13 Aug 2013 · MoveAdvisor
1.0 out of 51.0
DO NOT BELIEVE this company's estiamtes. You will be overcharged at the end and there is nothing you can do.
I hired Excellent Moving company to move out of my condo in Boston and provide a few months of storage. I worked with their salesperson (Jenn) to come to a very detailed estimate, including a very complete inventory listing of all the items in the move. The final estimate was $1,188.50 which included a 5 hour move for $695, $208.50 for travel time, $150 for upgraded insurance, first month of storage free plus $135 for the second month of storage. I also agreed to additional charges for any packing materials as needed (please note that I packed most of my items with the exception of big furniture pieces) and rental of blankets.On the day of the move, the movers showed up on the scheduled time and the move seemed to be going well. A couple of times the foreman got my attention to let me know that he would be wrapping my sofas with plastic wrap, which I agreed to and he also pointed out a couple of scratches on 2 items which I acknowledged. At the end of the move I was asked to settle for the cost of the move. The total cost of the move was $2,917 which was almost 2.5x the original estimate. The foreman basically told me that I had to pay the full amount and would not leave without a check, but he also indicated that I could call the office two days later (they were closed that day) and they would certainly give me a credit for the overage. Not wanting to have a fight with the crew and with hopes that this would in fact be resolved, I reluctantly wrote the check.I did contact the office the next business day and they told me they were going to investigate. A week or so later they came back to me indicating that the reason the costs were higher were due to the fact that my inventory listing had fewer items than what they actually moved. I replied explaining that the original inventory list had actually more items than what was actually moved mostly due to the fact that I sold a queen size bed and very large entertainment center. In fact, the foreman confirmed this at the end of the move.
They then changed their message and said that the reason the charges were higher was due to the fact that I paid for the additional insurance and because of that they had to be extra careful with my belongings and take more time to pack things and use more packing materials. Please note that I purchased the extra insurance at the same time as the estimate, so that was a known fact and, if what they are saying is true, should have been included in the estimate.Key items in dispute: 1. Total move time charged vs. the estimate. I was charged 8:45 hours (3 hours and 45 minutes above the estimate of 5 hours or the equivalent of$521 over budget)2. Excessive packing charges; $727 for packing materials. As an example, this included 9 mattress covers as $10 a piece - when all I had was one king size mattress with no box-spring - no other mattresses. There were also 12 picture boxes when all I had was one picture and one hanging mirror. What I am being told is that they decided to pack my furniture with plastic, then wrap boxes around it and then wrap it with blankets.
I contacted the company several times and they basically said that I signed a contract with them and they are not liable for any overages. Told me I had no case with them and had to pay for the move. I feel like a fool and feel that my hands are tied. All I can do is warn other folks NOT to use this company in the future and share my experience.
Read more