A legal option that can get U-Haul to listen — and get you compensated.
Trying to get big companies to listen to customer complaints and serious grievances is often an exercise in futility, or so it seems. With U-Haul, it can feel particularly difficult to get the corporate office to take you seriously, listen to a complaint, or refund you for something they charge you for unjustly.
It’s easy to despair, and even easier to wonder whether there’s any way to make them listen to your demands without being stuck on a customer service phone line for hours on end.
U-Haul is ostensibly in the business to help its customers with whatever they need. But all too often, customers complain to U-Haul and discover that the corporate office is more willing to throw customer issues to the side, ignoring the grievances of their paying users. This is because practically every U-Haul contract includes a clause preventing any customers from filing a lawsuit against them.
Upon researching this clause, you might feel at a dead-end or that there’s nothing you can do to get the U-Haul corporate office to listen to your demands. But there is another option, usually indicated in the very same contract through the so-called arbitration clause.
Arbitration involves hiring an independent arbitrator that will impartially examine the specifics of your grievance against U-Haul and impose a legal and binding decision. This is the best way to achieve a proper and satisfying resolution against U-Haul and other big companies.
If you pursue arbitration handled by the American Arbitration Association, that arbitration hearing will comply with the Statement of Principles of Consumer Due Process Protocol. These rules guarantee the following protections:
U-Haul might think that they have the advantage, but that’s just not true when it comes to arbitration. This is quite likely to put them on the back foot as soon as they see that you are serious and are committed to pursuing a resolution for your grievance.
That’s because arbitration isn’t a guarantee that they’ll win, unlike with many bigger court cases. In these circumstances, U-Haul is more likely to realize that they’ll have to pay some money just to show up at the arbitration hearing, and they may have to pay even more if you end up winning the case. Because of all of these approaching costs, U-Haul is more likely to hear you out and negotiate about your reasonable demands.
But if they still don’t want to listen, you don’t have to worry about the costs upfront. In fact, with FairShake, we won’t charge you a dime unless you end up winning a generous settlement as a result of the arbitration proceedings. In this way, you can get a fair and transparent hearing through arbitration even if you don’t have the cash to take U-Haul to court.
However, you should only use arbitration for serious complaints or grievances. That’s because your case could be thrown out if it is deemed frivolous, meaning you’d be on the hook for any costs that U-Haul incurred to show up at the hearing.
Once the arbitration proceedings begin, U-Haul won’t have the upper hand. In fact, both you and U-Haul will be on roughly equal footing. This makes them much more likely to offer a fast settlement.
If you want to begin the arbitration proceedings, your first step is to formally raise your complaint or grievance with U-Haul. FairShake can help with that.
We’ll send U-Haul a demand letter that will give them 30 days to either resolve your complaint or else. This countdown is intentional, as your contract with U-Haul likely stipulates that you must give the company 30 days to fully resolve your complaint before you can file for arbitration.
In about half of all arbitration cases, companies like U-Haul make acceptable settlement offers to their customers before arbitration begins. But if they don’t offer a reasonable settlement whatsoever, you can begin filing for arbitration with the American Arbitration Association. FairShake will both help you put the paperwork together and proceed with the next steps.
With arbitration cases, you have the option to either hire an attorney to represent you or handle representation by yourself. There are reasons to consider both options.
Attorneys are valuable in large part because it’s much easier to get a settlement or award if your complaint can easily be identified under a specific law or statute. Since this requires a certain base level of legal expertise, you might be more comfortable if you have an attorney to help you out with this part of the process. If you decide to represent yourself alone, check out the information available from the American Arbitration Association’s Pro Se Case Administration Team.
Certain types of complaints are much easier to push through to a settlement with an attorney’s assistance, like those claims that deal with improper debt collection and robocalls.
Starting the arbitration process begins by explaining your complaint against U-Haul to us. Let FairShake handle the paperwork and stress of filing for arbitration against a big company – you’ll still get a fair resolution for your grievance.
We offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee, and you won’t owe us anything if you aren’t satisfied or don’t win your case.
Get justice when a business lets you down:
FairShake’s Ultimate Guide to Consumer Complaints
Learn More
