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Penske is much better than Uhaul. Much nicer and dependable trucks and better roadside service.
I would do Uhaul for day rentals and local needs, but for a long haul Penske is much better.
Just 2 months ago I dove a Penske 26 truck with a tow dolly from NC to TX. My only complaint is that the trucks are limited to 75 mph.
I've moved from RI to AZ and back again and from RI to NC. I rented a Uhaul at first and it broke down on the way from Uhaul to my house. I called Penske and they were able to get me a truck right away. I had a horrible time with Uhaul because they had put an authorization on my card and told me it couldn't come off for 30 days even though I declined a different truck...had to talk to a district manager to get the auth off my card and they were very nasty to me. On one trip I got a crack on windshield and Penske sent someone out within an hour and replaced the windshield in the parking lot of our hotel. We just moved again from NC to SC with no problems. The only extra charge we had was we forgot to fill the gas tank...but honestly it was the same per gallon if we had stopped somewhere so wasn't a big deal.
Location: ๏̯͡๏﴿ Gwinnett-That's a Civil Matter-County
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cwells3030
I have three estimates:
Uhaul 17ft:$2,072 but the route we want to take would add $340 in extra mileage charges.
Penske 16ft:$2,043 unlimited mileage
Budget 16ft:$1,649 unlimited mileage
All quotes include 7 days and a car carrier.
I have used Uhaul many times in the past and have been happy with the experience. Plus they have the "mother's attic" which works great at separating fragile stuff from the rest of the load.
I have never used Penske or Budget but the unlimited mileage is interesting me. The only thing is their boxes are smaller and they don't have the mother's attic. I am also concerned if there is something their websites are not telling me. Will I regret not using Uhaul who I have experience with?
What are your experiences?
My experiences... Budget: Made a reservation which they accepted. Get there on moving day and they would not rent to me. Said I have tickets. How they know this, I have no idea. But it ruined my plans and they could have at least had the decency to reject the reservation from the beginning. I would avoid budget like they plague they are terrible. And their passenger car rental is terrible too. They tell you one thing then do another and jack up the rates at the end.
Penske: Reserved a truck from them ONCE. The speedometer did not work. It would work for a while then drop down to 0 MPG even though I was moving. I mentioned this to the customer service guy when I returned the truck and if you look up DILLIGAF in urban dictionary, you will see this guy's picture. Speaking of speed, it was limited at 65 MPH. That may not seem like a big deal but I promise you that no matter how slow you want to go, there is always someone on the interstate who wants to go slower and you will not be able to pick up enough speed to pass them in a Penske truck due to the speed governor. Big rigs will be wanting to pass you and that is nerve wracking.
UHAUL: I've had a lot more experience renting from uhaul over the years and I am very loyal to them as regulars on this forum are well aware.
Here are my uhaul tips...
The following is part of my general u-haul tips. Some it will apply post-reservation..........
The trick to getting a super cheap price with uhaul is...
Call up to get a quote and tell them "I'll think about it" but leave them your name and number and when you plan to move. Someone on their sales force will call you back and these people are like closers... they'll do whatever it takes to get you to make the reservation. Tell them you got a lower price elsewhere and they will lower it to whatever you tell them it is.
I've had them lower 26' trucks to $200 one way over 600 miles before. And while they aren't known for having the newest equipment, the fact is, you can request a new truck. I would suggest renting from a corporate owned uhaul center not an affiliate so you can have more of a selection. Call the local center a few days before your pickup date and tell them that you have a reservation and want to make sure it will actually be there. And thats when you ask them what the newest truck is that they have and can you please have that one. LAst time I did that, I got a brand new, never rented truck with less than a thousand miles on it. Beside that, I've found the local uhaul center employees to be to be very helpful and super friendly. I go get propane fillups there from time to time and there's like an army of people to help with the large tanks that I have.
Summary of *my* uhaul tips...
Leave your name and number and expected move day (or a little sooner) with their reservations deparment. Negotiate with the person that calls you back.
