Complaint Review:
Power Point Movers - Wilson Van Lines - All Point Vanlines - West Point Relocation
Power Point Movers - Wilson Van Lines - All Point Vanlines - West Point Relocation All Points
Wilson Delays and Excuses , Internet
West Point Relocation (same as All Points Relocation but targeting Hawaii) was GREAT before the sale. Their price is the lowest for a reason. The guys who packed up did a great job and very little was broken. We had read in online blogs that there would probably be an extra charge (about 10% or $600) for packing materials. I thought I had done a good job and did not realize that everything gets wrapped - because it gets moved several times. So all furniture, appliances, tools get boxed or wrapped and this turned out to be significant.
Like others on this forum, we were led to believe (though not in a contract) that we would be getting a 20 foot container delivered, it would be loaded, shipped then we would unload. Instead a huge moving van arrived, it was loaded, then in Oakland unloaded and reloaded, then again unloaded reloaded in Honolulu before getting to us. This is why everything needs to be wrapped so well - it will be loaded and unloaded possibly several times before it gets to you.
We were given a time frame with the usual noises about it COULD take up to 6 weeks but we should have it there in 3. We kept calling to find out delivery date and were told "it is in transit - it will take another 10 days" then after 10 days, "no it hasn't been shipped from mainland yet " and finally found that the stuff was in a warehouse in Honolulu. Once we got someone to track it down it was only a few more days to get it to us on the Big Island but I felt like I had to stay on top of it. We had lots of problems getting anyone who could actually track our stuff on the phone.
Two boxes of wine and two other large boxes were missing altogether. Insurance has a $500 deductible so no recovery. We also had West Point ship one car which was very quick except that they didn't pay the shipper so our car sat waiting for us for 3 more days while they got the shipper paid. They did reimburse us for the rental car additional which we paid.
We saved lots of money but had LOTS of headaches and no furniture for an extra month. If you don't care if you don't have your stuff in any hurry, then the price is right if you figure in another 10% or so for packing materials (maybe more if you have lots to ship) and another $500 for the deductible. Also note they don't have replacement value - it is just 60 cents per pound of stuff.
Next time I'll pay the additional (with some other shipper) to assure that we get a sealed container.
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Jim
Anaheim,California,
U.S.A.
Never Go Cheap On A Move
#2
Sat, August 22, 2009
International moves as you found out require a great deal more packing than a domestic move (yes, any move across the ocean is deemed an international move for those unfamiliar with moving - even if shipping to Alaska or Hawaii) because the mover comes with a truck first, as this one did, takes it to a warehouse, then postentially takes it elsewhere, then it's placed into a container, sealed up, the outer container is then sprayed a protectant against the forming of mildew, moved around the warehouse to be stored until its contents can be consolidated with another shipment that takes up a full container (BTW - that's why it was so cheap), put on a boat....docked, moved around again...you get the picture.
The only advice I would have given you is not to ship the wine; you would have been better off taking that on the plane with you. The wine, even if delivered, would not have survived very well with a climate from very dry to very wet to very dry....it would have done better on a plane where its exposure to the elements would have been minimal. I would also note the $0.60 per pound IS standard replacement value. What you should have purchased was Full Replacement Valuation, which I don't think these folks would have offered you on the shipment, but I could be wrong about that.
Moving is not an inexpensive venture and choosing the cheapest mover will often result in the most expensive move....