As if moving was not stressful enough, when it is compounded by shady, dishonest people you were trusting to assist you, and paying to do a service it is infuriating! I would like to voice a complaint about THE MOVING SQUAD/ B&E Movers.
I began my search online for moving companies in my area. I put a quote in online for several moving companies through one sight. Several of the companies were names I had heard in the past, reviews were good so I persued. I received a call from Brett at the Moving Squad, following up on my submission. We did a detailed over the phone walk through and he assured me he always over estimates weight. I did tell him we had heavy furniture…not IKEA or particle board, real wood and a lot of it. So at the end of the call he gave me a NOT TO EXCEED quote. I said I wanted to speak with my husband and he pushed for a deposit and said “its 100% refundable,” I said I wanted to talk it over and we would call back. That evening we did call back and while talking to my husband we discussed the possibility of the estimated weight is wrong, since they did not do a walk through in person? He again assured us this is not an issue, we have 2 trucks, plenty of space, no additional money needed and again we reminded him of several odd bulky items (animal mounts) and he put us on hold came back and said “I just spoke with my manager and we are going to give you 6 guys to move to make sure there is plenty of man power, however, for this service it would cost 350.00. We said that sounded wonderful, and were quite pleased as it was not a service we asked for but offered. Paperwork began to exchange hands, deposits were made, and all seemed fine. I did notice on the paper work the “100% refundable deposit,” could only be applied to another move not actually refunded. A day before the move a dispatch called to confirm the move date, it was correct. I asked for the time the 6 movers would arrive. Dispatch said only 4 would be sent, never 6, and certainly not that far away. I called Brett back and he could see where the amount changed and went up, but “could not remember why?” I reminded him and he said no we never send 6, and I am already giving you a great deal on this and got my butt chewed out b/c I calculated the mileage wrong, you are a long way away. With nothing in writing of exact reason of the extra money added we were forced to aquess.
Moving day the movers were to arrive at 12:00 and contact from drivers was to have been made at 12:30 and no contact I called Brett. He asked for one hour to access the situation. At 12:45 I remember I have the dispatch number and call myself and find out they will not arrive until late afternoon around 2:30. They finally showed up at 4:30 claiming that they were stopped by police and their books were not up to date and they were retained until they were updated.
The movers themselves were the saving grace of the company. They were very fast and my 3000 sq ft house was packed by 9:30 so 5 hours. At that point I thought ok maybe this will work out fine. Day 2 of move the drivers call and show up at the new home and I have to sign papers and was shocked the weight was in fact underestimated and they wanted an additional 490.00 before they could unload. I spoke with dispatch and was told that it was only not to exceed the quote if the weight was under the estimation. I then called Brett who was “shocked… I’ve never been off by that much.” Questioning me and if I gave him all the furniture on the list and I assured him I did, and in fact there were numerous items I listed that did not go on the truck, that my husband took. Then he asks well what kind of furniture do you have? Again, I reminded him it was wood, same as in the quote. Then he snaps “well I have never done animals, and I rebutted that yes they are bulky and take up floor space and you cannot stack on them but they are NOT heavy, your packers will agree, they are fiberglass, and foam, and a Hyde. I asked to speak to him manager and was told he was unavailable, that there was nothing we could do, you have to pay if you want to be unloaded. He also said the gas was miscalculated so again we were getting a great deal. I snapped and stated that a clerical error on his part does not mean I should have to pay. I stated to Brett that we had in an email from him, this specific situation would NOT happen, weight would not be an issue. I want to talk to a manager…and this time he was available. So then Roger Sparks got on the phone, and assured me that they record all phone calls for this very reason. I said great then you will hear for yourself that he did in fact assure us weight was not an issue, that we would have 6 movers validating the initial addition. However I personally find this all as a scare tactic as you have to notify the customer if there is recording and I never was, but how I wish and hope they did. So 2 uneventful hours later Roger comes back to us with the notion that anything Brett said on the phone was not legally binding. Are you kidding me that I have to legally pay this amount that he is gouging me for but his word…well that’s a different story and one that is absurd! But that I would have to pay the amount and the phone conversations would be addressed by upper management. I had to sign the papers and pay the absurd fees to get my stuff and I signed under my name signed under duress. Again the loading and unloading crew did a great job. I had my items in the home quickly. One mover did break the master ceiling fan in the new home while assembling a bed, and apologized numerous times and said he would address it with dispatch, and I noted it on the final form. Two ears on mounts were damaged and a few other small items sustained damage. I am in the process of making that claim and I certainly hope they are smart enough to fully cover the fan since that item was never to even be touched. I have sent emails asking where we are on fee resolution, and what is being done on the conversation reviews, I also have asked for another supervisor name and email and all have yet to get a response. Thankfully, this is a move that we are being reimbursed for but that is besides the point. Shady bad business is WRONG and NO one should have to pay undo amounts. This is a company that is trying to broaden its service area, bad customer reviews are no way to make that happen. I personally will tell all my friends who are moving not to use you, my husband who is manager for a builder will tell all his clients, and my mother, who is a very connected realtor is advising her clients and associates to avoid Moving Squad. I hope someone else moving sees this and decides to use another company that upholds their commitment to a not to exceed quote.
Unsatisfied Customer
I have reported the moving squad / B&E movers to the BBB and hope they can help rectify the situation but not enough money involved to justify taking them to court...it is a principles thing for me! uuuuggg
