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  • Report:  #1453

Complaint Review: Ryder Truck Rental Service-customer service - Denver Colorado

Reported By:
- Bremerton, WA,
Submitted:
Updated:

Ryder Truck Rental Service-customer service
P. O. Box 5846 Denver, 80217 Colorado, U.S.A.
Phone:
fax303-695-4184
Web:
N/A
Categories:
Tell us has your experience with this business or person been good? What's this?
On 9/21,1999, I rented a 15-ft Ryder truck to make a cross-country trip from Florida to Washington State. Along with the truck, I also rented a trailer to tow my 1996 Jeep Cherokee. The truck and trailer were both rented from G & S Automotive, 740 9th Court, Vero Beach, Florida 32960, phone 561-770-2410, dealer number 329600. The representative there assured me that this vehicle was safe, in fact so safe he would rent this to his own family.

We were 2/3 finished loading the truck when it was obvious that this was the wrong size truck for my belongings, thus I had to leave things behind to retrieve at a later date. I had a deadline to meet in Washington; it was too late to unpack at that point. My young daughter and I, along with our pets, left late in the evening on 9/24/99 for this long haul.

By the morning of 9/24/99, while fueling, a gentleman pointed out that the 2 front tires were showing the steel belts. I made an emergency call to Ryder at that point. At that time, I pulled over to a hotel, as I was unsure how long this was going to take. I unloaded my 3 cats, 2 birds, my dog and all their food, etc., and headed for our room to keep them as comfortable as possible. Ryder eventually found a place to fix the tires. Late that evening we were again on the road.

On 9/26/99, I noticed that the truck was running hot. I pulled over and fueled. At that time I noticed that, in between the seats, where I had placed padding for my dog to lie on, was extremely not. I had placed a piece of Styrofoam on the floor, over that a straw mat and a pad. The Styrofoam had melted to the floor. That's how hot the truck was running. I made several attempts to call Ryder. I was placed on hold each time for over an hour. I decided at that time to get a room for the night. Letting the truck cool down.

We started out again on 9/27/99. After several hours, we began to notice that the truck was running hot again. We pulled over again. I called Ryder once again, I spoke with Paul, informed her of the situation, she advised me that the trucks do periodically run hot. Nothing was done.

We started back out again on 9/28/99, driving the route that takes you up and over the Hoover Dam. The truck, when we started out was almost full. It remained that way for a period of time, and I thought nothing of it. It never reached 1/2 tank. However, when reaching the top of Hoover Dam, the gas gauge went to empty. Right at the top of Hoover Dam the truck was sputtering. We turned right, knowing this was a downgrade, and coasted into a marina parking lot. The truck was out of gas. At that time, I called Big Johns towing; they were kind enough to bring us gas and charged us a $50.00 fee.

We started back out again, made it to the next town, Boulder City, NV, filled the truck up and started once again on our trip. We made it through Las Vegas, NV. While heading out of Las Vegas and rounding the side of a mountain, we heard and felt a huge BANG. I pulled over to the right side of the road, trying to apply the brakes, that weren't working properly at that point. Finally coming to a stop, I jumped out and noticed a huge pipe hanging down from under the truck. This was around 8PM. I called Ryder. My young daughter and I were stranded out on this stretch of highway. I had the flashers on in the truck. However, the battery must have been low, as the lights were getting dim. I got up onto the trailer and turned on the flashers on my Jeep, for the safety factor. Three hours later Ryder showed up. My dog, cats and birds were very stressed as well as my daughter and myself. The representative towed us to town. I had to rent a room, at my expense, as they were not sure how long this was going to take. You see the drive shaft broke on this truck.

We unloaded all the animals, my daughter had to ride in the back of this mans pickup truck, in the cold night air, along with my birds, whom by the way, got ill, and the cats and dog. I was devastated. We headed for a hotel, by the way, I had to pay for. Once inside the hotel I called Ryder again and again. Begging, pleading for them to give me another truck. The declined my requests, saying they could not get a truck for four days, and if they did, I would have to hire someone to transfer all my belongings, at my expense. I did not have the money nor did I have the time. I had a closing on a house to get to.

Late in the afternoon on 9/29/99, we were once again on the road. We made it into Utah, when I started hearing a clanging noise, coming from the left front tire area. I called Ryder, they sent a man out, and he listened to the noise and stated that the left front brake pad had broken loose. He said there was no need for repair and sent me on my way, once again.

On 9/30/99, while driving Devil's Pass in Oregon, we were forced to pull of the road again, for the steering wheel was jumping around in my hands, making it very difficult to navigate the truck. I called Ryder, I spoke with Jerry and explained to him the situation. He said it was probably the rotors that they were probably warped, there was no need to worry and sent us back on our way.

To make matters worse, we had NO air conditioning for the trip. The truck ran hot making it like an oven inside the cab. The cigarette lighter did not work; therefore, I could not charge my cell phone along the way. The lights in the back of the truck did not work nor did the lights in the cab. I had to buy a flashlight in order to find things up front in the cab.

The trailer was not properly hooked up. There was no safety hook up on the trailer and the brake cable was not attached to the trailer hitch. Thus, if the trailer had broken loose, the trailer and my Jeep would have ended up at the bottom of a canyon somewhere or God forbid, hit another car. Because the delays on this trip, I missed the closing on my house. We had to rent the Ryder for extended days, also a place to store the Ryder, also, had to rent a place to stay. I wrote Ryder several times and called numerous times, only to be put on hold for hours at a time.

Finally, I spoke with Carmella and told her of my situation. I was given a situation number at that time, this was 10/2/99. I wrote my first letter on that date and again on 11/19/99, both with no response.

I wrote a 3rd letter with an itemized bill on 1/8/00 which has now changed quite a bit, to customer relations and on 1/25/00, I finally received a response from Danielle Barhite, National Customer Relations, at which time she offered me $200 for my inconvenience.

To make matters worse upon worse, I had to rent Allied Van Lines to bring the rest of my belongings, because of the error in judgment by G & S Automotive and Ryder. My young daughter, our pets and myself were traumatized by this whole trip. I feel Ryder and its representatives are responsible for putting my daughter and I in danger.

My daughter and I cringe when we see a Ryder truck, actually just the name Ryder makes me sick to my stomach. these people have shown no remorse what so ever.

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41 Updates & Rebuttals

mickjeff

scott city,
Kansas,
United States of America
not her fault

#2General Comment

Wed, December 16, 2009

now how is this her fault, gas gauge broken, bald tires, driveshaft falling off sounds like she was given a lemon.  


Duncan

Greensboro,
North Carolina,
U.S.A.
Personal Responsibility?

#3Consumer Suggestion

Thu, February 23, 2006

To response to a couple of people who brought up the 'Personal Responsibility' mantra. This only goes so far when we are paying for someone to provide a service. When we fly on an airplane, we are not expected to know how to fly in the event that the pilots suddenly become incapable or check to ensure the engines are in good shape for the trip. When we rent a truck, we are paying for the company to provide us with a road worthy vehicle based on their (supposedly) increased knowledge and experience. Sure, we can check the tires, but how many of us can really examine a truck whilst it is stationary in a parking area? The vast majority of complaints posted on websites are in regardless to mechanical issues which few people could ever spot before they set off on their trip. Many issues do not arise until the engine/brakes/etc is hot and a few miles are behind us. In my experience, the best way to avoid issues with truck rentals is to deal directly with the local office and never go through the company's national phone number or website. ONLY deal with offices who's main service appears to be truck rental and has a maintenance shop. Never deal with those offices who seem to run a shop, or gas station and have a few trucks parked in their spare space. If possible, go into the office to book the rental instead of over the phone. A much harder thing to arrange is to try and ensure you are not confined to a single day to pick up the truck. Don't leave the trip to the last minute so you have no choice but to accept anything you are given. I know this is hard to arrange, but if you can move all the items you need a truck for earlier, then you have the ability to walk away from a bad rental and search for something better. In one move, we packed up all our big items in the truck and moved 2 weeks before we needed to. We offloaded the truck to our new place and returned to our original home. We slept on an airbed, cloths were folded on the floor and we ate microwave meals. When we did the final move, everything fitted into our 2 cars. My point is, avoid the I must have a truck today' issue if possible.


