Dumbo Moving and Storage

Our experience in our move to Hoboken was a disaster, 'shady', and our instructions were blatantly ignored which I could only explain by the fact that one of the movers spoke no English  (the other two movers did so I have no excuse for them). These are the highlights (and next time I am going back to Oz Moving - their movers seemed to know (were trained most likely) exactly what to do with each and every piece of furniture vs. Dumbo guys who seemed clueless. Unfortunately they were booked for July 31, 2013) First, when they arrived at our apt in Brooklyn, they smashed and scratched some of our walls - luckily we had paint on hand to do a quick fix as we would have been charged by our landlord for any dents/scratches on our wall. We then witnessed them moving our furniture without ANY precautions and ignoring our requests; all our mirrors were broken (unwrapped), our bikes smashed (both had to be brought into the bike shop) our dressers, nightstand and acrylic coffee table were dragged across the floor without even a blanket and even a modicum level of care and precaution was non-existent. The movers apologized by blaming the 'new guy' as it was his first day. When they were parking the truck in Hoboken on 8th and Willow, they ran over a PARKED car and the police were called. The movers stated to us, that they were 'nervous' about the cops showing up as the 'new guy was an illegal immigrant' that shouldn't be working. I think this situation exacerbated the lack of focus on our move.  Both my husband and I have moved several times using other outfits over the last several years and have never experienced such gross negligence, lack of precaution (and lack of using moving blankets!) and unprofessionalism. We wrote to Dumbo Moving Company on August 4th describing our experience (after we wrote them we found MORE items they had destroyed as we continued unpacking) and requested a full refund  (~$800) which wouldn't even begin to cover the cost of the items destroyed (in the thousands at this point). Their response? An offer of $160 dollars for the 60cents per lbs general insurance they carry and the following response: "Since yesterday, I have received special instructions from the General Manager to specifically address your use of such terms as "shady business practices" and "illegal immigrant" in your earlier communication. Please be advised that the above mentioned accusations are false. Dumbo Moving and Storage respects your right to share your feedback on any of the platforms specified in your email. However, we reserve the right to hold you legally liable for any and all false claims and defaming comments towards Dumbo Moving and Storage and its agents. " ??WHAT??  I responded: "Please communicate to the General Manager that said 'false claims' came straight from the mouth of one of your employees when they were concerned/nervous about the police showing up to investigate the moving truck running over a parked car with the presence of an 'illegal immigrant' working with them. His words. Not mine.  I would not jump to such a conclusion and frankly it made us incredible uncomfortable to be put in a potentially legally grey (i.e. "shady") position as you can imagine. Let's be clear; this situation was not racial or any other type of 'discrimination' on our end of your movers. We treated your movers kindly, brought them Gatorade and tipped them well."So my ultimate take-away is that this outfit does not provide professional service and uses 'insurance' as a free pass for not taking appropriate measures in moving furniture. BOOK AT YOUR OWN RISK. 80% of our furniture being damaged or totally destroyed is not a one-off-freak of the universe accident or bad luck..its a the inevitable outcome of a lack of understanding of how to provide professional moving services (All our furniture was dragged without a blanket including all our broken mirrors, dressers, glass console table, side tables, etc!!),  gross negligence and lack of focus (did I mention they drove over a parked car and were dealing with the cops right out our door?). Now we have spent HOURS trying to get just the cost of our move back with our credit card company - next step is legal remedy!FYI - others who have had similar experiences you can complain to the BBB easily using this link (https://www.bbb.org/cons…).

Service cost: $1000

They lie and scam their customers.

Firstly I had a quote which I accepted and was told multiple times that I was under the delivery minimum. When the movers turned up their trick is to call the office to make up extra charges to get you to pay because at that point you have no choice as you have already paid for the whole move and you need to move out.
So upon pick up which they were 5 hours late for, they tried to charge me an extra $260, I called Ana and she said it was for my headboard that I didn’t put on the inventory. First lie because the inventory I have on email from them says ‘bed including mattress’. After realizing they were wrong and they couldn’t con me on this because it’s in writing, they then made up another $102 charge when I even took less items than was on my original inventory - I minused a dresser which is a large item. Knowing that I had to move out that day I had to pay the $102.

Then when they came to drop my stuff off they then charged me another $100 to carry my stuff down the hallway to my apartment. I arranged it so that they can park directly outside and the elevator was literally as you enter the building.

The worst part of this was they told me they had delivered all of my belongings, another lie. When I asked where my $300 mirror was the driver told me it was broken and still in the van. He then showed me a text from Vlad at Dumbo movers advising him not to tell me that my property had been broken. They were basically hoping that I hadn’t realized, so they were not going to tell me until I asked where it was. The video clearly showed that they had not properly packed it so it was due to their negligence.

When I claimed for compensation, they offered me $100 on the proviso that I wouldn’t write any negative comments on social media, so basically bribery. This was not even a third of what my property was worth and they said basically they were doing me a favor because they should only be paying me 60 cents per lb of my damaged property which I understand was in the contract. I then spoke to their claims manager Anthony who had the worst attitude ever and literally screamed at me throughout the whole conversation. When I said I would take this to court if they didn’t offer me satisfactory compensation he accused me of extortion.

This company is an absolute joke, due your due diligence and go with a reputable company that wouldn’t take advantage of people during a stressful time. It’s a real shame that you treat customers this way.

