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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.
15 years ago
DO NOT USE FLATRATE FOR A CROSS COUNTRY MOVE. The guys packing up our apartment in Brooklyn for our move to California did an excellent job; they were both courteous and efficient. From that point onwards, however, it all goes downhill. Moving from New York to California means that all your possessions are shuttled from one truck to another. In our case, I was told by one of the guys delivering our stuff that our things had been on a total of five different vehicles. As a consequence, all of our wardrobe boxes were utterly broken and compacted - we might as well just have thrown our clothes into trash bags. This will mean several hundred dollars having to be spent on dry cleaning and/or pressing ALL of our shirts, suits and dresses. An antique side table had a leg broken, which one of the guys had thoughtfully scotch-taped back on for us. However, he did say that it wouldn't stand up any longer! As we have opened various other boxes it is quite clear that little care is exercised - multiple broken and/or damaged items - once the truck leaves your front door. Perhaps this is not the case for moves within New York City but for a trans-continental move, I'd be very surprised if they aren't cosiderably better options than Flatrate. read more
5 years ago
This place is awful. They were late picking up my stuff, and over a month late dropping to my new home. When I finally received my stuff my personal items were damaged. They only wanted cash for final payment. Awful customer service. read more
14 years ago
I used these guys twice before. The first was 4 years ago, and then again 2 years ago. Both times, they were great - very reasonable flat-rate price, prompt service, no damage to my stuff. I called them again recently to get a quote. I have recently gotten rid of most of my old furniture with the intention of buying new things at the new place... so I don't have half as much stuff to move now. But the quote they gave me was absolutely insane. Even with a "10% repeat customer discount," their price was almost twice the next highest flat-rate quote I got from a highly-yelp-rated mover. I actually laughed at the rep on the phone. The sheer ridiculousness of their quote makes me write this today. Get more quotes, unless you're so stupid rich, and like burning money for no apparent reason other than because you can. read more
11 years ago
I have used Flat Rate for 3 moves, one from New York to Chicago and 2 local moves in NY City and State. I have only found Flat Rate to be professional, courteous, and organized. I found the movers to be well trained, efficient, and they did not damage anything except one small nick in a side table which is unfortunate. I really liked that one of the Managers came on the day of the move to make sure it was going well, that the movers came on time and everything got out of my building with only 2 hours to move which was the reservation on the elevator. I liked having a set price for the move because there are no day of move additional costs which has happened to me in the past with other companies and can add a ton to the bill! I would recommend Flat Rate any day and have to a friend who moved from NYC to San Mateo and she had an excellent experience too. All in all I had a great experience with Flat Rate on 3 occasions. I only gave one less star because there is a lot of back and forth with paperwork after you have reserved the move...but it does prevent any miss communication for the day of the move in the end. Love Flat Rate. It's worth a little bit more. read more
6 years ago
I used Flatrate moving from NYC to SF last year. I had a great experience working with them and I didn't have any issues at all. I didn't want to post this on Yelp/Google because I would rather you all figure it out within the company first and I also prefer to criticize privately. First off, there were way too many hiccups involved in this move. I will talk through them one by one. 1. My wardrobes. I purchased the all-inclusive package including packing. Even without packing, Flatrate offers disassembly of furniture. I had mentioned multiple times through phone and email that both of my wardrobes required extensive effort to disassemble. Over the phone, I was told that it would be fine and they would take care of it. And over email, no one responded. There was an embarrassing lack of communication on the company's part on just this section. On the move out day, after 30 minutes of attempts to fit it through the hallway staircase: I personally had to disassemble my furniture while the movers were disassembling furniture in the middle of the building hallway. a. Had there been more communication on Flatrate's end, I would have been able to hire a TaskRabbit to handle taking apart the wardrobe beforehand and had the movers just come and wrap everything up, instead of doing this all during my moving window which added stress onto every, single person (including my roommates). 2. Upon arrival, multiple large pieces of furniture were broken including the large wardrobes that could not fit through the hallway. This included my wardrobes, my clothing rack, my lamp, and my monitor. This seems like an excessive amount of damage to me. To put this in perspective THREE out of SEVEN of the large "furniture" pieces that were in my move plan and contract arrived DAMAGED and irreparable. 3. After inspecting further, 2 boxes arrived with all of the matcha powder spilled out. Another box arrived with my coconut oil spilled out. This coconut oil was with me from my move from NYC to SF and I was able to manage it not spilling out at all (even though I packed myself). So DO NOT USE THEM TO PACK YOUR STUFF. EVERYTHING WILL BE BROKEN. 