Update 2: The company made everything right yesterday and finished the move, so I am updating to 2 stars. I will update once I receive payment, should be about 2 weeks. Thank you for correcting this situation! Update: If you have a bad experience with this company, leave a bad Yelp review--it is the only way they will contact you. I received a call from customer service directly after posting, and they were very nice and helpful. They are giving me a partial refund and sending over another truck to finish the move this evening. I agreed to update my Yelp review, and I have removed names. Original review: FlatRate Moving is a SCAM--they did not complete my move, lied, and will not return my calls! This whole move has been a disaster, and the movers lied to my face. The company will not return my calls, nor will the lead mover. I spent $1360 to move one bedroom from Queens to the Bronx, and an additional $300 in tips, and for that amount of payment they won't even dignify me with a call for incomplete service. I'm sure if the move goes well, it's great--but if it doesn't, THEY WILL NOT RETURN YOUR CALLS. First I called on Friday during business hours to update my inventory, as I decided to leave some of the furniture behind, and I had mistakenly told them that it was 4 flights when it was really 2; so I wanted to update this information, but I could not get a hold of anyone. Saturday morning, May 26th, for some reason my card was not going through, so they asked me to go to the bank and get a cashier's check. My lead mover's manager told him he was not permitted to move until I returned. I apologized for the inconvenience and pointed out the things that needed to be moved, which was very clear and all was listed on the inventory. At this point I was happy with the service and not concerned. Then the lead mover called me while I was at the bank and said that he trusted me and would meet me at the new apartment. Had he waited as he was legally instructed by his manager none of this would have happened. My roommate called me when they were getting ready to leave and said that they hadn't packed everything. The lead mover told me that it was just the futon which they were unable to move, and I figured that I didn't care about it. No big deal. So I met them at the new apartment, they were very careful with my things and efficient, so I tipped them each $100. I noticed that some boxes were missing, but they said they had everything and were not able to return. It turns out they WERE able to return, because he said, "We made a big mistake and forgot your bed frame, so we need to go back for it." Great. I'm still happy at this point. I reminded them of a large box (that was with the other boxes) in the living room, a mirror, and 5 boxes in the closet. They said they would make sure they got them. They came back with the one large box and told me that they had already packed the boxes from the closet. I gave them the benefit of the doubt. I returned to my apartment the next day to finish cleaning and found an entire van's worth of boxes that they had not moved, plus a very small nightstand that they had moved out of the bedroom but not to the truck, and a small bookshelf that I had clearly asked them to move and was clearly in the inventory. I called the lead mover and the company and left multiple messages (again during business hours), but nobody returned my calls. Finally I started texting the lead mover and threatening to make formal complaints, at which point he was motivated to call me back and told me he would return the following evening (yesterday, Monday) at 6:00 with his own van to complete the move. Great. I can understand a mistake and was grateful he was willing to correct it. He said he'd call on the way over. So I show up early and wait until 7:30, called and texted multiple times, but he was a no show--he didn't even call to cancel. At this point I have an entire van's worth of furniture and boxes that were not moved, the company will not return my calls, I don't have a car, and I am out $1660 for moving from a one-bedroom to a one-bedroom, both within NYC. Fortunately I have a friend with a van, and I am going to pay him $100 plus dinner to help me finish moving tomorrow evening after work. In summary the company did not complete the job, lied, was then a no-show, and will not return my calls. I can understand if they were to call me back and apologize and give me a partial reimbursement (or better, finish the job), but for the amount I paid and no phone call? Totally unprofessional. BIG SCAM, save your money and go elsewhere. At this point I do not expect anything from them because they are liars who do not follow through on their word. Stay away! I lost a lot of money! This was not an innocent mistake, because my roommates SHOWED them the remaining boxes and they refused to pack them. read more

This is my 57th review and I pride myself on being fair and even handed. While I have not always been delighted with the services I have received, I have never called a company deplorable nor would I do so lightly. I was having my apt painted and floors redone and needed to have my furniture removed for the duration, hence my call to Flat Rate. I carefully planned the timing of the painters, flooring install and the movers; (even allotting a few days of "wiggle room" just in case) as I was having people over for both Passover and Easter. The first group of movers picked up my items to bring them to Flat Rates' warehouse in NJ. A little over a week later, they were to be returned. The second group of movers arrived and were almost finished when I was advised that there was "a problem." The mover asked me to accompany him to my lobby where I found my very expensive side buffet, upside down with the back leg and adjoining area smashed to pieces. He admitted that this was his fault, and that this actually occurred days prior as they were loading my furniture from their warehouse into the truck. I asked why someone from Flat Rate didn't call me prior to delivery? The mover indicated he was instructed to deliver it broken, and to advise me to file a clam. This was the first red flag- Flat Rate was aware that their men damaged my furniture and yet, fir some inexplicable reason felt no obligation to advise me of same. I called their customer service dept immediately and incorrectly assumed they would be as concerned as I was. Their response "oh, sorry - can you please just take some pics, fill out the form and send it back to us." I filled out the form, included photos, a receipt which clearly shows the cost of the piece.They also ask for the weight of the piece which I think is absurd. Not sure about all of you, but I just can't for the life of me remember when was the last time I weighed a piece of my furniture. Clearly another red flag. Saying I was devastated about the damage that Flat Rate caused would be an understatement. Just to clarify, if this were a piece of furniture I purchased from Crate & Barrel, sure I would be upset, but we are talking about a piece of furniture that was bought as an investment and was over $6,900. Since I was aware of the value, I opted for their insurance which valued my property at $10,000. I then receive an ambiguous email from their Customer Service Dept - I say ambiguous as it was signed "customer service" which indicated that I needed to contact their vendor, All Furniture Services, so they can assess the damage. All Furniture arrives three days later, the guy tells me how great he is, and that he can "fix it" Fix it? Even if All Furniture were miracle workers and could "fix it" the piece would no longer have the same value. To add insult to injury, I needed to call 20 people and tell them to find alternative arrangements for the holidays - so another big thank you to Flat Rate from my friends & family whose holiday plans were cancelled the day before. I then receive an email to advise that my claim is "now closed" and they would like to offer me $250.00 as a "courtesy compensation" So Flat Rate just damaged a $6,900 piece of furniture, and their idea of settling my claim is to offer me $250.00? They also advise that I can have it repaired by All Furniture Services for $450.00. As per Flat Rate, I have a $500.00 deductible so while they state that they will repair or replace any damaged furniture, in actuality you are the one who pays for the repair. I am far from obtuse so what am I missing here? I am now sitting with the broken piece of furniture in my kitchen (where their men promptly "dumped" it) although it belongs in my living room. My apt looks as if I just moved in instead of having just been redone. And while the damage was due to Flat Rate's negligence, they have now washed their hands of the matter and feel that an offer of a $250.00 check will cover my inconvenience ( It cost more than $250. to have the piece professional cleaned). Inconvenience doesn't even begin to describe what I have been through and again, all due to Flat Rates' negligence. They have decided to wash their hands of the matter, I on the other hand have not. My next call was again to their customer service, to ask for a name/ email address for someone on their management team. Nope sorry - we cannot provide that information. As someone who works in management for one of the largest privately owned companies in the U.S., we have no issue providing contact info for anyone on our Executive Management Team. Why - because any company with integrity actually wants to hear from their customers -whether for a compliment or a complaint. That is what good companies do. That is what ethics, integrity and good business practices are all about. Clearly Flat Rate h read more

