware of the fact that roadside would handle this but she said, "You should have known and I am willing to give you a credit for one day but that is all I can do." I told her that her interest in taking care of this matter is very low on her list because now she is saying that she thinks that what I am saying to her is not true.

I am so frustrated with this experience so I called her manager and I am still waiting to hear from him. I will never use this company ever again for anything. They provide a good name but their customer service does not match. Check out the local branch yourself before trusting the phone sales pitch.

I loaded in Missouri and took it to New Mexico. I unloaded the "dirty" truck in the morning as the sun was coming up and noticed a blood stain after unloading a few feet of the 26' truck. The first spot was nothing compared the the rest of the truck. The truck literally looked like a massacre happened on this truck. After I had the truck completely unloaded, I drove it straight to the drop off which happened to be a corporate location and went in asking for a manager. I told the manager that he needed to come out and look at the back of this truck and he did. He had a loss for words but ended up taking some pictures.

We went back inside and he asked me when the truck was due back. I told him "tomorrow". Then he said it would be taken care of then. I was flabbergasted. I thought he would call the police or at least get me out of the rolling crime scene but he didn't. Since then, I have spent the last six months trying to figure out what I was exposed to. I have been sent two lab reports that they claimed to have done on the truck (again no police). The first lab report had a date discrepancy so I called and got another copy of the report. This time the conclusions were different and that report had a date discrepancy also. I believe both reports to have been falsified. I have spent the last six months wondering if I contracted something from this biohazard.

Every time I touched the pedal it caused such a violent rumble and imbalance in the truck that it shook me nearly out of my seat. Luckily I had my seatbelt on. The problem was the truck speed limit was 35 miles an hour but that truck was not going to stop at all, or be reduced to 35 miles an hour. But I had to press on the brake pedal even though the violent vibrations were loud and scary and barely did anything as to slowing the truck down. I had to hold it down for a few minutes to slow the truck down to 15 miles an hour. I stayed going 15 miles an hour the entire way down.

When I hit flat land I noticed my phone had died at the most convenient time. I continued my journey to Sacramento at the speed of approximately 35 miles an hour (20 miles below the limit) because I knew it was not safe to drive with these brakes plus the rain got too intense for the wipers to help any. I got to my destination 13 hours later dead tired and needed to call and extend my truck rental for an addition day due to the longer than expected drive.

When I went to return the truck, I was told that my reservation said that I was to drop the truck off in Texas and it could not take the truck. After 45 minute wait for corporate to call back with the right instructions. They took the truck and said that they will have corporate call me about the many complaints that I had. I have yet to receive a call back from Penske Corporation. Even though I have sent emails and left notes for them asking for them to call me I have been completely ignored. I told the girl behind the counter that the truck is not safe to drive and nothing was done to remove it from the road. I guess they care more about their bottom line than the safety of the people that drive their trucks.

Well, then why does Home Depot advertise this service? Home Depot should also be held responsible since they are partners in this deception. Because this pick up was on a Sunday, there were no other options (trucks to rent from other companies). We had a long, strenuous day moving furniture using cars (taking several trips) and one pickup truck luckily loaned from a friend. At a minimum, Penske should have contacted us before September 29 to let us know that there a truck would not be available. Never again will we ever rent from Penske.

Since Penske has problems in judging character of the people they hire... It now affects me. How is it fair for their employee to open a locked and leased out truck with a key, remove an item that doesn't belong to neither them nor Penske, admit to taking it, put it in a lost and found box (like they didn't know who it belong to) inside the Penske office and vanish and take 0 responsibility for their actions???? Wait! There's more.... Penske wants me to pay for insurance that doesn't cover the bag? Just to clarify LV = Louis Vuitton. Not trying to throw labels or anything... It just so happens to be one and really hard to find. At this time I'm corresponding with a senior account collections analyst who refuses to give me contact information of someone who could better assist me on this matter. Regardless of how many times I've asked.

When my wife and I arrived at the appointed time, we were informed by Home Depot employees that there was no rental truck available, nor would there be. We were further informed that we were not the first that day to be told they were not getting their rental truck either. In fact, there had been nine others that were told the same thing. The Home Depot employee offered to call the Penske office so that I could get an explanation for myself, an offer I accepted. The person from the Framingham, MA office of Penske (he would only say that his name was **, wouldn't give me his last name) said that there wasn't anything he could do and that they were over-booked and under-supplied.

When I asked him why he hadn't called earlier to inform me of this so that I could make other arrangements, he offered no response. Apparently, they are authorized to confirm reservations, but not when they are unable to meet their own obligations. After hanging up, the Home Depot employee informed us that Penske had not only over-booked a significant number of rental reservations for that day, but that they had done so intentionally - saying that this was common on busy end of the month weekends. It was clear to me that they planned to do this and that as long as their vehicles were on the roads generating income, the negative effects of this strategy was of no consequence to Penske.

