Penske Home Depot-Penske Truck Rental Reservation but no truck available. Marlborough Massachusetts

I had made a Penske truck rental reservation for August 31st at Home Depot so that I could help my daughter move from one apartment to another. Since first making the reservation in early August, I received two calls from Penske: one shortly after making the reservation to confirm it and to get my credit card number to guarantee I would show, and the second on August 30th to confirm that I was still planning to arrive at Home Depot at the agreed-to time the next day. 

 

When my wife and I arrived at the appointed time, we were informed by Home Depot employees that there was no rental truck available, nor would there be. We were further informed that we were not the first that day to be told they were not getting their rental truck either. In fact, there had been nine others that were told the same thing. The Home Depot employee offered to call the Penske office so that I could get an explanation for myself, an offer I accepted. The person from the Framingham, MA office of Penske (he would only say that his name was Sonny, wouldn't give me his last name)  said that there wasn't anything he could do and that they were over-booked and under-supplied.  When I asked him why he hadn't called earlier to inform me of this so that I could make other arrangements, he offered no response. Apparently, they are authorized to confirm reservations, but not when they are unable to meet their own obligations. 

 

After hanging up, the Home Depot employee informed us that Penske had not only over-booked a significant number of rental reservations for that day, but that they had done so intentionally--saying that this was common on busy end of the month weekends. It was clear to me that they planned to do this and that as long as their vehicles were on the roads generating income, the negative effects of this strategy was of no consequence to Penske. 

 

The result to me and my family was not pleasant, and had far reaching effects on friends and family for the entire rain-soaked Labor Day weekend. What I can say right now is that even though the weekend and the effects of Penske's failure to meet its obligations have passed, the negative effects are only just beginning for Penske. Penske will never, ever earn my business again as long as I live. I will tell as many people as I can NOT to ever do business with them. 

 

The effects have also, unfortunately, spilled over to my relationship with Home Depot. In the 60 minutes prior to my scheduled pick up my truck rental on the 31st, my wife and I purchased two rooms of carpeting with installation. That order has since been cancelled and gone to Lowes. Likewise, any time I have a choice in making home improvement purchases, I will do so with Lowes or frankly anyone other than Home Depot. Over the years, my wife and I have spent some $50K with Home Depot and more from close friends and immediate relatives. There will be no more. 

 

You may ask, why am I angry with Home Depot? After all, they weren't the ones who let me and my family in the lurch. The answer is a simple business fact: you are known by the company you keep and the partnerships you make. The truck rental display at the Home Depot rental center proudly boasts of their partnership with Penske. That decision today has cost Home Depot a good deal of future business from me and everyone else I can convince to avoid them (this post to consumer affairs is only the beginning). I only hope that every other person who was stood up this past weekend or at any time in the past by Penske does the same and that at some point a wise person at Home Depot realizes the extent their partnership with Penske has cost them financially and in customer loyalty.