This is my 57th review and I pride myself on being fair and even handed. While I have not always been delighted with the services I have received, I have never called a company deplorable nor would I do so lightly. I was having my apt painted and floors redone and needed to have my furniture removed for the duration, hence my call to Flat Rate. I carefully planned the timing of the painters, flooring install and the movers; (even allotting a few days of "wiggle room" just in case) as I was having people over for both Passover and Easter. The first group of movers picked up my items to bring them to Flat Rates' warehouse in NJ. A little over a week later, they were to be returned. The second group of movers arrived and were almost finished when I was advised that there was "a problem." The mover asked me to accompany him to my lobby where I found my very expensive side buffet, upside down with the back leg and adjoining area smashed to pieces. He admitted that this was his fault, and that this actually occurred days prior as they were loading my furniture from their warehouse into the truck. I asked why someone from Flat Rate didn't call me prior to delivery? The mover indicated he was instructed to deliver it broken, and to advise me to file a clam. This was the first red flag- Flat Rate was aware that their men damaged my furniture and yet, fir some inexplicable reason felt no obligation to advise me of same. I called their customer service dept immediately and incorrectly assumed they would be as concerned as I was. Their response "oh, sorry - can you please just take some pics, fill out the form and send it back to us." I filled out the form, included photos, a receipt which clearly shows the cost of the piece.They also ask for the weight of the piece which I think is absurd. Not sure about all of you, but I just can't for the life of me remember when was the last time I weighed a piece of my furniture. Clearly another red flag. Saying I was devastated about the damage that Flat Rate caused would be an understatement. Just to clarify, if this were a piece of furniture I purchased from Crate & Barrel, sure I would be upset, but we are talking about a piece of furniture that was bought as an investment and was over $6,900. Since I was aware of the value, I opted for their insurance which valued my property at $10,000. I then receive an ambiguous email from their Customer Service Dept - I say ambiguous as it was signed "customer service" which indicated that I needed to contact their vendor, All Furniture Services, so they can assess the damage. All Furniture arrives three days later, the guy tells me how great he is, and that he can "fix it" Fix it? Even if All Furniture were miracle workers and could "fix it" the piece would no longer have the same value. To add insult to injury, I needed to call 20 people and tell them to find alternative arrangements for the holidays - so another big thank you to Flat Rate from my friends & family whose holiday plans were cancelled the day before. I then receive an email to advise that my claim is "now closed" and they would like to offer me $250.00 as a "courtesy compensation" So Flat Rate just damaged a $6,900 piece of furniture, and their idea of settling my claim is to offer me $250.00? They also advise that I can have it repaired by All Furniture Services for $450.00. As per Flat Rate, I have a $500.00 deductible so while they state that they will repair or replace any damaged furniture, in actuality you are the one who pays for the repair. I am far from obtuse so what am I missing here? I am now sitting with the broken piece of furniture in my kitchen (where their men promptly "dumped" it) although it belongs in my living room. My apt looks as if I just moved in instead of having just been redone. And while the damage was due to Flat Rate's negligence, they have now washed their hands of the matter and feel that an offer of a $250.00 check will cover my inconvenience ( It cost more than $250. to have the piece professional cleaned). Inconvenience doesn't even begin to describe what I have been through and again, all due to Flat Rates' negligence. They have decided to wash their hands of the matter, I on the other hand have not. My next call was again to their customer service, to ask for a name/ email address for someone on their management team. Nope sorry - we cannot provide that information. As someone who works in management for one of the largest privately owned companies in the U.S., we have no issue providing contact info for anyone on our Executive Management Team. Why - because any company with integrity actually wants to hear from their customers -whether for a compliment or a complaint. That is what good companies do. That is what ethics, integrity and good business practices are all about. Clearly Flat Rate h read more

This is my 57th review and I pride myself on being fair and even handed. While I have not always been delighted with the services I have received, I have never called a company deplorable nor would I do so lightly. I was having my apt painted and floors redone and needed to have my furniture removed for the duration, hence my call to Flat Rate. I carefully planned the timing of the painters, flooring install and the movers; (even allotting a few days of "wiggle room" just in case) as I was having people over for both Passover and Easter. The first group of movers picked up my items to bring them to Flat Rates' warehouse in NJ. A little over a week later, they were to be returned. The second group of movers arrived and were almost finished when I was advised that there was "a problem." The mover asked me to accompany him to my lobby where I found my very expensive side buffet, upside down with the back leg and adjoining area smashed to pieces. He admitted that this was his fault, and that this actually occurred days prior as they were loading my furniture from their warehouse into the truck. I asked why someone from Flat Rate didn't call me prior to delivery? The mover indicated he was instructed to deliver it broken, and to advise me to file a clam. This was the first red flag- Flat Rate was aware that their men damaged my furniture and yet, fir some inexplicable reason felt no obligation to advise me of same. I called their customer service dept immediately and incorrectly assumed they would be as concerned as I was. Their response "oh, sorry - can you please just take some pics, fill out the form and send it back to us." I filled out the form, included photos, a receipt which clearly shows the cost of the piece.They also ask for the weight of the piece which I think is absurd. Not sure about all of you, but I just can't for the life of me remember when was the last time I weighed a piece of my furniture. Clearly another red flag. Saying I was devastated about the damage that Flat Rate caused would be an understatement. Just to clarify, if this were a piece of furniture I purchased from Crate & Barrel, sure I would be upset, but we are talking about a piece of furniture that was bought as an investment and was over $6,900. Since I was aware of the value, I opted for their insurance which valued my property at $10,000. I then receive an ambiguous email from their Customer Service Dept - I say ambiguous as it was signed "customer service" which indicated that I needed to contact their vendor, All Furniture Services, so they can assess the damage. All Furniture arrives three days later, the guy tells me how great he is, and that he can "fix it" Fix it? Even if All Furniture were miracle workers and could "fix it" the piece would no longer have the same value. To add insult to injury, I needed to call 20 people and tell them to find alternative arrangements for the holidays - so another big thank you to Flat Rate from my friends & family whose holiday plans were cancelled the day before. I then receive an email to advise that my claim is "now closed" and they would like to offer me $250.00 as a "courtesy compensation" So Flat Rate just damaged a $6,900 piece of furniture, and their idea of settling my claim is to offer me $250.00? They also advise that I can have it repaired by All Furniture Services for $450.00. As per Flat Rate, I have a $500.00 deductible so while they state that they will repair or replace any damaged furniture, in actuality you are the one who pays for the repair. I am far from obtuse so what am I missing here? I am now sitting with the broken piece of furniture in my kitchen (where their men promptly "dumped" it) although it belongs in my living room. My apt looks as if I just moved in instead of having just been redone. And while the damage was due to Flat Rate's negligence, they have now washed their hands of the matter and feel that an offer of a $250.00 check will cover my inconvenience ( It cost more than $250. to have the piece professional cleaned). Inconvenience doesn't even begin to describe what I have been through and again, all due to Flat Rates' negligence. They have decided to wash their hands of the matter, I on the other hand have not. My next call was again to their customer service, to ask for a name/ email address for someone on their management team. Nope sorry - we cannot provide that information. As someone who works in management for one of the largest privately owned companies in the U.S., we have no issue providing contact info for anyone on our Executive Management Team. Why - because any company with integrity actually wants to hear from their customers -whether for a compliment or a complaint. That is what good companies do. That is what ethics, integrity and good business practices are all about. Clearly Flat Rate h read more

