KELLER MOVING AND STORAGE

I contacted three major companies for bids and chose Keller even though their bid was not the lowest because the salesman, Terry Walsh, emphasized they were a family company that had been in business for many years. He made me feel I could trust them. I signed and returned the paperwork, scheduling pick up on 7/8, on 6/3, along with a letter detailing my concerns. The estimated figure on the Order for Service I signed was $2,523.12 with a 110% figure of $2,775.43. For three weeks I heard nothing; then on 6/30, I was told I had to come in to sign a credit slip. Since I was not in the area, I had to rearrange my schedule, which was an inconvenience. They finally agreed that I could come in on the day before the move. When I arrived, I was not merely presented with the credit slip but, also with new paperwork that raised the cost by $91.12 (estimated; the 110% figure increased by $100.23). When I questioned the fees, I was told that it was an increased fuel charge. At no time during the estimate process was I informed that any of the fees were subject to change, nor was I informed in the intervening weeks. Since I was understandably upset, Terry tried to explain why I was wrong in my interpretation of the paperwork. When I questioned my increased liability if his estimate was off, he stated you have a little apartment and that I shouldn t be worried because he had been doing this a long time. He basically patted me on the head and told me not to worry. Unfortunately I didn t have any choice. When the final totals came, it seemed that his years of experience lacked something. The costs were substantially higher than he estimated by more than 20%. So the move that I expected to cost $2,532.14 ended up costing $3,039.31. Throughout, I was put in an incredibly impossible position. When I came into the Keller office to sign the paperwork, I needed to move the next day. I had no time to choose another mover and had to accept that their initial bid was merely fiction. I raised these objections to both Keller and their parent company, North American Van Lines, in a letter dated 7/21. On 8/5, NAVL responded that they "have no jurisdiction over moves that are not registered with North American Van Lines. We are an interstate carrier that Keller M/S registers moves with but, they do have business aside from moves with us. This move is just such a move." I was stunned at the misrepresentation by Keller. I specifically solicited quotes from affiliates of national organizations to ensure an additional layer of protection, to which I no longer could appeal because, I was misled by Keller. Two and a half months went by before I received another bill from Keller that also included a letter from Mr. Walsh indicating that my "apartment was compressed" and that "sometimes I can be fooled," a claim that seemed spurious since both of his competitors were much more accurate with one in fact estimating the total weight of my possessions within 14 pounds of the actual!

I made a claim because I was missing some things after we finished unpacking. The reply I got to the claim was that we signed claim release forms that prevented us from claiming lost items. We were required to sign a paper everyday that they brought the boxes in that day. The papers were signed before we unpacked and they said that was ok. I made a claim that I was missing some kitchen items. They overcharged us for boxes as well. Their current box list was 2 dollars cheaper per box than what we originally paid. I only made a claim for $91.00 and I would expect a company to make this right, especially for such a small claim.