Former U-Haul Employee Story‏

As a former U-Haul employee, I would like to share my experiences with unsuspecting customers.
 
I was employed at the Morse Road U-Haul Center in Columbus, Ohio for 2 years as a temporary college job.  First of all, let’s talk about safety.  My first 6 months on the job, I was a “Service Tech” which meant I did safety inspections and minor repairs to Truck Engines and bodies as well as trailer repair. 

I was CONSTANTLY finding major issues with the trucks.  Management refused to “down” the trucks (meaning to put out of commission until fixed) and told me to do what I had to to get the truck back out into circulation. 

For example, fuel system problems in 3 locally assigned trucks, in particular, caused them to break down at least once a week during customer use.  One of our old International 26ft trucks had a broken hinge on the hood, so it was ordered to be wired shut preventing us from checking oil levels.  Mid-winter, the bailing wire broke while a customer was driving the truck sending the MASSIVE semi-truck-style hood flying across the road to strike a parked car.
 
Once I transitioned into “counter” duties, the problems with the trucks became even more evident as I had to deal with the customer complaints.  I personally did everything I could to try to prevent problems as well as rectify any that occurred, however upper management made this impossible. 

One particular situation that stands out in my mind…one of the infamous “problem trucks” was rented to a customer.  Big surprise, they called when the truck broke down on the side of I-71.  They called the breakdown hotline several times over the course of 6 hours just to be told that a computer problem was preventing them from being able to verify that the truck had even been rented to her although I had called personally to verify it myself, meanwhile, the poor woman was stranded on a busy freeway.  I volunteered to take another truck and transload the truck for the customer, however our GM, who we will call Mr. Knappy, felt that my time would be better spent mopping the floor.
 
As for trailers, if I tried to deny a trailer rental to a customer due to safety reasons, I would be reprimanded.  For instance, one customer wanted to pull a tandem axle trailer with a chevy s-10, which was stupid to begin with because once loaded, the trailer would weigh more than the truck, but furthermore, he was using a bumper-mounted tow-ball on a severely rusted bumper with one of the 2 bumper mounts GONE.  When brought to Mr Knappy’s attention, he said, it’s not our problem, rent the trailer to him.  As you can imagine, the trailer AND bumper ended up in a ditch 2 miles down the road.  It’s amazing that no-one was hurt or killed.  And then the CUSTOMER was charged for damage to the trailer.
 
As for the charging of credit cards… wow… Mr Knappy was acclaimed as the best manager in Columbus due to the exemplary numbers his store generated.  His method for generating said numbers were charging customers credit cards for damage that already existed, putting miscellaneous charges of over $100 on customers cards to “get their attention” if a truck was not returned on time, and putting defective merchandise and damaged boxes back on the display racks.  Charging fuel fees knowing damn well that some of the trucks had malfunctioning fuel gauges was a common practice as well. 
 
*Renters BEWARE*

C.C.

19 Responses to “Former U-Haul Employee Story‏”

  1. Brooke says:

    I’ve been with UHaul for 3 years. 1 of which I was a UBox driver. Management sucks. I’m planning to put my two weeks in. Does anyone know if for UHaul they consider 2 weeks 14 working days(since we work weekends), or 10 business days?

  2. Merri says:

    I am a former U-Haul virtual phone center employee. This cheap company makes you purchase your own headset , does not reimburse you for using your internet and pays a ridiculously low salary of 10.00 hour. They intentionally hire people outside Arizona to avoid the 11.00/hr AZ minimum wage. They promise you can make it up in sales commission but keep changing the rules to make impossible to earn more than a dollar or two extra per hour-if that. They violate labor law; ask you to work off the clock , allow you to sign in early and stay late but refuse to pay you for all the time that you’ve actually worked. Ask too many questions about your pay and they’ll create a reason to fire you. All the while U-Haul raked in a more than 700 million dollar profit in 2019 by cheating the employees who make it possible.

  3. Terry B. says:

    My name is T.J. I work for the company known as U-haul or Americo inc. Today is October 19th 2019. The day began normally as most days do. Until a customer lady and her husband (CX). They had rented a 15 foot truck(DC4495U) on October 18th 2019 the contract that they agreed to was to have that piece of equipment back to the location they had picked up from at 15:45 on October 19th 2019. When they did not return the 15 foot truck at the time they stated they would return it cost the location a one way rental which was set in stone two days prior. This means that CX is responsible for the absence of the truck and will be charged a $50 fee(reservation guarantee) for the customer that had the reservation per GM request and training. The truck was Late on return so the customer() is placed on to a no rent list called E-Alert. When they returned the truck they wanted to make a reservation to pick up another truck when another employee told them they wouldn’t be able to rent from uhaul while on E-Alert. The husband was furious about it and came out to me while i was clean another Truck that had been returned at the same time and was cursing at me in a threatening tone. I explain in a calm manner why they had been placed on to that program and wouldn’t be able to rent from uhaul till resolved. When they left I called the General Manager() explained what had just happened and what the issue was and how I approached it. Then called FRM to ask for advice, told him why i was calling, why i was the one having to deal with this situation, and asked for MCP’s number. Then got off the phone with FRM and called MCP and received advice from him on how to handle these situations, also received an answer that I have been trying to get for a little while(why am I the one in charge on the weekends with no management?). Later in the night closer to closing down the shop the Assistant Manager came in and gave me and another employee some words” that there is a chain of command if you have a problem you come to me then GM, then further up okay, I need a verbal response.”. I said “ Okay, got it.” and went about closing the location dow. Reason I’m writing this is just incase of anything happening to me in the next little while at my Job at the U-haul Rio Rancho Moving and Storage at 1463 Rio Rancho blvd se 87124, Rio Rancho, NM. I have a feeling that The GM and ASM are not happy with the way that this was handled and are now targeting me…

