Defective Create
Chris
Submitted this review about
Allied Van lines
Review made Live: 5/2/2011 2:20:00 PM
My wife and I recently moved from FL to IL and chose Blocker/Allied to move our household goods to our new home. During the actual move we were very happy with our sales rep. Philipe, office manager Kandi, and the moving crew lead by Heather. Heather's crew in particular was very professional and helpful. Unfortunately, there was one mishap and Allied’s subsequent response that has tainted the entire experience. The marble top to our dining room credenza was broken in half during the move. My wife and I paid Blocker/Allied approximately $70.00 (crate + unpacking fee) to specially crate the item in order to protect the piece from being damaged. During the removal of the marble top from the truck my wife and I were notified by Heather Dailey's crew, Allied employees, that it had split in half. Furthermore, they also informed us that the crate did not contain a center or fifth brace which was the cause for the breakage. My wife and I have a written statement from Heather explaining the issue with the crate as the cause for the issue.
First, I completely understand that accidents happen. Second, I completely understand that my wife and I chose NOT to purchase moving insurance from Allied Van Lines. Per Allied's practice, they provided a check for $90 equating to $.60 per pound as compensation for a piece valued in the ballpark of $700. Yes, I understand these are Allied's written rules. However, if the item had been crated properly we would not be faced with this situation. Again, we were told directly by Allied employees that the crate was improperly built to effectively support the item.
After learning of the $90 dollar decision, I called Sheila, an Allied claims adjuster on 4/11/11. She notified me that there was nothing she could do and passed me along to her supervisor, Margie Lotchamer. Margie continued to recite rules without considering the issue that Allied had provided a defective and ineffective moving crate, again, as evidenced in writing by our Allied moving crew. This was frustrating to say the least. Her only response to the crate being defective was that I would need to take that issue up with the local Allied office, Blocker/Allied in St. Petersburg, FL. Here is the first attempt to pass the buck.
Again on 4/11/11, I contacted Kandi at the local Blocker/Allied office in St. Petersburg, FL. She was very nice and said she would need to contact her local claims person to discuss the situation. I made follow-up calls on 4/12/11 and 4/13/11. On 4/13/11 Kandi forwarded me on to Everett Morizen III, the local customer service rep. Everett again was very thorough with the recitation of Allied's $.60 per pound rule and taking no responsibility at all for the defective crate. When I explained that, Heather, the crew leader notified us that the crate had been improperly constructed he responded with, "How do I know that the driver's crew didn't either drop or improperly pack the item on the truck?" Hmmm...again, wouldn't have this act been carried out by an Allied employee as well? Regardless, after seeing the crate without a center brace and the subsequent location of the damage, it is highly unlikely the damage would have occurred had a brace been properly included. Everette basically passed the damage off to the moving crew as though they were not directly employed by Allied. Pass the buck number two.
It is beyond all comprehension that a moving crew representing Allied and driving a truck with Allied predominately displayed on its sides does not carry the full weight and representation of Allied. It seems entirely too easy for the Allied customer service representatives to pass the blame to another party that apparently doesn't represent Allied while advertising and telling consumers otherwise.
Honestly, my wife and I didn't necessarily expect Allied or Allied/Blocker to provide compensation for a complete replacement. It would have been nice, at a minimum, to receive a refund for the defective crate and related unpacking fees in addition to the $90. However, upon suggesting this approach we were simply told that $90 was all they were obligated to do. Considering we paid over $5,000.00 including special crating fees to move with Allied, a bit more of a reasonable offer would have been appropriate. There was never even a simple question of what can we do to make you happy. The customer is certainly not valued at Blocker/Allied or Allied Van Lines, Inc.
