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Not a real owner, piece of garbage
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

227 MANITOU DR. -- Read the text in pics uploaded. I'll also be posting the video online so everyone can hear how Steve talks to customers. He's a weasel and this company should be shut down. I suggest you Google his company reviews. Nothing but bad reviews and a 1 star rating for a reason. Hire a real moving company that is professional. Us real movers aren't cheap, but cheap rentals and companies aren't good.

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Edmonton - Calgary: Truck Rental Buyer Beware
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

EDMONTON/CALGARY -- We arrived at the pre-arranged pick-up location and time. The temperature was -18 C. The truck was not plugged in, had a dead battery, and wouldn't turn over even with a boost. Plugged the block heater in and waited 20 minutes. Started the engine with a battery boost. Let the engine warm up for 5 minutes. The engine stalled, and needed a second boost since the battery was so weak.

We then noticed that the fuel gauge was at 3/4 full. The contract requires the previous renter to leave the fuel tank full, or the Dealer will check the level and charge them for the fill up. I started by filling the tank with 20.6l / 5.5US gal. When I contacted Steve, the owner, with these issues, his response was: "Yes... we agree the cold kills batteries. A quick boost gets the trucks running." AND "We checked the last inbound fuel and it was full. UTR uses fuel when we move trucks from one location to another or when we periodically start and run the trucks as part of our winter campaign to warm up the engines. The fuel used becomes part of the next rental."

The Dealer did not idle the engine, since it was stone cold dead. That leaves fuel to relocate the truck, which isn't my expense, according to the contract. In Universal's documentation, the fuel economy of 'Diesel Trucks' is 10mpg+/-20%. This was a gasoline engine, but using this fuel economy, the truck was driven approx. 55 miles/88 km, to relocate. Steve is a cheery, friendly, sales type, who will gladly screw your grandmother blind. My final comment to renters is 'go elsewhere, or buyer beware'. Congratulations Steve, you've managed to out slim all competitors.

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Horrendous Customer Service
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

VICTORIA -- DO NOT even think about renting from Universal Truck Rental. My partner stumbled across their website when we were searching for more affordable options for our one-way move from Victoria to Vancouver, and they had their service advertised as a "One Way Truck Rental" for $99.

I made the mistake of following up and got on the phone with Steve **, apparently the owner. He is the most typical sleazy salesman, and after talking down about U-Haul he had me properly scared that I didn't have a hope of getting a U-Haul truck... and somehow I was stupid enough to give him my credit card information to initiate a reservation. This was despite the fact that Steve told me there was an additional one-way service charge of $50. I thought this was a one-way truck rental?! The extra charges started there.

However, I very shortly had second thoughts when I noted all the negative reviews online... So I never clicked the confirmation button in the email that he sent me (which he said was necessary for confirmation). However, they charged my credit card anyway - not once but twice - for $150. So now all of a sudden there's $300 in charges for a booking which I didn't confirm.

I got on the phone with VISA right away, but it was too soon to cancel the charges. After several emails back and forth with Steve, he did reverse one of the charges for $150, and most of the other, but kept $25 plus tax as a 'fee'. Note that I had still never clicked the confirmation, "I accept" button on his email. And he threatened me that any additional emails from him would be subject to a $25/email service charge, and if I was able to reverse the charges through VISA he would charge me a $100 service fee for that. I don't think that's possible or legal.

I went on Yelp right away and wrote a review. He then emails back to offer me a "special student deal" (which of course is not advertised and I doubt exists) as I had complained so much, and offered to drop the $50 one way drop off fee. I said no way, I'm not having any more to do with your company. A month later he emails to offer a "just $25 rental, plus insurance" rate as they apparently now need a truck moved from Victoria to Burnaby. Yeah right. No thanks. I'm sticking with U-Haul, which while it's not perfect, it works.

Thank you to all who submitted reviews previously as they confirmed that I will not be taking Steve up on this shady and likely problematic offer! And back to VISA I go to try to get my $25 "service charge" reversed... I'm sure Steve will write a lengthy response to this like he has all the other reviews, which won't help offset the terrible ratings of this sketchy company. Thanks!

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Terrible
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

CALGARY -- I really should have trusted the many, many bad reviews from all you friendly folk. I am now one of the many victims to fall for this terrible company. I am sure that in a perfect world where problems didn't exist then this could possibly be a different review. But it's how UTR handled my entire situation that's got me paying a lot of money for a truck I couldn't even use.

