S & M Moving Systems

Judy and Paul repeatedly assured us that we had the company’s top rated crew for our move. Because of these assurances and the success of our previous move, we trusted them and deferred to their "professional judgment" – a decision we later regretted. Judy Clark was very upbeat and reassuring. She instructed us to call her if there were any problems with the move, but we did not have the experience to always recognize when the movers were doing something incorrectly. Shortly before our scheduled “Move Date”, Judy recommended we shorten the schedule to 1 day packing, but we declined feeling that a 1 day pack schedule would be too tight./The cars arrived in good shape albeit dusty from traveling on an open bed truck. The cars already had minor chips and dents so it was impossible to tell if there were any new chips or dents./We felt we had to take the initiative to assure things were done correctly when possible. E.g., white gloves are required when handling any brass pieces to prevent tarnish due to the oils on the skin. We learned we had to insist to be sure the gloves were consistently used. S & M offers shock indicators for fragile items and electronics to detect impact such as being dropped. At our earlier move S & M forgot to provide the indicators. This time we pointedly reminded everyone in advance to provide the indicators./The crew worked at a steady pace for the first 2 days, but much slower the third day. We saw that Jacob used empty card board rolls from the packing tape to protect small ceramic figurines. When unpacking we saw that the tape that secured the rolled up area rugs had been folded on itself so the adhesive did not contact the fabric. We know Jacob packed some of the rugs if not all. Overall, the boxes that Jacob packed were done well. They provided a “last minute box” and a “bedding box” –the bedding currently on our bed -- to facilitate finding these things quickly at our destination./James was not as careful. He repeatedly dropped or tossed heavy items on the bare wood floors until we asked him to avoid damaging the floors. He was responsive when we pointed out our concerns. We rescued owner’s manuals, loose game pieces and other small irreplaceable parts that someone threw in the garbage. Many of the items came from the rooms James packed./We’d asked that our wood floors be protected during the move. Paul insisted they could only protect the floors in the hallways leading to the rooms otherwise the floor protectors would get in their way. Belatedly, Judy told us that company policy was to protect all the floors including inside the rooms. We would have insisted on more floor protection had we known./James insisted they had to wrap and box upholstered items in the front yard where there was more room in order to properly protect the items. Glenn concurred. We deferred to their “professional expertise” as we were not willing to risk damage. As a result a brand new bed set was soiled and the box spring torn. We are now in dispute with S & M over the damage. When Judy learned about the damage she said it was “against company policy to remove any upholstered items from the house before it was wrapped and protected”./It was not required, but we provided lunch and unlimited drinks on each day the crews worked. In addition, we tipped the West Coast Crew, Paul, and Mark./Most of the damage could have been avoided. Some fragile items were packed under 20 to 30 lbs of heavy objects and arrived broken – items packed by Paul. A handful of boxes were mislabeled e.g. cookware was labeled "books". They disassembled our Baker’s Racks to transport. The parts were delivered damaged where some of the plastic caps that fit on the top of the poles were gouged and mud was packed in the end of some of the poles. We don’t know who handled the racks./S & M required the ink cartridges be removed from the printer before packing, but subsequently ink, presumably ink retained in the lines, leaked in the box and inside the machine. Paul insisted a metal filing cabinet be moved with the drawers full but the heavy weight of the files caused the metal cabinet to crush where it came in contact with the hand truck. Half of the plastic casters on a four piece couch set that was listed as “High Value” [= valued at over $100/lb ] were cracked and broken; and the wooden leg of one piece was split. We suspect they dropped the furniture on the concrete driveway. Another couch set had some feet that were gouged as if they shoved the item along the rough concrete. We had kept felt pads adhered to the feet of the furniture to protect our wood floors. All the pads were missing when delivered, except for a couple. The “stop pins” in the Elfa storage units with sliding drawers that were moved without