ComplaintsforReady Relocation Experts

• Initial Complaint

  03/11/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I was given (and signed) an estimate for relocating my personal belongings from a 1 bedroom apt in Seattle to a new apt in Traverse City MI. The estimate was for $4233.53 by Ready Relocation Experts, I was told estimate would change depending on # of boxes, and I was told they would disassemble furniture. I paid half up front. The day the movers arrived (the last weekend I could move out) they doubled my estimate to $7771.84, I was charged for wrapping the furniture that I took the time to disassemble myself, added fees for cubic ft as opposed to boxes (I had well under 30), was told my totes needed to be repacked into different boxes, and was charged a shuttle fee for a smaller truck because I lived downtown, but was also charged a fee for moving items more than 75’ because the truck they used wouldn’t fit in the loading dock (so was it a shuttle I should be charged more for or a bigger truck I should be charged more for? How both? They had my zip code yet I was told all moves in my zip code required the added charge). Most notably, the movers were contractors who worked for a different company, their paperwork says ********** ****** ****** and ******* ***, my order # was *********. They were supposed to deliver starting the 1st of March (pickup was on the 25th of Feb), it is now the 11th of March. I have contacted several numbers, last week I was told the order was still in Washington, however nobody will give me any additional information since. The contract required I sign 3 days in advance of service (probably because the charges weren’t fair) but they sprung everything on me at pickup threatening not to take my stuff if I didn’t pay. The company that hired the company that hired the contractors won’t take responsibility for the extra charges, everyone I have spoken to has pointed the finger to a different party, claimed ignorance, or promised to get back to me. It has been weeks and I worry I won’t get my belongings. I’m out an extra mo rent and work. Plz help

  Business response

  03/24/2023

  We appreciate customers' feedback, as a company, we are always looking for ways to improve our services. In response to the online complaint we would like to address the following: 1. On February 13, 2023, the company secured a position on our calendar and provided customers with a Binding Moving Estimate, which was acknowledged, signed and returned, prior to accepting a deposit of $1,536.88 to secure a position on our calendar.  2. Long Distance Moving is a service we provide to our customers and in order to execute the move, our company utilizes authorized FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) motor carriers. In fact, policy states "Please note that Ready Relocation Experts. is a properly licensed interstate  Broker. Ready Relocation Experts is not a motor carrier and will not transport an individual shipper's household goods, but will coordinate and arrange for the transportation of household goods by another FMCSA authorized motor carrier, whose charges will be determined by its published tariff." 3.  Our company also strives in saving customers money, unfortunately upon arrival the FMCSA carrier noticed that the volume, that customer would occupy, exceeded the amount initially estimated. This adjustment in volume caused the increase in price, the bill of lading reflects the difference in volume  which was signed off by the customer indicating this was agreed by the customer. These adjustments were for including but not limited to the increase in weight as well as Optional Accessorial Services and Additional fees for the "Packing supplies such as boxes, bubble wrap, etc.  4. We strive to accommodate customers arriving within the requested window for pickup and delivery however, due to unforeseen delays, no promises can be made. In fact, the Binding Moving Estimate policy makes clear "All pickup, load and/or delivery dates are only estimates and are not guaranteed.  There are absolutely no guarantees made, expressed or implied regarding pack, load and/or delivery dates."  5. The customer is currently in transit for delivery. The Customer's desired resolution was for a full refund. After careful review of the account and our cancellation policy, the company has concluded we not only stayed in clear communication with the customer but we have executed our end of the estimate. Therefore, no refund can be processed in any form. However, for any inconvenience our company is willing to provide a future long-distance move at a discounted rate. Thank you for your time and attention to this matter. 

