This is the worse moving experience I've ever had and that includes some cross country moves. I wish I'd listened to Oni M. on the yelp reviews. She/He was spot on.
The Move: 1 bedroom 650 sq ft apartment up one flight of steps to another second-floor apartment with an elevator. All personal items (clothes, bed linens, most kitchen items and fragile items had been moved, no dining room furniture. Just some boxes of books, a few kitchen boxes, king bed and box (no frame), queen mattress, dresser, two end tables, a sofa, armchair, two paintings, two large plants, large cat tree, tv table, packaged TV, packaged shelf, TV Table, and three 8-cubby Ikea Kallax shelves. I sent this list to the business owner, Robert in advance, who replied no problem, 2-3 hours to move it from there to my other apartment 20 minutes away. He quoted $100 and hour for two guys and a truck. Nothing else was mentioned. I asked twice if he had a moving truck. I was assured yes. He did not.
The Cost: He showed up with a pick-up truck and a small U-Haul tow trailer. He stated there was an additional $50 admin fee, every item wrapped was $15-$20 additional per item, and he charged double transport time. I should have sent him away at this point. Live and learn. After showing him all the items, he assured me he would come back free of charge and bring it if it did not all fit. He did not and it did not all fit and most of my furniture was damaged.
Overcharging: For the list of items above, it took him and another guy 2.5 hours to load and 3 hours to unload. I've moved many times. When I moved last time, it took two guys 1.5 hours to move it in UP the stairs and I had more furniture at the time. I was shocked but how much time they took. I was also charged 45 minutes each way transport. In a car, and I've done this drive many times, it takes 20 minutes. It took me 20 minutes that evening as well. With a truck hauling a little U-Haul, I can see 30 minute each way. Just to drive my items 6 miles, I was charged $150.
Equipment Shortage: He only had one dolly for him and another worker and two blankets, a roll of plastic wrap and some well used cardboard. This was not remotely enough. I luckily had two moving blankets but even if I had rented a truck on my own, as I should have, I would have been equipped.
Extensive Damage: He and this guy who smelled of marijuana dropped my sofa (Ikea Friheten) and broke the back in half. They dragged it to because the fabric is damaged, and I saw them dragging it and when they saw I saw them they lifted it. They were not even carrying the full weight of the sofa; they took part of it apart and it was still too heavy for them. It was a nice sofa, $900 and less than a year old. They dragged my dresser upside down into my apartment and dropped it too because the top is very damaged, my shelf sides are scratched up and they concealed damage on my side tables. They had wrapped a piece of tape around one of them and not the other and I started wondering why the next day. The door was practically ripped off the hinges by them and they hid it by taping it in place. it must have happened when they damaged the apartment door. The back of my TV table came out but I was able to fix it, and there was some damage to my armchair and other items as well. Watch your plants around this guy. I have two Dracaena corn plants (approx. 6 ft tall) and he was telling the other guy they were. going to take the plant out of the pot and dirt and transport them separately to make it easier. Luckily, I heard and stopped them, or I would have two dead plants.
In addition to all this, I told him I had a desk I needed to leave at the garbage in the text before I hired him, when he got there, while he was loading. It was still in the apartment when they were ready to leave. I asked him to please take it there as it is very heavy for me, even disassembled. They took it to the sidewalk and Robert said not to worry, he had packed the dolly already, but he would stop by on his way back and put it by the trash. I came back the next morning to collect all the things that didn't fit and found it there sitting on the sidewalk.
I honestly think a lot of the positive reviews must be fake because the level of destruction for the small number of things I had was truly astonishing. I also suspect he does not carry renters' insurance because he said it would not cover any of the damage and reduced the bill by $60 and removed the $75 added fee for wrapping items. I insisted charging seven hour for all the damage they cause was too much, however I was alone in my apartment, and he was threatening me he'd come back and take care of it so I paid the full amount so he would leave. Use at your own risk. read more