U-Haul
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U-Haul is well known for supplying truck rentals and packing supplies to do-it-yourself movers across the nation. U-Haul advertises trucks for $19.95 per day for local moves, but long-distance moves costs significantly more. Additional charges include fuel, damage protection and environmental fees. Even with these expenses, U-Haul can be a budget-friendly option.
BOTTOM LINE
U-Haul, when used appropriately, is an affordable option for DIY movers, especially for local moves. Be aware of extra fees and make sure to understand that a reservation is not a final confirmation.
PROS
- Economical choice
- Roadside assistance
- Nationwide availability
CONS
- Preferences not guaranteed
Top U-Haul Reviews We Found
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I rented a truck from the U-Haul location in San Angelo, Texas back in February of 2014. I also rented a storage room from them at the same time. This had to have been the best customer service I have received in the past thirty years if not in my entire life!
Read full reviewWanted to take a minute and review my experience with U-Haul - it was the best! … The people at both ends of the U-Haul companies were so nice, extremely courteous and very helpful. Thank you to U-Haul for coming through for me!!
Read full reviewHow does U-Haul work?
U-Haul rents moving trucks for local and long-distance moves. Because U-Haul has so many locations, it’s easy to request a truck for a last-minute move. An online reservation, however, doesn’t confirm an exact location, time of pickup or truck size — it only indicates a preference. Be sure to call your preferred U-Haul location ahead of time to check on availability and have flexible plans so you can pick up a truck at another location if necessary.
U-Haul price
U-Haul’s local moves have the following base rates:
- 10-foot truck ($19.95/day): Good for studio apartments.
- 15-foot or 17-foot truck ($29.95): Good for a two-bedroom apartment.
- 20-foot or 26-foot truck ($39.95): Good for a three-bedroom home
Long-distance moves with U-Haul cost significantly more. For a 1,000-mile move, expect prices close to the following:
| Truck type | Estimated price |
|---|---|
| 10-foot | $1,350 |
| 15-foot | $1,400 |
| 20-foot | $1,700 |
| 26-foot | $2,100 |
U-Haul moving services
U-Haul provides additional services to help renters and owners with their moves.
- Insurance: U-Haul’s most popular insurance plan is the SafeMove plan. It includes a damage waiver, which reduces the amount you owe if you damage the rental truck. The plan also comes with cargo, medical and life coverage.
- Storage: Certain U-Haul locations offer free 30-day storage, which is a big perk most other moving companies cannot match.
- Roadside assistance: For a flat $5 fee, renters can tack on roadside assistance. We recommend this — especially at such a low price.
Additional paid services from U-Haul include loading and unloading, packing, furniture assembly and disassembly, moving supplies and trailer hitches.
U-Haul FAQ
- Does U-Haul charge per mile?
- For local moves, yes, U-Haul charges from 59 cents to 99 cents per mile. U-Haul does not have per-mile charges for long-distance moves.
- Is it cheaper to rent a U-Haul one way?
- Yes, one-way rentals are cheaper for long-distance moves. U-Haul has locations all across the nation, so plan to drop off the truck at your destination. For in-town moves, however, one-way rentals might not be cheaper.
- How many miles per gallon does a 15-foot U-Haul get?
- A 15-foot U-Haul truck gets 10 miles to the gallon without cargo.
- Does U-Haul have unlimited miles?
- No. Local moves have per-mile fees, and long-distance moves have mileage limits.
Is U-Haul worth it?
Although U-Haul has more fees than most people expect, a long-distance move with U-Haul is still considerably cheaper than using a traditional full-service moving company. Local moves are also an affordable option. For consumers who want to save money and are willing to do the labor and driving themselves, U-Haul is a worthwhile option.
U-Haul Reviews
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I have attempted to book a unit for an upcoming move twice online in the last 2 weeks and somehow, neither of my reservations went through to anyone. I then called the dealer nearest me and inquired about the rental over the phone. I was told that neither of my reservations existed in their system. The person on the other end of the phone proceeded to take my information, interrupted me several times trying to correct his spelling of my name; it was very incorrectly according to the confirmation information I received.
Fast-forward to today, I receive a call from the National office telling me that the truck I rented over the phone the other day is not available for when I booked it. When I told her that this was not acceptable, she hung up on me. I am extremely dissatisfied with this whole experience, and I am not even able to leave a review on the dealer's site, as they have cancelled my reservation number, or on their Facebook page.
"U-Haul agrees to contact reserved customer the day prior to pickup to finalize time, place and equipment size. If this varies from customer's reservation preference and an acceptable alternative is not agreeable, U-Haul will make a $50 Reservation Guarantee payment, the reservation will be terminated and the matter closed."
The only guarantee this, provides is for U-Haul to be able to cancel or alter a reservation completely at the customer's expense. After booking a 26' truck 6 weeks ago for a one way delivery, I was informed 2 days before the move, that the requested truck was unavailable. They offered a 15' truck, a glorified pick up truck, that would required at least one more have be returned to the original location, more than an hour away. I called their customer service line to and spoke to several people. All told me there was nothing that could be done. There were several trucks available in the area, but I was told they were strictly for local pickup and drop off. Several suitable alternate trucks were available but were for strictly for local pickups and not one way travel. Calls to several agents, managers and schedulers went nowhere and only empty apologies were offered and that there was nothing they could do.
