Would not honor contract
Megan
Submitted this review about
Grace Van Lines
Review made Live: 8/11/2015 8:56:00 PM
We chose Grace Van Lines based on customer reviews, which were overwhelmingly positive. My husband called and was quoted a inexpensive figure to move our family of six from a 2200 square foot home. We found it unbelievable, so my husband asked the salesman to come out to our home and assess our belongings for a more accurate estimate. Ivan, the salesman, came to our home. He was very polite and respectful. I showed him every room in the house, including storage and garage. He came back with a quote for our move. It still seemed low. My husband told him to make the quote higher. We finally agreed at a price of $2900, which the company calls a "binding estimate."
Between the time Ivan came to our home and the time we moved, our circumstances changed. We got rid of various items, including big furniture items: a sofa, futon, kitchen dining set, baby crib, baby swing, queen sized bed, and two bunk beds. On the day of the move, the movers came four hours late. They took one look at our boxes and said they could never move us for so low a cost. The foreman took a fresh inventory and gave us a new estimate: $5600. This is more than twice the original "binding estimate." They refused to put anything on the truck and they refused to compromise or keep the promises from the salesman. They said, "Our company will not honor this contract."
This was a company mistake. This was not my husband or me underestimating our belongings. Remember, we had to ask the salesman to give us a higher bid. The company should have been held accountable to the promises of their salesman. They left us in a bind--we had airline tickets to our new destination the next day. We had a few hours to find another moving company--one that was more expensive than the original bid, but they were honest and kept their promise. My husband talked to Ivan on the phone and he said that they would be unable to refund our $300 deposit. Luckily, the manager took care of that and the deposit was refunded quickly and in full.
The men who came to move our belongings were kind, polite, and respectful. While we feel that the company was dishonest, we in no way hold the actual movers accountable.