  Customer response

  03/31/2023

  Better Business Bureau:  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.  Hi BBB, After a month of living in an empty apartment, I’ve finally received my belongings from a third company (*********** *** **** ****). Ready Relocation Experts position themselves as a moving service on their website, and do not make it clear that they act as a “moving broker”. The sales person whom I signed the agreement with, ***** ******, acted in bad faith when providing the estimate. I was told my furniture would be disassembled and reassembled within the estimate provided, I was told that the estimate likely wouldn’t be exceeded so long as I was within the number of boxes listed (I had less than 20, the estimate was for 30), I was told as long as I had the loading dock reserved (a process they didn’t make easy) I likely wouldn’t have to pay a shuttle fee. The bait and switch occurred when ********** ****** (the company Ready Relocation hired to procure my items) arrived at the end of the last possible day I had to move, and upcharged me considerably (to the tune of over 5 grand) to pick up my items. The contract states that if I didn’t agree to the additional charges, Ready Relocation would keep the deposit I made when I hired them. I was charged $748 for packing materials, on the form it indicated blankets, which accounted for nearly all the materials provided. When *** **** brought my items to my new address, they said the moving blankets must be recovered by the moving company, even though they charged me almost $800 for them. When I spoke with Jessica from ********** ******* she could not explain what the $748 charge was for only that it didn’t apply to the blankets (which were listed on the form), she then told the driver (on my phone which was on speaker phone) to not unload my items and to keep them hostage unless I returned the moving blankets. In the end I let them take the packing materials I was charged for. ********** ******* *** ****, and Ready Relocation Experts had very poor communication with each other, and could not account for why certain charges were made, or why promises one party made couldn’t be kept by another. It’s my position that ********** ****** especially overcharged me for pickup. I’m running out of time to respond, but I would like additional attention paid to this claim. I was lied to regarding the initial estimate, I was trapped in an empty apartment for nearly a month waiting on delivery (I never received more than 24 hrs notice), and I’m out a near total of $9000 for the worst moving job I’ve ever paid for.   Regards,  ******* *******

  Business response

  04/03/2023

  In response to the preceding appeal we would like to provide the following; We have requested the bill of lading to be reviewed with the customer. The customer has been delivered. Thank you for your time and attention to this matter. 

  Customer response

  04/12/2023

  Better Business Bureau:  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.  Regards,  ******* *******

• Initial Complaint

  02/06/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I was contacted by Ready Relocation experts on February 3, 2022. I believe that they got my contact information when I was searching for moving services through ******* ****. The agent collected some basic information about my move (location, dates), and asked me to list the large pieces of furniture that would be moved. Upon providing this information, the agent provided a quote for the move (under $3000) that was well below my expectations. To reserve the truck, I provided a virtual signature and received an emailed "binding estimate." The agent told me that payment would be collected 50% at the pickup date, and the remaining 50% upon delivery. He then transferred me to the billing department to collect bank account information. Upon reviewing the full contract, I realized that I had inadvertently paid a non-refundable deposit for nearly 50% of the estimated cost ($1414), and that the estimate vastly underrepresented the amount of items that I told the agent we would be moving. I contacted the billing department and agency immediately to request a cancellation of the agreement and a refund of the deposit. The agent repeatedly refused to provide a cancellation or an adequate explanation of the terms of the contract. I called the business multiple times to cancel the agreement immediately, they claim that it takes 3-10 business days to process a cancellation and that the deposit is gone. I think that this business should be removed from the ******* **** referral system, and that they should be required to disclose the amount and terms of the deposit, and that this is an unreasonably high percentage to charge for an advance deposit. Consumers should have time to review the fine print before committing to these terms, and the company should be required to process cancellations immediately. I can provide email documentation. Internet search results show that others have also had this experience, I would love to get a refund but also want to protect others from this.

  Business response

  03/28/2023

  1. On February 3, 2023, the company secured a position on our calendar and provided customers with a Binding Moving Estimate, which was acknowledged, signed and returned, prior to accepting a deposit of $1,414.00 to secure a position on our calendar.2. Long Distance Moving is a service we provide to our customers and in order to execute the move, our company utilizes authorized FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) motor carriers. In fact, policy states "Please note that Ready Relocation Experts. is a properly licensed interstate Broker. Ready Relocation Experts is not a motor carrier and will not transport an individual shipper's household goods, but will coordinate and arrange for the transportation of household goods by another FMCSA authorized motor carrier, whose charges will be determined by its published tariff."3. On February 6, 2023, the customer canceled the move.The Customer's desired resolution was for a full refund. After careful review of the account and our cancellation policy, the company has concluded we not only stayed in clear communication with the customer but we have executed our end of the estimate. Therefore, no refund can not be processed in any form. Our company would have rather executed the move. However, our company will hold the deposit for 12 calendar months for a future Long Distance move from the cancellation date (February 6, 2023).

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