I don't consider myself much of a letter writer, yet I will make some exceptions...

Due to my recent experience with Penske, I wrote this letter and sent it off to whom I could. The Letter:

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing you today to share a very dissatisfying experience I had recently, concerning Penske Rental Confirmation — XXXXXX. Before I do, I would like to share some positive notes with you. Everyone I spoke with at the Reservation Center and the District Office was very professional and I have no complaints there. Please commend Bryan, Jake, and Kaila who I spoke with at the Reservation Center. I apologize if I misspelled any of their names.

I also want to commend Mark and Allen from the District Office. Allen was not available, and Mark assisted me. Allen also called me later and left me a voicemail. Overall, those parts of this experience were excellent. Now to explain what I am dissatisfied about.

I received a call from Seaport Storage on Monday afternoon while I was at work. I returned the call when I got off work. The call started much as I think anyone would expect it. The gentleman I spoke with, whom I cannot recall his name, confirmed the details of my reservation. He then told me that I needed to make a $5000.00 deposit before I could take the truck.

I was driving, and I am glad that the shock of that statement didn’t cause an accident. I could barely form the word, “What?” He repeated himself, “I will need a $5000 deposit on the truck.” The call went downhill form here. As the conversation continued, he harassed me over the phone, showering down questions: Why did I need the truck? Where was I going? What was I moving? Why did I need the truck for so long?

I answered each of his questions. After I answered his questions, he accused me of lying to him. He said he didn’t believe I was using the truck for those reasons. The accusations went on. I stated that a $5000 deposit was ridiculous and that I had only been informed that there may be a $150 deposit if I was paying for the truck in cash.

I was completely taken by surprise by his next question, “What do you think would be a reasonable deposit?” He wanted to negotiate a deposit price! I said that no deposit was mentioned and for an $811.16 rental, nothing above a $1000 would be reasonable. He said he would accept a $1000 deposit. I told him I would need to call him back after I discussed it with my girlfriend who was helping me in paying for the rental.

After the call ended, I was still in shock. I was angry and confused. I had a lot of work to do and I could not afford an additional $1000 to rent a truck. He did say that he would return the $1000 when the truck was returned in good condition, yet I couldn’t trust that if I brought the back in perfect condition that he wouldn’t just keep the $1000 deposit, stating that there were damages or problems with the vehicle.

When I got home, near 7 PM PST, I called the reservation Center again and was assured that this was not correct, that there was concern that I was using the truck to move a business and not household items. Jake also explained that I could call the District Office the follow day or cancel the reservation. I got the number for the District Office and thanked him for the information. I called and left a message for Allen on my way to work the next morning. On my lunch, I called again having not heard back from Allen, and I spoke with Mark. He assured me that no deposit would be needed, unless I was paying in cash, then and only then would I need to pay $150 additional.

Hanging up the phone, I felt better yet still anxious about having to be face to face with the person I spoke with at Seaport Storage. Later in the day, I called the Reservation Center and spoke with Kaila to cancel my first ever Penske Rental. I do not know if I will ever rent from Penske again, yet I know I will never request a truck from Seaport Storage.

My biggest concern in all this is that other customers have to go through experiences like I endured. I walked away from this experience completely dissatisfied before even stepping foot at Seaport Storage. Please take actions to ensure that this type of experience does not turn more customers away.

Sincerely,
Me


I will not be renting from Penske this year. I have made arrangements to barrow a truck from Buull's (buull.livejournal.com) brother and rented a trailer. It works out better and I don't have to make any deposit to U-Haul for the trailer rental.