The Laughing Wolf

Ah, The Joys Of Penske

Well, the day began bright and early for the Werewolf and I and we left Atlanta about 0430 for Huntsville. Traffic was good, the weather cold but nice, and as a result we even arrived ahead of schedule, which allowed us to get coffee and fuel before going to the Decatur Transit to pick up our truck.

To pick up the truck, ah, there’s the rub. It should have been ready about 0830 for a 0900 local pickup. We arrive, and no truck. It is on the way, be just about 15 –30 minutes, so sorry. Well that 15 minutes ended around 1130, which was great except that we were supposed to pick up an item from remote storage between 0930 and 0945. During this time, I was told several times it was on the way, as was the office from which I was renting. It appears that this information was faulty, to be polite, and at least some of the assurances were made by the main office without checking.

By the time we are able to meet the people scheduled for the earlier meeting, get the item, and get back to the storage unit, it is 1315 and we needed lunch. Also, I had contracted for a car carrier, and the truck that finally arrived had a dolly. Joy, and not acceptable. The Penske manager agreed to deliver one to us at the storage unit, and he did so right as we got back from lunch.

Fine, we are now five hours behind schedule. The Werewolf was not supposed to stay and help, but did. (thank you, Thank You, THANK YOU!) Also, one of my favorite people in the world showed up and helped out. Since she is a logistics and shipping person, she helped make sure all was done right. (thank you, Thank You, THANK YOU!)

Except, that didn’t matter. I already knew of an alignment problem with the right front tire and was prepared to live with it since I could not afford to let them waste another five hours. Despite all the weight and balance work done, the rear suspension does indeed sag. Joy. It is now 2130 hours and we have just discovered that the auto carrier finally delivered (five and a half hours after it was supposed to be provided) for Pups is broken. One of the ramps needed to get Pups up there is jammed solid in place. I have called the emergency hotline and someone is on the way to fix it, or see if it can be fixed. They are also going to see if I need to take the truck into the shop in the morning to have the suspension examined and/or fixed. They are supposed to be here in an hour, but based on performance to date I will believe it when I see it. Supper? What’s that? Never mind the other plans for the day, including business that was supposed to get taken care of…

We are not amused. It is bad enough that they failed to honor their contract at the start and did not have the truck ready. It is bad enough that they did not have the right equipment even then. But to have this problem and bring defective equipment is beyond the pale. At this point, I don’t care what they do or what they offer, it will take force majeure to make me ever use Penske for anything ever again. Strong advice from me: Go with Budget or anyone else, but do not depend on Penske for anything.

LW
(note, this shows as Friday but is being written late Thursday night)

UPDATE: The Werewolf had a two-plus hour drive on home, so sent him on off with many more thanks. I finally got fed up and walked to Krystal and got something to eat about 2220 hours. 2240 hours, the repair service arrived and used a prybar to get the ramp out. I asked him about the rear-end of the truck, and he said that he did not think it too low. With his professional opinion, I am proceeding on and not stopping for service. I am not at all sure about this, and have some serious concerns, but given that their repair service said it is a go, I will give it a try. After a long hot shower and some sleep, it rapidly approaching 24 hours since I got up to start this trip. LW