ComplaintsforSummit Van Lines, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  09/08/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I contracted Summit Van Lines to move, store and then return my belongings from my *********************, *************** home on May 19, 2023. The salesman told me they have been in business for 30 years, they own their own trucks, storage facilities and are fully licensed, bonded and insured. He promised me my things would be kept safe. My items were returned to me on August 16, 2023. ***** the main moving man, arrived with papers in his hand and announced, "Let's just get this out of the way." I initialed and signed where he indicated, and the movers quickly brought my belongings back into my homme. My items remained in the boxes and the boxes were left in piles throughout my home. Before ***** left, I pointed out that my bike was not returned with my items. He replied that he was not in charge of the initial move (I later found out he was but said he didn't remember). but would be back in 15 minutes. He took my phone number and left. I never heard from him again.Proceeding to unpack I noticed items were missing and my dressers were damaged. It became apparent that some of the furniture was stored on its side and some drawers would not open. two large glass tabletops were missing. Prior to my unpacking the boxes returned had been marked with other customers names. After my boxes were unpacked, I conducted an inventory of my items. I found that clothes, sheets, platters, brand new oncloud sneakers, sheets and various kitchen items and of course my bike and helmet were all missing. I called the company to let them know and was told they were looking for my items. They also informed me that I could put in a claim, but I would only receive pennies because legally all they had to do was insure me 60 cents a pound and their company determine the pounds. Over the next 10 days I called every day and was told they were still looking, I requested to speak to the owner and was given a lot of excuses. Now he left the country until mid September.

  

  Business response

  09/08/2023

  Summit van lines has addressed the concerns with the client in this complaint during the phone calls the client made to our office. It was told the client that we would be happy to look into this for them. We explained to the client, per the signed contract,that the standard rate of coverage that all moving companies are required to provide to their clients by law, is 60 cents per pound, per item. The client opted out of additional coverage via their signature on the contract. It was explained to the client that even though, by law, all we are required to provide in coverage for a move is the 60 cents per pound, per item, we would be happy to look into further solutions if they can provide us with documents as to the purchase of said items. Client stated that they had no way to gather up documents for items in question.  

• Initial Complaint

  01/28/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  In November of 2022 my wife and I contracted with Summit Van Lines to move furniture a very few miles from ************************************************************. The moving crew complained that too small a truck was sent; they had difficulty loading everything. Two small tables were damaged because, the crew said, "they had to jam them in." To induce us to pay the charges and sign a release that the move was completed satisfactorily, the crew leader VOLUNTEERED the information that someone named "*******" who was a repair expert would come the next day to repair the tables. This statement was witnessed by 4 independent witnesses, WHO WILL SO CERTIFY. "*******", if he actually exists, never showed up over several weeks, although I made several requests. I have requested reimbursement for the actual cost of having the tables repaired. My request, which was made several times, was ignored and not responded to until January of this year. I am asking only for reimbursement of the out of pocket cost of repairing the tables - $300. A receipt is attached. We would like to supply the entire chain of correspondence with Summit which illustrates their total failure to respond to several messages over an extended period of time. Could you please supply an email address to which we can forward the complete chain of correspondence.

  

  Business response

  02/15/2023

  At the time of delivery, we spoke to the client and the clients representative, whom was organizing this entire process for the client. It was made clear that the piece the client speaks of was not able to be delivered at the time using the elevator. It was agreed upon by all parties involved that we would leave the piece in a designated spot that was told to us by the client and their representative. This was back in November. Nothing more was addressed on the matter and we considered the agreement settled. The client just recently reached out with a bill stating they want reimbursement for some sort of service they used after the fact. This was not agreed upon on site. The day of the delivery, the piece was not able to be transported by elevator. We are unsure who this handwritten bill is coming from. As stated above, since the problem was addressed and settled, on site, we considered it closed. It is not the fault of Summit van lines if the piece was undeliverable via the vessel on site and that was discussed during numerous phone calls on the day of the delivery between all parties involved.  

