Charming Movers

"Dear Angie’s List readers, please read the entire reply. It is very important for you to understand that this review is grossly inaccurate and inappropriate. If you would like to see proof of any of this documentation feel free to call our office at 301-738-2202 we would be more than happy to provide any supporting documentation to our side. Mr. [removed member's name] is claiming that the approximate price of the move was $7,000.00. We packed [removed member's name] on 5/6/15 and moved him on 5/7/15. The price of the pack was $882.00 and the move was $1,838.00 for a total of $2,720.00. If anybody would like to see the paid invoice we will be happy to provide proof of actual cost. The day prior to the move [removed member's name] were provided, via fax, the release form that states what is not covered by insurance, in which Mr. [removed member's name] signed and called Cheri stating were he would leave the forms. The day after the move Mrs. [removed member's name] called the office starting the conversation by saying “I know that floors and windows and such are not covered by insurance but your guy’s scratched our floor,” to which Cheri replied “did you or anyone else witness that alleged occurrence?” Mrs. [removed member's name] replied “No”. Cheri politely explained that even if insurance did cover her floor the insurance she chose was $.60cents per pound per article. Which would mean the third party insurance would pay on the weight of the plank. Mrs. [removed member's name] then started threatening Cheri that if she didn’t pay for the damages she would write a bad review on Angie’s List. Cheri further tried to explain to Mrs. [removed member's name] that moving insurance is like any other insurance. If your homeowners policy doesn’t cover flood damage and your basement floods you don’t get to call your insurance company and demand that they pay anyway. Please be aware that Mrs. [removed member's name] had a multitude of subcontractors working in her new home as we were trying to bring her furniture into her home. (This is not an ideal circumstance). Upon speaking with the general contractor Cheri asked him about the possibility of it being one of his workers to which he responded, “there not my workers they are subcontractors and they were not working in that area of the house.” Hmmmm??? After further threats Cheri requested that Mrs. [removed member's name] get an estimate and provide photos and would submit it to the insurance company and see what they would say trying to appease her. To this day we have never received any estimate or photos of any damage whatsoever. In reference to the amount of runners all trucks are outfitted with two very long runners that cover the main hallways and a stairwell. There was never a request to bring extra runners or even a concern for more runners. The information about the runners was disclosed up front to Mrs. [removed member's name] at the time the initial in-home estimate and the estimate that was emailed to her. Our Charming movers had to walk across the grass because subcontractor’s occupied the driveway and the movers had no other way to bring the furniture into the home. How else were they supposed to bring in the furniture??? In reference to us not bringing the promised amount of movers; unfortunately one of the mover’s babysitter called out, which left us one man short. We had a replacement dropped off within the hour to the job site to which is also detailed on the contract. Again, we would be more than happy to provide that information to anyone who would like to see it."

"Dear Angie's list readers, It's very important for you to understand that [removed member name] claim is grossly inaccurate and unfair. We are more than happy to provide documentation to support our side of the matter. If you are interested in reviewing the documentation all you need to do is call and make a request. Let me start by saying it was never the office assistants intention to mislead [removed member name] to believe that she was the owner. She was multitasking and misheard the question. When she realized that he thought that she was the owner she corrected the situation and then sent a letter to him apologizing for the confusion dated 7/28/14 of which we will refer to as (Document A). A claim form was mailed the next business day to which [removed member name] filled out and returned dated 8/25/14, the post mark is 8/27/14. We will call this (Document B). The claim form does not have any damages listed in the space provided on the form whatsoever. The only damage mentioned via telephone is a scratch on the floor that [removed member name] stated he fixed himself. Next, a Charming Movers Inc. proof of loss and damages claim findings letter was sent to [removed member name] on August 31, 2014. The letter reads[removed member name] Charming Movers claims department is unable to process your claim for the following reason: company policy is as such all special instructions are to be reported to the office prior to your move date, no such instructions at anytime before or during the move was given to the office.” This letter also states, "additionally it has been brought to my (claims representative) attention that the accounting department has authorized a $225.00 credit as a gesture of good faith.” This letter we will call (Document C). The $225.00 credit of good faith was offered to [removed member name] and he declined. In reference to the text that [removed member name] claims that he sent to the driver, no such text was ever produced for review by anyone as [removed member name] has stated in his review. We do have a document from the driver that states, and we quote, "I Brian Hill never received a text message about the boxes that were supposed to be left in the front of the storage unit. I did speak with the customer on the phone about leaving some of those boxes with her son-in-law so that's what I/we as a crew did. So the son-in-law had taken some of the boxes, and the few that were left, we left where he asked them." We will call this (Document D). Theoretical texting to a driver while he's driving a commercial vehicle or car for that matter is unsafe, illegal to read, and inappropriate. It is also part of Charming Movers policy that the owner or owners of the belongings are present at the time of the offload of said belongings. In the rare occasion that the client cannot be present someone partied to the owner must be present to give proper instructions. Isn't it possible that the son-in-law could have potentially given incorrect instructions? [removed member name] never produced an invoice of said company that he had paid to move his belongings around, additionally [removed member name] attempted 2 charge backs from credit card company and both denied his request. In the final request for chargeback[removed member name] stated to the representative that that she was to convey to Charming Movers if we did not give him the money he would go to Angie's list and write a negative review. We are happy to provide the chargeback information, we will call those (Document E and F). If you request these documents to be faxed or emailed to you, you might notice that the details change each chargeback and then change again in his review. Charming Movers really does try to do the best job humanly possible. We are of the human race and have made mistakes that we are happy to own. But this was not one of them."

