Top Truck Rental Agency 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.
Budget Truck Rental
600 Gilman St, Berkeley, CA 94710, United States
Do not rent from Budget at all, they did not honor my reservation made over a month prior to pickup. I was required to call them repeatedly, be held on hold, to try to get my truck and tow and was told I would have to drive many miles away to get the tow even after talking to them a week in advance and budget admiting they couldn't get it in time. A week is not enough to transfer equipment and they put it on the customer to drive to get it after your pickup date. They do not care at all about the customer.This location does not answer the phone and will not help with anything, they wouldnt even help the police after the truck was stolen. Budget is the worst company I have ever dealt with and will not honor their reservations or assist in an emergency with a replacement. I had to book a new truck with U-Haul and drive an hour away to get what I needed to move cross country.
Top other services in Berkeley:
Caliber Collision
3207 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley, CA 94705, United States
Had to go to Caliber for two repairs. Both experiences were awesome! The communication was great - phone and email. They kept us informed about all of the updates for parts, labor, repair estimates, etc. They worked seamlessly with our insurance company which was very helpful for us. Jim was the former owner of the shop before they merged with Caliber... they have not lost any of their great service and have embraced all of the great things that a larger organization can bring to them.An unexpected perk... they are also an Enterprise Car drop off location. So if you rent a car from Enterprise while Caliber is working on your repair, you can drop the car off with this location when you pick up your car. They take care of the return with Enterprise.Highly recommended!
Fix Auto Berkeley
3033 San Pablo Ave, Berkeley, CA 94702, United States
Friendly staff yet sloppy work. They called me to report the work was done early and I was initially happy. When I showed up, they had not bothered to check that bumper clearly did not fit correctly. They blamed it on the insurance company.I'm not sure how the insurance company could affect the integrity of their work. I won't be returning to this shop.If I have to take time out of my day to come to pick up something that hasn't been inspected then the shop has failed in their service and has disrespected my time. I pay a lot of money every month and deserve to receive quality work. These guys aren't even doing the minimum. I had Friendly staff yet sloppy work. They called me to report the work was done early and I was initially happy. When I showed up, they had not bothered to check that bumper clearly did not fit correctly. They blamed it on the insurance company.I'm not sure how the insurance company could affect the integrity of their work. I won't be returning to this shop.I'd have have to take time out of my day to come to pick up something that hasn't been inspected then the shop has failed in their service and has disrespected my time. to return home and come back a second time.
G&C Auto Body
1239 Fifth St, Berkeley, CA 94710, United States
Lets start saying the g and c auto body berkeley @ 1239 fifth st, berkeley, ca 94710 is the worst miserable nightmare i ever had dealing with a business--i went there because was recommended by geico as their express places that guarantee repairs ( believe express service ) -miserable front desk individuals very rude and one lady call herself geico adjuster so rude ( i have geico insurance )) all lies she is not an adjuster works for g and c not a geico adjuster -so i went on my appointment date she and other rude people took photos for my car damages to charge geico surprised no or few new parts --mainly useless labor fee-from junk yard parts --that already were broken - i noticed when i picked up my car plus very dirty -oil all over my trunk after presumably per them was fixed --no to forget the very rude g and c auto body claim by lie an adjuster canceled my appointment after photos she took and rescheduled almost one month later --- not tell me she cancel --just canceled made new appointment --like i was not there to start with for their business --i have to drivewith broken unsafe car for 4 weeks --for next appointment since she said--if you cancel your new appointment and take it somewhere else i charge you for parts--she told me all next day--next day i said i want to cancel out go other place the female adjuster said no--you have to pay for part ordered- a day before--they also said-- no emails for us, and found out yes they do have emails- i guess for legality wanted text-only -they collected upfront $1000.00 deductible even though geico said at the end--i called the rude women g and c can i cancel repairs there she said you can but you have to pay for part ordered so waited 4 more weeks--surprise they had my car in 5 days with all rack parts- dirty- oil all over my car and they did damages other area of my car -plus on the area they fixed also used broken junk yard parts --they said damages happen after you got your car all lie --the muffler was all broken after my accident they straighten it out not replaced it charge geico i guess 2 times --was unsafe to drive-after picked up the car 1st time-geico has to pay another $700.00 total they charged almost $9000.00or