Complaint Review: Campbell's Moving Company

CAMPBELLSS MOVING COMPANY COMPLAINT REPORT

 Campbell's Moving 573 Sackett St Brooklyn NY 11217
Campbell's Moving Inc. USDOT # 2142454. MC # 745485
1-718-875-2800

8/5/11 I phoned Campbells Moving Company and spoke with Mike, who presented the company as a family-owned business that would take good care of my 90-year-old Mom and me. We discussed the size of the move and he quoted an initial $2400 cost with a $50 down-payment by Credit Card.  I could have mis-understood that it was $2400 PLUS the $50 down payment by credit card but was surprised when I saw that the Contract sent by e-mail on 8/5/11 was for $2450 minus the $50 down payment by credit card.

Mike said that because the move was from 2 sites, their company would provide 10 boxes for my Mom and 10 boxes for me.  He said that the boxes would be shipped to my address so that I could take them to my Mom on one of my bi-weekly visits.  When the boxes did not come, I called Mike. He told me that there had been a shipping problem, that Vanessa had shipped them to the wrong place, but that the boxes had come back to them, but he would see that they were sent out again.

 When the boxes still did not come, I called him and he told me a story about how Vanessa doesnt work here any more and Jennifer refused the return of the boxes because she did not want the company to pay twice for shipping them and that Jennifer was making the delivery carrier bring the boxes to me. 

When the boxes still did not come, I finally gave up and on 10/05/11, I drove to Brooklyn to pick up my own moving boxes from Vanessa of all people, the very one that Mike had told me no longer worked there.

Arrangement was made for $1600 payment to be made by me on day of pickup from my address (129 Fisher Avenue, Staten Island, NY 10307) on 11/16/11.  I paid that by debit that day, planning on the balance to be $800 (the difference between $2400 and $1600) BUT Eddie, with whom I interacted at my home, told me that the quoted fee was an estimate and I had far more cubic feet than I first estimated, so the cost had to be $2661, leaving a balance (after $1600 paid) of be $1061.  I thought that meant that the balance for the whole job (Mom and me) would be $1061 but that was not the case.

On 11/30/11, when Eddie and someone introduced to me by Eddie as Arthur Campbell, the brother of Seth Campbell (the owner) and co-owner, arrived at 500 N. Webster Avenue, Scranton, PA 18510 at around Noon on 11/30/11, the move ended up costing an additional $3225, again being told that the quoted fee had been an estimate and Mom had far more cubic feet than was first estimated, so the cost for just Mom had to be $3225. Mom paid $1000 against my prior balance of $1061, which left us a balance to pay of $3286.

That made the whole job cost $50 + $2661 + $3225 = $5936, an overage of $3486 over their original $2450 contract quote.

On 12/1/11, I called Campbells and spoke to Mike, asking for an estimated delivery date of our possessions to our address in Texas where we were movin (501 Applewood Drive, Pflugerville, TX 78660. He said that he is in scheduling, and Vanessa is the one I need to speak with, as she can contact the driver and get an ETA. I did speak with Vanessa and she estimated that the truck would arrive 12/8/11 to 12/10/11.

I called Mike on 12/5/11, asking for paperwork to separate my charges from Moms charges, as the papers
that had been given to me at each portion of the move were somewhere in our bags in the cars.  I called Mike again on 12/7/11 to tell him that we had arrived in Texas, I had found the papers, and we were going to have the cash payment balance ready as required, and confirmed that Vanessa had told me that the van would arrive 12/8/11 to 12/10/11 and that we would get a call 24 hours in advance of the drivers arrival.

On Friday 12/9/11, Seth Campbell, the owner, called me to request an additional $1200 debit payment, so that their driver would not have to carry so much cash in the truck, as they had so many deliveries to make from this one truckload. I told him I could not do it that day, as the old accounts had been closed, and the new one had just been opened 12/9/11 and funds would not be available to withdraw until the next day, but that I would take care of this and I would call him 12/10/11 to let him know that it was OK to do the debit. I called his cell phone (646) 778-6780 3 times on Saturday, 1 time on Sunday, and 1 time early Monday, and he never called me back.  On 12/12/11, I called the main office and gave Mike, the scheduler, the debit card number that Seth had requested. That $1200 came out of Moms account that day.  I also asked Mike where the truck was, since Vanessa had promised that our possessions would arrive 12/8/11 to 12/10/11.  Mike told me that Vanessa is in the warehouse helping load the trucks and if she got back today, he would have her call me. I called 3 more times that day but Vanessa was not back from the warehouse.

On 12/12/11, I sent Seth a text message to (718) 875-2880, asking him when I could get my 90-year-old Mom off the air mattress and into her own bed.

On 12/13/11, I called (718) 875-2880 and reached someone who said Seth was there with him, and said that Seth told him that the truck was on the way. I told the person I spoke to that I had been told that the truck was on the way but I really needed to know WHEN I could get my 90-year-old Mother off the air mattress, so when was the van arriving? He obviously consulted with Seth and then said that they would call me back in a little while.  They never called back. I kept calling the main number, (718) 875-2800, and leaving messages on their machine, but never got a call back this day.

