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Worst moving experience of my entire life - they asked for bribes, broke our stuff, and charged an exorbitant amounts avoid at all costs.
I was moving from San Francisco to DC and needed to put my stuff in storage for a few months in between. Not only did Flat Rate have the best rates and were willing to guarantee these rates even though my move wasn't for another 6 months. I ended up needing my things earlier than planned. When I called to ask, they said "Great. When do you need it? We'll get it on a truck ASAP". I appreciated the fact that they don't contract out any part of their storage or move. In fact, the guys that delivered my things in DC are the ones who drove it across the country. From pick up to drop off, everyone was courteous and professional. Loading the truck in SF was fast and in DC, they arrived on time and had be loaded into my apartment faster than I could have imagined. Including a 5 flight walk up when my box spring didn't fit in the elevator. I am hoping not to move again any time soon, but I will be using FlatRate whether it's across the country or across town. I can't say enough about how easy they made the process. read more
13 years ago
Last week I received a check for $100 from FlatRate moving. After my Twitter posts and Yelp reviews, FlatRate's General Legal Counsel contacted me to state that they weren't offering $100 for people to amend their Yelp reviews. He suggested I either misunderstood or misheard, and FlatRate would be sending $100 to compensate me for my negative experience. To be clear, I'm not going to cash this check. I think my review should help others decide whether or not to use FlatRate. I'll eventually move back to NYC from LA. And despite having a poor experience with FlatRate, they're the only one I found that offers, well, a FlatRate, which I appreciate. David, Head of Council, invited me to contact him prior to my next move. He mentioned that they'd show me that they can do better than my review. When that time arrives, I'll amend the review accordingly (and hopefully for the better), read more
Ahh! This place just totally creeped me out, and I was actually considering using them. I went on their site to check them out after reading some of these reviews. It offered a free online quote. I was skeptical about that, but decided to click and see what happened. Well, I guess it's my fault for putting my real phone number down, but I didn't finish the quote process. I saw that I had to indicate how much stuff I had and realized that I wasn't quite ready to do that - I hadn't yet made my own inventory and I was unsure about keeping a few large items - I decided to finish the quote later. I never asked them to call me. My phone just rang and it was flat rate movers. The guy - named Paul, I believe - said he was calling about the quote I requested on their website. I told him that I hadn't asked them to call me and was surprised that he was calling about a quote I hadn't even finished filling out a request for. His reaction is the main reason I am bothering to take the time to write this: "well, that would be a stretch if you hadn't finished the request and I was just calling you anyway, now wouldn't it?" How patronizing! I hung up on him, and my phone started ringing again from the same number. No thanks - moving is pressure enough, I don't need some condescending guy calling and telling me what I have or have not done. I already thought that their "policy" of giving a high original estimate, followed by a significantly lower one after the customer complains (as indicated in many yelp reviews), was pretty sketchy. This pushy, aggressive sales tactic sealed the deal for me. I'll be using someone else to move next month. read more
14 years ago
They were 5 star back when they were new. Used them for many moves without a hitch. Last 3 years, they've destroyed my furniture, PIANO, mirrors. Always lose furniture hardware so yo can't put anything back together. Essentially this company got too big and employees inexperienced and untrained kids. Sad to see the quality suffer. This time I need to find another company like what Flatrate used to be like. read more
16 years ago
I have used FlatRate movers many times. I hate to admit that, because I kept holding out hope after each move that the problems I experienced would not happen again. I've had a couple of good moves with them, and a couple of VERY VERY bad moves. I feel bad that I have taken so long to write my review, but I feel that it is important to share with fellow Yelpers. I can say with DEFINITE and confirmed experience (5+ moves since 2004, including a multi-state move) that their prices are fair if you know how to negotiate, but their actual movers and customer service are consistently less than professional. My worst move occurred in January 2009 when I moved from 96th street to 96th street (yes, a very short move...cross town from the east side to the west side). Just about everything that could go wrong went wrong. The movers were the rudest I have ever encountered. The foreman yelled at me regularly. None of the "elite" team spoke English. The "elite" team arrived 3 hours late. The "elites" did a terrible job of packing, breaking several items. The "elite team" took a 3 hour lunch break. They disappeared for another two hours and wound up strolling into my new apartment on the west side AFTER elevator hours (8 pm). I spent hours of my day on the phone with dispatch and customer service because of these horrible people. I had to beg building management to let them unload my things in the middle of the night, and of course they did it in the loudest and most obnoxious way possible (while the foreman yelled at me again and blamed ME for their excessive tardiness, disappearing acts, and shoddy packing). They finally sent a very nice manager out to my apartment (who I had worked with in the past on a move that did not go terribly) around 11:00 PM that night. He said that I "should have had them come pack the day before" (mind you, no one suggested this, even though I told the rep on the phone that we had a lot of stuff). I paid for unpacking/etc but just let them go before midnight when most boxes remained unpacked and yet undiscovered broken items sat in the unpacked boxes. The next experience was in mid January 2010 as I was moving 8 blocks south (pretty easy move--West side to West side). In spite of my EMPHATIC warning not to throw big trash in the compactor room, the movers threw almost ALL the trash, trash bags, tape, etc in the TINY garbage compactor room and left a mess in the old apartment (tape, packing supplies, some of my items like shower curtains, and even a bag with tools in it were left behind), which caused my building to keep $500 of my security deposit and pretty much tell me to never rent from them again. Lovely. The January 2010 crew was better (thank God...nothing broken and they were only an hour or so overtime), but still not as professional or "elite" as I would hope with the dropping of trash and lack of cleanup. The prices were better in 2005-06 when I moved with them. Since then, they tend to inflate estimates and complain/add extra money for "additional items" upon arrival. For the money and hassle, I will likely not be using FlatRate again. Even though they offered me a discounted rate (again, something that could be negotiated anyway) on my last move, I will not put anymore faith in them at this point. I have spent over $12,000 with Flatrate over the past 6 yrs, and at this point they will never see any further business from me. It is simply not worth the 50% chance that I will have a horribly stressful day because of this company. I wish I could give more than 2 stars, but they have earned it. read more
19 years ago
I've dealt with FlatRate twice--once on the move from L.A. to New York and once when we had them give us an estimate for the move from Manhattan to Brooklyn. In L.A., the movers showed up 5 hours late, were fairly rude and sloppy, and didn't do the best job. Everything eventually arrived in one piece, so whatever. Most recently, we had FlatRate send someone out to give us an estimate for packing and moving our things. The guy seemed friendly enough and I thought the visit went well, but the estimate he gave me was shocking--it was more than what it cost us to move from coast to coast! They wanted close to a thousand dollars to move the contents of a studio apartment literally one mile across a river. We called later that evening and said the estimate was too high. Magically, the price dropped. Then, the guy who gave us the original estimate claimed I told him that I was willing to pack the contents of the kitchen and our bookshelves, and that if we wanted absolutely everything crated by them, the price would be like $1200! I a.) never said that and b.) will see pigs fly before I pay that kind of price for such a basic move. My husband actually asked if they could sell us the boxes and paper so we could just crate our things and the guy said it would be $130 extra. We declined and still received an invoice for the boxes and paper via email... I don't know, I'm glad some people have had good experiences with FlatRate but they seem like a wet hot mess and I don't think they're really living up to their name. Hopefully, we'll be going with a company that can give us straight answers and doesn't resort to lying when it realizes that its initial estimate was too low. read more
19 years ago
I first have to say that I was very weary about hiring movers. I felt that moving companies were shady, that the guys doing the movers would be slackers and would probably break all my stuff. Fortunately none of my fears were true about Flat Rate. First of all I wanted a binding estimate because I did not like the idea of surprises or movers taking longer because they were getting paid by the hour. This was difficult because most moving companies wouldn't come do in home estimates. Flat Rate called me back to schedule an in-home estimate no problem... (after that the other moving companies suddenly became interested in doing in-home estimates too- I guess they just needed a little nudge of competition). The Flat Rate estimate went well. Sam, my salesman, took time with me to talk about the service and what to expect from the movers. He stressed that whatever he estimated was what I would be charged, no more/no less. They even offered a lower rate for moving on a less busy day. I never felt pressured, he didn't call me three times a day after meeting me (unlike what I've heard people experience with other moving companies). On moving day our four man crew was roughly on time (maybe ten minutes late but I was running behind with last minute tasks anyway so it worked out) and man were they fast. I almost didn't know what to do with myself watching these men go to work. I did the packing so all they had to do was the actual moving, but they also packed up our electronics, wrapped the furniture and put our hanging clothes into wardrobe boxes. All in all it took about four hours, and (to my amazement) not a thing was broken. They handled all of our items well and unpacked any of the items they packed for us (meaning they put the bed back together for us and laid out our rugs that they rolled up, unpacked the tvs and air contitioners). It was a pleasant experience, and really stress-free. I can't believe I almost didn't hire movers! read more
11 years ago
It's pretty simple; I had a genuinely terrible experience with FlatRate for the price that I paid (nearly $10k), almost from start to finish: 1. Person (John) who did our estimate originally told us 24-48 hours to move our stuff from NYC to Nashville, basically straight door-to-door. This was a huge benefit, so I cancelled all of my appointments to have other moving companies come and give us estimates. I later found out that he "made a mistake" and it was actually going to be 1-2 weeks, but he assured me that it should only be 1 week, because "we were the first stop". Naturally, it turned out to be 2 weeks. Also, John told me that moving day would take 3 hours (this is important for later). 2. The packers were friendly, but failed to pack a bunch of things. They left a handful of random items in half a dozen different kitchen cabinets, for example. They left random single shoes unpacked in the closet, in plain view, while they packed the matching shoe. What? 3. On moving day, the moving guy told me it would take 3-4 hours (he arrived at 9am and he said they'd be done by noon or 1pm). John had told me three hours as well, and both of these guys had seen everything in our apartment. It took EIGHT HOURS, which meant that we were late leaving the city and my wife had to leave with our infant without me, while I stayed behind to supervise the movers. Absolutely ridiculous. I called to complain around 2pm and they said someone would call me back. No one ever did. By mid-afternoon, the movers were literally throwing things around and angrily throwing things into boxes. I'm assuming that someone from FlatRate called and told them I complained, because they turned rude and starting just throwing things into boxes. 4. The movers disassembled furniture that I expressly told them not to, ruining some of the hardware in the process (stripping screws, etc). 5. The movers left packing materials strewn over every room of the apartment. I had to spend an hour cleaning up after them. 6. At the end of moving day (5pm), the inventory list they tried to get me to sign was missing a long list of items, because they "ran out of blankets and would have to repack things at the warehouse". That doesn't even make any sense. 7. Once we were in Nashville, we had no communication from FlatRate for a week and a half (well into our delivery window), so I finally called and was told that our stuff hadn't even left New York, and they tried to claim that our delivery window was now a week later than what I had been told. Never mind that I was also told delivery would be at the beginning of the delivery window. I complained, and then they said "oh yeah, I see that here". The stuff showed up on the very last day of the delivery window. 8. The guys who did the unloading in Nashville could not have been better. They worked hard and fast and were very friendly. But the idiots in NYC mislabeled more than half of the boxes, so we ended up with the boxes all over the house in the wrong rooms. Not sure if an accident or intentional because I complained on move day. We also found numerous boxes with stuff just dumped into it, including them literally taking our boxes of stuff and upending it into a cardboard box for no reason. 9. One of the things included in my rate was disposal of all packing materials used by FlatRate. Now I find out that doesn't apply elsewhere, only in NYC? 10. I sent all these complaints to FlatRate, and they gave me the runaround and ignored 80% of the stuff on this list. I repeatedly asked to have a manager contact me, which they ignored. In the end, most of our stuff got here (a few things are broken, and we still can't find a few items), but I picked FlatRate over other movers because they were supposed to be a better experience. Nothing could be further from the truth. EDIT: Thanks to the recommendation of another Yelper, I would urge anyone with a complaint to also file with FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration). They have the authority to impose fines and shut down FlatRate if they have enough complaints. read more
15 years ago
I rate this moving company 5 stars because I have moved with them twice, and both moves were flawless. I got several quotes before picking them the second time around, because some of my friends have found cheaper rates. I decided to go with them again, even though I got a lower quote from another mover because I was scared to trust my belongings with someone else. They also take your bed apart, and put it back together again, which is very helpful when you have to live in your apartment up until the very moment you move. They were able to pack my whole apartment into the moving truck in under an hour, and were on their way up to the new place. They were extremely friendly, trustworthy, and careful. Whenever I move in the future, I will definitely be using them again. My moving rep was Mark Soules, who was extremely helpful. I highly suggest getting in touch with him. I am blanking on the names of my 3 movers, but two of them had european accents and were highly capable of handling every aspect of the move. read more