Pam

Ft Worth,
Texas,
U.S.A.
U-HAUL

#4Consumer Comment

Sat, February 04, 2006

This is a bad company , I too was ripped off by them and I rasied holly he** . Go to the main corp office online and submit complaint after complaint . I recieved free moving vouvhers one time . Its a shame


Kelly

Coral Springs,
Florida,
U.S.A.
15 ft Family Van

#5UPDATE EX-employee responds

Wed, January 18, 2006

I worked for Ryder's reservations department for several years. The 15 ft truck was the only family van available. It had a pass through door and an area renters used for children and pets. Over the years several customers choose the smaller truck because they needed to transport pets and could not haul multiple pets in any other truck (the 20 ft and 24 ft had bench seats). I agree that customer service should have done a better job at addressing the truck's matinence issues, however the customer is responsible for choosing the truck size. I suspect that the renter choose the 15 ft truck because of the pets and took a risk that the household goods would not fit.


Brandon

Overland Park,
Kansas,
U.S.A.
You never had contact with Ryder!

#6Consumer Suggestion

Tue, December 27, 2005

You said you rented the truck from G & S Automotive, 740 9th Court, Vero Beach, Florida 32960, phone 561-770-2410, dealer number 329600. Ryder sold their moving trucks prior to the date in which you rented it, they allowed the name to be kept on the side of the trucks for a set amount of time to better the business of the buyers of their vehicles. It's a liability to Ryder to put their name and reputation on the line, anyhow, you had a bad experience with G&S Automotive, not Ryder! I know this because I am very close with an employee of the company being accused of bad service, and that is not how they do business in any fashion.


Joe

Platteville,
Wisconsin,
U.S.A.
Small claims court is your ticket

#7Consumer Suggestion

Wed, October 19, 2005

Ok...here's the deal...though Ryder could be Ok the majority of the time, you got a lemon. I rented a U-Haul and went from Seattle to Upstate NY (Lake Placid)....and trailed a brand new PT Cruiser behind it. Going up the first set of mountains outside Seattle, it let out a plume of smoke fumes so bad traffic had a hard time seeing...and we called U-Haul...they said to keep on going and that it was just burning deisel in a silghtly wrong mix or too richly...but not a problem. They said to take it to a place if I could to exchange trucks, but I did not have time (like you) or the ability phisically to unpack a 27 foot truck and re-pack in the middle of nowhere. We called subsequently 3 other times across the country and had the same advice to keep on going. Aside from this, the truck was ok. When we got to where we were going and opened the hatch, we discovered those fumes had pretty much gotten all over everything inside, ruining anything that wasn't able to be directly wiped off. Also, it got inside the car (even though thoroughly sealed where any air could get in and with a cabin air filter also...just in case. It even got inside the sealed headlights and left a greasy film INSIDE of them where you can't get at it. All I did was to complain all the way to the regional management with my solid story including times, dates, names and all. The simple fact was that their equipment was faulty...not me. I threatened a lawsuit and did retain an attorney for advice only. I also contacted my insurance company who indicated they thought U-Haul was liable also...and should pay damages even if I didn't carry their own insurance. The fact of the matter is that they tried to settle for paying only for clean-up of the car as far as a detailing and paying replacement costs for the goods damaged. I reminded them that diesel fuel getting into the fine electronic elements of a new car (in show condition) would lead to the eventual early breakdown of the equipement and no amount of wiping would remove it completely. Even taking apart the dash and components would leave the car in less of a condition that it was originally due to that it would never perform or be as "new" again...and end up a box of squeaks and rattles from bolts that were not meant to be removed as such. They gave me a choice either then to total the car out or give me a check for book value and just deal with keeping the car. I took the check...which also covered the goods damaged...my time, and also refunded my trip entirely. I would say I am fully satisfied...but you need to go this route and you will likely get similar results. They did cause damage, and any court would reasonably allow you to recoup those damages. Remember that.


Cliff

Costa Mesa,
California,
U.S.A.
Ryder Ripoff, their trucks Clean, Safe, in Great condition

#8REBUTTAL Owner of company

Tue, October 18, 2005

We use Ryder Fleet on a regular basis and find their trucks Clean, Safe, in Great condition and anytime a truck wasn't in their yard at 8:00 am for pick up we were given the rental for taxes and fuel. That description sounds like UHaul trucks W've rented in the past...


Lisa

Aurora,
Illinois,
U.S.A.
Company Responsibility Ryder is inexcusable

#9Consumer Comment

Mon, May 02, 2005

This experience with Ryder is inexcusable. Moving is a stressful experience. One rents a truck to move to A. save money and B. have some personal control over one's belongings. For each person suggesting Jackie hire movers, I need to say "do you know how expensive that can be?" Not to mention the "professional" moving company nightmares of untimely delivery of goods. This single-mother had to move her home cross-country with her child and pets, obviously needed to save money, had the stress of needing to meet a deadline for her closing, and the company absolutely failed her. While one is expected to look over the truck with a checklist beforehand for scratches and other damage to the vehicle, one is NOT expected to drive it and notice any functional issues. These companies exist for those who are not mechanics or truck drivers. The trucks come with automatic transmission, so the regular driver can use them. The customer expects and is entitled to trust the company that the vehicle is in good running condition and has solid brakes, tires, and is NOT going to be a worry to them. I've read the postings from Ryder owners and mechanics, but we are not all mechanics, which is why we trust the company to provide us with a vehicle free of problems. When we're moving, we're rushed, stressed, and have a checklist of other issues to deal with. Is it ridiculous to trust a rental truck company with a solid reputation to provide a decent vehicle? This woman had her hands full, and the amount of mechanical problems she endured is neglectful at best on the part of Ryder. The rude service she received is unacceptable. Regardless of her pets or the criticism of her self-stated trauma, this company failed her. The compensation she received is laughable. Each dealership is different, and I give those good Ryder dealers the kudos they deserve, however, the main company--the 800 number she repeatedly called--is the heart of the One-way moving center at Ryder and it is a failure. She should have been guided to the nearest Ryder dealership, been given a different truck, and offered assistance in transferring her belongings. Or she could have been brought a new truck at one of her many points of mechanical delay. She should have been comped a hotel room and a meal aside from her cash refund. Lastly, to the idea of FedExing the closing papers to her overnight: with all she was going through at the time--single woman with her daughter living through a nightmare move--that would have been the last thing on my mind. But her closing attorney also failed her there. Yes she has responsibility here, but my God, how can anyone criticize this experience and lay so much blame on her?


