Joe Michaels
Diamond
- Joined
- Apr 3, 2004
- Location
- Shandaken, NY, USA
Some of us have had to rent vans or trucks to move machine tools and shop equipment. Recently, while not a move of machine tools or shop equipment, we moved our son's household effects from our garage to his apartment down in Maryland. During the hiatus between our son finishing law school and starting his first job, our garage became the repository for his apartment contents. We had moved his stuff during the summer months in a few trips with my Tacoma pickup. With his first job as an attorney down in Maryland starting in the winter months, and needing to make the move all in one trip, I rented a van. This little tale is a cautionary note and kind of funny.
I initially did the obvious and checked with UHaul. Their rates were ridiculously high. I then called Penske and got an even higher quote. I called a couple of the local car rental places in Kingston, NY (our nearest 'big town'). I was told I'd have to drive to either Albany or Newburgh to pick up and return their rental trucks or vans, and the quoted some sky-high rates. I had read mixed reviews about Budget truck rentals, but they have a location in Kingston, NY. I called Budget, reserved a 12 foot truck (enclosed cargo body), and figured we were good to go.
A few days before the rental pickup, I called Budget. I got the same man I'd made the reservation with. Only problem was the poor guy was in the ICU, having suffered a heart attack, and was taking calls on his cell phone from his bed there. He assured me his son would be on the scene if he was unable to be there. I asked where the rental location was, and was told it was on the parking lot of Mr. Patel's bowling alley, rental office inside the bowling alley.
On the day to pick up the rental truck, we called ahead and the fellow- now out of the ICU- told me the 12 foot truck I'd reserved had not come back from the previous rental. He asked if I could take a van instead. He explained these were higher capacity vans, on the order of "Sprinter" types. I said we'd try it and see if we could shoehorn our son's stuff into the van. Wife and I went down to Kingston to pick up the van. Inside the bowling alley, a weekday league was clobbering the pins, so we had to compete with that racket to conclude the rental business. Got outside and there was a Ford van, dirty, but gassed up and ready to go, or so it was claimed. I checked the tire tread, windshield wiper blades and a few other things, but not the lighting. I got into the van and my wife tailed me 30 miles up the road to home. Got home and my wife reported the turn signal and brake light on the RH side were not working, just the repeater over the side-view mirror. I called the fellow at Budget. He said he'd get someone to take a look at the van, and, if need be, would call a couple of guys in to transfer our load to another van. Our son and I got the van loaded in short order, stuff just fitting inside it. The cab was a rattletrap, with a sheet metal bulkhead behind the seats rattling and banging all the way up the road. I chocked it with some cardboard. I expected to find coat hooks in the cab of this van, and there was none. With a 5-6 hour run, and winter weather, a coat hook would be nice. I grabbed a couple of welding rods (E 6010) and bent some coat hooks and stuck them in holes in the bulkhead. We drove down to Kingston with the loaded van, my wife riding with me for the run to Maryland. At the bowling alley, the Budget representative got the mechanic who maintained the pinsetters for Mr. Patel to come out and repair the rear turn signal and brake light. He came out with a Fluke meter and tools, verified the circuit was good, and put in a new bulb. We were good to go, having dropped maybe 30 minutes on that little detour.
The van ran fine down to Maryland and back. It had 185,000 miles or thereabouts on the clock. We got a very low rate as the rental agent called it a 'business rental' vs a consumer or private party's rental.
Budget lived up to their name. Defintely in the low rent district (with an office in a bowling alley and no location of their own, this was true). While their rental rate was the best by a significant margin, their vehicles and maintenance of them left a bit to be desired. If you rent from Budget, check the vehicle thoroughly before leaving their lot. Unlike our son, I am no attorney, but know a little about the law. Namely: if you are driving a rental vehicle and either have an accident due to some problem with the vehicle or get pulled over for some problem with the vehicle, as driver, you are held liable. Had I ventured out on the roads with non-working right turn and rear brake light, I would have been ticketed, though I did not own the vehicle. In the crazy traffic around the Capital district, I needed the signals and brake lights working. Budget, at least in Kingston, is a one-horse or fly by night operation. The Budget franchisee or whatever he is, did recover from his heart attack. When I went to return the van, no one was around except the bowling alley mechanic. I had reserved a moving dolly, hand truck and moving blankets, and these had been figured into the rental. NONE of this was in the van when we picked it up. We said we'd make do with our own gear, being in a hurry to get the move underway. On the return, I had to write the fact this stuff was not in the van on the rental paperwork, stuff the paperwork in a mailbox and hope for the best. We were charged a very low figure, so the local franchisee did take care of us. Wife had asked if I'd remove the cardboard and welding rods from the van on its return. I said these were improvements and I would not charge for them.
