Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  04/24/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  10.10.22 - All In Moving Systems provided an estimate to my partner and I for a move between ********, ** and ***************, **. The total estimate was $2562.25.10.17.22 - Directly before unloading the truck at the destination, I was informed that the actual cost of my move would be $4366.00. This is an increase of over 70% above the estimate and completely unacceptable.I immediately disputed the credit card charges and contacted the moving company for a resolution. Following a number of phone calls, emails, and text messages to the moving company between October 17 and November 9, 2023 complaining about this matter, the company agreed in writing to refund $800.00 to me via check.It is now April 2023 and All In Moving Systems have not sent the refund check. We have made repeated efforts to contact the moving company over the past four months about this matter but no one answers the phone, or responds to voicemails or emails. It appears they are avoiding us and refusing to fulfill on their promise of a refund.It is unfair business practice for an experienced mover to be charging over 70% above the written estimate, and unscrupulous behavior to agree to a refund in writing then refuse to send it to the customer.

• Initial Complaint

  06/14/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  The business was hired to move my belongings on Dec 21, 2021, from ************ to *********, **. I paid $4,894.75 for the service, plus $400 in tips to the 4 members of the team. However, the business demonstrated professional negligence by failing to provide the minimum duty of care in handling a heavy travertine table top. The business was duly informed ahead of time of the weight of the item (est. 660lbs with pedestal), and despite my protests during the move, the tabletop has carried by only a two-team member with their bare hands instead of using a simple dolly to move the tabletop from the truck to the new living room. Due to its weight, the tabletop was dropped and a corner was badly damaged. The replacement cost for the table would be around $17,000.There was also an overcharge for the transit time because the return trip included an extra 30 min to mirror a 30 min wait at the move destination gate. The extra 30 min should not be applied to the return trip.Two other minor items were damaged.The total refund proposed by the business is $500 invoking the default insurance coverage but for me, it does not apply to the tabletop because the incident was due to professional negligence.

  Business response

  06/16/2022

  Hi there!
  
  *********************** booked our moving Services on 11/20/2021. He chose Basic Value Protection as a coverage for his belongings. We offer multiple Protection Plans, but he chose the Basic Value Protection, which is free. I will attach an Estimate of Moving Services, which indicates his choice (Customer signed the estimate).
  
  When movers showed up on 12/21/2021, they found more stuff than customer declared over the phone. Instead of 8 hours of labor we did 17 hours and 45 minutes of labor. We offered multiple times to schedule another day to finish the project, but the customer insisted on finishing everything in one day. Drive time was even less than in the estimate, only 2 hours instead of 2h 22 min. So, movers finished at 2 AM on 12/22/2021. When we calculated the total bill, we discounted all overtime and charged only straight time. By the Labor Law, we have to charge 1.5 x Hourly rate after 8 hours of labor. (Discounted overtime was around $1300.00). Invoice attached.
  Due to long working hours, movers get tired and we as a management understand the possibility of mistakes and damages. That what happened to customer table, which was not in the original estimate, because we charge extra fees for items over 300 lbs. (By the way, it was discounted as well). (Discounted Heavy Item Charge was $300.00)
  
  On 2/15/2022 the customer decided to file a claim. He claimed around 780 lbs of damaged weight.
  
  780 lbs x $0.60cents/lbs = $468
  
  We offered $500.
  
  By concluding, we agree that it is our fault for damaging the table. We apologize for that and are ready to reimburse for the table and other damages within the Basic Value Protection Plan that customer chose.
  
  
  
  
  See Attachment/File: JOB ***** ***********************

  Customer response

  06/22/2022

  (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
  I had never received the detailed invoice attached to the company's response, and I am attaching the invoice I have received instead, which didn't show how they had computed the total. Although the totals from both invoices do match, there is now an unexplained "transaction fee" of $81.00 that was not mentioned in the estimate, and which I now dispute.
  
