Warning: Do not trust "free" mattress removal from those moving truck rentals

I rented a U-Haul last Saturday to move my sister's stuff across town. The guy at the counter said they'd take my old mattress for free if I just left it by the dumpster. Came back 2 hours later and there was a $75 fee taped to the truck because the lot manager counted it as illegal dumping. The fine was more than the rental itself. Has anyone else gotten screwed by these hidden charges?

3 comments

3 Comments

markh851mo agoTop Commenter

Yeah the "free" part is a trap. My buddy got nailed with the same thing at a Penske lot in Oakland. They told him to just toss the mattress behind the building and then hit him with a $60 "cleanup fee" later.

linda_dixon491mo ago

Hold up though, that cleanup fee is pretty standard and your buddy probably just missed the fine print somewhere. Most of those "free" signs are just trying to get rid of stuff they'd have to pay to dump themselves.

reed.elliot1mo ago

Wait until they check the serial numbers, those "free" mattresses usually come from hotel liquidations that aren't even legal to resell.