4. To top this all off, I had to call multiple times for a delivery window and when my movers are coming. I wasn't able to take a day off until the day before because I wasn't sure what time it would come and I had to call to find out instead of hearing from the company about the expected delivery date and time frame. I was willing to let the first item go, had my furniture arrived unscathed. I was willing to let the second go based on how apologetic the movers were when the pieces arrived broken. I was willing to let the last point go because I felt that you all tried to rectify the situation immediately... but the monitor really was the straw that broke the camel's back. I did not have time to go through everything yet and I was excited to set up a small home office to work from. However, when putting it all together, a huge piece of it was CRACKED. Not only does this put a huge dent in my day but it is an essential part of my work and my business. TL;DR: 3 out of 7 of the "furniture" items were broken. 3 out of 15 of my boxes had spills. At this point, the amount of angst that I went through and money I spent during this move is equivalent to me selling, throwing everything away, AND repurchasing it in NYC without moving 90% of my items. I really did not want to go to the extent of posting on public review sites about this experience because I do not want to have one bad experience taint the good. Update: I sent this to this email to them back in October & they sent me the check for 4 out of 5 of the items on the list of the claims in November. From then on, I've been trying to get to claim appeals for the past 2 months to get them to send me an updated check with my real name on it. I admit my fault in that for not adding my real name but NOBODY has answered my emails or my calls. Do not use this company. read more
6 years ago
This is one of the worst companies I've ever dealt with. The customer service is awful as everyone just looks to brush you off in hopes of getting you off the phone. I used Flatrate in June of this year and put my belongings in storage with them. The terms of my contract stated the first two months of storage were free and thereafter I would pay $427/mo for storage. Since day one they have been charging me for storage and a rate higher then that is stated in my contract. They have been charging me $646/mo vs the agreed upon rate of $427. I've been calling them since June regarding this issue and I keep hearing your refund will be issued and thats when I can get someone on the phone. As of October 6th I still have no refund for the two erroneous months ($646 x2 = $1,292) and the overcharge of ($219/mo x 2 = $438) for the last two months. In addition, I recently tried scheduling my move out of storage and now Flatrate is trying to charge me more money for the move out of storage then the move out of my apartment which they provided packing services. I've been very patient calling and emailing since June but yet I still get no resolution to my issue just a continued passing of the buck. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY, pay a little more elsewhere where you will get better customer service. I will never recommend nor use them again. read more
7 years ago
They were fantastic - in town move just a few blocks away but they were extremely professional and courteous. Mohammed and Yosef is were excellent. They were in contact with updates throughout the day and even took some extra boxes free of charge. Would recommend them to anyone. read more
11 years ago
This is not my review!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!' Someone hacked me!!!!!!! The best company!!! They are really professional , came on time and did an amazing job!!!!! Wrapped all my furniture up without damage!!! Highly recommend them to every one!!!!! read more
10 years ago
A PICTURE'S WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS: SEE PHOTOS BELOW After having used this company before, and referring many friends and family, I am so sad to have to report the poor treatment my belongings received by these movers and storage people. I used this company 3 times in the past 15 months and stored items with them over the course of a year. After spending over $6000.00 in moving fees ( not including storage) and $1000.00 in gratuities, I am left with severe damage of irreplaceable items and loss of things left in storage. Furthermore, the moving men removed parts from an antique clock that they later could not replace, leaving me with a non working clock. What infuriates me the most is that you are expected to tip generously, (seeing how much physical labor is involved, one is made to feel guilty if you don't tip on top of the exorbitant rates) and these tips are dispersed before you can unpack and see how careless they were with your precious belongings. After over $1600 in loss there is no way these guys should have received $1000 in gratuities! Since every single box (made especially for fragile items) was marked accordingly, there was no reason to handle the items in such a rough manner. Furthermore I kept asking the movers not to carry certain boxes one on top of the other for fear of crushing fragile pieces. They kept saying to me "don't worry". And finally, I have repeatedly reached out to customer service asking to speak to a manager before I wrote this review. I don't like to write bad reviews and have given this company every opportunity to make this right. They have not done so. read more
10 years ago