They told me they'd come between 1pm and 3pm, and then came at 1pm. They had my old apartment emptied out in an hour (alcove studio) and had the new one filled in an hour. They blanketed just about everything, even things I didn't think needed blankets. And they took my laser printer (bulky and fragile) and boxed it up nicely for me. They boxed my lamps and plants. It was a flurry of blanketing, boxing, and taping. Quick, professional, hassle-free. The phone service was also very professional and friendly. Getting an estimate was straightforward and revising your inventory to get a new estimate was very easy. They seem like they have a good IT operation on their back-end--they email you a PDF of your inventory and estimate for review and for e-signing. If there's a downside, it's that I think they were a little pricey ($610 for my alcove studio, and I pre-moved all my clothes, which took off $40-60). However, the service was so professional and hassle-free that I think it was worth spending $50 or $100 extra. I know three other folks who used Flat Rate and their experience was about the same. read more
BLOWN AWAY!!!! Stellar customer service is mostly a thing of the past but not at Flat Rate. Here's my story: I used Flat Rate to move from one studio in the East Village to another on the LES. The movers were fantastic..speedy, sharp, professional, friendly, all around awesome. Until it came time to tip them. I had no idea what to tip them and wanted to give them a good tip, so I asked the foreman. He told me $100/guy was typical. I thought that seemed steep but was so shocked I gave him everything I had in my wallet, about $280. Of course, the second he walked out, I thought....that can't be right. So I did a little research and discovered that I had overtipped him by, I don't know, 300%??? When Flat Rate sent me a customer satisfaction survey, I complained. They called me, almost fired the guy and gave me a fat refund (more than I overtipped). I begged them not to fire the guy because I really did like him and didn't want to see him lose his job over what was likely a very bad error in judgment. They kept him on after reprimanding him...whew. Hopefully, lesson learned. I will never use another mover in NYC. Flat Rate all the way! read more
We moved from LA to NYC 2 weeks ago and after doing a lot of research decided to go with Flatrate. We had an excellent experience with them. James visited us in Santa Monica and gave a very reasonable estimate. He was frank and very honest and I liked that about him. He assured us of great service. We got the best packing crew in LA. They came on time and were super efficient. The guys were like a packing machine. Extremely careful and excellent packers. Thank you Alexandro, Erin and Anselmo for your great service. Everything was packed super carefully and well padded. I must admit had it not been for their excellent packing our stuff would have never have reached in one piece. Truly grateful for it!! It took exactly 2 weeks for our stuff to be delivered in Brooklyn. We called multiple times to get an estimate of where the truck were. They told us exactly where they were everytime. In Brookoklyn Joze M. and Jorge delivered our stuff. They were extremely professional and good. Assembled all our furniture. Were patient and courteous. We must admit that not a single glass or item broke during this long distance move. We had some expensive and precious stuff and all of it came in mint condition. Right from the packing to the delivering it was a good experience. If you are moving from LA, i would highly recommend the 3 packers mentioned above. They are GOOD! Thank you once again Flatrate for making our move smooth and damage free. read more
11 years ago
Not able to get in contact with customer service after the move. Contract was for disassembly and assembly of furniture. I'm here and everything is still wrapped in your blankets. All the furniture parts and screws are scattered. This is a joke. read more
10 years ago
Run, go to another company. We moved from NYC too Florida, when I tell you every box was open and everything was missing . From kids shoes to kids bike. My wife's clothing and her shoes . This company gave us a run around for 3 weeks and only gave us $500 for everything that was missing. Our shipping coast was 1300 and they gave us 500 just to Seattle . I will post pictures and show u how everything came to my house. read more
Seriously? One of the best customer service, kind, on top of it amazing jobs ever. Our forman, Shawn and his assistants Jeremy & Joaquim ROCKED IT. They were on time & really paid special attention to detail. They packed with swift care... Making sure that we were taken care of... going over every detail on insurance options and all... I have gone the cheap route before and really got what i paid for... bad customer service and an attitude... not to mention the things that got damaged and broke along the way... these guys are a CUT ABOVE. Gracious, accommodating and truly taking pride in what they do. We could not be happier and would recommend this service to anyone, especially with the top notch guys we worked with. Spend the extra cash and get the extraordinary service. You won'r regret it. read more
We needed to move all our stuff from our apartment in NYC to our home in the Washington, DC, area. Movers arrived yesterday morning to pack boxes and load everything on the truck, and had everything delivered in our house in DC by yesterday evening. SAME DAY MOVE! They are insanely concerned with customer service. They let you use a credit card - including AMEX, knowing full well you can dispute if they screw up. Their office called us 2x yesterday - once, while the movers were in NYC, and once while they were unloading in DC - to make sure nothing was damaged, movers were on time, etc. Again. Same day move. NYC to DC. You can't ask for nicer guys (I couldn't believe this was a *NYC* moving company). We tipped them well - they totally deserved it. read more
18 years ago
I haven't actually used Flat Rate Movers but my experience with them have been unprofessional. First, moving from New York to Chicago, I didn't feel very good about providing an estimate my inventory in lieu of an on-site estimate. Of the inter-state moving research I've done, all movers should do an onsite estimate. Additionally, the only estimates that they would give were over the phone. Nothing in writing. Now, they did come in lower than the other movers that provided estimates but I couldn't get anything in writing so I just didn't trust that. Lastly, whenever the sales guy wanted to check in with me, he would only write 'still moving?' in the subject line of the email and not have anything written in the body. Really? You are going to communicate with me that way and expect me to pay over $2,000? Sorry buddy. read more
18 years ago
They just moved me from Manhattan to Brooklyn, and I have to say that I definitely feel scammed. They started off the day by saying they started 10 minutes prior to when they did. I thought, what's 10 minutes, no big deal. But at the end of the day they are 10 minutes shy of the next half hour, so they bump it up -- and of course, in reality, this was a 20 minute bump since they already inflated their start time to begin with!! Then when it comes time to pay they haggle with you and demand to know what you will give them in tip and if you can give them a better tip they'll tell the "boss" they worked half an hour less than they did. Well, hello, they DID work just about half an hour less than they stated. Then they make up something about a service charge for credit cards, but not if it's partial credit partial cash. It's fishy. They try to make you feel like you're getting a deal by "waiving" the 3% fee. It's all bull of course. Then they talk about how great they are and how they take time to protect your things. Again, wrong. I've had movers in the past work much faster and in a more protective way for my furniture. They also said that they had to do a lot of the packing and that's what took so much time. Wrong again. We had our whole apartment packed up and the only things NOT packed was furniture and items that didn't fit into the boxes they provided. Their service is supposed to include this. And again, I've had it done much much faster (and, incidentally, cheaper, by Moishe's). They also started saying that of course I'd accumulated possessions since living in that apartment, so of course this move was more pricey. Um, perhaps slightly true, but we also got rid of many things. AND, it was only a year ago. AND, it was none of his business. Con-artist, con-artist, con-artist. My husband had to go to a meeting so I was left to fend for myself against these scavenging ingrates. One of the three gentlemen was quite nice. Of the other two, one was the lead con-artist and the other was a middle-aged man who grimaced and complained about his body aches. I can sympathize, but only up to a point, and that point is when I'm being charged $165 an hour for lazy, slow, workers. I'm livid that I fell for their tricks. Don't get stuck in the same trap. Look elsewhere. (btw, I used FRM after a recommendation from a friend, the service must have changed since she used them because they seem like a sketchy operation now). FYI, the move from a neatly packed 1-bed to another 1-bed cost me $1800. read more
14 years ago
My move was excellent! I would definitely use flat rate again and will recommend to my friends; next time I may even add the option of packing my belongings. The movers were very polite, professional, and nice. They showed up on time and showed respect for my property and belongings. They protected everything adequately. I have no complaints! I had a great experience. Thank you for making my move so much easier! read more
14 years ago
This is actually the second time I've used them and I thought I had reviewed before.... odd. They were one of the first quotes I sought on my current move after being pleased with their service in previous move. The quote came in higher than I expected for virtually the same inventory as the previous move (and shorter distance) and I did consider going with another quote - but in the end I was weighed by the security of knowing there would be no surprise chargers. Wil took care of me through the quote and prep process and the actual team of three movers were wonderful. Per my request, they gave me a heads up with their actual arrival time within two-hour window and then again when they were about 15 minutes away. They were quick, professional and polite. Were sure to move my items with care and asked questions when they weren't clear. They even took two pieces of furniture that I was trashing vs. moving down to the curb for me. Even though the 2nd building was a significant walkup, they unloaded in good time and asked where I wanted furniture and boxes. They were done ahead of schedule and showed why they're worth the fact that they cost a little more than the cheap movers. Sometimes it's worth the money. I'd very likely use them again. read more
5 years ago
I moved on August 11, 2021 and had the moving experience from hell. I would never recommend this company to anyone. I'm going to list the things that happened. * The drivers repacked all the things I'd packed in storage containers and took from 10:00A.M.- 3:00 to pack my things which consisted of one dining room table, a queen bed, one club chair, one small dresser, and about fifteen boxes. Additionally, the driver kept telling me that I would be charged extra if he took everything in my apartment, I sent pictures of all the items that were left and they came back the next day and moved the rest of my apartment, That only happened because I made a complaint the same day and sent pictures of items not taken. The company does not get back to you when they say they will, and I've had to contact a supervisor numerous times. *The driver came back from lunch inebriated, and he put his arm around my shoulders which was disgusting, and violating. *They broke my Mahagony headboard *They broke my television set *They broke my bookcase *They broke the alabaster shade to my lamp and the lamp itself before we even left my old residence. I complained numerous times since my move, and they are taking their time and in my opinion dragging their tales in processing and paying the claim I put in on 8/18/21. Search the better business bureau and read all yelp reviews to see if whatever company you use has any complaints against them. read more
6 years ago
I have moved several times in NYC and can honestly say they were by far the very best. From my initial contact, they return calls and follow up to make sure everything is set. On the day of the move they showed up on time and efficiently completed the job. I even received an email DURING the move to check and see if things were going smoothly. All in all they are outstanding and I would highly recommend them. Well done! read more
We went with FlatRate for a NYC to Austin move after they provided the cheapest estimate of the movers who surveyed our apartment and several friends had positive experiences. The moving experience on both sides went great. The movers were nice, prompt, and didn't break or lose anything. I had an initial challenge with Sales/Custom Service but, once I got a hold of the right person, they resolved the issue very quickly. One note regarding FlatRate is that you shouldn't take the name too literally. The 'flat rate' is based on whatever they see in your house/apartment during the estimate. So don't think you're getting away with anything if they either miss something or you buy a grand piano somewhere between the estimate and the move. If it's not on the checklist, they will adjust the estimate. You may want to insist that you won't pay for any $ difference based on any undercounting of boxes - not sure if they'll agree to it but it never hurts to try... read more
This would be a 5 star review were it not for some issues with the office, but more on that later. First -- the move itself. FlatRate sent over three He-Men to move my meager belongings from the UES to the UWS and even despite some elevator issues with my vacated apartment, they got the entire move finished in about two hours. Amazing. These guys were unreal. They meticulously packed all my lamps, shrink-wrapped my mattress, wrapped all my furniture in blankets, reassembled everything, and set up the new apartment to my specifications. They were awesome. My moving coordinator, Cia, was super nice, and I was very impressed that she offered to have free boxes sent to my house. I was later annoyed to learn from Melissa, who confirmed the move, that there was a $25 delivery charge. For what I ended up getting (more boxes than I needed, four rolls of packing tape, and tons of paper to wrap up my dishes), $25 was well worth it, but I thought it was misleading to neglect to tell me about the delivery charge when I initially asked if the boxes cost money. Also, there's just too much bureaucracy going on in FlatRate. Everyone is terribly nice, so that wasn't the problem, but it would've been nice to have ONE point person to deal with all aspects of my move rather than having one person coordinate the move, another person confirm it, and yet another person to deal with getting insurance information. But all in all, they made my move completely stress-free and I love them for that. read more
