When I made arrangements, over the phone, with Michael at Continental Express, he indicated that for a house the size of mine the move would cost in the $700 range. I NEVER RECEIVED A WRITTEN QUOTE FOR $700! When the movers arrived, David had me sign the contracts and paperwork. One of the papers indicated the cost of the move would not exceed $3000, which should have tipped me off.
The crew of 4 worked extremely slowly and after about two hours of work I realized they were cutting up a lot of brand new boxes THEY provided and were boxing, taping, and plastic wrapping everything in sight whether it needed it or not. I approached David and asked him why they were using all of these boxes for things that didn't require boxing and he gave me some line about everything being fragile and they had to pack them in boxes or they couldn't put it into the truck. At that point I suspected I was going to be overcharged. They cut apart boxes and taped the pieces around a stand up lamp and televisions instead of wrapping them in the 'free' blankets. They cut up boxes and taped them around a wooden entertainment center, a wooden corner cabinet, a desk, a dresser, tables and chairs instead of using the 'free' blankets. They removed eight small glass shelves and packed each one SEPARATELY in its own box.instead of putting paintings and pictures into one box, they used a separate box for each picture and used miles of tape. They removed dirty laundry from my laundry hamper and boxed it up!
It wasn't until later that evening I discovered they had gone through my dresser and removed all of my underwear and clothing and threw it all into a box instead of plastic wrapping the dresser in its entirety. They taped cut up boxes around a $300 mirror and when I removed the tape some of the gold leaf came off with the tape. They broke a slat to one of the beds and left it hidden under the bed. They plastic wrapped each mattress and box spring with five layers of plastic. It was a huge waste of brand new boxes, plastic wrap and tape, and extremely unnecessary.
When they arrived at the new house David presented me with a bill for $2988.83, $11.17 shy of his $3000 limit! I was completely shocked and asked him how he could justify these costs. He showed me the page for all the 'extra charges' (which he never gave me a copy of) and there were $1639.55 in charges for all the boxes and 'packing time'. I demanded to talk to his supervisor on the phone, whose name I can't remember now. I told his supervisor they were extremely dishonest and were committing highway robbery, the estimate QUOTED OVER THE PHONE BUT NEVER IN WRITING had been about $700, I expected $1500, but never dreamed they would be that dishonest and charge me $3000. I told him I wasn't going to pay it and he said they wouldn't unload the truck if I didn't. I demanded to speak to the owner and he said he didn't know who the owner was. I demanded to talk to HIS supervisor and he refused. I told him to call his supervisor and give him my phone number and have him call me and he refused. I told him I was going to report them to the Better Business Bureau and give them a horrible recommendation on any website I could find.
I now know that their scam is to tell you one price over the phone, then on moving day, when you have no other choice, they come out and use lots of unnecessary materials they provide and charge you for packing charges of at least $30 per box. When you arrive at your new destination they present you with a huge bill then hold your possessions hostage until youve paid.
This is the most dishonest and disreputable company Ive ever had the misfortune to deal with and they should not be allowed to remain in business. I spoke with an agent at the FBI who told me this is extortion and to file a dispute with my credit card company, file complaints with the BBB and PUC, all of which Ive done.
IF YOU WANT A REPUTABLE MOVING COMPANY, use A1 Transfer out of SF. The only reason I didnt use them this time was because I couldnt remember the name of their company, but they were wonderful, respectful, worked very quickly and were extremely honest. My move with them seven months prior to my nightmare move with Continental Express cost $1325, for the same amount of things and moving the same distance. Buyer beware! Do not EVER use Continental Express Movers!!
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