../../../..//2009/02/04/find-or-give-away-free/
Find or give away free moving boxes at freecardboardboxes.com.
moving
By 11.18.08
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ASAP Van Lines, a moving company we’ve covered in the past for alleged abuses against customers, has changed its name to Chicago Moving Systems. You have been warned. [MovingScam.com] (Thanks to Christopher!)
Quality Van Lines Responds To Complaint
By 9.24.08
Earlier this week we posted about Cory, a man who had a bad experience with the moving company he hired to schlep his belongings from New York to North Carolina. Now Quality Van Lines has responded with their side of the story.
"The Moving Company I Hired Was Incompetent—What Do I Do Now?"
By 9.22.08
Cory and his girlfriend moved from New York to North Carolina this summer. They hired Quality Van Lines out of Clifton, NJ to handle the move, but soon regretted the choice: they overcharged him, failed to deliver on promises, and damaged not only his belongings but his car. Cory wants to know what his options are now—and we want readers to know how to avoid hiring companies like Quality Van Lines in the future.
Movers Turns Musicians' New Zealand Adventure Into Fiasco
By 8.28.08
Ah, New Zealand, the land of kiwis and hobbits. Daniel and his girlfriend went there to set up a studio and get paid to do recording sessions. They’re musicians. They hired Morton Van Lines to ship their equipment from LA to NZ, but after over seven months of struggle, they got it, or their money back.Turns out the equipment was shipped to the wrong country and then returned to the USA. Maybe if Morton Van Lines ever returned a phone call or an email it could have been straightened out. But nay. Here’s Daniel’s story…
Uhaul CEO Gave Out Cellphone Number On National TV, But Never Picks Up Or Returns Calls
By 7.28.08
In what looked like a daring move, the CEO of Uhaul, Joe Shoen, gave out his “cellphone number” on national TV and invited customers to call him with their complaints. The problem is, when you call, he doesn’t pick up. If you leave a message, it’s not returned. You get to hear Joe’s gruffly charming voicemail message, but can’t leave one of your own. His mailbox is full.
Moving With Movearoo's Help? Hope You Like AT&T, Verizon, And Qwest
By 7.17.08
Movearoo.com is a new website that appears to offer free assistance with your move, helping you set up things like phone service, gas, and electricity at your new address. The site calls itself “Your Total Moving Resource.” It’s a helpful site, sure, but you should be aware that it’s funded by AT&T, Verizon, and Qwest, and exists primarily to promote their services. In other words, you won’t find a comprehensive list of competing phone service providers through Movearoo, only those offered by the three sponsor companies. A consumer advocate points out the drawback of making Movearoo your sole relocation resource:
No, You Should Not Save Money By Filling Your Rental Truck's Gas Tank With Water
By 6.28.08
Look, we know gas is expensive, but don’t save a couple bucks by topping off your U-Haul’s gas tank with water. We won’t pretend to care about U-Haul—not even U-Haul cares about their vehicles—but the next renter will want to bludgeon you with a rusty ice pick when their truck breaks down because you hosed the engine.
Angry U-Haul Manager Says You Stole A Truck
By 6.20.08
Now that it’s summer, many people are doing the moving thing. For some, this might mean renting a truck or trailer from U-Haul, like reader Ryan. He reserved a truck from U-Haul online well in advance of his move, but when he went in for pickup was told none were available. Ryan called corporate, who called the store and convinced the surly manager to give Ryan a truck. Three days after Ryan returned the truck, he got this voicemail from from U-Haul: “This is Alexandria U-Haul Rentals. Your rental truck was due three days ago and you haven’t returned it. If you don’t return our truck today I will call the police.” See how Ryan handled the situation, inside.
Broadway Express Responds With More Information About The Moving Disaster
By 6.16.08
The moving company responsible for the moving disaster that we mentioned the other day has written in to share some information about the way insurance works in the event of such a catastrophe.
What Do You Do When Your Moving Company Destroys Everything You Own?
By 6.12.08
What should you do when you carefully pack all of your belongings into a truck for a cross country move and the driver promptly drives under a bridge that’s a couple feet shorter than said truck? That’s the question that one couple is asking after their move from Boston to Oakland, CA went horribly awry. They shared their story with a Boston alumni email list and one user posted it to LiveJournal. Their letter, plus a gallery of photos generously donated by eyewitness (and Flickr user) K a t m, inside.
Storage Company Disappears With Everything You Own
By 4.18.08
Kyle wrote in looking for advice after a storage company disappeared with everything they owned: Short story: We had 8160 pounds of personal items in storage with Wright Way Moving & Storage of Kent, Washington (not a self-storage place, a pallet-style warehouse storage place).
This Reusable Best Buy Coupon For 10% Off Does Not Expire
By 4.11.08
Save 10% on your visit to Best Buy by bringing along this printable, reusable coupon that doesn’t seem to expire. The coupon is accessible to the public, but it is meant to serve as a chintzy government house-warming gift from the Post Office to people who recently moved.
Uhaul Dealer's Tips For Happier Renting
By 3.10.08
What about all those tales about broken and poorly maintained trucks? His thoughts, inside…
Uhaul To Start Charging $1-$5 "Environmental Fee"
By 3.3.08
Uhaul is going to start charging customers a $1-$5 fee to defray the cost of throwing away the various nasty junks associated with its rental business, according to an anonymous store manager. It will be called an “Environmental Fee.” Ok, whatever, but we like the rebuttal supplied in the Q & A for Uhaul managers in case a customer complaints: “Do you want clean air and water thirty or fifty years from now? If so, pitch in.” Nice, avoid raising upfront prices and get customers to cover your operating expenses through the power of guilt. Full text of the announcement, inside…
Uhaul CEO's Cellphone Number
By 2.28.08
The CEO of Uhaul gave out his cellphone number last night on an episode of Inside Edition, inviting consumers to call with complaints or questions. Joe Shoen explained saying, “People can’t get this organization to behave, I can.” That number is 602-390-6525.
14 Moving Company Crooks Indicted
By 1.28.08
A federal court handed down indictments against 14 moving company employees for extorting money from customers. Allegedly, they would sucker people in with low estimates, then ask for much more money on delivery, and not release the goods until the price was paid. Of all the moving company complaints we receive at The Consumerist, this one is the most common. It’s always important to check out a moving company’s rep beforehand; ask friends for recommendations, look up their BBB report, and see if they’re talked about on sites like MovingScam.com and MovingSham.com. Don’t just go for whoever is cheapest, a low-price could end up costing you a lot.
