I have scheduled with Paramount for a move from Orange County, CA to Maryland.
After 2 confirmation calls the days prior to the move, they postponed a day for my move because of lack of manpower, calling to let me know 30 minutes prior to their scheduled arrival-and told me afterwords that I was the one who had requested them to come 24 hours later, which was a flat out LIE. Once my belongings were in their Penske truck (when I questioned the Penske truck, the acted surprised as if ALL moving companies are using Penske trucks now), their total was $1800 MORE than anything remotely possible, including $909 for packing supplies that is simply impossible. I canceled my check to them the next day.
I have spoken with the same person who calls himself different names depending on the day (Sean, Ben, Alex, Eyal, etc).interestingly, when I am speaking to him and I ask to speak to one of the others, they are "Not in the building", "not in today", or "not available". There is also an airheaded office manager named Kellie who on the surface is helpful but does not follow through with specific requests.
They have since deducted money from that excessive total, with deductions for the fuel surcharge, packing supplies, the day that they postponed, and $25 probably because I complained so much, for a total deduction now of $800 off that packed on $1800. This is laughable, since they apparently added a lot on top of the original statement to work with!
When I have called and specifically asked to speak with a supervisor and no one else, and was told a supervisor would call back. Someone who called himself Sean called back and I asked his title with the company, and he said he was calling me back instead of the supervisor, and that he is sort of the supervisor's secretary. I was told the next day that Sean IS a supervisor. I have called with a specific request for an itemized inventory of all of the packing supplies they used that they are charging me for, how many of what, and what each item cost, and that I need it faxed to me today. No problem, I was told. The fax never came. I am positive that they will have an impossible time proving that I owe them $909 of packing suppies.
I called repeatedly and demanded to know where my shipment of belongings is; is it in the warehouse? Is it in transit? These are YES or NO answers, which they didn't give me, simply that I "will be recieving my shipment between the 12th and 14th" of this month.
I just finally was given the driver's cell number, and I called him tonight. I was told all week last week by Paramount that delivery would be between the 12-14th of Feb. The driver said he is in Dallas, Texas, he's with "a different company" called NBA, and has 7 more deliveries to make, including stops in Iowa and Chicago, and he won't be here until this weekend. I am staying at a hotel because I am waiting for my belongings to arrive, and I am so angry.
I just found NBA. N.B.A. Moving and Storage is out of Brooklyn, NY. This is a real doozy, since my "moving company" Paramount Packing and Relocation is out of southern CA. I have researched the DOT #s for the companies, the insurance information. Based on what I now know, I completely understand why Paramount would accept my Visa card for the deposit and reluctantly for the pickup payment, but insists on ONLY cash or money order for the delivery.
Paramount Packing and Relocation only does half of the move: the pick up. They came to my house in a Penske rental truck (when I questioned this, they seemed to act as if every company does this). Paramount's insurance grants them authority for a "common carrier" of household goods, i.E., their rental of a Penske truck to come pick up my belongings. Paramount DOES NOT have insurance for vehicle transport! They then took my belongings to a warehouse, which must be near them somewhere in the outskirts of L.A. (not to my knowledge until after the fact). My belongings apparently sat there for 5 days while I was on the road driving across the US to relocate to Maryland (not to my knowledge). Then a truck from N.B.A. Moving and Storage, which DOES have insurance for vehicle transport, came to the warehouse, picked up my belongings, and began a drive across the US, with EIGHT deliveries on one truck, unbelievably, mine being the LAST.
So basically, I've paid Paramount for their services and storage (and then some, which I wasn't aware of the Penske truck or the storage, OR the N.B.A. Truck transfer). N.B.A. Is a whole separate company, so Paramount is insisting I pay N.B.A. Cash on delivery, which I still don't like.
Oddly on all of this, the insurance application dates for both companies are within a few days of each other, on different coastlines, with different insurance companies, ranging from 08/21/06 to 08/29/06, all of which were way too recent for me to be comfortable with a company moving my belongings, some priceless, across the US.
I hope this information gets out, as it's unfathomable how easy and what a con this is for the companies, and they have a "don't ask, don't tell" policy, and even when asked pointed questions, they give you round-about answers that don't answer you, or the flat out lie.
Alice
Annapolis, Maryland
U.S.A.
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