- Report: #221934
Complaint Review: Dimon & Bacorn - Elmira New York
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Dimon & Bacorn
93 Industrial Park Blvd Elmira, 14901 New York, U.S.A.
Phone:
607-7342937
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Dimon & Bacorn "underestimated" weight of move; price went up $3,500 from quote Elmira New York
We moved our household from Big Flats, NY to Belgium in July. We had an in-house survey done by Mr. Mark Manning from Dimon and Bacorn in Elmira, NY. They had also moved us into our Big Flats home, coming from Belgium seven years earlier.
Their quote came in around $14,000, for an estimated weight of 12,000 lbs in a 40 ft container, including all the packing, loading, etc. Mr. Manning had informed us verbally that there would be no problem getting everything in a 40 ft container.
I then found some referral websites through which I received several quotes for the same service as low as $7,000. I e-mailed Mr. Manning that we were inclined to contract a cheaper company, unless they were willing to drop their price by at least a few thousand. Mr. Manning then e-mailed us back in a very stern, almost angry tone, that we should beware of companies that give a low quote, and then increase the price once everything is packed up.
This is an actual quote from his e-mail:
"I have seen your household and I know what it is going to take. I did add some weight to my estimate, to be on the high side. [..] It is too small of a town for us to take advantage of someone. Dimon and Bacorn has been doing competitive and quality work for over 100 years."
Later I found a website movingscam.org, where these practices were confirmed, and all the companies that I got low quotes from where mentioned in the forum, so I decided to go with Dimon & Bacorn after all, assuming their price would more likely go down rather than up, and we even got rid of some heavy items after we realized that every pound added a dollar to the price.
Well, after everything was packed up and weighed, it turned out to be about 16,000 lbs, and I had to pay close to $18,000 'ransom', since they had all our stuff and wouldn't ship until we paid. Then there was a whole list of smaller issues that we had to deal with or fight over, which I gladly inform you on separately.
Leo
Antwerpen
Belgium
Their quote came in around $14,000, for an estimated weight of 12,000 lbs in a 40 ft container, including all the packing, loading, etc. Mr. Manning had informed us verbally that there would be no problem getting everything in a 40 ft container.
I then found some referral websites through which I received several quotes for the same service as low as $7,000. I e-mailed Mr. Manning that we were inclined to contract a cheaper company, unless they were willing to drop their price by at least a few thousand. Mr. Manning then e-mailed us back in a very stern, almost angry tone, that we should beware of companies that give a low quote, and then increase the price once everything is packed up.
This is an actual quote from his e-mail:
"I have seen your household and I know what it is going to take. I did add some weight to my estimate, to be on the high side. [..] It is too small of a town for us to take advantage of someone. Dimon and Bacorn has been doing competitive and quality work for over 100 years."
Later I found a website movingscam.org, where these practices were confirmed, and all the companies that I got low quotes from where mentioned in the forum, so I decided to go with Dimon & Bacorn after all, assuming their price would more likely go down rather than up, and we even got rid of some heavy items after we realized that every pound added a dollar to the price.
Well, after everything was packed up and weighed, it turned out to be about 16,000 lbs, and I had to pay close to $18,000 'ransom', since they had all our stuff and wouldn't ship until we paid. Then there was a whole list of smaller issues that we had to deal with or fight over, which I gladly inform you on separately.
Leo
Antwerpen
Belgium
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Kevin
Haskell,Oklahoma,
U.S.A.
Protection in the future
#2Consumer Suggestion
Fri, December 01, 2006
If you find yourself in the situation again of needing to move ask your agent for a firm binding estimate. It locks the price no matter what happens with the weight. I am currently a mover (contractor) for another well known and reputable company that treats me and our customers very well. An option binding estimate allows the price of a move to go down with the weight if it goes under the estimate but will not allow the price to go up if the weight goes over the estimate. I don't know about their practices but all of this is explained in the pre-move package we send out to every potential customer. However, an estimate is just that, an estimate, or a good educated guess at most. Some salesmen are very good at their jobs others aren't but it is still an estimate unless you request it be binding and be firm about what you want. I had one particular job moving from Northern New Jersey to Chicago and they underestimated it by 14,000 pounds. To the customers advantage they had requested a binding estimate and the agent gave it to them, only they didn't put it in my paperwork so I didn't know it was a binding job until I was about half way through loading and warned the customer that his weight was way over the estimate and to expect a much larger bill. This was when we got on the phone with the corporate office and figured out it was booked non binding and then later changed only on the agents paperwork and not in the computer. Therefore the customer paid $2300 dollars to move to Chicago (he took my whole truck and 53' trailer) and the agent paid the difference to the tune of almost 10,000 dollars. So it's not always the driver your dealing with who screws up. But I will say a good driver can make 98% of the difference between a good move and a bad experience.