  4. Step says:

    I started working at uhaul as a partime employee. My brother had gotten maneger positition and my boyfriend hitch pro. They were very short staffed, and at the time a was working for a chiropractor, so on my days off or when i got off early i would clock in at uhaul. I ended up with AM position. I swear i would bust my ass me my brother and boyfriend would. My bf got hitch pro of the month twice. Our store was make good money bonus almost evry month. we hired enough employees about 11. There was so much drama with traffic and our boss was a rude shit. He never ever said hi to me or looked at my i would tell my brother i think this guy wants me to kiss his ass. He was very rude to my brother. He would talk to him like achild. Our system would be down for todays and we woyld have to do manule contracts. Our payment devices never worked. Sxheduling would over book us then we would deal with the upset customers. I got fired a week after i put my 2 weeks notice. My brother Nd boyfriend are plannaing on quiting on the same day. They dnt care about anyone there. I got fired with a Csr after we were the ones been harrased by a customer who was yelling her lungs out her kids runing all over the lot… I could not belive the mental abuse of this place i feel bad for anyone that works there. I would never go to uhaul for type of service.

  5. Josh says:

    I will never work at another uhaul. I’ll join the circus instead.
    Lazy, unorganized,cheap and careless. Employees mean nothing.

  6. Zack says:

    Same thing with me hired on, poor to little training. 1 month in i hit my second thing and i told them i cant back up trailers. Only 1 other person their who wasnt trying to back up and unhook no AT. Fired the next day.

  7. Sam says:

    Amit at the Landover Maryland store… straight up lied to prospective employers of mine… I gave proper notice, and HE KNEW IT. I have tried to figure out why he did this… The only reason I can come up with is he was furious that I wouldn’t sleep with him. Look Amit I’m not gay, and I didn’t apricate being called gorgeous all the time… I wouldn’t have liked it if I were a woman either… sexual harassment is against the law in all fifty states here. I don’t know what it was like in the U.k. … but you’re here now so get with the program.

  8. nunya says:

    Amit GM at Landover Md location… Gave a false review of my employee records to potential employers after I followed proper exit procedures… ie: two weeks notice and an offer to train my replacement… Why did he do this… because I wouldn’t sleep with him… I am not gay Amit… you should not practice sexual harassment to your employees… Pat why didn’t you call me back like you said you would??? I waited… as I was looking for employment in my new state… you promised… you let me down, and my personal opinion of you has been forever tarnished

    … and NO I am NOT homophobic… live and let live

  9. K says:

    I have a question. How can i take my General Manager to court? It’s been 1year that he’s been denying my transfer to a different center. He has been modifying my time card and on top of that he has been making allegations that I never requested the days off when I’ve called and put it on the request logged. The issue of the logged he got rid of it. I’ve been certified both propane and fork lift but since 4months ago he never gave me my certified tag. That being said MCO was around and saw that and told me to get off. GM said he have it soon but to back fire and fire me this week was uncall for. How do I get back at these people? By the way it is uhaul of bayshore San Francisco which is 708066.

  10. Charmaine says:

    I also worked @ the MCO 763 in Atlanta, Georgia, B the BEAST had not trained me properly and then would embarrass me if I didn’t know something. But she would train those she liked. Basically she was jealous of me and her and the manager were having an affair.

    It was a horrible experience, a hole in the wall with 5 rats all working the devil’s will.

    I too was fired after complaining to corporate.

    FYI: Say NOTHING file with EEOC! Have documentation & proof.

  11. CM says:

    Its true , UHAUL doesnt care about its employees at all. That try to keep them under 20 hrs so they dont have to give them benefits. They always threaten the employees, pushing them to the limit hoping they quit. The top managment are the worst people to work for. I have watch them treat people rude and if they were african american , threated like crap. Most of them were mad as hell when President Obama was elected. One of the problems I have with management is that , you would think they own the company. Who ever the president of the Uhaul company need to clean house of its disrepectful managers.

  12. Janice says:

    I gotta tell you… I have never been treated so poorly in my life! When upper management wants to clean house, they’ll find any reason they can to fire you. They will target one or two managers and make their lives miserable in hopes that they will quit so that they don’t have to pay for unemployment benefits. I was completely railroaded the other day. My manager lied through his teeth, the FRM just sat there, mouth shut, and couldn’t even make eye contact with me, while the MCP accused me of being a hostile employee! My manager and the FRM both know the truth. The MCP knows the truth, too. He just won’t admit it. If you currently work for UHaul, I suggest that you never call HR. It will always backfire. Especially if you have a devious little weasel for a MCP and backstabbing liar for a boss.

