SAN ANTONIO COMMUNITY -- PLEASE BE AWARE!…read more
As a small business owner who believes in supporting our community and other local businesses, I feel it is important to share my recent experience so others can protect themselves.
I recently hired a moving company owned by a man named Erick, and unfortunately, what started as a $750 quote turned into a completely different experience.
When I first contacted Erick, he quoted me $750 for 4 movers and 1 truck. I thought that was reasonable because I had already done the majority of the work. Literally ALL of my belongings were already packed, boxed, and taped. The only things they needed to disassemble were one bed and a 3-seater sofa, and they needed to cover 2 TVs.
Shortly after arriving, the owner left to get more tape. He then left two additional times to get more tape, leaving only 3 movers at my home.
As a business owner myself, I found this extremely unprofessional. If you are a moving company and have a scheduled job, how do you arrive without having enough basic moving supplies prepared?
Of the 3 movers left, only one was working at a reasonable pace. The other two were moving extremely slowly. I questioned why the move was taking so long, and I was repeatedly told they were simply being careful with my belongings.
I completely understand protecting someone's belongings. However, there is a difference between moving carefully and moving unnecessarily slowly when the customer is being charged by the hour.
I was told $750. I was not expecting the price to continue increasing because the movers were taking an excessive amount of time.
I repeatedly asked to speak with Erick. At one point, I was told he had left AGAIN -- this time to drop another mover off at his house. No one communicated this to me.
When Erick returned, I again questioned why the move was taking so long. I received the same response: they were being careful with my things.
Once they finally finished loading the truck, I had to follow them to my new home because I wanted to keep an eye on my belongings. On the way, Erick asked to stop to put gas in his personal vehicle.
Again, if I am being charged by the hour until the job is complete, why am I paying for time spent stopping to put gas in a personal vehicle -- especially after he had already left my house multiple times during the move?
When we arrived at my new home, the slow pace continued. I eventually became so frustrated that I started taking boxes off the truck myself because I just wanted the move finished.
Then came another surprise.
When it was time to pay, Erick told me I owed $1,000 for the move PLUS the $250 deposit.
Then, approximately 30 minutes later, he told me he had spoken with his "financial advisor" and had supposedly undercharged me, and that I actually owed $1,835.
At that point, I was extremely frustrated and honestly just wanted to pay and have them leave my home.
And after all of this, he still had the audacity to ask me to leave a review.
To make matters worse, my $3,500 sofa lights were damaged, and my grandmother's crystal platter was broken. These are sentimental and valuable belongings that cannot simply be replaced.
ANOTHER THING I WANT MY COMMUNITY TO KNOW:
I was under the impression I was hiring a moving company with its own moving truck. Instead, the truck being used was a U-Haul truck.
As a business owner myself, I believe in supporting our community and giving local businesses an opportunity. But supporting local businesses also means holding businesses accountable when customers have a bad experience.
I work hard to support my community through my own business, and I believe businesses should be focused on serving and helping the community -- not taking advantage of people who are already dealing with the stress and expense of moving.
I am sharing MY experience because I do not want another person or family to experience what I experienced.
Three different prices. Poor communication. Leaving the job multiple times. Not being prepared with basic moving supplies. Extremely slow work. Unexpected charges. A U-Haul being used instead of what I believed would be a company moving truck. And damaged belongings.
PLEASE DO YOUR RESEARCH BEFORE HIRING ANY MOVING COMPANY.
Get the price in writing. Ask whether the quote is a flat rate or hourly. Ask exactly what is included. Verify what type of truck they will be using. And make sure you understand what happens if the move takes longer than expected.
I am posting this to make our San Antonio community aware of my experience so others can make an informed decision and protect themselves.
This was my personal experience. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