FlatRate is amazing. They definitely helped us have as easy and as stress-free a move as possible. The moving consultant we had (Dean) was very helpful and professional, and even called us on our moving day to check in and see how things were going. The actual movers (Gio and Steven) were incredibly nice and efficient- they showed up promptly as scheduled, moved all of our boxes immediately, wrapped all of our furniture, electronics, appliances, and pictures, and were out of our old place (4th story walk up) and into our new place in under 4.5 hours. They were super-friendly and incredibly professional. I am definitely bookmarking them for the next time I move, and would recommend them without any hesitation. read more
Great company overall for your moving needs. I have moved across the U.S. and through 5 different cities over the last 15 years. FlatRate Moving has been the best moving experience so far. They were quick to get things rolling, had a courteous staff for both the meeting and the move. They packed everything with care, disassembled and reassembled everything well. Were on time and stayed on time through out the day. The prices are very reasonable considering all they do. read more
I had an utterly nightmarish experience with movers the first time I moved from Brooklyn to Manhattan, but based on several recommendations from friends as well as fellow Yelpers, I decided to give Flat Rate a shot. Initially I wrote them off as too pricey, but then Samantha, the rep that I spoke with, offered to match a quote that I got from another mover--which was more than enough to convince me. The fellows that arrived to move me out of my old apartment were a few minutes early and incredibly courteous. They insisted that I not lift a finger while they did their thing, and they got all of my belongings out, including a rather unwieldy couch down a very twisty and narrow stairway, in less than an hour. Getting my stuff into the new place went even quicker--the guys were like machines. I was incredibly pleased with how quick and efficient they were--and I had to practically chase after the foreman to make sure the guys got a tip. There was only one slight hiccup, as a couple of pieces of artwork went missing, but that problem was remedied with a quick phone call to customer service--within an hour the representative had called me back and informed me that she'd located the pieces, and she sent a courier out to return them to me. I'm quite pleased with the service overall and feel like the price I paid was very fair. If I ever move again I'll definitely be a repeat user. read more
Had a very good experience with FlatRate. Our movers were careful with everything, were extremely pleasant and trustworthy. We had extenuating circumstances with our move that forced our movers to come back the next day, and they worked hard to get things done. The office was also equally great - very responsive and flexible. We would happily use Flatrate again for our next move. read more
9 years ago
My husband and I had contracted Flat Rate Moving Service to move our 2 bedroom apartment from Hoboken, New Jersey to San Francisco, California. Sarah Young came over and gave us an in-home estimate. Great. The main stress taken care of. Little did I know what I was in for. Our move was scheduled for May 26th. The day before my credit card was charged $800 more than the original estimate. I called customer service to see why we were overcharged. I spoke to Adam who assured me that someone would get back to me on this matter as soon as possible. No one returned the call or could explain of the overcharge. The movers who came to our Hoboken address were great. They were responsible for packing up some of the more fragile items, such as lamps and TVs per my estimate with Sarah Young. I called and emailed after the movers came and went with our belongings, still no word on why we were overcharged before Flat Rate even arrived. The only call I did receive was on May 27th telling me that they would not only be keeping what I was overcharged but that they were charging me an additional $250.00. When I asked why I was overcharged in the first place the person on the phone said she didn't know and you could've literally heard the "I couldn't give a sh#t attitude" however she said she would have someone contact me. It is now September 12th. Well over a month and I am still waiting for that phone call. When the movers arrived at our San Francisco address, most of the boxes were damaged. Their foreman even said that he has never seen boxes in this condition before and that they were probably thrown on top of one another regardless of them clearly marked FRAGILE. Again this statement was directly from their Foreman. Whoa. Going through the boxes there were so many items that were damaged. How do you bend a frying pan in the process of moving? Lamp shades that they had packed were damaged or broken. It honestly was the gift that kept on giving opening each box of this move. Disappointing. Moving cross country for a new job is extremely stressful. You would like to work with a company that will relieve some of that stress, at least when it comes to your belongings and treat them as if they were their own as promised in the estimate process. No such luck. This was the worst experience I have ever had when using an outside resource. I am extremely disappointed in the lack of customer service I had received when I was initially overcharged even before any movers showed up. Again, still without a clear answer. In settling my claim for the damaged items again the lack of customer service. I had one follow up phone call once I posted on Social Media of the damaged items. From Brittany, shocking she didn't have a voicemail set up and never returned the call. Great follow up guys. But as I can see from all of your horrible reviews you've got a lot on your plate, in your hands I am sure this plate is broken. Finally after months of this nightmare, I just heard from their claims department...the checks in the mail. I'm not holding my breathe as to when it will arrive. Stamp fell off, wrong address, the post office must have lost it. The excuses with this company are limitless. Oh wait, there are no excuses BECAUSE NO ONE CALLS YOU BACK. Thanks for listening all. read more
These guys are really great! No hassle, stress-free move. It CAN be done! I used them for my move from Chicago to NYC and they were honest, reliable, and easy to work with. They gave me a fair quote and then even reduced it when I told them I'd gotten a slightly cheaper quote from a competitor. They definitely show up when they're supposed to and also store your stuff with no problem for 30+ days. Wow, I sound like a paid advertisement. I swear, I'm not. I'm just thrilled to have finally found a decent mover after all my horrendous prior experiences. read more
14 years ago
I am now amending my previous review. I still want to be truthful though. They over promised and under priced our move. The company now admits they made many mistakes in our case. They have sent us a refund. It takes courage to admit a mistake and try to resolve it. So I give them points in trying to make good. They say they have corrected the mistakes they made with us for future customers. I had used FLATRATE 2x before and was very happy with their services which is why I used them again. If and when we move again I'll include them in the bidding process! read more
18 years ago
Look, moving is a stressful experience. And pretty much nothing online really helps give you peace of mind so I think here's what you do. Pick a company that has mostly good reviews for the city you are in (or on both ends). Pay for the additional insurance (the 60 cents per pound standard is not insurance). Ask as many questions as possible. Then pray that you get a good crew, cause that is all that is going to matter. And keep the crew happy by buying them lunch and keeping water on hand. We got a great crew and only one thing was broken (a lamp), that we are working with them to get fixed. So far, the customer service department has been very responsive. I'll upgrade this review to 5 stars once that lamp is fixed. They handled all of our artwork and our plasma tv with care. And we signed the agreed price contract before they started packing or loading so there was never any question that they would honor the price. This is the second time that Flatrate has moved me (first was from philly to new york) and both experiences have been very good. Based on research, it seems that they may be less well run outside of the tri-state area, but certainly for NY area moves, I highly recommend them. Oh yeah, and their first quote is always very high. So take their first quote and cut a third off it at least. Keep negotiating and you'll get the price you want. Oh, and one more thing - you are more likely to get a good crew if you are moving on an off day (ie, tuesday that is not the 30th, 1st or 15th of a month). read more
13 years ago
Stuff gets broken when you move. It is a known fact. I was very sad and disappointed when I saw two boxes which started out square that were shaped like tuffets after the move. But Flat Rate compensated me for the items which were broken -- evidently a couch had not been properly secured and it smashed into two boxes -- containing some fragile items. So I give them one star for the move and 3 stars for compensating me for the lost items with an average of two stars. read more
12 years ago
Flat Rate is the absolute best! They truly made our moving experience seamless. After a last minute decision to move, we called a few places for quotes. Although Flat Rate was a little higher of the quotes, I was assured that we wouldn't be paying more than quoted. Man were they right. The movers came early, asked the right questions, and let us go grab breakfast while the loaded the truck. When we came back, they were almost done and i couldn't believe how fast they moved out! The 2 boxes and small items that I didn't count for in my quote were included at no additional cost. Moving in was a piece of cake too! 5 flights of stairs is NOT EASY, but I didn't hear them complain once! They didn't break or damage anything and put my furniture exactly where I asked. For any future moves, I'll be using Flat Rate! Thanks, guys!!! read more
11 years ago
Nickel and dime you for everything. Was not told everything needed to be in a box, but they decided to put it all in there. Had a desk chair that definitely did not need to go, also had a metal desk that they said needed to go. They charged me an extra 30% the day of. They also tried to bill me for things that weren't correct. read more
16 years ago
I was extremely pleased with the move I made with FlatRate yesterday. Although they were a little pricier than other similar companies, they showed up a few minutes early and moved really quickly, while still treating all my items with care. Solano, who managed the move, was extremely friendly, attentive, and efficient. Overall a really great experience, except for the fact that one of the movers totally used my bathroom without bothering to shut the door. That was kind of yucky. Other than that, they did a phenomal job and I'm really happy I went with them. read more
16 years ago
FlatRate was HORRIBLE. They damaged about $2K worth of furniture! Also, they were completely incommunicative about when they would deliver the furniture, and completely caught us by surprise when they showed up. They damaged 3 pieces of furniture (a limo bed from BoConcept, a futon bed and a chair), in addition to completely destroyed my vintage Danish 1960's coffee table for which I paid almost $800. The coffee table was damaged so badly that it's not possible to repair. With my bed, their movers had not properly disassembled parts of the bed, which led to the damage. I had purchased insurance from them, but the way the insurance claim was handled was sneaky and under-handed. There were documents that they referenced in the claim that I did not get or see at all, other documents were given to me to sign on moving day (when everything is completely chaotic), and yet I didn't even get a copy of it from the movers. ========================= Updated Comments to Vicki from FlatRate: On moving day was the first time I saw any of the documents related to insurance liability. Further, I was NOT given copies of any of the signed paperwork! I emailed my move consultant to ask for a copy, she couldn't help, so I had to unpack my scanner and scan the documents myself. These documents should have been sent to me beforehand, not givem to me on the day of the move, so that I could have time to review and ask questions. The fact that they were shown to me for the first time during the move, on top of not getting copies afterwards is, in my opinion, not clear and not transparent business practice. Furthermore, I was not ever given the last document in the FInal Claims documents re: particle board (the descriptive paragraph alerting the customer that they have the right to ask the movers for options to wrap particle board). If I had seen this, I would have been known to speak up AGAINST the movers that day. Instead of disassembling the drawers, which is what I had originally requested, the movers wrapped the whole thing up, which is likely what led to the damage. I wrongly assumed that the movers knew what they were doing, and did not push them to disassemble the drawers. Had I seen this document, I would definitely have insisted for them to take it apart. I had originally wanted to claim the entire value of my shipment, $17K, (and I have this in email), but was advised by my consultant to just claim $15K. I was stupid to have trusted the consultant, or at least to not have questioned why. But regardless, the way you calculate the claims should have been made clear from the very beginning, when I purchased insurance. There was almost no paperwork describing how the insurance worked. You're right, I did see and sign the documents, but the way that this was handled (i.e. in a hurry on moving day, no copies, not all documents were shown) was not at all clear or transparent. read more
Even though I did not end up using FlatRate in the end, their on-site quote process was good. I had to wait two weeks to get a 9am appointment, though, which was a bit surprising and difficult (well, it is the end of August), but Simone was really chill, thorough, and friendly. The FlatRate quote ended up being on the higher end of what I wanted to pay, so I didn't end up choosing FlatRate, but obviously the advantage is knowing exactly what you'll pay on moving day. read more
13 years ago
I've used FlatRate three times now and they've always performed. First, the price they quote IS the price you end up paying. I know that sounds like common sense, but in this type of industry, the quoted price is rarely a given. I've had other companies quote lower prices, but knew that that would either go up or the quality wouldn't be there. Second, communication has been top-notch. I've worked with other moving/shipping companies and getting updates weren't great experiences. Third, they just do good work. Yeah, it's not glamorous or anything to get excited about, but they do it with respect and the care they give is exceptional. And they've been early on a couple occasions (they give you a heads up). On this mot recent move, I let them know that I needed their expertise in packing my glassware, and they were willing to take care of my glasswares (up to 3 boxes). Particularly, my mover, Addai, did a great job with my move - he and Didace were both friendly and amenable. They were in and out in a little over an hour. read more
3 years ago
super unprofessional and late!!! movers were unfriendly and kinda lazy too. never booking flat rate ever again
More info about FlatRate Moving
New York, NY 10010
Kips Bay
Directions
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https://www.flatrate.com
Payment methods
Does FlatRate Moving take credit cards?
Yes, FlatRate Moving takes credit cards.
Outdoor Amenities
Does FlatRate Moving have parking?
Yes, FlatRate Moving has parking options. Private Lot Parking, Street Parking
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Review Highlights - FlatRate Moving
“They were both extremely experienced as evidenced by their efficient and careful packing of our things.”