  Customer response

  02/15/2023

   
  Complaint: 18944918
  
  I am rejecting this response because: It is in no way a response to this particular complaint.  It is a response to another complaint which is also being processed by BBB.  This response literally has no relationship whatsoever to this particular complaint.  This will be obvious by simply reading my complaint and then reading the response. They bear no relationship to each other.

  Incidentally, it is also not a valid response to the other complaint either.  It is a total fabrication that bears no relationship to reality. Absolutely NOTHING WAS AGEEED TO by the parties at the time.  As a review of the entire train of email correspondence, WHICH I HAVE SUBMITTED IN RELATION TO THE OTHER COMPLAINT, HAS CLEARLY DOCUMENTED THERE WA NO RESPONSE WHATSOEVER at the time of the event to either my emails or numerous phone calls which were not answered.  No agreement was possible because my email messages and phone calls were unanswered.

  I respectfully request that BBB simply read my complaint and then read the response to decide if the response is in antyway plausible.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

  

  Business response

  02/16/2023

  All conversations about this incident was had over the phone. The owner of the company himself had a conversation with a woman by the name of *****, whom the client claims he does not know of. ***** worked with this client and coordinated his move. She was the one calling us on behalf of the client and the owner and her had a conversation about the incident with the elevator which was then told to the client and ***** stated that she would take care of it. Nothing further was brought up until just recently. The emails that the client is stating were sent to our company were never received. Like it was noted above, we never heard another word about this situation until just recently when we were presented with a handwritten bill from an unknown entity. 

  Customer response

  02/17/2023

   
  Complaint: 18944918
  
  I am rejecting this response because:This response from Summit, again for the second time, bears no relationship to the complaint.  It is essentially fiction except for one element of truth.  The reference to an elevator indicates that the response is again jumbling together two entirely separate complaints being processed by BBB.  This complaint deals with broken furniture in a move to ************, **.; an entirely separate complaint being processed by BBB deals with the failure to complete a delivery to *********, **. (hence the reference to an elevator).
  
  
  It is impossible to know if this second confused response is simply a ploy to avoid responding to the issues raised. My complaint raised the following issues:
  The truck sent was too small - no response to this issue
  Two tables were broken - no response to this issue
  A repair by ******* was promised - no response to this issue
  ******* never showed up - no response to this issue
  Does ******* exist? - no response to this issue
  Four independent witnesses will verify my account - no response to this issue
  My request for reimbursement was made several times by telephone and not responded to - no response to this issue
  
  
  Please note that I have documented my email correspondence to Summit by attaching a transcript. I will forward the entire email chain of correspondence if BBB can indicate an email address to which it should be sent.
  
  
  I will now address the essentially fictional allegations in the jumbled response by Summit. The one accurate statement in their response is that I did employ a firm called Organized Flow to assist in my moves.  The principal of that firm is a lady named **********************  I contracted with Summit ONLY because it was recommended by ***************  I do not know if she was paid by Summit; however, I suspect it because the written contract I signed makes reference to a fee.
  
  
  With regard to the other statements in the Summit response:
  I and I alone managed all the dealings with Summit.
  The verbal proposal was made directly to me only, and I agreed to it.
  Only I was presented a written contract and I signed it.
  The payment by credit card was made by me.
  Summit required my drivers license for identification.
  The schedule for the move was negotiated on the telephone by me with ******* of Summit.
  During real time as the delivery in Watertown was occurring, I made numerous unanswered phone calls and the only email correspondence attempted to *******, the designated Summit representative (AS HAS BEEN DOCUMENTED BY ATTACHMENT TO THE COMPLAINT).
  Although the Summit response alleges that the several emails from me were never received, I have DOCUMENTED that the email address used was the same one used successfully for previous correspondence.
  I have discussed this matter with ************** (*****).  She does state that she did have ONE (1) telephone conversation with the person who identified himself as the owner of Summit about the failure of delivery of one piece of furniture in *********, **.  She states that the owner was highly abusive in the conversation and categorically refused to do anything to address the delivery problem. She will independently verify this account, if a means to do so is provided by BBB.
  Finally, despite repeated denials by Summit, The piece of furniture in question DID INDEED FIT INTO THE ELEVATOR AND WAS SUCCESSFULLY DELIVERED USING THE ELEVATOR BY A TEAM OF TWO.  It is for this work that a bill has been presented to Summit for which we are requesting reimbursement.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

