Complaint Review: Giant Van Lines

My parents used Giant Van Lines for an already difficult move from Jessup, Maryland to Nashville, Tennessee. Not having a lot of money to begin with, and not very many people to assist with the move, my mother turned to the internet to find a local mover, Giant Van Lines.

Both she and my step-father explained to them that the move was very important, and that money was tight. They were told that it was no problem, and a payment plan could be used. My step-father asked if someone would need to come to the house to inventory their belongings, and he was told that no, no one needed to show up, it could all be done over the phone. When asked how much the estimate would vary, he was told not by much, that the estimate was actually pretty accurate.

The final estimated cost was about $1300.

On a order form, the following charges were noted (this are approximate, rounded up):

additional boxes: $305
base charge: $600
estimate: $1600

There really was no explanation about the base charge and its relationship to the estimate, as in whether or not the $1600 included the $600 or if they were separate charges. My step-father had signed the order form; although there were two additional signature lines for people at Giant, no one else had signed the paper.

Taking into account that the base charge might have been separate, the total comes to $2505, approximately.

Once in Tennessee, my parents found out that their balance was $3800. When questioned, the company said that their belongings weighed more than the estimated weight. When asked how much more, they were asked if they got paperwork from the weighing station. My step-father told them he had seen no such thing. The man he was speaking to, his name was Chuck, said "uh-oh" and put him on hold; he was transferred to dispatch, who did nothing for him, and he couldn't get a hold of Chuck again.

Dispatch told both of my parents that for $1600 they could get their furniture, and then make payments for the rest of the $3800. They presented this as a nice thing they could do for them, since they were in a hard place. Originally, the whole move was only supposed to cost $1600.

Right now, my parents are sitting in their Nashville apartment with no furniture, not even a bed to sleep on. Both have extensive medical problems. I wish I could help them more, but I have no money or resources. I am in Maryland, trying to work things out on this end.

Freda
Ellicott City, Maryland
U.S.A.