This is my 57th review and I pride myself on being fair and even handed. While I have not always been delighted with the services I have received, I have never called a company deplorable nor would I do so lightly. I was having my apt painted and floors redone and needed to have my furniture removed for the duration, hence my call to Flat Rate. I carefully planned the timing of the painters, flooring install and the movers; (even allotting a few days of "wiggle room" just in case) as I was having people over for both Passover and Easter. The first group of movers picked up my items to bring them to Flat Rates' warehouse in NJ. A little over a week later, they were to be returned. The second group of movers arrived and were almost finished when I was advised that there was "a problem." The mover asked me to accompany him to my lobby where I found my very expensive side buffet, upside down with the back leg and adjoining area smashed to pieces. He admitted that this was his fault, and that this actually occurred days prior as they were loading my furniture from their warehouse into the truck. I asked why someone from Flat Rate didn't call me prior to delivery? The mover indicated he was instructed to deliver it broken, and to advise me to file a clam. This was the first red flag- Flat Rate was aware that their men damaged my furniture and yet, fir some inexplicable reason felt no obligation to advise me of same. I called their customer service dept immediately and incorrectly assumed they would be as concerned as I was. Their response "oh, sorry - can you please just take some pics, fill out the form and send it back to us." I filled out the form, included photos, a receipt which clearly shows the cost of the piece.They also ask for the weight of the piece which I think is absurd. Not sure about all of you, but I just can't for the life of me remember when was the last time I weighed a piece of my furniture. Clearly another red flag. Saying I was devastated about the damage that Flat Rate caused would be an understatement. Just to clarify, if this were a piece of furniture I purchased from Crate & Barrel, sure I would be upset, but we are talking about a piece of furniture that was bought as an investment and was over $6,900. Since I was aware of the value, I opted for their insurance which valued my property at $10,000. I then receive an ambiguous email from their Customer Service Dept - I say ambiguous as it was signed "customer service" which indicated that I needed to contact their vendor, All Furniture Services, so they can assess the damage. All Furniture arrives three days later, the guy tells me how great he is, and that he can "fix it" Fix it? Even if All Furniture were miracle workers and could "fix it" the piece would no longer have the same value. To add insult to injury, I needed to call 20 people and tell them to find alternative arrangements for the holidays - so another big thank you to Flat Rate from my friends & family whose holiday plans were cancelled the day before. I then receive an email to advise that my claim is "now closed" and they would like to offer me $250.00 as a "courtesy compensation" So Flat Rate just damaged a $6,900 piece of furniture, and their idea of settling my claim is to offer me $250.00? They also advise that I can have it repaired by All Furniture Services for $450.00. As per Flat Rate, I have a $500.00 deductible so while they state that they will repair or replace any damaged furniture, in actuality you are the one who pays for the repair. I am far from obtuse so what am I missing here? I am now sitting with the broken piece of furniture in my kitchen (where their men promptly "dumped" it) although it belongs in my living room. My apt looks as if I just moved in instead of having just been redone. And while the damage was due to Flat Rate's negligence, they have now washed their hands of the matter and feel that an offer of a $250.00 check will cover my inconvenience ( It cost more than $250. to have the piece professional cleaned). Inconvenience doesn't even begin to describe what I have been through and again, all due to Flat Rates' negligence. They have decided to wash their hands of the matter, I on the other hand have not. My next call was again to their customer service, to ask for a name/ email address for someone on their management team. Nope sorry - we cannot provide that information. As someone who works in management for one of the largest privately owned companies in the U.S., we have no issue providing contact info for anyone on our Executive Management Team. Why - because any company with integrity actually wants to hear from their customers -whether for a compliment or a complaint. That is what good companies do. That is what ethics, integrity and good business practices are all about. Clearly Flat Rate h read more

EDIT (March 6): I spoke to Vicky, head of customer service at Flatrate Movers, this week. She saw my yelp review and called me to get more details. I was impressed by the proactive response and her interest in my experience. She assured me that what I described below is not the normal experience, and they have spoken with the movers to remediate the situation. I'm happy now to recommend Flatrate to others, b/c clearly customer satisfaction is their priority. (March 2) We wanted an up-front amount to budget for moving costs, so flatrate seemed ideal. Plus, we investigated 3 other companies and all the quotes seemed to be in the same ballpark. Flatrate got the edge for excellent sales service in assuring us *everything* was included such disassembly & reassembly, extra packing and padding for all the furniture and breakables, and taxes + tolls + expenses. Plus, I thought they might be motivated to work efficiently since there was no hourly rate. I was quoted $950 for *everything* and was told that 4 guys would show up, and it would take around 4-5 hours. We had a 1-br apt on the 2nd floor, and we moved to a 3rd floor walk-up apt. Basic inventory includes bed, 2 dressers, large 8ft ikea wardrobe, couch, 2 desks, 4 chairs, dining table, 2 elfa storage units, 4 bookshelves, 3 large clay planters and @ 30 boxes of stuff. Couple of things to note here: - we told the sales rep that we were moving to a 3rd floor walk-up - we initially forgot to include the 3 clay planters in our inventory list, and we emailed the sales rep 4 days prior to the move to be sure and include these So on the day of the move, we were ready with all the boxes packed and labeled. Our arrival window was 1-3pm and the moving truck arrived at 3pm with 3 movers, apologizing for the delay b/c of problems with the previous move. The foreman was clearly ready to get going since they work on commission and not an hourly rate, as he explained to us several times that day. However, one guy had to sit in the truck the whole time so we only had 2 guys to pack up our apt. The planters were the first thing the foreman complained about - "it's not my responsibility... if anything happens to them, it's not my responsibility b/c that's not on my inventory sheet. That is going to cost you extra." We discussed this for a few minutes, and decided that since we did email the sales rep about the planters, we would be ok for insurance purposes. They moved the planters but didn't add anything to the cost. The movers got everything into the truck in about 2 hours, except for the large ikea wardrobe. That was the next complaint from the foreman... "it's not my responsibility." According to the foreman, he felt like the wardrobe was too risky to move and it would likely break and it wasn't his responsibility, as he kept repeating. We did remind him that it was included in the quote - the disassembly and reassembly in fact - but he was adamant it wasn't his responsibility. Since he was so sure it would not survive the trip, we decided to leave the wardrobe to the next tenant. In hindsight, I guess he wanted to leave it b/c it would take too long to handle and he was in a hurry to finish for the day. So we left the wardrobe - the largest piece of furniture, and likely a chunk of the price quoted. When we arrived at the new apt building, the foreman balked at the walk-up. Apparently, he was not told that the stairs were double flights instead of a straight flight of stairs. We didn't know we had to explain the stairs to the sales rep when we got the quote, but we told him it was a 3rd floor walk-up and it was written on the foreman's papers as a 3rd floor walk-up. The foreman kept balking - "this will cost you extra, someone will have to pay us for this, it takes extra time." So he called flatrate headquarters and talked to them for a while, and then handed the phone to us. We explained that we said 3rd floor walk-up but we didn't know we had to give details about the flights. A few minutes after that call, another rep from flatrate called us again. After much discussion, we were told that sales would have to call us later in the week to discuss how this might impact our final price. We were very upset to hear this since we had left the largest piece of furniture back in the old apartment, with no complaint about getting a refund, and we had been accurate in describing everything in our move. Sales never asked for details like how many stairs are in each flight, etc. That said, the movers worked very hard to get everything upstairs in 2 hours. They finished the day around 8.30pm, so it was about 4 hrs of work and 1.5 hr of transit time. We tipped them 17% on the original cost even though the large wardrobe was left behind. The foreman then took a box of cookies on the counter without even asking me if he could have any - cheeky! read more