On 12/13/11 in the evening, I sent e-mail to Mike the scheduler, asking him PLEASE to find out when the van was arriving with our possessions that had been picked up on 11/16/11 and 11/30/11.

On 12/14/11, I called & spoke with Mike who told me that the truck is in Louisiana, has 3 stops there, coming into Texas from there should have delivery within 3 days per the driver.  I asked Mike how my 90-year-old Mom was supposed to deal with her diabetic test strips which were on the truck. We had packed enough to carry Mom past Vanessas estimate of the truck arriving between 12/8/11 to 12/10/11.

Mike said to go buy diabetic test strips for Mom and let them know how much they cost and they will take that off the balance. We did that. In the interim, the moving van driver Michael called me today, says he is leaving South Carolina for Georgia and then should be here in 2-3 days. Says he will call me 24 hours in advance of his arrival. 

I sent e-mail to Mike reminding him that Campbells moving company is deducting $66 more off the move
(to pay for Mom's Diabetic test strips since today is the 14th and Vanessa had estimated that the van would be here between the 8th and the 10th, so Mom is down to 1 test strip as of right now) and that their driver needs to know that, since their delivery driver told me he must collect $2000 cash when he delivers, and now it should only be $1934.

On 12/16/11 I called Michael, the driver, to be sure he had received the message about collecting $1934 instead of $2000. He said that he had received a message from Campbells Moving Company. The driver said he was still in Georgia.  I called Mike, the scheduler, and left a machine message that the driver was still in Georgia. No word from driver today about when he will get here -- he was too busy to talk when I called him earlier.

12/17/11 The first pickup of my goods was on 11/16/11 and the pickup from Moms place was on 11/30/11.  As of 12/17/11, we do not have our possessions. Mom is 90 years old and sleeping on an air mattress with me.

12/18/11 I called Michael the driver who told me that he would call me tomorrow morning with an ETA. He said he was coming from Georgia and ours was the first stop in Texas.

12/19/11 I called Mike the scheduler and he put me on hold while he said he called Michael the driver, and then he told me that Michael said he would call me later.  I called Michael around 7 pm and he said he had to pull over soon and then he would call me. He called me at 7:30 pm, apologized because he had misread his sheets and he has a delivery in Dallas first, before coming to us. He said he was about 200 miles from Dallas. He said that once he got to Dallas and sized up the job tomorrow, he would call to let me know his ETA to us.

He said that he had been told by the lady at the moving company office that he was to get $2000 and that he had not received any message that he should only collect $1934. I sent e-mail to Mike the scheduler, asking him to contact Michael the driver, and tell him that he should only collect $1934.

12/20/11  I called at 8:10 am CST which is 9:10 am EST, and got a machine, so I left a message for Mike to call Michael. In about an hour after that, I reached Mike who told me that it must have been the lady at Michaels company that told Michael it was $2000 and that they had it all straight for the $1934. 

12/21/11 When Michael arrived, he required payment of $2000 and said that it was a lady with a deep voice from Campbells Moving Co. that had told him it was $2000.  So we paid the extra $66 and tried many times to get an answer at Campbells Moving Co. telephone number with no success not even an answering machine. I sent Mike 2 e-mails for him to call me while Michael was here and could refund the $66.00. Those are time and date-specific and coincide with the time period during which I was calling Mike at Campbells Moving Co.

12/27/11 My Brother Bob and I opened a large unmarked box, clearly wrapped by Campbells, as it had their brown packing tape on it instead of my clear tape. In it was my PC, my monitor, keyboard, and my NetGear which provides access to internet. PC works. Monitor is damaged and no longer usable (see photo of screen) and NetGear USB connector crushed (see photo of crushed versus intact USB connector. None of these products had any protective wrapping or blanketing around them and had been knocking against each other inside the cardboard box packed in Staten Island by personnel from Campbells Moving Co. My brother and I observed the condition of the broken items as he unpacked and set up the computer, which was supposed to be set up by the delivery man.

I have retained the damaged monitor and NetGear for proof, and I have photos as well. A key was broken on my keyboard and I have a photo of that in the broken condition but I was able to glue the F3 key fragment back on to the keyboard.

 1/2/12 I spoke with Kimyatta at ADT company. She told me that the replacement ADT machine will cost my Mom $250.00.

From the date of the delivery, 12/21/11, to today, 1/8/12, we have been through every box that was delivered. My Moms ADT machine is missing, as is her file that has important papers she needs to file income taxes for 2011.  Her jewelry box is missing, and the things that Dad had given her over the years are all gone.  Dad has been gone for 7 years and those things were precious to her even if they did not have a lot of financial value.

 I want Campbells Moving Company to replace my damaged computer monitor which was packed by them without padding or protection. I want Campbells Moving Company to replace my Moms ADT machine. I want Campbells Moving Company to reimburse my Mom for her $66 in diabetic supplies as their scheduler Mike promised they would.

I would love it if they were severely sanctioned, fined, or whatever needs to be done to stop them from doing to others what they have done to my Mom and me.

Joan L. R
Pflugerville, Texas 78660
H 512-xxx-xxxx
C347-xxx-xxxx (((REDACTED)))
 
 
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