I arrived to pick up the truck on time at 9 AM. Now I understand the UTR does not have offices at the location, so after asking the lady at the storage facility numerous times if she had a UTR truck on her property she finally clued in, "All is great." I was given the keys to the truck. I walked over and opened the doors to the truck after inspecting it. Truck appeared to be in great shape. The only problem was the truck did not start. The key didn't even fit into the ignition. I went back to the lady at the desk to ask for a different key or solution. She assured me multiple times it was the only key.

I tried to call UTR but they only work weekdays till 5. So I was forced to call the roadside assistance company. After around 1.5 hours on the phone and around 2 hours waiting for answers. I finally got in contact with them and they said they would call me back. I waited once again to receive a call saying they could have a tech there in 1.5 to 2 hours.

I had reached my patience after about 4 hrs of standing around and having a elevator booked to move into my new condo. I decided to cancel the service call, and book another truck. I picked up my U-Haul and was smooth sailing from there :).

After multiple calls to UTR I was not contacted until I finally got the owner on the line. Bottom line after emails and calls back and forth I was given the wrong key and I am now getting billed for the rental service I never used. The only defense they have is that I should have known it was the wrong key!? I would like to say I was more than willing to take another truck and continue to use their service, but they were unable to offer me that. The owner Steve has absolutely no business sense, was extremely rude to me and my wife, and seems absolutely clueless at how bad he is treating people.

It's very unfortunate but I will now have to pursue this further to recover my money, and take more time out of work. I really hope everyone can learn from all these reviews, and not use this company. Share away if you like. Huge believer in karma :D.

Company Response 05/19/2017:

Hi My Name is Steve Baty,

I am the owner partner with Universal Truck Rental.

The author of this issue is absolutely correct. Our system is a self serve do-it-yourself service check-in / check-out system that works absolutely perfect 99.9 % of the time.

This client has a very valid issue and I truly sympathize with the bad experience he went thru .... however, we are all responsible for our own actions.

The young lady behind the counter gave the client a set of keys in good faith believing she was doing everything right.

The client indicated the keys did not fit into the ignition. That should have been the first clue there was an oops.

The second clue was the Key was stamped INTERNATIONAL TRUCK and the client was trying to start a FORD Truck.

Yup ... the service technician drove all the way across the city to look at the key and said "you have the wrong key". The technician went inside and exchanged the key with the embarrassed counter girl and the truck started just fine.

Stuff happens ... if this is the worst thing to happen when renting a truck. I think we are definitely worth renting from.

PS A little patience and attention to detail goes a long way. If the key did not fit the ignition and was stamped INTERNATIONAL TRUCK and the operator was trying to start a FORD TRUCK they could have saved them-self 4 hours.

There is nothing Central Reservations could have done to help this client. I am sorry to say ... but I feel this issue could have been solved with a little common sense.

Come rent from Universal Truck Rental and form your own opinion. We look forward to all Good, Bad and Constructive Feed back.

1 866 518 0150 X 1

Sincerely Steve Baty

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Moving Truck Service
StarStarStarStarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 4/51

MISSISSAUGA -- We rented a truck from Universal Truck Rental knowing this was an economy service and we were pretty happy with the result. They did do everything they promised and I did get the deposit back in a timely manner. We were making the journey from Toronto to Vancouver Island in winter and you have to be prepared for any event. We spent $1200 on gas which is $300 less than I expected - Steve and Shauna were polite and informative.

My only complaint is the heater going across the prairies in winter was a little weak. Other than that I could recommend this company to people who would like economy and pay attention to details and have basic mechanical knowledge if going on a long trip.

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Might Not Have a Truck Available After Reserving a Month in Advance
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

CALGARY, ALBERTA -- About one month ago we reserved a truck to move some of our possessions from Calgary to Victoria this weekend. Two days ago I received an email stating that they might not have a truck and I should make alternate arrangements just in case. I called them to find out what was going on and to tell them how unacceptable this was - given our move was 3 days away. The tone was a complete lack of caring and still they said it might be possible that a truck will be available.

You can't plan a move on the possibility that you get a truck you have reserved! I immediately contacted U-Haul, have a reservation and confirmation and we will move as planned. I have done this same trip (4 times) using U-haul without any issues but thought I would try Universal. NEVER AGAIN! I would never recommend Universal to anyone. Are they kidding - what a way to run a business.

Company Response 05/19/2017:

Hi My Name is Steve Baty,

I am the managing partner with Universal Truck Rental.

What this client has said is absolutely true. This complaint has skirted around one main point that has been deliberately left absent. This client did not have a Confirmed Reservation they had a Tentative Reservation.