This review is for the customer service PRE-moving. it is definitely a big big headache when it comes to international moving, i read so many scary reviews that i am lost as to who to pick! But i am happy that Ming Wang from flatrate is so patience with her service and i must have sent her millions of questions (i feel real bad) but she is out to help and sounded genuine and compassionate about my situation! I hope that the rest of the team is going to be like her after i select them as my international mover! wish they would assign one coordinator to do everything from A-Z! If you guys want a reliable customer rep from flatrate, she is the girl to go to! read more
15 years ago
FlatRate was awesome! I moved from New York City to San Francisco recently, and used the service for moving out of NY, storage, cross-country move and getting into my new place in SF. All in all, the service was outstanding. I had great, courteous teams on either end of the move. In both cities, they were exactly on time for their delivery as estimated the day before. They gave me a 24 hour arrival estimate for a cross-country trip. They wrapped and packed everything in the truck so each piece arrived accounted for and all in one piece. A single six-year old wine glass was broken on my own fault, but that was it.... They even disassembled and assembled my bed without even asking, which was awesome! As for storage, I didn't have a delivery location sorted out before I moved, so FlatRate stored my stuff in NYC for one month, totally free, before I gave them a location. After letting them know I needed my stuff sent along, it was only about a week and a half before I received it. They are very easy to work with, get in touch with and operate with strict protocols and templates applied to each move. I approved each piece that was removed from my apartment in NYC and approved each piece that was brought into my apartment in SF. Not a single item was missing and I had to check off the corresponding number for each one to make sure of that myself. All in all, so very pleased. I trust them very much and would use them again in a second. read more
8 years ago
Moving to NYC to Phoenix after 10+ years and decided to go with Flat Rate for this long distance move. Norberto, Brandon, and Pat were the crew that packed up our 3 bedroom apartment and loaded it to be shipped out west. We just had a quote done over the phone (not ideal - that was a downside) and ended up with more stuff needing to go than we had originally thought. But these guys handled it all with courtesy, professionalism and respect! Now we just have to wait for our stuff to be delivered....Hopefully, that end of the operation will also go smoothly! read more
5 years ago
Simms and his team went far out of their way to make our move a success. Not only did they safely get all of our belongings to our new home, but they took apart and reassembled some of our larger items and they are all good as new. They worked hard all day. They even took care of delicate items that we planned to move ourselves later. Simms and Marketta even had to deal with limited parking in our new neighborhood and were able to unload everything without angering our new neighbors. Just want to take the opportunity to once again say 'thank you' on the fantastic move. read more
5 years ago
I have done multiple moves with FlatRate and they are the best. I always work with Ming to set up my moves. She is wonderful! And the movers they have assigned to me are always kind, efficient and careful. I highly recommend! read more
8 years ago
I moved in late June '18 and used flat rate after calling around to a few moving companies. You'll find that maybe they're a bit higher priced than your average but I found their service and quality to be 100% worth it. Maybe I just got lucky with Xavier and his partner but they were incredible - made my move super seamless. I had to leave them early to go to my new apt and let the Verizon folks in, and Xavier FaceTimed me to show me my old apartment and verify that everything had been moved and/or left as is. They had just the right touch...Great service all around. Tip well! They deserve it and they break their backs helping people. read more
9 years ago
This company did not stand by their contract. A meeting was scheduled on April 17th at 10am. A representative (Kristopher) arrived st my home and we walked through my rooms to see everything I was moving. This move was scheduled from New Jersey to Suwanee GA est. June 2017 but my items were to be in storage for 2 months in Newark NJ (free as quoted). He gave me an estimated price on my move in person and then followed up in writing on April 6th with an itemized list and price. The next day I agreed to the cost. He contacted me the week of May 8th to finalize everything and I informed him certain items I would not move and added on additional items and packed boxes and he said he'll let me know what the additional cost would be. I then received another quote on Thursday, May 11th at 5:02pm (the day before my move) that was double the price. I immediately tried to contact him by telephone and email but no response. I left a voicemail message informing Kristopher that I would not be taking the additional items and I will only be taking the original itemized list plus the 60 boxes. That's when the confusion started. He informed me that upper management was not going to approve my initial quote and he couldn't explain what happen. I received a call from his Manager on Friday, May 12th my scheduled move date and told me my original quote was wrong and they can't honor that and I could not be moved on Friday because that date was booked and it had to be Saturday if I approved the new charges. So the day I'm suppose to move his Manager calls me and tacked on an additional $3000 dollars. I was furious and he stated, "I am sorry about the confusion, maybe you should contact other moving companies you received an estimate from. So, I signed contract means nothing. I didn't make this mistake with my quote, they did. This has put me in a real jam. Presently my furniture remains in my home when it should have been in storage. They offered no alternative, not even put my items in storage compliments of them for 2 months. My items must be moved out my home by Monday, May 15th or I must pay a costly penalty that they are responsible for. VERY DISAPPOINTED Beware of this company! read more