The result to me and my family was not pleasant, and had far reaching effects on friends and family for the entire rain-soaked Labor Day weekend. What I can say right now is that even though the weekend and the effects of Penske's failure to meet its obligations have passed, the negative effects are only just beginning for Penske. Penske will never, ever earn my business again as long as I live. I will tell as many people as I can NOT to ever do business with them. The effects have also, unfortunately, spilled over to my relationship with Home Depot. In the 60 minutes prior to my scheduled pick up my truck rental on the 31st, my wife and I purchased two rooms of carpeting with installation. That order has since been cancelled and gone to Lowe’s. Likewise, any time I have a choice in making home improvement purchases, I will do so with Lowe’s or frankly anyone other than Home Depot. Over the years, my wife and I have spent some $50K with Home Depot and more from close friends and immediate relatives. There will be no more.

You may ask, why am I angry with Home Depot? After all, they weren't the ones who let me and my family in the lurch. The answer is a simple business fact: you are known by the company you keep and the partnerships you make. The truck rental display at the Home Depot rental center proudly boasts of their partnership with Penske. That decision today has cost Home Depot a good deal of future business from me and everyone else I can convince to avoid them (this post to Consumer Affairs is only the beginning). I only hope that every other person who was stood up this past weekend or at any time in the past by Penske does the same and that at some point a wise person at Home Depot realizes the extent their partnership with Penske has cost them financially and in customer loyalty.

This was a load of horse **. They’re saying this means all the state laws regarding insurance and consumer rights are now invalid. I doubt that is true. Also the former NY State Department of Insurance which was the model for insurance company policing refused to do anything they stated that my issue with Penske was a legal matter regarding a contract issue that needs to be resolved in court. I said "what?" What insurance policy is NOT a legal contract issue? Further Penske will charge you for the rental time on the downed truck until the damages are paid for. In this case the sum was $4300.00. When they could not run this huge amount on my card due to its limit they found my parents card on their system which I had used months earlier and ran it for $4300.00.

Citibank refused to charge back the fees. I then approached the Office of the Comptroller of the currency which polices national banks to get after Citicorp/bank and they did absolutely nothing. I still rent trucks for my small business often; but now I work with Budget I buy full insurance coverage and have had our lawyer look over their documents. I'm still out 4300.00 dollars and trying to figure out a way to put the hurts to Penske which put no value on my future business. I will never work with Penske again!!!

Penske is much like a car dealer. They rent their trucks for 2 to 3 years to break them in while keeping them in top shape to maximize their resale value and then they sell them for maximum dollars. Their core business is not truck rentals it’s used truck sales. They only need tolerate renters so that they can break-in and extract value from their vehicles until they sell them. They do not put a high value on their customers. My next step is going to be small claims court. All of this seems so illegal on so many levels. It’s also heart rending that government fails us on so many levels when we not only need them but pay these government employees with our hard earned tax dollars. I think they should all be fired as they're not doing their jobs and providing the services they're paid to the constituents.

To add to my pain, my credit card was denied and I had to get on the phone to prove who I was. This was not the fault of the Home Depot clerk. But while I was on the phone with a bad connection to India no doubt, the clerk decided to pick up an air gun and clean a tool within a few feet of me. Did he do it deliberately to irritate me further? I'll never know. But throughout, the clerk seemed disinterested like he had never heard of customer service and basic courtesy.

On 03/28/13, I traveled further into CA. Going down a steep grade, the truck started vibrating when the brakes were applied. This was a tremendous vibration and both my wife and I feared for our lives, as I was unable to slow the truck and trailer down with the brakes. Somehow, I made it to a level stretch and continued on. The brakes felt very diminished at this point (You had to press really hard). I continued to drive and made a gas stop at 46370 W Panoche Rd., Firebaugh, CA 93622. At this point, my wife, Christine, started to drive. Coming out of the gas station, the truck vibrated somewhat and then it drove okay, except the brakes were difficult to apply. She drove to the John Chuck Erreca Rest Area at Los Banos, CA 93636. Realizing that there would be many more downhill grades in Northern California and Southern Oregon, we called Penske for help. Penske sent an Eppler tow truck to haul us to the town of Firebaugh, CA.

We dropped the truck and trailer and then checked-in late on 3/28/13 at the Motel 33 in Firebaugh. On 03/29/13, we were picked up from the motel and taken to Eppler Towing and Transport, 5748 Avenue 7, Firebaugh. CA. Mechanics from Eppler notified me that the trailer brakes were not operating at all and that the truck rig load was overweight. I talked to Penske and they decided not to fix the truck and trailer that we had and to send a bigger truck and another trailer from Fresno as well as exchanging loads at our expense. To get to Oregon, I had no choice but to agree. The 22 truck and trailer arrived late morning on 3/29/13. The Mazda Tribute was removed from the trailer. The new trailer had 2 bad tires and a bad wheel bearing. Those parts were taken off the original trailer to make a trailer with good tires, brakes and wheel bearings.