We used FlatRate Moving to move our things from a home in Colorado and our home in NYC to our new place in Philadelphia. To put it simply, everything about this move was completely unprofessional and mismanaged. We could not be more disappointed in the lack of service and the aggravation caused at every turn and it ended with our furniture (worth $7k) being delivered broken and a refund of $450 for move that cost just shy of $10k. We submitted a claim and an appeal to the verdict with all information documented with pictures and explanations in powerpoint. Bottom line, a move is stressful enough so you need to work with experienced professionals you can trust. I highly recommend avoiding FlatRate. Here is an outline of our experience: 1) COLORADO PICK UP: After flying from NYC to Colorado explicitly for the confirmed October 27 pickup, the van didn't show in the first few hours of the window. We called FlatRate and were told A) there was no pickup scheduled for that day despite the fact that we had confirmation emails not only from a FlatRate employee but also their automated system and B) the pickup would have to be scheduled later in the week on a day we were no longer in Colorado. After spending time talking with 2 different people at FlatRate, a supervisor told us that the automated system had sent us a pickup confirmation in error and that was a common mistake. He said, "We don't know why it does that, but it does. I'm sorry." This still didn't make any sense to us because despite any malfunction of an automated system, we had written confirmation from our sales rep we had been working with. Additionally, FlatRate had already charged our credit card the day before which only happens when the pickup is confirmed. After making it clear that we were unable to come back on any other day and supervise the items being packed, the supervisor made arrangements for a truck to execute pick up that day. Our whole day was spent re-organizing the move for the planned date and then waiting for the truck to show up. A fundamental error such as the pick up day and window being incorrect (after a human and automated confirmation) is absolutely unacceptable, especially when you live out of state and are taking the time to fly in specifically for the move. 2) PHILADELPHIA DELIVERY: On the receiving end in Philadelphia, the Colorado shipment also proved problematic. We emailed our sales rep and Dejon Reid (VP of Sales!) multiple times to coordinate the delivery date and received confirmation for Nov 19-20. I reached out to both gentlemen on Nov 8 and again on Nov 13 to advise them that the Philadelphia Police Department was only able to give us a parking permit for the delivery truck on Nov 19 so that is the date we needed to lock in. We never heard back from either. On Nov 14 we received an email from an employee saying that our shipment was enroute and there were no delays. On Nov 16 we received an email from the Long Distance Department confirming the shipment was still enroute and the current estimated delivery window was Nov 17-20. With no further information and no response from our sales rep or the VP of Sale about locking in Nov 19, we were forced to call FlatRate on Nov 18. The representative said, "I don't have Nov 19 confirmed and will inform you once we have a date available" implying we had no prior communication with FlatRate about the delivery date whatsoever. We were frustrated beyond belief: how was there no record of the Nov 19-20 window that the VP and the sales rep confirmed and now we were being told there was actually no date on the books at all? We explained the entire situation to the representative who had to escalate our situation only to come back and confirm Nov 19 an hour and half later. I understand that it is difficult for FlatRate to confirm exact dates and times but it should be noted that on Oct 31 the sales rep confirmed a delivery date of Nov 17th via email; so, if he could do it once, why could it not be confirmed again two days LATER than the original planned date and if it couldn't be confirmed why wasn't that communicated to us? Also, we were extremely disappointed that we were emailing with a VP at their company who never responded to our emails after Nov 8 and let our move fall through the cracks to again be dealt with by us, the end customers. 3) CLAIM PROCESS: The claim process was just as bad as the rest of this experience. Filing the claim and then waiting 2 months for FlatRate to tell us they would give us $450 for the $7k worth of items that were damaged was insulting. We then filed an appeal. We were continually told they were still looking into it every time we followed up. Months later still no answer. This is customer service at its worse. If you do decide to use FlatRate, please make sure to get the highest insurance possible. read more

Rating between 2 - 3 stars was debatable. Flat Rate was referred to me by one of my graduate school classmates that had success moving from NYC to MIA. Unfortunately, my experience was not as smooth. I believe generally they are 4/5-star, but my experience was the outlier which I feel no other person, especially someone not covered by corporate expense should endure. On a positive note, the email or phone responsive of the Flat Rate office team is great as is the speed in which items are packed/unpacked, loaded/unloaded by the on-site movers. Also, the paperwork is well laid out. However, the negative is a lack of organization to pack/unpack boxed contents; as well as my move was scheduled against my preferred timing, leading to both inconvenience and inefficiency of delivery plus some of my furniture arrived with damages and all furniture had dust. Also at the end of the first 3-month storage period, I was notified my monthly storage fee would double. I had to refute such gouging and eventually I agreed to a more a nominal increase, but an increase all the same which I found unscrupulous as nothing in original contract said rates could change. It was agreed to in writing and verbally that I would be alerted 48 hours before delivery. Instead not only was it only 24 hour notice, Flat Rate Long Distance decided to proceed with the move on a date when I had tight availability and that my building management could only assign 2 hours use of elevator even though we both requested the day after which was free availability. The movers were there a total of 3 hours and 45 minutes. Given the poor scheduling, I had to take a conference call so I was preoccupied for the first 2 1/2 hours of the move. For what remained, it was difficult to direct the movers due to the missed time and so many items being in my apartment that were brought up to adhere to the 2 hour elevator limit. Also, due to the poor packing of my boxes, and being that I have so many items, it was difficult to properly place items for two reasons, first, the boxes were not detailed in labeling. For instance, books in boxes were labeled to the correct room, but there was no labeling of which shelf, and left to right, based on how it was setup before packing it up. Therefore, without me overseeing, the books were unpacked and haphazardly placed on shelf, mostly back to front. This created aimless work for the movers and extra work for me in completely reorganizing. Second, all furniture had dirt which led me to question were my items not stored wrapped; the dust was caked on. I received no heads up beforehand that this may be the condition they arrive in to prep so unpacking was futile as all furniture had to be thoroughly wiped and sanitized. Given the dust, why would Flat Rate not recommend that I cancel unpacking given their expertise of what condition lengthy stored items might arrive in? Also, many boxes had a mix of items just thrown in without regard for the protection or delicacy of the items, i.e. shoes with lingerie, kitchen items with linens, light fixtures with hair products. I have a lot of things and this move wasn't easy on both ends, however, my contract wasn't just for transporting items, but also fees for packing and unpacking. Including $500 cash tip for the movers on both ends, I absolutely feel jilted. To add insult to injury, a handful of furniture items were delivered scratched with gashes in the wood that were not there prior and two pieces off hinge. Additionally, right after my pickup, I reached out to my booker that the movers left two picture hangings on wall that I specifically asked to be packed; to this date I've received no response, apology or compensation. My Dirt Devil vacuum and Black & Decker drill are missing; as well as the moving blanket I borrowed from a friend seems to have been accidentally taken during unpack. The only thing that got me through the delivery was how great the foreman was. I really wish the packing had been done better so that they could have unpacked better and helped me more because they had such great attitudes. Unfortunately, I had to release them as it was futile due to hapless packing and dirt on the furniture. Plus what they were unpacking actually was creating work. Moving is a strain enough as it is, even more so as a single woman, and without a company covering long distance and the long storage expenses. I am hoping that Flat Rate does the right thing with reparations for the claim and photo documentation I submit. Should you select Flat Rate, please be proactive to ensure you do endure the damages and occurrences I had. Photos are posted to show above. read more