14 years ago
As a Real Estate Professional in Manhattan, I know moving can be a nightmare. As a consumer, I consider moving a low circle of Hell. Knowing what I do, I would only use/recommend Flatrate because they are literally the only movers in the area who come with such a comprehensive stack of guarantees. In NYC, movers traditionally have a bad reputation. I consider this due to the following 3 practices: 1) Overbooking-showing up to only the most profitable jobs during peak times.(This means a phone call the day of the move from movers who say they aren't coming) Flatrate doesn't overbook, they are very reliable about showing up. 2) Bait-and-Switch estimates-They lowball hourly estimates over the phone to book a job. Once the movers show up, the price can change drastically, sometimes when your items are loaded onto the truck. These types of practices are PROTECTED by the law to a very large extent. (According to "The Summary of Information for Household Shippers" issued by the NY State Dept of Transportation, the mover is "Required, at your request, to deliver your goods upon payment of the [estimate] PLUS 25%"... (That means if you dont have an extra 25% the movers can legally hold your stuff hostage.) 3) Unprofessional Movers-Temp employees or cash only folks who have minimum (or no) previous training who mistreat your belongings, home, and building hallways Flatrate sticks to a guaranteed price. Because of this, they are probably not the cheapest quote you will get (see item 2 in the list above); by no means are they ridiculously priced--they stand by their quotes. (They don't even change their quote if their truck get a parking ticket in front of your building!) Flatrate is a truly customer service-oriented company with well trained professionals handling your job from start to finish. This includes the movers themselves-- They have to attend MULTIPLE classes before they can go out to a job. Their website is highly transparent-it points directly to federal and state guides that advise consumers about best practices. They offer packing services, carpentry, assembly disassembly of furniture and even concierge services for high end moves. If you want peace of mind, I strongly recommend this company. read more
4 years ago
DO NOT USE! FlatRate completely mismanaged my move from beginning to end. I requested an in person consultation well in advance of my move date. A few hours before my schedule consult, the consultant (David Lloyd) emailed that he could not do an in person consult, but would do it virtually. He assured me that a virtual consult was just as good as the in person one. I was given a quote for a 1 day move. It wasn't the cheapest, but I appreciated that it was a FLAT, FIXED price. I also assumed that, as professionals, they knew what they were doing and could accomplish the move in one day. Long story short, they showed up at 9 am and immediately started complaining that we had more stuff than what they were told. Note that we added one television to the move, one ladder, and some boxes that we thankfully packed ahead of time. They came up with a list of 20-30 additional items that they did not have on their list. This was precisely why we wanted an in person consult--because we wanted it to be accurate. I paid for unpacking service and packing material removal. They immediately began talking about additional funds we would owe. The move took the entire day, such that they ran out of time (my building had a cut off for how long they could use the elevator--of which FlatRate was aware ahead of time), so items were left behind at my old apartment. When they finally finished moving the stuff they did manage to get out of the apartment, it was 9 pm and we had to get our kids to bed, so we told them to leave. Almost nothing was unpacked, so all of the boxes and paper were in our house. The manager that I spoke to told us the movers would come the following day to get the remainder of our stuff out of our apartment and to unpack/remove boxes. Over the course of the day, I had to speak to their headquarters multiple times, as they kept coming up with additional funds. I hired this company because of their flat rate! When I spoke to the company the next day, they stated that they would not send people to collect the boxes/packing materials. We spent the better part of the next day moving the last stuff out of our apartment. They refunded part of the additional funds tho at they charged us after the move began, but they wouldn't discuss refunding more than that, despite the fact that they did not perform their end of the deal. This entire process was a giant screw up from start to finish. Save yourself the hassle and hire someone else. Also demand an in person consult! read more
10 years ago
Terrible service! They did not show up on time for the move and had a terrible attitude and said that because mine was a "small move" they didn't have time for it - even though they had scheduled the move and my wife and I took the day off. They charge a pretty considerable rate and act as if they were doing you a favor! Avoid them at all cost!!!! It is now the following day and they have yet to show up. read more
