Wouldn't be surprising if the claims that the company changed names several times are true. SCAMMERS!
Sun
Submitted this review about
best moves one
Review made Live: 2/20/2011 8:21:00 AM
I booked them at least a week before the move and communicated with them a couple of times prior to the move. I was never told that cardboard furniture was not insured. This is an essential detail that shouldn't be told to the client 5 minutes before the move by the driver, because that is too late and I am sure that they were counting on the fact that clients won't cancel the service 5 minutes before the move when they pin them to a corner like that. The movers arrived more than an hour late, even though the ride was from Brooklyn to the Bronx. I called them and asked when they will be there, and they replied with a dry "soon." they still arrived 30 minutes after the phone call, and since my elevator reservation was time limited and I was paying by the hour, this got us off to a bad start.
My studio apartment was very well organized and the driver even said that he was pleased to see that everything was prepared for moving. I moved half of my stuff right next to the elevator before they showed up. I even helped them load and unload, as well as place furniture in my new apartment, and I was very lenient in my attitude towards them throughout the move. The driver first signed me on a letter stating that they weren't responsible for damaged cardboard furniture, which as I said before, should've been stated in previous communications because I would've never used their service had I known this. Then, they started moving. I had maybe 7 pieces of furniture in my studio apartment. No TV or any other breakables. They were three men, and loading took more time than it took two men to load furniture of a two bedroom apartment even though they started at about the same time.
To make matters worse, handling and covering of furniture was horrible. I asked the movers to not pick the couches up from the legs because they break easily, and every time I looked at them, they were holding the couch by its legs. Guess what happened... two legs broke off, and I can't find replacement legs. In addition, I had a coffee table and asked the movers to cover it not once but twice, yet they loaded it uncovered. It was an expensive coffee table whose paint broke off easily. They also didn't cover a file cabinet that was scratched. Lastly, the driver offered me a mattress cover for an extra price, which I agreed to. Then, I saw one of the movers starting to wrap the mattress with a regular cover and told him we were supposed to use a mattress cover. He told me that he spoke with the driver and that they decided a mattress cover was unnecessary. The mattress was loaded onto the truck partially covered, with both ends sticking out, and was leaned against the truck door. It was a Tempur-pedic mattress, and its cover got dirty with silt so I had to wash it.
I also had an executive desk that I (with the help of another person) already moved twice without even scratching it. The executive desk was only partially covered, and when they unloaded it, an uncovered base part broke because they placed that part on the floor first (rather than lower the desk while it's horizontal on its entire base), so the entire weight of the desk came down on it. That part was essential for the desk's stability and leveling of the drawers, and after it broke, the desk became unstable and some of the drawers hard to open and close.
The destination apartment was 5 miles away, at most a 30 minute drive, yet it took us more than an hour to get there. The estimated move time was 3 hours + 1 hour to get from Brooklyn to the old apartment. I eventually had to pay for 4 + 1 hour, and the driver explicitly stated that they were expecting a tip (yea, after all they've done). The estimated cost was $300. I ended up paying more than $400 including tips and the damage to my couch and desk is irreparable.
I contacted Dave, the boss, about the damage, and he rudely replied that they had my signature agreeing that they weren't liable to any damage done to cardboard furniture, that all companies apply this stipulation, and that the damage was done because the doors were too narrow compared to the size of the desk. Yet, the doors in my old and new apartment were the same size, and the desk was just fine when it left my old apartment. Also, it passed the door in my new apartment just fine, and only broke because of unprofessional covering and handling. I told him that they should've mentioned the cardboard stipulation before the move had actually started either when I called them or in the E-mails they sent me. What do you expect me to do? Call off the move after everything has already been packed and half of it placed next to the elevator, the elevator was booked, and the landlord told that I was moving out that day?
After a few exchanges, he agreed to send me an insurance form for my desk, which gives you about 30 cents per pound of furniture. They require 3 independent evaluations of the damage and a notary signature to apply for compensation. First of all, 30 cents per pound won't cover the damage. Secondly, 3 independent evaluations??? ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND? That would probably cost me more than the desk, not to mention the wasted time. Again, a cheap trick to reduce their accountability.
To Sum it up, they were slow, dishonest, and unprofessional. If you have as much experience as you claim, you should be able to move a piece of furniture that has already been moved twice without breaking it. If you were professional, I wouldn't have to ask you to cover my furniture, let alone twice, without you doing it. And if you were honest, you would tell me about all the stipulations and insurance claim procedures prior to me committing to do business with you.
SAVE YOUR BELONGINGS FROM DAVE AND HIS TRICKS!