• Initial Complaint

  01/28/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  In late October 2022 my wife and I contracted with Summit Van lines to move several large heavy pieces of furniture from our home in *********** ** to our granddaughter in ********* **. When the estimator came to plan the move, in response to two specific questions I asked, the estimator said (witnessed by 4 independent witnesses, WHO WILL SO CERTIFY) the furniture will be handled ONLY by Summit Van Lines for the entire trip (no subcontractors) and will be handled throughout by a crew of at either 2 or 3. Neither statement proved to be true.The furniture was delivered in Watertown by a company that said they were an independent contractor, and only one person was sent to make the delivery. The delivery was made by elevator to an apartment on the 7th floor.The delivery person said that he could not get one large piece of furniture into the elevator or up the stairs working alone. In real time I sent a message to our assigned contact at Summit, and asked them to request a second person to assist with the delivery. I received no response to this request which was made several times. I spoke by phone directly with the independent contractor and requested a second crew member to assist with the delivery. The response was that he had no authority to add a second crew member; only Summit could. The one large piece of furniture was abandoned in the lobby of the building with the statement that it would not fit in the elevator.This statement proved to be untrue. We had to hire an independent crew to deliver the abandoned piece of furniture from the lobby to the apartment, AND THEY DID SO EASILY USING THE ELEVATOR. We are requesting reimbursement of the cost of hiring an independent crew to complete the delivery - $395.We would like to supply the entire sequence of messaging with Summit which illustrates the total lack of any response to this problem until January of this year. Please an email address to which we can forward the string of correspondence.

  

  Business response

  02/14/2023

  When we delivered the clients items to the home in MA, we communicated to the client that there was a specific item that was not able to be delivered through the elevator in the building. It was agreed by all parties that the item would be left in a spot in the building. Most of the communication, on behalf of the client, was by the clients organizer, whom we have worked with before. When we left the job site, we were on the understanding that this was ok to do since there was no other concerns given to us by the client or the clients representative. We did not hear of anything further on this matter until recently when we are being presented with a bill for the service the customer received from another company at a later date. We do not even know who this invoice is from. Since nothing else was addressed to us regarding this situation, we considered it closed. 

  Customer response

  02/14/2023

   
  Complaint: 18944563
  
  I am rejecting this response because: There are several intentional mis-statements of fact.  I am attaching the full chain of correspondence with Summit to document what occurred. Please read the entire chain of correspondence beginning at the bottom to understand the sequence of events.  The furniture ******* into the elevator and WAS DELIVERED USING THE ELEVATOR by a team of 2.  I requested in real time when the event occurred that a team of two be assigned to the delivery. Please note that over an extended period of MANY DAYS there was NO RESPONSE AT ALL TO THIS REQUEST. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

  

  Business response

  02/27/2023

  We were told on site by the delivery driver that the item in question was not deliverable. Again, the client is providing a hand written invoice and we have no idea who it is even from. Again, as previously stated, the item was not deliverable at the time that the driver was there to deliver everything and it was agreed upon and several conversations happened that day for that particular item and it was known that due to the elevator on that current day, the item was not able to be delivered. It was told to the client, and to the clients representative. The final conversation was had between the owner and the customer representative who was doing most of the communicating that day for the delivery. Basically handling everything for the customer and she said she would take care of it and to just leave it downstairs and she would inform the customer as to what the final conversation was. Nothing more was mentioned until recently. The emails the client says were not answered were never received. We answer every email and every phone call during business hours. 