The two trucks were backed up to each other and reloading began. My wife and I were transferring items from the front of the 16 truck to the front of the 22 truck. At about 1:45 pm, my wife fell backwards out of the big Penske truck. The dash panel had come off in her hand and she fell approximately 3 1/2- 4. I had been in the rest room and did not witness the incident. When I got back to the truck, the ambulance had been called. People were around her and she was very still. Christine was taken by the ambulance to Madera Community Hospital, 1230 E. Almond Avenue, Madera, CA 93637 (559) 675-5514. I offered to ride with her but was encouraged to finish the reloading.

I drove our Mazda to the emergency room, and talked to the Doctor when he came by. Christine was in a lot of pain, but the Doctor said she had contusions and deep bruises, but he did not find any broken ribs and she could be released. I paid $150.00 by credit card at that time. We stayed overnight 03/29/13 at the Spring Hill Suites in Madera. Christine was in no condition to travel in a truck on 03/30/13. Fortunately, the Owner of Eppler Towing and Transport, David Eppler, offered to have the truck driven to King City, OR. He also offered to pay for the truck and diesel cost. I was able to transport Christine in a partially down position for a smoother ride in the Tribute. We made two gas stops and stayed overnight on 03/30/13 at the Quality Inn in Redding, CA. and arrived at our new home at **, King City, OR with two gas stops late on 03/31/13.

The drivers dropped the trailer off and brought the truck to our house the afternoon of April 1, 2013. I unloaded the truck all day of 4/02/13. I completed unloading and returned the truck on 04/03/13. Penske did not charge extra for the truck or someone (Eppler) paid it for me. Christine was in great pain, could not sleep well and actually could not sleep in our bed. We made an appointment with Dr. **, MD at Legacy Meridian Park Medical Center, 18010 SW McEwan Rd, Lake Oswego, OR 97035-7868. (503) 525-7500 for 04/09/13. The doctor scheduled Christine for a CT Chest W Contrast for April 12, 2013. The results of the scan were available on April 13, 2013 and showed that she had two fractured ribs, the left 9 and 10th ribs.

We have received the following bills. Some required payment at the time of service. Ambulance from Firebaugh to Madera is $1,388.00. Christine's United HealthCare paid $378.01, leaving a balance to be paid of $909.99 for the 3/29/13 service. Radiology services at Madera Community Hospital were $70.00. Balance for that is $12.20. We have not been billed for any of these charges yet, except for the $150.00 payment at release from the hospital. We paid a co-pay of $25.00 to Dr. ** on 4/09/13. We paid a co-pay of $100.00 to Legacy Meridian Park Medical Center LMG Bridgeport for the CT Scan. We paid for pain medication at McCanns Pharmacy of about $10.00 on 04/10/13. We have not been notified of Madera Emergency room cost or costs for the CT scan.

As of May 2, 2013, Christine continues to have pain such that it is necessary to limit what kind of activities she can do. She is still sleeping in a zero gravity recliner to ease the pain in her ribs. Additional medical bills I have paid: 4/22/13 ($150.00) co-pay radiology, 5/07/13 ($36.88) Legacy Health, 5/18/13 ($12.20) CA. Medical Imaging, Inc., 5/18/13 ($321.00) Legacy Meridian Park Hospital, 6/03/13 ($43.39) CA. Emergency Phys Med Grp, 6/13/13 ($30.42) Tualatin Imagining PC.

As of June 19th, she is feeling much better, but not 100%. Despite multiple contacts with Penske, all I have received from them is a claim confirmation number. They have not answered any of my calls about the claim and have not answered the FAX I sent. In essence, they have completely ignored us. Penske furnished us with three defective Trucks and two defective trailers. I feel they should be responsible for all the medical bills. Let me say all of the employees I talked to during the exchange of vehicles have been very courteous, but beyond that the Company seems to be lacking in management of claims. This has been the worst experience of my life and I will never use Penske again.

To my astonishment, my credit card was charged a full day's use. In the past, when I dropped off my rental, I was only charged what I used, never a full day. After I spoke to a service rep at the store, I was told to call the store manager, which I did. I never got a call back. I was told by the service rep, however, that it is impossible for Penske to know when a customer returns a rental after hours. You mean you don't have cameras to see who drops off or comes to your location after hours as verifiable proof of drop off at the stated time on the form? That's a great excuse to rip people off.

It seems pointless to put an after hours drop-off form that you fill out with drop off times and such if they will choose to ignore the information written and just charge you a full day because they don't believe you. That's a great way to lose customers because you're too stupid or lazy to implement a means of time stamping after hours key drop-offs.

Penske needs to have some kind of mechanism or means by which the customer can have a digital or mechanical confirmation of drop-off after store hours so they do not get ripped off for claiming to have it for a full day when, in fact, they do not. Countless companies have means by which they can time stamp and confirm returns from customers when employees are not there to manually do so yet Penske, in the year 2013, does not. I find this so stupid. Penske, get your act together and get some manner of digital returns system that will scan the keys, tag, rental agreement, or something to let the customer know they've returned a rental so they don't get ripped off for a full day's use. It's a scummy practice.

