11 May 2018 · MoveAdvisor
1.0 out of 51.0
DO NOT HIRE THIS COMPANY – THEY ARE LIARS, SCAMMERS AND CHEATS! I moved from California to Michigan in January 2018. After doing some research online, I got a call from Bob Lewis, who came across as helpful and caring and concerned about my move. He took the time to explain the process to me, went through all of my itemized possessions so he could provide a quote, and most importantly, warned me about hiring a company that used third-party carriers. He insisted that I be careful about this and be sure to only hire a moving company that handled your belongings from door to door. I was grateful for his help, but ultimately wound up going with a different company that provided a lower quote. That company, Trans-United Movers, turned out to be a total nightmare (for full disclosure, I’m reporting them, as well). They, too had warned me about companies who used third-party brokers, so imagine my surprise when Trans-United did just this. Imagine my bigger surprise when they turned out to be B&B Transportation Services!
After realizing that I had been lied to by both companies, it was too late. I had already provided two initial deposits to Trans-United. When the movers from B&B showed up, I had already left town, but had a friend there to meet them. The movers asked her to sign the inventory sheets BEFORE they had even been filled in. She refused, of course. They then said that I had to give them a check for $2,109, which meant that it, combined with what I had already paid for the initial deposit, ALREADY exceeded the TOTAL estimate I had been quoted by Trans-United. Plus, they told me that I’d had to give the movers $1,403, in cash, when they arrived with my stuff in MI. This means that I was being charged $1,626 over the original quoted price. Unfortunately, when a moving company has all of your belongings in their possession, they can steal from you in this manner, if you ever want to see your things again.
I immediately followed up with my contact at Trans-United, who vanished into thin air as soon as my checks were deposited. I then tried Bob Lewis many times. He kept saying he’d help me figure out why there was such a huge cost discrepancy, but never did. I’d call his number, random people would answer and promise to help, I’d never hear back, and then I’d talk to someone else, who would say the last person I spoke to wasn’t able to help but that they could, and then . . . nothing. I went around in circles for days until a woman there put me in touch with Carolina in Customer Service.
After weeks of what had already been a total nightmare, a new nightmare began. Carolina told me that the reason the price was so much higher than my original quote was because the quote was based on me having 73 items/boxes, but that when the movers got there, there were actually 170. I explained to her – multiple times! – that this was absolutely, unequivocally impossible. I had a small one-bedroom condo, I had already gotten rid of a lot of my stuff, shipped some of it, etc., and it was completely unrealistic that the amount of stuff I had was 1 ½ times what we originally thought, and that the number of pieces of furniture was so much higher than that for which I had been quoted. To go from saying 73 to 170 – it boggles the mind that someone would think this would even be a remotely feasible explanation. Seriously, it stretches the limits of incredulity.
Based on all of the lies that I had already dealt with between this company and Trans-United, I knew I was being ripped off and lied to again. I asked Carolina to email me the documents, since all I had received were unclear photos sent via text the night of my move. She kept saying she sent them. I never got them. I had to ask her about SIX times to email them, and she always claimed she had. I had even provided an alternate email address. Eventually, she told me to “check my spam” and that I “must be having problems with my server.” Never once did SHE call ME to find out if the documents arrived. She never offered an alternative, like to fax or FedEx them. She never said she was sorry for what I was dealing with, and that she’d try to figure out the problem and how she could help. She also gave me some completely contradictory information on the status of my stuff. She once said it was sitting in their warehouse in CA, but the driver said it was a day away from MI. One time, she said she was going to put me on hold and contact the driver . . . but then I heard her talking to a co-worker about the turkey and mayo sandwich she had for lunch. When I realized I was clearly NOT on hold and had been lied to again, I said “Hello?” to get her attention and she said “You have to be patient ma’am!” It was so rude. She was the worst, and everything she did and said reinforced my belief that she knew her company was stealing my money and not doing a thing about it.
I eventually received my items in MI. There were missing and damaged items/furniture, but only 83 items were delivered. Not the 170 that Carolina kept insisting they picked up in CA, thereby increasing my cost by $1,626. I either want my money back, or would love for these mysterious 97 “extra” boxes and pieces of furniture to reappear. Since there’s absolutely no chance of the latter happening - because they NEVER EXISTED IN THE FIRST PLACE - B&B owes me $1,626.
I sent many follow up emails to Bob Lewis and cc:d Carolina and never heard back. After the third one, I got a response from Carolina providing an email address where I could log my claim for my damaged and missing items from my move. That was the last I’ve heard from anyone at B&B. Between these two companies, I was scammed out of $1,626 and haven’t heard a thing from either of them to try to make this right. They know they’re ripping people off and stealing from them during what is an already-stressful experience. The amount of frustration, anger and stress on my end was unbearable, and to be treated so callously is unacceptable. I had recently been diagnosed with MS, and I have no doubt that the stress, fatigue and emotional toll that this took over the course of nearly two months exacerbated my symptoms. This certainly doesn't make my experience any worse than that of anyone else who has written to complain - these are just vile people with no morals whatsoever, who have set the bar of human decency about as low as it could possibly go. Please, DO NOT use this company. Avoid them at all costs.
I reported them to the BBB, and have yet to receive a response. Based on the stats that BBB provides, they very rarely follow up. I do try to feel sympathy for people who are so incompetent, uneducated and worthless that they can literally contribute nothing to society except their dishonesty and thievery. However, that isn't an excuse for illegal, arrogant, condescending, dishonest treatment of innocent people who simply want to move in a hopefully stress-free way. I have no problem taking this as far as the Attorney General, or even filing a lawsuit if this company, and Trans United, do not respond with an appropriate resolution. Honestly, it's not just about the money they scammed; I don't know how they're allowed to be in business at all. DO NOT USE THEM!!
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