Rating between 2 - 3 stars was debatable. Flat Rate was referred to me by one of my graduate school classmates that had success moving from NYC to MIA. Unfortunately, my experience was not as smooth. I believe generally they are 4/5-star, but my experience was the outlier which I feel no other person, especially someone not covered by corporate expense should endure. On a positive note, the email or phone responsive of the Flat Rate office team is great as is the speed in which items are packed/unpacked, loaded/unloaded by the on-site movers. Also, the paperwork is well laid out. However, the negative is a lack of organization to pack/unpack boxed contents; as well as my move was scheduled against my preferred timing, leading to both inconvenience and inefficiency of delivery plus some of my furniture arrived with damages and all furniture had dust. Also at the end of the first 3-month storage period, I was notified my monthly storage fee would double. I had to refute such gouging and eventually I agreed to a more a nominal increase, but an increase all the same which I found unscrupulous as nothing in original contract said rates could change. It was agreed to in writing and verbally that I would be alerted 48 hours before delivery. Instead not only was it only 24 hour notice, Flat Rate Long Distance decided to proceed with the move on a date when I had tight availability and that my building management could only assign 2 hours use of elevator even though we both requested the day after which was free availability. The movers were there a total of 3 hours and 45 minutes. Given the poor scheduling, I had to take a conference call so I was preoccupied for the first 2 1/2 hours of the move. For what remained, it was difficult to direct the movers due to the missed time and so many items being in my apartment that were brought up to adhere to the 2 hour elevator limit. Also, due to the poor packing of my boxes, and being that I have so many items, it was difficult to properly place items for two reasons, first, the boxes were not detailed in labeling. For instance, books in boxes were labeled to the correct room, but there was no labeling of which shelf, and left to right, based on how it was setup before packing it up. Therefore, without me overseeing, the books were unpacked and haphazardly placed on shelf, mostly back to front. This created aimless work for the movers and extra work for me in completely reorganizing. Second, all furniture had dirt which led me to question were my items not stored wrapped; the dust was caked on. I received no heads up beforehand that this may be the condition they arrive in to prep so unpacking was futile as all furniture had to be thoroughly wiped and sanitized. Given the dust, why would Flat Rate not recommend that I cancel unpacking given their expertise of what condition lengthy stored items might arrive in? Also, many boxes had a mix of items just thrown in without regard for the protection or delicacy of the items, i.e. shoes with lingerie, kitchen items with linens, light fixtures with hair products. I have a lot of things and this move wasn't easy on both ends, however, my contract wasn't just for transporting items, but also fees for packing and unpacking. Including $500 cash tip for the movers on both ends, I absolutely feel jilted. To add insult to injury, a handful of furniture items were delivered scratched with gashes in the wood that were not there prior and two pieces off hinge. Additionally, right after my pickup, I reached out to my booker that the movers left two picture hangings on wall that I specifically asked to be packed; to this date I've received no response, apology or compensation. My Dirt Devil vacuum and Black & Decker drill are missing; as well as the moving blanket I borrowed from a friend seems to have been accidentally taken during unpack. The only thing that got me through the delivery was how great the foreman was. I really wish the packing had been done better so that they could have unpacked better and helped me more because they had such great attitudes. Unfortunately, I had to release them as it was futile due to hapless packing and dirt on the furniture. Plus what they were unpacking actually was creating work. Moving is a strain enough as it is, even more so as a single woman, and without a company covering long distance and the long storage expenses. I am hoping that Flat Rate does the right thing with reparations for the claim and photo documentation I submit. Should you select Flat Rate, please be proactive to ensure you do endure the damages and occurrences I had. Photos are posted to show above. read more

Rating between 2 - 3 stars was debatable. Flat Rate was referred to me by one of my graduate school classmates that had success moving from NYC to MIA. Unfortunately, my experience was not as smooth. I believe generally they are 4/5-star, but my experience was the outlier which I feel no other person, especially someone not covered by corporate expense should endure. On a positive note, the email or phone responsive of the Flat Rate office team is great as is the speed in which items are packed/unpacked, loaded/unloaded by the on-site movers. Also, the paperwork is well laid out. However, the negative is a lack of organization to pack/unpack boxed contents; as well as my move was scheduled against my preferred timing, leading to both inconvenience and inefficiency of delivery plus some of my furniture arrived with damages and all furniture had dust. Also at the end of the first 3-month storage period, I was notified my monthly storage fee would double. I had to refute such gouging and eventually I agreed to a more a nominal increase, but an increase all the same which I found unscrupulous as nothing in original contract said rates could change. It was agreed to in writing and verbally that I would be alerted 48 hours before delivery. Instead not only was it only 24 hour notice, Flat Rate Long Distance decided to proceed with the move on a date when I had tight availability and that my building management could only assign 2 hours use of elevator even though we both requested the day after which was free availability. The movers were there a total of 3 hours and 45 minutes. Given the poor scheduling, I had to take a conference call so I was preoccupied for the first 2 1/2 hours of the move. For what remained, it was difficult to direct the movers due to the missed time and so many items being in my apartment that were brought up to adhere to the 2 hour elevator limit. Also, due to the poor packing of my boxes, and being that I have so many items, it was difficult to properly place items for two reasons, first, the boxes were not detailed in labeling. For instance, books in boxes were labeled to the correct room, but there was no labeling of which shelf, and left to right, based on how it was setup before packing it up. Therefore, without me overseeing, the books were unpacked and haphazardly placed on shelf, mostly back to front. This created aimless work for the movers and extra work for me in completely reorganizing. Second, all furniture had dirt which led me to question were my items not stored wrapped; the dust was caked on. I received no heads up beforehand that this may be the condition they arrive in to prep so unpacking was futile as all furniture had to be thoroughly wiped and sanitized. Given the dust, why would Flat Rate not recommend that I cancel unpacking given their expertise of what condition lengthy stored items might arrive in? Also, many boxes had a mix of items just thrown in without regard for the protection or delicacy of the items, i.e. shoes with lingerie, kitchen items with linens, light fixtures with hair products. I have a lot of things and this move wasn't easy on both ends, however, my contract wasn't just for transporting items, but also fees for packing and unpacking. Including $500 cash tip for the movers on both ends, I absolutely feel jilted. To add insult to injury, a handful of furniture items were delivered scratched with gashes in the wood that were not there prior and two pieces off hinge. Additionally, right after my pickup, I reached out to my booker that the movers left two picture hangings on wall that I specifically asked to be packed; to this date I've received no response, apology or compensation. My Dirt Devil vacuum and Black & Decker drill are missing; as well as the moving blanket I borrowed from a friend seems to have been accidentally taken during unpack. The only thing that got me through the delivery was how great the foreman was. I really wish the packing had been done better so that they could have unpacked better and helped me more because they had such great attitudes. Unfortunately, I had to release them as it was futile due to hapless packing and dirt on the furniture. Plus what they were unpacking actually was creating work. Moving is a strain enough as it is, even more so as a single woman, and without a company covering long distance and the long storage expenses. I am hoping that Flat Rate does the right thing with reparations for the claim and photo documentation I submit. Should you select Flat Rate, please be proactive to ensure you do endure the damages and occurrences I had. Photos are posted to show above. read more