"To Angie's List Subscribers, [member name removed] was never told his move would cost $800. When the estimator went on site, he told him the job would take 6-8 hours at the approximate cost of $1,272 which was contingent upon the customer being ready for the move. Being ready for the move consisted of [member name removed] packing, thinning out and discarding numerous items. At this point, our experienced estimator tried to inform him there would be a lot to do. The estimator really tried to make him aware that he was taking on a large task. On the morning of his move, [member name removed] called to say he was going to write a check and could we hold the check for a week before depositing it because "he had just filed for bankruptcy" which is against Charming Movers policy and he was reminded at that time that Charming Movers doesn't accept checks but we accept all credit cards or cash for convenience to which he replied that he didn't have the funds and would need to work on it. He was asked if we should still send the crew or if we should wait for another day to which he said go ahead and send the crew and he would figure it out. He called back with a credit card number and asked us to run it for $800 and the card was declined. He said he would phone back with another plan; all the while, the crew was on its way. He finally called back and asked to be charged $1,300 to a different card, which we did. He had already paid a $100 deposit to initially book the move date. The crew arrived and a walkthrough was done which is standard in the moving industry at which point it was discovered that there was glass broken on pictures and numerous other items that had pre-existing damage. Before the move got started, the crew leader called the office so that we could note his file about the pre-existing damage. Shortly thereafter, [member name removed] asked the crew leader how much he thought it would cost to do the move considering all that he had not accomplished to which the crew leader replied, approximately $2,000-2,500. This figure was given because he had not done what he said he was going to do in an effort to keep costs low. At that point, [member name removed] said to go ahead and proceed with the move until we got to the $1,400 mark which was the amount he had pre-paid. The actual amount that was due for the move was $1,510.55 because of how the hourly rate works out. The move was 9 hours total, 8 hours at the discounted 4 man rate plus one hour of overtime, which is required by law to be paid out to our employees. [member name removed] paid us $1,400 leaving a balance of $110.55 to which he said that he would pay later. In closing, we did in fact give him his 10% discount. The original 4 man rate is $175 per hour and he paid $159 per hour, we also waived the balance in light of his current financial duress. At no time did [member name removed] call the company and ask for a claim form or even to report any damage whatsoever. We at Charming movers feel that [member name removed]'s claim for $800 on pre-existing damages is unfounded and unfair. Angies List is the first we are hearing of any of this. We have documentation on all the points stated above and Charming Movers will happily provide this to anyone that is interested in viewing it."

