Brightside Moving Group LLC

The Worst Moving Experience I've Ever Had – More Than $10,000 in Costs and Damages. Buyer Beware!

The Worst Moving Experience I've Ever Had – More Than $11,500 in Costs and Damages. Buyer Beware! I have never written a negative review of a company before, but thi ... Read More The Worst Moving Experience I've Ever Had – More Than $11,500 in Costs and Damages. Buyer Beware! I have never written a negative review of a company before, but this experience was so unacceptable that I feel obligated to warn anyone considering using this company. What should have been a straightforward interstate move turned into an absolute nightmare involving broken promises, misleading statements, repeated cancellations, escalating costs, damaged and missing belongings, and months of unresolved claims. From beginning to end, this company demonstrated an extraordinary lack of professionalism, transparency, communication, and accountability. What makes this experience particularly frustrating is that the problems were not isolated incidents. They were repeated throughout the entire process, from the original pickup arrangements to the final delivery and subsequent damage claim. THE PICKUP: BROKEN PROMISES AND FIVE RESCHEDULES I was specifically told that this company was affiliated with PODS which turned out to be false after speaking to representatives from POD. I was also explicitly assured that, although the contract contained language allowing for a pickup date range, they would 100% pick up on the specific date agreed upon and deliver my belongings when I needed them. I relied on those assurances when coordinating my family's relocation. Three days before the scheduled move, the pricing started increasing. The explanations, contradictions, and misleading statements seemed never ending. On the actual scheduled pickup date, after multiple phone calls and repeated assurances that the crew was on its way, the company canceled at approximately 9 PM that evening. Let that sink in. I had spent the entire day being told the crew was coming, only to receive a reschedule at 9 PM that were followed by another 4 reschedules and nearly added week before pick up. The pickup was subsequently rescheduled FIVE times. Because of these repeated failures, I was left sleeping on the floor while waiting for a company that could not honor its commitments or provide reliable communication. They eventually offered $250 for the inconvenience, but wanted me to sign an agreement that appeared to contain confidentiality or non-disclosure provisions. The fact that compensation was seemingly conditioned on signing an agreement restricting what I could disclose raises serious questions about how this company handles customer complaints and its online reputation. When the crew finally arrived, they also caused damage to the house I was selling, resulting in approximately $1,500 in additional expenses that I had to pay. THE PRICING: A $6,400 MOVE THAT TURNED INTO MORE THAN $10,000 The original quoted price for my move was approximately $6,400. By the time everything was completed, the moving costs alone had exceeded $8,400. The most concerning part was how the additional charges were justified. During the original inventory process, I was asked to provide a complete inventory, which was reviewed with a representative over the phone. Based on that inventory, I was told I needed approximately 900 cubic feet of space. To be safe, I voluntarily agreed to increase that amount to 1,050 cubic feet. Three days before pickup, I was asked to provide updated pictures of all my belongings, which I did. I subsequently received a call claiming that my belongings required approximately 700 additional cubic feet, resulting in nearly $4,500 in additional charges. After going back and forth, I refused to accept that calculation and explained that whatever did not fit, I would simply dispose of. The company then changed its position and stated that I only needed approximately 250 additional cubic feet. That supposedly smaller increase still resulted in an additional charge of approximately $2,300 which I negotiated down by few hundred at the date of the pick up. What made this particularly suspicious was that I had actually removed items from the original inventory before the move. I had also independently measured my belongings using standard box dimensions and calculated that the total volume was less than the original 900 cubic feet. I was confident the numbers did not add up, and delivery day confirmed my concerns. The tractor-trailer had cubic-foot measurements marked on its interior walls, and my entire shipment occupied less than 1,000 cubic feet. So how does a shipment originally estimated at 900 cubic feet, increased to 1,050 cubic feet for additional protection, suddenly justify another $2,300? I still have no satisfactory explanation. THE DELIVERY: ANOTHER ROUND OF BROKEN PROMISES AND ADDITIONAL CHARGES I was explicitly promised that my belongings would be delivered in a box truck. This