10 years ago
Flat rate was a great option! Moving day was seamless. J. Camacho and the two other men came early and were very efficient in making our move as swift as possible. I took off one star because the arrangements prior to moving day took quite a few phone calls and a few misunderstandings. Aside from that, I would use flat rate again. read more
6 years ago
I wish I had the option of Zero stars. This firm moved us from a two bedroom apartment in NYC to a house in Texas in summer 2019. We have moved a number of times in the past, and do not expect perfection. However, the amount of damage to our property was a multiple of what had ever happened before, to items large and small. Thousands of dollars of damage. They stonewalled our demands for compensation for over a year, and after many entreaties and threats they offered us less than $500. We were incensed, but chose not to pursue litigation against an obviously unethical company 2,000 miles away. All we can do, as a practical matter, is warn anyone and everyone to avoid Flat Rate Moving. read more
9 years ago
They have a canned response to the Better Business Bureau which will just repeat the contract terms and that you did not take out all of the other coverage. Their workers destroyed new floors and they used a furniture repair company's estimate to base the claim on. They asked me for a repair invoice from my flooring company then discounted it by 50%. They settled for 50 cents on the dollar, mailed the check, and if you cash it, they claim it releases them from any and all claims. Funny that they put that little footnote in faded ink hoping you miss it. READ THE CUSTOMER REVIEWS AND THE NY BBB COMPLAINTS BEFORE HIRING THIS COMPANY. You don't have to just take my word for it. No idea how they have an A+ rating with so many complaints. read more
7 years ago
Did a medium-distance (200-ish miles), relatively last-minute (1.5 weeks notice) move. Overall the experience was great, would definitely recommend. 1) Sales - things were a bit confusing on the sales end, with some back and forth before I got settled with one particular sales rep. Communication could have been a little clearer, and there were a couple of issues with the inventory. Overall, however, still good - the rep[s] answered my questions, didn't try to up-sell or obfuscate anything, and were very up-front about how this all works. 2) Dispatch - didn't really have to interact with dispatch; the crew arrived on time (actually 30 min ahead of time) for both pickup and delivery and there was never any concern that required contacting dispatch. 3) Movers - these guys were great. The foreman Ivan was knowledgeable, calm, and efficient. He packed some fragile items I had quickly and carefully. He also dealt with some unexpected last-minute changes (e.g. a desk and bedframe that needed to be disassembled, a couple of surprise furniture items at the delivery location that needed to be taken apart and disposed of) without complaint and at no extra charge. The other movers, Craig and Hakeem, were both fast, polite, and friendly, and treated my stuff with care. I've had terrible horror-story experiences with unscrupulous 'professional' movers before, and was quite wary of engaging movers again, but these guys put all my concerns to rest. The company is totally above board and true to the promise of their name, and their crew couldn't have been better. 100% recommended! read more
8 years ago
If you want: 1. All your stuff moved packed safe and sound so everything arrives as it left 2. Friendly, courteous service from people who will treat your stuff as their own 3. World class partners at your destination to close out the experience Choose these guys. Forget the cost. We moved from Jersey City to Zurich. On the face, the quote we got sounded high. In reality, it was very moderate for the class of service we received. In jersey city, 3 guys showed up, and for 2 full days, even while I was exhausted, they packed up my house. At no point, if they were tired, did the quality of their work suffer. They were polite, sweet, excited for us and our move. They were patient with our efforts to also do more decluttering as we packed. They were just - in a word - amazing. On the other end, we got a local company called reloswiss and their trucking partner based out of Amsterdam. We were lucky to have an elevator for most of the stuff. But our couch did not fit. The movers hauled it up 5 floors. Not once did their professionalism slip. And our agent at reloswiss - I cannot say enough good things about Simona. All in all, Flat Rate basically made moving a houseful of our most important possessions across the world - completely uneventful. I am so grateful for them - from their in-house assessment to helping with customs clearance processes and charges - nothing hidden, no surprises. As I said at the start - book them. Then just enjoy them helping you taking all the stress out of moving. read more
5 years ago
We had a great experience with Flat rate. Matt, our evaluator came and visited our apartment. After 20 min visit he was able to work up an estimate for full packing and moving. On the scheduled day, a crew of 6 arrived for our 2 bedroom move. They were polite and friendly and worked efficiently. The packed up most of the apartment but left some essentials for our overnight stay. They came back next day, finished packing and moved us in the new apartment. Flat rate, no drama, no stress. We will never go back to the old hourly model on our move. read more
15 years ago
