What Are the Common Issues with Renting from U-Haul and How Can They Be Avoided?

[physics girl phd]

This time I'm moving! I'm using Mayflower TODAY (via a friend's recommendation). Like all moving companies, yes -- they are trouble. They are already one day late on the load -- but it will occur this afternoon (many friends thought I'd be lucky if they came next week!). The truck is currently at the state border (one of those large western states, so it'll take a while.) But you know... they're just taking my stuff... and I didn't want to use "friend movers", because, well, on the other end of the move, there is an apartment up four flights of stairs with NO elevator. And U-Haul really wouldn't be much cheaper once you threw in the gas.

So I'm entrusting the stuff to movers. It may or may not arrive at my destination... but it's only STUFF, and most of it from the thrift.

I on the other hand, get drive my overloaded prevandalized Bonneville (everything personal, breakable or electronic) with a very upset cat for 24 hours () ... until we arrive at the destination given in my profile. Yep -- Tennessee. I'm originally from Ohio, so my saying now is: You know you are in the south when KENTUCKY is to your north. But I like the idea of cheese grits 'n sweet tea.

Wish me luck. The cat, meanwhile, is sitting innocently in the window. She has NO idea what's coming: ach... eee... double hockey sticks.

After I get settled in, I'll let you know how it goes... I'll be AWOL for a while... but thinking of y'all.

 

[Evo]

This time I'm moving!

My keyboard is hosed, so just going to say good luck and hurry back!

 

[Moonbear]

Good luck with the move! It all depends on the crew you get how things go. When I used movers, it went well at the old house, with them really being careful and doing everything they were supposed to do, and the driver knew I was watching for every nick and dent (payment for damages comes out of the driver's share, which is what gives them incentive to make sure their crew is careful). Then, at the destination, everything started going wrong, from them not being able to get the truck up to the new place, to being a crewmember short, one of the other two guys on the crew was so old as to be nearly useless (I can lift more than he can...he should have been assigned to a packing crew, not a moving crew in his condition). They ended up having to repair several things, and that took forever! But, as you say, it's just stuff, and now that it's long past, given the difficulty of getting into this place (you can pick stairs from the front door, or a steep, downhill slope on wet grass to the back door), and the weight of some of my furniture, I don't think the "friends" movers would have been any better at it, even if they were trying to be more careful.

Moves were much easier when it was mostly garage-sale-purchased and hand-me-down furniture. First, there wasn't so much of it. Second, it was already beat up, so I could move it myself and nobody would notice a few extra scratches or dents. Third, you're not really attached to it and none of it matches anything, so if something gets irreparably damaged, you can just toss it and get another $20 replacement. While I still live the "gypsy" lifestyle, I got tired of my home looking like it, so finally started investing in good furniture, which makes moves a LOT more tedious and stressful.

 

[Moonbear]

My keyboard is hosed, so just going to say good luck and hurry back!

If you'd stop "hosing" it with your coffee while reading GD, it might work better.

 

[physics girl phd]

Cha-cha (the cat) and I have safely arrived in TN... my stuff is somewhere in transit

 

[Evo]

Cha-cha (the cat) and I have safely arrived in TN... my stuff is somewhere in transit

Glad you made it! When will your belongings arrive?

 

[Moonbear]

Glad you and Cha-cha made it. Hopefully your furniture will arrive soon. I guess it's better that you arrive before your stuff than the other way around so you have a chance to get in and get keys and have things turned on, and check for anything that needs to be cleaned or fixed before all your stuff buries it. I had the opposite happen on the last move...I had planned to spend a night in a hotel room until my stuff arrived and then spend the first day in town getting all the utilities turned on, and instead, the movers showed up first thing in the morning, and it was just chaos having them carrying things in while I was still trying to deal with people showing up to turn on gas and phones and such (I'm the first tenant in this house, so everything needed an in-person visit to be connected and turned on, nothing could just be transferred to my name).

Hey, it could be worse, you could have rented U-Haul and your stuff would either still be in your old place waiting for your truck rental to finally arrive at the rental place, or you'd be stranded on the side of the road somewhere with a broken-down truck waiting to move all your stuff from one truck to another during rush hour traffic.

 

[hypatia]

Glad to here that you made it alright. Your stuff should catch up with you soon. Hope you and kitty settle into a new and wonderful place.