Mentioned in 30 reviews
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2,044 reviews that are not currently recommended
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8 years ago
Update 2: The company made everything right yesterday and finished the move, so I am updating to 2 stars. I will update once I receive payment, should be about 2 weeks. Thank you for correcting this situation! Update: If you have a bad experience with this company, leave a bad Yelp review--it is the only way they will contact you. I received a call from customer service directly after posting, and they were very nice and helpful. They are giving me a partial refund and sending over another truck to finish the move this evening. I agreed to update my Yelp review, and I have removed names. Original review: FlatRate Moving is a SCAM--they did not complete my move, lied, and will not return my calls! This whole move has been a disaster, and the movers lied to my face. The company will not return my calls, nor will the lead mover. I spent $1360 to move one bedroom from Queens to the Bronx, and an additional $300 in tips, and for that amount of payment they won't even dignify me with a call for incomplete service. I'm sure if the move goes well, it's great--but if it doesn't, THEY WILL NOT RETURN YOUR CALLS. First I called on Friday during business hours to update my inventory, as I decided to leave some of the furniture behind, and I had mistakenly told them that it was 4 flights when it was really 2; so I wanted to update this information, but I could not get a hold of anyone. Saturday morning, May 26th, for some reason my card was not going through, so they asked me to go to the bank and get a cashier's check. My lead mover's manager told him he was not permitted to move until I returned. I apologized for the inconvenience and pointed out the things that needed to be moved, which was very clear and all was listed on the inventory. At this point I was happy with the service and not concerned. Then the lead mover called me while I was at the bank and said that he trusted me and would meet me at the new apartment. Had he waited as he was legally instructed by his manager none of this would have happened. My roommate called me when they were getting ready to leave and said that they hadn't packed everything. The lead mover told me that it was just the futon which they were unable to move, and I figured that I didn't care about it. No big deal. So I met them at the new apartment, they were very careful with my things and efficient, so I tipped them each $100. I noticed that some boxes were missing, but they said they had everything and were not able to return. It turns out they WERE able to return, because he said, "We made a big mistake and forgot your bed frame, so we need to go back for it." Great. I'm still happy at this point. I reminded them of a large box (that was with the other boxes) in the living room, a mirror, and 5 boxes in the closet. They said they would make sure they got them. They came back with the one large box and told me that they had already packed the boxes from the closet. I gave them the benefit of the doubt. I returned to my apartment the next day to finish cleaning and found an entire van's worth of boxes that they had not moved, plus a very small nightstand that they had moved out of the bedroom but not to the truck, and a small bookshelf that I had clearly asked them to move and was clearly in the inventory. I called the lead mover and the company and left multiple messages (again during business hours), but nobody returned my calls. Finally I started texting the lead mover and threatening to make formal complaints, at which point he was motivated to call me back and told me he would return the following evening (yesterday, Monday) at 6:00 with his own van to complete the move. Great. I can understand a mistake and was grateful he was willing to correct it. He said he'd call on the way over. So I show up early and wait until 7:30, called and texted multiple times, but he was a no show--he didn't even call to cancel. At this point I have an entire van's worth of furniture and boxes that were not moved, the company will not return my calls, I don't have a car, and I am out $1660 for moving from a one-bedroom to a one-bedroom, both within NYC. Fortunately I have a friend with a van, and I am going to pay him $100 plus dinner to help me finish moving tomorrow evening after work. In summary the company did not complete the job, lied, was then a no-show, and will not return my calls. I can understand if they were to call me back and apologize and give me a partial reimbursement (or better, finish the job), but for the amount I paid and no phone call? Totally unprofessional. BIG SCAM, save your money and go elsewhere. At this point I do not expect anything from them because they are liars who do not follow through on their word. Stay away! I lost a lot of money! This was not an innocent mistake, because my roommates SHOWED them the remaining boxes and they refused to pack them. read more
11 years ago
This is my 57th review and I pride myself on being fair and even handed. While I have not always been delighted with the services I have received, I have never called a company deplorable nor would I do so lightly. I was having my apt painted and floors redone and needed to have my furniture removed for the duration, hence my call to Flat Rate. I carefully planned the timing of the painters, flooring install and the movers; (even allotting a few days of "wiggle room" just in case) as I was having people over for both Passover and Easter. The first group of movers picked up my items to bring them to Flat Rates' warehouse in NJ. A little over a week later, they were to be returned. The second group of movers arrived and were almost finished when I was advised that there was "a problem." The mover asked me to accompany him to my lobby where I found my very expensive side buffet, upside down with the back leg and adjoining area smashed to pieces. He admitted that this was his fault, and that this actually occurred days prior as they were loading my furniture from their warehouse into the truck. I asked why someone from Flat Rate didn't call me prior to delivery? The mover indicated he was instructed to deliver it broken, and to advise me to file a clam. This was the first red flag- Flat Rate was aware that their men damaged my furniture and yet, fir some inexplicable reason felt no obligation to advise me of same. I called their customer service dept immediately and incorrectly assumed they would be as concerned as I was. Their response "oh, sorry - can you please just take some pics, fill out the form and send it back to us." I filled out the form, included photos, a receipt which clearly shows the cost of the piece.They also ask for the weight of the piece which I think is absurd. Not sure about all of you, but I just can't for the life of me remember when was the last time I weighed a piece of my furniture. Clearly another red flag. Saying I was devastated about the damage that Flat Rate caused would be an understatement. Just to clarify, if this were a piece of furniture I purchased from Crate & Barrel, sure I would be upset, but we are talking about a piece of furniture that was bought as an investment and was over $6,900. Since I was aware of the value, I opted for their insurance which valued my property at $10,000. I then receive an ambiguous email from their Customer Service Dept - I say ambiguous as it was signed "customer service" which indicated that I needed to contact their vendor, All Furniture Services, so they can assess the damage. All Furniture arrives three days later, the guy tells me how great he is, and that he can "fix it" Fix it? Even if All Furniture were miracle workers and could "fix it" the piece would no longer have the same value. To add insult to injury, I needed to call 20 people and tell them to find alternative arrangements for the holidays - so another big thank you to Flat Rate from my friends & family whose holiday plans were cancelled the day before. I then receive an email to advise that my claim is "now closed" and they would like to offer me $250.00 as a "courtesy compensation" So Flat Rate just damaged a $6,900 piece of furniture, and their idea of settling my claim is to offer me $250.00? They also advise that I can have it repaired by All Furniture Services for $450.00. As per Flat Rate, I have a $500.00 deductible so while they state that they will repair or replace any damaged furniture, in actuality you are the one who pays for the repair. I am far from obtuse so what am I missing here? I am now sitting with the broken piece of furniture in my kitchen (where their men promptly "dumped" it) although it belongs in my living room. My apt looks as if I just moved in instead of having just been redone. And while the damage was due to Flat Rate's negligence, they have now washed their hands of the matter and feel that an offer of a $250.00 check will cover my inconvenience ( It cost more than $250. to have the piece professional cleaned). Inconvenience doesn't even begin to describe what I have been through and again, all due to Flat Rates' negligence. They have decided to wash their hands of the matter, I on the other hand have not. My next call was again to their customer service, to ask for a name/ email address for someone on their management team. Nope sorry - we cannot provide that information. As someone who works in management for one of the largest privately owned companies in the U.S., we have no issue providing contact info for anyone on our Executive Management Team. Why - because any company with integrity actually wants to hear from their customers -whether for a compliment or a complaint. That is what good companies do. That is what ethics, integrity and good business practices are all about. Clearly Flat Rate h read more
11 years ago
This is my 57th review and I pride myself on being fair and even handed. While I have not always been delighted with the services I have received, I have never called a company deplorable nor would I do so lightly. I was having my apt painted and floors redone and needed to have my furniture removed for the duration, hence my call to Flat Rate. I carefully planned the timing of the painters, flooring install and the movers; (even allotting a few days of "wiggle room" just in case) as I was having people over for both Passover and Easter. The first group of movers picked up my items to bring them to Flat Rates' warehouse in NJ. A little over a week later, they were to be returned. The second group of movers arrived and were almost finished when I was advised that there was "a problem." The mover asked me to accompany him to my lobby where I found my very expensive side buffet, upside down with the back leg and adjoining area smashed to pieces. He admitted that this was his fault, and that this actually occurred days prior as they were loading my furniture from their warehouse into the truck. I asked why someone from Flat Rate didn't call me prior to delivery? The mover indicated he was instructed to deliver it broken, and to advise me to file a clam. This was the first red flag- Flat Rate was aware that their men damaged my furniture and yet, fir some inexplicable reason felt no obligation to advise me of same. I called their customer service dept immediately and incorrectly assumed they would be as concerned as I was. Their response "oh, sorry - can you please just take some pics, fill out the form and send it back to us." I filled out the form, included photos, a receipt which clearly shows the cost of the piece.They also ask for the weight of the piece which I think is absurd. Not sure about all of you, but I just can't for the life of me remember when was the last time I weighed a piece of my furniture. Clearly another red flag. Saying I was devastated about the damage that Flat Rate caused would be an understatement. Just to clarify, if this were a piece of furniture I purchased from Crate & Barrel, sure I would be upset, but we are talking about a piece of furniture that was bought as an investment and was over $6,900. Since I was aware of the value, I opted for their insurance which valued my property at $10,000. I then receive an ambiguous email from their Customer Service Dept - I say ambiguous as it was signed "customer service" which indicated that I needed to contact their vendor, All Furniture Services, so they can assess the damage. All Furniture arrives three days later, the guy tells me how great he is, and that he can "fix it" Fix it? Even if All Furniture were miracle workers and could "fix it" the piece would no longer have the same value. To add insult to injury, I needed to call 20 people and tell them to find alternative arrangements for the holidays - so another big thank you to Flat Rate from my friends & family whose holiday plans were cancelled the day before. I then receive an email to advise that my claim is "now closed" and they would like to offer me $250.00 as a "courtesy compensation" So Flat Rate just damaged a $6,900 piece of furniture, and their idea of settling my claim is to offer me $250.00? They also advise that I can have it repaired by All Furniture Services for $450.00. As per Flat Rate, I have a $500.00 deductible so while they state that they will repair or replace any damaged furniture, in actuality you are the one who pays for the repair. I am far from obtuse so what am I missing here? I am now sitting with the broken piece of furniture in my kitchen (where their men promptly "dumped" it) although it belongs in my living room. My apt looks as if I just moved in instead of having just been redone. And while the damage was due to Flat Rate's negligence, they have now washed their hands of the matter and feel that an offer of a $250.00 check will cover my inconvenience ( It cost more than $250. to have the piece professional cleaned). Inconvenience doesn't even begin to describe what I have been through and again, all due to Flat Rates' negligence. They have decided to wash their hands of the matter, I on the other hand have not. My next call was again to their customer service, to ask for a name/ email address for someone on their management team. Nope sorry - we cannot provide that information. As someone who works in management for one of the largest privately owned companies in the U.S., we have no issue providing contact info for anyone on our Executive Management Team. Why - because any company with integrity actually wants to hear from their customers -whether for a compliment or a complaint. That is what good companies do. That is what ethics, integrity and good business practices are all about. Clearly Flat Rate h read more
11 years ago
This is my 57th review and I pride myself on being fair and even handed. While I have not always been delighted with the services I have received, I have never called a company deplorable nor would I do so lightly. I was having my apt painted and floors redone and needed to have my furniture removed for the duration, hence my call to Flat Rate. I carefully planned the timing of the painters, flooring install and the movers; (even allotting a few days of "wiggle room" just in case) as I was having people over for both Passover and Easter. The first group of movers picked up my items to bring them to Flat Rates' warehouse in NJ. A little over a week later, they were to be returned. The second group of movers arrived and were almost finished when I was advised that there was "a problem." The mover asked me to accompany him to my lobby where I found my very expensive side buffet, upside down with the back leg and adjoining area smashed to pieces. He admitted that this was his fault, and that this actually occurred days prior as they were loading my furniture from their warehouse into the truck. I asked why someone from Flat Rate didn't call me prior to delivery? The mover indicated he was instructed to deliver it broken, and to advise me to file a clam. This was the first red flag- Flat Rate was aware that their men damaged my furniture and yet, fir some inexplicable reason felt no obligation to advise me of same. I called their customer service dept immediately and incorrectly assumed they would be as concerned as I was. Their response "oh, sorry - can you please just take some pics, fill out the form and send it back to us." I filled out the form, included photos, a receipt which clearly shows the cost of the piece.They also ask for the weight of the piece which I think is absurd. Not sure about all of you, but I just can't for the life of me remember when was the last time I weighed a piece of my furniture. Clearly another red flag. Saying I was devastated about the damage that Flat Rate caused would be an understatement. Just to clarify, if this were a piece of furniture I purchased from Crate & Barrel, sure I would be upset, but we are talking about a piece of furniture that was bought as an investment and was over $6,900. Since I was aware of the value, I opted for their insurance which valued my property at $10,000. I then receive an ambiguous email from their Customer Service Dept - I say ambiguous as it was signed "customer service" which indicated that I needed to contact their vendor, All Furniture Services, so they can assess the damage. All Furniture arrives three days later, the guy tells me how great he is, and that he can "fix it" Fix it? Even if All Furniture were miracle workers and could "fix it" the piece would no longer have the same value. To add insult to injury, I needed to call 20 people and tell them to find alternative arrangements for the holidays - so another big thank you to Flat Rate from my friends & family whose holiday plans were cancelled the day before. I then receive an email to advise that my claim is "now closed" and they would like to offer me $250.00 as a "courtesy compensation" So Flat Rate just damaged a $6,900 piece of furniture, and their idea of settling my claim is to offer me $250.00? They also advise that I can have it repaired by All Furniture Services for $450.00. As per Flat Rate, I have a $500.00 deductible so while they state that they will repair or replace any damaged furniture, in actuality you are the one who pays for the repair. I am far from obtuse so what am I missing here? I am now sitting with the broken piece of furniture in my kitchen (where their men promptly "dumped" it) although it belongs in my living room. My apt looks as if I just moved in instead of having just been redone. And while the damage was due to Flat Rate's negligence, they have now washed their hands of the matter and feel that an offer of a $250.00 check will cover my inconvenience ( It cost more than $250. to have the piece professional cleaned). Inconvenience doesn't even begin to describe what I have been through and again, all due to Flat Rates' negligence. They have decided to wash their hands of the matter, I on the other hand have not. My next call was again to their customer service, to ask for a name/ email address for someone on their management team. Nope sorry - we cannot provide that information. As someone who works in management for one of the largest privately owned companies in the U.S., we have no issue providing contact info for anyone on our Executive Management Team. Why - because any company with integrity actually wants to hear from their customers -whether for a compliment or a complaint. That is what good companies do. That is what ethics, integrity and good business practices are all about. Clearly Flat Rate h read more
