Penske® Reviews
We moved on the worst possible day ever - during the torrential rain and flooding. It took longer than we'd anticipated. We appreciated how Penske worked with us when we couldn't get the truck back on time due to flooded roads. The truck (26 ft) was in good shape and easy to drive for anyone with experience driving larger vehicles. Would not recommend that size truck for inexperienced drivers.
Uhaul's per-mile pricing seems like a trap, so we've gone with Penske for a big cross country move (26') and a smaller in-state move (16'). Very happy with the service and truck provided each time. Be warned: Not refueling at the end is costly ($8 per gallon) as is returning later than directed, even by half-an-hour ($100 per day in whole day chunks)!
Rare for Penske but my truck was not available at pickup time but enroute and 20-30 minutes late. I chose an alternate truck that was on-site and quickly got underway. The air in the substitute truck did not work properly (again, rare for Penske) but the 16 footer was clean, otherwise well-maintained and drove like a dream.
Second time I've used Penske truck rental in a multi-state-distance move. This time I used a 16-foot truck for a 2-bedroom apartment move, was the perfect size with a little space to spare. Requested a newer truck since the move was over 1,700 miles, and I got a great vehicle (less than 5000 on odometer) with no hiccups. Even the car carrier was a breeze.
We picked up the truck, they did not give us the hand truck we paid for. As soon as we finished loading the truck at the first location the ac went out (in Florida in June) Once we got it on the highway to get it to where the ac would be fixed it hit 50 mph and started shaking terribly. They were able to put 2 new tires on and fix the ac, but we picked it up on our way out of town and had to take it 200 miles half full because of a deadline. They did give a partial credit, but I believe they knew there was a problem with the truck when they gave it to us.
Truck ran very well, no problems Seattle to SoCal. The GMC 16' truck cab is designed for midgets. I'm 6'3" and for the entire trip my right knee rubbed on the dashboard. - there literally was no way to press on the gas pedal without rubbing my knee. I wore shorts (summer) so every night I just sponged the blood off my leg. By trip's end the truck remained in great shape and I had a large open wound on my right knee. Won't be using Penske again unless I can get a jockey to drive.
Actually I would give a negative 5 rating if that were an option. I had difficulty from the beginning to the end of this move with Penske. I went to their office several times in Olive Branch, MS and there would be no one there. No note on the door...nothing, no one. I waited for 10 minutes the first trip and no one ever showed up. The truck pick-up was at a different location and I was not told that until I went to pick the truck up. It was difficult to find and when I did, you guessed it, no one was in the office. At least there was a number to call and a woman did show up. It took over an hour just to sign the papers and get the keys to the truck. The "new" girl had no clue what to do or how to do it. She had to call a number of times to find out how to enter the information. Finally, we went out to the truck and the three dozen blankets I had ordered with this truck were not in the truck. We stood outside in the heat while she went around in the back and gathered them up from different storage rentals. The blanks were smaller than usual and I swear, I could actually see through them when I held it up in the light. They were just big pieces of felt. The movers who loaded my Penske truck fortunately had some of their own blankets and loaned me several. When we finally got to our destination and tried to return the truck, there was no Penske at the location given by the Penske site. After several phone calls we figured out where it was; went there, and, yes, again, there was no one in the office in this town either. We had to make another trip a few hours later to get the truck returned. We had rented their tow dolly also. It took us two hours to figure out how to get the thing lined up and the car loaded. We did call the Olive Branch office to ask for some direction and, wait for it...no one answered. We left a message asking for a call back. Yes, we are still waiting. I would not recommend this company to anyone for anything. I would drag my furniture on my back before I tried to work with these folks again. What a work in frustration!!! Be warned: Do not use Penske.
I just talked with the truck rental company about the issues with the truck. They have decided instead of me returning the truck they are going to send a wrecker out to recover the truck - sure after I have driven it across country. I have a second truck coming cross country now that's not running that well ether but at least that one has a radio and air conditioning, the truck I drove didn't and with it being 104 in AZ not a pleasant ride plus so many other issues.
