7 Aug 2015 · MoveAdvisor
1.0 out of 51.0
If I could give this company negative stars, I would. I have spent 20 years in the military and done numerous household moves, including overseas moves. I am very familiar with the process and requirements of moving, and of moving overseas. Prisma showed none of the correct procedures and processes. Had I done my due diligence and looked at company reviews, I would have never hired Prisma.I have had numerous issues with Prisma Cargo Solutions, beginning when the movers arrived at my home to pick up my household goods (HHG). I had been clear with the sales rep, Brad, that I would pack my belongings, but that I needed my furniture properly wrapped for the move. On the day of the move, the moving company was supposed to arrive at 10 am. I received a phone call from Prisma that they would be late and that the move may need to be rescheduled because there were no containers available. That was unacceptable, as I had taken time off work and had renters moving into my house 5 days later. The container and movers finally arrived after 5:30pm, only to inform me that the furniture was supposed to be wrapped and they had not brought the appropriate materials. Had the movers arrived on time, they assured me they could have easily done it. However, they were told by Prisma to wait for the container. Prisma told me they could possibly get a new container in 2 days, but in fact it took a week to get a container. I was now moving out the same day my renters were moving in, a situation I did not want to be in. While packing up the container, the moving company did not take an inventory, not even verifying the inventory I had done. There is no way to verify what is in that container. When the moving company finished with the container, they did not seal it, provide me a seal number, or in any way ensure my belongings were secure. Additionally, the moving company did not take a copy of the invoice that I had done. So, not only was the invoice not verified by the moving company, Prisma did not have a copy of it. There is no way to verify what is in my HHG shipment, and should something come up missing, there is no way to validate that it went missing.Once my HHG was shipped, I received an adjusted bill for several charges. One charge was for a return trip of the container, for approximately $1,000.00. There was another charge for approximately $850.00 for container demurrage - basically, storage of the container that failed to make ship's movement. I was charged 6 days of storage for a container that Prisma told me wasn't available. Additionally, I was charged approximately $250 for trucker chassis charge, which is a fee for the special chassis required to transport containers. This charge should have been on the original contract; the move was always known to be an overseas move and if Prisma missed it on the original contract, that it their problem. While I don't believe I should have paid any of these fees, the fees for the container storage and the chassis are certainly unreasonable. However, in order to not hold up my shipment, I paid the entire balance on July 30th via bank wire and received a paid in full receipt on July 31st. My HHG shipment arrived July 27th, but did not clear Customs until July 31st. To date, August 5th, I have not received my HHG. I have contacted the destination agent, who told me they have taken control of the container several days ago, but have been told by Prisma not to deliver the shipment and that written authorization to do so is needed. Prisma has not contacted me to discuss any outstanding obligations. I have repeatedly tried to contact Prisma via phone and email, with no response. I have yet to receive any response to any voicemail or email I have written them in the last 3 weeks. Currently, my shipment is on hold, I have no idea why, the receiving agent has no idea why, and Prisma has not contacted me to make me aware of the situation.This ongoing saga with Prisma keeps getting worse and worse. I have tried contacting them for 3 days, both by email and phone. They haven't returned a single communication. I have found out from the receiving agent here in the UK that Prisma has communicated with them, but not about my shipment. Despite my numerous attempts to resolve this, and their continued communication with the receiving agent, the topic of my shipment hasn't been broached. I also found out that Prisma detained my shipment before it even arrived in the country. Despite an email from Hetal in Prisma's accounting telling me that my shipment would be detained if the invoice was not paid by 31 July, Alex sent an email to the receiving agent on 27 July telling them to detain my belongings. My invoice was fully paid on 30 July, I received a paid in full receipt on 31 July. Clearly, this company cannot communicate even within its own departments.I have filed a complaint with the BBB and the Federal Maritime Commission. Hopefully, that will get Prisma's attention.
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