30 Dec 2011 · MoveAdvisor
1.0 out of 51.0
So disappointed.
The movers themselves were so-so. My main issue is that after notifying the main office of my concerns the customer service was terrible and I was not compensated for the inaccurate charges.
A word to the wise -- their flat rate option may be the better choice if you must go with this company. For the hourly Mon-Thurs rate, it is $89, plus $30 per roll of plastic plus I think $3 per roll of tape. They use their tape, plastic, and time liberally, as it's all on your dime, or Benjamin.
I have used professional movers on at least four other occasions. I have always been amazed at the speed to which most movers operate, despite being paid by the hour. (See my review of Corrib Movers)
These movers were very different. They were unusually slow throughout the process. Scheduled for 8am, they arrived at 8:30am. Not a problem, except that they billed me as though they arrived at 8am, so I paid an extra $45. Ultimately they took 6 hours to do what the last movers took four hours to do.
When the movers arrived they forgot the metal brackets that go inside the wardrobe boxes. Obviously that is an essential part of the wardrobe box. After debating for awhile what they should do they decided to break off pieces of nearby tree limbs to serve as a substitute. They then wrapped the tree limbs several times in the plastic covering and used ample tape to secure it. In all honesty -- this was a creative solution that worked quite well. If only I wasn't charged for their time and their supplies to make that happen.
When it came time for the "bill" at the end of the unloading, the lead guy had scribbled down the numbers on the back of a piece of torn cardboard box. I did not receive any sort of printed or official bill. I was concerned and expressed surprise at the price, but figured I would/should address my concerns to the main office.
I called the main office today. I spoke with Elias the office manager. I was completely shocked by the terrible customer service. Initially he said because I did not document my concerns on a piece of paper the movers had me sign the insurance would not cover any losses that were now claimed. Eventually I got a copy of this form -- the form clearly states to declare Damages, and, if everything went well, to give my feedback. The bottom of the form says if there are any questions or concerns to contact the main office. That is exactly what I did.
Then I was told that it was strange that I waited ten days to contact the office. (Not unusual to me for any move, let alone a move the week before Christmas)
Overall -- I was charged for 30 minutes of service that never happened, I was charged the hourly rate while the workers tried to figure out how to fix their mistake with the wardrobe boxes, I was charged for the supplies for them to wrap the tree limbs they used. I suppose I could get over the disappointment of it taking six hours to do what the last movers did in 4 hours, but I cannot accept the fact that I was charged for work that was not done and was charged for work they did while fixing and dealing with their own mistake.
Elias the office manager then assured me there was no one else I could speak to, that he was the office manager. He offered me $50 in a check and told me the employees would likely be terminated. (I don't want them to get fired, I can understand their mistakes, I simply want the company to NOT charge me for their own mistakes.)
After they finally sent me an invoice (today, after I called) I replied with an email expressing my concerns about my move. Elias called me back and said he did not understand the point of my email and that the funny part was that I had said $50 was better then nothing, and now I was seemingly asking for more, which he didn't understand. He then, again, chastised me for not documenting on this form my concerns, and for waiting 10 days to call to complain about it.
My lesson learned -- never hire ML movers again.
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