On July 9, 2009, I agreed to pay $98.14 to rent a 6’ X 12’ U-Haul trailer from EZ Storage in Killen to haul furniture to Mobile, AL. I picked it up on Thursday and was scheduled to return it July 12, 2009. On the return trip to Killen, we were on I-65, approximately an hour out of Mobile, when the trailer came off the hitch around 2:30 P.M. We pulled over and were able to get the trailer off the interstate; however, the break on the trailer was now up, and we were unable to put it down, so it could be reattached to the hitch.
I had purchased insurance for the trailer during the July 9, 2009 transaction, so I called the hotline for help. The hotline customer service representative (HCSR) took our information, as well as the location of the trailer on I-65, which was between County Road (1) & (61) between the Atmore & Perdido exits. The HCSR said it would take 30 minutes to call us back, and when she did call back she told us she was sending a wrecker from Pensacola, FL. I told her that was a long way to come and asked her if she could find anyone closer to us. She said she would try, but called back to let us know J&J was the closest. When the tow truck showed up around 5:30p. m., more than three hours after the accident, we discovered that the harness extension (wire to the lights) was severed when the trailer came off, so we could not haul the trailer anymore because the lights would not work. The tow driver said he would haul it back to Pensacola and take care of it. I called the hotline to let them know J&J had taken the trailer.
On Monday, July 13, 2009, I took the appliance dolly back to EZ Storage. I told the owner what had happened. He told me he was sorry. About an hour later, he called me at work to tell me that my Visa account had been charged $1,090.05. I could not believe what he was telling me. I asked him what the charges were for, but he didn’t know, so he gave me the number for the Mobile U-Haul Regional office (800-633-6819). I immediately called and talked to Chuck at the Mobile U-Haul Regional office, and he told me it was a towing and rental fee. That same day I called and talked to Connie at U-Haul Customer Service (800-789-3638), Ray Poole, EA (205-979-3015), and Stan Hannon at Republic Western (800-528-3066 Ext.226), which is the Insurance Co. No one could give me any answers.
On Tuesday, Chuck at the Mobile U-Haul Regional office sent me the charges - a $292 rental fee and a $722 cleaning fee, plus $76.05 in taxes. I then called Stan Hannon at Republic Western Insurance. He told me to talk to the U-Haul Mobile office again and get a break down of the two charges. I called and talked to Chuck at the Mobile U-Haul Regional office and told him I wanted a breakdown of the charges. He told me those were the charges. I told him that I wanted all papers dealing with my incident, the tow charges, etc. He said he would try and get them for me. I told him it should not be too difficult that it should be all right there in a file in his office.
On Wednesday, July 15, 2009, I called J&J, the tow company and asked Dan, the owner, for a quote on a car being towed on a flatbed from Pensacola to Mobile. He quoted a flat rate of $225, and said it was good any day of the week, but there would be an additional charge of $25 after 6:00 P.M. I had him fax the quote to me. I also went on MapQuest and mapped the distance from Pensacola to I-65 which was around 60 to 65 miles, the same distance it is from Pensacola to Mobile! I called EZ Storage and told the owner, and he said he would investigate, but was told by someone at U-Haul to stay out of it – he would not say who this person was. However, he did give me a quote of $194.00 for leaving the trailer in Mobile, which included a $157 rental fee, $32 for insurance and an additional tax/fee of $5.
Thursday, July 16, 2009, I still had not received any papers from the Mobile U-Haul Regional office, so I called Chuck, who was not in; however, I did talk to Jim Bean and told him I wanted the papers. He said he would see what he could do and get back to me, but that Chuck was handling my case. He never got back to me.
On Friday, July 17, 2009, I called Chuck at the Mobile U-Haul Regional office to ask about the breakdown, and he still did not have it ready. He finally called me and sent me the details by fax late that afternoon. After getting the papers, I called him back to talk about the towing and wiring charges, but Chuck had already left for the day. That same day, I called and talked to U-Haul Customer Service again, and they directed me to the U-Haul Birmingham office. I talked to Brenda there, but she was not able to help me either. After getting the breakdown of charges, I called Dan at J&J, too. I told him he was over charging for the towing and the wiring. He had quoted me $225 for a 60 mile tow any day of the week. Now he was charging $548 for approximately the same distance, plus he was charging for wiring the whole trailer when only the harness extension was cut.
On Monday, July 20, 2009, I talked to Chuck at the Mobile U-Haul Regional office and asked about the rental fee of $292. He said it was a two-way fee. I told him I wanted a breakdown of this fee, but have yet to receive one.
On Tuesday, July 21, 2009, I talked to U-Haul Customer Service again. They looked up my account and noted that I had taken out insurance, so they told me to call Stan at Western Republic again. I then called and talked to Stan and he said that he would talk to some other people and would get back to me on Wednesday morning.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009, Stan at Western Republic did not call; however, I called Stan twice and left messages.
Thursday, July 23, 2009, Stan at Western Republic did not call, although I called him twice and left messages.
Friday, July 24, 2009, Stan at Western Republic did not call, although I called him again and left messages.
On Monday morning, July 27, 2009, I still had not heard from Stan. I called U-Haul customer service again and was told to call Western Republic. I called Western Republic and asked for someone else to help me. I was put on hold and then told Stan would get back to me today. Stan did call back approximately two hours later. He said he thought that maybe there was something they could do and he would get back to me.
The rental fee, towing and repair charges are usurious! I bought the insurance recommended by U-Haul and should only have to pay the original bill of $98.14, since the insurance I bought covers any accident that might happen. The fact that the trailer came off and was unable to be returned to our car because it had no lights is not my fault, nor should I be responsible for the costs incurred to haul it, repair it, or return it to the location where it was rented.
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