U-Haul - one-way rental on 1/13/03 from Joes Tire Service, Kermit, TX , returned 1/15/03 to Tinley-Tee Tire Co., Deming, NM - overcharged for mileage

Complaints.com received the following consumer follow-up message on February 12, 2003:

From: Avalon [Email User]

RE: U-Haul makes amends

good news to report. last month i sent MY experience w/ u-haul trying to overcharge me $l43.31 OVER what they should have and claiming i'd put a good 300 'extra' miles on their truck. well, the letter i sent their corporate headquarters (AND the Attorney General of NM) paid off. got a call jan 30 from nice man in their regional office, abilene, tx. who agreed it was most unlikely that a 60 yo lady put more than the claimed 433 miles on their truck since it was only in my possession a mere 48 HOURS total and i had to load and unload the truck in that time-frame as well as drive from imperial, tx to deming, nm they refunded my $l00.00 'deposit' they'd intended to keep and said forget the $43.41 'overage charge' for mileage NOT driven. so, i can once again recommend u-haul - equipment was EXCELLENT and all went well once this was resolved properly. BUT if anyone uses them, be SURE to keep careful track of your own odometer readings and better still, 'test-check' it against an area where you KNOW how many miles you've driven ~! avalon bruce

Complaints.com received the following consumer message on January 22, 2003:

From: Avalon [Email User] RE: U-Haul - one-way rental on 1/13/03 from Joes Tire Service, Kermit, TX , returned 1/15/03 to Tinley-Tee Tire Co., Deming, NM - overcharged for mileage

Avalon Bruce

Deming, NM 88030

January 22, 2003 Customer Service Dept.

U-Haul Corporation

P. O. Box 21502

Phoenix, AZ 85036 RE: Complaint, contract no. 00000218; one-way rental on 1/13/03 from Joes Tire Service, Kermit, TX , returned 1/15/03 to Tinley-Tee Tire Co., Deming, NM by Avalon Bruce Dear People: Per the current Rand McNally road atlas, it is 363 miles from Imperial, TX, pop. 200, to Deming, NM, pop l5,000. On Tuesday, January 14, I drove this distance, by myself, in just under eight (8) in one of your l7 ft. trucks, pulling an auto transport trailer with my 1987 Mazda on it. I was, in error, charged for some 740 miles and informed that instead of receiving my $l00.00 cash deposit BACK (for having the equipment returned on time and in clean condition), I was being charged an additional $l43.13 for the "extra miles" reflected on the speedometer. This equipment was reserved for pick-up on Monday, Jan. l3th in Monahans, TX, some 28 miles from my home. When the man operating that U-Haul location could not be reached, by myself or your agent in the regional office in Abilene, TX, she was able to locate what was requested in Kermit, TX, an additional 22 miles from Monahans, where my neighbor and I went to get the equipment.

We left Imperial at or around l0:00 am, drove through light fog the 50 miles, waited half an hour for the U-Haul agent in Kermit, paid $475.10 cash for the equipment (this included the $l00.00 "deposit"), loaded my car and returned home, arriving in Imperial around 2:00 p.m. where we loaded the truck that afternoon and evening. For the extra drive from Monahans to Kermit, I was "given" credit for 40 miles. Since there was light fog Tuesday, I didn't leave home until after 9:00 am CST, filled up with gas in Imperial, visited with my minister at the gas station, drove to Ft. Stockton, 30 miles West and started our trip around l0:00 am when the fog had burned off. We arrived in Deming around 5:30 pm MST, having stopped twice, once to eat and once for gas. I am a single mother, age 59, with a 20-year old disabled daughter and this move was to relocate her into a HUD apartment for the handicapped, here in Deming. Our only income is $580.00 a month in social security for her. I had saved money for two months for this move, which was quoted to me as being $253.00 for a l7' truck, $79.00 for the auto transport and a $l00.00 refundable "deposit" for 363 miles. It is humanly, PHYSICALLY impossible for me to have driven the 740 miles you are claiming, thus accusing me of lying. In a day's time, it was all I could do to drive the actual 363 miles, having injured my back, lifting, in preparation for this move. What REALLY happened, is either a) the speedometer on the truck I used was set to record almost TWO miles for every ONE mile driven, and/or b) your computers are also "programmed" to calculate more miles for U-Haul equipment than that for which it is actually used. However this miscalculation came about, an error has been made on your part, and it needs to be rectified. Granted, I made a mistake in NOT checking the mileage on the odometer myself in Kermit, but I was under tremendous stress, physically, financially and emotionally. Also, I grew up in a time when people (and especially those running a large business with a reputation to maintain, such as U-Haul) were honest. However, YOU have made a mistake or error, in your calculations, and I am hereby requesting a total refund of MY money, the $143.13 you have overcharged me, less $4.00 for the additional 10 miles I drove at $.40 per mile, or a total REFUND due me of $139.31. Your prompt attention to this matter and requested refund are appreciated. Yours truly, (Ms.) Avalon Bruce

cc: Mr. Joe Shoen, CEO U-Haul Corp.

Attorney General, State of New Mexico