I've taken screen shots of their site since then where equipment is offered but at rates almost triple what I have quoted. This guarantee allows Uhaul to ensure they have customers weeks and months in advance, without providing the customers any protections. If demand spikes they can simply cancel as many reservations they like, and book to people at the new higher rates. And the $50 credit to a future moving truck is not going to do a lot of good. All this at my expense. Be wary when booking with Uhaul, they may have a lot of inventory, but they're lacking in integrity.
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Terrible Experience. In short, I reserved a unit for a long distance out of state relocation. When I got to U-HAUL my unit was not available. With the moving truck right behind me I was forced into a more expensive indoor unit and was not compensated for the difference. Because this new unit was indoors it also took the movers and extra hour+ which cost me an extra $150 dollars. Nothing was done at the store level and when I wrote a compliant to corporate, I never heard back from them. DO NOT DUE BUSINESS WITH U-HAUL. They will treat you like garbage and do not care about the customer at all.
I requested to rent a van and I was told to accept a rental of one van at one location, but: There was no van at that location and I was advised to go to another location. The third location had a van. I am disabled with a walker and all of that walking and standing was physically a hardship. I had movers scheduled to help me and I had to ask for a modification of the arrival time. Fortunately, they were more dependable. I am six one and the driver's seat is limited to move backward because of a petition built to protect the driver from one's belongings hitting the driver but it was very uncomfortable.
I tried twice reserving a truck from U-Haul for a cross-state move and BOTH times requested a specific truck, no ability to, then being told what I need is nowhere within at least 3 hours. That's only part of the frustrations with their awful reservation process. The ONLY decent part was being able to drop off the truck by taking pictures and uploading them, but tough luck if you have bad lighting or no internet access....
The ease of rental was great. I simply went online, selected my truck choice and made my reservation. I rested easy because U-Haul guarantees your rental. All set to move on October 3, 2020 in Lancaster PA on Mannheim Pike moving center. I arrived at 9:00 and was told the truck was not available and they could not do nothing. After about 15 minutes one staff person finally said sorry. They offered not alternative and refused to pay the $50.00 guarantee. Unreliable and not honorable. Stay away from this company.
I rented a truck and auto transport and was told 2 days before my move that they didn’t have any in my area. I could either drive 3 hrs each way to pick them up, or I could wait 72 hrs and at that point they could “Guarantee” I would have a truck & transport where I had requested it. They had my reservation for a month. Why is it they couldn’t guarantee it to begin with? I’ve heard from the movers that work through U-Haul, that this is the normal practice. They don’t want to pay a driver to bring the truck where you’ve rented it. Instead, they inconvenience you - just days before your move. Beside that, you can’t get customer service on the phone. Be prepared to spend a minimum of an hour on hold before you can reach anyone.
I had a horrible experience renting a truck from Uhaul. I had booked a reservation months in advance in IL for my one way move to NH and was told less than 24 hours before that there were no trucks available for over a week. I had movers booked the next morning that I had already been charged for, through U-Haul nonetheless and was told the only option was to drive to Indiana to get a truck. When we arrived they didn't have the equipment we had rented but charged me for it, so we had to go back to another location in IL to get the equipment. We were only given $100 off of the invoice to accommodate 2 hours of driving, additional miles and tolls from IL. No one seemed to care or be accommodating of breaking the "Guaranteed Reservations" slogan. Very disappointed in my experience. Will not rent from Uhaul again.
I reserved a truck for a local move approximately 1 week in advance at a location near me. U-Haul sent a confirmation email for the truck and location. I arrived at the location at the specified pick-up time, 7:30 am, however they had no record of my reservation nor did they have a truck for me. I showed the dealer the confirmation email and he stated "yep, that's me and that's for today but I don't have you in the system or a truck". I had to scramble to find another truck and rented one from another company for significantly more money.
Later I received an email that it was time to check in to pick up my U-Haul truck. Without telling me, U-Haul had moved my reservation to a location more than an hour away and 8 hours later. I called customer service and I was informed that U-Haul had "honored the reservation". It was my fault for not driving to the distant location, 8 hours after I needed the truck, to complete the reservation. I was also told that some customers have had to pick up trucks as far as 4 hours away. No attempt to rectify the situation or address my complaint.
Unethical and extremely poor customer service for this U-Haul location. I ordered a 1-way rental online (at www.uhaul.com) to pick up a 20' ft. truck at this Scotch Plains, NJ U-Haul facility. I received an order confirmation with all the correct details. When I went to the Scotch Plains location the truck was not there and I was told that I had to go pick up the truck at another location over an hour a way! They told me I had no choice but to pick up the truck at the other location. They could not even tell me if the other location was still open (as it was in the evening).
To make matters worse, they told me someone else was scheduled to pick up the same sized truck that night, and told me if that customer is late picking it up (by only 15 minutes!!), that they would give away their truck to me - saying they can't hold trucks and that they have to make sure the trucks are utilized. I couldn't believe that they would do that to that to a customer, and it made me think that they gave away my truck like like they were about to do again! I spoke with the Manager on the phone, and he offered no apologies, concessions, or offer to help locate another truck. This is the worst customer experience that I have ever received. I will never do business with this U-haul location ever again. I reported the incident to the Regional Routing Manager at U-Haul, but I did not get the sense that they were going to take again against this location. My advice is stay away from this U-haul facility.
U-Haul Company Information
- Company Name:
- U-Haul
- Website:
- www.uhaul.com
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