I write this to prevent someone from making the mistake we made when hiring the "services" of BUDGET MOVING & STORAGE of Lake Worth, FL (BM&S) owned by Akin. Giving them a star is far too generous.
My husband and I were relocating from FL to the Northeast for my new job as a resident physician and to start our new life together! This was supposed to be a happy time!
We received many quotes and were about to put a deposit with a large, reputable company when we received a call from BM&S. They were extremely polite & professional, answered all our questions, and we were particularly impressed with the product they sold to us over the phone. After extensive discussion, we were left with no reservations when giving our deposit.
Unfortunately, the product sold was not the one delivered; we sincerely regret hiring this moving company. To start, our movers were 4hrs late and my husband did most of the work, from heavy lifting, to dismantling furniture, to loading. They actually asked to use our car at one point to get more supplies from Lowes. Furthermore, we had to share the truck with other customers (we were told that we would have our own truck). Additionally, they attempted to charge us almost double their initial quote at pick up. Yet another fallacy was when the 3-day transport window, became a 7 to 21 day window after possession of our belongings. Delivery was much later than promised, resulting in an obligatory flight change and delay in getting to my family in town for my graduation ceremony.
Our stuff was LOADED into the first truck appropriately (ie. what you would expect of a professional moving company) under our supervision with plastic wrap, corner tape, blankets, and ratchet strapping when they left. But the DROP-OFF was a much different story. Our stuff was delivered in a completely different truck stuffed to the max with multiple customers' belongings. The goods were improperly loaded & stored, resulting in extensive damage. This was not just a scratch here or there, but smashed lamps and exploded boxes. Every corner of furniture had a gash. To add insult to injury, we never even received our dining room table or the supporting bedpost, rendering it unusable.
This damage does not appear to be that of just careless movers, but it is suggestive of something much more negligent and purposeful. I am embarrassed for them when I tell you that this company did NOT even provide their movers at delivery with a dolly! My husband needed to participate as a mover yet again otherwise it would be impossible. Even more infuriating and confirming that this company is a SCAM: unknown to us, the owner decided not to charge our Amex for the 70% up front as we had authorized (with receipt) on pickup, only to DEMAND 100% in CASH at delivery, without viewing the contents of the truck. We paid under undue influence, as he was threatening to make his men leave and put my stuff into storage for a month! He was yelling and screaming so much that he had to give his sales manager, Lisa, the phone. She was more professional when it came to customer relations, but she had no power to augment anything that has just transpired.
The movers were not the ones who packed the truck, worked for another moving company, and did not know Akin. They were annoyed not to have been supplied with adequate heavy-lifting equipment and embarrassed to deliver OBVIOUSLY damaged goods.
One would think a truly legitimate business would be mortified and attempt to rectify our issues. Instead, they have been screening our calls and ignoring texts/emails. Evidence of damage was provided and though we received a lot of promises to reimburse and/or find our missing belongings, nothing has been delivered but headache and aggravation. I am ashamed to admit that I sincerely believed the owner (after extensive conversations) that he could resolve our issues, as a respectable business owner should. We bought into his stories that he is "hard working immigrant from Turkey" who is "trying to make [his] new company successful." He said that he is learning as he goes and this has been a very busy month for him with lots of unforeseen problems. I honestly took pity on him, knowing that my husband came from a similar background, having come from another country and he too started his own business. Fortunately, a BIG difference is that we run our company with morality and integrity.
To conclude, WE GOT SCAMMED and we are the losers in the end: He got his money and we got damaged goods and lost/stolen furniture. The owner will pay to a higher power for his transgressions, but you shouldn't have to pay for them as well!
All in all, I would NEVER use this company for anything beyond moving my trash. Since their website is also filled with false-advertisement, I have coined more accurate slogan: "BUDGET MOVING & STORAGE of Lake Worth, FL: We make lots of promises and cannot deliver." read more