Although every morning, I would question other new employees on the same things I was tested on, they said that they couldn't complete that test either as I was expected to. Nonetheless, after 4 weeks, I was let go! The excuse was my review was not good enough! With that being said, I would suggest that anyone looking for a job at Penske 24/7 look somewhere else!

I cried, screamed, I yelled and I pleaded with him to let me out, but he wouldn't let me out. It was raining very hard and sharp lightning. I was still inside 45 minutes to an hour at least. My sister called 911. The dispatcher said it was a low crime area; this was what my sister told me. I was afraid. The gate had at least 2 large silver chains and 2 silver large pad locks. At that time, all I wanted to do was get out of that place. I yelled to him, “I've family & children. Please let me out.” The policemen came to my rescue. This was a horrible nightmare. I wouldn't wish that upon anyone.

I attempted to call the district office where I picked it up and they told me that I would have to talk with their supervisor. I left all of my information and they told me that he would call me right back. This never happened! I waited until I got to the city where I was going. They were very nice but were unable to do anything for me but finally accepted my AAA card. I felt that I was taken advantage off and I would not recommend this place to anyone. Go with U-Haul and you will at least be treated with some dignity.

I contacted the 1-800 number and explained my frustration and they kept transferring me from place to place and I talked to five different representatives. They were making it seemed like it was my fault. I have the chat transcript when I told the Penske representative to reserve the truck for mid afternoon because I am in the army and is difficult to just leave at times. I tried to reason with them and after spending three hours on the phone with them, one of their representatives told me flat out that there was nothing he could do.

I am so angry because I am in a timeline and now I will not make my timeline. I have to report to Fort Carson before the 4 July and the best they can do is give me a truck for Sunday, 1 July 2012. I can't believe that they can get away with stuff like this. In my line of work, if somebody doesn't do his job, people could die. And after serving this country and deployed to every major conflict, it felt like a slap on my face where nobody is accountable for their mistakes and everybody just blames the next person and nobody can give me an answer. Thank you for listening to my rants and I hope somebody contacts me.

Needless to say, two days later, I see a $51 charge on our account and called to ask why. The corporate customer relations lady told me we had been charged $8 a gallon to "fill up the tank". She said that she sent a note to the office we had dropped it off at and said to call them after the weekend and that it was all taken care of. We waited as told, and now by corporate, the district office and the drop off office we're being told that because they filled it up and they refused to drop the charges, although we filled it up to where we were told.

In 4/10, I rented a Penske truck for a friend and all my belongings were inside. The same day, I flew to New Mexico to take care of my mother. I am still in New Mexico. For health reasons, my friend was unable to unload the truck and parked it in a parking lot in San Francisco. The truck was repossessed by Penske with everything inside and Penske sent a letter addressed to my attention to an address other than what appeared on the rental agreement. When that letter was returned as a "bad address", they either "donated or dumped" all my belongings. I have spent two years trying to get a response from the Oakland Penske dealer (2227 San Pablo Avenue), their collections department, collections attorney in Florida, etc. I finally posted a blurb on their Facebook page voicing my displeasure and was responded to by their director of public relations.

He indicated it was my fault and denied Penske's liability in the case and offered me between zero and $5,000. When I told him I could get more in small claims court, he stopped negotiations stating that I had threatened legal action. I then wrote a detailed demand letter to Penske’s corporate counsel in Reading, PA with an itemization of belongings and estimated worth. I asked her to answer my letter within 30 days. On the 29th day, I received a response indicating she would be back to me within 30 days (ha-ha-ha). She has not kept her word. I am seeking a consumer protection attorney to retain who will write them a demand letter indicating that if this goes to trial, I will seek twice the amount of my loss plus attorney fees and court costs. If you can please direct me to someone who will take this case, I am willing to pay a retainer fee immediately. If there is a small fee for writing the letter to Penske counsel, I will appreciate that as well. In any event, thank you for reading this long email and responding to me. I appreciate your time and help.

I have spent two years trying to get a response from the Oakland Penske dealer (2227 San Pablo Avenue), their collections department, collections attorney in Florida, etc. I finally posted a blurb on their Facebook page voicing my displeasure and was responded to by their Director of Public Relations. He indicated it was my fault and denied Penske's liability in the case and offered me between zero and $5,000. When I told him I could get more in Small Claims Court, he stopped the negotiations, stating that I had threatened legal action. I then wrote a detailed demand letter to Penske Corporate counsel in Reading, PA with an itemization of belongings and estimated worth. I asked her to answer my letter within 30 days. On the 29th day, I received a response indicating she would be back to me within 30 days (ha ha ha). She has not kept her word. I want resolution to this problem now, not later or never.

