U-Haul fails to live up to its reservation guarantee policy to provide customers with the equipment they order at a specific time and place or offer compensation if it is not available, a class action lawsuit alleges.
Plaintiff Seth Newman says U-Haul Co. of New York and Vermont Inc., U-Haul International Inc. and Amerco actively promote the reservation guarantee policy on their website and marketing materials.
The U-Haul reservation guarantee policy reportedly states: “When you make a truck or trailer reservation, we guarantee to provide you with the equipment size, location and pick up time, as agreed. Should you not receive the equipment size, location and pick up time you agreed to, U-Haul will pay you $50.”
According to the U-Haul class action lawsuit, the reservation guarantee policy was implemented following earlier litigation that accused U-Haul of promising customers that their reservation was confirmed but then forcing them to wait inconveniently long periods of time or travel long distances to pick up the rental equipment they ordered.
As a result, U-Haul has left consumers “bewildered and disappointed” with the company’s refusal to address problems caused by its own failures and dishonest advertisements.
Newman says he placed an order on the U-Haul website and was promised a 15-foot truck at a specific location but U-Haul failed to deliver on its promise to guarantee the reservation even though Newman followed all of the steps required to reserve the truck. Instead, he was allegedly notified the day before his scheduled pick up that a 15-foot truck was available at a location that was 20 miles out of his way.
U-Haul also failed to pay him $50 as promised, the U-Haul reservation guarantee class action lawsuit says. Instead, he was offered a $20 discount.
When he called U-Haul’s customer service line to complain, Newman was reportedly told that the reservation guarantee took effect after he was contacted by the U-Haul representative that his truck was available at a different location, not when he made the initial reservation online.
If he had known that the 15-foot truck would not be available at his selected location and that U-Haul would not honor its reservation guarantee, he would not have ordered the truck, the U-Haul class action lawsuit says.
Newman alleges that his experience is not unique and that hundreds of thousands of U-Haul customers may have relied on the moving truck company’s reservation guarantee when deciding to rent vehicles and trailers from the company. They reasonably expect that their equipment would be timely available at the location they select or that they will be paid $50 if the equipment is not available at that location.
The U-Haul class action lawsuit was filed on behalf of Newman and a proposed Class of consumers who did not receive $50 when the equipment they ordered was not available at the designated time and place. The complaint asserts claims for violations of New York consumer protection and false advertising laws, common law fraud, and breach of contract.
Newman is seeking compensatory damages, statutory damages, punitive damages, equitable and declaratory relief, restitution and alternative damages.
The plaintiff is represented by C.K. Lee and Anne Seelig of Lee Litigation Group PLLC.
The U-Haul Reservation Guarantee Class Action Lawsuit is Seth Newman v. U-Haul Co. of New York and Vermont Inc., et al., Case No. 7:18-cv-04751, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
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21 thoughts onU-Haul Class Action: Company Doesn’t Honor ‘Reservation Guarantee’
The same shit just happened to.me they sent to a spot I’m here now they said sorry
I have had this happen on multiple occasions with U-Haul and have complained every time with no one ever calling me back or even email me back. I have been renting trailers and storage units from U-Haul for 7 or 8 years now and they treated me good until this reservation guarantee issue started, I have rented about 8 trailers and 6 of them were not there or at another place and when I said something to them about the guarantee they would just laugh and say good luck with that and push it off . Corporate was no help and the 800 # said it was up to the store to deal with. I must have complained at least 30 times over the 6 reservation’s they missed with no one ever helping me. And the last unit I rented from them they gave it away to someone for free a 10×20 unit filled with all my personal stuff and all my business equipment and tools. They gave it away for free and I have all the emails and all the text messages from the store manager who had made me a deal to get my unit emptied out because I was late and during covid was not making the money because I was closed. and the manager was very cool and made me feel like it was all good. Then the day we agreed to meet and empty it I was told they gave it away . Not sold it at auction but gave it away.. I called the store and was told sorry, I called 800 # told sorry, called corporate office and they said sorry, I called there legal office and they refuse to call me back. Out of nowhere I get a email to fill out a claim form and submit proof of my stuff in my unit, ” with receipts showing purchases”, I was just about to explode, saying to them where the hell do I get records for my personal stuff like pictures of my kids, clothing, important documents, coin and currency collection, or stuff I bought off craigslist or OfferUp and yard sales” , she tells me in email I don’t know what to tell you just write down what you had in there and submit as many receipts as you can.
When I sent her everything about a week later it was inventoried over $25,000.00 and with the receipts I submitted for proof was just over $12,000.00 and did not include over half of what was in my unit. Or my coin and currency collection.
” No way I could remember every exact item in my unit , it was filled to the top and all the way to the door”.
