Complaints

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• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/15/2024

  Type:Delivery 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.

  I hired this man to move my belongings from *********, oh to Akron, on 8/14/24. He overcharged me and moved my belongings in a landscaping trailer and not a moving truck, so no matter how much he wrapped my things, there was not proper suspension so everything got banged up in his truck. I plugged in my tv when he left and saw the screen was shattered, most of the time tv damage is not seen until it is plugged in. Several glass decorations were broken and he lost parts to my bed.
  I tried to contact him about this and he refused to take responsibility for breaking my belongings.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/24/2024

  [[BBB transcription via email]]

   

  I am the business owner.  I was present as the lead mover for the entirety of this job.
  I am alerting BBB that this customer has severe PTSD.  She herself admits to it in her 
  review of my service on Yelp.  Any response from me that does not agree with the customer's 
  version of the events has a high chance of causing this customer's PTSD to manifest itself and 
  cause this customer great emotional stress, which I have no wish to do.
  
  At this point, I can only provide BBB with my response to the customer's statement and urge the utmost
  caution with this customer. I saw first-hand her reaction when I presented the bill and she had a severe emotional
  reaction that I was not trained to deal with. Moreover, the customer was on edge and jittery for the entire move,
  and my guys and I managed to keep the customer in good spirits from the time we arrived until all items had been delivered.
  We did this by working very hard, remaining upbeat, using humor, making sure we took all of the items, and doing our best to complete the
  move in as timely a manner as possible, which is exactly how we do moves for all customers.  
  
  The facts of the move are this:
  We arrived on time at 10am.  I showed up with a 3-man crew (myself and 2 helpers) and the equipment necessary to transport this customer's items safely.
  The customer had THREE TIMES the amount of items she originally listed at the time of booking.  I have the list in an email. All of the customer's items
  ended up filling my 20-foot trailer and my 12-foot high roof van. The load time was 2.5 hours and the customer witnessed all of us working very hard and hustling
  to get her items loaded.  The customer heaped praise on me and my guys for not only loading much more quickly than she expected, but also managing to fit all 
  of the additional items.  We left the pick up address at 12:30, arrived at the drop off address at 1:30 (the drive from ********* to the drop off is an hour), and had everything
  unloaded by 3pm.  This, when the customer's house was up 2 flights of external stairs plus a basement. Again, the customer heaped praise on all of us during the unload
  and when we were finished.  The customer did not complain about a single thing from the time we arrived until the move was completed.  She expressed to us how amazing
  we were and how happy she was with the move.  If she disputes this, both of my helpers will be happy to confirm my version of events, as they were there for the entire move.
  And one of my helpers, ******. who was present at this move, is a military veteran with multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and has an impeccable service record.  
  
  Lastly, the customer was billed the base rate of $540, which was for 2 hours of labor (labor time is from when the move starts at the pick up address to when all items have been offloaded) 
  and 1 hour of travel to the pick up address plus an additional 3 hours of labor.  The total time for the move was 6 hours, which included the 1 hour of travel to the pick up address.
  The additional 3 hours of labor was billed at $45 per each 15 minutes. This is 12 increments of 15 minutes @ $45, which equals 540. The customer was provided a 5% military discount
  and free shrinkwrap. The total billed was 540 + 540 = 1080 minus the 5% military discount of $54, so in total, the customer was billed 1026.00 for services rendered.
  This is exactly according to the quote I provided verbally and in writing via email. 
  
  Focusing on the customer's statement, that she was overcharged, is patently false.  The customer was quoted the rate for the move verbally when she
  first called me to get a quote. I also repeat the quote for all customers before ending the call. Once she booked, all of the information for the move 
  was emailed to her.  The date all information was emailed was July 31st -- 2 weeks prior to the move.  The email clearly states the base rate,
  how many hours of labor are included and also 1 hour of travel time to the pick up address.  The quote also includes the charge per each 15 minutes
  if the move exceeds 2 hours of labor.  The quote also includes the charge per roll of shrinkwrap and notes the deposit.   Please see the review this customer
  posted on Yelp. She actually admits that the quote includes mileage (she confused mileage with travel time) and states that I told her if the move goes over,
  there will be extra charges (translated, she is alluding the part of the quote where I stated we charge a specific amount every 15 minutes after the initial 2 hours).
  The part where she states, "we'll be good, I promise," was never uttered by me and, in fact, no mover would ever make this statement.  We quote the move and
  if the customer agrees, we collect a deposit and email the move information which includes the quote in writing. 
  