Michael

Waldorf,
Maryland,
U.S.A.
Ryder Truck Rental no more

#10Consumer Comment

Thu, September 23, 2004

I have rented RYDER trucks in all sizes. Many from way back in the 70's and up until my major move from Brattleboro VT to Casa Grande Az. Back in the 70's I was working forbands in the NYC area doing staging lighting and sound. The only problem I ever had was with a lift gate on one and leaving the lights on (my fault) and killing the battery. As for my move from VT to AZ it went flawless. I rented what was called a 15 foot "Family Van" it was a 15 foot truck with a penthouse over the cab and had room behind the driver with 2 jump seats. I also rented a full size tow trailer. It was only a few $$$ more then a tow dolly and it kept all 4 wheels of my 1999 Ford Escort off the road. I had it all loaded and ready to roll the night before. Good thing cause I noticed there looked like there was a short on the trailer lights. I called RYDER service and within an hour I hada service person out there. He looked at the situation and then the trailer mount. Turns out I had not properly secured the ball mount and the lights were not grounded because of this. We rehooked the trailer up and that solved the problem. The lights were nice and bright. As for the rest of the trip my ex gf and I had 2 cats a dog a parakeet and a snake. We were also making this trip in December and was aware that we could run in to bad weather. Which we did in Texas. We had the truck and our 2nd car that we switched off driving. We were ready for anything. I had a cell phone on me as well as a CB radio in the car and in the truck and FRS radios in case the CB was to noisey. I would say the only complaint I had was that the truck which was a Ford with a V-10 Triton engine had a governor on it that kept the truck from doing over 72 MPH. In most of the states I was in the speed limits were 70 and 75 MPH. The only time I was able to do so was on I-15 south from Flagstaff to Phoenix. But it was great maintaining speed going up hills. When I returned my truck to the dealer in Casa Grande the woman was all excited to see me because she had been trying to get a truck like that for a customer but did not expect it in 2 days early. She was able to get me a credit since I was early and she needed the truck. Prior to leaving on this 2400 mile trip I checked out the truck inside and out including under the hood. The truck had an oil change the week before and only had 500 miles on it since then. Other then gas and any tolls my trip was almost uneventful. That is when we got to Amerillo TX and there was a major ice storm the day before and there was a 22 mile back up. The CB radio saved my butt since I was able to take the service road and avoing the parking lot. If this person did what i did and took the time to plan out the trip I am sure most of the problems encountered would not have happened. Come on now how hard is it to see if a tire is bad. Did they do that with their own personal vehicle? If RYDER was still around I would not have any doubts about renting from them again but now I have to use Budget


Robert

Portland,
Oregon,
U.S.A.
Jack is a brainwashed at best

#11Consumer Comment

Wed, September 01, 2004

Jack, you make me sick. The Ryder customer in question came away from her experience ultimately unsatisfied and you blame her. Unfortunately there are many people like yourself these days and it's sad: sad to know there are people like you out there with a "The-customer-is-always-wrong: it's-their-own-fault" attitude. At best you've allowed yorself to become brainwashed by the corporate-controlled media into thinking that the consumer is ever on equal footing with the business from whom their trying to obtain service; more likely, you run one of these businesses and deserve to be sued regularly, just like Ryder in the complainant's case. Regarding the specifics of the case at hand: the original complainant was in no way responsible for the bald tires, non-functioning lights, gas gauge and a/c, nor for the ultimate indication of Ryder's incompetence in her experience: the broken driveshaft and the loose and warped brake pad. None of these fundamental, basic, life-threatening problems with the service received by the complainant ever should have been experienced by her - they should have been taken care of by Ryder before the customer was ever even shown the truck, and the customer has no responsibility whatsoever for them. Some of the other problems the woman experienced - the wrong size of truck for the job, not getting her closing taken care of by overnight delivery once it was clear she wouldn't make it to the closing - don't make the woman's experience her fault; they are just irrelevant to Ryder's fundamental, basic incompetence in their core business - no wonder they soon sold it to Budget and got out. I'm sorry the complainant wasn't able to find a shark of an attorney to sue the hell out Ryder over her experience; that would be my advice to anyone who goes through something similar. Businesses who take advantage of people like the complainant, and the corrupt, mendacious disingenuous rascals who stick up for these businesses, deserve to spend many expensive hours in court being sued, losing such lawsuits and otherwise being held accountable for the incompetence for which they charge handsomely to live their fraudulent lives of luxury. So, my advice in a nutshell: when you are provided a poor experience by a business whom you have paid handsomely for their products or services, get and keep your receipts and other records related to the transaction and be aggressive in negotiating a settlement for an amount of money that would allow you to forget about the whole experience. If that doesn't yield results, sue, sue, sue - either in small claims court yourself preferably or, if a larger amount of money is involved, via an attorney hired on a contingency basis. Above all, do not adopt the "Wow-I've-been-screwed-again-I-guess-I'll-just-forget-about-it" attitude that Jack and so many people like him encourage, probably for their own selfish reasons. Customers deserve to come away satisfied by the services they've paid for. They shouldn't be blamed when the businesses riping them off prove incompetent. There are many incompetent businesses out there, as any avid reader of Dilbert knows, and I like to think there's a special place in hell for them and people like Jack who encourage them to continue ripping people off.


Jack

Sarasota,
Florida,
U.S.A.
No one ever takes personal responsibility these days!

#12Consumer Suggestion

Fri, July 09, 2004

It's a sad sign of the times that no one ever admits to their being part of the problem. This woman, Jackie, takes zero responsibility for choosing the size of the truck. Hey, when in doubt get the larger truck! And, transferring to a larger truck, back to back, takes much less time than loading from your house. She could have solved this issue in a few hours, if the larger truck was available. Next, she puts dogs, cats, birds and a child in the cab of a small truck and then has the nerve to blames Ryder for their stress. She should have been pulled over by the Highway Patrol and ticketed for having too much in the cab of the truck. She not only endagered her family, but with pets and kids squirming all over, she could have killed other motorists in the eventual accident. She's lucky to be alive. Face, she's just cheap! As for the no A/C, bald tires, etc. she also doesn't take ANY responsibility. Why didn't she notice that the A/C didn't work when driving it from the dealer to her house? She could have made a U turn and traded it out. Why didn't she notice steel belts showing on the tires? She obviously didn't even do a walk around on the truck. If this woman cannot tell when tires are bald to that extent, she is a danger on the road even with her own car. The dealer who rented her the truck is some shmuck making a side income with these trucks. She should have gone to a Ryder dealer. They would never have let this truck go out the door. I recently moved from San Diego to Sarasota, Florida. I checked the one way rates by all 3 rental companies, which were all around $6500.00 and they only gave me 9 days to load, drive and unload the truck. The trucks, even though they were the largest they rent, 24 ft. all had gas engines and a loading ramp. I went online to Ebay and BOUGHT a better truck, 1999 Ford F800, Cummins diesel, 3,000 lb. Maxon liftgate. I had a mechanic go over it in minute detail, as I was going across the desert in August and going up tall mountains. The liftgate alone was worth the price of the truck. It made it so easy to load/unload. I took more than 9 days just to load the truck, so I would have been in penalty before I even hit the road. When I got to my final destination, I sold the truck and actually made a profit. But, even if I broke even or lost a thousand, it would have been worth it. I realize that not everyone has the money or the inclination to BUY a truck and have it checked out. But, people who rent a small truck, which was probably a van cab with a box screwed on the back, to move everything they own, amaze me. If she had a doubt on size she could have asked a neighbor or even got an estimate from a moving company and asked them how much space in the truck it would take. But, she chose the smaller truck to save money. Lastly, their is absolutely NO excuse for Ryder Customer Service to not help this woman when she was stuck on the road. That was pitiful. They should have directed her to the nearest direct Ryder dealer and had all items fixed. Instead, it sounds like they sent a tow truck company out to help her. Pitiful. But, remember, this woman keeps mentioning that she was behind on time because she miscalculated the time it takes to make the move. Escrow, if a loan is involved, takes at least 30 days. That was PLENTY of time to do this move. Instead, she waited and then probably declined to go to the Ryder shop on the road, because she was missing closing. Again, she put her family in danger and takes zero responsibility. Botton line: When making a move like this, rent the BEST truck you can find. Get it larger than you need. A larger truck has a larger engine. So, a half loaded large truck will probably use less fuel than a smaller truck overloaded. So, after fuel costs are factored in, she might have spent LESS money for the larger truck even if she didn't need it! Bottom line: It's scary that a woman like this with no common sense and driving rental trucks with bald tires and other unsafe issues, is driving next to me on the freeway!!! That is the real scary part!!! You've all seen this woman at one time or another. She's driving down the road wobbling all over, with a cell phone glued to her ear and putting on her makeup!


