Complaint Review: National Relocation - National Van Lines - Norcross Nationwide

I went to www.123movers.com and filled out the information for my move (moving from Nashville, TN to Eugene, OR and need to have my belongings by the 29^th of January). Various moving companies sent quotes and Nation Relocation said they could meet the requirements and were the cheapest. I talked to a representative (Lisa) on January 13^th and she said they needed at least 10 days in order to get my belongings to Oregon, so I scheduled them for the 21^st of January and paid the $200 deposit, in fact they charged me twice for the deposit which I only recently caught. Lisa and I went through a list of items and came up with a quote. On the 19^th Allen (he goes by Allen but his given name is foreign and hard to remember) called me at 6 pm as I was getting off a plane and said that they were coming the next day (20^th of January), I told them they were scheduled for the 21^st and that I wasnt ready for them to come. They said there was no way that they were going to come on the 21^st and my options were to either have them come on the 20^th or wait until the 24^th. I said it didnt matter if they came on the 24^th as long as my belongings were in Eugene, OR by the 29^th. He was very rude on the phone and said that my belongings werent guaranteed to arrive on the 29^th and they had up to 21 days to deliver my belongings. This was the first time I had heard of the 21 days, it was not included in my quote. He said it normally doesnt take that long and will probably arrive on time. At this point it was too late to schedule anyone else and they said since they were coming a day early they wouldnt charge me to help pack.

The next day the movers arrived and I had stayed up late into the night packing so most of the packing was done. They loaded the truck and disassembled the dressers and mirrors. They charged me $85 for packing, gas fees never mentioned, as well as charging me for a picture box, when once I started unpacking realized they literally opened a box I had packed, put the picture in it, then taped the box back up. They up-charged me approximately $1000 for various items not mentioned in the quote, packed my belongings and wood furniture out in the rain at the storage unit before loading it in the truck, and told me they were giving me a deal. They also suggested over and over again that I should tip them and managed to squeeze $20 out of me.

I left Nashville, TN on January 25^th to give myself plenty of time to arrive by the 29^th to Eugene, OR. I arrived on the 27^th and received my keys on the 28^th for my new townhouse. I never heard from the movers so I called them on the 30^th and they told me that my belongings were still sitting in the warehouse in Atlanta, GA. According to the driver they didnt pick my belongings up from the warehouse until February 1^st and from there I am not sure where they were until February 5^th when they notified me they were in Pennsylvania. At that point the driver predicted it would be another 10-15 days. Whenever I did get a hold of Allen he would yell on the phone and tell me there was nothing he could do and to call the driver.  When I talked to the driver, Justin, he told me that he did whatever Allen told him to do. Allen also mentioned the 21 days again and he claimed it was sent to me in an email when I asked where this information was coming from. I forwarded him my quote and he asked where the second page was. I informed him there was no second page and he told me he didnt believe me and then looked through his files, while I was on hold. He came back on the phone and said in a much nicer tone that it was sent to me and he wasnt sure why I didnt receive it. I sent him an email that day asking him to forward me the original dated copy that was supposedly sent to me and to this day have heard no response.

I talked to the driver again as it got closer (20^th or 21^st of February) and he said he should be in the area on the 17^th of February and he would give me an update then of when my delivery is. When I hadnt heard from him I called and asked when he thought he would be delivering and he informed me that he was rerouted and it would be another 4-5 days, all the while I have been complaining to the office about how long it has been. On the 17^th I sent an email to Allen specifying that he was well outside the 21 days and asked what sort of discount he was going to offer to rectify the situation. I sent another email on the 18^th explaining that I travel for work and am now getting close to having to go out of town with no response from either.

On the 21^st, now over one month from when they took my belongings in Nashville, TN, the driver called and said he could deliver on Sunday February 21, 2010. He asked about the remaining balance and asked if I had the other 40% that I owed. I informed him that there was a question about the packing and the fact that they were late, and told him I was going to try and reach Allen to discuss it. I was able to reach Allen late that afternoon and he said he would give me a discount of $125, when I asked how he calculated that he said it was a number he determined and it was not based off of any calculation. He also mentioned that it was normally only $50 so I was lucky to receive that. When I asked about the packing fees he said he told the driver in Nashville, TN not to charge me for packing and that he would look at it on Sunday in the office and give me a call.

Sunday came as well as the drivers and still no word from Allen, so I called him and he said that there were only $30 in packing fees, when I told him I had a copy of the document in front of me and asked if he wanted me to email it to him, take a picture of it, or show it to the driver he said no. He started yelling again and told me that I was pushing it. He said that if I didnt stop disagreeing with him he was going to take away the $125. When I tried to reason with him he told me he was taking away the $125 and charging me for the packing fees, and then he hung up. I went outside to talk to the driver with my documentation and asked him to call and he said no. He said that I was getting the $125 and nothing else. When I asked what happens if I refuse to pay they told me I would not receive my belongings and it would cost even more money to get it back. In the end I paid the remaining balance of $1504 after already paying $2400.

As they brought my stuff in, multiple boxes were crushed, there were items missing and somehow they were not included in the inventory sheet (shower curtain rod, kitchen trash can, vacuum, ironing board, etc). So far they have damaged my toaster oven, microwave, numerous glasses, table, stereo, and DVD tower. I will have a more extensive list once I finish unpacking.