close to that figure--i know 3 other people who ran into same issues with their tesla--nightmare there--stay away --last they broke my car key because they charge the insurance for replacement of trunk lock that was broken instead used my poor key with junkyard broken lock to work with broken new lock they put --surprise they use my key and whatever dirty trick they did temporary fixed the lock --i got stock in middle of night 2 days later and called tow truck company to tow my cat to my house and got new key from the dealer paid $70.00 (one dealer one other locksmith place because they broke my key and starter was not working with the key that they broke the one i gave them --they tried to put used bad fake lock and broke my key try make my key work with junkyard lock or stolen lock from somewhere --my trunk lock still very bad never was order from dealer --but said they did another liemay be a junkyard bad lock they ordered and used my key so rough and broke my key with bad lock i am stock with bad lock they put all ols racked you name it --nightmare for over 6 weeks -- for simple fix plus they charged geico $9000.00 gave me half broken with full of new scratches in their garage --very disappointed sad angry./stay away from g and c berkeley --like many other car victim owners--there is like nightmare
Enterprise Rent-A-Car
3001 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley, CA 94705, United States
Prior to my current experience I have only used Enterprise once before by no choice of my own. My vehicle was in the shop and the dealer had no loaner cars to give out. They instead gave me a voucher for the Enterprise down the street. I thought going back to Enterprise several weeks later when my vehicle was totaled in a wreck was a no brainer. I could not have been more wrong. With the exception of Donald, one of the managers who was very accommodating and respectful, every other interaction I have had with the company to date has been vastly aggravating and a complete waste of time. After renting a car for a week I needed to renew for another. It took me almost two hours to get someone on the phone to inform them I would like to extend. When you call Enterprise you go directly to a national call center, not the actual branch you want to talk to. If that branch is on the phone or busy you keep getting bounced around the call center. This is where I was informed by an Enterprise employee about 45 minutes into the hold time that I would just need to sit and wait on hold even if it took all day. After finally getting through to them and renewing my rental vehicle which took all of 5 seconds, I contacted their facebook page to make them aware of the issue I had. Half way through speaking with a representative named John about the matter, he started referring to me as Mr. Hobbs. Yes, Mr. Hobbs. How this came to be I am just not sure. One might have to imagine that Enterprise is so inundated with un-happy customers that they can not even keep up with who they are talking too. At the end of our conversation John assured me to be patient and that someone would contact me shortly to resolve any issues I might have. As of writing this review today it has been a little bit over a week and I yet to hear back from Enterprise. Unfortunately I had to call them again today to ask for a receipt that I could submit to my insurance company for reimbursement. After much discussion with the representative they informed me that they could not email me a receipt. They... could not... email me a receipt. I was informed that Enterprises computers are not capable of directly emailing a customer. I was then instructed if I wanted a receipt I would have to come into the store to get a paper copy. I am just not sure what else to say about that situation. When you are on hold with Enterprise their hold music ad makes such statements as; We are a family owned company., We keep things pretty simple., We are not corporate., We respect our customers.. I could go on and on about the ridiculousness I experienced with Enterprise but I really do not want to waste anymore of my time. I feel dumber for ever having interacted with this company.UPDATE 08SEPT17I highly doubt anyone is even going to believe this, I know that I am having trouble getting my head around it. Yesterday 07SEPT I missed a call from this Enterprise branch, they left me a voicemail stating that they have in fact sold the car I am renting and they need me to bring it back...yes they sold the car I am renting and now would like me to bring it back to their store. After contacting Enterprise again multiple times through Facebook I have received the same old response thank you for your patience a regional manager will contact your shortly. It has now been 12 days since I first asked to be contacted and have yet to receive any actual help More up dates to come from this mind numbing experience. Looks like I will try to contact Carol and see what she has to say.UPDATE 19SEPT17We are coming up on 23 days now of Enterprise informing me that they will be in touch as soon as possible.I contacted Carol, my email was responded to by a woman named Alison. Alison assured me that they would be in touch but also provided me with a contact number for her in case I wanted to call first. So I called twice and left voicemails both times. Zero response from Kelly Hunt the Regional Vice President who was supposed to be calling me. Do not waste your time with these people.