Frustrated, I went to the the Landmark Realty office at 9:10, where I watched two women sitting at the front desk argue about something for 2 minutes, without even acknowledging that I was there. As I impatiently waited for them to finish, I looked around the huge office to see multiple monitors in which I saw my vehicle. I was more incensed, because I realized that if I could see my vehicle on the monitors, the persons in the office could see me sit there waiting on someone to open the Penske/Dino office. One woman finally acknowledged me, and we began the process of signing paperwork. The woman only asked three questions.

The first question was "may I help you?" The second question was "do you have your driver's license", and the third question was "do you want to purchase insurance". The rest of the conversation was "sign here, sign here, sign here". By this time, it is 9:25 AM, and I am extremely frustrated with the lack of customer care. The woman directed me to the truck, which was right next to where my vehicle was parked. I asked her if she was going to document the damage on the vehicle, and she stated that there should not be any damage. I told her that prior to coming in, I noted an immense amount of hail damage on the vehicle. Seemingly bothered, she gathered her coat and went out into the cold to document the damage.

The gas tank was full when I started the truck. By the time I arrived at my home, which was a few miles, the gas tank showed 3/4 full. The brakes were grinding. I also rented a two-car dolly to tow my Nissan Pathfinder. I called Penske to get assistance, and spoke to three different people before someone was kind enough to give me the correct number to call. By this time, it is 9:50 AM. The man that I spoke with told me that he would call me back, and so I waited. At 11:00 AM, I paid the day-labor persons, and sent them on their way. I then called Penske again, and asked to speak to a supervisor. That request was one that was never honored. The first transfer was to a man who claimed that he was not a supervisor, but a part-time employee. He was nice enough to transfer me to someone that knew who I should speak to. At 11:50, I finally had a new truck to load. Frustrated, I was 3 hours late with my moving process.

After loading the vehicle, and getting on the road, I noticed that the vehicle struggled on inclines. I also noted that I was spending an exorbitant amount of money on gas. Upon a needlessly slow arrival to Green Bay, Wisconsin from Omaha, Nebraska, I tried to drive my car off of the two-car dolly, just to find that my reverse was not working. It was then that my new neighbor asked me if I had removed my drive shaft prior to towing. I was flabbergasted, because I did not know that I needed to remove it. I called Penske, and the woman that I spoke to told me that she had signed documentation of my notification. I was livid. I was so frustrated at the time of pick up, and the ineptness of the rental team, that I signed the documentation without reading it. I escalated my call to Jenna, the district supervisor for the Green Bay area.

She told me that she was going to investigate, and she would call me back. She stated that at the time that I made the reservation, I should have been told that I needed to remove the drive shaft. I informed her that no employee of Penske ever told me, that I needed to remove the drive shaft. When she called me back the next day, she stated that the recording of my conversation with the reservation agent was reviewed, and she verified that the agent never mentioned that I needed to have the drive shaft removed.

I filed a claim with Penske, but the the claim was denied, because I did not purchase the towing Insurance. The only insurance that was offered was the standard insurance. It further stated that Section 7 of the Towing Equipment Rider states that Penske is not liable for any damage. Prior to leaving Omaha, I was secure in having a home and a car. Upon arriving in Omaha, I found myself in unfamiliar surroundings with no vehicle, and am now subject to riding less-than-reliable public transportation. This has been life-changing, because it has left me only able to take a job that is on the bus route, and makes it almost impossible to get a second job, because of the wait time and travel time of the bus system.

I find it amazing and atrocious that a multimillion dollar business cares so little about their clientele, that they would not make right the wrongs that they could have averted. Penske will never receive my money again. I just phoned Penske again to see if they would be willing to resolve this matter. I am awaiting a call back. If the answer is no, I will consider filing a lawsuit. And after the lawsuit is over, I will consider resorting to other methods. I have over 1,300 Facebook friends whom I can tell this story to. If 50% of those friends tell 100 people, that is my word-of mouth, reaching 65,000 people. If each of those people tell at least 25 people, I can effectively reach 1,625 000 people. My bill was approximately $650. If that is an average bill, then this little $3,000 transmission can possibly cost Penske $1,056,250,000. The consequences are that, I am left to struggle to buy a new vehicle, while having to ride public transportation, waiting for the city bus in sub-freezing temperatures. The $3,000 price tag of fixing my vehicle, that is not worth $3,000, is more than I could bear.

After receiving the truck, we realized that engine was covered in grease and oil. We called Penske to discuss the issue since we just bought the truck and they said they will schedule an appointment for us to bring in the truck. They never scheduled the appointment.

We have had the truck for less than two months and while driving on the highway, the engine blew up! We contacted Penske again to inform them of the situation and they said they will not help with anything and that is not covered.

Before purchasing the truck, they said they needed to make sure it is in perfect condition and after using the truck for less than two months, the engine is gone and will cost almost the same amount we purchased the truck for. We had to pay for the truck to get towed to a mechanic and then towed again to another mechanic.

We would like to be refunded for the engine we must purchase.

