Month: April 2025

BrooksLooks@ UHaul

~ Brooks Bradbury / BrooksLooks ~ 1 Comment

As we were driving down the highway last week, I wondered if UHaul’s president Joe Schoen has ever driven one of his 26′ rental trucks with his family and three dogs in the cab, everything he owns loaded in the back, and a vehicle on their tow-behind-trailer driving 9 hours over 500 miles on I-87 and the Garden State Parkway? I must be crazy, but that was just one thought I had on this latest trip.

Now, don’t get me wrong. We are regular users of UHaul’s equipment, and we are generally grateful for what they do provide. We are also very knowledgeable about their service having moved 25 times in 25 years. So it’s time for some friendly feedback.

To begin, a forecast of 8-12 inches of snow is always daunting the day before loading the truck and making a move. Certainly UHaul doesn’t control the weather.

A slightly sloped, icy driveway made connecting the truck tow hitch to the trailer a shot (i mean many shots) in the dark on a good day even harder. What about putting a small camera above the back of the truck, or near the hitch, that shows someone when they are backing up and getting closer to the hitch? It is always seems way more complicated than it needs to be, sort of like connecting an approaching rocket to the international space station.

OK so if you have driven southbound on I-87, especially the 100 miles or so south to Harriman, NY in one of your trucks, Mr. President, you would return to your office and immediately email the manufacturer to begin installing shock absorbers, and I mean good ones(!) in each truck. Come on! Each crack in the road felt like we were crossing the grand canyon! Our teeth haven’t stopped chattering even days later. I call not acceptable to the lack of comfort, and the poor condition of that stretch of road.

Most times that we have made reservations for your trucks and trailers and equipment, we ask for the rental pick-up and drop-off near where we live. Logical right? Instead, your UHaul system is to tell your customer the night before(!) how far out of the way they have to drive to pick up your truck. This is usually a great inconvenience at an already stressful time. For us, this has been as long as a 4 hour drive one way! Sometimes we have faced having to drive to one city for the truck and a different city for the trailer. Come on! I call BS. I understand that the logistics of getting your assets in the right place must be a great challenge. What about using computers or A.I. or quantum computers and giving it a try to provide more service to your customer?

This time, after being on the road forever then unloading, we had to bring the rig back and were instructed to drive an hour away from our destination. When we arrived, the building was empty, hadn’t any paint on it, looked like the Addams Family was filmed there, and there was no one in sight. I walked to a neighbor’s house to ask if this was a legitimate UHaul facility. They thought maybe it was, and I should just back in and leave it. If they only knew what our last 10 hours were like, and that I have so little expertise in backing up a big truck and trailer. I drove the rig straight in their driveway figuring someone more experienced than me could do the precision backing into traffic. What about a circular driveway? Zero customer service here.

In any case, thanks for listening. If you plan to set up a UHaul Frequent Hauler Club, please let me know. We hope this was the end of our UHaul moves. Thank you for being there for us all those moves.

Sincerely,

Brooks Bradbury

© Copyright 2023 Brooks Bradbury / BrooksLooks. All Rights Reserved.

BrooksLooks@ Innside / Out

~ Brooks Bradbury / BrooksLooks ~ Leave a comment

I N N S I D E / O U T

Brooks Bradbury

WARREN, VERMONT — There comes a time when even an Innkeeper gets to say what is on his mind. Though generally an unheard-from group of discreet, closed-mouthed individuals we end up knowing lots of odd secrets about our guests, team members, and neighbors. We keep these secrets to ourselves of course — sort of like a pastor in the ministry of serving others.

Recent occurrences in the Mad River Valley give this Innkeeper pause to reflect on the arrival of national politics onto our very doorstep in the fiercely guarded Vermont sanctuary known as the Mad River Valley. For outsiders, “mad” is not a reference to psychosis but the local term for the condition of the river in the spring, when it is especially turbulent and forceful.

Anyway, without giving away any national secrets, it seemed the entire world knew before we did that a certain someone and his family would be vacationing here. He later changed his plans. In short order, we were besieged by a million “how could you’s” and “well, I never” admonitions, along with creepy fake online reviews disparaging the cleanliness of our ordinarily immaculate sofas at the Warren Store (of all things).

Our wonderful front desk team, accustomed to attending to the details of each guest’s visit and welcoming individuals of all stripes and from all places to our gracious and intimate environment was beset with vitriolic, threatening, and cruel calls and emails. Here is a glimpse:

As people were dropping off gifts of beer and maple syrup for the guest who never was (really!), Wendy S. called over and over that weekend to shame the Inn and everyone in it, bringing a member of our hardworking front desk team to tears by telling her she wasn’t from Vermont and was therefore part of the problem. (!?)

We received scores of emails similar to this missive from Ms. B. Brown: “I spent my wedding night at the Pitcher Inn and celebrated many special occasions there over the years. I’ve recommended the hotel and restaurant to countless others. I’m appalled that you are hosting the Nazi-sympathizing VP

this weekend. He stands for everything this beautiful, special state fights against. But I guess billionaires have to stick together, right? I will never, ever enter your doors again. What an absolute disgrace.”

And a much beflustered Mr. A. Rifkin called days later to politely say he would never come here again because the Inn hosted a certain guest (who, as we know, never actually stayed here). There were hundreds of similar notes and calls detonated in a great blast of collective indignation.

Now that the clamor has died down, it’s important to set a few things straight. First, I’d like to reassure those folks that as the Inn is squarely in, and of, Vermont our politics and sympathies generally match up with those vigilant Vermonters. Second, the Inn and its predecessor boardinghouse have been welcoming guests to Warren since about 1860. There has never been a political or other qualification required of our guests except to pay for their lodging and meals and to otherwise function as decent people while here.

We take great pleasure in welcoming our guests to this extraordinary place we call home. We support Vermont’s reliance on tourism. And we encourage anyone considering a stay or a meal to visit our website. Our guest rooms and dining room may be booked online at any time.

We also stand with peaceful protesters and consider it a privilege to do so. As a matter of fact, we served complimentary and delicious 802 Coffee (our special blend) to one protester who carried a sign that read, “These quislings aid and comfort Nazi traitors.”

The real credit goes to our entire professional team of talented individuals (with their own political views and personal apprehensions) for holding to their higher calling of serving others well regardless of a guest’s political persuasion and amidst this national moment of furor and backlash.

These are interesting times.

May cooler heads and gracious hospitality prevail.

© Copyright 2025 Brooks Bradbury / BrooksLooks