Avalon Berkeley
651 Addison St, Berkeley, CA 94710, United States
12 months later, Im updating my review. Let me first start by saying the staff has been very good to us for the most part. Dave is a saint and Holly has been very open and honest with most of my tenure at Avalon Berkeley.Safety:That being said, there have been a few things that have occurred over the past year. First, our apartment was broken into along with another apartment downstairs. The burglars took $10k worth of stuff. The building thinks the burglars snuck into the garage downstairs (where there is no entry camera and the doors stay open forever) and used the garage staircase (which also has no cameras) to get to the apartment. Luckily, the burglars were walked into downstairs and dropped (and damaged) almost all of our stuff. Hesitantly, the building called an overnight security guard downstairs for the night (there is normally no security in the building at all). Our door was temporarily fixed the next day with an added handle lock with the promise that the entire door would be replaced (the door replacement never happened). We decided to wait out the end of the lease to see if the building would make everything right (the other apartment tenants that were burglarized moved out immediately since they had a small child and actually walked in on the burglars with their child). Other apartments had been burglarized previously...even an attempt on our floor a few months prior. Additionally, cars had been vandalized in our garage in 2015. The build has a very real and persistent security problem...given its location next to the freeway, the train tracks (more on this later), and the slow turn of the neighborhood. We no longer felt safe nor felt that the building wanted to take adequate steps to increase the safety of its tenants.Rent + Rent Increases:A few weeks after the burglary, we received a notice on the door with a massive rent increase, as the lease was nearing expiration. That was the nail in the coffin. Eventually, they lowered the rent offering a bit (but not enough), but the damage had been done. Turnover for the apartments is nonstop. 3 of my direct neighbors moved out for varying reasons, with the main being the massive rent increase. Theres a moving truck outside every weekend. Tells you something. Depending on the apartment, you have some nice views, but Ive lived in nicer & safer places with more amenities for way lessTrain Noise:In my previous review, we thought we had gotten used to the train noise. That ended QUICKLY! No matter where youre at in this building, youll hear and feel trains every 20-40 minutes 24 hours a day. Additionally, youll hear the dings of crossing guard nonstop as well. This building is NEXT to the tracks...NOT NEAR the tracks. The trains range from Amtrak commuter trains to freight and must BLAST their horns multiple times each time they approach the building. Theres actually an article written about the neighborhoods history of trying to silence the trains (wont happen for a few years at least). Im an extremely hard sleeper and didnt realize I wasnt sleeping a full night until I moved to a quieter location. You wont realize how bad this affects you until you sleep somewhere else for the night. As someone else mentioned below, youll also have to close your windows and pause movies/songs/shows as the trains pass. The commuter train length lasts just a minute or so, while the longer freight trains can last for 5-10 minutes.Final Thoughts:I really thought that this was going to be a place Id live for a while. This ended up turning into a complete nightmare. This place didnt turn out to be safe, nor did I get used to the sound of the train. Well miss the people.Pros:+Views+Quick access to 4th street, Oakland, Downtown Berkeley, and San Francisco (outside of rush hours)Cons:-Safety (Home break-ins, car break-ins, no on-sight security, minimal security cameras)-Nonstop 24 train horns, noise, and rumble-Rent prices (they dont match the amenities offered)-Limited Amenities-Massive rent increases-They will assume you wont re-lease
Enterprise Rent-A-Car
1706 San Pablo Ave, Berkeley, CA 94702, United States
Ive rented from here a few times. It is one of the few rental agencies that offer pick-up trucks. The staff is always friendly and helpful—I was even able to get them on the phone when I had a question.
Budget Car Rental
2000 Kittredge St, Berkeley, CA 94704, United States
We asked for a AWD car. We were told that we had to call the on the morning of the rental to secure one, since they could not reserve it by drivetrain in their system. Inconvenient, but not a big problem.I called that morning, and they said they had one available, but I had to hurry to get to the rental place to claim it before anyone else. Okay so I stressed out and got there as soon as I could. And it was still there, great. I made sure to ask them explicitly that it was in fact an AWD car, since we were driving up to lake tahoe and expected snowfall. They assured me it was.After they wasted half an hour of my time in getting my change of car registered in their system, we were off to the mountains with a $15 a day more expensive car. So far so good.Three days later, today: Disaster.We were driving back, and its snowing, as expected. But as Im trying to drive up a hill, the front wheels just spin, and we cant get up. I think its weird that only the front wheels spin, and look around on the car controls to see if there is a button to activate the AWD. Nothing.There is no owners manual in the car, so we call the rental place to ask about it. After being on hold forever, and being transferred twice, the lady informed us that the car we are driving is in fact a 2 wheel drive car, front wheel drive, the worst for the snow.I have experience driving in snowy conditions, and I was driving this car as if it was a AWD. If I knew it was FWD, I would have been much more careful about understeering. This misinformation was legitimately dangerous.After trying to accelerate from the bottom of the hill and get up with momentum, there is just no point, we cant get up. We cant get home. Were stuck. In an intersection by a slippery hill, in a fairly dangerous spot.So we call the rental place again, and tell them our situation. After two hours of calling and being stuck in this intersection, what we got is: Budget wont let us send you a tow truck, because the car has not mechanically broken down. What!? We are stuck in a dangerous location, theres a snowstorm outside, we cant get home. We were lucky to have plenty of food and water in the car...After more calling and insisting on the fact that we cannot make it home, they finally did send a tow truck. Or at least they said they would. We got stuck at 11:30, and its 5 pm and help has not arrived yet.They said they cannot promise to waive the towing fee, even though they are at fault for this situation. Between the four different people I had to speak to, they all claim its not their responsibility.I hope I get home today...