My experience with FlatRate Movers was beyond great. I had scheduled some movers I had worked with before, an independent company, and besides the fact that they had arrived a little late for the move out that time, everything had worked out perfectly and the move was really fast. The day before my move we had some issues I won't get into here, because that's a different review. Needless to say, I was freaking out, I had 45 minutes to find movers FOR THE NEXT DAY, in my price range, that could send the insurance information to my building right away, cause the offices were closing and they don't open during weekends (it was a Friday). I called FlatRate cause I had seen their truck all over the city and the management company told me they knew they would have all the required insurance things they needed cause they had worked with them before. Kevin Volk was my agent. He was beyond fantastic. He understood my situation and he kept telling me he knew I was already under a lot of stress (I was, I could only move in that day, I was leaving town for a week that Sunday.) and that he was going to make everything work. Few times I've spoken with agents over the phone, in this city, that are genuinely nice to you and that don't speak to you like a machine. Everything with the booking went really smooth. I was later transfered to another person, a lady who's name I forgot and didn't write down, and she reassured me the building management would get the insurance info ASAP, and they got it 5 minutes later! Fantastic! The day of the move went so smooth! The movers were actually early, which I didn't expect. They were super nice and polite. First time I didn't feel I had to be checking they were handling my things with care. They got to the move in building before I did! Everything arrived in perfect condition! I was thrilled. Kevin, the agent, even emailed me to follow up on the move. I don't know if it is something all the agents are required to do, because I had already received (and sent) a satisfaction survey, but either way, I really appreciated it! The cost was a little higher than what I had thought of initially, but you can tell by the type of service they give, that every single penny is worth paying for. They really made the move so much more relaxed and took a lot of stress off of my shoulders after a couple of terrible weeks of New York moving nightmares. read more
13 years ago
Everything you've heard about sleezy unprofessional movers does NOT apply here.. From the very beginning I was impressed by the moving company.. The crew came an hour early to start with.. The crew was extremely professional.. At the drop off location they were very helpful with a problem I had with a couch that would not fit in my new place.. Overall I was really impressed and I highly recommend them! read more
12 years ago
Completely regret having used Flatrate movers. I had a New York - LA move and scheduled it 3 weeks before. A guy named Austin from Flatrate came and estimated my apartment. He seemed to be very knowledgable and gave me a sales pitch of how they are the best, most reliable and fastest. I told him I wanted my stuff to arrive ASAP and he told me it would be at most 10 business days but he would try his best to schedule it for 7 business days. The day before my move, Flatrate called to confirm my move and gave me completely different delivery time which is a month later. I called the guy who set up the job for me and found out that he has left the company. Another guy George called me back and asked for the agreement I signed. This is when I realized none of the links I was sent to view or track my move worked. Finally he called to say there was a computer glitch, my move is will be delivered in the standard time of 7-10 business days. My things arrived 20 days later and damaged! The movers took pictures of the damaged piece and said he will sent them to the claims office and they will call me back. They took away the piece but nobody called me. Online claim submission button "send" does not work in neither safari nor chrome. When I finally got a person on the phone from claims department, they know nothing about any pictures the movers sent. For me, Flatrate is the biggest false advertiser ever. Will never used them again. read more
6 years ago
I cannot properly express how wonderful and easy it was to move with Flatrate. I have moved many times within the city with other companies and it is always so stressful, so with my upcoming move to NJ I was worried since it is a bigger job. Flatrate made the entire process seamless and stress free. The team arrived on time and ready to work following all covid rules. Their app lets you track your truck and communicate directly with their office, it was so easy. read more
8 years ago
Just used Flatrate for a cross-country move from the East Village NYC to Oakland, CA. In-home quote was competitive to begin with and they matched a slightly lower quote from a competitor. Good communication, movers showed up on time and did a very careful and thorough job. Delivery crew was professional and polite. Our belongings were delivered 13 days after our move-out date, pretty much exactly in the middle of the delivery window they quoted initially. I chose Flatrate because we had used them once before for a local NYC move and had a good experience, and because they have nationwide presence so no worrying about tracking our stuff through subcontractors. You read a lot of horror stories about long distance moves, but I have zero complaints and would recommend Flatrate without reservation. read more
13 years ago