The truck really acted up in Los Angeles and I called for a third time. A mechanic, Marcos, decided to give me directions on how to get to him through some of the worst streets in Los Angeles, California. Stephanie and I drove back and forth for another five hours in a truck that was sputtering and smoking. A truck later, we were told it was not safe to drive, just trying to understand this gentleman's directions. When we finally arrived, we were met with an attitude and comment about why we were sent to them when there was a closer Penske and then silence. Unwelcome and in the way, Stephanie and I sat in the truck freezing, just twiddling our thumbs until midnight when we were informed that the truck, missing two cams will not be going anywhere and that we will have to do a truck swap around 2am. Taking in the neighborhood we were in, the time of day, we were scared. So we just sat at this truck, not listening to the mechanic's griping about staying late and the pains in the ass we were.

Finally after 2am we were informed someone was coming to pick us up and that we were going to be taken to a hotel. Let me make this very clear, neither Stephanie, nor I, lives above our means. We are not picky, neither of us complicated, both very reasonable, yet given the location we were in, we decided to pry as to where we would be sleeping. The options that we were given were unacceptable locations. Myself, having grown up in California, I have learned that there are certain places you just don't go. We were being told we were going to sleep in two of them. I got on the phone and was immediately told to suck it up. The company wasn't going to put us up in anything better. What did you expect, the Ritz? My response was "Umm no, just somewhere safe." The disrespect that I was given on the phone with this employee of yours was perfectly appropriate with the rest of the situation. We refused to go, and finally were told we would like where we were going.

About an hour later, two guys in a Pepes towing truck show up to take us to our room. No one helped. No one introduced. Pretty much get in and shut up. We asked to stop and get something to eat because we haven't eaten or had the opportunity to all day and were quickly told no. After a little pleading, and while we were driven through the heart of LA's homeless, drug sections, purposely to instill fear. They listened to a police scanner and whispered just loud enough about murders and deaths. Suddenly, I was dropped in front of a 7/11, surrounded by local homeless and strung out, bumping my way past a few locals whom were a little eager to fight. A little shaken, I think I grabbed a couple donuts and a soda, was over charged, and quickly got back in the truck. So much for dinner. It was 3am.

7:45am came; we were called to come back down to the shop to witness the truck swap. We sat there for three or four more hours waiting. The movers showed up and very quickly established that we were to stay away from the move, out of their ways. At no point did anyone explain what is supposed to happen in a truck swap nor were we told to inspect anything. Quite the opposite, 6 or 7 of them, different language spoken, hostile looks and body language, we stayed where we were for 6 more hours. We expected a Penske person to be there to help us, to watch them, to hold our hands through the process. Nope. And still no food. We packed our truck a certain way because no one else would be touching our things, so a few times either her or I would try to see how it was going, and we would be met by a very threatening, unwelcoming wall. The movers unloaded and loaded the truck three or four times. Frustrations were obvious, especially looking at our most prized possessions now.

In the process, they destroyed so much of our stuff. It's nauseating. Grooves dug into surfaces, pieces broken off TV's, shelves taken apart by ripping them apart, foot prints left to prove my theory. At one point, they had pulled a pickup alongside the moving trucks and I'm assuming that is where some of the missing items went. No Penske worker or person in sight. After they were done, they demanded that we sign the release, and they burned rubber (literally) out of there. We took possession of the truck at 5pm the following night. Still, no food, no drink. The new truck was disgusting. I'm not picky but there was about a foot of dog or some animal hair in the cup holder. The seat was completely covered, food splashed on the windows and dash. Another slap to our face! I went around asking if there was a vacuum so that I may clean it myself due largely to my girlfriend's allergies and was told there was not one. We hand cleaned it the best that we could and were confronted with a trailer that we had been towing. My car was removed from it and they were telling me they were not allowed to help. My girlfriend and I tried for an hour and were unable to push this car onto the trailer. I had to talk to a couple guys into helping.

The ride to Tucson was that of horror movies. The movers placed pretty much all of our heavy items on top of our fragile and light items, causing not only breakage, but also a very top heavy 26 heavy weighed down truck to want to tip over. We had to go so slow. It was hazardous. But if we went over 45, we felt as if we would tip, car trailer behind us pulling our rear end around and the heavy items now at rear of truck on top, literally put our lives in jeopardy. Big rigs would fly by and we would drift two lanes over. Just remembering has me so mad. It's ridiculous.

