Complaint Review: MX Movers

My experience with MX Movers can best be summed up in one word-­HORRIFIC!!. In my initial conversation with Frank of MX Movers, I informed him my family and I would be in San Diego from 2/17-2/24/16 and that we needed delivery by 2/19. He informed me that would not be a problem since pickup would be scheduled for 2/8. I was comfortable with this, since even if the delivery was delayed a day or two, we would still be able to unpack everything and make our return flight as plannned. 

The truck actually arrived one day late presumably due to "mechanical issues," defaced with graffiti and bearing the name of an environmental company. When questioned, John (the foreman) said the truck had just been purchased by MX Movers and they didn't have time to repaint it (clearly a made up story- this was a leased truck). The movers who loaded our goods onto the truck were also not directly employed by MX Movers. The most disturbing event at pickup was when we were informed that our goods took up more cubic feet of truck space than was originally estimated, and that our charge would be approximately 70% more than the original quote. This is apparently what less-than-honest movers do to extract additional money as they know there is very little a customer can do once their goods are on the truck. 

Frank told me that our items would be transported to Brooklyn and immediately loaded onto a tractor trailer. He said the fully loaded trailer would be leaving for San Diego within 24 hours. On 2/10 I contacted Frank to make sure the truck would be leaving on schedule. Frank said he would check and get back to me. He didn't call me back. I called him the next day and again asked whether the truck was on its way. He said he was still waiting to hear from his dispatcher, and as soon as he did, he would call me. When I didn't hear back from him, I texted him several more times asking for an update. None was forthcoming.

Day 3­ still no word from Frank so I called him again. At this point, he began yelling, telling me to stop badgering him and that he would let me know as soon as he knew when the truck was leaving. I was appalled by his arrogant attitude and that he stopped taking my calls and texts. Using subversive tactics (shame I had to resort to this), I was able to get through to him by using friends' cell phones with numbers he was unfamiliar with. Bottom line is that the truck did not depart until Monday, 2/15, a full six days after pick up, which caused me great concern because it jeopardized the delivery time line that Frank had committed to.

The MX Movers website advertises that ALL their trucks have GPS systems that customers can access to track their shipments, mine however did not. Frank informed me he would give me the driver's cell phone number instead so I could track his progress. Regrettably, I found the drivers to be no more responsive than Frank. They did pick up my calls occasionally, but were never specific regarding the delivery date. Even more frustrating, Dave, my new MX contact, kept changing the date of delivery. First, it was Sunday, then it was "possibly" Sunday, but more likely Monday. When they didn't arrive on Monday, they said they would arrive for sure on Tuesday (didn't happen). I was then told delivery would be between 7 and 8:00 a.m. Wednesday. Unfortunately, they did not arrive until early evening on February 24th (the day of our departure). This final insult was due to the truck breaking down within a mile of the delivery location resulting in an additional 8 hour delay forcing us to miss our flight and pay an exorbitant amount for new airline tickets and additional nights in a hotel.  

It should be noted that the truck cab that delivered my goods was marked "Oleg Van Lines" not MX Movers, confirming that MX Movers had subcontracted the entire move.

Our furniture arrived with several pieces broken or badly scratched, a mid century modern credenza missing its legs (rendering it useless), two mid century modern dining room chairs completely destroyed, a patio table badly scratched with the reeding stripped from its legs, and multiple items missing, including vintage lamps, framed prints, and a toolkit filled with tools. I have made multiple attempts to contact MX Movers to find our what their claims procedure is so that I can properly file an insurance claim with them. To date, they have not responded.

It is clear from our experience that this company did not deal with us in a straightforward, professional and honest manner, starting with the inappropriately marked truck being late for the pick ­up, the "surprise" extra charge after my goods were loaded onto the truck, all of the evasiveness regarding the delivery date, and the damaged and missing items. Frank  was quite congenial and accommodating prior to my signing the contract, but once I did and he had my money, he tried hard to avoid any communication with me. When I did speak with him, he was less than truthful and at times, downright belligerent. There are reputable, honest moving companies out there. Unfortunately, I did not pick one of them.

Effective March 7, 2016, MX Movers had their license to operate involuntarily revoked by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. I was informed of this action by an employee at the FMCSA on Friday, March18 while updating my file on this company. The New York State Department of Transportation has also advised me that MX Mover's had applied for a license for intrastate moves in 2015 but their application was not approved.