“I know they’re doing this at more locations.”
More and more customers go into basic transactions already bracing for tricks in the fine print, hidden charges, or a bill that changes after the fact.
A Tennessee man now says that exact fear played out in real time when a short U-Haul rental turned into a surprise $198 damage charge he insists he never caused.
TikTok creator @wolfgangkw2 claims a U-Haul location in Johnson City, Tennessee, tried to pin nearly $200 in damage on him after he declined the company’s $15 damage coverage. His video has gotten more than 142,000 views.
He says a U-Haul location “tried to scam me out of $197.86.” He adds that he’s sharing the story because, “I know they’re doing this at more locations.”
He explains that when customers rent a U-Haul truck, they are offered a $15 damage coverage fee. If they decline it, U-Haul can charge them directly for any damage found later. He says he turned it down because he only planned to drive the truck 40 miles round trip.
“I don’t want to pay the 15 bucks. If something happens, I’ll assume responsibility for it,” he says. According to him, that decision made him a target.
He claims U-Haul benefits when customers buy the coverage because the company pays for repairs out of pocket. When customers decline it, he says, U-Haul can allegedly pass off old damage as new and charge the renter instead.
“They try to take all the previously existing damage from the people who did pay and pin it on someone like me,” he says.
He adds that U-Haul does not clearly explain that customers must take their own photos of the truck before leaving the lot. Instead, he says the company allegedly sends a text message with a photo upload link after the customer has already left.
“They deliberately don’t tell you that you have to take your own photographs,” he says.
Even though he says he never received the text message, he decided to film a walk-around video of the truck on his own after noticing scratches on both sides.
That decision ended up saving him the following day.
The next morning, he says, U-Haul charged his debit card an additional $197.86. When he called customer service, a representative told him the charge was for a large scratch on the right side of the vehicle.
“She tells me it’s for damage,” he says. “And I’m like, ‘I didn’t damage the vehicle.’”
He claims the representative told him he was being charged because he did not upload photos and did not purchase the $15 protection. When he suggested checking previous renters’ photos, he says she told him none of the earlier renters had uploaded any either.
“That’s an impossible improbability,” he says.
He later claims the same representative actually found photographic proof that the damage existed before his rental but did not immediately disclose that to him. Instead, he says she hung up on him and contacted the U-Haul store directly.
When he arrived back at the location, he says employees already knew the damage was pre-existing but still asked him for proof. He then showed them his timestamped walk-around video.
“You could see the damage in the video,” he says. “The timestamp and the date were right there.”
Even after reviewing the video, he says employees continued to scrutinize it and asked for frame-by-frame confirmation. As more customers gathered inside the store, he says he started loudly explaining the situation.
“So now everybody in the store is hearing what’s going on,” he says.
One manager eventually processed the refund but did not apologize, according to the TikToker. Instead, he claims the manager told him to be nicer to the customer service representative next time.
“That was the only thing he said to me,” he says.
He says the moment the store refunded him only came after other customers began expressing concern. One couple, he recalls, said they were reconsidering renting after hearing what happened.
He ends the video by advising others to always document their rentals and warning that, in his view, the practice appears widespread. He also says he plans to speak with an attorney.
Online, similar complaints appear frequently. One Reddit user claimed U-Haul charged them $2,000 for damage they say they did not cause and that they had no proof it was pre-existing. Many reports follow the same pattern: customers who did not photograph the vehicle before driving off, and seemingly did not purchase the insurance.
U-Haul’s official damage coverage page outlines the risks of declining protection and explains that renters may be responsible for repair costs without it. The company also instructs customers to inspect the vehicle and document its condition.
Motor1 has reached out to U-Haul via email for comment. We’ll update this if it responds.
Many commenters said the situation sounded familiar and shared their own U-Haul horror stories under the video.
“Uhaul has been doing this for decades. Have your attorney subpoena all of the records from previous rentals of the same truck and find out how many of those renters PAID for the exact damage that you were also charged for,” one commenter wrote.
“Even take pics of gas gauge. They charged me almost $200 for gas charge LOL it was on 1/4 tank we drove it total 9 miles put $3.50 gas in it I had receipt, was a 14mi per gal truck. I had pictures and I get a ‘oh the guy checking it in read it wrong,’ It was wild,” another said.
“Bro it’s nationwide scam they tried to get me the same way. Luckily I had video evidence as well always take the video bro always,” one person added.
“They charge for damage and never fix it. So it’s extra income,” another commenter claimed.
However, not everyone agrees.
“This isn’t true at all U-haul locations. My son rented a truck from U-Haul this summer and they told him to take pictures beforehand and after,” someone else pushed back.
Motor1 has reached out to @wolfgangkw2 via TikTok messages for additional information. We’ll update this if he responds.
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