Complaint Review: One Nation DC Movers

The quote was 471.00. I ended up paying a staggering 922.00. I was told up front that it would be extra for materials such as moving pads ($7 each), which most moving companies don't charge for. And TAPE: $6 per roll. The billing form they use does not itemize the materials the movers use, so the head mover guy ("David") put in a whopping $160. My things were well-packed, all boxed up, except for the couch, dresser, two bookcases, and several other large items.

When I called to ask about the charges, the customer service woman ("Edva") was less than friendly now that she'd pocketed my money. She said that the $160 wasn't that much compared to most customers' packing material charges. I asked her to read off the materials that went into the $160. Among them were a picture box for 19.99, and a box ceiling for $23, neither of which I ever saw, asked for, or agreed to. (I also never asked for the couch to be shrink wrapped or
for them to use and tape moving pads to a number of my large items.) I said OK, whatever, but I never saw these things. She said that they trusted David, the head mover's, word. Ha.

I moved into a house that has two very narrow staircases, which a lot of my furniture wouldn't fit up. Two things I didn't want to part with, my bookcase and dresser, David said could be dis-assembled and re-assembled, but "it's gonna cost you." How much more, I asked. $120, he said. I asked it it would only be another $120, no hidden charges, nothing else? He said yes. And guess what. When it came time to settle, he'd added in the extra time it took to take apart and put back together the dresser and bookcase (which I may add, come from Target - they're not antiques that are complicated to assemble. I put together both myself) AND wanted $120 for himself in cash in addition to that. He stated that the money for the extra time would all go to the company, none for him. I didn't have $120 in cash, so I took down his full name and address and said I'd send him a check when I got paid next.

After the movers left, I found that the dresser and bookcase were not put back together correctly. 2 of the 5 dresser drawers are unusable, and you can see how the bottom is falling apart. Same with the bookcase. I called the company to say I didn't think I should have to pay for service I didn't get (having my things assembled so that they can work as they're intended to), and they said that they would have one of their men come out and correctly assemble my dresser and bookcase. Edva also said that their movers are not supposed to solicit money above and beyond their wage and any tips they get, and seemed upset that David would do this. (She said, "this really gets my Monday off to a bad start.") She said that she'd talk to the company manager and "get David's side of the story" and call me back by the next day at the latest. I did not hear back from them.

A week went by. I sent one more email to the company, saying I wanted to speak with the owner, that I was extremely disappointed in their services, and couldn't believe no one had gotten back to me in a week's time. I let them know that if I didn't hear back from them in 24 hours, I'd take steps. I got an email back from Edva saying "we will send someone to your house to fix the furniture tonight." That was it. Well, I couldn't be at the house that night; I had plans with an old friend who was in town from New York. I was about to reply when David called me and said he'd be at my house in an hour and a half. I told him I couldn't do that and that the general practice for these kinds of things is to make appointments, not just expect the customer to drop everything they're doing when it's convenient for you to come over at an hour's notice.

Anyway, I don't think I want to deal with these corrupt, inept people anymore. It's kind of amazing to me that this David guy still has a job when he violated company policy in soliciting $120 from me. (I'm sure he lied about it; interestingly, though, I read off the address he gave me to send the check to to Edva, who confirmed that that is in fact the address she has for him too.)
 
In short, a bunch of unprofessional, dishonest cheats, lots of hidden charges, and my furniture is broken. I can only hope that others will see this and not use this awful company.