Jim

Sun City West,
Arizona,
U.S.A.
Ryder dropped the ball when this customer called about her rental vehicle breakdown

#13Consumer Comment

Mon, December 29, 2003

I suggest that Ryder dropped the ball when this customer called about her rental vehicle breakdown(s). The Ryder customer service rep should have suggested that the customer contact a local Ryder Rental rep for a solution to her problem by either replacement of the truck or a Ryder authorized service shop. I rented a Ryder International Diesel truck and will never rent a smaller unit that is gas powered for moving. The diesel had plenty of power. The one defect was in starting. The starter repeatedly failed to engage with a terrific grinding noise. I called the local rental office and was told this was "normal" and keep trying. This happened repeatedly each time I tried to start it. Upon returning the truck after completing my move from MN to AZ I reported this again and at the AZ office they also said it was a problem with International trucks?? AS to trying to keep up with traffic at 70 - 75 mph, forget it. After all this is a rental truck and I agree the governor should be set at a reasonable speed so inexperienced truck drivers will not get themselves in trouble at a speed greater than 65 mph and to prolong the life of the truck. Also there was a comment on the lack of smoothness of the ride of their rental truck. Come on, this is a truck mot a Cadillac.


Steve

Portland,
Pennsylvania,
U.S.A.
Consumer Price Vs. Service- Truck Rentals

#14Consumer Suggestion

Fri, December 12, 2003

Christian- Crongrats on the MBA and good luck on your project. However, before you spend a bunch of time I would strongly suggest you spend some time behind the counter at a truck rental agency. I do not know if you got your "demograpics" from some text book but your target market is not a fact. Try working people moving locally to retired people moving to the warm climate or back to family. The main factor is the cost!!!. The the bad customer servicve and lack of equipment is NOT acceptable to the consumer who gets stuck with it. It needs to be corrected but what will be the cost the customer is willing to pay to assure 98% availabilty.800 number/ Internet reservations at the last minute? When you do your profit plan take into consideration the Budget,Penske,and U-Haul have a combined fleet of over 1M trucks and can not meet high demand periods. I like your ides for high standards and customer service. Think about it as the limo vs. taxi market. To provide the service your thinking of- The $19.95 truck would have to be $99.95. Not to mention the One way rate would have at least tripple. I have to give you a 'E' for effort and there might be a 'NICHE' market for you. However, for the consumer who is renting a truck- Contact a LOCAL dealer Budget/Penske/U-Haul or others. After they tell you there are no trucks available do not expect a truck if you go online or call a 800 number. This goes to a call center and they do not have a cule of what trucks are available. Deal with a local dealer! You have a real person to call with a local phone number and the last thing they will do is sent you out in a junk truck, unless thry are complete idiots or crooks. I think most consumers who talk to a local dealer will know real quick if the person he/she is talking to has a clue as to be able to handle the reservation and give honest answers.


Steve

Portland,
Pennsylvania,
U.S.A.
Consumer Price Vs. Service- Truck Rentals

#15Consumer Suggestion

Fri, December 12, 2003

Christian- Crongrats on the MBA and good luck on your project. However, before you spend a bunch of time I would strongly suggest you spend some time behind the counter at a truck rental agency. I do not know if you got your "demograpics" from some text book but your target market is not a fact. Try working people moving locally to retired people moving to the warm climate or back to family. The main factor is the cost!!!. The the bad customer servicve and lack of equipment is NOT acceptable to the consumer who gets stuck with it. It needs to be corrected but what will be the cost the customer is willing to pay to assure 98% availabilty.800 number/ Internet reservations at the last minute? When you do your profit plan take into consideration the Budget,Penske,and U-Haul have a combined fleet of over 1M trucks and can not meet high demand periods. I like your ides for high standards and customer service. Think about it as the limo vs. taxi market. To provide the service your thinking of- The $19.95 truck would have to be $99.95. Not to mention the One way rate would have at least tripple. I have to give you a 'E' for effort and there might be a 'NICHE' market for you. However, for the consumer who is renting a truck- Contact a LOCAL dealer Budget/Penske/U-Haul or others. After they tell you there are no trucks available do not expect a truck if you go online or call a 800 number. This goes to a call center and they do not have a cule of what trucks are available. Deal with a local dealer! You have a real person to call with a local phone number and the last thing they will do is sent you out in a junk truck, unless thry are complete idiots or crooks. I think most consumers who talk to a local dealer will know real quick if the person he/she is talking to has a clue as to be able to handle the reservation and give honest answers.


Steve

Portland,
Pennsylvania,
U.S.A.
Consumer Price Vs. Service- Truck Rentals

#16Consumer Suggestion

Fri, December 12, 2003

Christian- Crongrats on the MBA and good luck on your project. However, before you spend a bunch of time I would strongly suggest you spend some time behind the counter at a truck rental agency. I do not know if you got your "demograpics" from some text book but your target market is not a fact. Try working people moving locally to retired people moving to the warm climate or back to family. The main factor is the cost!!!. The the bad customer servicve and lack of equipment is NOT acceptable to the consumer who gets stuck with it. It needs to be corrected but what will be the cost the customer is willing to pay to assure 98% availabilty.800 number/ Internet reservations at the last minute? When you do your profit plan take into consideration the Budget,Penske,and U-Haul have a combined fleet of over 1M trucks and can not meet high demand periods. I like your ides for high standards and customer service. Think about it as the limo vs. taxi market. To provide the service your thinking of- The $19.95 truck would have to be $99.95. Not to mention the One way rate would have at least tripple. I have to give you a 'E' for effort and there might be a 'NICHE' market for you. However, for the consumer who is renting a truck- Contact a LOCAL dealer Budget/Penske/U-Haul or others. After they tell you there are no trucks available do not expect a truck if you go online or call a 800 number. This goes to a call center and they do not have a cule of what trucks are available. Deal with a local dealer! You have a real person to call with a local phone number and the last thing they will do is sent you out in a junk truck, unless thry are complete idiots or crooks. I think most consumers who talk to a local dealer will know real quick if the person he/she is talking to has a clue as to be able to handle the reservation and give honest answers.


Steve

Portland,
Pennsylvania,
U.S.A.
Consumer Price Vs. Service- Truck Rentals

#17Consumer Suggestion

Fri, December 12, 2003

Christian- Crongrats on the MBA and good luck on your project. However, before you spend a bunch of time I would strongly suggest you spend some time behind the counter at a truck rental agency. I do not know if you got your "demograpics" from some text book but your target market is not a fact. Try working people moving locally to retired people moving to the warm climate or back to family. The main factor is the cost!!!. The the bad customer servicve and lack of equipment is NOT acceptable to the consumer who gets stuck with it. It needs to be corrected but what will be the cost the customer is willing to pay to assure 98% availabilty.800 number/ Internet reservations at the last minute? When you do your profit plan take into consideration the Budget,Penske,and U-Haul have a combined fleet of over 1M trucks and can not meet high demand periods. I like your ides for high standards and customer service. Think about it as the limo vs. taxi market. To provide the service your thinking of- The $19.95 truck would have to be $99.95. Not to mention the One way rate would have at least tripple. I have to give you a 'E' for effort and there might be a 'NICHE' market for you. However, for the consumer who is renting a truck- Contact a LOCAL dealer Budget/Penske/U-Haul or others. After they tell you there are no trucks available do not expect a truck if you go online or call a 800 number. This goes to a call center and they do not have a cule of what trucks are available. Deal with a local dealer! You have a real person to call with a local phone number and the last thing they will do is sent you out in a junk truck, unless thry are complete idiots or crooks. I think most consumers who talk to a local dealer will know real quick if the person he/she is talking to has a clue as to be able to handle the reservation and give honest answers.


