Neither my husband nor I have ever used professional movers prior to this incident, and due to our experience, I'm fairly certain we never will again.
While my husband was away in Iraq, I had to hire help in order to move our things from Seattle, WA to Austin, TX. I hired Sprint Moving and Storage because they had received good reviews from customers for their services on local moves.
Sprint Moving and Storage performed an on-site estimate for the shipping weight of our belongings and consequentially, the moving fees we would be expected to pay. Unfortunately, the individual who performed this estimate GROSSLY MISCALCULATED our shipping weight (inaccurate by 2300 pounds).
THE BAD NEWS: If our move had occurred without crossing state lines, the law in Washington would have protected us as non-binding estimates are capped at 115% of the original estimate. (I'm assuming this law is in effect to protect consumers from situations just like this one.)
Because our move crossed state lines, our protection as consumers is left up to the Federal Highway Administration (who apparently has no caps in existence to protect consumers from this specific fate). Now, Sprint Moving and Storage can claim they are not responsible for their poor estimate or our new charges.
QUESTION: What's to prevent a company such as this one from purposefully 'low balling' an estimate just to entice the customer into using their services only to later claim they aren't responsible increased fees?
This unprofessionalism and lack of skill in performing the most basic of moving services i.E. Estimating shipping weight (within a reasonable amount) afforded us no opportunity to seek other means of moving our belongings (which we would have done as it will now cost us thousands of dollars more).
WARNING TO CONSUMERS IN SEATTLE/KENT AREA: Obtain binding estimates if you use Sprint Moving and Storage for interstate moves! Doing otherwise will leave you vulnerable to the same situation we are facing right now.
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