  The issue here is that this customer either misunderstood the quote, or she never bothered to check the email and review the quote.  On move day, after we had
  completed the move, I presented the bill and the customer was genuinely surprised.  At that point, I used my smartphone to show her the email I had sent on
  July 31st, clearly showing the quote.  Her response as she sat on her couch was, "I don't doubt that you did the work and that that is the quote, I just don't have enough
  in my account to pay the balance."  At that point, the customer said she would have to try to figure out a way to remit the balance.  I stood quietly against the opposite wall
  in the livingroom and said nothing.  At this point, the customer had not become emotional or shown more than slight stress as she looked at her computer and tried to figure
  out how she was going to remit the balance. At no time did the customer dispute the charge or refuse to pay the balance.  At any time she could have simply said that I was
  overcharging and refuse to remit the balance and ordered me to leave, but she did not do that.  Instead, she remarked she might have to take out a loan to pay the balance.
  I remained quiet.  Then, after 5 minutes, she left the room and went into the back of the apartment, presumably into a bedroom.  After a few minutes, she emerged with her sister
  on the phone. The customer was extremely emotional, crying and stressed. She told her sister she just wanted her to pay the balance so I could leave. I was asked to speak with 
  the sister, who, after several extremely rude remarks (the customer admits this in her Yelp review), provided her credit card information and paid the balance.   After this, the sister 
  hung up and I provided the bill of lading to the customer and politely asked her to sign it. She refused to sign it. I asked very politely if she could provide a reason for refusing to sign since
  I had delivered all of her items and in good order, completed the move in a timely manner, and billed correctly according to the quote.   The customer started screaming at me that 
  I ripped her off, that she was a "100% disabled veteran,'  that I took advantage, and that she wanted me to leave immediately.  I left and about ten minutes later, the customer texted
  that I broke her tv set.  I texted back that no damage was done to any of the three tv sets we moved.  In fact, I was the one who wrapped them all, loaded all of them, and unloaded them
  and delivered them.  So I know the condition of every tv set upon delivery.  Also, the customer was given every opportunity to check her items as they were delivered and made no
  such attempt to do so.  It wasn't until after I left that the customer texted that her tv was broken. 
  
  I will now address the following statement by the customer:  he moved my belongings in a landscaping trailer and not a moving truck, so no matter how much he wrapped my things, there was not proper suspension so everything got banged up in his truck. I plugged in my tv when he left and saw the screen was shattered, most of the time tv damage is not seen until it is plugged in. Several glass decorations were broken and he lost parts to my bed.
  
  My response.  The customer's items were moved in a 2023 Ram Promaster 2500 van and in a 20-foot enclosed trailer, both of which are registered with and approved for use by PUCO and FMCSA.
  Professional licensed moving companies all over the country routinely use this type of equipment. It is legal to do so and authorized.  Moreover, my trailer was custom built with upgraded suspension and interior upgrades to better support the weight of the loads.   I have used this equipment for hundreds of moves without incident.  I have moved artwork worth in excess of $50,000, giant mirrors, many boxes of glass items, antiques, and extremely fragile items. And I have moved hundreds of tv sets in my equipment, all without incident. Indeed, I welcome PUCO to read my reviews on Yelp, Google, and on the BBB website. There are 33 reviews on Yelp (14 are live, and 19 have been placed in the "not recommended" section at the bottom by Yelp but these 19 are bona-fide reviews), 41 reviews on Google (all 5 star), and 3 reviews on my BBB page (all 5 star), 77 reviews in total.  75 of these 77 reviews are 5-star reviews and, every review posted by other customers since this customer's move has been a 5-star review. Most importantly, other than this customer's review, no customer has reported any damage during their move, and all of the moves were done with this equipment or a rental truck, if it became necessary to use a rental truck (mostly for long-distance moves, or for moves that required a rental truck in addition to my equipment in order to fit all items in one trip).  Thusly, the customer's statement is without merit and is not factual in any way.  It is simply her assertion, and I will point out that this customer is not a professional mover and is not an expert in the equipment moving companies use for moves.  I'd also like to point out that the customer claimed that "everything got banged up," yet only claims damage to a tv and some glass decorations.  Please note that this customer's items filled every bit of the 20-foot trailer and the van, which is 12 feet, and there were many, many more items transported than this customer claims were damaged.  So by her own admission, not "everything
  got banged up".
  
