ComplaintsforAffordable Moving & Storage, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  06/24/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  -We hired Affordable Moving and they arrived on August 14, 2020 -My family and I have been attempting to find an equitable solution with two different managers from the company for the past 9 months. They company offered to pay us $400 for the damages listed below, but we are ultimately unhappy with this settlement. -There were numerous damages to our house and to our property and belongings including: The front door frame was scratched in multiple places The interior walls and door frames were scratched in multiple places The stainless steel face of the new refrigerator was scratched (the damage to the fridge, at $282, was the majority of what the company agreed to pay in the settlement) -Two TVs and one computer monitor were damaged (replacement cost of exact same TVs is $1585) Additional pictures and correspondence between us and the company can be provided. Attached are pictures of a few of the damages and the failed attempt by the company to fix the damages.

   

  ***Attachment(s) redacted by BBB staff***
  
  

  

  Business response

  07/01/2021

  We committed to this move based on square footage of an averagely furnished home, which is how every one of our moves is quoted out with high accuracy. Our service for the customer entailed a pack job with the physical move the following day. The day we went out to pack the house we arrived and saw that this was clearly a situation that was not portrayed by the customer through the booking process. The home itself had more items than any average furnished home. The garage was a border line hoarding situation with items everywhere. There was barely any space to move in the garage let alone expect to be packed in our original estimate. 

  Our original estimate was obviously not going to be enough and before we started the work the revised estimate was applied by our movers and then initialed by the customers agreeing to the service. 

   

  As far as the damage goes, the customers wanted us to replace TVs, monitors and other items that were kept in the garage not in good condition considering the environmental circumstances with how items were being stored prior to us arriving there. The door frame repair and wall damage was what was included in the damage settlement check. Paint was rubbed off a little and the fridge was packaged by customers when moving. Therefore any cosmetic damage was already there. Ultimately the customer cashed our check that listed final settlement on it which shows they agreed to what we offered them. 

   

  The customer also let months and months go by before reaching out. We then handled them with the settlement check and processed them through claims. Now they have submitted this complaint another 4-5 months after we settled with them and almost a full year after their move. 

   

  We would like this complaint to be removed considering we provided the service they agreed to.

  Customer response

  07/07/2021

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  

  The company's response does not adequately nor accurately represent what happened.  The claims made by Affordable Moving and Storage that the property and items in question were damaged prior to the move are simply untrue.  The response does, however, reinforce the company's inconsistency in communication.  It seems that the company's desire to shift blame and deny fault are more important than providing adequate customer service and taking ownership of problems caused by their employees.  I have attached two documents that outline the communication my family and I have had with the company since the move including the complaint email submitted just days after the move.  The original email outlines several of the damages we were aware of at the time, and also outlines the business practice of increasing charges the day of the move (what I suspect to be unscrupulous and purposeful).  The original letter references conversations I had with the customer service manager both the day of the move and the day prior to the move when the moving company came to pack my family's belongings.  I believe that the documents provided paint a clear picture and adequately refute the rebuttal submitted to the BBB by Affordable Moving and Storage. I would be happy to answer any other questions the BBB may have.  

  Sincerely,

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

  

  Business response

  07/08/2021

  We stand by our original response. Ultimately the customer accepted our services after revising his contract  as well as accepted our settlement. We would like to state that the we did provide the full service of getting the customer moved into their home. 

   

  To the BBB, please reach out with any questions you may have. Thank you. 

  Customer response

  07/09/2021

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  

  Affordable Moving and Storage's actual original response dated 8/18/2020 by Alex B****** (former customer service manager) acknowledged the damages done by the movers to my home and property.  Through the course of dealing with multiple customer service managers since 8/18/2020, the "original response" to the BBB dated 6/24/2021 has been manipulated to make it appear that the damage done to our newly built home (we purchased it from the builders) was already damaged. And that our possessions (including the refrigerator purchased two days before the move) were already damaged.  Affordable Moving and Storage's recent "original response" claims that the TVs hanging on the walls at the old house and taken down by the movers were also damaged prior the move. These statements are not true. 

  
  As for accepting the change in contract, what choice were we (or other families in our situation) left with?  To cancel the contract with half of our belongings already loaded onto the moving truck the day of the move?  Try to find another moving company that has the ability to move our belongings from one home to another the same afternoon that we contact them? Affordable Moving and Storage over-promises and under-delivers. And because there is no possible way to find an alternative, they required us to accept a change in the contract to a higher price.  It is akin to highway robbery and dishonest. Affordable moving and Storage had a crew at our home to pack our belongings the day before the actual move, but didn't ask to renegotiate the terms of the contract until half of our belongings were on their truck the following day.  

  
  As for the settlement, it was a negligible percentage of the replacement cost of our damaged possessions (60 cents per pound for HDTVs and what the appliance store would have discounted the refrigerator for a scratched door) and doesn't address the damages to our house at all.  By accepting the pittance of a check we in no way agreed that it was an adequate or fair resolution to the situation.  Nor did we agree to stop efforts to recover the remainder of the damages from Affordable Moving and Storage. 

  
  So, Affordable Moving and Storage can stand by their most recent response as vehemently as they would like, but it will not change the fact that they are being dishonest, unscrupulous, and making false statements.  
  
  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. ↩