TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE
After reading great reviews on Moving Buddha's website, I called Safeway in May for a quote. The guy helping me was very patient and kind and I felt like I was in good ha
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After reading great reviews on Moving Buddha's website, I called Safeway in May for a quote. The guy helping me was very patient and kind and I felt like I was in good hands. Edward mentioned being transparent with pricing a lot, and I appreciated that. Shortly after booking the move, a brain tumor was discovered on a cat scan my mom was given, and we had to postpone/ rethink the whole move. We had already given a deposit of $1,800.
We got the green light in from my mom's doctor's in July, and restarted the moving process. Movers came on July 22nd at 9am - they were supposed to come between 11:30-3pm. I told them they had to wait, I had hired a friend to help me move out all the boxes from the storage unit so that I could take inventory, and also so that the movers could focus on the furniture (which wasn't much) so we could get out of the heat sooner.
The movers started at 11:30 and I was glad to be there to supervise, as they were mostly careful except for a few items like the faucets on the vanities, which the guy took apart and was just going to put in the sinks without protecting them/preventing them from being scratched and also scratching the porcelain. There was also a marble top I was worried about which I had told Edward would require extra care in advance. I wasn't thrilled with the wrap job and I pray it will make delivery in one piece (delivery is tomorrow). Halfway through, the lead guy tells me I will need to pay $1,145 extra because some of the furniture can't be broken down to lie flat, and that it will take an extra 120-30 sq feet. I was so fried at this point from moving boxes and walking back and forth in 103 degree weather with the guys, I would've signed away my kidneys to get out of the storage facility. It was a no win situation.
Well, at least it's over and done with, I think to myself. Nope.
Eight days later, on a Thursday, I am shocked to get a text message late in the day, which states the delivery will be on Saturday. The moving guy told me the delivery date would most likely be two weeks. With the new delivery date, our belongings made it to Ga from Ca in 8 days, which would've been fine if they had given us more notice, like I was promised from the beginning - Edward told me I would be given updates on the whereabouts of our belongings after the initial pick up. I didn't receive any updates at all, just a text giving me less than 48 hours to make a plan (my brother would be the only person present at the house with such short notice and needs to tell his boss when he will have to be absent for the delivery). Today is Friday and no one will pick up their phone to give me a delivery window time for tomorrow. My brother will have to request the day off and lose a whole day of pay instead of just half.
Then there's the $700 dollars extra charge because the driver says they can't get the moving truck to our street?! I tell him the street is double wide and what is he talking about? He says it's not our street, it's the streets surrounding our neighborhood that make the delivery impossible, so they will go to Tucker, Ga instead of Athens, Ga to rent a U-Haul and unload our belongings onto the U Haul than drive to Athens for ANOTHER unloading.
All I can imagine is how many times our things have been loaded and unloaded without us there to make sure they haven't been destroyed. When I called in July to rebook the pick up, I asked my new point person, Benita if I could have extra insurance, and told her that I hadn't received a text or call offering me extra. She said she would have someone call me, I never got that call or text and I forgot about it.
Again, I have no choice. I have to fork over the money or I don't get my mom's belongings to her new home.
I texted and called Edward and Benita many, many times, no response - except a lame text from Benita saying she was off and didn't read my text or hear my messages , but she hopes I got sorted out, and God Bless You? I called the main number on their website and got a supervisor who was apologetic but just like the delivery guy, kept saying, you initialed the contract where we state that a shuttle might be necessary. She said she would go back and listen to the recording with the representative to see if I was advised about the shuttle/extra cost. I told her I was sure she mentioned I might need a shuttle, and that my response was, oh, the street is close to the house if the truck can't make the driveway. What the rep should advise is that a shuttle might be necessary because the truck is, as the supervisor said, "a beast", and might not be able to get to your street because of the surrounding streets/ difficult turns for an 18 wheeler?! Why would anyone think to ask about the size of the delivery truck, of the difficulties delivery drivers might have? It took the delivery driver less than 2 minutes to determine if the truck would make the street by looking at satellite maps - how hard would it have been to shoot that driver our address before giving me the final estimate, so that the $700 shuttle charge wasn't a horrible shock? We are on an extremely tight budget, and have now gone over by about $1800.
My advice to anyone booking a move with these people or any moving company, is to get your estimate for the move in person, so these people see your belongings and can't hike on additional charges (I sent pictures, I told them the space was 8x20 and not completely full, I asked if they need a new box count, etc , didn't help). Also, the delivery guy told me the shuttle thing happens all the time, so much so , that some moving companies charge a shuttle fee up front and refund it if they can make it to your street - now, THAT IS TRANSPARENT.
Overall, this has been a miserable disheartening experience. I pray my mom's belongings aren't ruined from so much loading and unloading, I am a wreck thinking about it.
Move size: 1 Bedroom Home
Service cost:
$7635