6 Oct 2022 · MoveAdvisor
1.0 out of 51.0
I don't post often but felt this needed to happen so that others are aware. I will share my experience but in case you want a quick summary here you go:
1. Beware the fine print. Definitely not the highlight of my bad experience but probably the most relevant advice for you. READ THE FINE PRINT OF THE CONTRACT BEFORE SIGNING. We are used to seeing fine print in contracts, but they will literally up charge you tooth and nail (I.e. charge if 75+ ft from truck to door, 9 stairs = 1 flight, THEY CAN TAKE UP TO 21 BUSINESS DAYS TO DELIVER YOUR THINGS FROM THE DATE YOU INFORM THEM YOU ARE ABLE TO ACCEPT)
2. If anything goes wrong they will do whatever it takes to not take ownership or make things right. They only care about their bottom line.
Here is my story...
My move was from VA to NC (151 miles). I told my customer service agent during contract discussions that the standard expected delivery of 6 days was not feasible for my family. She offered 2 day expedited delivery window for the cost of $300, which she assured me would guarantee our delivery within 2 days of pick-up. Because this was offered, I was able to move forward with signing the contract. Had this not been offered, I would not have been able to sign and would have had to find another company. We had our belongings picked on 7/7/2022. At the time, again, the mover in charge ensured that the delivery would have to arrive within 2 days because we paid for expedited delivery as in the contract. On Friday 7/8/22, I called Overland Van Lines before end of business hours multiple times in order to find out when to expect my delivery. These were all unanswered. Then it was the weekend, I was unable to reach them and continued to be left in the dark. On Monday, 5 days without my belongings and no explanation, I was able to reach customer service who was clueless initially and ultimately said sorry and they would refund my $300 expedited fee. They also said there was no timeline for my delivery date and it would be at least another week!
I called them each day for an update and regarding reimbursement because -- A) no one was providing me any anticipated delivery date. It was as if because the 2 day expedited delivery window was missed, I was just pushed to the back of the line. There was absolutely no urgency or empathy on their end. B) after nearly every call, they would end things "we will discuss with management or billing or whomever and call you back tomorrow." I heard this line at least 6 times and not once did they reach out to me. I even waited an extra day to see if they would call and they never did. They clearly wanted this problem and me to just fade away -- again very disrespectful and not professional at all. All requests to speak with management myself were ignored.
I opened a claim through Better Business Bureau to try and come to a solution. Their response: sorry, $300 back, and that they "reserve the right to refuse service and reschedule or cancel any job due to "Force Majeure". This is a legal term that means an unforeseen change of circumstances beyond the control of the mover"
My response: during one of my calls, I was informed by one customer service representative that they did make a mistake because my belongings were unloaded into the warehouse when they should not have been. So this was not unforeseen circumstance like a truck breaking down or a hurricane, this was a mistake that occurred due to an error made by Overland Van Lines. So this terminology they placed in the fine print did not hold in this circumstance in my opinion.
Finally, during a call using another number listed on their website I happened to get the operating manager on the phone. At this point, I made him aware of the situation and he coordinated my belongings to be dropped off on Sunday July 17th. However, I was not offered any refund or reimbursement other than the return of the $300 expedited delivery fee. While, I am thankful to this man for coordinating my delivery, it did not make up for the 10 days without my belongings and $1000+ of purchases devoted to things like beds and cookware and basic daily products that we already owned but were still in the possession of Overland Van Lines.
The $300 expedited delivery agreement was not an either/or option. I did not sign a contract to pay $300 ONLY IF the belongings arrived within 2 days. I signed the contract guaranteeing this delivery timeline because my family could not financially accommodate a late delivery. There has to be some responsibility taken here.
This is not how a company should treat any customer. And while mistakes happen in every field of business, the company needs to own their mistakes
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