26 Jun 2020 · MoveAdvisor
1.0 out of 51.0
This was my family's first move to another state (Indiana to Wisconsin). I have moved countless friends and family members myself and really thought that was how we'd do it. But it became evident that we needed assistance. Plus, I was to receive financial help from the company that hired me!
We got sold and scammed. LDM came on very strong in their sales pitch, but seemed like the best "deal." Additionally, the salesman was not so much aggressive as persistent, which I took to be a positive sign.
My wife and spent quite a while inventorying our items and going over everything with a fine toothed comb with the salesman. He gave us a guaranteed maximum price over the phone and then sent a contract by email. The contract, of course was an ESTIMATE. I prodded and questioned and was assured that unless there was some "piano hidden somewhere that we forgot to mention" we'd be within our estimate and may come in under.
About a week out from our move date we were contacted by another moving company who was (apparently) affiliated/subcontracted by LDM. This mover said that the window for the move was about a week and a half. I mentioned quickly that we'd agreed upon a pick-up and drop-off date specifically. This person was very brusque and said she didn't think it "worked like that." I spent first half of that day calling LDM folks, never getting hold of the original salesman trying to find out why we'd not be moved on the dates specified. Eventually the gruff person from the other company called back and said, "Well I guess we'll see you one the date you specified. You must have important friends."
Meanwhile my wife called to ask me if we'd like to change our moving date because a company called (the same subcontractor) and asked if we could move about a week ahead of schedule to better fit there workload.
When the movers arrived (on the originally agreed upon date, but about 2 hours late) they were from a different company entirely and had very little information including an incomplete packing list and no schedule. I found out that they were affiliated with the subcontractor mentioned above. The were huffy from the off. Complaining about everything from the distance to the house from the street (about 30 feet), to the stairs (listed as 2-story), to the amount of stuff (admittedly not in their incorrect manifest). On and on, they were quite vocal about how "bullshit" everything was.
They also wondered why we hadn't packed anything. Of course everything we owned was in boxes ready to be taken out the door. What we were not informed about was "packing" the furniture. Wrapping blankets around everything and packing foam or taping drawers shut etc. Not having had a company handle it before, I had no idea it wasn't something they'd do as they packed the truck. We were, of course, informed that this would all be itemized on our invoice. I thought to myself, "How much could a few rolls of packing foam and a bunch of packing tape cost? Plus, they are the professionals packing the truck. Surely, they'd do a far better job than I would anyway. Probably worth a small increase to have peace of mind. What a nerve wracking day, though.
Two days later, we met the movers at our new home. Except they weren't the same people at all. Novice, here. Didn't know that they weren't the same crew, but it makes sense.
The day started with me being handed a new invoice with a grossly inflated cost several thousand dollars more than the "guaranteed maximum price." I called the salesman first. He referred me to the secondary company who actually accomplished the moving. Same gruff woman who had softened at first only to double down. She yelled over the phone threatening to "sue" over my "lies." Not sure at all what she was on about, but the result was that if I didn't pay, I didn't get my belongings. They'd be stored until litigation completed. Never thought I'd lose my entire household's worth of belongings in one fell swoop. I caved and paid.
This group was extremely efficient and much more careful and conscientious. Instead of only two people as with the loading, there were six! However, many of the items were damaged beyond repair and many more damaged but reparable during transit. So much for professional packing. I was told that the damaged items were reported to the companies insurance and I would be compensated for repairs. A report was given me with all of the damaged items on the (now complete manifest) circled with notes. I bought this group lunch and tipped big as they were apologetic and thorough and drew such a sharp contrast to the rest.
When I followed up with LDM and the original salesman about the damaged items, I was told that no one new such a person. Eventually, I found a direct line and NEVER got a call back. I tried about half-a-dozen times over the course of a few weeks. I though this salesman's persistence was a positive thing. Now he was persistently unavailable.
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