RAPID RENTAL & SUPPLY

I rented a trencher to dig in an electrical line. The one I was given was a Barreto walk behind. I was given strict instruction on how to operate it or it wouldn't work right or the Chain would come off . I brought it home and went to work, the only problem was the trencher wasn't cooperating. Operating the way I was instructed, I was able to trench about three feet in a half an hour and the chain wasn't moving very fast. My electrician was over working on my house so I asked him to look at it. He did, and said it wasn't working right. He pushed a lever I was told not to touch and he got the chain to rotate faster . He started moving backwards and the the wheels dug in and it buried itself. We got it out started again and it buried itself again. My electrician said it was a piece of junk and suggested I take it back. Not willing to give up yet I hooked my four wheeler to it and had my wife pull while I trenched. The four wheeler was spinning in four low. So I hooked up my Rhino, put it in four low with both diffs locked. This worked for about 150 feet until the trencher really got buried. Had to use the winch on the 4 wheeler and three guys to get it out. I took it back to Rapids Rental and complained about the trencher. 1. Didn't work as instructed and 2. When I got it to work with redneck mechanics it still didn't really work. The manager was adamant that the machine worked as it was designed. It was going to bury itself and you just have to be able to lift a 800 pound machine to get it out . He said had he known I was going to trench more than 100 feet he would have suggested the track machine. I told him it really didn't matter since it got stuck 3 feet in to the job and I still can't lift a 800 pound machine out of a hole. I quit arguing, paid my bill and left. Not only did the machine not work as I expected but it was also filthy and beat up, just like all the equipment I saw around this place.

My 76-year old mother hired this moving company to come and pack her home up from the south metro area and move her back to the Grand Rapids area. They had truck problems. They were bringing a large moving pod to her house to pack her belongings and return to GR. They were going to also haul her car back behind another moving truck. They were several hours late. They came with no packing materials and had to use ours (blankets, floor coverings, tape, etc.). They did not have the correct address for where to pick up a trailer to use for hauling the car. Their phones were not charged adequately. They did not have any map or correction directions. They only had two drivers within the team. The movers were what appeared to be young, inexperienced teens. They were not familar with correct moving measures or proper packing. The supervisor was disorganized. The entire move was a fiasco. The owner, instead of apologizing, made excuses for the unprofessionalism of the move. On unload, several months later - Nov. 2010 - they again had a broken truck. They were given ample notice for the moving day. They never contacted my mother (she called them) or stated they called a wrong number. The move was to take place at 10 am. They did not get to the home until 5 pm. When the truck with the pod arrived - we told them it was the wrong color pod. They never double-checked the pod nor did they get the keys to unlock it. They told us the pod had been repainted. I drew them a map of the location where the pod was stored to verify they took the right pod. The supervisor never showed it to the pod driver and insisted it was the right pod. They blocked traffic and then tried to lower the pod. The equipment froze. They had no warming equipment (a Minnesota co.). They asked for my mom's key and told my mom she had the wrong key. They said the lock was frozen and that they would break the lock off. The driver of the pod finally looked at my diagram and said this was the wrong pod - which would be the reason the key did not work. They came in the home and leaned on the newly painted walls with their dirty oily gloves and left big marks on the paint. The supervisor said he would call the owner. We never heard from the owner that night (the night I am writing this complaint). The move is still not complete. I would desribe our experience with this company as a very poor experience. The owner defended all the errors and was defensive about the problems with the first move. He did take $200 off the first move. Unsure as to how this 2nd fiasco will be handled as it is supposed to be a $800 charge. Disorganized and unprofessional, poorly trained staff and shoddy in the handling of personal property all played into a poor chain of events for my mother's move. I can not in good faith recommend this company.