DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY
Chrissy
Submitted this review about
Straight Forward Moving
Review made Live: 7/16/2013 11:38:00 PM
I was lulled into a false sense of security because this company has a legitimate and professional appearing website and my experience with Christina from customer service was fantastic. It all went downhill from there. I was giving a "binding quote" online after completing a comprehensive inventory list. When the movers arrived to move me out of my NY apartment, the foreman said he thought I had more cubic feet than the online inventory accounted for an increased the price by almost $300. According to policy, they could not start loading the truck until half the total was paid, so I was completely stuck. I tried to discuss this with the company, but they cited the fine print and said the foreman can change the quote as he sees fit.
The move out process was harmless enough. One thing I found a little off-putting was that the truck was a Penske rental truck (with no company logo) and the movers were wearing t-shirts with a different moving company name on them. Another sketchy thing that this company does is give 2 day windows for pick up and delivery dates and will only tell you 1 day ahead if and when they are coming. I found out on the day of my pick up that my delivery would not be the next day (Tues) as originally discussed, but rather the following day (Wed). I had to wait until Tuesday to find out that my delivery in RI would be Wednesday between 4-7pm.
I arrived in RI on Wednesday by 2pm to ensure I'd be ready when they showed up. Unfortunately, the phones and internet at the main dispatch HQ were "down" all day and I was unable to reach anyone to confirm that they were actually coming, running late, etc. I was able to reach customer service at a different number, but they stated that they were at a different location and did not have access to the information I needed. They assured me that if they had told me they were coming between 4-7pm, they'd be there and the driver would call when he was getting close. By 9pm, I had not heard from anyone, and figured they were not coming. I slept on my hardwood floor in my empty apartment. I was woken up at 10:10pm when the driver called to tell me he was over an hour away and asked me if I still wanted my belongings delivered. I live in an apartment building that does not allow moving after 8pm. I explained that to the driver, to which he said, "Okay, so you're refusing the delivery?" He had no explanation for why I was not called earlier in the day, but implied that this was my fault. After arguing with him for awhile, he told me to call the company in the morning to discuss rescheduling the delivery.
I woke up early, sore from sleeping on the floor, and called the company. The phone lines are only open from 9am-5pm and there is no one to answer urgent calls outside of those hours. When I reached someone on Thursday morning, I was put on hold and waited for a manager to take my call. The manager said, "Yes, I see here that the truck was on its way, but you refused the delivery." After explaining what I had already explained to the driver the night before, the manager told me that there was no truck anywhere near RI that day, and the best they could do was to deliver my things first thing Friday morning (between 7-8am). While I wasn't happy with this, I was powerless because they were holding all my belongings!
After another uncomfortable night sleeping on my floor, I was hopeful that my things would finally arrive. After no sign of a moving truck and no phone call, I had to wait until the phone lines opened at 9am to call for an explanation. I was again put on hold (I had spent so much time arguing with and being put on hold by this company, that I went over my monthly cell phone minutes and will have to pay an extremely large bill at the end of the month). Apparently the truck "broke down" shortly after leaving the warehouse, and they were in the process of putting my stuff onto a new truck and were hoping to leave by noon or so. NJ (where the company is located) to RI is about 4 hours on a good day. On a Friday in the summer, it's more likely 5 or 6 hours. I had been available for every arbitrary window of time they had given me, but I was supposed to leave for a wedding by 3pm. When I explained this to the manager, he said, "So, do you want the delivery or not?" That is when I lost it and started screaming at him. In response, he used what seemed to be a few rehearsed phrases such as "things happen in life that we don't expect," and "I mean, it's not like we've had your things for 2 weeks without delivering them," and "do you think we're making money by keeping your stuff in our warehouse?"
Ultimately, the movers arrived at 6:15pm (nearly 2 days and 12 hours late). The driver was trying to pull into the large circular driveway, but cut it too tight. The foreman, who had already gotten out, ran to the truck to warn him he was about to hit the parking sign. He was too late and was struck in the head and arm by the edge of the falling metal sign. He fell backwards and had blood running down his face and arm. 911 was called. As a physician, I provided first aid on the scene, and he was taken to the hospital. The police came and questioned the driver. By the time the truck was ready to unload, it was almost 7:30pm. The two assistant movers did their best, but were clearly struggling without the foreman. Again, according to policy, they could not start to unload the truck until I paid in full. I felt that I should not have to pay the full amount and asked them to call their boss to see if I would be entitled to a discount after everything that had happened. I was given a $120 discount, which was not even half of the amount the price had increased on the pickup day. A number of boxes were crushed, likely because my items had made multiple moves between trucks and the warehouse. A few items were damaged: bowls, glasses, tv stand, and frames, but nothing irreplaceable.
I was incredibly disappointed with multiple aspects of the experience and feel that I was tricked into signing a contract with this company because of a pretty website and impressive customer service before the actual move itself.
