Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/07/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On March 30, 2023, I hired Dependable Movers for a 1BR/1BA move on premises in *************. In my initial estimate, Dependable Movers quoted me $1,657.80 for a 6 hour full-service move (which included packing, moving, unpacking, disassembly / reassembly of furniture, and disposal of trash) using an inventory list that I provided before receiving the estimate. After the move was complete, I was charged $4,250.54 (a 256% increase) for a 14 hour non-full service move (which didn't include unpacking, only had disassembly / reassembly of 1 furniture item, and minimal disposal of trash) using the same inventory list provided. It was also outlined in the estimate that materials would be included at no cost, but I was charged an additional $777 for materials in the final bill.I am seeking a refund from Dependable Movers for the additional $2,592.74 that I was charged, which was paid in protest after the movers said they would not leave my home until the payment was submitted. I have communicated with the manager of Dependable Movers, who has acknowledged that the estimate was incorrect, but has only offered me $600 as a courtesy refund and will not negotiate further.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/25/2023

  ***** and ******, Thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback regarding your recent move with our company. We are truly sorry to hear that your experience did not meet your expectations. We understand that the issue stemmed from an error in our estimate, and we want to assure you that we take full responsibility for this mistake. We understand that moving is a stressful time, and our goal is always to make the process as seamless as possible for our customers.  

   

  We did provide full packing service and we worked relentlessly for 14 hours. I did not defend the move, I merely was stating that some moves do take longer even if it is a one-bedroom apartment. We namely packed: 50 small boxes, 22 medium boxes, 8 large boxes=85 boxes total. We also used 5 lamp shade boxes, 3 mirror packs, 3 big rolls of bubble wrap, 1 box of packing paper. Just to provide some perspective, an average 1 Bedroom apartment packing kit contains about 33 boxes of various sizes. So it is obvious that we were dealing with a lot more packing than the "average" apartment.

   

  In addition, the estimate states in BOLD that the customer is charged actual hours worked, not estimated.

   

   Empty materials grid is provided to show the cost of materials. On the first page of the estimate (that you have not provided) has a statement that materials are sold separately. We have not overcharged but charged according to the amount of time that we have worked. Please know that we have taken steps to prevent this from happening in the future, including reviewing our procedures for providing estimates and implementing additional training for our staff. In addition to our apology, we offered to issue a generous courtesy refund to you in an effort to make things right. We hoped that this gesture showed our commitment to your satisfaction and our dedication to providing top-notch service to all of our customers. But we cannot and do not find it right to completely disregard hours of hard work. As for COVID protocol, it is not mandated by the ******************* or the ****************** at these times. We however follow the protocol when required by customers. I have made requests to our media manager to update the protocol to avoid future confusion thanks to your feedback. I again am saddened that no matter how hard we tried to satisfy you, it did not seem to work. We will use this valuable feedback to continue improving our processes and procedures and continue serving the community at the most stressful time of moving! Respectfully, ***** Manager at Dependable Movers