11 years ago
This is my 57th review and I pride myself on being fair and even handed. While I have not always been delighted with the services I have received, I have never called a company deplorable nor would I do so lightly. I was having my apt painted and floors redone and needed to have my furniture removed for the duration, hence my call to Flat Rate. I carefully planned the timing of the painters, flooring install and the movers; (even allotting a few days of "wiggle room" just in case) as I was having people over for both Passover and Easter. The first group of movers picked up my items to bring them to Flat Rates' warehouse in NJ. A little over a week later, they were to be returned. The second group of movers arrived and were almost finished when I was advised that there was "a problem." The mover asked me to accompany him to my lobby where I found my very expensive side buffet, upside down with the back leg and adjoining area smashed to pieces. He admitted that this was his fault, and that this actually occurred days prior as they were loading my furniture from their warehouse into the truck. I asked why someone from Flat Rate didn't call me prior to delivery? The mover indicated he was instructed to deliver it broken, and to advise me to file a clam. This was the first red flag- Flat Rate was aware that their men damaged my furniture and yet, fir some inexplicable reason felt no obligation to advise me of same. I called their customer service dept immediately and incorrectly assumed they would be as concerned as I was. Their response "oh, sorry - can you please just take some pics, fill out the form and send it back to us." I filled out the form, included photos, a receipt which clearly shows the cost of the piece.They also ask for the weight of the piece which I think is absurd. Not sure about all of you, but I just can't for the life of me remember when was the last time I weighed a piece of my furniture. Clearly another red flag. Saying I was devastated about the damage that Flat Rate caused would be an understatement. Just to clarify, if this were a piece of furniture I purchased from Crate & Barrel, sure I would be upset, but we are talking about a piece of furniture that was bought as an investment and was over $6,900. Since I was aware of the value, I opted for their insurance which valued my property at $10,000. I then receive an ambiguous email from their Customer Service Dept - I say ambiguous as it was signed "customer service" which indicated that I needed to contact their vendor, All Furniture Services, so they can assess the damage. All Furniture arrives three days later, the guy tells me how great he is, and that he can "fix it" Fix it? Even if All Furniture were miracle workers and could "fix it" the piece would no longer have the same value. To add insult to injury, I needed to call 20 people and tell them to find alternative arrangements for the holidays - so another big thank you to Flat Rate from my friends & family whose holiday plans were cancelled the day before. I then receive an email to advise that my claim is "now closed" and they would like to offer me $250.00 as a "courtesy compensation" So Flat Rate just damaged a $6,900 piece of furniture, and their idea of settling my claim is to offer me $250.00? They also advise that I can have it repaired by All Furniture Services for $450.00. As per Flat Rate, I have a $500.00 deductible so while they state that they will repair or replace any damaged furniture, in actuality you are the one who pays for the repair. I am far from obtuse so what am I missing here? I am now sitting with the broken piece of furniture in my kitchen (where their men promptly "dumped" it) although it belongs in my living room. My apt looks as if I just moved in instead of having just been redone. And while the damage was due to Flat Rate's negligence, they have now washed their hands of the matter and feel that an offer of a $250.00 check will cover my inconvenience ( It cost more than $250. to have the piece professional cleaned). Inconvenience doesn't even begin to describe what I have been through and again, all due to Flat Rates' negligence. They have decided to wash their hands of the matter, I on the other hand have not. My next call was again to their customer service, to ask for a name/ email address for someone on their management team. Nope sorry - we cannot provide that information. As someone who works in management for one of the largest privately owned companies in the U.S., we have no issue providing contact info for anyone on our Executive Management Team. Why - because any company with integrity actually wants to hear from their customers -whether for a compliment or a complaint. That is what good companies do. That is what ethics, integrity and good business practices are all about. Clearly Flat Rate h read more
16 years ago
EDIT (March 6): I spoke to Vicky, head of customer service at Flatrate Movers, this week. She saw my yelp review and called me to get more details. I was impressed by the proactive response and her interest in my experience. She assured me that what I described below is not the normal experience, and they have spoken with the movers to remediate the situation. I'm happy now to recommend Flatrate to others, b/c clearly customer satisfaction is their priority. (March 2) We wanted an up-front amount to budget for moving costs, so flatrate seemed ideal. Plus, we investigated 3 other companies and all the quotes seemed to be in the same ballpark. Flatrate got the edge for excellent sales service in assuring us *everything* was included such disassembly & reassembly, extra packing and padding for all the furniture and breakables, and taxes + tolls + expenses. Plus, I thought they might be motivated to work efficiently since there was no hourly rate. I was quoted $950 for *everything* and was told that 4 guys would show up, and it would take around 4-5 hours. We had a 1-br apt on the 2nd floor, and we moved to a 3rd floor walk-up apt. Basic inventory includes bed, 2 dressers, large 8ft ikea wardrobe, couch, 2 desks, 4 chairs, dining table, 2 elfa storage units, 4 bookshelves, 3 large clay planters and @ 30 boxes of stuff. Couple of things to note here: - we told the sales rep that we were moving to a 3rd floor walk-up - we initially forgot to include the 3 clay planters in our inventory list, and we emailed the sales rep 4 days prior to the move to be sure and include these So on the day of the move, we were ready with all the boxes packed and labeled. Our arrival window was 1-3pm and the moving truck arrived at 3pm with 3 movers, apologizing for the delay b/c of problems with the previous move. The foreman was clearly ready to get going since they work on commission and not an hourly rate, as he explained to us several times that day. However, one guy had to sit in the truck the whole time so we only had 2 guys to pack up our apt. The planters were the first thing the foreman complained about - "it's not my responsibility... if anything happens to them, it's not my responsibility b/c that's not on my inventory sheet. That is going to cost you extra." We discussed this for a few minutes, and decided that since we did email the sales rep about the planters, we would be ok for insurance purposes. They moved the planters but didn't add anything to the cost. The movers got everything into the truck in about 2 hours, except for the large ikea wardrobe. That was the next complaint from the foreman... "it's not my responsibility." According to the foreman, he felt like the wardrobe was too risky to move and it would likely break and it wasn't his responsibility, as he kept repeating. We did remind him that it was included in the quote - the disassembly and reassembly in fact - but he was adamant it wasn't his responsibility. Since he was so sure it would not survive the trip, we decided to leave the wardrobe to the next tenant. In hindsight, I guess he wanted to leave it b/c it would take too long to handle and he was in a hurry to finish for the day. So we left the wardrobe - the largest piece of furniture, and likely a chunk of the price quoted. When we arrived at the new apt building, the foreman balked at the walk-up. Apparently, he was not told that the stairs were double flights instead of a straight flight of stairs. We didn't know we had to explain the stairs to the sales rep when we got the quote, but we told him it was a 3rd floor walk-up and it was written on the foreman's papers as a 3rd floor walk-up. The foreman kept balking - "this will cost you extra, someone will have to pay us for this, it takes extra time." So he called flatrate headquarters and talked to them for a while, and then handed the phone to us. We explained that we said 3rd floor walk-up but we didn't know we had to give details about the flights. A few minutes after that call, another rep from flatrate called us again. After much discussion, we were told that sales would have to call us later in the week to discuss how this might impact our final price. We were very upset to hear this since we had left the largest piece of furniture back in the old apartment, with no complaint about getting a refund, and we had been accurate in describing everything in our move. Sales never asked for details like how many stairs are in each flight, etc. That said, the movers worked very hard to get everything upstairs in 2 hours. They finished the day around 8.30pm, so it was about 4 hrs of work and 1.5 hr of transit time. We tipped them 17% on the original cost even though the large wardrobe was left behind. The foreman then took a box of cookies on the counter without even asking me if he could have any - cheeky! read more
8 years ago
We used FlatRate Moving to move our things from a home in Colorado and our home in NYC to our new place in Philadelphia. To put it simply, everything about this move was completely unprofessional and mismanaged. We could not be more disappointed in the lack of service and the aggravation caused at every turn and it ended with our furniture (worth $7k) being delivered broken and a refund of $450 for move that cost just shy of $10k. We submitted a claim and an appeal to the verdict with all information documented with pictures and explanations in powerpoint. Bottom line, a move is stressful enough so you need to work with experienced professionals you can trust. I highly recommend avoiding FlatRate. Here is an outline of our experience: 1) COLORADO PICK UP: After flying from NYC to Colorado explicitly for the confirmed October 27 pickup, the van didn't show in the first few hours of the window. We called FlatRate and were told A) there was no pickup scheduled for that day despite the fact that we had confirmation emails not only from a FlatRate employee but also their automated system and B) the pickup would have to be scheduled later in the week on a day we were no longer in Colorado. After spending time talking with 2 different people at FlatRate, a supervisor told us that the automated system had sent us a pickup confirmation in error and that was a common mistake. He said, "We don't know why it does that, but it does. I'm sorry." This still didn't make any sense to us because despite any malfunction of an automated system, we had written confirmation from our sales rep we had been working with. Additionally, FlatRate had already charged our credit card the day before which only happens when the pickup is confirmed. After making it clear that we were unable to come back on any other day and supervise the items being packed, the supervisor made arrangements for a truck to execute pick up that day. Our whole day was spent re-organizing the move for the planned date and then waiting for the truck to show up. A fundamental error such as the pick up day and window being incorrect (after a human and automated confirmation) is absolutely unacceptable, especially when you live out of state and are taking the time to fly in specifically for the move. 2) PHILADELPHIA DELIVERY: On the receiving end in Philadelphia, the Colorado shipment also proved problematic. We emailed our sales rep and Dejon Reid (VP of Sales!) multiple times to coordinate the delivery date and received confirmation for Nov 19-20. I reached out to both gentlemen on Nov 8 and again on Nov 13 to advise them that the Philadelphia Police Department was only able to give us a parking permit for the delivery truck on Nov 19 so that is the date we needed to lock in. We never heard back from either. On Nov 14 we received an email from an employee saying that our shipment was enroute and there were no delays. On Nov 16 we received an email from the Long Distance Department confirming the shipment was still enroute and the current estimated delivery window was Nov 17-20. With no further information and no response from our sales rep or the VP of Sale about locking in Nov 19, we were forced to call FlatRate on Nov 18. The representative said, "I don't have Nov 19 confirmed and will inform you once we have a date available" implying we had no prior communication with FlatRate about the delivery date whatsoever. We were frustrated beyond belief: how was there no record of the Nov 19-20 window that the VP and the sales rep confirmed and now we were being told there was actually no date on the books at all? We explained the entire situation to the representative who had to escalate our situation only to come back and confirm Nov 19 an hour and half later. I understand that it is difficult for FlatRate to confirm exact dates and times but it should be noted that on Oct 31 the sales rep confirmed a delivery date of Nov 17th via email; so, if he could do it once, why could it not be confirmed again two days LATER than the original planned date and if it couldn't be confirmed why wasn't that communicated to us? Also, we were extremely disappointed that we were emailing with a VP at their company who never responded to our emails after Nov 8 and let our move fall through the cracks to again be dealt with by us, the end customers. 3) CLAIM PROCESS: The claim process was just as bad as the rest of this experience. Filing the claim and then waiting 2 months for FlatRate to tell us they would give us $450 for the $7k worth of items that were damaged was insulting. We then filed an appeal. We were continually told they were still looking into it every time we followed up. Months later still no answer. This is customer service at its worse. If you do decide to use FlatRate, please make sure to get the highest insurance possible. read more
12 years ago
Rating between 2 - 3 stars was debatable. Flat Rate was referred to me by one of my graduate school classmates that had success moving from NYC to MIA. Unfortunately, my experience was not as smooth. I believe generally they are 4/5-star, but my experience was the outlier which I feel no other person, especially someone not covered by corporate expense should endure. On a positive note, the email or phone responsive of the Flat Rate office team is great as is the speed in which items are packed/unpacked, loaded/unloaded by the on-site movers. Also, the paperwork is well laid out. However, the negative is a lack of organization to pack/unpack boxed contents; as well as my move was scheduled against my preferred timing, leading to both inconvenience and inefficiency of delivery plus some of my furniture arrived with damages and all furniture had dust. Also at the end of the first 3-month storage period, I was notified my monthly storage fee would double. I had to refute such gouging and eventually I agreed to a more a nominal increase, but an increase all the same which I found unscrupulous as nothing in original contract said rates could change. It was agreed to in writing and verbally that I would be alerted 48 hours before delivery. Instead not only was it only 24 hour notice, Flat Rate Long Distance decided to proceed with the move on a date when I had tight availability and that my building management could only assign 2 hours use of elevator even though we both requested the day after which was free availability. The movers were there a total of 3 hours and 45 minutes. Given the poor scheduling, I had to take a conference call so I was preoccupied for the first 2 1/2 hours of the move. For what remained, it was difficult to direct the movers due to the missed time and so many items being in my apartment that were brought up to adhere to the 2 hour elevator limit. Also, due to the poor packing of my boxes, and being that I have so many items, it was difficult to properly place items for two reasons, first, the boxes were not detailed in labeling. For instance, books in boxes were labeled to the correct room, but there was no labeling of which shelf, and left to right, based on how it was setup before packing it up. Therefore, without me overseeing, the books were unpacked and haphazardly placed on shelf, mostly back to front. This created aimless work for the movers and extra work for me in completely reorganizing. Second, all furniture had dirt which led me to question were my items not stored wrapped; the dust was caked on. I received no heads up beforehand that this may be the condition they arrive in to prep so unpacking was futile as all furniture had to be thoroughly wiped and sanitized. Given the dust, why would Flat Rate not recommend that I cancel unpacking given their expertise of what condition lengthy stored items might arrive in? Also, many boxes had a mix of items just thrown in without regard for the protection or delicacy of the items, i.e. shoes with lingerie, kitchen items with linens, light fixtures with hair products. I have a lot of things and this move wasn't easy on both ends, however, my contract wasn't just for transporting items, but also fees for packing and unpacking. Including $500 cash tip for the movers on both ends, I absolutely feel jilted. To add insult to injury, a handful of furniture items were delivered scratched with gashes in the wood that were not there prior and two pieces off hinge. Additionally, right after my pickup, I reached out to my booker that the movers left two picture hangings on wall that I specifically asked to be packed; to this date I've received no response, apology or compensation. My Dirt Devil vacuum and Black & Decker drill are missing; as well as the moving blanket I borrowed from a friend seems to have been accidentally taken during unpack. The only thing that got me through the delivery was how great the foreman was. I really wish the packing had been done better so that they could have unpacked better and helped me more because they had such great attitudes. Unfortunately, I had to release them as it was futile due to hapless packing and dirt on the furniture. Plus what they were unpacking actually was creating work. Moving is a strain enough as it is, even more so as a single woman, and without a company covering long distance and the long storage expenses. I am hoping that Flat Rate does the right thing with reparations for the claim and photo documentation I submit. Should you select Flat Rate, please be proactive to ensure you do endure the damages and occurrences I had. Photos are posted to show above. read more
