On February-- I rented a 6x8 enclosed trailer from the Uhaul dealer at 594Bearses Way in Hyannis Massachusetts. My purpose for the rental was to pick up some seat cushions in New York for my antique car. When I picked up the trailer, the person at the counter could not complete the reservation because the computer was down. They had to rewrite the contract by hand. I agreed to the insurance when they asked if I wanted it. At no time during the transaction was any explanation given to me about proper operation of the trailer, or any safety precautions that I should know. I was not told that a lock should be used to keep the door closed and there are no stickers or other information on the trailer suggesting this either.

At some point on my return from New York, the trailer door opened and my cargo fell out onto the highway. I was not aware that this had happened until further down the road when the state police stopped me to inform me that something had fallen out of the trailer and caused an accident. When I went to the rear of the trailer, the door was open and the cargo missing. The car that was following behind me was unable to avoid hitting the seat cushions when they fell out and damaged his vehicle when he ran over them. He had to have his vehicle towed because it couldn't be driven.The state police provided my information to the driver who contacted me the next day. He stated that what he ran over did extensive damage to the underside of his vehicle including the radiator, cooling system, transmission lines and bumper moldings.

When I returned the trailer the next morning and explained what had happened, the rental agent did not inspect the trailer but gave me the contact information for Western Republic. I called and opened claim #002923542011 with them. I was told they would do an investigation and get back to me. It's very interesting that Uhaul and Western Republic are part of the same corporation. Isn't this a conflict of interest? They never called me back so I called them. I was told that there was no defect with the trailer so they were not accepting any liability for the accident and I would have to go through my insurance company to pay the damage claim. They also told me because they found no defect that they weren't responsible for the damage to my cargo either. I asked how they determined that there was no defect and was told that they looked at the rentals prior to and subsequent to my rental and found no complaints. Are you kidding me!!! This is how you investigate a defect?? What was the insurance that I took out supposed to cover? They had no answer when I asked if the latch wasn't defective, how did the door open on its own. They made some half baked remark about something to do with the distance I drove. The lack of depth of the "investigation" flabbergasted me. This was not an accurate measure of liability or way of determining a defect. Quite possibly previous renters have not hit the same type of bump that I did. Were these previous rentals local and driven at slower speeds over in-town roads, or used on highways at higher speeds where bumps have a more exaggerated effect? They cannot say that looking at the prior and subsequent rentals is an accurate way of comparing like situations and determining if a defect exists. Being totally frustrated with their attitude, I requested a written explanation of their determination. Attached is Western Republic's response to my request for documentation on their decision to deny liability for the defective door latch.

Not happy with Western Republic's response, I called Uhaul's customer service. They put me on hold for ten minutes and then came back on the line and told me there was nothing they could do for me. I asked to speak with a supervisor and was told that he would tell me the same thing so there was no reason to connect me. I had to ask repeatedly for the name of a person in a management position in Uhaul that I could have review my situation. They finally gave me the name of Thomas Snell. I called him and explained what had happened. Mr. Snell initially said that Uhaul had already investigated the claim and didn't know what else he could do. After hearing all the facts, he decided to investigate further, but didn't say exactly what that investigation would entail. I have not had a reply back yet from Mr. Snell and he does not return my phone calls.

It should not become my liability for a situation that was out of my control due to a latch is definitely worn and defective with no mechanism to prevent it from popping open. I also believe that I should not have my perfect driving record tarnished and have to pay surcharges on my future insurance policies because of this defective latch. I have also lost my seat cushions which were in mint original condition and irreplaceable.

I sent all this information to Mr. Shoen, the CEO of Uhaul. Lets see what he has to say. No results from him and I'm off to court.
Please respond back to me that you have received this and also with your findings.