Christian

Phoenix,
Arizona,
U.S.A.
No More taking people's money and comprimising their safety

#18Consumer Comment

Thu, December 11, 2003

Jackie, I can only imagine your incredible frustration as a customer whose trust has been violated. You paid a considerable amount of your hard-earned money to a company that you trusted to provide a truck that was fully functional, safe, and clean, and that would keep you and your babies and posessions safe and clean for the journey across country. Your worst fears came true, and let's thank God that no one took advantage of your vulnerability when you were broken down or in a dangerous neighborhood. Unfortunately, I believe that the probem lies within the corporate cultures and structures of both Uhaul and Ryder/Budget. I had a similarly traumatic consumer experience with Uhaul, only mine ended with the Uhaul franchisee threatening to come to my house and terrorize me and my family. Thank God that heavily tattooed, beer-breathed guy lives back where I started, and not here at school. That experience occurred alomost two years ago on my initial trip accross country to attend Business school. I wrote the CEO of Uhaul a professional letter alerting him to the ridiculous nature of my experience with their brand, and all I recieved was a typed, mass-generated postcard that basicly said we're sorry, but can't do anything for you. Jackie, I think you how I felt at that point. I am graduating with my MBA in one week from the top ranked international business school in the country. Early next week I am presenting a business plan for a direct competitior to Uhaul and Ryder/Budget to the finance, accounting, and entrepreneurship faculty of the school. What this forum highlights is the need for another player to enter the industry that will provide ultra-customer focussed service and equipment. Consumers are starved for it, deserve it, and will get it as long as consumers keep speaking about the atrocious experiences. What is wrong with the industry as it stands, is that neither of the two major players can possibly control the quality of their service because both issue franchises to anybody and everybody with spare lot space, as a secondary revenue generator. This very fact is the reason that equipment maintenance, rental customers satisfaction and safety, and brand service quality are at the bottom of each franchisee's priority list. No more having to go to the ghetto to pick up your equipment because the local Uhaul lot doesn't have your promised equipment in yet. No more playing russian rullet with your safety, time, service, and security when renting for a long haul. No more uneducated, unprofessional, rude people renting you unreliable equipment. These people can't give good service because they don't expect those kind of things for themselves. So why have them representing your brand. No more making custoomers wait at motels for 24 hours or more to save the company $50 on replacement tires, when the tires were faulty before you even left the lot originally. and so on.... The demographics don't lie. The customers of this industry are predominently young professionals. The only reason Uhaul and Ryder/Budget make you go to the Ghetto to pick up equipment is that they don't have to pay the Ghetto gas station as much to park their equipment there. I hope I get to serve you someday Jackie on your next move with your loved ones. Where one of my college graduate/intern associates in a collared shirt and kaki pants delivers your completely functional, maintained, late model, comfortable, efficient truck and trailer to your house. Then he will take good care to walk you through everything you need to know about making a safe and informed trip. For a small premium, that associate can help you load your car onto the trailer, and offer to take a few minutes to help you load some of your heavier furniture...even review with you how to best load the truck based upon what you show him you are taking, so that the truck handles as safely as possible. All of this careful, detail oriented, ultra-professional, personable service for rates that look very similar to the bankrupt competition. It is possible, way overdue, and in some form or another will be available in your major metro area very soon. So whe you see the company I have decribed, you will know where it came from. No More taking people's money and comprimising their safety and sending out into the great blue yonder to fend for themselves unexpectedly in a strange part of the world. Wish me luck.


Inga

Glenwood Springs,
Colorado,
U.S.A.
Use U-Haul instead of Ryder? You gotta be kidding!!

#19Consumer Comment

Wed, October 15, 2003

This is an interesting thread, and I had no intention of replying until I saw that someone suggested using U-Haul instead of Ryder. Now I know nothing about Ryder, except that their prices were higher then U-Haul when I checked. But I *do* know a little about U-Haul. When I had to make a long move, I rented the biggest truck U-Haul had to offer, being assured that it was plenty large enough for what we had to move -- even after I told them we had a large, upright piano and lots of books. Being a "dumb blonde," I didn't stop to check anything but appearances, including the large box for the stuff I would haul. What I *didn't* check was the size of the motor. Luckily this was a cross-border move, and we were stopped at the border because the border officials didn't like my brother who was driving. Upon brining the truck back, he reported that it was hard to manage on the road. It was clearly *way* overloaded, though there was plenty of room in the box. It appears that U-Haul puts various-sized boxes on the same chassis with the same motors. The truck was seriously under-equipped to handle the box attached to it when fully loaded. I would never try to use U-Haul again for moving a whole household. It's fine for moving an item or two across town, but don't try to use their trucks for moving anything heavy.


Jackie

Bremerton,
Washington,
U.S.A.
I pray for your Ryder Renters

#20Author of original report

Tue, October 14, 2003

I am the lady from the original rip off report. Just reading all of your consumer comments make me cringe. Yes the suggestion of hire a professional was an after thought but I really thought I was saving money and time. I was assured that 7 days tops is what it would take. And to those who own a ryder businesses, you do sound more professional than my dealer was. Trust me, there is no way that I wanted to put myself nor my daughter through what we went through. I believe that these truck rental businesses are getting away with murder. They are slipping through the cracks. Just remember our stories if you even consider renting a Ryder truck again. Many thanks to the Rip Off Reports. Settled in Washington


Craig

Ukiah,
California,
U.S.A.
Another bad experience with Ryder

#21Consumer Comment

Mon, October 13, 2003

I wanted to comment that Ryder gave me a horribly maintained, unsafe 24' truck. No lights worked in the cab - including the dash! No telling how much gas was left or what speed I was going after dark. Customer service was abysmal. The truck jumped like a bucking bronco whenever the road had any uneveness, particularly the cement highways which have a faint "scalloping". I could not believe how bad this was. But what choice did I have? It took six hours with seven people to load this beast of a truck and, by all accounts, 24 foot trucks were hard to come by, so where could I get a replacement? I did manage to wrangle that thing over 600 miles in two days, but it was not an experience that I would ever want to duplicate. The battery went dead at one point (don't run the tailgate lift too much without the engine being on -- a pointer that no one bothered to tell me, nor was it on the printed guidelines that I was given with the truck . I read those carefully). Ryder would not send someone out to jump start the truck. Thank god for AAA! The people who rented us the truck were unknowledgable and unhelpful. In fact, the point of contact guy called the very day we were to pick up the truck to say that the truck was not available because I had not reserved it in time (I had reserved it five weeks in advance). I spoke with four people via the 800 number -- only one was helpful. The others had bad attitudes or were nice enough but incompetent. I will not rent from Ryder again. They showed themselves to be poorly organized, poorly trained and poorly maintained. If you have a big move, pay a bit more and get a U-Haul or some other reputable company. It will be money well-spent.


Terr

Wheeling,
West Virginia,
U.S.A.
Be responsible...hire a professional

#22Consumer Comment

Fri, July 25, 2003

Ryder,Budget,and U-Hual are ment for local , less than a 1000 mile moves. Taking a child or animals on a trip longer than this causes great stress on both. As i drive these great highways of ours, i'm truckdriver, i see numerous accidents,several deadly,that these rental units are involved in. Whether its equipment failure or driver error,speeding the main cause,is it worth your family's life? I think not. The cost of a Proffessional company is alot cheaper than the headaches or the loss of life. Check the pros and cons of the rental and the Professional for yourself. I to moved from Washington state to West Virginia and i used aprofessional not a rental. Please America, Slow Down !!!!


Rae

Austin,
Texas,
U.S.A.
Another Bad Experience

#23Consumer Comment

Fri, January 17, 2003

Obviously Ryder has gotten worse with the Budget merger. My boyfriend rented a truck and 1. Got a smaller size than ordered 2. Two rear tires blew and it took over 18 hours for repairs 3. The truck leaked damaging his belongings. Coupled with that, the man who is the Ryder representative leasing the truck never knew anything when asked questions, never offered to compensate for the difference in the price of the larger truck reserved (and paid for) and the smaller truck provided and finally when formal complaints were made to Ryder all they said was, oh we're sorry and please let us give you $65 for all your grief and trouble. Terrible way to do business and treat people.


