Naive and Misled
This is the first time I've used a
moving service. I went with this company because they seemed to have a lower price. I was quoted--I supposed estimated is a better word--around $1,050 for 300 ft, which I thought was a pretty good deal. This total cost quickly got bumped up. I scheduled the movers to arrive in the morning between 8-10 am due to a meeting I had at noon. It was about 11-11:30 am when they actually showed. I had almost all of the stuff I was moving stacked in the garage for easy access and to help the pack go more quickly. There were several things which I didn't think needed boxed like a keyboard stand and a small printer, but as the team leader surveyed my stuff, he saw the printer and said they'd have to pack that. He asked if it would be alright, and I said yes. After an hour or two, everything was packed, and the leader came and showed me the bill. It was here that I was given the real amount: $2,250. In the invoice there was a line item labeled 'Packing Costs,' and it was an extra $700 charge. It had a note to see attached price sheet which I quickly search for but couldn't find. I asked the leader about the sheet and he seemed hesitant to show it to me at first. But I explained again what I wanted to see, and he relented. It was a list of material prices and packing prices, marked with everything they used. This was the first time I had it revealed to me that there would be charges for any of the materials. Then I noticed that instead of 300 ft, I was charged for 400 ft^3. I had measured my belongings once I had everything stacked and I know I was under 300 ft. So this I believe was a blatant lie. But as my stuff was in the truck already, and I felt put in a corner, I signed the invoice and paid the initial 70%. I was given a copy of the invoice, but again the leader attempted to withhold the 'Packing Cost' sheet from the paperwork he gave me. I only received it after explicitly asking for it. During the move, I tried to contact the driver several times with no luck. I received one call from him that had bad reception and quickly lost the call. Towards the end I finally got a hold of him on a Thursday, and he said he'd be there by Saturday (it ended up being Sunday--no big deal). As I helped unload my stuff from the truck, I noticed a lot of the boxes were crumpled or simply smashed altogether. Luckily there was little damage--I had some books bent up, and a Brita filter container smashed, but that's it. So was the move successful in terms of getting my stuff to the LA area from the DC Area: yes. Was I mislead and wrongly charged by BR Movers: YES. I will not be using this company ever again. Being in a service industry myself, I realize how much reputation and trust count, especially in a highly-marginalized industry such as relocation services. I believe BR Movers is an example of how to run a business profitably in the short-term but fail in the long-term.
N Hinish