"To Angie's List Subscribers, [member name removed] was never told his move would cost $800. When the estimator went on site, he told him the job would take 6-8 hours at the approximate cost of $1,272 which was contingent upon the customer being ready for the move. Being ready for the move consisted of [member name removed] packing, thinning out and discarding numerous items. At this point, our experienced estimator tried to inform him there would be a lot to do. The estimator really tried to make him aware that he was taking on a large task. On the morning of his move, [member name removed] called to say he was going to write a check and could we hold the check for a week before depositing it because "he had just filed for bankruptcy" which is against Charming Movers policy and he was reminded at that time that Charming Movers doesn't accept checks but we accept all credit cards or cash for convenience to which he replied that he didn't have the funds and would need to work on it. He was asked if we should still send the crew or if we should wait for another day to which he said go ahead and send the crew and he would figure it out. He called back with a credit card number and asked us to run it for $800 and the card was declined. He said he would phone back with another plan; all the while, the crew was on its way. He finally called back and asked to be charged $1,300 to a different card, which we did. He had already paid a $100 deposit to initially book the move date. The crew arrived and a walkthrough was done which is standard in the moving industry at which point it was discovered that there was glass broken on pictures and numerous other items that had pre-existing damage. Before the move got started, the crew leader called the office so that we could note his file about the pre-existing damage. Shortly thereafter, [member name removed] asked the crew leader how much he thought it would cost to do the move considering all that he had not accomplished to which the crew leader replied, approximately $2,000-2,500. This figure was given because he had not done what he said he was going to do in an effort to keep costs low. At that point, [member name removed] said to go ahead and proceed with the move until we got to the $1,400 mark which was the amount he had pre-paid. The actual amount that was due for the move was $1,510.55 because of how the hourly rate works out. The move was 9 hours total, 8 hours at the discounted 4 man rate plus one hour of overtime, which is required by law to be paid out to our employees. [member name removed] paid us $1,400 leaving a balance of $110.55 to which he said that he would pay later. In closing, we did in fact give him his 10% discount. The original 4 man rate is $175 per hour and he paid $159 per hour, we also waived the balance in light of his current financial duress. At no time did [member name removed] call the company and ask for a claim form or even to report any damage whatsoever. We at Charming movers feel that [member name removed]'s claim for $800 on pre-existing damages is unfounded and unfair. Angies List is the first we are hearing of any of this. We have documentation on all the points stated above and Charming Movers will happily provide this to anyone that is interested in viewing it."

"[member name removed], Thank you so much for that lovely review! We aim to please! Cheri"

"After careful checking, we have determined that we have no match for this name or dollar amount for the date provided. We believe that this review is under the wrong company Sincerely Charming Movers"

"In November 2012 Charming Movers (CM) was contracted to perform a packing and moving job for the client; 2 packers and 3 movers were scheduled. On the day of the pack job, a veteran CM employee as well as a new (highly experienced) CM packer were dispatched to the job. Due to a wide range of customer expectation in terms of packing etiquette, the new employee was a bit over zealous in the packaging of several items. It has been our experience in the past that many customers, with seemingly non-fragile items, wish for those items to be securely packaged along with the rest of their belongings. We have since changed our company policy to have clients specifically indicate the handling of items that are of a seemingly non-fragile nature. The vast majority of CM employees have been with the company for many years and have affected a family-like relationship with one another. This would most likely account for the excessive amount of communication between staff members that the client indicated in her complaint. On the day of the move, there had also been an indication that CM staff had taken an inordinate amount of time between moving loads of furniture. To that end, all CM employees are instructed to give first preference of all elevators to the residents of the building. Though it may not take a long time for residents to catch an elevator, there is indeed a longer wait time when one considers the need for an empty elevator to transport furniture and boxes. CM agrees that there is never an appropriate time for staff to ask for a tip from a client. We believe a gratuity is something given at the desire and discretion of the client. The CM employee in question was reprimanded and cautioned from further monetary inquiries of any CM clients. As the client indicated, the job did end up running over the anticipated time allotment. However, when large exercise equipment is scheduled to be disassembled, there is a chance we may run into overtime. This eventuality, coupled with long wait times to access the elevator, and delivery of furniture to two locations, caused the job to take longer than initially anticipated. The client mentioned a few items that were damaged in transport and did also acknowledge receipt of payment for the damages. Industry requirements indicate $0.60 per pound, per article for damages as an acceptable rate. All CM contracts clearly state our compliance with the requirement and all contracts are read and signed prior to any packing or moving. In this particular case the client was reimbursed per the industry requirement, for damages and was also reimbursed for 2 hours of packing time. We apologize for any inconvenience and/or stress this may have caused the client. At Charming Movers we strive to provide a positive move experience to all our clients and regret when they are not 100% satisfied."