  In addition, the recent invoice obfuscates the overcharge in the return time. Here's why:
  
  - The team arrived around 8:15 am on 12/21 and completed the work at 1:45 am on 12/22. The total elapsed time was then 17h 30m, which already included the transit time from the origin to the destination. The company added 2 hours of drive time for the return trip to this total, rounding up the total to 19h 45m. Out of courtesy, I am not disputing the 15 min difference in the start time, but I do not see why the return time would have to be 2 hours instead of 1 hour. This overcharge is probably an honest mistake, but the point is, I am owed one extra hour charged at $225, in addition to the disputed claim about the damaged items.
  
  The company's new assertions are also very misleading or inaccurate. Here are the details of the disputed statements:
  
  1 - *********** said: "When movers showed up on 12/21/2021, they found more stuff than customer declared over the phone."
  This company was the only one among several to proceed with a quote based solely on a phone description. All the pieces of furniture mentioned on the phone were accurate, particularly the presence of the big table, and I could not accurately describe all the small items by phone.
  
  The staffer mentioned that their estimate was based on their long experience in the business and that, in any case, I would be charged by the hour, so I won't need to worry about describing every single item. Sometimes, the crew had to wait for us to finish packing items, which explains the extra hours. The total hours worked are not disputed, although they included two meal breaks of about 30 minutes each. All the items did fit within the two scheduled trucks, so there was no more stuff than initially planned with two trucks.
  
  2 - "We offered multiple times to schedule another day to finish the project, but the customer insisted on finishing everything in one day."
  There has not been any suggestion, at any time, to schedule another day to finish the project. When I asked how they would handle the situation when things take more time than estimated, the staffer said, "we're here until the work is done." I never insisted on the need to finish everything in one day as the question never arose. We are both in our 70s and would have welcomed a break; however, we did not debate the point as we thought the company's policy was to finish the job and not have to come back.
  
  3 - "When we calculated the total bill, we discounted all overtime and charged only straight time...."
  The agreement stipulates that the work will be charged at $225/h and does not mention anything about overtime. The supposedly applied overtime discount was never mentioned, even verbally, when computing the final total due during the face-to-face discussion at the end of the move. We volunteered to acknowledge the effort provided by the team by offering $400 in cash tips to all 4 team members.
  
  4 - "Due to long working hours, movers get tired and we as a management understand the possibility of mistakes and damages. That what happened to customer table, which was not in the original estimate, because we charge extra fees for items over 300 lbs."
  This is yet another inaccurate statement (to be generous). It is not the first time I have moved this heavy table, which was bought more than 38 years ago in ****** and had been moved five times before this last move. I insisted to the moving companies each time that the table was very heavy and needed special care.
  It was the first thing I told the staffer who prepared the estimate, and I repeated the same warning to the moving team when they arrived on location and while they were handling the table. So it is a fact that the company was forewarned about the item. The fact that they now claim that they applied a discount is irrelevant as it was never mentioned in the estimate nor during the move.
  
  The point is that the accident would not have happened if the company's management had trained their workforce to use a simple dolly to move a heavy table top instead of using only their bare hands. I have attached a picture easily found on the web of how another company handled a similar item without any unnecessary strain on their workers. There were no stairs to climb, so this would have been a standard duty of care for any professional mover. The company failed to provide such minimum duty of care, hence my complaint about professional negligence.
  
  Consequently, applying the standard $0.60/lbs reimbursement for the damaged table, estimated to weigh 660 lbs, results in $396, which even rounded up to $428 is woefully inadequate when a replacement cost would be around $17,000. I paid the equivalent of $2,125 in 1983 and am asking the company to reimburse me $2,000 for the damage caused by their professional negligence.
  
  Other items were damaged, and I would accept the standard reimbursement formula for them, amounting to $72.
  
  In total, my claim now amounts to $81 + $225 + $2,000 + $72 = $2,378.
  
  The company offers $500, so we are $1,878 apart.
  
