Moving to Boulder!

OMG! What a biblical journey. What should have taken 2 days, took 5 and all I have to say is fuck U-Haul. This journey began in PDX and started off with my reservation being moved from 2 blocks away to 30 minutes away. I get there only to discover the equipment I rented hand been stolen and the location was robbed of 72 gallons of gasoline so the truck was nearly empty. They then proceeded to send me another 45 minutes North to pick up my equipment. At this point, I was pissed and asked if I could get what I needed from the location by my house. The guy was like, definitely, sure. I thought to myself, how did you not know that? I saved myself over 2 hours right there. Great start. The move starts the next day and my friends help me load. All good there. The first leg took me to Boise to visit my office. On the way there my friends in Boulder and my teammates make me aware of the coming snowpocalypse and I cross my fingers I can pull through. I left Boise early with HR pushing me out the door to be safe and this is where shit gets even worse. As I approach Salt Lake City Apple maps alerts me that my original route was now closed, so I move towards I70. After witnessing 12 accidents including the huge car pile-up that made the news, and almost spinning out 3xs I called it quits and booked a hotel. The next morning I get up, pick up chains and -30 window washer fluid, and head to Avon. I knew I70 was closed East of there and was planning on staying at a friend's house. About an hour out I go to use the window washer fluid and discover it froze overnight. FML! After using paper towels on the side of the road and nearly wrecking again I finally make it to a rest stop and call customer service. The wait for someone will be two hours. I almost cry. I shit you not, I say a small prayer and ask, please... I try the fluid one more time and it works! I cancel the order and head back on the road 30 minutes pass and it goes out again. I pull over in the small town of Helper, UT. There I call in another repair. I’m told, I don’t know when, and a 2 hr min.

Luckily there is a larger town Price, just south and there’s a real auto shop, not U-Haul that can look at it. I get it there and shit you not it works for that repair guy. OMFG! The heat of the engine and my -30 washer fluid fixed it. This cost me nearly 5 hours, but I made it to Avon through the scariest driving I have been through in the canyons just before it. I crashed at my friend's place after an epic collage of "The Office" and planned to head out the next day. We got up, loaded the electronics in the truck and put the chains on. Just East of Avon I stopped for gas in Vail. I got out of the truck started the gas and inspected the chains. One had already flown off on the highway. FUCK! I go into the gas station and ask them if they have chains. The lady at the counter goes to the back to get the mechanics. A few Russians with strong accents come out and tell me, “You don’t need chains. The pass is clear. I will sell you chains though!” We look at the cameras and it looks clear enough so this cowboy said fuck it again, we’re pushing through. I get through the pass, the Russians were right, and drive up to Boulder. The roads in Golden and Boulder were terrible, but I pushed through to my complex. Unfortunately, I drove right past my entrance and had to turn around. I try to turn around on the next side street, and boom! I’m fucking stuck. People saw me struggling and came to the rescue including a group of construction workers from my complex. They push me out and I can get to my loading area. I meet with my leasing agent get my fingerprint scanned for access and start unloading, alone. I get one load up to my unit and head back for a second when I notice a group of people walking towards me. They tell me they are the Parc Mosaic maintenance crew, they heard my story, and they want to help. My heart sank. We had it unloaded and moved in under 30 minutes. Now I only hope I can get my sunglasses back I left in the truck tomorrow.

This has been a journey of epic proportions. I’m escalating the issues with U-Haul corporate and I am beyond grateful to be home. I want to thank everyone who was following my journey and checking up on me, I love you all. I want to give a huge shout out to my work VYNYL for taking care of me and supporting me along the way. I’m so happy to be back home. I think I can turn this into an Ignite talk too... 

Who has liability?

Since this is LinkedIn, where we discuss business primarily, I have to ask about U-Haul liability in this scenario. When I picked up my equipment the teenager working the counter, who wasn't a mechanic set me up with my truck. I don't think he had malintent but a corporation has a responsibility to its customers. He told me the company is switching to a full self-sign in system next year. I fear these issues are going to get worse, and I hope no one has or will die from this lack of attention to detail. I would have expected this truck to be ready at pickup and the computer to notify the facility it is a long haul move. I doubt this happened. The gear should have been validated, the fluids, the tires, all of it. Outside of this the biggest issue that pissed me off as an engineer was how long I had to wait for a U-Haul rep to get to me. Why have they not partnered with national repair chains to examine the trucks across small to large cities, especially rural communities where it could take hours for a U-Haul representative to get there. This seems nuts to me. The huge chain I took it too assessed the issue in minutes, and I was able to get back on the road. Maybe they want to ditch the truck business? Who knows. This is unacceptable. Thoughts?