Complaint Review: All Towns And Country Moving - Saddle Brook New Jersey

On 5/29 I confirmed a move from Cambridge, MA to Boulder, CO with Nicole from All Towns. I received a binding written quote of $1080 for the move and paid a $100 deposit the day I booked. In order to create this guaranteed binding estimate, I filled out an inventory sheet. On July 22, the day of my move, the moving men told me I owed them $2800. I called the company while the movers were there and spoke to Mike, another salesperson at All Towns. He told me that Nicole was not in and he only has access to Nicole's final estimate amount and not to her notes, but the final estimate is binding and I should pay what I planned and work with Nicole on the discrepancy.

Two days later, I tried to call Nicole multiple times and she did not answer. I called her from my fiancee's phone and she answered right away. I told her the issue and she said she would talk to her supervisor and get back to me in a few hours. When another day went by with no word, I called back and was told that Nicole is no longer a part of this process and I need to speak with a supervisor.

So I was put on the phone with Andy, and I will refrain from describing his telephone and customer service manner because I choose not to use profanity. After two minutes on the phone with this man, I realized he was not somebody I want to deal with, and so I asked for another supervisor and he told me he was the owner. At the end of our conversation, he told me I had two choices: pay the $2800 or hire a different moving company to pick my things up from their NJ warehouse and take them to Boulder. I tried to say something after he made his final proclamation, but he spoke over me and said, "That's all I can do. Bye," and hung up the phone.

I called my fiancee in tears over the stress and trouble this move was giving me. Of his own volition, he called All Towns on my behalf to try to work something out. He spoke to Nicole who said the estimate was doubled because I canceled my move and then re-booked. In fact, the Friday before my move, I called All Towns at around 11pm to say that I had a family emergency and would not be able to do the move on the 22nd. 5 minutes later, after speaking to my family and being reassured that I need not make a trip to go see them quite yet, I called back and left a second message saying that we are actually all set to continue with the move. Regardless of which, the only notes on the Guaranteed Binding Estimate sheet about cancellation said that I must cancel within 72 hours of my move for a full refund. There was nothing about doubling an estimate.

A few minutes after this call between Nicole and my fiancee occurred, I received a call from a man named Tom, who said he was the supervisor. To his credit, Tom was very kind and obviously cares for his staff. He said that my fiancee's call made Nicole cry after they got off the phone and that he doesn't appreciate that type of treatment. I said I totally agree and apologized, noting that I had no idea what their conversation entailed and I am not responsible for anyone else's actions. Still, I was sorry to hear that she cried. Since I had Tom on the phone, I asked him what we could do to clear up the matter of my moving price. He said that the estimate increased because my items took up more cubic footage than Nicole had estimated based on my inventory list. Hm. Nicole didn't tell me anything about square footage, nor does our written agreement say anything about an increase based on square footage. But okay, Tom, let's work on this. He said he'd look at my order and work something out and the conversation ended amicably.

I text messaged my fiancee to tell him it was settled and I spoke to the supervisor who would make things right.

At around 7pm I got four phone calls from a private number (which I don't usually pick up), and finally the caller left a message. It was Mike from All Towns saying that my Nicole just called him from her home in tears again because my fiancee supposedly called her and threatened her for "telling on him." Funny, because my fiancee was sitting with me at the time of this supposed phone call. Funnier, because neither of us knows Nicole's last name. Even if we did know it, my fiancee would have spent a few hours calling everybody in New Jersey with that name. Mike said to me that Nicole claims that my fiancee said he knows where she lives and would get her back. Furthermore, she told Mike that she recorded the conversation (which is illegal in this state without consent from both parties anyway). Mike then said "we are not going to do your move, and you'll need to figure something out." Please note that my fiancee does not live with me, nor will he be moving with me. His name is not on the moving contract, nor is it on my current lease agreement or my future lease in Boulder. I can't imagine why a heated conversation with Frank would have any bearing on my delivery. Still, we called my fiancee's cell phone company and obtained a written copy of all of his outgoing calls for the day along with the time the call was made and how long it lasted. There was only one call placed to New Jersey, and it was to the All Town's 877 number at 4:30pm when he spoke to Nicole.

I asked Mike just what exactly does he recommend I do, and we decided that I will speak to Tom tomorrow morning. In the mean time, my fiancee and I contacted our lawyer who said that he would like to consider a law suit for at least triple the damages. Still, there is an expense involved in this process and even worse, my stuff is still in some NJ storage facility. I have to say that in many ways I have stopped caring about my very expensive mattress and furniture, as it is replaceable, but I have a musical instrument in there that is over a century old and dates back 3 generations in my family.

So, you see why I call this not just a typical moving nightmare. This is just plain mental sickness. My fiancee's guess is that a few of the employees concocted this whole "he called me and threatened me story," to get out of losing money on my move. I personally think that Nicole's sick mind came up with this story to save her own job. This is a customer service based industry, and All Towns Moving has done a pathetic job at doing anything for this customer. This is a story I will tell to everyone I know for years to come so that they don't make the same mistake I did----Do Not Move with All Towns Moving Company!

Namarta

Cambridge, Massachusetts

U.S.A.