Complaint Review: MAC'S MOVING & STORAGE

I recently moved from one abutting state to another (Wyoming). Mac's Moving & Storage is a local company which was recommended by a realtor I knew.  The owner Dennis Bruce came to my location and went through my house to give me a binding cost estimate for the move.  According to Mr. Bruce (and described on the binding contract) the estimate included packing, loading, and unpacking my furniture and other valuables and collectibles.  We set up a time for the moving crew to come to my home and pack the articles.  In the meantime, I had been packing some of my more valuable and fragile articles.  The binding estimate was for $4540.00.  When the "moving crew" arrived (an OLD man who constantly complained of injured back discs and problems with diabetes and a younger man who did the best he could under the circumstances) all the old man could do was complain about how "nothing was packed" even though there were numerous boxes already packed.  He said he had been informed by the owner Dennis Bruce that I was responsible for having all my belongings packed and ready to load.  Dennis Bruce called me to say I had screwed up his schedule.  We discussed the fact that I was NOT supposed to  have all my belongings packed - only those I could get packed before the move.  There was no mention in the "binding estimate contract" that I would have anything packed - period.  He began calling me names like "space cadet", etc.  We had agreed that 2 trucks would be sent to collect my belongings. One truck would load the items to be stored upon arrival at a near-by storage unit.  The other truck would be unloaded at the house I was purchasing.  The owner said he would contact the realtor to see about getting access to the house.  He never did.  I drove all night (9 hours) to arrive in time for the movers to unload the trucks at 8:00 a.m., as agreed.  I called Mr. Bruce to verify they were still going to unload at that time. He said he had to move all my belongings from both trucks into other trucks because he needed the trucks he had sent to load my belongings.  He told me he might not be able to unload my belongings for another 2-3 DAYS.  I finally managed to get my belongings unloaded around 3 p.m. that day.  The items were all mixed up and in two separate truck, but not as previously planned.  The crew that came to unload the items consisted of 4-5 men who said they were supposed to have packed and loaded my items but the owner (Bruce) had taken them off my project and placed them on another project.  Instead he sent down the disabled old man and the young man who could not complete the job without hiring additional local help.

I was told the movers would know how to move a front-end washing machine.  They did not.  Luckily, I caught them before they moved it so the proper items could be installed so the washer would not be ruined in the move.  The whole move was a giant nightmare.

They refused to put my waterbed together because the old man had taken it apart and was nowhere to be found.  When I started to put it together, it had been damaged and screws were missing.  I was finally able to get the waterbed frame back intact only to discover the mattress and liner were torn.  I had to purchase a new mattress and liner for the waterbed.

NOTHING was properly wrapped - just thrown into boxes.  An antique mirror miraculously made the trip with no damage even though it was not wrapped with any padding or placed in a proper box.  I could go on... and on ... and on ....

After all was said and done, the owner (Dennis Bruce) told me I owed him an additional $300 for boxes his crew had to purchase in order to finish packing my belongings.  MOST of the boxes used were those I had personally purchased.  I did not pay the addition charges even though he had changed his copy of the contract to show an additional $300 charge.

The contract specified:  SERVICES TO BE PERFORMED: Packing of customer's goods at origin, providing packing boxes and supplies, loading goods into moving vehicle, transporting goods to destination, unloading goods at destination, unpacking goods at destination.  (I am still unpacking!!)  "This Binding Estimate is binding on Mac's and not the customer.  Mac's must perform your move for the cost shown assuming there are no significant changes in your move requirements previously determined by Mac's as described in this Binding Estimate."

My final statement:  If you believe a Binding Contract should actually be binding, if you value your furniture and belongings, if you want to deal with honest companies, AVOID THIS COMPANY LIKE THE PLAGUE!