I genuinely hate leaving negative reviews for small businesses because I know how important reviews…read moreare. Unfortunately, I can't honestly recommend Christiano Moving Services after my experience.
This is a long review, but it all comes full circle.
For context, this is the exact message I sent when requesting a quote:
"Hello, I hope all is well. May I please have a quote for a move this week on the 26th? I'll be moving about a small apartment's worth of stuff. Heavy items include a bed frame/mattress, nightstands, TV stand, couch + accent chairs, and coffee table set. The rest are boxes. I'll need a truck and move everything into a drive-up storage unit about 9 miles away."
Their response:
"Our rate for 3 men would be $150/hr and 2 men is $120/hr. 2 hour minimum + $60 trip fee. 2 men are for small apartment moves. 3 men required for 3rd floors. Our moves are all inclusive; gas, truck, mileage, experienced movers, furniture disassembly/reassembly, wrap, tape and moving pads."
I replied:
"So to confirm, 2 hours with 2 movers would be $240 + the $60 trip fee? And that includes wrapping furniture and disassembly if needed?"
Their response: "Correct."
That confirmation is the entire reason I booked them. My expectation was a $300 total, exactly as quoted. I had been shopping around for movers and was sold on the advertised "all-inclusive" pricing.
Although...if it's "all-inclusive," why is there still a separate trip fee? But whatever. I moved forward.
Moving day...
My move was originally scheduled for 4:30 PM. I texted that morning to confirm, and only then was I told it needed to be pushed to 6:00 PM. Then at 5:16 PM, I was told they were still two hours away.
When they finally arrived, there was no introduction, no apology, and no acknowledgment that they had already rescheduled me twice.
The man I'm assuming is the owner also showed up with 2 additional movers, even though I specifically booked and was quoted for two.
After looking around my place, he immediately complained,
"You have a lot of stuff. You said you didn't have a lot."
I reminded him that I specifically said a small apartment's worth of belongings, which is exactly what I had.
He then said,
"This is going to take a long time. It's late."
...it's late because YOU were late and rescheduled me twice.
He then claimed the move would take 2 1/2-3 hours and attempted to charge me an additional $135, partly because he brought a third mover I never requested.
At that point I felt cornered because I needed my belongings moved, so I reluctantly agreed.
The advertised "all-inclusive" service also felt like a gimmick. They refused to move my TVs because they weren't boxed despite advertising wrapping. I wrapped my own mirrored coffee table to save time, and the only item they wrapped was the TV stand.
At the storage unit, he complained (again) that everything wouldn't fit.
It fit perfectly.
I started a timer when they picked up the first box. The entire move took 1 hour and 40 minutes.
Since there's a two-hour minimum, I expected to pay:
3 movers (2-hour minimum): $300
Trip fee: $60
Total: $360.
Instead, he suddenly claimed there was a 3-hour minimum for three movers, a policy never mentioned in any of our messages.
When I showed him our text conversation, he started scrolling through it like somehow the words were going to change.
I told him,
"I'm only going off exactly what you quoted me. Had your quote been different, I would've booked another company."
He then started telling me he'd driven two hours, wasn't making money, his guys needed to get paid, and that he "didn't want to get home late."
Respectfully, none of that has anything to do with me. Those are business planning issues, not customer responsibilities.
Eventually he said,
"At least give me $380. I need to make some money."
Even after everything, I still planned to tip $10 per mover because I know what it's like running a small business.
Instead of paying the $300 I was quoted, or even the $360 based on his own pricing (with the unrequested 3rd wheel), I paid $390.
Did I get so much as a "thank you"?
No.
No apology.
No acknowledgment that I'd just paid $90 more than the original quote.
He simply walked away.
He asked if I needed the gate opened. I said no.
As he turned and walked away, I said,
"Goodnight. Thank you. Drive safe."
He ignored me, got in the truck, and drove away.
This still isn't even everything that happened, but this review is already long enough.
This was by far the most disappointing customer service experience I've had. The move itself got done, but the communication, professionalism, attitude from the moment they walked through the door, pricing inconsistencies, lack of accountability, and overall customer experience left me feeling completely taken advantage of.