I initially did the obvious and checked with UHaul. Their rates were ridiculously high. I then called Penske and got an even higher quote. I called a couple of the local car rental places in Kingston, NY (our nearest 'big town'). I was told I'd have to drive to either Albany or Newburgh to pick up and return their rental trucks or vans, and the quoted some sky-high rates. I had read mixed reviews about Budget truck rentals, but they have a location in Kingston, NY. I called Budget, reserved a 12 foot truck (enclosed cargo body), and figured we were good to go.
A few days before the rental pickup, I called Budget. I got the same man I'd made the reservation with. Only problem was the poor guy was in the ICU, having suffered a heart attack, and was taking calls on his cell phone from his bed there. He assured me his son would be on the scene if he was unable to be there. I asked where the rental location was, and was told it was on the parking lot of Mr. Patel's bowling alley, rental office inside the bowling alley.
On the day to pick up the rental truck, we called ahead and the fellow- now out of the ICU- told me the 12 foot truck I'd reserved had not come back from the previous rental. He asked if I could take a van instead. He explained these were higher capacity vans, on the order of "Sprinter" types. I said we'd try it and see if we could shoehorn our son's stuff into the van. Wife and I went down to Kingston to pick up the van. Inside the bowling alley, a weekday league was clobbering the pins, so we had to compete with that racket to conclude the rental business. Got outside and there was a Ford van, dirty, but gassed up and ready to go, or so it was claimed. I checked the tire tread, windshield wiper blades and a few other things, but not the lighting. I got into the van and my wife tailed me 30 miles up the road to home. Got home and my wife reported the turn signal and brake light on the RH side were not working, just the repeater over the side-view mirror. I called the fellow at Budget. He said he'd get someone to take a look at the van, and, if need be, would call a couple of guys in to transfer our load to another van. Our son and I got the van loaded in short order, stuff just fitting inside it. The cab was a rattletrap, with a sheet metal bulkhead behind the seats rattling and banging all the way up the road. I chocked it with some cardboard. I expected to find coat hooks in the cab of this van, and there was none. With a 5-6 hour run, and winter weather, a coat hook would be nice. I grabbed a couple of welding rods (E 6010) and bent some coat hooks and stuck them in holes in the bulkhead. We drove down to Kingston with the loaded van, my wife riding with me for the run to Maryland. At the bowling alley, the Budget representative got the mechanic who maintained the pinsetters for Mr. Patel to come out and repair the rear turn signal and brake light. He came out with a Fluke meter and tools, verified the circuit was good, and put in a new bulb. We were good to go, having dropped maybe 30 minutes on that little detour.
The van ran fine down to Maryland and back. It had 185,000 miles or thereabouts on the clock. We got a very low rate as the rental agent called it a 'business rental' vs a consumer or private party's rental.
Budget lived up to their name. Defintely in the low rent district (with an office in a bowling alley and no location of their own, this was true). While their rental rate was the best by a significant margin, their vehicles and maintenance of them left a bit to be desired. If you rent from Budget, check the vehicle thoroughly before leaving their lot. Unlike our son, I am no attorney, but know a little about the law. Namely: if you are driving a rental vehicle and either have an accident due to some problem with the vehicle or get pulled over for some problem with the vehicle, as driver, you are held liable. Had I ventured out on the roads with non-working right turn and rear brake light, I would have been ticketed, though I did not own the vehicle. In the crazy traffic around the Capital district, I needed the signals and brake lights working. Budget, at least in Kingston, is a one-horse or fly by night operation. The Budget franchisee or whatever he is, did recover from his heart attack. When I went to return the van, no one was around except the bowling alley mechanic. I had reserved a moving dolly, hand truck and moving blankets, and these had been figured into the rental. NONE of this was in the van when we picked it up. We said we'd make do with our own gear, being in a hurry to get the move underway. On the return, I had to write the fact this stuff was not in the van on the rental paperwork, stuff the paperwork in a mailbox and hope for the best. We were charged a very low figure, so the local franchisee did take care of us. Wife had asked if I'd remove the cardboard and welding rods from the van on its return. I said these were improvements and I would not charge for them.