SCOTT

ERIE,
Pennsylvania,
U.S.A.
RYDER IS ALLRIGHT

#24Consumer Comment

Thu, January 16, 2003

I RENTED A TRUCK AND TRAILER A COUPLE YEARS AGO TO MOVE TO ARKANSAS FROM PENNSYLVANIA THEY ASKED ME HOW MUCH ARE YOU MOVING? I TOLD THEM THEY SUGGESETED THE NEXT SIZE TRUCK. I DID THAT AND IT WAS MORE THAN ENOUGH. I WISH THE TRUCK HAD CRUISE CONTROL BUT OTHER THAN THAT IT WAS GOOD. I MOVED BACK A FEW MONTHS LATER AND I HAD CRUISE CONTROL AND THE ONLY DRAWBACK WAS SLOW GOING UP HILLS BUT HEY PEOPLE ITS A TRUCK PULLING A TRAILER ITS NOT GONNA MOVE LIKE YOUR JEEP CHEROKKE BY ITSELF.... I AM A MECHANIC BY TRADE I KNOW FIRST HAND HOW YOU CAN LOOK AT A VEHICLE TODAY AND SOMETHING BREAKS TOMMORROW. IF YOU ARE SQUIMISH AND AFRAID .....HIRE A MOVER DOO DOO HAPPENS RYDER IS NOT TO BLAME FOR TRAUMATIZING CATS AND BIRDS WHATEVER CMON LETS ACCEPT RESPONSABILITY HERE. MAYBE YOU ARENT THE DO IT YOUR SELF MOVER YOU SCREWED UP A TIRE WENT BAD (IT HAPPENS) OVERHEATED ON A MOUNTAIN MMMMMM (IT HAPPENS) AN OPPORTUNITTY TO SPEND SOME TIME WITH THE DAUGHTER AND PETS.... OK SEE YA scott


Bryan

Colorado Springs,
Colorado,
U.S.A.
Not all Ryder dealers are bad...

#25Consumer Comment

Tue, January 07, 2003

We recently rented a 24ft truck off Budget's website for a one way move from MI to CO. The truck was the familiar bright yellow w/ the RYDER logo. The renting dealer was very helpful and even threw in extra miles at no charge when I explained that the route we were taking was going to cut things a little close to the allotted miles. The truck was clean and well maintained... the only complaint I have is the speed governer being set at 65MPH since I was driving thru states that had 70 and 75MPH speed limits. Had absolutely no problems... The receiving dealer noted on my contract closed ridiculously early, so I contacted another nearby budget/ryder dealer who informed me I was welcome to return the truck to ANY location in the area and he'd be happy to take it. The dropoff was fast and painless, and the security deposit was refunded to my credit card without a problem. I would definitely use Ryder again. They were much less expensive than a mover or even one of the UPACK WE DRIVE places like Movex, Boxtrotters and ABF. However, if you are inexperienced with trucks or will be driving in inclement weather (bad snow storms, etc) do everyone a favor and pay someone else to move you or have someone experienced do the driving for you.


Diane

Metaline,
Washington,
Ryder Truck Rentals

#26Consumer Comment

Tue, November 05, 2002

We rented the largest truck Ryder offered, along with a trailer to haul a full-sized pickup from Northern Nevada to the very Northeast corner of Washington in 2001. The trailer was a bit lacking in length, as the rear tires of the pickup were half-on and half-off the trailer, but we used a come-along or some-such thing that kept the truck on the trailer. The Ryder truck made a banging noise under the dash every mile of the way, but it ran just fine, everything worked and we had absolutely no problems whatsoever, thank God. Going up and down some big, winding mountains with these kinds of loads can be a little nerve-wracking. When I first arranged to rent the truck, YES, I had to specify how many rooms worth of furniture we would be moving; we had to have the biggest truck and the biggest trailer - we had no choice - even tho we really needed a longer trailer... This wasn't the first time I'd rented a Ryder, and all previous rentals went without a hitch as well. I am disappointed they've gone to Budget, because I'll likely be needing to move again, but I'll probably use a Budget truck, considering the documentary I've seen on TV regarding U-Haul trucks... To the lady who filed the initial report, it sounds like your experience was quite an education not only for yourself, but for so many others who care to do a little research first and hopefully come across this website.


Diane

Metaline,
Washington,
Ryder Truck Rentals

#27Consumer Comment

Tue, November 05, 2002

We rented the largest truck Ryder offered, along with a trailer to haul a full-sized pickup from Northern Nevada to the very Northeast corner of Washington in 2001. The trailer was a bit lacking in length, as the rear tires of the pickup were half-on and half-off the trailer, but we used a come-along or some-such thing that kept the truck on the trailer. The Ryder truck made a banging noise under the dash every mile of the way, but it ran just fine, everything worked and we had absolutely no problems whatsoever, thank God. Going up and down some big, winding mountains with these kinds of loads can be a little nerve-wracking. When I first arranged to rent the truck, YES, I had to specify how many rooms worth of furniture we would be moving; we had to have the biggest truck and the biggest trailer - we had no choice - even tho we really needed a longer trailer... This wasn't the first time I'd rented a Ryder, and all previous rentals went without a hitch as well. I am disappointed they've gone to Budget, because I'll likely be needing to move again, but I'll probably use a Budget truck, considering the documentary I've seen on TV regarding U-Haul trucks... To the lady who filed the initial report, it sounds like your experience was quite an education not only for yourself, but for so many others who care to do a little research first and hopefully come across this website.


Diane

Metaline,
Washington,
Ryder Truck Rentals

#28Consumer Comment

Tue, November 05, 2002

We rented the largest truck Ryder offered, along with a trailer to haul a full-sized pickup from Northern Nevada to the very Northeast corner of Washington in 2001. The trailer was a bit lacking in length, as the rear tires of the pickup were half-on and half-off the trailer, but we used a come-along or some-such thing that kept the truck on the trailer. The Ryder truck made a banging noise under the dash every mile of the way, but it ran just fine, everything worked and we had absolutely no problems whatsoever, thank God. Going up and down some big, winding mountains with these kinds of loads can be a little nerve-wracking. When I first arranged to rent the truck, YES, I had to specify how many rooms worth of furniture we would be moving; we had to have the biggest truck and the biggest trailer - we had no choice - even tho we really needed a longer trailer... This wasn't the first time I'd rented a Ryder, and all previous rentals went without a hitch as well. I am disappointed they've gone to Budget, because I'll likely be needing to move again, but I'll probably use a Budget truck, considering the documentary I've seen on TV regarding U-Haul trucks... To the lady who filed the initial report, it sounds like your experience was quite an education not only for yourself, but for so many others who care to do a little research first and hopefully come across this website.


Diane

Metaline,
Washington,
Ryder Truck Rentals

#29Consumer Comment

Tue, November 05, 2002

We rented the largest truck Ryder offered, along with a trailer to haul a full-sized pickup from Northern Nevada to the very Northeast corner of Washington in 2001. The trailer was a bit lacking in length, as the rear tires of the pickup were half-on and half-off the trailer, but we used a come-along or some-such thing that kept the truck on the trailer. The Ryder truck made a banging noise under the dash every mile of the way, but it ran just fine, everything worked and we had absolutely no problems whatsoever, thank God. Going up and down some big, winding mountains with these kinds of loads can be a little nerve-wracking. When I first arranged to rent the truck, YES, I had to specify how many rooms worth of furniture we would be moving; we had to have the biggest truck and the biggest trailer - we had no choice - even tho we really needed a longer trailer... This wasn't the first time I'd rented a Ryder, and all previous rentals went without a hitch as well. I am disappointed they've gone to Budget, because I'll likely be needing to move again, but I'll probably use a Budget truck, considering the documentary I've seen on TV regarding U-Haul trucks... To the lady who filed the initial report, it sounds like your experience was quite an education not only for yourself, but for so many others who care to do a little research first and hopefully come across this website.


Clyde

Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania,
Great exerience with Ryder

#30Consumer Comment

Mon, August 12, 2002

I rented a large (24'?) Ryder truck with a trailer for my move from James York Texaco in Williamsburg VA to Pittsburgh, PA in November, 2001. The trailer was not there at my pick up time, but they assured me they would call at the time it arrived. They did call 4 hours later, reimbursed me for the gas back and forth (50 miles total), gave me an extra mileage allowance, didn't charge me at all for the trailer (saved about $100), threw in free blankets for packing, and were very understanding when I wasn't too happy for the delay. I think the anger of a lot of these comments should be aimed towards the place of rental. I am sure they have a little bit of pull to the main company. The whole staff at James York Texaco was helpful and understanding and made some of the calls themselves. I can still recommend Ryder as a move of about 400 miles cost me less than $200 plus gas of course.


