I used their services last year because their rates were the most competitive and chose them again this year (end of April) because I had a pleasant experience last year. Unfortunately, this year was a different story.
I have a 1-bedroom apartment, everything packed, organized properly, labeled and ready to go. This year was pretty much the same set up as last year (including distance), with the exception of a new outdoor two-person sofa (not heavy at all) and three new chairs (two bar stools and a desk chair).
Last year, I paid a flat rate for 3 men and a truck and only 2 men showed up, but I still thought the rate was fair. The move took a little over two hours and there were stairs involved, so I thought the fees were OK. The move was done by the owner and another gentleman and both were nice and professional, they did their work fast and efficiently.
This year, I called them to hire them for the same move. My first attempt to contact them went unanswered -- they never responded to my email. I called closer to the move date and was told that a date other than my initially requested date worked better for them so I changed my move date to accommodate them because I knew their services and preferred to deal with them versus another company that I don't know (this is only the second time I hire movers). I was given the same rate as last year and I agreed.
The two men that showed up were not professional at all. They rolled in sipping on their drinks, making jokes and being very informal. Initially, I tried not to chat very much, but later talked a bit more because I was stuck with them at the storage where my things were going. I shared some details about the last move and my background (because one of them kept asking a lot of questions). I partook in the conversation to be civilized, but some of the remarks one of the men made were incredibly inappropriate and made me very uncomfortable.
Examples:
* "We DID YOU in less than two hours." Obviously trying to get some double meaning into it. He seemed to be testing my limits to see if I called him out on his comments.
* "See, it didn't take long to do you."
* When asked if I had taken apart the bed by myself, I said, yes, I'm actually quite handy, to which he replied "You're good with your hands you say" or something trashy to that effect.
* Also, he tried to insinuate that I had a thing for the owner, kept asking me why I remembered the owner and why I had called them again.
* I told him one of the bins had camping pots/pans in them and he was so confused. I explained it was a cast iron skillet and a dutch oven and he said I must be good at cooking and I should invite him for Thanksgiving.
* They also made a lot of comments about how if you don't have a lot of stuff, they'll be happy to move you. If you have a lot of stuff, don't call them. They tell you not to call them. Or if you have stairs, don't call them. That they need you to make the move as easy for them as possible.
*Also, they shattered Christmas ornaments I had in a clear bag. They placed heavy boxes on top of lighter ones so the boxes were already caving in. They didn't treat the items labeled fragile with care at all. I'm anxious to see how much they broke.
This move was a lot easier than last year's. There were no stairs, just in and out from apartment to storage, by use of elevators that were just around the corner from both the apartment and the storage unit. However, the experience was so much more unpleasant than it had to be. By the time I was done with them, I felt like I was crawling out of a black hole, I was so uncomfortable dealing with them.
Last year, I was with my partner during the move. This year, I was with my mother. I can't help but wonder if seeing a single woman gives them the impression that they can be familiar. I had actually thought of making sure that I had a male with me during the move to avoid any type of issue since I'm opening my home to two strange men. I am sure that if they had seen a male figure, they would not have behaved so unprofessionally towards me. In particular, one of the movers was the most inappropriate, but that is probably because he was the one I interacted with the most because he was taking things out of the apartment and into the storage, whereas the other was at the truck.
This move also took less than two hours. They were stalling a lot towards the end, to be able to reach two hours and they still they charged me the 3-hour rate. Also, I texted the owner to verify how the payment should be handled because last year, he requested cash and I wanted to be sure about the payment method, and he never responded. He did respond to the movers when they told him that they were done and sent them the amount that I had to pay.
I will need movers to get things out of storage but I will not be doing business with them again. Unfortunate because one of the reasons I supported them was that it's a small Latino-owned business. read more