Where to begin? I guess by saying I have never hired movers before, and that this was an educational experience. (A disclaimer: I have a lot to say, so sorry if this is disjointed.)
Always look for professionals. I thought I was saving money, I was not. Other companies come with trucks and movers. Had I not had aquariums to move separately...
There is absolutely nothing professional about this operation.
I waited a couple of days before I wrote this, because I sincerely want to be fair. The problem is there is nothing positive to say.
Let's start with moving day. I had an 11 am appointment for two movers, and at about 20 after they were still not there. Look, I know I am not the only person moving on a giving day, and things happen. I was running on a schedule, and I simply would've liked a call to tell me they were going to be late. In the end, I had to call them. And for the record, I was friendly when I made the call for the aforementioned reason.
Before I go any further, let me say both movers were nice guys. One even bought me a bottled water from the store. Nothing I write is personal, just business.
About 20 minutes after calling the company, the first mover arrived on his bicycle.
It is now well after 11:40.
I am all for alternative transportation, but we are moving across town and now his transportation choice becomes my problem as I need him to unload on the other end, meaning I need to transport him and his bike. Worse, he seemed confused as to why we did not start the instant he arrived. He seemed to have no idea that another mover was even coming. At one point, he offered to call a friend to help.
I did not pay $240 for him and one of his friends.
When I attempt to call the company, they are now dodging my calls. I know this because mover #1 texts and gets an immediate reply. He tells us another person is coming, and begins wandering around my apartment complex looking for a light so he can smoke.
At 12:20 the other mover arrives. At first they both seem put out that we are waiting for them to move stuff. I am not lazy. I had already spent three days moving possessions, making minor repairs to our new house and attending to appointments of every conceivable kind. If I were not completely physically exhausted, I would not have hired movers to begin with. Hell, if it were not Father's Day weekend; if I had anyone available to help my partner and I, I probably wouldn't have spent the money.
They have a short conversation about gloves. Neither of them have any, nor do they have back-braces or any of the other PPE type equipment you would expect movers to have.
Eventually they start moving stuff, but will not listen to my instructions. I had immediately told them, that it would be easier to move everything out of the front door of the apartment, as the back door is too small. Yes, it was a bit further, but also offered a sidewalk instead of muddy, rain-drenched grass.
Their solution? Removing the hinge on the back door, so they could fit stuff through.
Who thinks like this?
Who decides it is a good idea to ignore what I say about my own place, and instead dismantle someone else's property? Worse, they did not put it back on.
When they loaded the truck, it looked like a child had done it. Like they had never engaged in this sort of activity before. I would say it looked like a 5-year-old, but if I did 5-year-olds everywhere would be insulted.
In the middle of all of this, the first mover removes his shirt because all he was wearing was a hoodie. Honestly? To move people on a hot day you wear a hoodie with no shirt under it? Professionalism?
They were actually so bad I could not wait to get rid of them. We paid for three hours, kept them around for an hour and a half; just long enough to remove the dozen or so large items from the house. Instead we called my partner's 19-year-old niece, and the three of us moved three times as much as these two adult men did in the same amount of time.
Now to the company itself.
I get the distinct impression it is run entirely from the guy's cell phone. Don't get me wrong, this is not necessarily a problem that it is a small operation with low over-head. The issue is that it is clearly an on-call type of employer. (One of the movers told me he hardly ever works for the company.)
The guy knew I was moving a week before the day, and did not have have movers lined-up to do the work. I know this, because when I called when they were late on Saturday morning, he told me his guys were still on another job.
I suspect he had no one scheduled, and got the guys at the last minute.
He did not provide them with PPE. Didn't coordinate transportation for them. He did not verify with me when they arrived or left.
He was extremely timely when looking for payment.
I was going to discuss all the problems I had with his service with him, but figure it is probably a waste of my time. read more
