Top Trailer Rental Service in Berkeley
U-Haul Neighborhood Dealer
1241 Sixth St, Berkeley, CA 94710, United States
I have been coming to this U-Haul location since 2020 and have always encountered the same U-Haul representative. I always have the same positive experience. He is attentive, answers all of my questions, and gets me out of the door with my equipment promptly. When the app fails to do what it needs to do, which is often, I can count on the representative at this location to take up the slack and process transactions as necessary. For example, I planned to return a truck after closing on the day before New Years Eve 2023, and thus was required to do so on the U-Haul app. It would not accept my photo of the odometer and truck. I started freaking out. I didnt know that the location was closed on New Years Eve (Google said they were open until 12 noon) and I drove to the location to make sure that the truck return was processed properly but no one was there! I was worried that I would be charged for extra time/days. I even contacted the U-Haul 1-800 number and they made a note in the system to tell the location to process my rental in a certain way. I didnt trust them. But the representative charged me exactly what I owed.I see negative reviews here. Honestly, I get it if you are not used to renting U-Hauls. But, Ive been renting U-Hauls for years from various locations across the country and this location does what I need it to do when I need it to do it (except for having handtrucks and dollies available). For example, one time, I reserved a truck for a late afternoon pickup and when I arrived the truck they expected to rent me had not returned. I had to go home and rethink my moving plans. But a few hours later, the location called and told me the person returned the truck that was slated for me. They held it for me until I came back. To me, that is good customer service. They could have rented it to someone else. But they held it for me.IDK. As I said, I get complaining if you dont rent U-Haul equipment often, but I do, and so I expect hiccups. This location had been good to me over the years.Now, I will warn folks that this location runs out of dollies and hand trucks quickly (hence the four stars), so the earlier you pick up your equipment, the better. But that has nothing to do with the representative there. He always posts a notice at the front desk to alert people of this issue before they hand over their drivers license and credit card. Since Ive been here many times the last few years I pretty much expect it. However, those who may be first-time visitors should be aware of this.Also, and this may go without saying, but the end of the month is crazy, so if you plan to move at the end of the month, get there early so you can make sure you secure the truck/van you reserved.Overall, I have had positive experiences at this U-Haul location.
SOS TOILETS LLC
1245 Berkeley Way A, Berkeley, CA 94702, United States
We booked a toilet a week in advance for an event that was happening on Saturday at 1 p.m. The drop off time we entered when ordering was 11 a.m. We called when it didnt arrive at 11:20 to see where it was. The owner said the drop off and pick up time were confusing. If it was confusing, then he should have called us to clear it up. He said the toilet would be there in an hour. One hour later...still no toilet. We continued to call the company with no answer.. The toilet finally arrived at 1:30. By then, the event had started and we couldnt have them drop it off where we originally wanted it. The worker ended up having to drop it off right in front of the entrance gate so that the guests all saw a porta-potty as they entered the event. Terrible customer service by the owner.
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REI
1338 San Pablo Ave, Berkeley, CA 94702, United States
Quick summary: REI has gone down hill as they seem to be hiring minimum wage staff to replace the old extremely knowledgable staff they used to have. This new staff in turn are acting like they are being paid minimum wage. Go to other stores if you want staff that are passionate and care about their products and therefore are willing to pay the in store premium. Otherwise stick with the internet.I used to love REI. It used to be my favorite place to go. The Berkeley store has traditionally had knowledgable staff that were passionate about their department.Long story short. I was in the bike department. The staff member working the area was talking about getting laid and shitfaced with his coworker at some party a night or two before while they were both (she was helping the winter area) ignoring customers in their section. The two cut off conversation and went to helping customers. At this point its more like okay, I get it, slow day at work, both friends and conversation got a little out of hand and I happen to overhear it.I was exchanging shoes. They were a gift and the wrong size. The REI employee goes to the back and gets a new pair for me and then leaves. Luckily they ended up fitting me, but I seriously couldnt find him when I had a question after I tried on the shoes.I then decided to go check out skis and overheard another employee giving out advice on boots that while wasnt patently false, certainly was not correct nor beneficial to the customer. I was an outdoor professional for 4+ years and been in the mountains for 3 years.At this point I was pissed. The bike guy was entirely unhelpful/absent and it was clear this salesperson had never spent a season on the mountain, or had even gone up to ski in the past 5 years. What happened to all the awesome employees that were passionate about the gear they were selling.Anyways I go to outdoor stores (vs online) when I want to talk to somebody who knows more about the product than I do. Otherwise why would I pay the marked up prices? My experience at this REI, and from things I have heard since, leads me to believe that REI is going the classic corporate route of cheaper, more inexperienced staff. There are plenty of other shops in the Bay Area with staff that are knowledgable in their fields and if all else fails at least the internet provides massive discounts. I will not be back with our without REIs golden return policy.