Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  01/24/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I hired this company on behalf of my brother to move from a house to an apartment in the next town on November 16 2022. I was told they were short-staffed and busy-that was the earliest date. They started later than planned that day. It was rainy & cold. I thought the Nov 4 estimate range was high, but I thought it would take less time and materials than the top range of the estimate. They were hired to move only furniture-about 3 rooms worth. Several pieces were large, but we gave the estimator dimensions and pictures and she said none were big enough for additional charges. The lead mover said someone was coming to help. I thought 1 person, but 3 came with another truck that we never used. I was surprised they were available so quick, considering their busy schedule. I was not told about any extra cost. The lead mover said he wanted boxes and smaller items to balance the load with the furniture. My brother had packed boxes which family members planned to move another day. We said they could move some boxes, which gave them something to do, as only a few movers at a time could roll a piece of furniture up the ramp to the truck. The movers worked hard. But I was shocked at the final bill ($3806) being 50% above the highest end of the original estimate ($1300-2585). I was told to sign, under protest, and call Lou the next day. If I had known the extra cost, I would have told the lead mover not to bring in others. I contacted this business many times since November 17 2022. They would often not return calls. I last spoke with Lou on December 22, 2022 and he agreed to split the difference of the extra charge and send a check for $600. Then he said he wanted me to sign something that I would not say anything bad about the company. I said the $600 settlement would satisfy me and it would end there, but I did not want to sign anything. I have still not received that check. I now think it was a stalling tactic and bad faith in resolving this. He is not returning my calls.

  Business response

  02/24/2023

  I've attached the estimate and the contract (both signed by Mr. *****) which clearly states that the estimate is just that - an estimate.  If the actual worked performed takes longer, we bill for that time.  If we were not provided with accurate description of what was to be moved, our estimate will clearly be off.  We have a very consistent track record of only being off on our estimates by a very small margin up or down so long as we are provided accurate information.  We do run into scenarios when a customer will intentionally not list or describe all that there is to be moved so that the estimate will come in at a lower dollar amount.  In the case of Mr. *****'s move, clearly we were not aware of the volume to be moved.  We would not knowingly send our team in understaffed for what needed to be moved.  Furthermore the mere fact that with twice the manpower we were able to only go 15 minutes over the estimate indicates that there was clearly quite a bit more to move than what was estimated, but also that the entire team was working hard to get it done - as Mr. ***** himself admits.  So, although the overall price did come out to higher than what was estimated, it is not an erroneous or fabricated charge, it was to pay for the movers who came and worked very hard to get the job done.  

  In regards to "he wanted me to sign something that I would not say anything bad about the company" I don't believe any employee would say that as we have no such document, never have and never will.  We stand behind our work and our reputation speaks for itself.  If Mr. ***** wants to "say anything bad about the company" because his bill was higher than expected because he had more to move than what was told to us, so be it.  

  With regards to Lou not returning calls, Lou is no longer with the company and that is why he has not returned calls.  I don't have any logged notes, voicemails, emails, texts or any other form of communication from Mr. ***** to the main office in an attempt to resolve this matter as might be expected when attempts to contact Lou failed.  

  To summarize, I do not feel this complaint is valid.  We were hired to do an hourly-priced job, the customer, Mr. *****, was informed of that both verbally and electronically, he chose to sign the estimate and proceed with the job.  We encountered quite a bit more volume of household goods to be moved and we brought in additional resources to get the job done in a professional and efficient manner as Mr. ***** himself attests to.  When the bill was higher than originally quoted, Mr. ***** claimed he didn't know that would be the case and now wants us to reimburse him for a portion of the overage, despite our team actually doing the work we were paid to do.   Mr. ***** made no attempts to contact the company to discuss the mater after attempts to reach Lou failed.  This feels like an attempt to simply take money back from a small business after we did what we said we would do. 

  With that said, if $600 is what Mr. ***** is seeking to satisfy him, we will issue a refund in that amount.  We have always stood behind our team and their performance.  It's unfortunate that we need to be punished this way, during our off season mind you, when we are trying to keep our employees on payroll as it is and gainfully employed.  It should also be noted that due to an accounting error. Mr. ***** was reimbursed $82.50 inadvertently, since he had already received that military discount.  He received the discount twice. 

  I just need confirmation on where to send the $600 check to and I can send that out next week. 

  Customer response

  03/03/2023

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

  Returning half the amount of the disputed additional charge (above estimate) is a reasonable compromise.  I appreciate the business’s willingness to follow through now w/the agreement I thought we reached in December, prior to my going to the BBB.  The business might want to know that the voice mail of its former employee still stated his name and position with the company when I called in January.  The business is correct-I did not call the office when he didn’t call back.  Perhaps I should have, but I previously had minimal responsiveness from that office when trying to resolve this issue.  Although the business doubts it, my wife and I both heard this employee on my speaker phone ask me to put in writing that I’d say nothing negative.  
  

  I know an estimate is never a final tally, but 50% higher was unexpected and I believe that the extra workers that caused this increased cost were not needed.  
  

  I feel my complaint is valid because I was told all the information (dimensions, pictures, descriptions) I sent for the estimate was more than sufficient and very helpful. I was told the item dimensions did not warrant an extra weight or size charge even though I said some pieces were big.  We had planned for the movers to take only large items that we could not move ourselves, plus some small end tables if there was room.  The movers on-site told us that in order to balance the truck load, they wanted to add the boxes we had intended to move ourselves another day.  Workers were added to the move without informing me or my brother of a cost increase. 

  The business notes that the moving time was nearly the same as the estimate, showing the need for the additional workers.  I agree the time used was nearly the same.  However, the similar timing was unrelated to extra workers–it was because the last 2+ hours of the move involved 2 large pieces of furniture, 1 of which after many attempts, missed fitting past one last hallway turn by a few inches, forcing its return back down the stairs to the truck and being taken back to the old house.  The other piece also took extra attempts, but did finally make it into the apartment.  Only a few workers at a time could fit in the stairwell and hallway with the furniture.
  

  I believe the 2nd veteran discount, which the business refers to, was for the extra add-on charge in question and I do thank the business for the discount it offers veterans–this is commendable.  This settlement will at least partially offset the cost to my brother, whose furniture was moved, and who is an elderly veteran, eligible for low income Section 8 housing.  
  

  I can pick up the check at the business’s address on the invoice as I should not list my mailing address in a public post.  I will call ahead next week to ensure it is ready,.  Thank you again to Calling All Cargo for being willing to resolve this matter.

  Sincerely, 
  

  ******* *****

*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. ↩