A tentative reservation is like flying stand by ... you get what is available and if nothing is available you have to wait your turn.

The lesson here is make sure you have a confirmed booking.

Remember for a one way truck rental program to work someone must move into your area for you to move back out. If no one moves into your area and or you accept the tentative reservation (i.e. stand by) and don't get a truck...please don't blame the truck rental company.

YES...the tentative reservation program is detailed on our the Universal Web Site. However, home movers don't want bad news when they are moving. If you are flying stand by and don't get up graded to first class for free do you write a bad review about the air line???

Plan ahead and had an alternative moving plan if you are moving between May and October because there will be a shortage of trucks somewhere in Canada.

Sincerely Steve Baty

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Never AGAIN!
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

CALGARY -- We reserved a truck a month before we needed it. Two days before we were to move our entire house from Calgary to Kelowna, we got an email that they would not have a truck for us. Seriously? I phoned and said that was not acceptable and that I was completely screwed. I can't find a truck that quick and needed to be out of my place by that weekend. The girl found a truck in Edmonton but we had to go get it. Which we did. A day earlier than what we needed. Universal didn't charge us for the extra kilometers but that was only because I complained.

WE paid for the gas to get there and back to get the truck. Then we were told that we would have to drop the truck off in Burnaby. That's another 4 hours from Kelowna and then we'd have to come back? Ridiculous. Turns out we could leave it in Kelowna thank goodness. We returned the truck a day early AND COMPLETELY FULL OF FUEL! We fueled up right at the corner. We were charged another $63 in fuel and an "admin" fee. Absolutely ridiculous. Don't use these trucks. Stupid company. I imagine they don't get many repeat customers. I work in radio and will be definitely mentioning this to hundred of thousands of listeners.

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Skeptical Business Practices
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

KANSAS -- My wife and I were considering using this company to rent a moving vehicle. While reading the reviews, I was disheartened. Not so much by the actual complaints from dissatisfied customers, but how the aforementioned complaints were handled by the company's "customer service" representative. I was utterly appalled to read about the apathy and lack of professional courtesy displayed by the representative. It seemed to me that CS rep's only motive was to deflect the (most likely valid) complaints/concerns. The attitude of this company (with their seemingly apathetic approach) was more than enough for me to opt for their more expensive and more reputable competitors. Not sure if the owner of the company is handling customer complaints, but if this is not true then perhaps you need to consider hiring somebody with some real PR skills or change your practices entirely.

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Save Yourself The Hassle, Don't Book Universal Truck Rental
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

This company is terrible. Moving is a difficult enough experience on its own, DO NOT make your life more difficult by utilizing Universal Truck Rental. The list of problems we had with them was long.... First off, the cargo area of the truck leaked. We drove from Calgary to Vancouver island and obviously there was some rain along the way. When we arrived, our mattress and box spring were soaked (we had to trash them and get a new one), along with some other boxes (luckily most of our stuff was in watertight bins) because the one whole side of the truck leaked.

When I complained about this to Shauna in customer service and asked if they would offer any compensation for our damaged goods, she advised me it was our responsibility to insure our belongings. I understand that the company is not responsible for our goods (if they get stolen or we get in an accident, or if something falls and breaks), but this damage was directly due to their truck leaking, and they don't seem to care, I don't even think she reported the fact that the truck leaks so that the company would fix it for the next client. So be careful.

They also wouldn't let us drop the truck off on Vancouver Island, as they said they had too many trucks on the island, so we had to pay for the ferry and drive it all the way back to Vancouver after our move. They are so anal about the gas being full to the brim, that they actually advise you to keep filling after the auto shut off at the gas tank so that you can see the fuel at the base of the neck (this is actually a safety issue... those auto shut offs exist for a reason, to prevent gas spills at the pump and it is irresponsible for the company to be advising people to do that.)

I wanted to fuel up as close as I could to the drop off location, so I called the location to find out the closest fuel station that could accommodate our large truck (because the nearest one could not) and they weren't even able to give that info.

The pick up location in Edmonton was very difficult to find and the map the company gave us was not accurate.
There is no one there when you pick up or drop off the truck and the keys are in it and you have to trust that someone completed a proper damage report of the truck before you take it (but they don't leave a copy for you in the truck). When we picked up our truck it was dirty, the key to the cab doors was broken (so we were never able to lock the cab of the truck which was inconvenient when we stopped for the night), and there was a good sized chip in the windshield.