  Customer response

  03/02/2023

   
  Complaint: 18944563
  
  I am rejecting this response because:  The Summit response begins We were told on site by the delivery driver that the item was not deliverable.  As I have indicated in ALL my submissions that DID certainly happen.  I know that to be true because I had TWO CONVERSATIONS with the with the driver and later with his supervisor (who identified himself as an independent contractor) and they both said exactly that to me. The problem is that they were WRONG.
  
  As I have repeatedly said, the large item WAS IN FACT DELIVERABLE USING THE ELEVATOR WHEN ATTEMPTED BY A TEAM OF TWO.  Summit has never denied that this happened.  The initial driver could not make the delivery ONLY BECAUSE HE WAS WORKING ALONE WITHOUT AN ASSISTANT, although a team of two or more had been GUARANTEED.  This is the crux of the dispute to which Summit has never responded.
  Nothing else in Summits most recent response has any basis in reality. It is complete fantasy. NOTHING WAS AGREED TO AT THE **** BY ANYONE.
  

  Please re-read my original submission and note the following statements which Summit has NEVER DENIED:
        1) The estimator for Summit stated (in front of 4 independent witnesses) that the furniture would be handled ONLY by Summit employees for the entire trip, a team of 2 or more would deliver the very large and heavy furniture, and no subcontractors would be used.  Each of these statements proved to be totally untrue. Please note that Summit HAS NEVER DENIED OR RESPONDED TO THESE STATEMENTS IN ANY WAY.
        2) The item not delivered did indeed fit into the elevator and WAS SUCCESSFULLY DELIVERED USING THE ELEVATOR WHEN ATTEMPTED BY A TEAM OF 2, for which we are seeking reimbursement. Summit HAS NOT DENIED OR RESPONDED IN ANY WAY TO THIS STATEMENT.
  
  In a separate BBB complaint Summit has also NEVER DENIED THE  FOLLOWING STATEMENT made by the lead delivery driver making the ************ delivery:
  Someone named ******* will come the next day to repair two small tables.
  
  Finally, the Summit response alleges that they never received my emails or repeated telephone messages asking for help.  Please note that I have provided for proof (as an attachment) the full email chain of correspondence which shows that the email address used was identical to the address used to submit the signed contract and to submit my credit card information used to pay for the move.  When my repeated phone calls to the same number used to make all move arrangements were unanswered, I left a phone message each time asking for help.
  
  It is now clear that Summit has no intention of responding honestly or responsibly to either of my two separate complaints to BBB; so, I will move on to my next steps of contacting my credit card company and initiating a claim in Small Claims Court.  I do understand that BBB has no enforcement authority to compel a responsible response.  So now my only request is for BBB to weigh the evidence, make a judgment, and take whatever action BBB deems appropriate.
  
  I would point out that I (along with thousands of other people) rely on BBB ratings to make important and expensive decisions.  In 52+ years in Palm Beach County I have frequently relied on BBB ratings and never before been disappointed by an A+ rated company. My only request now is for BBB to make a judgment from the submissions presented, and act accordingly.
  
  My sincere thanks for all your valuable efforts over many years.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

   

   

  

  Business response

  03/03/2023

  Like it was said in previous responses, there were indeed phone conversations that took place onsite during the delivery about the mentioned piece of furniture being undeliverable at the time and after making mention of this to the client, we received another phone call from *****. The call between ***** and the owner was ended with the agreement that we would leave it elsewhere onsite and she would make arrangements to take care of that for the client,  since it was undeliverable on that particular day. Again, I mention, the "estimate of services" the client is providing is handwritten and doesn't even say who it is from. Any and all claims must go through the claims department as highlighted in the contract that the customer signed onsite. 

  As for the emails not being received: I can see from the documents the client presented that he is showing us he sent emails, however, we did not receive those particular emails. Every email is responded to when it is received. If it was received, it would have been addressed. 