any packaging fell off during the move. Some pins were found on the ground the rest were lost. The stop pins in the remaining units that had been individually boxed also fell out, but were found inside the boxes. The lining on the underside of the furniture (“dust covers”) was ripped on some pieces./The technicians (techs) that inspect and repair damage for S & M are self taught. The techs used in CA are ok. The repairs are visible, but not ostensibly so. For valuable items, you may want to find your own repair person. Initially Raul Guzman came to inspect and make any necessary repairs. Raul said he had over 20 years experience in furniture repair; owns an independent furniture repair business in Placerville; and is licensed, but he does not advertise. I was unable to verify his qualifications, but the Placerville licensing department states he has a license as a “claims adjuster” not furniture repair. Raul was negative and argumentative. He stated that damaged items would not be covered; argued that parts could not be replaced: challenged us to prove him wrong; and suggested the damage was pre-existing. He argued that the ripped dust cover on our new box spring could not be replaced because it was impossible to obtain fire retardant material as required by state law. We reported our experience to Judy, who promptly requested a different tech. It took a couple of attempts by Judy to get Karen to comply. Raul repaired a wooden stand before we could get someone else./Tony Martin replaced Raul. Tony was positive but also suggested the broken sofa feet was pre-existing. He explained that even new furniture is often damaged at the furniture warehouse prior to delivery. We had checked the feet prior to the move and knew this was not the case. Where the damage was just cosmetic and not obviously noticeable, we did not file a claim. We also did not file claims for damage we felt was not Paul’s fault e.g. the ink leak in the printer; or that we could easily repair ourselves. Tony was able to obtain fire retardant material to replace a dust cover. All repairs had to be made in one visit because Tony is based far away./Karen approved re-repair of a dust cover installed by her VA tech. on our earlier move. Both Raul and Tony said the VA repair inappropriately used tacks to secure the fabric – the tacks were now falling out. Raul said the damage would not be covered, but was wrong./Karen approved repairs, payment for replacement, or provided a cosmetic allowance for most of the claims. In a letter that accompanied the Settlement check, Karen informed us the claim for the damaged bed was denied. She had not commented on the bed until the letter, so the denial was a surprise. [Update: In response to our request for arbitration of the denied claim ,United is demanding return of the Settlement check before they will discuss the damage to the bed]. The movers have a policy whereby they note any obvious damage at the time of packing. Although no damage was noted at the time of packing, the repair techs now contradict this and suggest that the damage was pre-existing./Garden mulch fell out of a box containing one of the beds as Juan unboxed it and Paul looked on. In hind sight we realize they did not unpack any other furniture in front of us. We were too busy with the unloading to notice. The west coast crew was fast. Juan and a second man literally ran as they delivered items. 500 items/boxes were delivered in ~6 hours. They unpacked and set-up the beds. When they couldn’t find the wheels to the bed frame, they purchased new wheels so we would have a bed to sleep on that night./Paul & Judy instructed us to just "concentrate on checking the item/box numbers on the “bingo sheet” to be sure nothing was missing and only note any obviously damaged boxes upon delivery. They informed us we had 9 months to unpack and make closer inspection of our items and file damage claims. However Karen Guzman denied our claim for the bed claiming 1. We did not declare the damage when we checked off the items on the “bingo sheet”. Also, I vacuumed a portion of one stain to determine to see if it was just surface debris. 2. Karen claims the limited vacuuming constitutes cleaning and releases them from all liability./The bed was covered at “Full Value”. Stains invalidate the manufacture’s 10 yr. full replacement warranty./Judy appealed our case to her supervisor who offered to have the set professionally cleaned as a gesture of "good will" but refused to assume any other liability. According to Judy & Karen, accepting the offer would not affect our rights if we subsequently filed arbitration if the stains could not be removed, but according to the arbitration organization at Moving.org the cleaning will release S & M from further liability.