Stefan

Phoenix,
Arizona,
similar experience with Ryder Truck

#31Consumer Comment

Fri, July 19, 2002

I agree that Ryder was not responsible for the wrong size of a truck. We moved in June/99 from Savannah, Ga to Phoenix, Az and rented a 15ft truck. Somewhere in the swamps of Louisiana the engine failed and we (my 7 year old son and my wife) had to walk several miles along I-10 accompanied by a claud of mosquitos to the next rest area- that was fun ! We called Ryders 1-800 number and after 2 hours a mechanic appeared who said, "I thought it was a Ford truck, I brought the wrong parts...) After another hour he returned with the right fuel filter and fixed the truck. After 2 minutes he disappeared and we continued our trip. About 1 mile later the truck broke down again. Again we walked back to the rest area to make our phone call. This time I was really fed up with the company and advised that the truck was sitting in the middle of the Freeway on a bridge and that I was not able to guarantee that it wouldn't be a hazard for the traffic. Within 15 minutes the cops and a towing truck appeared. The truck was towed to a repare shop where they told us that some of the rear tires where worn out to the steel belt. We informed Ryder about this but they were not able to change the bad tires and we had to risk to continue our trip knowing that the tires could blow anytime because we could not wait another week until someone would bring a new tire, we had to arrive in Phoenix at a certain day and we had already lost 2 days.


Chet

Glendale,
Arizona,
No Problems with Ryder

#32Consumer Comment

Wed, July 10, 2002

I moved from Dallas to Phoenix about 6 months ago , in a 15 footer with a tow dolley and my car attached. The truck was loaded to the gills and my car even had some stuff in it. I had absolutely no problems, I had no experience with a tow dolly, but followed the written instructions provided , and only had to "cinch her up" a time or two at gas stops. At the occasional rest stop I would check it also , and I crested several mountain ranges by the way. It was not difficult to drive, got adequate gas mileage based on the load and conditions. I have no complaints, and the price was much better than the competition...I can, however relate to poor service...everyone has kind of skipped over that, and I can testify to how some people treat females. Based on the situations this person was put in...she got some sorry service on her trip and really pitiful response to her concerns. I am glad that nothing happened on my trip , so that I did not have to encounter anything such as she did, I would not have taken it as good. Having said all that it probably was an isolated incident and I dont think Ryder in general should be faulted or ignored as a good method of moving one's goods.


j

BRANDON,
Florida,
SUGGESTIONS FOR YOUR NEXT TRUCK RENTAL

#33Consumer Suggestion

Thu, June 20, 2002

I HAVE MANAGED A RYDER TRUCK LOCATION FOR ABOUT 10 YEARS AND I WOULD LIKE TO OFFER SOME ADVICE TO HELP YOU AVOID ANY PROBLEMS WITH YOUR NEXT RENTAL 1. MAKE A COMPLETE AND DETAILED LIST INCLUDING MEASUREMENTS OF LARGER ITEMS.AGENTS CAN ONLY ACCURATELY DETERMINE THE SIZE WITH ACCURATE INFO. YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING THE FINAL DECISION ON WHAT SIZE TRUCK YOU NEED. 2.ALLOW YOURSELF PLENTY OFF TIME. A RENTAL FROM FL TO WASHINGTON INCLUDES 12 DAYS. ADDITIONAL DAYS MAYBE PURCHASED INADVANCE AT A DISCOUNTED RATE. 3.ONCE LOADED STOP AT THE SCALES AND GET WEIGHED! THE GROSS MAX WEIGHT LOAD IS USUALLY LISTED ON THE DOOR OR IN THE MANUAL. IF YOU'RE OVER LOADED YOU COULD CAUSE DAMAGE TO THE THE TRUCK, END UP ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, AND HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DAMAGES. 4.NEVER LET ANY AGENT KNOW YOU TRANSPORTED PETS! THIS MAYBE WHY HER COMPENSATION WASN'T HIGHER. IT'S STATED INSIDE THE RENTAL AGREEMENT IT'S NOT ALLOWED AND MAY COST YOU A CLEANING FEE. ONCE A GUY HAD 2 CATS URINATE ON THE INTERIOR AND IT WON'T COME OUT!HIS BILL $400 5.IF YOU ARE NOT EXPERIENCED WITH DRIVING A TRUCK ECSPECIALLY WITH A TRAILER YOU MAY WANT TO CONSIDER OTHER OPTIONS. YOU ARE ENDANGERING YOURSELF,& FAMILY AND EVERYONE ON THE ROAD. DRIVING A TRUCK IS A BIG RESPONSIBILITY!! I HAVE ALWAYS KNOW RYDER TO SWAP LOADS AT NO EXPENSE TO THE CUSTOMER, UNLESS THE CUSTOMER HAS CAUSED THE DAMAGE. I HAVE TO SAY I DON'T KNOW THE WHOLE STORY, BUT I DO THINK THIS CUSTOMER HAD SOME RESPONSIBILTY TO HER OWN SITUATION.I KNOW THE MERGER WITH BUDGET HAS HAD SOME PROBLEMS, BUT I WOULD NOT RENT TRUCKS ON A DAILY BASIS IF I MYSELF WOULD NOT TAKE THEM ON THE ROAD.


karla

avondale,
Arizona,
planning

#34Consumer Comment

Thu, March 14, 2002

I have read almost all of the Rip-Off Reports and the Rebuttals and I have come to this conclusion: How many of us reserve more than 1 moving truck, JUST IN CASE ONE BREAKS DOWN?!That's not planning, that's wanting what you paid for.I know that I myself cannot afford to rent 2 moving trucks at a cost of $800 to $1000 apiece! I know if I pay hundreds of dollars for a rental truck, I am counting on the truck being able to move me and my belongings the entire way. IS THAT WRONG? I am planning to move my family to Iowa from Arizona and am thankful that I happened upon this site while looking for moving trucks. I will not even look at renting a Ryder truck now, because I don't want to be sitting on the side of the road and not have anyone to rely on for help at that company. Thank you.


karla

avondale,
Arizona,
planning

#35Consumer Comment

Thu, March 14, 2002

I have read almost all of the Rip-Off Reports and the Rebuttals and I have come to this conclusion: How many of us reserve more than 1 moving truck, JUST IN CASE ONE BREAKS DOWN?!That's not planning, that's wanting what you paid for.I know that I myself cannot afford to rent 2 moving trucks at a cost of $800 to $1000 apiece! I know if I pay hundreds of dollars for a rental truck, I am counting on the truck being able to move me and my belongings the entire way. IS THAT WRONG? I am planning to move my family to Iowa from Arizona and am thankful that I happened upon this site while looking for moving trucks. I will not even look at renting a Ryder truck now, because I don't want to be sitting on the side of the road and not have anyone to rely on for help at that company. Thank you.


karla

avondale,
Arizona,
planning

#36Consumer Comment

Thu, March 14, 2002

I have read almost all of the Rip-Off Reports and the Rebuttals and I have come to this conclusion: How many of us reserve more than 1 moving truck, JUST IN CASE ONE BREAKS DOWN?!That's not planning, that's wanting what you paid for.I know that I myself cannot afford to rent 2 moving trucks at a cost of $800 to $1000 apiece! I know if I pay hundreds of dollars for a rental truck, I am counting on the truck being able to move me and my belongings the entire way. IS THAT WRONG? I am planning to move my family to Iowa from Arizona and am thankful that I happened upon this site while looking for moving trucks. I will not even look at renting a Ryder truck now, because I don't want to be sitting on the side of the road and not have anyone to rely on for help at that company. Thank you.


I don't feel it is Ryder's fault ..

#370

Mon, December 17, 2001

They filed the following rebuttal to the above Rip-Off Report:

Their email: [email protected]
Their name: Heather

Their relationship to the company: Supporter

Rebuttal:
Everyone keeps saying "why not take it to a Ryder local repair rather than handling it over the phone?" I must say, as far as I know, a vehicle cannot be driven when the brakes are not functioning, or when the steering is not functioning, or when it is overheated. So ofcourse she had the right idea and called the 1-800 number she was provided with when renting the truck. Also, if traveling cross country, I wouldn't expect her to know
where all of the "local" Ryder services are located in all of the many areas she broke down in.