Rating between 2 - 3 stars was debatable. Flat Rate was referred to me by one of my graduate school classmates that had success moving from NYC to MIA. Unfortunately, my experience was not as smooth. I believe generally they are 4/5-star, but my experience was the outlier which I feel no other person, especially someone not covered by corporate expense should endure. On a positive note, the email or phone responsive of the Flat Rate office team is great as is the speed in which items are packed/unpacked, loaded/unloaded by the on-site movers. Also, the paperwork is well laid out. However, the negative is a lack of organization to pack/unpack boxed contents; as well as my move was scheduled against my preferred timing, leading to both inconvenience and inefficiency of delivery plus some of my furniture arrived with damages and all furniture had dust. Also at the end of the first 3-month storage period, I was notified my monthly storage fee would double. I had to refute such gouging and eventually I agreed to a more a nominal increase, but an increase all the same which I found unscrupulous as nothing in original contract said rates could change. It was agreed to in writing and verbally that I would be alerted 48 hours before delivery. Instead not only was it only 24 hour notice, Flat Rate Long Distance decided to proceed with the move on a date when I had tight availability and that my building management could only assign 2 hours use of elevator even though we both requested the day after which was free availability. The movers were there a total of 3 hours and 45 minutes. Given the poor scheduling, I had to take a conference call so I was preoccupied for the first 2 1/2 hours of the move. For what remained, it was difficult to direct the movers due to the missed time and so many items being in my apartment that were brought up to adhere to the 2 hour elevator limit. Also, due to the poor packing of my boxes, and being that I have so many items, it was difficult to properly place items for two reasons, first, the boxes were not detailed in labeling. For instance, books in boxes were labeled to the correct room, but there was no labeling of which shelf, and left to right, based on how it was setup before packing it up. Therefore, without me overseeing, the books were unpacked and haphazardly placed on shelf, mostly back to front. This created aimless work for the movers and extra work for me in completely reorganizing. Second, all furniture had dirt which led me to question were my items not stored wrapped; the dust was caked on. I received no heads up beforehand that this may be the condition they arrive in to prep so unpacking was futile as all furniture had to be thoroughly wiped and sanitized. Given the dust, why would Flat Rate not recommend that I cancel unpacking given their expertise of what condition lengthy stored items might arrive in? Also, many boxes had a mix of items just thrown in without regard for the protection or delicacy of the items, i.e. shoes with lingerie, kitchen items with linens, light fixtures with hair products. I have a lot of things and this move wasn't easy on both ends, however, my contract wasn't just for transporting items, but also fees for packing and unpacking. Including $500 cash tip for the movers on both ends, I absolutely feel jilted. To add insult to injury, a handful of furniture items were delivered scratched with gashes in the wood that were not there prior and two pieces off hinge. Additionally, right after my pickup, I reached out to my booker that the movers left two picture hangings on wall that I specifically asked to be packed; to this date I've received no response, apology or compensation. My Dirt Devil vacuum and Black & Decker drill are missing; as well as the moving blanket I borrowed from a friend seems to have been accidentally taken during unpack. The only thing that got me through the delivery was how great the foreman was. I really wish the packing had been done better so that they could have unpacked better and helped me more because they had such great attitudes. Unfortunately, I had to release them as it was futile due to hapless packing and dirt on the furniture. Plus what they were unpacking actually was creating work. Moving is a strain enough as it is, even more so as a single woman, and without a company covering long distance and the long storage expenses. I am hoping that Flat Rate does the right thing with reparations for the claim and photo documentation I submit. Should you select Flat Rate, please be proactive to ensure you do endure the damages and occurrences I had. Photos are posted to show above. read more

Rating between 2 - 3 stars was debatable. Flat Rate was referred to me by one of my graduate school classmates that had success moving from NYC to MIA. Unfortunately, my experience was not as smooth. I believe generally they are 4/5-star, but my experience was the outlier which I feel no other person, especially someone not covered by corporate expense should endure. On a positive note, the email or phone responsive of the Flat Rate office team is great as is the speed in which items are packed/unpacked, loaded/unloaded by the on-site movers. Also, the paperwork is well laid out. However, the negative is a lack of organization to pack/unpack boxed contents; as well as my move was scheduled against my preferred timing, leading to both inconvenience and inefficiency of delivery plus some of my furniture arrived with damages and all furniture had dust. Also at the end of the first 3-month storage period, I was notified my monthly storage fee would double. I had to refute such gouging and eventually I agreed to a more a nominal increase, but an increase all the same which I found unscrupulous as nothing in original contract said rates could change. It was agreed to in writing and verbally that I would be alerted 48 hours before delivery. Instead not only was it only 24 hour notice, Flat Rate Long Distance decided to proceed with the move on a date when I had tight availability and that my building management could only assign 2 hours use of elevator even though we both requested the day after which was free availability. The movers were there a total of 3 hours and 45 minutes. Given the poor scheduling, I had to take a conference call so I was preoccupied for the first 2 1/2 hours of the move. For what remained, it was difficult to direct the movers due to the missed time and so many items being in my apartment that were brought up to adhere to the 2 hour elevator limit. Also, due to the poor packing of my boxes, and being that I have so many items, it was difficult to properly place items for two reasons, first, the boxes were not detailed in labeling. For instance, books in boxes were labeled to the correct room, but there was no labeling of which shelf, and left to right, based on how it was setup before packing it up. Therefore, without me overseeing, the books were unpacked and haphazardly placed on shelf, mostly back to front. This created aimless work for the movers and extra work for me in completely reorganizing. Second, all furniture had dirt which led me to question were my items not stored wrapped; the dust was caked on. I received no heads up beforehand that this may be the condition they arrive in to prep so unpacking was futile as all furniture had to be thoroughly wiped and sanitized. Given the dust, why would Flat Rate not recommend that I cancel unpacking given their expertise of what condition lengthy stored items might arrive in? Also, many boxes had a mix of items just thrown in without regard for the protection or delicacy of the items, i.e. shoes with lingerie, kitchen items with linens, light fixtures with hair products. I have a lot of things and this move wasn't easy on both ends, however, my contract wasn't just for transporting items, but also fees for packing and unpacking. Including $500 cash tip for the movers on both ends, I absolutely feel jilted. To add insult to injury, a handful of furniture items were delivered scratched with gashes in the wood that were not there prior and two pieces off hinge. Additionally, right after my pickup, I reached out to my booker that the movers left two picture hangings on wall that I specifically asked to be packed; to this date I've received no response, apology or compensation. My Dirt Devil vacuum and Black & Decker drill are missing; as well as the moving blanket I borrowed from a friend seems to have been accidentally taken during unpack. The only thing that got me through the delivery was how great the foreman was. I really wish the packing had been done better so that they could have unpacked better and helped me more because they had such great attitudes. Unfortunately, I had to release them as it was futile due to hapless packing and dirt on the furniture. Plus what they were unpacking actually was creating work. Moving is a strain enough as it is, even more so as a single woman, and without a company covering long distance and the long storage expenses. I am hoping that Flat Rate does the right thing with reparations for the claim and photo documentation I submit. Should you select Flat Rate, please be proactive to ensure you do endure the damages and occurrences I had. Photos are posted to show above. read more