Ask for additional days and additional miles at no extra cost.
Reserve at their corporate owned centers whenever possible. (But know where other locations are.)
Call a day in advance of the move and make sure the van is actually there.
Request the newest truck they have on the lot
Oh! And don't plan to move at the end of the month. That's when everyone moves.
When you actually go to pick up the truck, ask them nicely "can you do a little something to help me out on price, pretty please" with your best puppy dog face. It never hurts to ask.
We have used uhaul several times and penske once. Uhaul has always been great for us, had enough mileage, new trucks, fantastic customer service. Went with Penske for an AZ to TN move cause it was a couple of hundred bucks cheaper. Never again. The Penske truck was old and extremely uncomfortable. For a trip of that length, comfort is important. Also, we found the whole diesel thing somewhat of a hassle. Next time we move, we are going with Uhaul.
Of those three companies I have only used Uhaul, on two separate occasions. First time was when I moved from Northern Virginia to a suburb in the Chicago area. I was satisfied with the overall experience... I did not have any problems with picking up and dropping off the truck. As one would expect driving a truck that far isn't comfortable, even though I was given a newer truck with only 22,000 miles on the odometer. I spent (well, my employer spent) about $914 for everything -- 10' mini-mover truck, tow hitch, and insurance.
The other time I rented was for a move to another apartment in the same town.
I won't touch another U-Haul truck. I don't care if it's slightly cheaper, had nothing but problems with their trucks short and long haul and been stranded 3 times.
I've made moves from Dallas to Chicago and Idaho over to Chicago, back down to Dallas with Penske with zero problems. Whoever said all Penske trucks were diesel is incorrect. Diesel trucks get better gas mileage so once you are in the 26ft area, you want a diesel.
I used Budget for my move, and it's 50/50 if I'll use them again.
The headlights on the truck I had were horribly weak, the driver's side mirror was faulty in that it kept folding in and I had to spend 1300 miles with the window open and my arm out pushing it back out so I could see, and I ended up with a massive rash from the middle of my back down to my lower thighs.
We've used U-Haul and Budget, both for local moves. We've always had problems with U-Haul and none with Budget. The Budget trucks were more comfortable, didn't leak oil and were easier to drive. I would never use U-Haul for a long distance move.
Here in the Canadian Province of Ontario, U Hual has a terrible reputation, for old and poorly maintained trucks.
The Toronto Police Service did a two day safety blitz on U Hual trucks, with a number of teams set up near 6 Toronto UHual locations. They stopped and inspected a total of 33 trucks, and removed the plates from 16 of them. The TPS uses mechanics from the Ontario Ministry of Transporation's Commercial Vehicle inspection branch, to do the roadside inspections.
Some of the problem is that the Corporate ownership for UHual is in Arizona, and many of their trucks NEVER get serviced, as the local franchise owners don't get compensated for repairs that they may do.
A second big problem here for Uhual is "overbooking " where the same truck has been promised to two or three different renters, for the same day, and time. Whoever gets there first, gets the truck, while the others are told to go to "another location " that may be thrity miles away.
Uhaul 17ft:$2,072 but the route we want to take would add $340 in extra mileage charges.
Penske 16ft:$2,043 unlimited mileage
Budget 16ft:$1,649 unlimited mileage
All quotes include 7 days and a car carrier.
I have used Uhaul many times in the past and have been happy with the experience. Plus they have the "mother's attic" which works great at separating fragile stuff from the rest of the load.
I have never used Penske or Budget but the unlimited mileage is interesting me. The only thing is their boxes are smaller and they don't have the mother's attic. I am also concerned if there is something their websites are not telling me. Will I regret not using Uhaul who I have experience with?
What are your experiences?
All are good companies, Penske has a good reputation, but if you have used Uhaul and are happy, stick with waht you know. My biggest problem with them, is they are much higher than the other self moving companies.
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Leave your name and number and expected move day (or a little sooner) with their reservations deparment. Negotiate with the person that calls you back.