I'm done with our little story. Except for this: our call log. Marcos x2 --- Jennifer (District Manager) x3 --- Justin (manager Tucson) numerous times --- Tony (Tucson)x2 ---Anthony (Pennsylvania)x4 --- David (Pennsylvania)x3 --Risk Management x 10 including Derrick, Jennifer and Casey ----

Dozens of phone calls, and we didn't hear anything until I filed a BBB complaint against Penske. Then suddenly all must be forgiven. It is far too late for apologies. We are seeking recovery of our losses during all of this. Three weeks after this nightmare, we received the standard, "so sorry to hear" stuff from the people who paid to call us. And we were given back the cost of the truck rental. Are you kidding me? I have over $2000 in gas receipts when it should have cost $600. I have a girlfriend that will never go on a road trip again. I have a storage locker full of garbage and we lost our original house due to it taking us so long to get here to sign the papers. We have been living out of a hotel for two weeks now while we are waiting to hear about a different house. Our lives have been shattered and stuffed into a little bag and then gracefully handed back to us with a, "so sorry to hear." You refunded the cost of the truck but not the car trailer, not the items that took years to accumulate, or the gas, or the extra days, or the loss of family traditions, or the pain and the fear, and the most horrifying week of our lives?

I will attach a few of the pictures from the 728 I took. Since I haven't heard anything from anyone since the big charitable refund, I will proceed with the next step. I'm very disappointed that the next step is even needed. Whoever is in charge should be ashamed of the way this company is being run. I will not go gently into the night, you can bank that. I have continued to keep this out of legal hands, out of the nonsense, just to handle it with those here, and I have wiped so much spit from my face that I'm done. Last option and then I start squeaking.

There is so much that we could do with this and you know I am true. However, Stephanie and I are not sue happy. We are not money hungry. We are two traditional Americans that work our hands to the bone to make sure our children have what they need and enjoy some wants as well. We rarely ask for much nor do we expect much but I won't allow the end of this story to be her and I sitting here on debt with a storage of broken memories, beat down because we were nice. I would like our gas money--we have receipts, returned, the car trailer refunded, our storage locker reimbursed, the loss of our $1200 deposit on the dream home that couldn't wait, hotel costs, eating out food costs for both us, our 15year old girl and 8 year old boy, both of which lost items they cherished. It was not cheap to have had somewhat of a roof over their heads in this time of loss. We would expect full return on our loss and our debt, since we have had to max out credit, borrow from friends and scrape together what we can to muster up peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for dinner. You toss the rental cost of the truck back at us and expect us to pour tears of gratitude on your feet for your kind deed? Not one person called to see if we had made it safely. Not one person returned the eight phone calls we had made to try and figure out how we would make it through. Not one person was there waiting for us with a compassionate word. Nothing. Not one courteous person works for the Penske name? This is both sad and laughable.

My employees know what is expected of not just them but of all. They understand the amount you extend to salvage both your business reputation and also just the thought that at the end of the day the client/customer was treated humanely. Your claims adjustor meets me on Friday at the storage locker and we will continue being honest, and she will see all that a family of four can have and need to replace, and It would not surprise me if you refused to pay us even that.

I don't believe we are being unreasonable. In fact, after rereading this and looking at your business motto, it should be automatic and smooth, right? No lawyers, no press, no mudslinging, just the wronged, and your fully capable ability to attempt to make it right. I understand the process and claims are handling the damages, but what of all the other items? I will include an itemized expense report.

Robert drove the truck home and parked it and 6 hours later it was packed by our own hands and crew the way we like to pack and with ropes across items to keep them from moving.

We left Pueblo at about 3:30 pm and headed south on I-25. We had planned on driving to our destination at Rancho Cucamonga, California through out the night and arrive in the morning. We researched the drive on the internet and it showed that we would have about a 16 hour drive and we gave it a few more hours and told everyone to be there about 8 am.

We drove to the entrance of I-25 and upon getting up to speed a loud warning noise sounded and then a light came on in the dash. We were driving with our family cat in the front seat with us and this noise sent the cat into a screaming fit as it hurt her ears along with ours. The noise and light went out and every time we came to a small hill or a mountain this noise would start up again.

We pulled out the Penske truck book in the glove compartment to read it. I stated the warning sound and light had something to do with the oil pressure. The gage needle was staying at 40 on flat land and would go down towards 0 when climbing the hill or mountain. We stopped in Trinidad and bought two quarts of oil and topped it off and headed out again with this truck. This oil did not help the problem and we put up with the truck and the noise and the cat until we reached Raton, New Mexico at about 6:15 pm.

Here I called the emergency road service and talked to a lady (all of emergency workers were very nice and helpful). She had John Owens from Owens Logistics in Raton come out and look at the truck. He was a very nice person. He then took the truck and our car, which was on a tow dolly and went down the freeway. He came back and said that he felt there was way much more wrong with it than the oil gage. He called the lady we had talked to and they said we should stay the night in a hotel and they would bring in another truck and transfer our load into another truck in the morning.

We checked into a Motel 6 and went to eat dinner. We were told a crew would be there at 7 am. So at 7 am I went out the door to look no crew but did see our truck parked in the open field. Went to the office and the manager said that she saw the truck pull in about 4 am, and OH she had a message for me that came in late last night and the crew would be there at 7:30 am.

I walked around the new truck and inspected it it was still attached to the tow truck. Looked around and then the tow truck driver (also a very nice person Jim from Malcom Towing) was there and we talked. He got a call and it wouldnt be until 8 am until a crew could be found. Then another call came to him via his cell telephone and it would be 8:30 am. Wow the whole day would be gone by then!!!!