Roughly 10 days later I get a letter from her stating that she was performing a complete and thorough review and sorry it was taking so long , she wanted to be sure everything was done. Little did I know that this insurance company I was dealing with is owned by U-Haul and is in the same office as U-Haul’s corporate office and legal office. I waited another 10 days and decided to give her a call and talk to her, no answer left a message, 2 days later call , no answer , left message, 4 days later called , no answer , left message, 2 days later called, no answer, left message, 3 days later called no answer, left message and finally a few days later I get a letter from her stating that my claim is denied for lack of evidence on my part and that the store didn’t do anything wrong, I emailed her ” for my proof ” and said , my exact words to her was this, how in the hell can you say that I don’t have any proof and store did nothing wrong, I submitted to you every email from the store, every text message received from the store, every phone message from the store and every one of my texts and emails sent back and the store manager even told you on a call with me about how she messed up, what is more proof you need?. And I never heard from her since, this all started in November 2021 and that email was sent in February 2022. I then was looking for a attorney for some help and was told to contact the president of U-Haul and was given his email, which I sent him basically everything I wrote here. A few days later he responded with I will be having the president of the storage department contact you and get to the bottom of it, I thanked him and waited for him to contact me. He called me and I was out of town in the mountains camping and had no service and when I got home I called him and left him a message to call me back. He did about a week later and I couldn’t answer but he left a message to call him back which I did the next morning, left a message and I also sent an email to him and said to call me if possible on this day and time. He responded back with this sounds great I look forward to talking with you on this day and time.. that was the last time I heard anything from anyone at U-Haul and that was may 2022. I have all the letters, emails, text messages and phone messages, and all my receipts and records and ready to file a court case against U-Haul. 2 years is up in November 2023 . I know U-Haul has been doing this to other people, it’s very obvious they do, also why would they have there own insurance company for claims filed against them, should be 100% illegal for it. And when I did some research I found hundreds maybe thousands of people who filed claims against U-Haul and that were thru the same insurance company U-Haul owns were denied for lack of evidence. And lastly I know this was for reservations and sorry I made this comment super long, but something’s got to give with U-Haul point blank stealing from customers and lying to customers. I lost everything I ever had in my life, during the worst time in not just my life but the entire world. Right smack in the middle of COVID-19 they did this to me. And a whole lot more than just me.
Anyone know why the plaintiff dropped this?
Omg I have recently gone through literal hell through Uhaul I used 3 different city’s and all 3 we’re corrupt at this very moment there trying to get 780.00 out of my cash app. They already robbed me of over 200$ in charges after I already paid them in full and now for a month I cannot get through to a live person for a refund. Funny if u want to rent they go live right away. Also I’m scared there going to get that 780. They try everyday. I licked card. But somethings gotta be done. Please HELP
This same unexceptable business practice is Still going on and I am one of the latest in a long line of people bamboozled by U-haul!!?
My 15′ truck wasn’t available at the Location I Reserved for 24hrs so they Inconveniently changed my Location (further away of course) and had a 20′ truck!! I actually only needed a 10′ but also required that it have a Ramp, so I was already forced to rent a larger truck as the 10′ trucks don’t have ramps. Naturally there was ZERO Mention of their heavily advertised $50 RSVP Guarantee rebate! And what’s more, bc I refused to be forced to return the truck to the “Miles Away” alternate location, rather than the location I actually Reserved, my rental contract was changed from 24hr In-Town to a One Way rental, which COSTS MORE!! So, I’ve already had to drive my own vehicle Miles out of the way to get an unnecessary larger/more expensive truck and then the extra Miles i had to drive in UHAUL’s truck was Charged to Me and the refuel cost was also increased as a Result!! Not Mention the extra money i had to shell out to my hired hands as now the whole process has taken Hours Longer!! Every Minute I have to spend fighting and trying to get what I’m rightfully due is only costing me More money and for What? 6hours of my life to move furniture is now costing me Weeks of my life!! I’m aware that it might but just $50 or so but its now a Matter Of Principles!! Uhaul expects us to get frustrated ? wore down and give up on the fight, so there’s nothing lost on their end and No Consequences for their shady business ethics….What a Scam! If possible I would greatly like to join this Class Action!! And can assure you, I will NOT be doing my business with these Con Artists again!!
I don’t want the $50, I want my reserved vehicle. I’ve been left stranded in Juneau, AK with no trailer for a move back to the east coast.
We have to go by ferry or airplane from here and the ferry reservation has to be made months in advance so my U-haul rental was also made 3.5 months in advance. Ferry cancellation fees do not favor the customer and at this juncture will be losing several hundred dollars if I have to cancel.
I got worried as I’ve never seen one of the trailers in the local U-haul yard (we only have one here) so stopped by a month before departure and was told by the dealer she’s never even seen one of the trailers before. She didn’t even know what it was.
First, I have to figure out how I can get my belongings out of Juneau and next I will look for a class action to join. I hate this company so much.
So this happened to me as well. What do I do to Get into the lawsuit
I would also like to join the lawsuit just more recently I ordered Au haul and trailer I was phone to tell and told that the trailer was not available at the site that II wanted and that it would be Available for me in Sebastopol.. I was emailed to address the address and location where I could pick up I could pick up my equipment which consisted of a truck and a trailer. I was dropped off at that location and then left stranded. As unfortunately when I should have been picking up a truck to drive away and they were not there and available for me there was no truck or trailer in the reservationFor me at that location at all. So they literally emailed meTo go to a location in Sebastopol where there was no availability for truck and trailer at all.Did to get myself to Santa Rosa where there was another sight that could accommodate my needs in in u-haul truck truck and trailer.Dress of that being able to find having to find Arrived.
I am dealing with the same problem right now. I reserved a truck a week in advance I flew from Ohio to Louisiana to pick up the truck only to hear there is no truck available.
The same thing happened to me. Is there still a lawsuit happening? I was lied to about the dates of dropping off and picking up multiple times making it impossible to schedule movers, etc.
I would like to join the lawsuit against UHaul practices and false claims.