Wow, I have never been scammed so bad in my life. The job was to move packed boxes and 4 pieces of furniture for storage at my mom's house.
The easiest way to talk about how they scam you is by going through their promises listed on their website:
1. "Free In-Home Estimates - The price you're quoted is the price you pay. Guaranteed."
False. They never came to the house to view the items, we discussed the job on the phone and we received an email, with a quote of $425. By the time our items were in the truck, they hit me with a new bill of $838.70.
Here's the breakdown of the charges:
A. The estimated time to do the job was increased to 6 hours while they were 2 hours in. The "base" is now $510 instead of the guaranteed $425. They started at 12pm and finished the job at 5pm and had a total active labor time of 3 hours. And somehow took 2 hours to get to a destination that is 1 hour away, but still argued it's 6 hours.
Exhibit A1 (Email quote): "Minimum Estimated @ 4 hours labor plus 1 hour travel time @ $85.00 per hour - $425.00"
B. Fuel cost of $35.70, which is calculated at 7% of the base cost of $510, which they've conveniently increased in the middle of the job.
C. Packing charges of $126
They folded some furniture with blankets, but then wrapped a bookcase with saran wrap and the cushions to the couch without asking and argued that it doesn't count as furniture. I also had an electronic piano that really didn't need to be wrapped, but they suggested I wrap it, without giving me a heads up that it's going to cost me. Apparently each wrap cost $20 or $25. The "boss" condescendingly told me to read my email because it's written in there that there's an additional cost when I tried to dispute it.
Exhibit C1 (Email quote): "Packing included: All furniture to be wrapped in quilted furniture pads; Packing Materials: All Other Materials Additional Charge- If Needed"
D. Tolls - $67.
Rationale was that they need to pay toll to come into the city, which is $12, and NJ Turnpike tolls. Fine. Then rambled about some other tolls? The truck is based in Bayonne, so why do they need another toll into the city. I go to my destination every weekend, and it's $36 round-trip.
E. Certificate of Insurance $100.
They emailed my building their insurance. When my husband disputed this and asked why it cost $100 to present insurance they allegedly have coverage for the "boss" said he needed to get new insurance for the job. When my husband asked if they had to call the insurance co. to get add'l coverage to cover our small job, he said yes. That's obviously BS.
Exhibit E1 (Email quote): "We offer valuation insurance at no cost."
2. "Competitive Pricing - Moving with the best van line in the world is surprisingly affordable."
They definitely had competitive pricing when we put out a request for quotes, which is why we went with them. They gave all these guarantees, were extremely helpful and accommodating with our questions and we trusted them. They repeatedly confirmed $425 is what the job will cost and used classic bait and switch tactic.
3. "Guaranteed Pickup and Delivery Dates - We will be there on-time, every-time. Guaranteed."
They were scheduled to arrive at 11:30am, but came at 12pm. I'll cut them some slack since we are in the city. The mover kept me in the loop through text the whole time.
4. "Background-Checked, Qualified Professionals - No one enters your home we wouldn't let enter ours."
When they first walked in, they appeared very nice and I showed them all the items I was trying to move and was respectful. Things turned ugly after they had all our things in the truck and hit me with the new bill. When trying to dispute it, the mover said to speak with his boss. I gave them tips before the scam unraveled because I was moving my things to my mom's house. I told them that this tip covers the move for here and the destination and he said okay.
After reading reviews on Yelp while they were in transit, I panicked and called my mom and told her not give them the cash before they move everything in. Upon arrival at point B, they got on the phone with me demanding cash and threatened to leave and put my items into storage which I had to pay for. He also said that I was wasting time for talking and they will have to charge more. I said I'm not going to pay for the time you try to scam me and if you have no control over pricing then he's going to have to wait while I talk to his boss. Eventually he called back and came back with $700. When they finished at my mom's house, they guilted her into giving them more tips.
5. Innovative, Groundbreaking Technology - Admiral Van Lines new technologies keep you moving forward.
???. It was 3 guys with saran wrap, packing tape, and a GPS that took them the long way. Hardly groundbreaking.
Please save yourself from stress and give your money to honest companies that treat their customers with respect and are straightforward with the cost. read more