Rating between 2 - 3 stars was debatable. Flat Rate was referred to me by one of my graduate school classmates that had success moving from NYC to MIA. Unfortunately, my experience was not as smooth. I believe generally they are 4/5-star, but my experience was the outlier which I feel no other person, especially someone not covered by corporate expense should endure. On a positive note, the email or phone responsive of the Flat Rate office team is great as is the speed in which items are packed/unpacked, loaded/unloaded by the on-site movers. Also, the paperwork is well laid out. However, the negative is a lack of organization to pack/unpack boxed contents; as well as my move was scheduled against my preferred timing, leading to both inconvenience and inefficiency of delivery plus some of my furniture arrived with damages and all furniture had dust. Also at the end of the first 3-month storage period, I was notified my monthly storage fee would double. I had to refute such gouging and eventually I agreed to a more a nominal increase, but an increase all the same which I found unscrupulous as nothing in original contract said rates could change. It was agreed to in writing and verbally that I would be alerted 48 hours before delivery. Instead not only was it only 24 hour notice, Flat Rate Long Distance decided to proceed with the move on a date when I had tight availability and that my building management could only assign 2 hours use of elevator even though we both requested the day after which was free availability. The movers were there a total of 3 hours and 45 minutes. Given the poor scheduling, I had to take a conference call so I was preoccupied for the first 2 1/2 hours of the move. For what remained, it was difficult to direct the movers due to the missed time and so many items being in my apartment that were brought up to adhere to the 2 hour elevator limit. Also, due to the poor packing of my boxes, and being that I have so many items, it was difficult to properly place items for two reasons, first, the boxes were not detailed in labeling. For instance, books in boxes were labeled to the correct room, but there was no labeling of which shelf, and left to right, based on how it was setup before packing it up. Therefore, without me overseeing, the books were unpacked and haphazardly placed on shelf, mostly back to front. This created aimless work for the movers and extra work for me in completely reorganizing. Second, all furniture had dirt which led me to question were my items not stored wrapped; the dust was caked on. I received no heads up beforehand that this may be the condition they arrive in to prep so unpacking was futile as all furniture had to be thoroughly wiped and sanitized. Given the dust, why would Flat Rate not recommend that I cancel unpacking given their expertise of what condition lengthy stored items might arrive in? Also, many boxes had a mix of items just thrown in without regard for the protection or delicacy of the items, i.e. shoes with lingerie, kitchen items with linens, light fixtures with hair products. I have a lot of things and this move wasn't easy on both ends, however, my contract wasn't just for transporting items, but also fees for packing and unpacking. Including $500 cash tip for the movers on both ends, I absolutely feel jilted. To add insult to injury, a handful of furniture items were delivered scratched with gashes in the wood that were not there prior and two pieces off hinge. Additionally, right after my pickup, I reached out to my booker that the movers left two picture hangings on wall that I specifically asked to be packed; to this date I've received no response, apology or compensation. My Dirt Devil vacuum and Black & Decker drill are missing; as well as the moving blanket I borrowed from a friend seems to have been accidentally taken during unpack. The only thing that got me through the delivery was how great the foreman was. I really wish the packing had been done better so that they could have unpacked better and helped me more because they had such great attitudes. Unfortunately, I had to release them as it was futile due to hapless packing and dirt on the furniture. Plus what they were unpacking actually was creating work. Moving is a strain enough as it is, even more so as a single woman, and without a company covering long distance and the long storage expenses. I am hoping that Flat Rate does the right thing with reparations for the claim and photo documentation I submit. Should you select Flat Rate, please be proactive to ensure you do endure the damages and occurrences I had. Photos are posted to show above. read more

Rating between 2 - 3 stars was debatable. Flat Rate was referred to me by one of my graduate school classmates that had success moving from NYC to MIA. Unfortunately, my experience was not as smooth. I believe generally they are 4/5-star, but my experience was the outlier which I feel no other person, especially someone not covered by corporate expense should endure. On a positive note, the email or phone responsive of the Flat Rate office team is great as is the speed in which items are packed/unpacked, loaded/unloaded by the on-site movers. Also, the paperwork is well laid out. However, the negative is a lack of organization to pack/unpack boxed contents; as well as my move was scheduled against my preferred timing, leading to both inconvenience and inefficiency of delivery plus some of my furniture arrived with damages and all furniture had dust. Also at the end of the first 3-month storage period, I was notified my monthly storage fee would double. I had to refute such gouging and eventually I agreed to a more a nominal increase, but an increase all the same which I found unscrupulous as nothing in original contract said rates could change. It was agreed to in writing and verbally that I would be alerted 48 hours before delivery. Instead not only was it only 24 hour notice, Flat Rate Long Distance decided to proceed with the move on a date when I had tight availability and that my building management could only assign 2 hours use of elevator even though we both requested the day after which was free availability. The movers were there a total of 3 hours and 45 minutes. Given the poor scheduling, I had to take a conference call so I was preoccupied for the first 2 1/2 hours of the move. For what remained, it was difficult to direct the movers due to the missed time and so many items being in my apartment that were brought up to adhere to the 2 hour elevator limit. Also, due to the poor packing of my boxes, and being that I have so many items, it was difficult to properly place items for two reasons, first, the boxes were not detailed in labeling. For instance, books in boxes were labeled to the correct room, but there was no labeling of which shelf, and left to right, based on how it was setup before packing it up. Therefore, without me overseeing, the books were unpacked and haphazardly placed on shelf, mostly back to front. This created aimless work for the movers and extra work for me in completely reorganizing. Second, all furniture had dirt which led me to question were my items not stored wrapped; the dust was caked on. I received no heads up beforehand that this may be the condition they arrive in to prep so unpacking was futile as all furniture had to be thoroughly wiped and sanitized. Given the dust, why would Flat Rate not recommend that I cancel unpacking given their expertise of what condition lengthy stored items might arrive in? Also, many boxes had a mix of items just thrown in without regard for the protection or delicacy of the items, i.e. shoes with lingerie, kitchen items with linens, light fixtures with hair products. I have a lot of things and this move wasn't easy on both ends, however, my contract wasn't just for transporting items, but also fees for packing and unpacking. Including $500 cash tip for the movers on both ends, I absolutely feel jilted. To add insult to injury, a handful of furniture items were delivered scratched with gashes in the wood that were not there prior and two pieces off hinge. Additionally, right after my pickup, I reached out to my booker that the movers left two picture hangings on wall that I specifically asked to be packed; to this date I've received no response, apology or compensation. My Dirt Devil vacuum and Black & Decker drill are missing; as well as the moving blanket I borrowed from a friend seems to have been accidentally taken during unpack. The only thing that got me through the delivery was how great the foreman was. I really wish the packing had been done better so that they could have unpacked better and helped me more because they had such great attitudes. Unfortunately, I had to release them as it was futile due to hapless packing and dirt on the furniture. Plus what they were unpacking actually was creating work. Moving is a strain enough as it is, even more so as a single woman, and without a company covering long distance and the long storage expenses. I am hoping that Flat Rate does the right thing with reparations for the claim and photo documentation I submit. Should you select Flat Rate, please be proactive to ensure you do endure the damages and occurrences I had. Photos are posted to show above. read more