  For both parties's benefit, I would prefer to avoid having to go to Small Claims Court in *******************, where the incident occurred, and bother the company's CEO, *************************.
  
  Therefore, I propose to settle this matter with a reimbursement of $1,950, which will not even cover the cost to repair the table, not to mention the unforgettable emotional distress caused by the damage to a family heirloom.
  See Attachment/File: AllInMoving2PLT_FinalInvoiceReceived_20211222

  Customer response

  08/04/2022

  Hello,
  Apparently, as of today Aug 4th, the business has still not responded to my rebuttal.
  Please advise on the next step that BBB recommends.
  If this complaint cannot be resolved through BBB, I intend to move to the Small Claims court in *******************.
  Will I be able to use the exchange of messages through BBB as a proof that an amicable resolution has been attempted unsuccessfully?
  Thank you for your help.

  Customer response

  08/16/2022

  Hello,
  
  It is going to be 2 weeks since my last request for an update. Please advise about the next step. Thank you.
  
  Best regards,
  
  Phac

  Customer response

  09/09/2022

  I don't understand why BBB does not respond to my repeated requests for an update on this complaint.
  
  If the business has not responded, aren't you supposed to inform me so I can take the appropriate next action?

  Customer response

  11/03/2022

  ***Document Attached***
  Dear Sirs:
  
  I have finally found a contractor who can fix the damage to my table. His quote is $1,000 (attached).
  
  Therefore, I am willing to amend my claim to a total of $1,378 detailed as follows:
  1 - Unjustified transaction fee: $81.00
  2 - Unjustified extra transit hour: $225.00
  3 - Damaged furniture 120lbs @$0.60/lbs: $72.00
  4 - Repair cost for damaged table due to negligence: $1,000.00
  -----------
  Total $1,378.00
  
  In the absence of any answer to this updated claim by Nov 17, 2022, I will proceed with filing a small claims court in ********************
  
  Regards,
  
  ***********************
  See Attachment/File: ********************* ************************************************************ Service broken table.pdf

• Initial Complaint

  05/03/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  My complaint is in regards to submitting a claim.In which the business claimed they emailed a form in which I did not. I had requested a paper copy of the claim via mail in which I have yet to receive Complaint taken over the phone by BBB Rep RN

  Customer response

  05/03/2022

  ******* was the head of crew and told me that anything they take apart will be put back together. When the truck was loaded witnesses heard things breaking inside the truck. And then followed by loud swearing. Three antique lamps, one standing, all had lost parts and the oldest antique - five generations - had a sculpted glass lampshade. Also a king size dust ruffle disappeared. It never arrived. I asked five times to speak to the owners. I never received the claim form and sent email in response I did not receive. In January, I started have severe abdominal sharp pains, followed with many tests, and CT scan, revealing the source of sharp, disabling pain. A long journey. I also had called the main number and only received hang **** They discovered tumors on my adrenal glands. I sent pictures but not of missing dust ruffle but have witness it was there before move.

  Business response

  05/10/2022

  Hi There!
  My name is ***************************, I am owner at All in Moving Systems. After receiving this BBB complain, I personally contacted customer and resolved the claim. Refund for missing items was issued same day($650). I personally stoped at the customer house and apologized. Apology letter was issued.
  After multiple meetings with our team, I found that one employee from claims department was acting unprofessional with ******. This employee was fired. All movers from this project were trained specifically about this complain.
  All in Moving Systems and I very sorry that this happened and did all our best to resolve the claim.
  See Attachment/File: Apology Letter.pdf

  Customer response

  05/17/2022

  ***** went above and beyond apologizing, bringing flowers and a check to my home regarding the BBB complaint. He was unaware of all of the issues from the movers to the office staff.
  
  He went back to his business and held meetings and let some go. ***** was disappointment that his employees hid everything from him.
  
  ***** never would have know without my finally filing a complaint with BBB.
  
  Thank you.
  
  Best regards,
  ******
  

*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. ↩