The chip was so obvious we were certain it would have been recorded in the inspection and thought nothing of it. (Of course we had no copy of the inspection and no human contact so we had no way of knowing). But of course, a week after dropping off the truck, my deposit had not been returned and I had not been contacted by the company. It took me several days and 4 unreturned voice messages until I finally got in touch with someone who advised they were holding my deposit due to the chip in the windshield... turns out it was NOT on the inspection report!! Big surprise!

Needless to say I was frustrated at this point given we had thrown out a perfectly good bed due to their leaking truck, had spent hundreds of dollars getting the truck back over the ferry and they were now trying to hold back my money for a chip in the windshield that THEY failed to report. I told Shauna how useless their pick up/drop off and inspection process is if we don't get to see it at the time of pick up and questioned whether any of the reports (pick up or drop off) mentioned a key broken in half and in the cup holder... she advised they did not.

Clearly their inspection is not quite as thorough as they claim. She basically just cut me off and told me she would close the investigation and I would get my deposit back as soon as she realized that I was going to pursue the issue further. So I did eventually get my deposit back, but the way it was handled was questionable at best. Be very wary of dealing with this company. They don't give a damn about you or your belongings. I have dealt with U-haul several times in the past and my experiences were far superior (the only reason we didn't use U-haul was because we booked too late and they didn't have any trucks available).

Company Response 05/19/2017:

Hello my Name is Steve Baty,

I am the managing partner with Universal Truck Rental.

What this person is saying is absolutely true. Universal Truck Rental including all rental companies will not compensate a renter for a leaking truck. So make sure you pack your belonging correctly. Pack them the same way they were packed when the left the store.

I am a little confused ... if a mattress and box spring are covered in material why would you throw them away. Material can be washed and dried. If the mattress and box spring was in such poor condition, that throwing them away, made more sense then drying them. Why would expect to be compensated???

Moving Tip ... Make sure you have content insurance on your belongings when moving. Most home owners policy will cover your belongings while in transit. If you need extra insurance coverage. Universal Truck Rental sends every client a brochure from an in-depended moving insurance company so you can buy extra coverage.

The client is absolutely correct....if there are too many trucks in a particular area .... you will be redirected to the nearest location still accepting trucks.

The client is correct all trucks must be returned full of fuel.

Moving Tip ... Universal Truck Rental has prepared a video for our clients to watch on how to top off a truck to prevent getting any additional charges. Please watch the video.

Yes ... Universal Truck Rental offers a self check out program. What this client failed to mention is all the trucks are digitally photographed after each rental and the photos are saved on a public domain called flickr.com.

Every truck has it's own digital photo library. The reason this client paid for a windshield chip is because the chip did not show up in any previous photos.

Moving Tip - take photos of the truck when you pick it up. Photos are much better than a paper inspection.

Last comment ... the client admits they booked to late to get a direct rental to the Victoria Island. They even mentioned that U haul did not have any trucks. I think UTR getting them moved at all was a big step in the right direction.

Moving Tip ... reserve at lease 4 to 6 weeks in advance and have a moving plan B just in case.

Sincerely Steve Baty

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Universal Truck Rental Has Poor Customer Service
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

KITCHENER -- My first impressions of this company were great! I had excellent customer service and felt that I had received a good deal. I was looking for a one way truck from Halifax to Toronto and it seemed like I would be saving a lot of money. I then received an email saying that I had been "upgraded" to the larger truck for free. I told them that I did not feel comfortable driving a larger vehicle and they told me that I would "have to wait" for them to hear from another customer before telling me if the smaller truck (that I CONFIRMED the reservation for) was still available. It ended up working out that I got the smaller truck.

When I arrived to pick up the rental truck at Maritime Fleet Centre (they use another company's parking lot) in Dartmouth, the staff said I was "lucky" because they are "normally already closed by 4:30 pm on Fridays." My scheduled pick up time was 4:30 pm. They also informed me that they were not surprised by the fact that Universal Truck Rental company would have made an appointment during closed hours. Needless to say, this was not a good start to what I thought would be a simple/easy process.

The gas tank was not full when I picked the truck up and the driver's cabin was dirty. There was garbage left behind by the last driver. There was a chocolate milk bottle, a muffin wrapper and crumbs everywhere, an empty pop bottle and used napkins. The washer fluid was also completely empty. The visor on the driver's side of the truck was broken and borderline dangerous. The clip is broken off. It sagged down into the driver's line of sight. This vehicle is not safe for anyone to be driving.