Rating between 2 - 3 stars was debatable. Flat Rate was referred to me by one of my graduate school classmates that had success moving from NYC to MIA. Unfortunately, my experience was not as smooth. I believe generally they are 4/5-star, but my experience was the outlier which I feel no other person, especially someone not covered by corporate expense should endure. On a positive note, the email or phone responsive of the Flat Rate office team is great as is the speed in which items are packed/unpacked, loaded/unloaded by the on-site movers. Also, the paperwork is well laid out. However, the negative is a lack of organization to pack/unpack boxed contents; as well as my move was scheduled against my preferred timing, leading to both inconvenience and inefficiency of delivery plus some of my furniture arrived with damages and all furniture had dust. Also at the end of the first 3-month storage period, I was notified my monthly storage fee would double. I had to refute such gouging and eventually I agreed to a more a nominal increase, but an increase all the same which I found unscrupulous as nothing in original contract said rates could change. It was agreed to in writing and verbally that I would be alerted 48 hours before delivery. Instead not only was it only 24 hour notice, Flat Rate Long Distance decided to proceed with the move on a date when I had tight availability and that my building management could only assign 2 hours use of elevator even though we both requested the day after which was free availability. The movers were there a total of 3 hours and 45 minutes. Given the poor scheduling, I had to take a conference call so I was preoccupied for the first 2 1/2 hours of the move. For what remained, it was difficult to direct the movers due to the missed time and so many items being in my apartment that were brought up to adhere to the 2 hour elevator limit. Also, due to the poor packing of my boxes, and being that I have so many items, it was difficult to properly place items for two reasons, first, the boxes were not detailed in labeling. For instance, books in boxes were labeled to the correct room, but there was no labeling of which shelf, and left to right, based on how it was setup before packing it up. Therefore, without me overseeing, the books were unpacked and haphazardly placed on shelf, mostly back to front. This created aimless work for the movers and extra work for me in completely reorganizing. Second, all furniture had dirt which led me to question were my items not stored wrapped; the dust was caked on. I received no heads up beforehand that this may be the condition they arrive in to prep so unpacking was futile as all furniture had to be thoroughly wiped and sanitized. Given the dust, why would Flat Rate not recommend that I cancel unpacking given their expertise of what condition lengthy stored items might arrive in? Also, many boxes had a mix of items just thrown in without regard for the protection or delicacy of the items, i.e. shoes with lingerie, kitchen items with linens, light fixtures with hair products. I have a lot of things and this move wasn't easy on both ends, however, my contract wasn't just for transporting items, but also fees for packing and unpacking. Including $500 cash tip for the movers on both ends, I absolutely feel jilted. To add insult to injury, a handful of furniture items were delivered scratched with gashes in the wood that were not there prior and two pieces off hinge. Additionally, right after my pickup, I reached out to my booker that the movers left two picture hangings on wall that I specifically asked to be packed; to this date I've received no response, apology or compensation. My Dirt Devil vacuum and Black & Decker drill are missing; as well as the moving blanket I borrowed from a friend seems to have been accidentally taken during unpack. The only thing that got me through the delivery was how great the foreman was. I really wish the packing had been done better so that they could have unpacked better and helped me more because they had such great attitudes. Unfortunately, I had to release them as it was futile due to hapless packing and dirt on the furniture. Plus what they were unpacking actually was creating work. Moving is a strain enough as it is, even more so as a single woman, and without a company covering long distance and the long storage expenses. I am hoping that Flat Rate does the right thing with reparations for the claim and photo documentation I submit. Should you select Flat Rate, please be proactive to ensure you do endure the damages and occurrences I had. Photos are posted to show above. read more

This is my 57th review and I pride myself on being fair and even handed. While I have not always been delighted with the services I have received, I have never called a company deplorable- nor would I do so lightly. I was having my apt painted and floors redone so needed to have my furniture removed, hence my call to Flat Rate. I carefully planned the timing of the painters, flooring install, and the movers (even allotting a few days"wiggle room") as I was having people over for Passover and Easter. The first group of movers pick up my furniture to bring to Flat Rates' warehouse in NJ. A little over a week later, they were to be returned. The second group of movers arrive and were almost finished, when I was advised that there was "a problem." I accompany him to my lobby where I find my very expensive side buffet, upside down with the back leg and adjoining area smashed to pieces. He admitted this was his fault and that it occurred days before when loading my furniture from the warehouse into the truck. I asked why someone from Flat Rate didn't call me prior to delivery? He was instructed to deliver it broken, and to advise me to file a clam. This was the first red flag- Flat Rate was aware they damaged my furniture and yet, for some inexplicable reason, felt no obligation to let me know beforehand? I called customer service immediately and assumed they would be as concerned as I was. I assumed incorrectly - their response was "oh, sorry -fill out the form and send it back to us". I filled out the form, included photos, and a receipt which shows the cost of the piece.They also ask for the weight - which is absurd. Not sure about all of you, but I can't for the life of me remember when I weighed a piece of my furniture. Clearly another red flag. Saying I was devastated about the damage that Flat Rate caused would be an gross understatement. Just to clarify, if this were a piece from Crate & Barrel, sure I would be upset, but we are talking about a piece that was bought as an investment, and over $6,900. Since I was aware of the value, I opted for their insurance which was to cove me for $10,000. I receive an ambiguous email from their Customer Service Dept - I say ambiguous as it was signed "customer service" (no actual name of a person to follow-up with). They tell me to contact "their vendor" All Furniture Services so they can come and assess the damage. AFS arrives three days later - the guy tells me how great he is, and that he can "fix it" Fix it? Even if AFS were miracle workers and could "fix it", the piece would no longer have the same value. To add insult to injury, I needed to call 20 people to tell them to find alternative arrangements for the holidays as I now have a large piece of furniture sitting in my kitchen, and my kitchen furniture in my living room, so clearly I cannot have people over- another big thank you to Flat Rate from my friends & family whose holiday plans were cancelled the day before! I then receive an email to advise that my claim is now "closed". They have graciously decided to offer me $250.00 as a "courtesy". So Flat Rate just damaged a $6,900 piece of furniture, and their idea of settling my claim is to offer me $250.00? They said I can have it repaired by AFS for $450.00. As per Flat Rate, I have a $500.00 deductible so while they state that they will "repair or replace any damaged furniture", in actuality, you are the one who pays for the repair. I am far from obtuse so what am I missing here? I still have the broken piece of furniture in my kitchen (where their men promptly dumped it) and my apartment looks as though I just moved-in, instead of just being redone. Flat Rate is not disputing that the caused the damage - so the big question is why would any reputable company not take responsibility and offer to replace the piece? They are under the misconception that an offer of $250. will cover my inconvenience Inconvenience doesn't even begin to describe what I have been through - all due to Flat Rates' negligence. They have decided to wash their hands of the matter, I on the other hand have not. I called Customer Service to ask for the name/email address for someone on their management team. Nope sorry - "we cannot provide that information" I work in management for one of the largest privately owned companies in the U.S. We gladly provide contact info for anyone in our company. Why? - because any company with integrity actually WANTS to hear from their customers -whether for a compliment or complaint. That is what good companies do. That is what ethics and good business practices are all about. Clearly Flat Rate has none. read more