  13. Anonymouse says:

    I worked for this company for 6 weeks and busted my ass, went above and beyond, got GREAT reviews from customers and co-workers, and was never once late or absent. I was trained at at sub-par level, at warp speed, and I STILL managed to get by without screwing up…that I knew of. Basically, they hired me on, didn’t train me properly, and then fired me without notice because I had made mistakes I didn’t know I was making. I didn’t even know I didn’t have a job until 2 weeks after it happened and I only found out because I went in and cornered the manager to find out why I hadn’t been scheduled. This caused 2 utilities to be cut off and my children to go hungry because I didn’t have time to find other employment before my bills were due. I also turned down 2 other jobs during that 2-week period that could have saved me financially.

    Also, they promoted themselves during the interview by telling me about how they’re the 11th best company in the country to work for part-time because of their great medical benefits. In reality, the medical benefits are crap, and the only reason they rank at that level is because they compensate by pay you peanuts for the ridiculous amounts responsibility they place upon you with little to no help from the managers. The job responsibilities DO NOT match the insulting pay. Not even close. I’ve been paid twice that for half the work.

    Also, the managers that run the store make the schedules and they usually schedule themselves off for the high-traffic times. My managers decided to take the busiest week of the entire year off for vacation, which was 2 weeks after I was hired, and had only had 30 hours of employment under my belt. I was left alone to run the store that week with one other employee who was hired after me and was a complete idiot who screwed up so much that I don’t even know how he still works there. The only reason that store wasn’t run into the ground during that week is because of my extensive experience in retail, and as a manager/supervisor. I was the viewed as a “rock star” by the other employees during that time because I took on the role of manager and played damage control for the other employees who had been there longer DURING MY OFF TIME. I was sure I was on a trajectory to be promoted within 6 months. Boy was I wrong. It’s clear that I was only hired to hold down the fort while the managers were on vacation because I was fired when they came back. I think everything that happened to me was completely planned by the managers and I think they seriously felt threatened by my performance, work ethic, and ability to learn the job at warp speed.

  14. Josh says:

    I would not recommend that anyone apply to work at uhaul. They don’t care about their employees or customers. I worked at uhaul in southeast michigan and i can say that most of there equipment is garbage, the pay sucks, and upper management tries to push employees into doing all kinds of shit that not only isn’t safe, but just isn’t right. You don’t get paid to install hitches and are required to fix lots of shit. I said fuck uhaul and went to work for penske. They are a top notch company. I hope uhaul goes out of business and bankrupt for good.

  15. Mark says:

    I had a friend working on (for) uhaul for a while, it (he) said me it was horrible!

  16. Fish says:

    I worked for 3 years with U Haul in Grand Rapids MI, everything you said is 100% true. I was forced several times to hook up trailers to vehicles that were not properly set up to tow. My manager was the worst manager I have ever had. I called in sick 5 times in 3 years and was fired for no reason at all. In my time with U-hell I met one manager that cared about the customer and wanted to make things easy and safe for them. The rest of the GM’s were/are just out for peoples money and will lie and cheat people to get it. U-Haul is hands down one of the worst companies to ever work for or even deal with.

  17. Robert says:

    It all breaks down to upper managment and how they deal with customer service. My manager is one of the best and truely believes in taking care of customers. And we do.

    • Juliet says:

      Billy logenbaugh in Arizona is a big boss of the whole state and he is so dishonest it would seem he enjoys greed and making money off of poor people. 1st, you can’t get in touch with him. But I did get him on the phone through a mistake of the traffic office which exists to prevent him from talking to customers & he lies and cheats and he is sitting there hearing how I am starving while my mother is dying in the hospital and I moved her because she is not able to care for herself & how i have a 7 year old and how we are starving and he said to contest the bank transaction. I asked, “Are you encouraging me to rob a bank?” and he said NOTHING. I said “Rep West said you cover the damage, UHAUL covers the damage if the truck hits a building” and it’s true the insurance rep said UHAUL IS covered and has to pay for damage UHAUL causes to a building if it is struck by a truck. They said that. Billy said “No that would be more money YOU owe” after I told him i am starving to death. LIES. LIES. LIES.

  18. Dan says:

    I agree 100% with your story.I to was a employee at uhaul.I worked at the Akron/Cleveland repair shop. I started out on trailers,then trucks, And somehow wash guy towards the end? But i too saw in my 3 years of working there the horrible ways equipment got fixed.Duct Tape, Zip ties, and glue. Uhaul is a multi billion dollar company but yet the spend only a 100 bucks in repairs it seems.As a employee i was mistreated for my age. Pay was cut, Doctors visits were spread around the shop by my manager.Denied sick days, And My position on the truck line was replaced by a 18 punk kid who didnt know a thing about cars? I was demoted to wash. Uhaul is a backwoods backyard scam artist, sleazy,money stealing, Company that simply dosent care. DO NOT RENT UHAUL

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