We embarked on a five-day, cross-country move from Lincolnshire, IL to San Diego, CA and when we called Penske direct, they were wonderful and easy to work with. When we arrived at the Vernon Hills, IL Home Depot location to check into the details, the understaffed tool/rental area was quite the opposite. We were met with frustration and the sense that we were an inconvenience from the first greeting. We were able to confirm what we needed in advance and on the day for pickup, were given the keys with a very minimal visual walk around the truck and sent on our way with the keys.
The first challenge we faced was that my husband had to connect the trailer himself, which would normally be no problem, but whoever returned the trailer last had over-tightened the tire bras so hard, that it was almost impossible to get them loose. After an hour of hassling with that, we were on our way. As soon as we got onto the highway, a light came on and a loud noise came from the engine area. The light said "Service Stabilitrak" and I noticed that the truck was pulling to the left slightly. We had literally just gotten onto the highway and it seemed to be stable enough to drive, so we kept going.
We drove for a few hours and needed to fill up the gas tank, ending up in Springfield, IL. I just happened to turn the wheels inward when I parked, and my husband noticed that the front drivers side tire was so severely warn down that metal was showing (see photo). Terrified of a blowout, we called Penske Customer Service. After waiting on hold, he was hung up on. He called back and this happened AGAIN. We eventually talked to someone from OnStar (even though we did not pay for that service) and they advised that we get towed to a local GMC dealer. We instead drove very slowly down a side road to a local Penske dealer, which was closing soon.
Once we arrived, the local Penske dealer, there wasn’t really anything he could do, other than offer another truck that we could swap with. Rather than doing that, we took the chance of going to the GMC dealer that OnStar suggested since it was only a few more blocks away. Once there, they took a quick look and noticed that our 16’ truck was too big for any of their bays. By this time, Jeff, from Penske Customer Service, had arrived so we started talking through options with him.
We ended up driving back to the Springfield Penske rental location and Jeff and my husband spent the next 4 hours swapping the truck with a newer model in the grueling summer heat. Jeff was seriously so helpful in this situation and completely empathetic to what we were going through. We were finally able to get back on our cross-country journey after hours of delay and worry… and the rest of the trip was thankfully smooth sailing. I ended up driving the entire way since my poor husband had just packed the first truck the day before, then had to do it AGAIN that afternoon. We lost about 6 hours total and had to drive at night for a bit with this big truck and trailer, something we had planned carefully to avoid. Luckily none of us were injured due to a blow out on the highway but this was something that should never have happened and we feel this Home Depot is truly to blame.
If you are at all considering renting a Penske truck or trailer, consider going directly to a full, true Penske office. Home Depot staff, especially in Vernon Hills, IL do not take care in quality checks when equipment is returned. They are under-staffed and quite rude and make you feel like an absolute inconvenience. I know times are tough with COVID, etc. but this could have been extremely bad. We paid $2600 for these rentals and were not set up for success. Penske rentals are not a priority for Home Depot at that location.
A HUGE thanks to the Springfield location and Jeff the Customer Service rep that saved our day and our trip; we were so very grateful.
Update: We spoke with Penske corp and they are providing us with an $800 refund for our trouble and for sharing this. They are also communicating with the Home Depot for posterity. ~Brenda
truck rental agency
moving supply store
van rental agency