We moved from Grand Rapids, MI to Richmond, VA in May. We hired Regal Moving to move our household mostly due to the fact that I was pregnant at the time and couldn't lift. Their website was very misleading and phone calls with them seemed very legitimate, our original quote was for $1200.
The loading of the truck went very smoothly and the workers were extremely helpful, very charming. Our problems started when they had not arrived on time at our new location. We called and found them to be in Kentucky, said they would be a day late. So, we camped out on the floor and waited. The next day, Sunday, they call and say they will arrive that evening but that the charge had gone up because our belongings had taken up more space than anticipated. They were saying an extra $400 should cover it, but must be in cash. We had just enough to meet the demand.
At the time they were due to arrive, they called and said that now the price was $2700 and we would have to pay to get our stuff. They arrived and we told them we could write a check or use a credit card, but they said it had to be cash or cashier's check. We told them it was a Sunday and there was no way to get the money. They said they would have to take it with them and redeliver later after we paid both the moving charge and a storage fee of over $100/day. We questioned their method of calculating the cost of the move as they never weighed it and said it took up so many cubic feet of space. But when I looked in the truck, the items were not packed to the top and had been put in strangely taking up extra space. I video taped the truck and the movers which did not make them happy.
They insisted on payment and we called the police. This made them nervous so I stood on the truck to make sure they didn't leave before the police got there. The man asked me to get down so I wouldn't get hurt and promised not to leave, but the minute I hopped down, he took off. The police arrived and called the movers and told them to come back or he would have them pulled over and escorted back.
They came back and the police worked out a deal to give them what money we had managed to get out of the ATM that day in exchange for our belongings (the cop told us privately that he was bluffing his way through the ordeal because he had no real authority in the matter). It must have worked because they did unload our stuff, much of which had been damaged in the move.
The receipt they tried to give us did not have the real amount we paid and the police made them correct it. They left and we called the office the next day and for several days after trying to reach the man who had given us our quote and set everything up. Eventually they told us that he had quit. They did send us a form to turn in the damaged items for insurance, but then sent us a letter denying any responsibility and denying our claims.
This move was one of the most stressful times I have ever lived through and I refuse to ever use a moving company for a move again. I just wish I had known then what I know now.
0 comments