Professional Movers
When I called the company to book them, I asked about packing materials and their cost. They said that boxes may be a couple dollars more than if I purchased them at Home Depot, or another store like that, because they were double corrugated, nice boxes. We opted to have them box up our fragile kitchen items and photo frames, as well as our hanging clothes. When they arrived the morning of the move, they informed us that boxes were between $20-$30 each! This is more than a little more than Home Depot.
They also refused to load anything into the truck that was not packed in a box. We were never told about that policy and we packed all of our folded clothes, linens, stuffed animals and soft things in garbage bags to limit the number of boxes we needed to obtain. They wouldn't load them into the truck without putting them in a $25 box. Our packing costs, which should have been about $200 based on the original quote, wound up being almost $1100!
It is unfortunate because the people that were at our house doing the move were very courteous and worked diligently to get the job done.
J Hamilton
Response from A Professional Movers
When Mrs. Hamilton requested a quote from A. Professional Movers, she stated repeatedly that her and her husband would be doing all the packing.
Unfortunately, when the movers arrived, barely anything was packed by the customer and the majority of the things which were "packed" were in garbage bags. Being a professional moving company, we must ensure that all items which are loaded must be unloaded in the same condition.
Therefore, it is our policy that all loose items, electronics and breakables be packed correctly into boxes. If I may correct Mrs. Hamilton, we have no boxes that cost $30.00. Our material ranges in price from $1 to $25.
Mr. Hamilton preferred that we use the largest of boxes to pack most of the things, hence the cost. Although Ms. Hamilton states that she "opted to have (us) box up our fragile kitchen items and photo frames," this was not told to us until the movers arrived. Mr. Hamilton was then informed of the change in price from the original quote. Realizing the mistake that was made, he had no problem with the price.
When we arrived at the destination, Ms. Hamilton asked for an explanation of charges, which my foreman promptly gave. After a half hour, we agreed to a large discount (over 10 percent). Mrs. Hamilton happily agreed that the discount extended to her was more than sufficient, as she also gave the movers a gratuity.
I am sorry that after reconciling the situation with a mutually acceptable discount, Mrs. Hamilton still feels unhappy. We feel that we have gone above and beyond what was needed to ensure the happiness of our customer, to no avail. We wish Mrs. Hamilton the best of luck with her new home.