A crew showed up at 8:30 am they butted the two trucks together and a crew of four moved the load in about 45 minutes so now what we put in the front for a reason was now in the back. Well we were ready to get back on the road at 10:00 am. They said that nothing was damaged and they packed it low and did not use the ropes. New truck number is 9960814.

I am usually the morning driver and I took over the wheel and since the frontage road was further up the way from the signs telling how to get on I missed the turnoff to I-25. I went down the road until I could get a good turnaround as was needed with a truck 25 feet long with a tow dolly and car attached to the back. I turned into this lot and applied the brakes and the most terrible sounding came from the brakes like a metal on metal sound screeching.

We thought maybe dust in the brakes it was braking with a lot of pressure. Because we were very late and I had to call CA to tell them where we were we decided to head on south on I-25. We stopped at a rest stop and it was wide open and I applied the brakes it was hard on my leg to apply the necessary pressure to stop the truck and car. Robert took over the driving and going through Santa Fe was no stopping and really very little braking. We then headed for Albuquerque, New Mexico and it was later in the day and more people were out on this Saturday. Robert had to break for the people entering on to the freeway it was rough.

We got onto Highway 40 heading towards Arizona and needed gas. This was the Flying J stop and many cars and semi-trucks were there and I swear we thought it was the end of it for us. Robert applied the brakes and nothing but noise and no stopped came from that area of the truck. This was at the stop light before turning into the complex. The screeching came from me as I screamed it looked like we were going to hit and lose everything.

Robert being the good driver that he is, got the truck stopped and turned into the gas station. I went in and got on two telephones to get a hold of someone at the 1-800 road emergency service to tell them about our problem. I waited and waited and one of them answered. He told us to take the truck in the condition that is was in and go back into town and find Penske and they will look at the brakes. So we did as we were told in that truck and went back into town 8 miles and found the shop.

I got out and talked to someone and he told me to pull the truck into the lot. Robert pulled in and got out of the truck. Stood there and maybe 5 minutes later some guy came and looked under the right tire and made a noise and came up and said that we had NO BRAKE PADS AT ALL!!!!!

He left and maybe another 5 minutes another man came out and he got under the truck and he screamed MY GOD. Now I am about ready to have a nervous breakdown with this entire misfortune going on. We stand and stand and watch them in the shop and the guy who first came out comes back out and gets in the truck and doesnt say a word to us drives off with all our stuff. We stand there and decided to go stand under the gas pumps as it is very hot out and the shade was great. Finally someone comes and says there is a waiting room upstairs so we go there and wait, as he had drove the truck into a bay to work on it. This place was not customer friendly!!! And in the waiting room was a sign about taking care of the customer right!!!!

Maybe a hour later Robert goes and talks to someone and they say they have no brake pads for this truck and if NAPA is open they can get some brake pads, if not they will have to go out to the yard and see if there is another truck with some to take off and then put on this truck. Well NAPA was open and they got the brake pads and we were ready at 5 pm.

I want to know HOW CAN A TRUCK GO OUT WITHOUT BRAKE PADS THIS IS A NATIONAL RENTAL TRUCK COMPANY. VERY BAD BUSINESS. AND ALSO VERY DANGEROUS TO EVERYONE INVOLVED.

We are ready to leave again lets see we left Pueblo 26 hours ago and made it to Albuquerque, New Mexico and I had to keep calling my Mother and the people who we are to meet in California.

We headed out again on Highway 40 and at 9 pm. we are exhausted from the drive and the happenings and the rain that we encountered. We pulled into Gallup, New Mexico. The town is loaded with people!!! We have to go to several places to find a room and we just happened to get the LAST ONE in Gallup as they were having a Indian pow wow that weekend.

We left Gallup at 6 am and we drove into Rancho Cucamong, CA at 6 pm. Well, we were in New Mexico for three days that was too long. Very upsetting and we are not very happy with the whole situation.

We returned the truck to Alversons Truck Rental and I told the story to the manager and she gave us $350.00 for our room and board for two nights and food and $100 for our troubles.

Like here is a candy bar now sit and be quite. $100 for your life as you saw it pass through your eyes as the truck went into a crowd of cars and semi-trucks. $100 for the scrapes and mars on your furniture that were not there before but now some are ruined. $100 for the 6% grades that I would not have been able to stop on in the mountains with no brakes. Thanks.

We rented from U-Haul before when we moved to Las Vegas they have bad trucks but never did they give me one with out brakes we call them U-Crawl as that is about what it did in the mountains. We rented a Penske when we moved to Pueblo from Las Vegas and it was great except for the noise out of the dashboard.

So this is why we rented from Penske but not again. Two terrible trucks in one trip.

Thank goodness we have California to think about and not your trucks anymore. It has taken us over to weeks to heal our bodies as our knees and hips were in such pain but our minds will never forget.

Take better care of your equipment.