October 2018 by Kelly C.
Buyer beware of U-Boxes! I would strongly advise anyone NOT to use U-Boxes for storage/moving. Since I wasn't sure when or where I was going to be moving permanently, I did research on several similar products from different companies, I chose U-Boxes because it seemed like they were going to be both the most economical and practical option. I could not have been more wrong. According to U-Haul's website, you can use self-delivery for the boxes and rent a U-Haul pick-up truck if you don't have one of your own. When I reserved my U-Boxes, I requested a pick-up truck as well for that purpose. The morning I went to pick up my U-Boxes (which I had to pick up and return one at a time because even though the website says they have double trailers, the store refused to get one for me), I was unhappily surprised to find it hooked up to a 15ft box truck and was charged twice as much for it even though I had requested a pick-up truck. When I was finally ready to move the boxes, I was told that they did not deliver them to my new location even though there is no radius or conditions mentioned for this option on the website nor in any paperwork I received. I also hadn't been informed nor seen anywhere on the website until my stuff was in a U-Box that they had to be returned to the same store, not any U-Haul location, further complicating my plans. When I was finally able to find someone with a pick-up truck who was willing to help, I had to convince the U-Haul representatives that a double trailer was necessary, so I didn't have the make the 1.5 hour trip 4 times to retrieve and return the U-Boxes. The day after I had scheduled a pick up time and confirmed the pick-up truck's weight pulling capability, I received a call from the U-Haul manager at that store who insisted that we MUST use a 15 foot box truck instead of a pick-up truck because it had to have the capability to pull 15,000 pounds (even though the max weight for a U-Box is 2,000 pounds....). Despite the fact that there are multiple images of personal SUVs, trucks and even cars being used on U-Haul's website, she was not going to let us use our own and was going to charge $99 for use to use the box truck. The day before pick up, I received yet another call from the same U-Haul store, but a different representative who told me that our truck was fine to use. We were able to pick up the U-Boxes without a problem, but after unloading one, we opened the other to find that the orange advertisement cover was on backwards. After unhooking the box and dragging the cover off of the entire box, we were finally able to access the door on the opposite side. I do not usually leave negative reviews and am understanding in most circumstances, but I cannot express how disappointed I am with this experience. The website claims, "The best part about using U-Box containers for a move or as a portable storage solution is you have the flexibility and control to plan the perfect move". I could not disagree more. I will never use or recommend U-Boxes again. In the midst of this mess, I talked to at least 10 different representatives at U-Box control center, a central state office, and several regional stores, and all of the employees (except 1) were very friendly and I truly do not believe were intentionally provided inaccurate or inconsistent communication. U-Haul needs to improve their communication and be more up-front with both customers and employees about U-Boxes. The website makes them sounds like a great option but lacks many important details.
