xtoyz17

I made the vital mistake yesterday of agreeing to tow a friends recently purchased car for him if he were to find a trailer (all of mine were too tall to get a neon on). Once he tracked down the trailer we all headed out to pick it up. When I tried to hook up the uhaul tech (or whatever you call them) refused to allow me to do it myself. I reluctantly agreed to this since it was company policy so that they could assure themselves that if anything "did" happen they would know how/why, liability, etc...

Anyways, I hook up the trailer lights since he didn't have my 7pin adapter, and he says to me why don't you turn the 4 ways on while I finish this up and then I'll check your lighting. I agree, he checks, and then gives me the thumbs up. As I hop out he says to me "oh no, you're good to go, the paper work is all set". So I hop in my truck and go on my merry way to get the car 45 minutes away. Everything goes well, etc.. etc... until we go to load the car. We get the front tires all the way up the ramp when the trailer unhooks and proceeds to roll forward, push in my tailgate, and dent my bumper/license plate.

I managed to keep my cool, even after getting the run around for Uhaul corporate and their insurance company. About 7-8 customer service reps later they came to the conclusion that somehow in the mix the insurance company closed during one of my times getting transferred, etc..

Anyways, I return the trailer this morning and explain to the manager what happened. He took some photos, kept the photo's I gave him that I took right after the accident happened, and assured me everything would work out. Everything is looking like I'll be getting a new bumper and tailgate (should be interesting since I have a rhino'd tailgate).

Basically the moral of the story is ALWAYS check the trailer even if it's a "trained technician" hooking it up for you. I made the mistake of thinking that a trained individual couldn't possibly be a moron since after all his job was solely based on hooking trailers up.

Lary Ellis (Top)

Let me add one important thing to this as well....ALWAYS make a stop just a few miles after your journey begins to double check EVERYTHING on your trailer. Anything that will work loose probably has at that point and you can catch it before it becomes a problem.

Just a really good habit to get into

rip 112

I agree. You can't check your load enough....

southwestwheel

My co-worker told me the exact same story that happened to him last week. The u-hual guy hooked it up, trailer came loose, and ran into his tailgate. I will pass this along to him. He was also ****** because they said it was not their fault.

xtoyz17

Well anything can happen as I'm still going through the hoops they set-up, but it sure sounded like the issue would be taken care of.

bambam47

the last time i rented a u-haul trailer it came loose as well. i have refused to put one behind any of my vehicles since. the screw type coupler latch broke on the trailer i rented. we had just stopped for gas and i remember checking the coupler while we were there. 40 miles later we hit a bump in the road and it came apart. not a fun ride.

RRAMctd

That is so weird as friends of mine were moving out of town and with a uhaul truck and trailer with his old International pickup on it. They came unhooked too. Luckily for him happened at a place where the trailer went into the ditch, another 300yds or so and it goes over a bank and down towards the river. I think U-haul insurance has to pay for some repairs to the truck as well. Those couplers they use are not very good or not very well serviced. Or maybe (I doubt this part) the guy hooking up for you is not very mechanically inclined. Glad they are looking after you.

xtoyz17

Well, lots of good news. I had a chance to call the insurance company on my lunch break today, and finally get the ball rolling. Last night I got the run-around because the insurance company was closed to so I just kept getting transferred to different people, although in the end it was beneficial because they got my claim started, and the person informed me I SHOULD show the people at U-haul what happened.

When I pulled in this morning the manager was very helpful, very friendly, took care of some paper work, and took photos for corporate.

This afternoon when talking to the woman at the insurance company she said an adjuster would be in touch with me on Wednesday. About 45 minutes later the adjuster was already in contact with me. She tried to give me the run-around about paperwork that I should have been given (which I wasn't!). Then she tried to tell me I should've checked the coupler multiple times (which I should have), but I argued that I shouldn't have to double check their mechanic's work since after all it's THEIR JOB to make sure everything is done properly to avoid situations exactly like what happened. She also asked me about the ball size in my hitch, the type of roads I travelled, the truck towing, and the car being loaded. I think she was trying to find some sort of loophole (like she was very persistent about making sure the roads weren't too bumpy). Keep in mind that during the entire discussion she was very friendly and understanding, and I was very polite yet very adamant in what I felt should be done. I also informed her that the manager at the Uhaul agreed it was their fault and that this particular worker has had issues before, but since he's leaving for Iraq in two weeks it wasn't worth the disciplinary actions to them.

