Acme Relocation

I experienced a number of problems with ACME Relocation. Please BEWARE this company. They will up the charges at the last minute (by double, in my case) and damage your belongings.

First, my things were dumped haphazardly and without regard into the boxes. Nothing was organized, small things were mixed in with larger things, and unpacking was a nightmare. As would be expected with this kind of carelessness, some things were damaged, including two lamps, professional rolled up research posters, makeup, and a souvenir from Paris that is not replaceable.

Second, many things were left behind to begin with. These items include three storage shelving units, a medal, some décor, a power cable, my shower caddy, my stepstool, my curtain rod holders, a bunch of my pans, my crockpot, my cooking utensils, my silverware, all my bathroom cabinet items, and the items under my kitchen sink. I had to find a way to pack all of these things myself at the last minute, including dissembling and boxing the storage units.

Finally, only two guys were sent to do the unloading. That may be standard, but at least one of them was ready at the outset with excuses not to finish the job. He proclaimed upon arrival that he was tired and hadn’t eaten all day. While I had compassion for him, it is not fair that this became my problem, as the paying customer. Some boxes were moved to the appropriate rooms, but most were left in the living room on the main level. I had to move the boxes myself to the appropriate levels and rooms, and needed to ask my brother and nephews for help. This same mover asked me if there was anything else we needed moved before they left, but in the same breath, told me he wasn’t looking to move any boxes to the right rooms because he was so tired and hungry. Additionally, nothing that had been dissembled was reassembled, as had been promised.

On the day of the move, in order to stay within the cubic feet that had been estimated and not increase the cost another couple thousand, I had to ditch my couch, my porch swing, and a bench that was made for me by a dear friend. As a single mother, this left me in quite a bind trying to figure out how to dispose of these items.

This all happened after my initial estimate of about $7k was increased to nearly $13k after doing a more complete inventory with about a week left before the move. This felt very dishonest to me and put me in a bind because by this point, the move was so close that I was unable to find another moving company or to start packing on my own (as a single mother with a child with special needs). After this increase, we found the price to be even more on the day of the move, and then even more on the day of the drop off. This practice of upping the charges when we’re already at this point of commitment is borderline coercive.

This is all to say that I believe I should have experienced much better service for the price I paid, especially when the cost ended up being twice as much as originally estimated. I would not have gone with this company had I known the price would be so high in the end, or that the service would be so terrible.

In sum, for nearly $14k, I should have received:

• Careful handling of my belongings

• A thorough search of my premises to make sure nothing was missed

• Being on time with the delivery (drivers were about an hour later than stated)

• Items that were dissembled being reassembled

• Boxes and furniture placed in the right rooms

• Movers coming prepared for the work

• Proper estimate processes (looking at my actual belongings rather than making a poor estimate and then raising the price at the last minute)

In reality, I did not receive any of these essential elements of a proper move and this costed me in more than just money.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $13500

They didn't let me know they are a broker, not movers. They didn't let me select the movers. They told me that I'd have an in-person audit to confirm the price, then I was told this wasn't necessary, but when the movers showed up (2 days late) they required $1500 more than the estimate. I had no choice. You lose what you pay ACME if you stop the process later. My stuff was held in storage for weeks rather than delivered. Four boxes not belonging to me were delivered, and one box of mine is missing, and items are damaged.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $5500