UHAULSUXS.COM



What They Do Not Want You To Know


Topics

  1. 800 Hotline Procedures
  2. Roadside Assitance
  3. Terms & Conditions For Equipment Rental
  4. Pre-Trip Safety Inspection

BREAKDOWN OR ACCIDENT HOTLINE

As the name indicates on the back of your contract, the Hot Line Number (1-800-528-0355) is there for the sole purpose of determining whether or not you have had an accident or a breakdown. The UHAUL representative will greet you with that very same question, "Accident or Breakdown?" Based upon your response, they will then route you to the appropriate party.

Do not be mislead and assume that you will actually be in touch with someone responsible for rectifying the situation. After the typical 30+ minute waiting period, a UHAUL representative will then ask you to describe your situation. This person acts as your liason to the individual authorized to work on your UHAUL. So for the next hour and a half to two hours you get to play phone tag with this individual. Rather then dealing directly with the person that is most qualified (I use this term loosely in regards to UHAUL) to help. This means that you get to have someone relay the mechanic questions and your answers. Every play the game "telephone" as a child? Just imagine how much more fun this game is after having a breakdown and being stuck in an unknown place of the country. Oh, I forgot to mention this is only valid if you are lucky enough to be near a pay phone or happen to have a cell phone (make sure to bring your cigeratte adapter, you'll need it).

You think your troubles are over? Think again the fun is just beginning.


ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE?

The majority of your waiting time for a breakdown will be directly related to UHAUL's Roadside Assitance. The reason for this is very simple. ONLY, UHAUL representatives are authorized to perform maintenance on your UHAUL. Ok, this seems like a reasonable policy considering the amount of liability UHAUL would expose itself to if this policy was not in place. However, they fail to tell you at the time of the rental period that there is on average, one and a half UHAUL technicans for a given state. That means if you breakdown you better hope that the technican is not currently attending to another UHAUL breakdown and that this individual is in close proximity to you.

I will give credit where credit is due, UHAUL prides itself on its level of convenience of finding an UHAUL location with their "more than 14,000 locations in the US and Canada"; however, this is not too much comfort at the time of a breakdown. Especially when you consider that 9 out of 10 times, you are brokedown closer to a UHAUL location than you are to the technican you must now wait on to arrive.

Terms & Conditions For Equipment Rental

Ever wonder what exactly are the terms and conditions of the rental agreement? Well UHAUL conveniently provides this for you on the back of your Rental Contract & Document Holder.

That is right, the majority of the time you will enter into a contract without having the terms disclosed. UHAUL is skilled in obtaining all the information required of your for your rental, inspecting the vehicle with you for visibile damages & fuel level, securing your payment, and then putting all your paperwork in a nice little holder. Oh by the way, the back of that holder contains the actual Terms & Conditions in case you were interested in such a trival piece of information. For those of you that maybe interested, here is two pieces of key information:

"Customer agrees not to hold UHAUL liable for downtime, materials or any consequential damages resulting from the use of Equipment, including failure of the equipment to operate properly."

"Customer grants UHAUL a lien on the property transported in the EQUIPMENT to secure payment of outstanding balances associated with rental, such as additional time, mileage and equipment damage or repair charges for which the customer is responsible."

Pre-Trip Safety Inspection

Everyone is responsible for safety! Federal and State laws require inspection by the driver. Federal and State inspectors also inspect commercial vehicles. An unsafe vehicle can be put out of service until the driver or owner fixes it. You do a pre-trip inspection before each trip to find problems that could cause a crash or breakdown.

Method of inspecting - You should do a pre-trip inspection the same way each time so you will learn all the steps and be less likely to forget something. The following seven-step procedure should be a useful guide. Memory aids are shown in Figures 2-5 and 2-7. They may help you remember important things to inspect. You can cut them out and bring them with you when you pickup your rental. When you inspect your rental, explain to the agent what parts of the vehicle you are inspecting. Describe the possible defects you are looking for. Be sure to review last vehicle inspection report. You should look at the last report to find out what was the matter, if anything. Inspect the vehicle to find out if problems were fixed.

Seven Step Procedure

For more detail information please contact your local DMV or DOT or visit Florida's Department of Highway Safety for an example.

  1. Check that the parking brakes are on and/or wheels chocked. You may have to raise the hood, tilt the cab (secure loose things so they don't fall and break something), or open the engine compartment door.
  2. Get in and start the engine. Make sure parking brake is on. Put gear shift in neutral (or "park" if automatic). Start engine; listen for unusual noises.
  3. Look at the gauges: oil pressure, ammeter and/or voltmeter, Coolant temperature, engine oil temperature, and warning lights and buzzers.
  4. Check the condition of controls. Check for looseness, sticking, damage, or improper setting.
  5. Check mirrors and windshield. Inspect mirrors and windshield for cracks, dirt, illegal stickers or other obstructions to seeing. Clean and adjust as necessary.
  6. Check Emergency Equipment.
  7. General walk around and inspection.

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