At this point, the adjuster informed me to get an estimate, fax my reg. over, and to email some digital photos I took from last night as well as some from today in the daylight. Once I get all that mailed over, she said I should receive a check in the mail shortly after.

So yes, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. The one thing I want to emphasize is that Uhaul's customer service was top notch, everyone was friendly and understanding, and best of all they were all "american" and spoke very clear english. One woman last night gave me an attitude, but I *might* have been a little mouthy to begin with

blake2500

I will NEVER use UHaul again. Last time I did I picked up the trailer from the Uhaul place a couple miles from my house. When I got home I noticed that the brake lights were not working like the tech claimed they were. After playing with a tester with no luck I called the place to see if the had another trailer I could trade for. They put me on hold and said that someone will come directly to my house to see what the problem was.

In about 15 min a cop and a uhaul recovery truck showed up claiming the trailer was stolen and I was in trouble. Long story short the cop laughed off the whole thing and I let the recovery guy take the trailer and got reimbursement from Uhaul. Never been back since...

Spooler

That is exactly what I do. I check, check, and double check.

Truck30Haul

I wouldn't trust Uhaul with a cat. When I made my move from MI last summer, I saw so many U-Suck trucks on the side of the interstates disabled it wasn't funny. Thankfully I had canceled my reservation with them and I went with Penske and used their trailer for my move. Not a problem with hookup and I did it all myself and havent had a single problem with the 1,200 mile move.

xtoyz17

I remember going through a toll booth last year and a U-haul truck was attempting to get through the lane next to me. Actually, it's more like he was doing everything in his power because the entire rear axle was smoking like a wildfire as he came through.

xtoyz17

An update:

Dealer estimate 786 dollars in damage done from JUST the trailer (not counting some other stuff I want done). Keep in mind neither tailgate nor bumper are being replaced, just repaired. U-haul should be letting me know sometime tomorrow how this is going to be taken care of, but considering the adjuster wanted all this I'm assuming (bad to assume, I know), that it will be covered.

PChouinard

I've learned, and now preach, two two things about hitching trailers;

1. If you do it at all, do it all the way.
I was setting up a small 4x8 trailer to my truck. I was fiddling around with different hitch heights and wiring the trailer all at once. I got the height right and moved onto the wiring. I DID NOT PLAN ON GOING ANYWHERE so I never latched the hitch. While I was messing with the wires, I wanted to get to the front of the trailer where my electrical toolbox was, and proceeded to step on the back of the trailer. Up went the tongue right into my tailgate and down the driveway me and the trailer went soon after that. If you put it on the ball or in the 5 wheel, LATCH IT! It is too easy to walk away and forget the status of your hitch.

2. If you didn't do it, check, check, check it all the way. How easy it is to have a helper, crank down the trailer after you backed under it, then turn and walk away ASSUMING you were going to finish hooking up your rig.

Bottom line.. You're the operator. You're pulling it. You hook it up.
I wouldn't trust a U-Haul tweeker to rig my vehicle up for demolition, let alone towing...

haulin-rv

I have used uhaul a few times and had only 1 good experience (first time). Second time I had a tow dolly reserved down south, when I got there the tow dolly was trashed. One tail light was actually missing. I said no thanks and they still sent a charge through after I left for breaking my reservation. (found a trailer dealer and bought one for $300 more than the rental, sold it and only lost $50) I fought and won that one. Next we reserved a truck to haul product to a show and the morning we were supposed to get it they did not have it. The closest one was 100 miles away. The dealer and uhaul could care less. My point is UHAUL STINKS!