I highly recommend this moving company. In the beginning I was a bit nervous about committing to a higher price when other movers quoted me at least $100 less but after speaking to their customer service rep who also said I would be able to contact him directly at any point in my move on a Saturday, I felt confident my items were in good hands. The men who showed up were extremely respectful, right on time if not early and super efficient while being extremely careful with my items. They wrapped everything perfectly without me having to say anything. And helped me to unwrap and place all my large items exactly where I needed them to be in my new home. What really made me write this review is that when I got to my new apt I realized I needed the movers insurance and literally within 5 minutes I spoke to the same customer service rep who I booked the job with, he wrote up the insurance, emailed and faxed it over to me and my new landlord right away. It was pretty amazing and I felt like I had a personal assistant that day. So don't think twice about the extra money up front because other companies charge by the hour and will purposely delay the process in order to get more money out of the job. Flat Rate is the best, great experience. I did nothing the whole day except be amazed by their professionalism and efficiency. read more
7 years ago
Only moving company I called to do a 1bedroom apartment move from NYC to Miami that refused to do the move, before even knowing addresses or dates. Seemed awkward as I know they do the route. Ended up not using the services, perhaps fortunately. read more
9 years ago
If they damage your furniture good luck getting them to issues the insurance money (which you paid for) to after you file a claim. During my move from New York City to Fort Worth Texas, my moving truck got stuck and delayed in Houston due to Hurricane Harvey. When my belongings were finally delivered I discovered that a very expensive area rug had been damaged by water which I believe the water damage came from the truck sitting in the same spot continually in the Houston area for three days. When the truck was offloaded the truck driver immediately noticed it was packed incorrectly and started to take photos before they even removed the rug. That is when we found the lining was coming off and the rug was stained and damp. I filed a claim and FlateRate Moving and they determined from the pictures that this is not as a result of water damage. I explained to them that I went to the rug repair company to find out about having the carpet cleaned and repaired (which was part of the claim process) The rug repair company specifically stated the damage was from water and I sent Flate Rate written proof along those lines that they requested. After sending confirmation I followed up multiple times on the phone and was told all looked good and I would be receiving a check since I provided the necessary documentation and that upper management needed to sign off on it. My claim was denied because FlateRate Moving that the damage wasn't because of water. The stain took place while it was in their possession. I disputed the claim and resent them sufficient proof that the rug is damaged and I every time I call or follow up they say upper management is reviewing the claim. It is six months since my move and there has been no resolution. read more
7 years ago
Ernesto id#9241 Ernesto was very professional and worked hard. Was a little late arriving but made up for it with their effort. Made the move happen smoothly. read more
10 years ago
Do yourself a favor and just call Oz. They will do a far superior job and your belongings will be taken care of. I moved from LA to NYC. Paid for a full-pack which cost over $7,000 - total rip off for 2 bedrooms. The foreman left early due to a personal issue and the two packers did a horrendous job. Most of the boxes didn't have packing paper. They packed cleaning supplies with leather and fur coats. My leather bags, shoes and boots were thrown into the bottom of a box with heavy items on top and were all dented. The packers didn't even put my flatscreen TV's in proper boxes. Instead, they put them in regular boxes (no protection) with other heavy things. The NY crew was appalled at the terrible job and kept apologizing as many of the boxes all arrived damaged. I think the LA movers threw them down the stairs for them to arrive in such poor shape. They even lost a large linen box and claimed it was only worth $25. Over 20 items were damaged, including my bedroom dresser and teak armoire. The adjuster claimed those weren't moving damages. Funny how they were in fine shape when they left LA and the packers didn't . Most all my custom framed pictures are damaged bc they didn't wrap them. Then, their customer service is unacceptable. My calls to the long distance manager weren't returned. It was impossible to speak to a manager. I believe they outsource their useless customer service who gives only canned responses. I provided two pages of itemized issues with over 50 pictures and they didn't do anything. Their insurance is a total joke. In the end, the issued me a check for $900 when the damages were well over $5,000. Bottom line, Flatrate makes claims about being the best in the business that they don't uphold. They treat their customers like crap. I will never use them again. Don't make the same mistake I did. read more
10 years ago