Also, I was charged $60 for "not filling the tank fully". I was then told that there would be an admin fee to see a scanned copy of the receipt showing that they added gas to the tank. Prior to dropping the truck off, I filled the tank to the point where gas spit out at me and onto the side of the truck. They do not do the inspection while you are there-- take a photo of the dash before you leave the truck with them. The mileage on these trucks are horrible. It cost me $600 in gas for 1840 kms.

Lastly, I am very disappointed with the customer service overall. I asked Shauna for a senior manager's name/contact information and was denied because she could "not give out that information." I called the Mississauga office and they provided me with Steve **'s name and number, no problem or questions asked. Needless to say, this was a horrible experience. I would pay the extra cash and go with a company that doesn't have an average rating of 1 star... You get what you pay for!

Company Response 04/08/2013:

My name is Steve Baty. I am the managing partner with Universal Truck Rental Canada. I have read this clients comments over many times and dealt with this clients feed back initially. I am really sorry but I am not sure what the issue is.

The client was offered a FREE upgrade and turned it down. Therefore, they received the vehicle size requested. So what is the issue?

Universal Truck Rental offers a 24 Hour 7 days a week self check in - check out program. The truck was scheduled for a self service check out at 4:30 Pm. The renter picked up the truck at 4:30 Pm and talked to the day shift as they were getting ready to go home. The truck was parked where it was promised, at the time promised. With the keys in the ignition, as promised. The computerized satellite tracking system engaged the starting system, so the truck would start, as promised. So what is the issue?

Universal Truck Rental's outbound digital inspection record indicated the truck was full of fuel. The fuel gauge is digitally photo recorded between every rental.

What this client failed to mention was they drove the truck home. Once they got home they recorded the fuel gauge with a photo of their own. Well of course the fuel gauge was not full ... they drove the truck and burned fuel.
So what is the issue?

YES the truck cab was dirty. Universal Truck Rental has discussed this issue with our Halifax dealer. They oops and confirmed the truck was not cleaned after the last rental.

The sun visor clip was broken and UTR has a digital photo showing the broken part. The part was ordered and replaced asap. The client drove from Halifax to Mississauga, so I am not sure how this would rank as a safety item. The client obviously felt comfortable enough driving the vehicle 2300+ km. So what is the issue?

This client received a copy of the inbound digital inspection photo indicating the truck was not returned full of fuel including a copy of the fuel receipt. FULL means Full and the client signed off and accepted the fuel return program.

They were informed up front they would be charged if the truck was dropped off requiring fuel.
So what is the issue? Return the truck full of fuel or pay the fees, no exceptions. UTR provides a web based video to assist our clients with the minimum fuel return expectations.

Yes cube vans have a gas engine and use a lot of fuel. They will get approximately 8 MPG moving 4000 lbs of payload and or 840 cubic feet. This is the best the industry manufactures ... So what is the issue?

Unfortunately this client had a bad rental experience. I suspect the bad rental experience may have been slightly exaggerated because this client asked for compensation over and over including free top off fuel.

They indicated they would pay extra for "a better experience"....so why did they not just pay the extra and top up the fuel tank? Problem solved.

Universal Truck Rental has very clear guidelines on compensation spelt out on their web site. None of these client's issues met the minimum compensation criteria.

As per the fuel incident. The client confirmed they received the inbound dash board inspection photo showing the fuel gauge did not read full... Full means Full. If the truck is returned requiring fuel, regardless of the factors. Please be prepared to pay the admin fee and cost of fuel or PLEASE bring the truck back FULL OF FUEL.

Universal Truck Rental takes client comments very seriously and offers a process for customer feed back. Unfortunately this client wanted to by pass clients services to communicate directly with senior management to ask for compensation, with disappointing results.

To recap;

The client picked the truck up as promised, where promised, moved their house hold furniture from Halifax to Ontario as promised then dropped the truck off at the location provided, as promised.

So what is the real issue?

A few items accidently left in the cab of the truck from a previous renter and the top off fuel?

This client had high expectations for compensation. Unfortunately Universal Truck Rental does not participate in a complaint for compensation program.

We welcome all client comments and feedback. UTR has the highest satisfaction level in the One Way Truck Rental business in Canada. Regretfully we disappoint a very small few ... very rarely.

Sincerely Steve Baty

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Universal Truck Rental Rating:
Star Half star Empty star Empty star Empty star
1.6 out of 5, based on 14 ratings and
17 reviews & complaints.
Contact Information:
Universal Truck Rental
1625 Shawson Drive
Mississauga, ON L4W 1T7
1-866-518-0150 (ph)
www.universaltruckrental.ca
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