They have one crew that does all of the packing. The second crew and driver for the household move, Charles Wright was the driver, loaded the truck and they also wrapped any furniture. The packing crew was very thorough and polite. There were about four or five packers so it's impossible to watch everyone. Because there are so many packers, you may want to have all of your valuable, more important items in one location so you can watch one packer pack those items. They do have you list any high value items and it's important to do so. You may also want to take digital pictures or videotape all of your belongings to document their condition and what you have if there is any discrepancy on the other end. There are different ratings as to whether they insure things at $0.60 per pound or have a higher coverage. It's my impression that they want you to take the lowest coverage as that means a lower liability for them. Our company paid for a higher coverage. The estimator will tell you what they do in advance, but the actual crew may do something different. I almost had to be the foreman to oversee them, which we didn't realize at the time. We had some damage, only a small amount. Things were packed pretty well. The movers do not wear uniforms and just seem like people off the street that they hired to move our belongings. The packing crew was very honest when a few occasions they found money and set it on the counter for us. They also required that our filing cabinet be emptied and contents put in boxes. It seemed more work at the time, but in a subsequent move, a metal filing cabinet was dented when it was moved with the drawers full. I suggest packing the contents in boxes to avoid these dents. A separate driver, Randy, moved our two, passenger cars. He was careful to note the little knicks or dents on the cars prior to moving. Randy did a good job. They were transported on an open flat-bed so they were dirty when they arrived, but seemed to be in good condition. The drivers are independent contractors to the company. They also had a specialty individual pack and crate our grandfather-clock. He was pretty good and although he used gloves to handle most of the brass pieces, he was not consistent and used his hands on some of the pieces which later tarnished. Our move coordinator was Judy Clark. She was very personable and positive, but there seems to be a disconnect between the standards that are expected by the office and what is actually practiced in the field during the move. The office told me the floor would be covered, but when the driver arrived, he only covered part of the flooring and insisted that's all he could do. I learned after the fact and after I complained of damage that was done, he was to cover all of the flooring according to the office. Another important item, any items that you don't want them to pack, place in a separate location and mark with signs that clearly indicate you do not want them packed as they may get packed in the confusion. We also showed and told them what not to pack, but that didn't help as they eventually were packed into the moving truck. They forgot and packed the items we told them not to pack. They had us pack a last-minute box which contained toothbrushes, bedding, etc which was helpful. It’s easy to locate when you reach your destination. Also, make sure you have all of your keys secured. Even though they indicated they will not pack keys, they did. I would rate the packers and the car mover an "A" and the drivers of our household goods a "B." When I reported damage on an item, I reported what I thought it was worth, later found out I reported lower than it actually cost to replace. I had to spend more out of pocket and would recommend doing research to see how much it actually costs to replace. When we arrived on the east coast, the driver hired a new crew to unload the truck at our destination. They did not wear uniforms and I am not sure where he hired them, but the driver was complaining that they demanded a higher fee after he picked them up. When they were not as careful with some of my things, I called Judy, she did contact them and they were more careful. The company also sent a furniture repair person to repair some damage. The company they hired to uncrate the grand-father clock seemed less knowledgeable than the individual they hired initially to pack the clock. Even though they wore gloves, the gloves were dirty which I questioned and they informed me they were just stained but clean. This same company was hired again to crate the clock on a subsequent move. They did a better job and the gloves appeared to be clean the second time. We provided lunch for the crew and it seemed to be greatly appreciated. I think it helped with the quality of work they provided for us.

They were by the hour. It was supposed to be done in one day, but it took them two days and when it came time to pay them they said it was $80 an hour when originally they quoted $70 an hour. Basically, they didn't speak English and that was an issue. I marked the boxes clearly for what should go into the apartment and what should go into the storage unit. They asked for more money, there was a communication problem, I asked them to pick up a fridge but they didn't leave room in the truck, etc. it was interesting. I asked them to take my plants on the truck and they thought I was giving them to them. They didn't break much. My apartment wasn't ready the day it was supposed to be and I had to call them last minute and ask them to wait a day to come, they responded well. They were recommended by a friend.

Great experience. Professional teams, clear communication, good system for tracking high value & all belongings inventoried. Nothing lost or stolen. Responsive to our needs, fast and friendly.

COMPANY WAS VERY PROFESSIONAL. COMPANY APPRECIATED THE CUSTOMER'S ORGANIZATION SKILLS IN LABELING ALL BOXES & HAVING BOXES PREPARED FOR THE ACTUAL MOVE. COMPANY REFUNDED CUSTOMER SINCE ESTIMATED QUOTE WAS SHORTER IN TIME THAN THE ACTUAL JOB.