11 years ago
Rating between 2 - 3 stars was debatable. Flat Rate was referred to me by one of my graduate school classmates that had success moving from NYC to MIA. Unfortunately, my experience was not as smooth. I believe generally they are 4/5-star, but my experience was the outlier which I feel no other person, especially someone not covered by corporate expense should endure. On a positive note, the email or phone responsive of the Flat Rate office team is great as is the speed in which items are packed/unpacked, loaded/unloaded by the on-site movers. Also, the paperwork is well laid out. However, the negative is a lack of organization to pack/unpack boxed contents; as well as my move was scheduled against my preferred timing, leading to both inconvenience and inefficiency of delivery plus some of my furniture arrived with damages and all furniture had dust. Also at the end of the first 3-month storage period, I was notified my monthly storage fee would double. I had to refute such gouging and eventually I agreed to a more a nominal increase, but an increase all the same which I found unscrupulous as nothing in original contract said rates could change. It was agreed to in writing and verbally that I would be alerted 48 hours before delivery. Instead not only was it only 24 hour notice, Flat Rate Long Distance decided to proceed with the move on a date when I had tight availability and that my building management could only assign 2 hours use of elevator even though we both requested the day after which was free availability. The movers were there a total of 3 hours and 45 minutes. Given the poor scheduling, I had to take a conference call so I was preoccupied for the first 2 1/2 hours of the move. For what remained, it was difficult to direct the movers due to the missed time and so many items being in my apartment that were brought up to adhere to the 2 hour elevator limit. Also, due to the poor packing of my boxes, and being that I have so many items, it was difficult to properly place items for two reasons, first, the boxes were not detailed in labeling. For instance, books in boxes were labeled to the correct room, but there was no labeling of which shelf, and left to right, based on how it was setup before packing it up. Therefore, without me overseeing, the books were unpacked and haphazardly placed on shelf, mostly back to front. This created aimless work for the movers and extra work for me in completely reorganizing. Second, all furniture had dirt which led me to question were my items not stored wrapped; the dust was caked on. I received no heads up beforehand that this may be the condition they arrive in to prep so unpacking was futile as all furniture had to be thoroughly wiped and sanitized. Given the dust, why would Flat Rate not recommend that I cancel unpacking given their expertise of what condition lengthy stored items might arrive in? Also, many boxes had a mix of items just thrown in without regard for the protection or delicacy of the items, i.e. shoes with lingerie, kitchen items with linens, light fixtures with hair products. I have a lot of things and this move wasn't easy on both ends, however, my contract wasn't just for transporting items, but also fees for packing and unpacking. Including $500 cash tip for the movers on both ends, I absolutely feel jilted. To add insult to injury, a handful of furniture items were delivered scratched with gashes in the wood that were not there prior and two pieces off hinge. Additionally, right after my pickup, I reached out to my booker that the movers left two picture hangings on wall that I specifically asked to be packed; to this date I've received no response, apology or compensation. My Dirt Devil vacuum and Black & Decker drill are missing; as well as the moving blanket I borrowed from a friend seems to have been accidentally taken during unpack. The only thing that got me through the delivery was how great the foreman was. I really wish the packing had been done better so that they could have unpacked better and helped me more because they had such great attitudes. Unfortunately, I had to release them as it was futile due to hapless packing and dirt on the furniture. Plus what they were unpacking actually was creating work. Moving is a strain enough as it is, even more so as a single woman, and without a company covering long distance and the long storage expenses. I am hoping that Flat Rate does the right thing with reparations for the claim and photo documentation I submit. Should you select Flat Rate, please be proactive to ensure you do endure the damages and occurrences I had. Photos are posted to show above. read more
12 years ago
Rating between 2 - 3 stars was debatable. Flat Rate was referred to me by one of my graduate school classmates that had success moving from NYC to MIA. Unfortunately, my experience was not as smooth. I believe generally they are 4/5-star, but my experience was the outlier which I feel no other person, especially someone not covered by corporate expense should endure. On a positive note, the email or phone responsive of the Flat Rate office team is great as is the speed in which items are packed/unpacked, loaded/unloaded by the on-site movers. Also, the paperwork is well laid out. However, the negative is a lack of organization to pack/unpack boxed contents; as well as my move was scheduled against my preferred timing, leading to both inconvenience and inefficiency of delivery plus some of my furniture arrived with damages and all furniture had dust. Also at the end of the first 3-month storage period, I was notified my monthly storage fee would double. I had to refute such gouging and eventually I agreed to a more a nominal increase, but an increase all the same which I found unscrupulous as nothing in original contract said rates could change. It was agreed to in writing and verbally that I would be alerted 48 hours before delivery. Instead not only was it only 24 hour notice, Flat Rate Long Distance decided to proceed with the move on a date when I had tight availability and that my building management could only assign 2 hours use of elevator even though we both requested the day after which was free availability. The movers were there a total of 3 hours and 45 minutes. Given the poor scheduling, I had to take a conference call so I was preoccupied for the first 2 1/2 hours of the move. For what remained, it was difficult to direct the movers due to the missed time and so many items being in my apartment that were brought up to adhere to the 2 hour elevator limit. Also, due to the poor packing of my boxes, and being that I have so many items, it was difficult to properly place items for two reasons, first, the boxes were not detailed in labeling. For instance, books in boxes were labeled to the correct room, but there was no labeling of which shelf, and left to right, based on how it was setup before packing it up. Therefore, without me overseeing, the books were unpacked and haphazardly placed on shelf, mostly back to front. This created aimless work for the movers and extra work for me in completely reorganizing. Second, all furniture had dirt which led me to question were my items not stored wrapped; the dust was caked on. I received no heads up beforehand that this may be the condition they arrive in to prep so unpacking was futile as all furniture had to be thoroughly wiped and sanitized. Given the dust, why would Flat Rate not recommend that I cancel unpacking given their expertise of what condition lengthy stored items might arrive in? Also, many boxes had a mix of items just thrown in without regard for the protection or delicacy of the items, i.e. shoes with lingerie, kitchen items with linens, light fixtures with hair products. I have a lot of things and this move wasn't easy on both ends, however, my contract wasn't just for transporting items, but also fees for packing and unpacking. Including $500 cash tip for the movers on both ends, I absolutely feel jilted. To add insult to injury, a handful of furniture items were delivered scratched with gashes in the wood that were not there prior and two pieces off hinge. Additionally, right after my pickup, I reached out to my booker that the movers left two picture hangings on wall that I specifically asked to be packed; to this date I've received no response, apology or compensation. My Dirt Devil vacuum and Black & Decker drill are missing; as well as the moving blanket I borrowed from a friend seems to have been accidentally taken during unpack. The only thing that got me through the delivery was how great the foreman was. I really wish the packing had been done better so that they could have unpacked better and helped me more because they had such great attitudes. Unfortunately, I had to release them as it was futile due to hapless packing and dirt on the furniture. Plus what they were unpacking actually was creating work. Moving is a strain enough as it is, even more so as a single woman, and without a company covering long distance and the long storage expenses. I am hoping that Flat Rate does the right thing with reparations for the claim and photo documentation I submit. Should you select Flat Rate, please be proactive to ensure you do endure the damages and occurrences I had. Photos are posted to show above. read more
11 years ago
Rating between 2 - 3 stars was debatable. Flat Rate was referred to me by one of my graduate school classmates that had success moving from NYC to MIA. Unfortunately, my experience was not as smooth. I believe generally they are 4/5-star, but my experience was the outlier which I feel no other person, especially someone not covered by corporate expense should endure. On a positive note, the email or phone responsive of the Flat Rate office team is great as is the speed in which items are packed/unpacked, loaded/unloaded by the on-site movers. Also, the paperwork is well laid out. However, the negative is a lack of organization to pack/unpack boxed contents; as well as my move was scheduled against my preferred timing, leading to both inconvenience and inefficiency of delivery plus some of my furniture arrived with damages and all furniture had dust. Also at the end of the first 3-month storage period, I was notified my monthly storage fee would double. I had to refute such gouging and eventually I agreed to a more a nominal increase, but an increase all the same which I found unscrupulous as nothing in original contract said rates could change. It was agreed to in writing and verbally that I would be alerted 48 hours before delivery. Instead not only was it only 24 hour notice, Flat Rate Long Distance decided to proceed with the move on a date when I had tight availability and that my building management could only assign 2 hours use of elevator even though we both requested the day after which was free availability. The movers were there a total of 3 hours and 45 minutes. Given the poor scheduling, I had to take a conference call so I was preoccupied for the first 2 1/2 hours of the move. For what remained, it was difficult to direct the movers due to the missed time and so many items being in my apartment that were brought up to adhere to the 2 hour elevator limit. Also, due to the poor packing of my boxes, and being that I have so many items, it was difficult to properly place items for two reasons, first, the boxes were not detailed in labeling. For instance, books in boxes were labeled to the correct room, but there was no labeling of which shelf, and left to right, based on how it was setup before packing it up. Therefore, without me overseeing, the books were unpacked and haphazardly placed on shelf, mostly back to front. This created aimless work for the movers and extra work for me in completely reorganizing. Second, all furniture had dirt which led me to question were my items not stored wrapped; the dust was caked on. I received no heads up beforehand that this may be the condition they arrive in to prep so unpacking was futile as all furniture had to be thoroughly wiped and sanitized. Given the dust, why would Flat Rate not recommend that I cancel unpacking given their expertise of what condition lengthy stored items might arrive in? Also, many boxes had a mix of items just thrown in without regard for the protection or delicacy of the items, i.e. shoes with lingerie, kitchen items with linens, light fixtures with hair products. I have a lot of things and this move wasn't easy on both ends, however, my contract wasn't just for transporting items, but also fees for packing and unpacking. Including $500 cash tip for the movers on both ends, I absolutely feel jilted. To add insult to injury, a handful of furniture items were delivered scratched with gashes in the wood that were not there prior and two pieces off hinge. Additionally, right after my pickup, I reached out to my booker that the movers left two picture hangings on wall that I specifically asked to be packed; to this date I've received no response, apology or compensation. My Dirt Devil vacuum and Black & Decker drill are missing; as well as the moving blanket I borrowed from a friend seems to have been accidentally taken during unpack. The only thing that got me through the delivery was how great the foreman was. I really wish the packing had been done better so that they could have unpacked better and helped me more because they had such great attitudes. Unfortunately, I had to release them as it was futile due to hapless packing and dirt on the furniture. Plus what they were unpacking actually was creating work. Moving is a strain enough as it is, even more so as a single woman, and without a company covering long distance and the long storage expenses. I am hoping that Flat Rate does the right thing with reparations for the claim and photo documentation I submit. Should you select Flat Rate, please be proactive to ensure you do endure the damages and occurrences I had. Photos are posted to show above. read more
11 years ago
Rating between 2 - 3 stars was debatable. Flat Rate was referred to me by one of my graduate school classmates that had success moving from NYC to MIA. Unfortunately, my experience was not as smooth. I believe generally they are 4/5-star, but my experience was the outlier which I feel no other person, especially someone not covered by corporate expense should endure. On a positive note, the email or phone responsive of the Flat Rate office team is great as is the speed in which items are packed/unpacked, loaded/unloaded by the on-site movers. Also, the paperwork is well laid out. However, the negative is a lack of organization to pack/unpack boxed contents; as well as my move was scheduled against my preferred timing, leading to both inconvenience and inefficiency of delivery plus some of my furniture arrived with damages and all furniture had dust. Also at the end of the first 3-month storage period, I was notified my monthly storage fee would double. I had to refute such gouging and eventually I agreed to a more a nominal increase, but an increase all the same which I found unscrupulous as nothing in original contract said rates could change. It was agreed to in writing and verbally that I would be alerted 48 hours before delivery. Instead not only was it only 24 hour notice, Flat Rate Long Distance decided to proceed with the move on a date when I had tight availability and that my building management could only assign 2 hours use of elevator even though we both requested the day after which was free availability. The movers were there a total of 3 hours and 45 minutes. Given the poor scheduling, I had to take a conference call so I was preoccupied for the first 2 1/2 hours of the move. For what remained, it was difficult to direct the movers due to the missed time and so many items being in my apartment that were brought up to adhere to the 2 hour elevator limit. Also, due to the poor packing of my boxes, and being that I have so many items, it was difficult to properly place items for two reasons, first, the boxes were not detailed in labeling. For instance, books in boxes were labeled to the correct room, but there was no labeling of which shelf, and left to right, based on how it was setup before packing it up. Therefore, without me overseeing, the books were unpacked and haphazardly placed on shelf, mostly back to front. This created aimless work for the movers and extra work for me in completely reorganizing. Second, all furniture had dirt which led me to question were my items not stored wrapped; the dust was caked on. I received no heads up beforehand that this may be the condition they arrive in to prep so unpacking was futile as all furniture had to be thoroughly wiped and sanitized. Given the dust, why would Flat Rate not recommend that I cancel unpacking given their expertise of what condition lengthy stored items might arrive in? Also, many boxes had a mix of items just thrown in without regard for the protection or delicacy of the items, i.e. shoes with lingerie, kitchen items with linens, light fixtures with hair products. I have a lot of things and this move wasn't easy on both ends, however, my contract wasn't just for transporting items, but also fees for packing and unpacking. Including $500 cash tip for the movers on both ends, I absolutely feel jilted. To add insult to injury, a handful of furniture items were delivered scratched with gashes in the wood that were not there prior and two pieces off hinge. Additionally, right after my pickup, I reached out to my booker that the movers left two picture hangings on wall that I specifically asked to be packed; to this date I've received no response, apology or compensation. My Dirt Devil vacuum and Black & Decker drill are missing; as well as the moving blanket I borrowed from a friend seems to have been accidentally taken during unpack. The only thing that got me through the delivery was how great the foreman was. I really wish the packing had been done better so that they could have unpacked better and helped me more because they had such great attitudes. Unfortunately, I had to release them as it was futile due to hapless packing and dirt on the furniture. Plus what they were unpacking actually was creating work. Moving is a strain enough as it is, even more so as a single woman, and without a company covering long distance and the long storage expenses. I am hoping that Flat Rate does the right thing with reparations for the claim and photo documentation I submit. Should you select Flat Rate, please be proactive to ensure you do endure the damages and occurrences I had. Photos are posted to show above. read more