I do agree with the editor's note that Ryder always asks it's customers how many rooms a person is moving. However, I don't feel it is Ryder's fault that the truck was too small. I'm sure they would have replaced it with a larger truck had she had time to notify them
of the problem. But on the matter of service problems and breaking down, I feel she paid 100% of the cost of renting the truck...she should have been given 100% functionality of the truck and since the company ofcourse, cannot tell when it's vehicles will faulter, she should have been given another truck or been reimbursed completely for her troubles.


any other mover could have saved them from this calamity

#380

Fri, December 14, 2001

They filed the following rebuttal to the above Rip-Off Report:

Their email: [email protected]

Their relationship to the company: Consumer Suggestion

Rebuttal:
Sounds like the proffesional mover idea would have solved all your problems. I see self-movers in nightmare situations all the time on the road. I drive a truck for a living and always feel sorry for people in the "Ryders and U-Hauls". Last year I saw a U-Haul on it's side up in Wyoming in the snowstorm from hell. All the cargo was trashed and the passenger was being carted away in an ambulance. United Van Lines or any other mover
could have saved them from this calamity.


Ryder Systems, Inc. sold the one-way division to Budget, Inc.

#390

Fri, November 30, 2001

They filed the following rebuttal to the above Rip-Off Report:

Their email: [email protected]
Their name: Earl Lewis

Their relationship to the company: Advocate

Rebuttal:
I think it is important to note that Ryder Systems, Inc. sold the one-way division to Budget, Inc. Yes, the same Budget as your airport car rental location. While I believe that Ryder showed poor judgement by licensing the name to Budget, I think it is unfair to categorically label Ryder as a rip-off. If the consumer wants to feel 'sick to her stomach' it would be
better reserved for Budget trucks and cars.


Consumer Suggestion ..i used to work for Ryder before becoming a cop

#400

Tue, August 21, 2001

This email is a rebuttal to RipOff #1453.
It was sent by tim at [email protected].

RYDER Truck rental - No customer Service - Not Safe & Rip-off *REBUTTAL *Consumer Suggestion (#1453)

They filed the following rebuttal to the above Rip-Off Report:

Their email: [email protected]
Their name: tim
Their phone number: @Rebuttal_Phone@
Their relationship to the company: Consumer Suggestion

Rebuttal:
i used to work for Ryder before becoming a cop.

i agree, Rdyer's not to blame for the size truck she ordered. also, she should have gone into a regular location that has the repair shop. if Ryder still works the same as before, it works like this: Each location has its own vehicles for local rentals. Those are assigned there and must be returned there.

The cross county, one way rentals are handled by the One Way division. Since they go all over the country they are serviced by the local shops (not the rent from gas station locations). when a One Way rental unit comes into a local shop, that shop gets to charge the One Way Division at a premium rate (not the renter). we loved having those One Way trucks come into our shop, we actually got to make a profit on the repair, so we would look for things to fix on them. The reason that was
done by Ryder, was to make sure all locations would want to keep these One Way units in top condition, instead of blowing them off, since they have no home base for maintenance or repair.

Trucks do break down and wear out, also since most renters are not professional truck drivers the trucks get driven hard, and often improperly, so things can and will go wrong. i had one renter come in complaining about what lousy gas milage he was getting driving across country. instead of going to the first shop like he should have, he continued to pour gas into the truck and nurse it into our shop (his destination). I popped the hood and readily saw it had a fuel line leak.

Although HIS neglect by not having it fixed caused him to use more fuel than he should have, I took him into the office and we adjusted his bill to cover the extra money he spent on gas. and more than once when a truck did break down, I, with other coworks unloaded their belongings into another truck (no extra charge to the customer).

I haven't rented a truck in awhile, but I still tell people that Ryder was always way ahead of the competiton in keeping the trucks running well. If they were just renting locally they could go shop around for the cheapest rate, cause if one of those trucks broke down it wasn't a major disaster, but for a long distance move go to Ryder cause they were the best, and
would stand behind their trucks.

Also, as with ALL TRUCK AND CAR RENTALS thoroughly and COMPLETELY check out ANY truck before renting it. Has she done so she would have seen the tires were bad. You don't have to be a mechanic to see bald tires. Next, if the truck or car looks seedy, or obviously runs poorly, don't accept it. Look for leaking fluids, broken body parts. (you can be charged for
those if they haven't already been listed on the contract. demand that all damage be added on the check out sheet) Check out the rental place BEFORE you rent. Is the dealership seedy, are the trucks and cars sitting around the lot in good shape? Is the place and the trucks clean inside and out? Do the employees seem to know their stuff, or is renting trucks and cars just their sideline?

And at least with Ryder, I always prefer to rent right from the Ryder main location in town instead of a gas station setup. Again, at the main shop you have the mechanics right there, and are the ones responsible for keeping them going (again at a PREMIUM profit). Whereas, at a satellite location they might tend to want to keep renting and put off repairs until they are slow and the trucks are idle.

also, like any business if you move during peak seasons there may not be any back-up trucks sitting around for you to use, and you may have to wait for a replacement, and that is true with any rental company.

Also, as with any business if the person you are talking to is not helping, stay polite, and just say "Let me talk to your supervisor." and keep going up the ladder until somebody helps you. i once had to go through FOUR superiors at a mail-order prescription company until i had one that that heard my story once, and i didn't have to argue. I explained what i wanted and why and she said "I can do that."

its been a while since i worked for Ryder, so at least that's how they ran things "way back when"!


Ryder certainly deserves some criticism for renting such a poorly-maintained vehicle, ...but..

#410

Fri, June 08, 2001

This email is a rebuttal to RipOff #1453.
It was sent by Larry B. at [email protected].

RYDER Truck rental - No customer Service - Not Safe & Rip-off *REBUTTAL (#1453)

They filed the following rebuttal to the above Rip-Off Report:

Their email: [email protected]
Their name: Larry B.

Their relationship to the company: Consumer Suggestion

Rebuttal:
I have no experience with Ryder, but I have had a lot of experience with moving myself long distances.

This a customer who failed to plan.

She failed to allow any time for problems on a cross-country trip in a rented moving truck with pets, birds, and child. (Yeah, what could possibly go wrong under those circumstances?) She had no back-up plan at all.

As to the problems she encountered with calling customer service, I cannot help but wonder how many Ryder Truck rental dealers she passed along the way. Did it ever occur to her to let someone at one of these dealers look at this vehicle instead of trying to describe problems over the phone?

The customer also seems to fail to understand her responsibilities. She blames Ryder because she did not rent a big enough truck. She blames Ryder because they would not unload and reload trucks for her. And she blames Ryder because she missed closing on her home. (I am unaware of any legal requirement that a person be in a particular place on a particular date to close on a house; she could have had the papers Fedexed.)

Ryder certainly deserves some criticism for renting such a
poorly-maintained vehicle. And it sounds like their customer service leaves a lot to be desired, although I strongly suspect that they advised the customer to take the vehicle to a dealer for inspection. But Ryder did at least make some offer to compensate the customer for her troubles.


I really have no complaints against ryder.

#420

Wed, May 30, 2001

This email is a rebuttal to RipOff #1453.
It was sent by Jim Watson at [email protected].

RYDER Truck rental - No customer Service - Not Safe & Rip-off (#1453)

They filed the following rebuttal to the above Rip-Off Report:

Their email: [email protected]
Their name: Jim Watson

Their relationship to the company: Consumer Suggestion

Rebuttal:
I had a good experience with the one I rented from upstate NY to IN. I really have no complaints against ryder. Also, how would ryder know what size of truck to rent you if they never saw what you had to haul?

:::::::EDitors NOTE:
When anyone rents a truck, will always ask what are you hauling.
If its a house full of furniture they will always ask, how many rooms of furniture.

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