  The statement made by the client claiming we mentioned someone named *******, is simply untrue. I am unsure what this claimed conversation was about but if it was about some sort of damage, then the client would have to file a claim as per our contract that the client did sign on site. 

  We apologize that we cannot offer a better solution for the client but there are procedures that have to be followed as per our contract and those procedures were not followed and we did not receive notice of any discrepancies until recently. Summit van lines has been in operation for 22yrs and we take pride in our customer service. Had we known anything else was wrong with this particular situation, we would have helped address it right then and there.  

  Customer response

  03/03/2023

   
  Complaint: 18944563
  
  I am rejecting this response because: As I said in my previous response, we are obviously at the end of the line in this complaint.  It is clear that Summit is not taking the process seriously, and has no intention of making ANY response to most of the facts I have presented.  Please read the FULL RECORD carefully; note the email train I have attached as evidence; and then please note the many statements I have made which Summit has simply ignored and not addressed.

  When you have done that, please make a judgment about the validity of their response, and then take whatever action BBB feels is appropriate.

  As you know, many people rely on the accuracy of BBB ratings in making important financial decisions.  I can assure you that my experience with Summit on TWO SEPARATE AND INDEPENDENT employments was both totally unsatisfactory and fundamentally untruthful.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

   

   

• Initial Complaint

  07/26/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I didnt receive a lot of my items on move from new location. Damaged things as well.

  

  Business response

  07/27/2022

  ********************* called our office and informed us that she was missing a box of cleaning products. She said during the move that she gave the crew instructions on what to take, however, the men were never informed of any box with cleaning products inside. This is the only thing the client told our office she was missing. She went further on to say that our staff "stole" her box of cleaning supplies. At no point, did the client ever state she was missing anything else. We explained to the client that if she wishes to file a claim, she must do so through our claim department. The steps that are needed to be done are on the contract that the client signed. She proceeded to call our office multiple times. Each time she called, she was less than pleasant. Whenever we explain to her that she has to file a claim, she hangs up on us. We cannot offer her any solution if she is not willing to cooperate with us and with the process. I have checked and she has not yet filed a claim with our claims department. 

• Initial Complaint

  04/14/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Estimator promised shrink wrap and blankets for all furniture and lighting. No shrink wrap, minimal blanket use. No signed estimate. No bill of lading presented at loading. Goods substantially damaged as a result of undisclosed unloading from truck to other(s) at 4 am in the morning. No notice delivery to be delayed 2 hours which turned into 5 hours which turned into 7 hours. Called and was assured office would make overnight accomodation for movers to start in the morning. Movers showed up after 4:30 pm and refused to overnight, threatening must go to storage before house now instead of original plan or we turn around and you fight for your goods. Reloaded truck interior looked like trash pickup. Boxes marked fragile crushed under heavy boxes with no markings. Many furniture items not wrapped. Table bases, outdoor furniture, leather, lamp shades thrown on the vestibule in a jumble, and damaged. Items clearly marked for home or storage delivered to wrong location. Majority of unloading and loading at storage and home done in dark. Finished unload at 1:30 pm. Exhausted workers rude Delivery truck left 34 plus feet of heavy oil stains on roadway directly in front of home. Business admits but not willing to clean oil stains. Rips in Sterns and Foster $4,000 king size mattress, filth on Serta queen size, cracks on tops/backs of dressers, crack base and scratch finish Woodard furniture, ruin Pottery Barn headboard, crushed box 8 $40 per glass crystal tables delivered without glass top, lamps delivered without shades, tools, kitchen items etc all clearly marked for home left at storage. Business owner unwilling to talk. Threatening letters, no concessions Unable to discern damage to storage items. 2 men unable to access goods at storage without full unpack. Would estimate 50% of items damaged or destroyed. Bill of Lading first presented at 1:30 in morning. Clearly marked not accepted by me. Move conducted in violation of F.M.A.. Section 507.07. and other

  