11 years ago
Rating between 2 - 3 stars was debatable. Flat Rate was referred to me by one of my graduate school classmates that had success moving from NYC to MIA. Unfortunately, my experience was not as smooth. I believe generally they are 4/5-star, but my experience was the outlier which I feel no other person, especially someone not covered by corporate expense should endure. On a positive note, the email or phone responsive of the Flat Rate office team is great as is the speed in which items are packed/unpacked, loaded/unloaded by the on-site movers. Also, the paperwork is well laid out. However, the negative is a lack of organization to pack/unpack boxed contents; as well as my move was scheduled against my preferred timing, leading to both inconvenience and inefficiency of delivery plus some of my furniture arrived with damages and all furniture had dust. Also at the end of the first 3-month storage period, I was notified my monthly storage fee would double. I had to refute such gouging and eventually I agreed to a more a nominal increase, but an increase all the same which I found unscrupulous as nothing in original contract said rates could change. It was agreed to in writing and verbally that I would be alerted 48 hours before delivery. Instead not only was it only 24 hour notice, Flat Rate Long Distance decided to proceed with the move on a date when I had tight availability and that my building management could only assign 2 hours use of elevator even though we both requested the day after which was free availability. The movers were there a total of 3 hours and 45 minutes. Given the poor scheduling, I had to take a conference call so I was preoccupied for the first 2 1/2 hours of the move. For what remained, it was difficult to direct the movers due to the missed time and so many items being in my apartment that were brought up to adhere to the 2 hour elevator limit. Also, due to the poor packing of my boxes, and being that I have so many items, it was difficult to properly place items for two reasons, first, the boxes were not detailed in labeling. For instance, books in boxes were labeled to the correct room, but there was no labeling of which shelf, and left to right, based on how it was setup before packing it up. Therefore, without me overseeing, the books were unpacked and haphazardly placed on shelf, mostly back to front. This created aimless work for the movers and extra work for me in completely reorganizing. Second, all furniture had dirt which led me to question were my items not stored wrapped; the dust was caked on. I received no heads up beforehand that this may be the condition they arrive in to prep so unpacking was futile as all furniture had to be thoroughly wiped and sanitized. Given the dust, why would Flat Rate not recommend that I cancel unpacking given their expertise of what condition lengthy stored items might arrive in? Also, many boxes had a mix of items just thrown in without regard for the protection or delicacy of the items, i.e. shoes with lingerie, kitchen items with linens, light fixtures with hair products. I have a lot of things and this move wasn't easy on both ends, however, my contract wasn't just for transporting items, but also fees for packing and unpacking. Including $500 cash tip for the movers on both ends, I absolutely feel jilted. To add insult to injury, a handful of furniture items were delivered scratched with gashes in the wood that were not there prior and two pieces off hinge. Additionally, right after my pickup, I reached out to my booker that the movers left two picture hangings on wall that I specifically asked to be packed; to this date I've received no response, apology or compensation. My Dirt Devil vacuum and Black & Decker drill are missing; as well as the moving blanket I borrowed from a friend seems to have been accidentally taken during unpack. The only thing that got me through the delivery was how great the foreman was. I really wish the packing had been done better so that they could have unpacked better and helped me more because they had such great attitudes. Unfortunately, I had to release them as it was futile due to hapless packing and dirt on the furniture. Plus what they were unpacking actually was creating work. Moving is a strain enough as it is, even more so as a single woman, and without a company covering long distance and the long storage expenses. I am hoping that Flat Rate does the right thing with reparations for the claim and photo documentation I submit. Should you select Flat Rate, please be proactive to ensure you do endure the damages and occurrences I had. Photos are posted to show above. read more
11 years ago
Rating between 2 - 3 stars was debatable. Flat Rate was referred to me by one of my graduate school classmates that had success moving from NYC to MIA. Unfortunately, my experience was not as smooth. I believe generally they are 4/5-star, but my experience was the outlier which I feel no other person, especially someone not covered by corporate expense should endure. On a positive note, the email or phone responsive of the Flat Rate office team is great as is the speed in which items are packed/unpacked, loaded/unloaded by the on-site movers. Also, the paperwork is well laid out. However, the negative is a lack of organization to pack/unpack boxed contents; as well as my move was scheduled against my preferred timing, leading to both inconvenience and inefficiency of delivery plus some of my furniture arrived with damages and all furniture had dust. Also at the end of the first 3-month storage period, I was notified my monthly storage fee would double. I had to refute such gouging and eventually I agreed to a more a nominal increase, but an increase all the same which I found unscrupulous as nothing in original contract said rates could change. It was agreed to in writing and verbally that I would be alerted 48 hours before delivery. Instead not only was it only 24 hour notice, Flat Rate Long Distance decided to proceed with the move on a date when I had tight availability and that my building management could only assign 2 hours use of elevator even though we both requested the day after which was free availability. The movers were there a total of 3 hours and 45 minutes. Given the poor scheduling, I had to take a conference call so I was preoccupied for the first 2 1/2 hours of the move. For what remained, it was difficult to direct the movers due to the missed time and so many items being in my apartment that were brought up to adhere to the 2 hour elevator limit. Also, due to the poor packing of my boxes, and being that I have so many items, it was difficult to properly place items for two reasons, first, the boxes were not detailed in labeling. For instance, books in boxes were labeled to the correct room, but there was no labeling of which shelf, and left to right, based on how it was setup before packing it up. Therefore, without me overseeing, the books were unpacked and haphazardly placed on shelf, mostly back to front. This created aimless work for the movers and extra work for me in completely reorganizing. Second, all furniture had dirt which led me to question were my items not stored wrapped; the dust was caked on. I received no heads up beforehand that this may be the condition they arrive in to prep so unpacking was futile as all furniture had to be thoroughly wiped and sanitized. Given the dust, why would Flat Rate not recommend that I cancel unpacking given their expertise of what condition lengthy stored items might arrive in? Also, many boxes had a mix of items just thrown in without regard for the protection or delicacy of the items, i.e. shoes with lingerie, kitchen items with linens, light fixtures with hair products. I have a lot of things and this move wasn't easy on both ends, however, my contract wasn't just for transporting items, but also fees for packing and unpacking. Including $500 cash tip for the movers on both ends, I absolutely feel jilted. To add insult to injury, a handful of furniture items were delivered scratched with gashes in the wood that were not there prior and two pieces off hinge. Additionally, right after my pickup, I reached out to my booker that the movers left two picture hangings on wall that I specifically asked to be packed; to this date I've received no response, apology or compensation. My Dirt Devil vacuum and Black & Decker drill are missing; as well as the moving blanket I borrowed from a friend seems to have been accidentally taken during unpack. The only thing that got me through the delivery was how great the foreman was. I really wish the packing had been done better so that they could have unpacked better and helped me more because they had such great attitudes. Unfortunately, I had to release them as it was futile due to hapless packing and dirt on the furniture. Plus what they were unpacking actually was creating work. Moving is a strain enough as it is, even more so as a single woman, and without a company covering long distance and the long storage expenses. I am hoping that Flat Rate does the right thing with reparations for the claim and photo documentation I submit. Should you select Flat Rate, please be proactive to ensure you do endure the damages and occurrences I had. Photos are posted to show above. read more
12 years ago
Rating between 2 - 3 stars was debatable. Flat Rate was referred to me by one of my graduate school classmates that had success moving from NYC to MIA. Unfortunately, my experience was not as smooth. I believe generally they are 4/5-star, but my experience was the outlier which I feel no other person, especially someone not covered by corporate expense should endure. On a positive note, the email or phone responsive of the Flat Rate office team is great as is the speed in which items are packed/unpacked, loaded/unloaded by the on-site movers. Also, the paperwork is well laid out. However, the negative is a lack of organization to pack/unpack boxed contents; as well as my move was scheduled against my preferred timing, leading to both inconvenience and inefficiency of delivery plus some of my furniture arrived with damages and all furniture had dust. Also at the end of the first 3-month storage period, I was notified my monthly storage fee would double. I had to refute such gouging and eventually I agreed to a more a nominal increase, but an increase all the same which I found unscrupulous as nothing in original contract said rates could change. It was agreed to in writing and verbally that I would be alerted 48 hours before delivery. Instead not only was it only 24 hour notice, Flat Rate Long Distance decided to proceed with the move on a date when I had tight availability and that my building management could only assign 2 hours use of elevator even though we both requested the day after which was free availability. The movers were there a total of 3 hours and 45 minutes. Given the poor scheduling, I had to take a conference call so I was preoccupied for the first 2 1/2 hours of the move. For what remained, it was difficult to direct the movers due to the missed time and so many items being in my apartment that were brought up to adhere to the 2 hour elevator limit. Also, due to the poor packing of my boxes, and being that I have so many items, it was difficult to properly place items for two reasons, first, the boxes were not detailed in labeling. For instance, books in boxes were labeled to the correct room, but there was no labeling of which shelf, and left to right, based on how it was setup before packing it up. Therefore, without me overseeing, the books were unpacked and haphazardly placed on shelf, mostly back to front. This created aimless work for the movers and extra work for me in completely reorganizing. Second, all furniture had dirt which led me to question were my items not stored wrapped; the dust was caked on. I received no heads up beforehand that this may be the condition they arrive in to prep so unpacking was futile as all furniture had to be thoroughly wiped and sanitized. Given the dust, why would Flat Rate not recommend that I cancel unpacking given their expertise of what condition lengthy stored items might arrive in? Also, many boxes had a mix of items just thrown in without regard for the protection or delicacy of the items, i.e. shoes with lingerie, kitchen items with linens, light fixtures with hair products. I have a lot of things and this move wasn't easy on both ends, however, my contract wasn't just for transporting items, but also fees for packing and unpacking. Including $500 cash tip for the movers on both ends, I absolutely feel jilted. To add insult to injury, a handful of furniture items were delivered scratched with gashes in the wood that were not there prior and two pieces off hinge. Additionally, right after my pickup, I reached out to my booker that the movers left two picture hangings on wall that I specifically asked to be packed; to this date I've received no response, apology or compensation. My Dirt Devil vacuum and Black & Decker drill are missing; as well as the moving blanket I borrowed from a friend seems to have been accidentally taken during unpack. The only thing that got me through the delivery was how great the foreman was. I really wish the packing had been done better so that they could have unpacked better and helped me more because they had such great attitudes. Unfortunately, I had to release them as it was futile due to hapless packing and dirt on the furniture. Plus what they were unpacking actually was creating work. Moving is a strain enough as it is, even more so as a single woman, and without a company covering long distance and the long storage expenses. I am hoping that Flat Rate does the right thing with reparations for the claim and photo documentation I submit. Should you select Flat Rate, please be proactive to ensure you do endure the damages and occurrences I had. Photos are posted to show above. read more
11 years ago
This is my 57th review and I pride myself on being fair and even handed. While I have not always been delighted with the services I have received, I have never called a company deplorable- nor would I do so lightly. I was having my apt painted and floors redone so needed to have my furniture removed, hence my call to Flat Rate. I carefully planned the timing of the painters, flooring install, and the movers (even allotting a few days"wiggle room") as I was having people over for Passover and Easter. The first group of movers pick up my furniture to bring to Flat Rates' warehouse in NJ. A little over a week later, they were to be returned. The second group of movers arrive and were almost finished, when I was advised that there was "a problem." I accompany him to my lobby where I find my very expensive side buffet, upside down with the back leg and adjoining area smashed to pieces. He admitted this was his fault and that it occurred days before when loading my furniture from the warehouse into the truck. I asked why someone from Flat Rate didn't call me prior to delivery? He was instructed to deliver it broken, and to advise me to file a clam. This was the first red flag- Flat Rate was aware they damaged my furniture and yet, for some inexplicable reason, felt no obligation to let me know beforehand? I called customer service immediately and assumed they would be as concerned as I was. I assumed incorrectly - their response was "oh, sorry -fill out the form and send it back to us". I filled out the form, included photos, and a receipt which shows the cost of the piece.They also ask for the weight - which is absurd. Not sure about all of you, but I can't for the life of me remember when I weighed a piece of my furniture. Clearly another red flag. Saying I was devastated about the damage that Flat Rate caused would be an gross understatement. Just to clarify, if this were a piece from Crate & Barrel, sure I would be upset, but we are talking about a piece that was bought as an investment, and over $6,900. Since I was aware of the value, I opted for their insurance which was to cove me for $10,000. I receive an ambiguous email from their Customer Service Dept - I say ambiguous as it was signed "customer service" (no actual name of a person to follow-up with). They tell me to contact "their vendor" All Furniture Services so they can come and assess the damage. AFS arrives three days later - the guy tells me how great he is, and that he can "fix it" Fix it? Even if AFS were miracle workers and could "fix it", the piece would no longer have the same value. To add insult to injury, I needed to call 20 people to tell them to find alternative arrangements for the holidays as I now have a large piece of furniture sitting in my kitchen, and my kitchen furniture in my living room, so clearly I cannot have people over- another big thank you to Flat Rate from my friends & family whose holiday plans were cancelled the day before! I then receive an email to advise that my claim is now "closed". They have graciously decided to offer me $250.00 as a "courtesy". So Flat Rate just damaged a $6,900 piece of furniture, and their idea of settling my claim is to offer me $250.00? They said I can have it repaired by AFS for $450.00. As per Flat Rate, I have a $500.00 deductible so while they state that they will "repair or replace any damaged furniture", in actuality, you are the one who pays for the repair. I am far from obtuse so what am I missing here? I still have the broken piece of furniture in my kitchen (where their men promptly dumped it) and my apartment looks as though I just moved-in, instead of just being redone. Flat Rate is not disputing that the caused the damage - so the big question is why would any reputable company not take responsibility and offer to replace the piece? They are under the misconception that an offer of $250. will cover my inconvenience Inconvenience doesn't even begin to describe what I have been through - all due to Flat Rates' negligence. They have decided to wash their hands of the matter, I on the other hand have not. I called Customer Service to ask for the name/email address for someone on their management team. Nope sorry - "we cannot provide that information" I work in management for one of the largest privately owned companies in the U.S. We gladly provide contact info for anyone in our company. Why? - because any company with integrity actually WANTS to hear from their customers -whether for a compliment or complaint. That is what good companies do. That is what ethics and good business practices are all about. Clearly Flat Rate has none. read more
