Still waiting for my stuff - assuming it hasn't been sold off or thrown away!!!
AM King
Submitted this review about
David and Goliath Moving & Storage
Review made Live: 9/20/2016 2:51:00 AM
I moved from Michigan to Mississippi to begin a new job. I used a broker who provided a bound estimate of $1,599.00. Contract signed 8/9, David & Goliath showed up less than 24 hours later (and a day early). After they packed up and loaded everything, the "head mover" got on the phone with his boss, and proceeded to say things in the nature of "she has more stuff than is on the list" (a LIE). I knew movers could be unscrupulous, so I did my homework beforehand, which included getting a bound estimate and being specific when itemizing the things the movers would pick up (down to size and dimensions of items). Well, the "head mover", after getting on the phone with his boss, proceeded to inform me that I had "gone over by several hundreds of dollars" on my estimate, which was a lie. Hearing this, I went "verbally ballistic" on the "head mover", while his boss was on the phone. After a good rant, I went outside- I started my rant again, because the movers brought a truck large enough to move a 3 or 4 bedroom house, but I only had a 1-bedroom apartment. They tried to say that this too justified an increase in costs, so I "lost it again". By the time I finished, the "head mover" and his boss on the phone took the Bill of Lading the "head mover" had with him and proceeded to SCRATCH OUT THE FAKE INCREASES THEY HAD ON THEIR ADULTERATED COPY, AND REPLACED THEM WITH THE NUMBERS THAT WERE ADDRESSED ON THE BOUND ESTIMATE! I two photos of that Bill of Lading, to ensure I had a record of it in case something happened to the original.
Fast-forward to September- on September 8, I contacted the broker to tell them that the number they gave me to David and Goliath was not answering, and that maybe they could try. I needed to get my belongings removed from storage that day (or no later than the following day) in order to remain within the 30-day window for free storage. The broker says they contacted the business and that the business should be in touch with me that day (this was around "2-ish" Central Standard Time, September 8). I never got a call- the next morning, I called David and Goliath (since they never called me) and told them about what the broker said and that I needed to have my things pulled from storage and ready for delivery. The woman on the phone (Patricia Dube) proceeded to quote me a delivery price of $586, a storage price of $186, and a plan to deliver by next Wednesday. I informed her of my (1) bound estimate, (2) bill of lading (with the "now corrected values" and which she received a photo), (3) that the storage was supposed to be free for 30 days- given that I did not have a lot of stuff to be moved and stored, it would take a fraction of the time to pull it from storage and put it on a truck compared to the amount of time it took them to break down and then put on the truck the first time, and (4) having heard from the broker on my behalf the day before, this is the kind of thing they should have already had in motion. Well, "Patricia wants to call me back in 10-15 minutes"- 45 minutes later, I call her. She says that the "storage fee will be waived" (as it should, since charges were to begin the NEXT DAY) and that they'd "have my things to me by Tuesday". I didn't complain, although I thought it odd that they had no problem driving 10 hours, 54 minutes to Ypsilanti, MI less than 24 hours after I signed the contract with the broker, but Norcross is 6 hours, 15 minutes away from Jackson and as of today (Friday, September 16), there is no word from David and Goliath as to when I will receive my belongings. I have sent emails to Patricia Dube that go unanswered, and the phone simply rings when I call. They are of no help.
UPDATE 9/19/2016: Called back and spoke to a man who refused to give me his name. According to "him", "my information had not been updated in the system and they did not know my new address". This was/is a lie, as I provided that information to the BROKER, who called Ms. Dube on 9/8. The "man" claims that "a dispatcher will call by Wednesday, and I should get my things by Friday" - two weeks after this was all supposed to be put in motion. It is unconscionable that they "high-tailed" it to Michigan to pick up my things (which was about an 11-hour drive one-way), but are having problems driving 6 hours, 15 minutes from their doorstep in Norcross, GA to mine. They might be mad because they tried to screw me over and I wouldn't let them- in any case, I've learned since I arrived in Mississippi that there are quite a few lawyers here, and several would be happy to take this case.
The resolution I seek is: (1) BRING MY THINGS ASAP- to reiterate, I don't own much and the amount of stuff they picked up was for a 1-bedroom apartment. (Literally, it was a bed with mattress and headboard, dresser with mirror, high dresser, night stand, average sofa, loveseat, wooden coffee table, wooden bookshelf, two large suitcases filled with books, three small boxes filled with books, and a plastic utility trunk with wheels. That's IT. Everything else either (barely) fit into my car or was discarded. With loading my stuff from storage, travel to Jackson MS, unloading, and setup, the entire situation shouldn't have taken more 12 hours, maximum.(2) I expect a CONSIDERABLE reduction in fees despite the bound estimate, because this type of service is beyond shoddy. They should reduce the delivery and setup by approximately $270 so when they get here, they will deliver and set up the furniture according to my specifications for no more than $250- if things are broken or missing, they should receive nothing. Because of their delays, I am missing critical materials needed for my new job (I am a professor, and those books were for the classes I teach and the research I do).So, that's it: (1) bring my things ASAP, (2) unload and set up the furniture, and (3) leave with a CHECK or money order for $250-270 less than originally addressed in the bound estimate, because of negligence and a failed attempt at defrauding me. But if my things are missing or damaged, then they deserve NOTHING. (Oh, one more thing? Make sure that this company is aware of the "110% Rule, which from what a lawyer told me does not apply to bound estimates, and even if I had an "unbound" estimate, the amounts they were trying to charge went well about the "extra 10%" allowed by law.