  Business response

  04/22/2022

  On 3/19/2022 we went to Ms. ******** ***** house in Fort Lauderdale, FL to complete an on-site estimate. After our estimators visit, our relocation specialist spoke with Ms. **** and together they agree to book a move date which was for/and completed on, March 28th and 29th. We arrived on time to complete Ms. ****s move which included loading her furniture onto one 26 foot moving truck and the next day we drove it to her new home. The letter from ********" seems to be her realtor and he was not present during the move. The letter he gave to Ms. **** says he observed the work being done, however,  Matthew was not there to observe the move. We offered Ms. **** a credit of $300 to take care of the oil spill she says was left in front of her home and originally, we did offer to clean it up for her by hiring a pressure wash company to come clean it for her. After this was offered to the client, she proved to be unwilling to work with us even after we offered her a settlement of $300. Every time she would tell us of a concern, and we address it with her (settlement and claims), she would come with a new claim. Furthermore, we advised the client to file a claim for the damages she claims to have had during the move as per our company policy but the customer refuses to file the claim. The boxes that were packed during this move were not professionally packed by Summit Van Lines. The customer packed them herself and even though it was fully packed by the customer, it arrived safely to the customers home. The move was completed by 10pm.  As of the date of this reply, the customer has not yet paid her balance for the services provided and refuses to do so. The customer is obligated to pay the balance on the account. After she has fulfilled her payment, minus the $300 credit, we can continue to work with her for the claims and any other concerns she may have.

  

  Business response

  09/09/2022

  We stated, ******* was not present because he made statements of observation of the "actions" of Summit Van Lines when he did not make observations since he was not present for the move. 

  We did give notice of arrival via phone conversation. No other jobs were done prior to arriving at the customers destination. 

  We did explain to the customer, via phone conversation, that the goods had to be moved to a new vehicle. So the customers was in fact made aware of this in advance. 

  As you can see, via the attached paperwork, the only "packing" that was done by Summit Van Lines (see circled areas for materials on the estimate), was for the mattress covers, 2 TVs, and a chandelier. No other items were packed by Summit Van Lines. 

  We would never advise a client to not take supplemental insurance. We always leave it up to the client to make that decision for themselves. The statement saying we did this is false. 

  The statement saying we did not offer to have the oil spill cleaned is also false. We offered to hire a company to come and clean the oil spill but the during our search, the customer prematurely took action in the form of a charge back through ****************** twice.. for the full amount. Making the balance unpaid and it took us three months to recover the balance, minus the promised $300 credit. 

  The client still has yet to file a claim per the signed written contract, therefore offering the $300 was in good faith and beyond the scope of our normal company policy/protocol. Furthermore, the client claims that no BOL was provided to her and as per the attached document, you can clearly see that the statement made is also false. 

  

  Business response

  09/20/2022

  The client received compensation in the amount of $300 (an increased amount from the original requested amount of $100 and we offered more in good faith) which is beyond our scope of common protocol/practice due to the previously attached items in the contract where the client signed, therefore, agreeing to the terms of coverage and how to go about filing any claims for damages. The client did not file a claim with the claims department. Instead, the client decided to file a credit card dispute with ***************** twice, in which Summit van lines won. We did in fact offer the client to send out someone to clean the oil spots on the roadway but during the process, as previously stated, of looking for a company to do this, she went and filed the dispute, therefore leaving her balance unpaid until the cases were closed in our favor a few months later. We then received the payment back, less the agreed upon $300 for the oil spots on the road. An amount that was agreed to by the customer via phone conversation. The client never communicated her intentions to us so we can help her further. She did accept her load. We did deliver her belongings. We have informed the client, via multiple phone conversations as to the progress of the road cleaners (for the oil spill). Nothing was kept from the client. We are unsure what she wants from our company. As it was previously stated, she got $300, her items, and that's that. We have told her she is more than welcome to file a claim for any further damages she may have incurred but that is all we can do. 

*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. ↩