11 years ago
This is my 57th review and I pride myself on being fair and even handed. While I have not always been delighted with the services I have received, I have never called a company deplorable- nor would I do so lightly. I was having my apt painted and floors redone so needed to have my furniture removed, hence my call to Flat Rate. I carefully planned the timing of the painters, flooring install, and the movers (even allotting a few days"wiggle room") as I was having people over for Passover and Easter. The first group of movers pick up my furniture to bring to Flat Rates' warehouse in NJ. A little over a week later, they were to be returned. The second group of movers arrive and were almost finished, when I was advised that there was "a problem." I accompany him to my lobby where I find my very expensive side buffet, upside down with the back leg and adjoining area smashed to pieces. He admitted this was his fault and that it occurred days before when loading my furniture from the warehouse into the truck. I asked why someone from Flat Rate didn't call me prior to delivery? He was instructed to deliver it broken, and to advise me to file a clam. This was the first red flag- Flat Rate was aware they damaged my furniture and yet, for some inexplicable reason, felt no obligation to let me know beforehand? I called customer service immediately and assumed they would be as concerned as I was. I assumed incorrectly - their response was "oh, sorry -fill out the form and send it back to us". I filled out the form, included photos, and a receipt which shows the cost of the piece.They also ask for the weight - which is absurd. Not sure about all of you, but I can't for the life of me remember when I weighed a piece of my furniture. Clearly another red flag. Saying I was devastated about the damage that Flat Rate caused would be an gross understatement. Just to clarify, if this were a piece from Crate & Barrel, sure I would be upset, but we are talking about a piece that was bought as an investment, and over $6,900. Since I was aware of the value, I opted for their insurance which was to cove me for $10,000. I receive an ambiguous email from their Customer Service Dept - I say ambiguous as it was signed "customer service" (no actual name of a person to follow-up with). They tell me to contact "their vendor" All Furniture Services so they can come and assess the damage. AFS arrives three days later - the guy tells me how great he is, and that he can "fix it" Fix it? Even if AFS were miracle workers and could "fix it", the piece would no longer have the same value. To add insult to injury, I needed to call 20 people to tell them to find alternative arrangements for the holidays as I now have a large piece of furniture sitting in my kitchen, and my kitchen furniture in my living room, so clearly I cannot have people over- another big thank you to Flat Rate from my friends & family whose holiday plans were cancelled the day before! I then receive an email to advise that my claim is now "closed". They have graciously decided to offer me $250.00 as a "courtesy". So Flat Rate just damaged a $6,900 piece of furniture, and their idea of settling my claim is to offer me $250.00? They said I can have it repaired by AFS for $450.00. As per Flat Rate, I have a $500.00 deductible so while they state that they will "repair or replace any damaged furniture", in actuality, you are the one who pays for the repair. I am far from obtuse so what am I missing here? I still have the broken piece of furniture in my kitchen (where their men promptly dumped it) and my apartment looks as though I just moved-in, instead of just being redone. Flat Rate is not disputing that the caused the damage - so the big question is why would any reputable company not take responsibility and offer to replace the piece? They are under the misconception that an offer of $250. will cover my inconvenience Inconvenience doesn't even begin to describe what I have been through - all due to Flat Rates' negligence. They have decided to wash their hands of the matter, I on the other hand have not. I called Customer Service to ask for the name/email address for someone on their management team. Nope sorry - "we cannot provide that information" I work in management for one of the largest privately owned companies in the U.S. We gladly provide contact info for anyone in our company. Why? - because any company with integrity actually WANTS to hear from their customers -whether for a compliment or complaint. That is what good companies do. That is what ethics and good business practices are all about. Clearly Flat Rate has none. read more
11 years ago
This is my 57th review and I pride myself on being fair and even handed. While I have not always been delighted with the services I have received, I have never called a company deplorable- nor would I do so lightly. I was having my apt painted and floors redone so needed to have my furniture removed, hence my call to Flat Rate. I carefully planned the timing of the painters, flooring install, and the movers (even allotting a few days"wiggle room") as I was having people over for Passover and Easter. The first group of movers pick up my furniture to bring to Flat Rates' warehouse in NJ. A little over a week later, they were to be returned. The second group of movers arrive and were almost finished, when I was advised that there was "a problem." I accompany him to my lobby where I find my very expensive side buffet, upside down with the back leg and adjoining area smashed to pieces. He admitted this was his fault and that it occurred days before when loading my furniture from the warehouse into the truck. I asked why someone from Flat Rate didn't call me prior to delivery? He was instructed to deliver it broken, and to advise me to file a clam. This was the first red flag- Flat Rate was aware they damaged my furniture and yet, for some inexplicable reason, felt no obligation to let me know beforehand? I called customer service immediately and assumed they would be as concerned as I was. I assumed incorrectly - their response was "oh, sorry -fill out the form and send it back to us". I filled out the form, included photos, and a receipt which shows the cost of the piece.They also ask for the weight - which is absurd. Not sure about all of you, but I can't for the life of me remember when I weighed a piece of my furniture. Clearly another red flag. Saying I was devastated about the damage that Flat Rate caused would be an gross understatement. Just to clarify, if this were a piece from Crate & Barrel, sure I would be upset, but we are talking about a piece that was bought as an investment, and over $6,900. Since I was aware of the value, I opted for their insurance which was to cove me for $10,000. I receive an ambiguous email from their Customer Service Dept - I say ambiguous as it was signed "customer service" (no actual name of a person to follow-up with). They tell me to contact "their vendor" All Furniture Services so they can come and assess the damage. AFS arrives three days later - the guy tells me how great he is, and that he can "fix it" Fix it? Even if AFS were miracle workers and could "fix it", the piece would no longer have the same value. To add insult to injury, I needed to call 20 people to tell them to find alternative arrangements for the holidays as I now have a large piece of furniture sitting in my kitchen, and my kitchen furniture in my living room, so clearly I cannot have people over- another big thank you to Flat Rate from my friends & family whose holiday plans were cancelled the day before! I then receive an email to advise that my claim is now "closed". They have graciously decided to offer me $250.00 as a "courtesy". So Flat Rate just damaged a $6,900 piece of furniture, and their idea of settling my claim is to offer me $250.00? They said I can have it repaired by AFS for $450.00. As per Flat Rate, I have a $500.00 deductible so while they state that they will "repair or replace any damaged furniture", in actuality, you are the one who pays for the repair. I am far from obtuse so what am I missing here? I still have the broken piece of furniture in my kitchen (where their men promptly dumped it) and my apartment looks as though I just moved-in, instead of just being redone. Flat Rate is not disputing that the caused the damage - so the big question is why would any reputable company not take responsibility and offer to replace the piece? They are under the misconception that an offer of $250. will cover my inconvenience Inconvenience doesn't even begin to describe what I have been through - all due to Flat Rates' negligence. They have decided to wash their hands of the matter, I on the other hand have not. I called Customer Service to ask for the name/email address for someone on their management team. Nope sorry - "we cannot provide that information" I work in management for one of the largest privately owned companies in the U.S. We gladly provide contact info for anyone in our company. Why? - because any company with integrity actually WANTS to hear from their customers -whether for a compliment or complaint. That is what good companies do. That is what ethics and good business practices are all about. Clearly Flat Rate has none. read more
11 years ago
This is my 57th review and I pride myself on being fair and even handed. While I have not always been delighted with the services I have received, I have never called a company deplorable- nor would I do so lightly. I was having my apt painted and floors redone so needed to have my furniture removed, hence my call to Flat Rate. I carefully planned the timing of the painters, flooring install, and the movers (even allotting a few days"wiggle room") as I was having people over for Passover and Easter. The first group of movers pick up my furniture to bring to Flat Rates' warehouse in NJ. A little over a week later, they were to be returned. The second group of movers arrive and were almost finished, when I was advised that there was "a problem." I accompany him to my lobby where I find my very expensive side buffet, upside down with the back leg and adjoining area smashed to pieces. He admitted this was his fault and that it occurred days before when loading my furniture from the warehouse into the truck. I asked why someone from Flat Rate didn't call me prior to delivery? He was instructed to deliver it broken, and to advise me to file a clam. This was the first red flag- Flat Rate was aware they damaged my furniture and yet, for some inexplicable reason, felt no obligation to let me know beforehand? I called customer service immediately and assumed they would be as concerned as I was. I assumed incorrectly - their response was "oh, sorry -fill out the form and send it back to us". I filled out the form, included photos, and a receipt which shows the cost of the piece.They also ask for the weight - which is absurd. Not sure about all of you, but I can't for the life of me remember when I weighed a piece of my furniture. Clearly another red flag. Saying I was devastated about the damage that Flat Rate caused would be an gross understatement. Just to clarify, if this were a piece from Crate & Barrel, sure I would be upset, but we are talking about a piece that was bought as an investment, and over $6,900. Since I was aware of the value, I opted for their insurance which was to cove me for $10,000. I receive an ambiguous email from their Customer Service Dept - I say ambiguous as it was signed "customer service" (no actual name of a person to follow-up with). They tell me to contact "their vendor" All Furniture Services so they can come and assess the damage. AFS arrives three days later - the guy tells me how great he is, and that he can "fix it" Fix it? Even if AFS were miracle workers and could "fix it", the piece would no longer have the same value. To add insult to injury, I needed to call 20 people to tell them to find alternative arrangements for the holidays as I now have a large piece of furniture sitting in my kitchen, and my kitchen furniture in my living room, so clearly I cannot have people over- another big thank you to Flat Rate from my friends & family whose holiday plans were cancelled the day before! I then receive an email to advise that my claim is now "closed". They have graciously decided to offer me $250.00 as a "courtesy". So Flat Rate just damaged a $6,900 piece of furniture, and their idea of settling my claim is to offer me $250.00? They said I can have it repaired by AFS for $450.00. As per Flat Rate, I have a $500.00 deductible so while they state that they will "repair or replace any damaged furniture", in actuality, you are the one who pays for the repair. I am far from obtuse so what am I missing here? I still have the broken piece of furniture in my kitchen (where their men promptly dumped it) and my apartment looks as though I just moved-in, instead of just being redone. Flat Rate is not disputing that the caused the damage - so the big question is why would any reputable company not take responsibility and offer to replace the piece? They are under the misconception that an offer of $250. will cover my inconvenience Inconvenience doesn't even begin to describe what I have been through - all due to Flat Rates' negligence. They have decided to wash their hands of the matter, I on the other hand have not. I called Customer Service to ask for the name/email address for someone on their management team. Nope sorry - "we cannot provide that information" I work in management for one of the largest privately owned companies in the U.S. We gladly provide contact info for anyone in our company. Why? - because any company with integrity actually WANTS to hear from their customers -whether for a compliment or complaint. That is what good companies do. That is what ethics and good business practices are all about. Clearly Flat Rate has none. read more
11 years ago
This is my 57th review and I pride myself on being fair and even handed. While I have not always been delighted with the services I have received, I have never called a company deplorable- nor would I do so lightly. I was having my apt painted and floors redone so needed to have my furniture removed, hence my call to Flat Rate. I carefully planned the timing of the painters, flooring install, and the movers (even allotting a few days"wiggle room") as I was having people over for Passover and Easter. The first group of movers pick up my furniture to bring to Flat Rates' warehouse in NJ. A little over a week later, they were to be returned. The second group of movers arrive and were almost finished, when I was advised that there was "a problem." I accompany him to my lobby where I find my very expensive side buffet, upside down with the back leg and adjoining area smashed to pieces. He admitted this was his fault and that it occurred days before when loading my furniture from the warehouse into the truck. I asked why someone from Flat Rate didn't call me prior to delivery? He was instructed to deliver it broken, and to advise me to file a clam. This was the first red flag- Flat Rate was aware they damaged my furniture and yet, for some inexplicable reason, felt no obligation to let me know beforehand? I called customer service immediately and assumed they would be as concerned as I was. I assumed incorrectly - their response was "oh, sorry -fill out the form and send it back to us". I filled out the form, included photos, and a receipt which shows the cost of the piece.They also ask for the weight - which is absurd. Not sure about all of you, but I can't for the life of me remember when I weighed a piece of my furniture. Clearly another red flag. Saying I was devastated about the damage that Flat Rate caused would be an gross understatement. Just to clarify, if this were a piece from Crate & Barrel, sure I would be upset, but we are talking about a piece that was bought as an investment, and over $6,900. Since I was aware of the value, I opted for their insurance which was to cove me for $10,000. I receive an ambiguous email from their Customer Service Dept - I say ambiguous as it was signed "customer service" (no actual name of a person to follow-up with). They tell me to contact "their vendor" All Furniture Services so they can come and assess the damage. AFS arrives three days later - the guy tells me how great he is, and that he can "fix it" Fix it? Even if AFS were miracle workers and could "fix it", the piece would no longer have the same value. To add insult to injury, I needed to call 20 people to tell them to find alternative arrangements for the holidays as I now have a large piece of furniture sitting in my kitchen, and my kitchen furniture in my living room, so clearly I cannot have people over- another big thank you to Flat Rate from my friends & family whose holiday plans were cancelled the day before! I then receive an email to advise that my claim is now "closed". They have graciously decided to offer me $250.00 as a "courtesy". So Flat Rate just damaged a $6,900 piece of furniture, and their idea of settling my claim is to offer me $250.00? They said I can have it repaired by AFS for $450.00. As per Flat Rate, I have a $500.00 deductible so while they state that they will "repair or replace any damaged furniture", in actuality, you are the one who pays for the repair. I am far from obtuse so what am I missing here? I still have the broken piece of furniture in my kitchen (where their men promptly dumped it) and my apartment looks as though I just moved-in, instead of just being redone. Flat Rate is not disputing that the caused the damage - so the big question is why would any reputable company not take responsibility and offer to replace the piece? They are under the misconception that an offer of $250. will cover my inconvenience Inconvenience doesn't even begin to describe what I have been through - all due to Flat Rates' negligence. They have decided to wash their hands of the matter, I on the other hand have not. I called Customer Service to ask for the name/email address for someone on their management team. Nope sorry - "we cannot provide that information" I work in management for one of the largest privately owned companies in the U.S. We gladly provide contact info for anyone in our company. Why? - because any company with integrity actually WANTS to hear from their customers -whether for a compliment or complaint. That is what good companies do. That is what ethics and good business practices are all about. Clearly Flat Rate has none. read more




































