Complaint Review: First Call Movers

To Whom It May Concern:

                I was scheduled for a move on Friday August 2^nd JOB B5633229 from Manahawkin, NJ to Bluffton, SC.  Moving Express was the carrier that arrived shortly after 12:30pm with a 26’ budget rental truck.  After I walked them through the house Ricky the head of the group, began telling me how this move was bigger than expected and began telling me how the costs may change.  The other 3 in the crew began loading my boxes first.  As they loaded my boxes, Ricky began the setup by telling me a nice store about how there was this woman who had a 3 truck move, he offered her a deal for $22,000 for the move rather than taking it to get weighed at the weight station.  When she scoffed at the amount and opted for the weight station, she ended up paying $40,000 for the move.  All this was to tell me that he was going to offer me a deal.  For a grand total of $7,000.00 he would move my house and it would be an “express” move getting my contents to SC by noon on Saturday the 3^rd.  He also said that since he only gets paid $100 a day, that in order him and his crew to do this “express” move and doing me the favor of only charging me an additional $2,618 over what original quoted, he and his 3 man crew would need an additional $200 “TIP” per person.  As he stated, “what is in it for me, what are you going to do for me”.  After my initial shock and having a house full of belongings, we agreed on $175 per person.  The crew was loading the truck, even before an agreement was made.  As I understand it this is against federal regulation and WILL be reported as well.

As they loaded the truck over the next couple of hours, Ricky came up to me and said, “Hey my guys are getting hungry, how about you order a pizza or something”.  After I agreed, he yells back, “don’t forget the drinks too”.  I obliged because these were the people handling my kid’s furniture and bedding and toys over this long move, but was completely shocked at how unprofessional this crew was.

After lunch, Ricky comes back to me and tells me that everything is not going to fit into this truck and he will have to get a 2^nd truck.  This from what he tells me will be an additional $2,000.  From the initial estimate of $4,382 my cost has not climbed in a matter of hours to $7,000 + a $525 tip which was (heavily solicited by Ricky), then to $9,000 + a $525 tip.

At this point I was not paying 1 penny more.  When I booked through Lee at First Call Movers, I was advised by Lee that,” a move this size would need a tractor trailer.”  I said, “Will First Call be the Carrier?”  Lee advised me that, “with a move this size we would be the carrier, we live in route 95 since we are based in FL, and this would be a return trip move for us.”  First Call Movers knew the size of this move, and to go back on what was said to me, and to lead the moving company to believe that this move could be done with one 26’ truck, then try to charge me for First Call Movers and Moving Express mistake is NOT acceptable.

I worked out the inventory revising it multiple times with First Call Movers so that it was accurate. Ricky kept telling me that if inventory was off that would cause the issues he was having with space on the truck.  So I had the crew stop loading and with the foreman Ricky we went through EVERY piece of inventory and my inventory that I gave First Call Movers, was spot on accurate, meaning there were no additional items that were unknown to either First Call Movers or Moving Express.

After about an hour of going back and forth with Ricky and his boss Mocha at Moving Express, Mocha told me that the best price he can do for the 2^nd truck was, was an additional $500 for gas and I do not have to pay an additional TIP of $525 for the crew.

Once I agreed to that, to pay in total now for the extra truck the amount was $7,500.  Then Ricky the crew foreman comes back and tells me that HE IS CANCELLING THE MOVE because HE WILL NOT MAKE THE TRIP IF HE IS NOT GETTING HIS $175 TIP PER PERSON.   I told Ricky that his boss and I had come to an agreement, and that now after 6 hours of this, the crew foreman was going to cancel the job because he was not going to get a $175 tip per person.  He did not want to hear it.

At that point he got very aggravated and began unloading my furniture.  He wanted to put it into the garage.  I advised them that they cannot put items in the garage, because the house we were leaving has mold and specifically in the garage and will not have my kids clothes, furniture and bedding in a moldy garage.  I closed the garage as the crew was unloading my belongings, and they began dumping it on the driveway.  At that point I was asking them to please put it at least in the front room of the house, and Ricky got very upset and confrontational.  They got so loud and confrontational that my 78 year old father-in-law feared for his safety as well as mine, that he had to call the cops to make sure Ricky the crew foreman and the one member of his crew were in control.  The foreman Ricky began complaining to the cops about the contract and the fact that he was not going to get his “TIP” for an express delivery (for which I was already willing to pay an additional $3,200 over what was initially quoted) and it was not worth it for him to take my belongings.  Had the correct equipment been sent in the first place, the equipment that Lee initially said would be sent (a First Call Movers tractor trailer) then this would have been no issue.

At this point, I was misled by First Call Movers and would have never booked this move had they been honest when I said, “will this be contracted out, or will First Call be the carrier”.  The answer I received was that “First Call” would be the carrier. 

I want my $1698 deposit returned to me as I was misled by First Call Movers, made to feel that I was obligated to give an extremely generous tip for a job that was already agreed upon or the job would not get done, forced to agree to additional $3,200 over what I was initially quoted, and myself and father-in-law were verbally and physically threated by the movers to the point of needing police assistance.

Included you will find pictures of where Moving Express left my belongings after the Foreman Ricky cancelled the move, because he would not be receiving a $175 tip per person.

 Please advise when my refund will be available

                                                                Disappointed and Frustrated,