I am extremely disappointed with my experience with this company. What should have been a…read morerelatively simple move from a studio apartment to a one-bedroom approximately four minutes away turned into a SIX-HOUR ordeal that cost more than twice what I expected, left scuffs on my furniture and the walls of my new apartment, and was made worse by the owner's condescending and unprofessional response when I raised legitimate concerns.
The communication issues began before the move. I had to call three separate times just to receive a quote, despite repeatedly being told one would be sent. I continued pursuing the company because I genuinely wanted to support a Black-owned business, but I should not have had to work that hard simply to give a company my business.
Before booking, I spoke directly with Jay, the owner, and specifically described my inventory and move. I was moving from a STUDIO to a ONE-BEDROOM approximately FOUR MINUTES away and had already moved the overwhelming majority of my clothes, smaller belongings, and other items myself. The movers were primarily responsible for my bed, mattress/box spring, dresser, nightstand, sectional, and a limited number of boxes. Based on that information, Jay estimated approximately TWO HOURS, and I expected to pay around $300. I understood this was an estimate and would have considered three hours or somewhat longer reasonable. I did not expect SIX HOURS and a bill more than twice what I anticipated.
The biggest issue was efficiency. There were two movers, and I want to distinguish between them. One was kind, professional, and worked efficiently. I genuinely appreciated him and have no complaints about his performance. The other mover was noticeably slower. Multiple trips between my apartment and the truck took close to 30 minutes, and at one point I genuinely wondered where he was. Ironically, this same mover acknowledged, "Yeah, you don't have a lot of furniture." It ultimately took approximately FOUR HOURS just to load the truck.
Because this company charges hourly, efficiency directly affects the customer's bill. I never rushed the movers, interfered with their work, or complained to them about their pace. After more than three hours had passed and we had not even left my studio apartment, I simply contacted the company to ask whether what I was observing was normal.
Unfortunately, Jay's response made the experience considerably worse. Rather than investigating why the move was taking substantially longer than his estimate, he became defensive and condescending. He repeatedly defended the crew by telling me he had personally trained "these boys," that they were athletes and basketball players, that they were among his "top-of-the-line" movers, and that he had never received complaints about them.
He then proceeded to explain the moving process to me, suggesting that I did not realize how much furniture I had or was failing to account for the time required to carry furniture through the building, use the elevator, walk to the truck, and load it. I found this incredibly patronizing and completely beside the point.
This was my FOURTH move, and I moved into this exact studio three years ago with essentially the SAME furniture. I understand that furniture has to be carried, taken on elevators, loaded, transported, and unloaded. More importantly, Jay was the person I gave my inventory to before booking and the person who estimated approximately two hours. His own mover even acknowledged that I did not have much furniture.
Ultimately, it took nearly FOUR HOURS to load and approximately SIX HOURS total to move a limited amount of furniture from a STUDIO to a ONE-BEDROOM FOUR MINUTES AWAY. And after all that time, my furniture was scuffed and marks were left on the walls of my new apartment.
I understand estimates are not guarantees. But there is a significant difference between a two-hour estimate becoming three hours and a two-hour estimate becoming SIX. When a customer raises a reasonable concern about that discrepancy, the appropriate response is to investigate and address it--not argue with the customer or condescendingly explain how moving works.
The excessive time, resulting cost, damage to my furniture and walls, poor communication, and especially the owner's response made this an extremely disappointing experience. I cannot recommend this company.