This company is shady, don't waste your time. I'll preface this review by saying I have done this exact move twice before and knew a reasonable, ballpark estimate for the move. I was moving a 1 bedroom apartment from NYC to a suburb of Washington DC. Pretty simple - about 30 boxes and an detailed inventory of furniture. First, they pushed me to have one of their team members come out for an in-person inventory visit. Um, totally not necessary. I had a very straightforward move and list of items. I was moving my items from an apartment with elevator to the ground floor of a single family home. I have moved multiple times in the past ten years and have never once been asked to do that by any moving company. I can understand an in-person visit for a large home with multiple rooms, etc. It doesn't take a brain surgeon to realize why a company would do this - if they saw I lived in a "nice" building, it's easier to increase the estimate. After refusing this option they agreed to provide me with an estimate over email. Here's the hilarious part - they quoted me $3800. I literally started to laugh out loud. Let's just say the last two times I've done this exact move (with similar inventory) it was approximately $1000. I expected it to be somewhat higher than that to account for inflation - I'm not totally unreasonable. Also - I moved from Chicago to this same suburb for $2000 flat. That's triple the mileage. After I told them there was no way I was moving forward with that estimate they did absolutely nothing to even try to negotiate with me. Not an ounce. It ultimately wasn't a problem because I chose another local NY moving company who quoted me $1400 flat - very fair (plus, over $300 in tips, I'm not a cheapskate). They did an exceptional job and I've already posted a positive review for them and recommended them to a friend moving in a few weeks. Now the even shadier shady part - shortly after choosing the other company, I spoke with a friend who had just done the exact move as me (from NYC to this same suburb) a few weeks prior. Also a 1 bedroom. He was quoted $1000 by Flat Rate - apparently he was able to negotiate it so low after complaining more forcefully to the company. I don't waste my time doing that, I simply went with another company that was much more agreeable to work with - but nonetheless, it goes to show you how ridiculous and arbitrary their estimates are. I don't do business with companies that behave like this nor would I ever recommend them if a friend asked. read more
8 years ago
Flat rate gave me a phone call to let me know that the movers were able to get started on my move a lot earlier than expected. They arrived not too long after the phone call and Abdel and his team were able to move everything out and into our new apartment and within two hours. This timeframe includes them taking our bed apart and putting it back together. They went above and beyond by including some smaller items that were not originally on our list. We really appreciate the service Abdel and his team provided us. Thanks so much! read more
5 years ago
Great service! Helped me with my move and would definitely recommend! Very helpful and nice team that did everything for me. This is definitely the best and everyone (Nick Rozas and the team) were great. read more
8 years ago
Great moving experience, would particularly recommend Ernesto - we were not as organized as we should have been and he really took care of us. He helped us pack our excess baggage, took care to wrap up all of our stuff nice and tight so nothing broke and was extremely polite and understanding. Would highly recommend the company, and Ernesto in particular! read more
14 years ago
In the past five years I've made 3 major moves and although I'm no stranger to moving, I've made some pretty stupid judgment calls when it comes to the most cost effective way to get my stuff across the country (when I moved from LA to NY I FedEx'd boxes of my stuff). When I needed to move from NYC to LA in October 2012 I contacted Flat Rate Movers based on reviews. I was very skeptical at first but overall, I was happy with Flat Rate. THE GOOD PARTS 1. I worked with Wil R. in the New York office and he was AMAZING. He worked with me from start to finish in planning my move, was very responsive via phone and email and gave me an in-depth rundown of the cost so I never felt like there were any hidden charges. I also really appreciated how understanding and patient Wil was with me when I was incredibly stressed trying to move everything. 2. Both of the movers in NY and LA were SO friendly and considerate. The New York movers took extra care to pack my mirrors carefully and the LA movers were great in helping me place boxes in certain rooms. THE BAD PARTS 1. After my items were picked up in NY and placed into storage (which I requested until I had found an apt in LA), I had to deal with a completely different set of customer service representatives. All of the details on WHEN my shipment arrived were dicey...they gave me a vague 10 day delivery window. 2. The street my apartment is located on is too small for a large moving truck, so I had to spend another few hundred dollars to have Flat Rate HIRE a smaller truck through a third party to deliver my shipment. 3. My file cabinet's wheels and drawers were broken during the move. Not the end of the world but it is worth mentioning. Also, only after I started unpacking boxes (and long after the movers had left) did I notice that I was missing some things I know I packed. All of the boxes on the checklist were accounted for but I believe there was an error that occurred in NY when they were taking stock of all of my boxes. I became too busy to deal with tracking things down and luckily, it wasn't one of the boxes with my more important items! Overall, not bad. I would use them again if I ever need to move back : ) read more
More info about FlatRate Moving
New York, NY 10010
Kips Bay
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https://www.flatrate.com
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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
Why does Yelp recommend reviews?
2,044 reviews that are not currently recommended
The reviews below are not factored into the business's overall star rating.
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




































