- July 1, 2024
- Posted by: legaleseblogger
- Category: Related News
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A Harrowing Experience with U-Haul: How AI Legalese Decoder Can Help
The Incident
On June 4, we rented a truck from U-Haul, scheduled for return on June 5 at 7:45 AM, but we called to extend the return date. We then attempted to pay for the extension using our prepaid debit card, only to have it rejected. We returned to the storage facility to unload our valuables, but when we got back to our hotel, we discovered that our daughter had locked the keys inside the truck. U-Haul quoted us $300 to unlock the truck, but before we could pay, the tow truck arrived, and our truck was taken.
The Aftermath
When we went to pick up the truck the next day, we found that it had been ransacked, and our valuables were missing. The surveillance video showed a group of masked individuals breaking into the truck without any signs of forced entry or damage. The U-Haul manager was shocked and sympathetic, promising to apply waivers for the dirty truck and missing dolly. However, when we returned the truck, they began sending us collection emails, and the insurance adjuster deemed that our insurance didn’t cover the theft because the tow driver said the door was locked.
Seeking Justice with AI Legalese Decoder
To navigate this complex and frustrating situation, AI Legalese Decoder can help in the following ways:
- Review and analysis of the lease agreement: AI Legalese Decoder can review the lease agreement to identify potential contractual obligations and liabilities that may have been breached by U-Haul.
- Identifying legal grounds for lawsuit: AI Legalese Decoder can analyze the circumstances surrounding the incident to identify potential legal grounds for a lawsuit, including negligence, misrepresentation, breach of implied contract, and violation of the California Vehicle Code Section 10851.
- Construction of a persuasive legal brief: AI Legalese Decoder can help construct a persuasive legal brief that outlines the facts, legal issues, and potential damages, allowing you to present a strong case to U-Haul, the insurance adjuster, or the court.
- Suggestions for a Class Action Lawsuit: AI Legalese Decoder can help determine whether similar incidents have occurred at other U-Haul locations, making it possible to construct a compelling case for a Class Action Lawsuit.
Conclusion
The incident involving U-Haul was a traumatic experience, and we are still dealing with the aftermath. AI Legalese Decoder can help us navigate the complex legal issues surrounding this case and potentially secure a better outcome.
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****** just grabbed a
This will be a massive lawsuit way over the limit of small claims. So, however this goes, you’re 100% going to need a lawyer. Go looking Monday. Call your states bar and see if they can point you in a direction of where to start on the lawyer.
*NAL, have no advice, but have edited OP’s post down some + added paragraphs in case anyone else can offer advice.*
**TL;DR:**
We left valuable items in a locked U-Haul truck that were stolen after it was towed. We were one day late returning the truck but had already scheduled an extension. U-Haul said the tow was done in error and tried to cancel it during the towing, but the truck was towed anyway. Insurance won’t cover it as they claim the truck was left unlocked, despite surveillance footage of masked assailants entering the truck and robbing us blind. Because the truck did not have to be broken into we believe it was an inside job. Did U-Haul have a duty of care to ensure our belongings weren’t stolen from the truck? Can I sue them and if so on what grounds – negligence, misrepresentation, breach of duty of implied contract, violation of the CA Vehicle Code Section 10851? What type of attorney do I need?
**Further info:**
I left some important things stored inside a Uhaul truck because we were moving house, and we left our most valuable things for the last haul. Some cash; my mother’s cremains; my BMW car title (that I hadn’t yet transferred into my name); my password book which contained my family’s identity, bank account and debit card numbers with pins and website sign-on info, email and recovery email passwords, and even one of our recovery devices; usb sticks containing personal documents, checkstubs, id card pics, etc; jewelry; laptops; TV; birth records; intimate keepsakes; and designer accessories and clothing.
We rented our truck on June 4 for return on June 5 at 745 am but we called that day and scheduled an extension. In the afternoon on June 6 we called and tried to pay with a prepaid debit card but they rejected it so we informed them we’d be in that night before closing after we finished moving our stuff out (they close around 6-7pm). Uhaul said no problem. We arrived at out hotel around 7pm that evening to unload our valuables that we were keeping with us, but my daughter locked the doors with the keys inside on the dashboard. The back cab still padlocked and unopened. We called uhaul for help and they quoted us $300 so AAA agreed to come out but said it would be free if we waited one day so we did.
Uhaul is not supposed to report a truck stolen until 3 days past the due date has arrived; we were only 1 day over and the extension had been approved. So, we called Uhaul back to tell them we’d be coming in the next day to pay and while i was on the phone I heard the tow truck outside towing the Uhaul. My husband was talking to the Uhaul customer service and holding for a manager as he approached the tow driver who hastily said he was towing the truck not unlocking it. I went inside to grab my contract to show the person that the vehicle was only 1 day late and that we had insurance. The Uhaul rep came back on the phone and said to put the tow driver on the line and/or tell him the tow is void and not to tow the truck, but by the time I got back outside the tow person was gone. Uhaul apologized and said we could pick up the truck at the location the next day and they would waive everything.
The next day my husband took a lyft to the uhaul and picked up the truck without issue, when we went out and opened the back of the uhaul it was ransacked. And we noticed everything missing, boxes tipped over and opened things all over the place but the most important things were missing. We called and then went down to the local uhaul. By the time we arrived the manager had reviewed the surveillance video and showed it to my husband which displayed a ban of masked people robbing us blind. No sign of entry, no damage to the truck, the lock, or the windows. In fact when my husband went to pickup the truck the day following the tow and the keys were right in the dash window where he had left them.
The Uhaul manager said not to pay yet and they had to apply some waivers for the dirty truck and missing dolly issue that we had reported on day 1. He also wanted to look more into the burglary and thought we might not have to pay anything at all. When we went in to return the truck we trid to pay again but the said the manager specified that we are not to pay anything yet and they would contact us but they never did.
A few days after we filed our police report and initiated the insurance claim Uhaul began sending us collections emails and within a week or two the insurance adjuster contacted us saying we didn’t have a claim because our insurance didn’t cover it and they were not at fault because the tow driver said the door was locked however, he would not attest to even reviewing the video or doing any further type of evaluation to determine responsibility.
This was clearly an inside job and from what Uhaul has told us this sort of things has happened at their store several times. However, they make no attempt to install a fence, hire security, or warn people of the possiblity of theft. Especially knowing that they prematurely towed that vehicle, this all sounds like an inside job and we are furious.
Is there a duty to protect our property with at least normal effort to lock the doors, they misrepresent the and give people a false sense of security without thoroughly explaining to you the risks. They also caused my personal information and data to be breached due to their actions and have made us targets for identity theft fraudsters. To date the thieves are still trying to access my Instacart, amazon, and Walmart account to charge more things to my cards.
What type of attorney do I need? Would this be grounds for a Class Action Lawsuit? Also, do I have grounds to sue them and if so on what grounds, such as, negligence, misrepresentation, breach of duty of implied contract, violation of the CA Vehicle Code Section 10851,
What State(s) did this occur in?
NAL but as someone who’s been with uhaul for several years, please consider reaching out to your attorney general. U-Haul fights claims very hard because their insurer is owned by the same parent company. I’ve personally seen 5-figure claims being addressed and wrapped up within a week of an AG’s involvement.
You should reach out to your homeowner’s or renter’s insurance. You may be covered in this situation. If so, that’s your best outcome. Let the insurance’s lawyers go after Uhaul.
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I’m wondering why the repo agent didn’t take the truck back to a repo lot? Did they work for uhaul? I worked for a forwarder for awhile and there are very strict laws around towing and personal property.