was an important requirement because I knew my residential community would not accommodate a tractor-trailer. Instead, they sent a tractor-trailer with a leaking roof. I was then told that getting my belongings from the trailer to my actual residence would require an additional $2,000 or more for a shuttle service. This was despite the original conversations and assurances that delivery would be handled using a box truck. Ultimately, I had to personally pay the driver $100 so he would attempt to back the trailer down the block. Otherwise, I was facing another demand for thousands of dollars just to get my belongings to my home. The delivery itself was delayed and rescheduled multiple times, with little to no meaningful communication. When the belongings finally arrived, nearly a week after the originally promised date, the condition of the shipment was unacceptable. Furniture was damaged. Boxes were crushed. Numerous boxes and belongings were wet from the leaking trailer roof. Items were missing. Adding to the lack of professionalism, the people assisting with the final delivery, other than the driver, appeared to be locally hired temporary helpers rather than an established moving crew. To make matters worse, the original company subcontracted the delivery to another third party, creating yet another layer of separation and making it incredibly difficult to determine who was actually accountable for the condition and handling of my belongings. THE FINANCIAL DAMAGE: MORE THAN $11,500 AND COUNTING Let's put the financial impact into perspective. - Original moving quote: approximately $6,400. - Final moving costs: more than $8,400. - Additional damage to the house I sold: approximately $1,500. - Additional losses: damaged furniture, crushed and water-damaged boxes, and missing personal belongings. That means I have suffered more than $10,000 in direct moving expenses and property damage alone. And that figure does not include the value of my damaged and missing personal belongings, which remain unresolved. This was not a situation where a move simply cost a little more than anticipated. This was an original $6,400 agreement that ballooned beyond $8,400, accompanied by another $1,500 in property damage, questionable volume calculations, repeated broken commitments, and thousands of dollars in additional demands throughout the process. FOUR MONTHS LATER: STILL NO RESOLUTION After delivery, I was instructed to submit an insurance claim through yet another third party. It has now been more than FOUR MONTHS, and despite jumping through an unreasonable number of hoops, providing information, and repeatedly trying to get answers, I still have no meaningful resolution for my damaged and missing belongings. Think about that. I paid a company to move my family's possessions safely from one home to another. Instead, I received repeated cancellations, escalating charges, subcontracting without meaningful accountability, damage to the house I sold, damaged furniture, wet and crushed boxes, missing belongings, and an unresolved insurance claim. At this point, I genuinely feel I would have been better off throwing everything away and purchasing new furniture at my destination. MY RECOMMENDATION: STAY AWAY. I understand that moving companies encounter logistical challenges. I understand that delays happen. I understand that estimates can sometimes change. What I do not accept is repeatedly making promises that are not honored, changing prices at the last minute, providing contradictory explanations, demanding thousands of dollars in additional charges, and then leaving customers to deal with the financial and personal consequences. The most frustrating part is that virtually every problem could have been avoided with honest communication, transparent pricing, and basic professionalism. I would strongly encourage anyone considering this company to take the negative reviews seriously. Do not rely solely on the overall rating or the volume of positive reviews. Get every promise in writing, verify exactly who will be handling your belongings, understand the subcontracting arrangements, and be extremely cautious about additional charges. The fact that I was offered compensation in exchange for signing an agreement that appeared to contain confidentiality provisions also makes me question how representative the online reviews truly are. I cannot speak to the authenticity of other customers' reviews, but I can speak to my own experience, and it has been nothing short of disastrous. This is the first negative review I have ever written about a company, and I sincerely wish I did not have a reason to write it. A $6,400 move turned into more than $10,000 in direct expenses and property damage, with damaged and missing belongings still unresolved more than four months later. I would NEVER use this company again. I strongly recommend that anyone planning a move look elsewhere. Save yourself the money, stress, and frustration. Learn from my experience and take your business somewhere else.