  With regard to the customer's claim of damage and lost parts to the bed:
  I deny doing any damage to her tv set.  I handled all three of the tv sets myself and all were properly wrapped, loaded, placed on a cushioned surface, unloaded, and delivered by me.  So I witnessed
  first-hand that there was no damage. The customer made no attempt to check these items -- or any items -- before I left.  With regard to any glass decorations, we did not transport any visible glass decorations. If these items were in a box or boxes, NO moving company can be held responsible for any item the customer personally boxed.  A moving company simply transports the boxes.  Moving companies are not liable for items the customer personally packed in a box. The customer is responsible for wrapping all boxed items correctly so that they are safe for transport.  I can add that my guys and I ALWAYS handle boxes with the utmost care.  And I personally see to it that the boxes are packed properly so there is no damage, no crushed boxes, and no way for us to damage an item the customer packed in a box.  Again, please see my reviews as mentioned above and that no other customer reported damage to any item, including a boxed item.  Lastly, the customer is correct, we did misplace ONE metal bed support (there were eight and we delivered seven) that was not delivered during the move.  That item was found and mailed to the customer via USPS at my expense, signature required, so the customer's item was returned several days after the move.  I also took photos at the post office showing the package, the shipping label with the customer's name and address, and with the postal worker holding the package as proof I sent it. So there can be no further claim for this item.
  
  I'd like to complete my response by stating a few things:
  1) I operate professionally and honestly in all regards
  2) I bill customers exactly what I quote.  I never overcharge. And all quotes are provided in writing before the move date.
  3)  My online reputation is impeccable. My reviews bear this out. I am 5-star rated on Google and BBB, and I was 5-star rated on Yelp prior to this customer's review.
  4)  I have been a professional mover for 18 years.  I am an expert in all phases of moving.  I know how to move items without incident.  I go out of my way to wrap items
  carefully and to handle items with great care.  My helpers are trained by me and they are trained to also handle all items with great care. 
  5)  I have no record whatsoever of overcharging or of damage claims by any customer except for this customer. Again, my reviews bear this out
  6)  All of my equipment is authorized for use by PUCO and FMCSA to transport household goods and is capable in every regard of transporting items safely.
  7) I have all of the proper insurances.  There is no reason for me to deny damaging an item or items if it happens.  If either I or my helpers damaged or lost an item,
  I would immediately put in in writing on the bill of lading and repair or replace in agreement with the customer.  In the case of this customer, no damage was done
  by me or by my helpers and I deny this customer's claim and version of events.  I will state outright that the customer's version of events simply did not happen. 
  
  Finally, I would like to state that I am terribly sorry that this customer became upset and stressed after I presented the bill. If there was something I could have done
  to avoid her PTSD reaction, I would have done it.  I have great respect for our veterans and of course for those who are handicapped in any way. I would never do
  anything intentionally to cause a veteran, or any customer, emotional harm.  My goal is for all customers to be happy with the service I provide.  I believe I live up
  to this ideal in every regard.  I started my business from scratch in May of 2022 and I can honestly say that my customers for the two years I have been operating
  have been very happy with my service and have stated so on review sites.  I am deeply sorry that this customer is not happy with the service and felt it necessary to 
  post an emotional and vitriolic review on Yelp that amounts to a word salad filled with anger and insults and untrue statements. I am also deeply sorry that she felt it
  necessary to file a complaint with the BBB that is meritless and contains untrue statements.  I did everything I possibly could to provide excellent service to this customer
  in all regards, and to bill correctly and honestly. Ultimately, the customer was dissatisfied because she simply did not review the written quote she was provided, and did not
  adhere to protocol by checking her items prior to me leaving.  I hope and pray that this customer will go back and check her email to see that, in fact, the quote I provided
  matched the billing exactly and take responsibility for her oversight.  
  
  I actually spoke with my wife of 17 years, my helpers, my father-in-law, a Vietnam veteran, and with my mother-in-law, who seems to have a knack for offering great advice.
  All of them agreed that I should, in the interest of good customer service and as a way to resolve the issue and honor a United States veteran, offer this customer a new tv 
  to replace her old one she claims was damaged.   I am, without admitting any culpability in damaging the tv, willing to do this IF the customer agrees to do the following:
  
  1) Delete the review she posted on Yelp and any photos she posted on Yelp or on any website associated with my moving business
  2) Contact BBB and PUCO and advise that her claim has been resolved to her satisfaction
  3) Agree that neither she nor anyone else will post any negative reviews or information with regard to my moving business, and that she will cease and desist
  all actions and consider the matter closed.
  4) Seek no legal redress of any kind.
  
  Once these are done, I will ship this customer a new tv at my expense. And I promise it will be an upgrade from the tv she reported damaged.
  This is my sincere attempt to resolve the matter so that the customer can move on and avoid any additional stress.
  
  I will await a response.  Thank you for your time.