Move size: Partial Move Service cost: $1052

What a nightmare! Dumbo Moving & Storage damaged my furniture, left a ton of stuff behind in my apartment without telling me and kept shaking me down for more money.

The three-man crew sent to my apartment was inept and reckless. I would've been better off hiring three random guys off the street instead of investing in so-called "professionals" who had zero respect for my property. In fact, the only thing they cared about was the size of their tip. The crew chief requested 15 percent at first ($250), but then asked for a raise three more times until I finally capped it at $450 ($150 each).

It turned out to be the worst investment I ever made.

I noticed the damage to my furniture as soon as they started moving it into the storage unit. "Look at this!" I said, pointing at some of the gouged wood on several pieces.

The crew chief shrugged. "The truck shakes," he said. "And we didn't have enough blankets."

Check out the photos to see just some of the damage caused by Dumbo Moving, including the wood base of a $2,500 Calligaris Dining Room Table--it now has more gouges, scratches and nicks than a hockey rink.

Want more proof of negligence? They put my HP printer in the bottom of a wardrobe box and then piled on--without any packing protection--an iron platter, a Dyson vacuum and a solid oak carrying case of poker chips.

Check out the photos to see how they packed the box and the damage done to everything in it.

It gets worse.

When I returned to the apartment to clean up and hand in my keys, I discovered that Dumbo Moving had left behind all kinds of stuff--without telling me. The ignored items included a coffee table, baker's rack, four lamps, three rolling suitcases of clothes, and a 5 x 8 area rug.

I immediately texted photos to Eli, one of the bosses, and called him the next day. He told me to file a claim and hung up.

I later spoke to the owner, Jay. He said those items weren't on my list. In that case, I said, they should've told me how much it would cost to move the additional stuff. They had no right to just abandon my property without informing me.

Further proof of their con game: I provided a fabric cover for my flat screen TV and a box. They didn't use the cover and left the mounting bracket, power cord and HDMI cable dangling in the wall (see photo). "We're not responsible for the electrical supplies," Jay said.

Let that sink in: Dumbo Moving says it'll move your TV, but it won't touch the cord that you use to plug it in. Ridiculous.

Fortunately, I was able to dispute the $1,700 charge on my credit card. And I have a Feb. 6 date with Dumbo in small claims court. Can't wait to tell my story and show photos to the judge.

Anyone who hires these guys should expect to follow in my footsteps.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $1720

It was horribleexperience from the begining till the end. Please avoid these unprofessionals at any cost. First they pick up my stuff and then start blackmailing that you have to pay 200$ or we will bring everything and will keep half the money you already paid. I gave 200$. Stuff reached to the desired place and theybroke 500$ worth of furniture (all fragile stuff was broken as well). I talked to the claim person. He asked for all the details and then said we can give you max of 150$ (which is not even the price of moving those things they broke). Those things even costed me 500$ to move here. Then they stopped replying. Please people, stay away from them. There is a reason they are 2 star company. I realized it later.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $2000

I am begging you, do not use Dumbo. I can’t express this enough. All of the positive reviews are lies. Look through and see there is a theme: scamming re: number of items, tips, amounts charged and damaged goods. They cost me THOUSANDS of dollars. Here’s what happened:

On Monday August 3rd I used Dumbo to move. Twice. Yes, I had to pay for two moves on the same day. I was taken advantage of and have damaged items as well. 

When I initially called Dumbo movers I spoke with someone named Sasha. Sasha asked me questions about what I was moving. I said I had a two bedroom apartment. He asked me questions like how many tvs, how many boxes. Well, I hadn't packed but we talked about what I had. I thought I would have 30 bins in addition to other furniture. Two days before the move I emailed Sasha saying I thought I had more stuff than what was on the list. So I assumed, like a rational person, I'd get a call or I'd be charged more when the movers got there -- because that's what a rational company would do. My quote was $875. I thought this is great! I figured it would end up being more because again, a RATIONAL person would assume you'd have to pay more not that you'd have to have two separate moves. 

But no. 

They sent a tiny truck that wouldn't fit my stuff. And they couldn't get another truck. I was in a tight spot. Sasha wouldn't take my call. Sasha never even returned my call when I called that morning. I was flustered. The movers were jerks. One didn’t wear a mask (young, fit serbian kid). They told me exactly what my tip would be and to add the "stairs" to the tip to get around the price Dumbo would charge me. Who does that? It was really uncomfortable. I felt very pressured. Do I not decide what the tip should be? I'm confused. Then the best thing happened. They said they could call Dumbo and make the list of items. They did that.. in Serbian. I had no idea what they were listing. Let's call this "the second move"..So then TONY gets on the phone with me talking really fast. Here is where the scam begins. Meanwhile a hurricane is coming the next day. I have a young jerky mover telling me what to tip. I have a freight elevator booked at my new apartment. I've gotten your certificate of insurance already and had to be out of my apartment. Starting with a new company wasn't really an option. As Tony and the movers surmised. I recall asking the movers or maybe Tony if I waited would it be cheaper. No, it's based on the LIST. The all-mighty list. 

So Tony says I need the biggest truck known to man. Which I clearly didn't. (see the pics!) I said no I don't. He said yes you have more things for your second move than you did for your first. Well, remember I didn't list the things for my second move, the movers did. In Serbian.

So for the second move, which I had LESS things for I was told it was going to be $1,850. WHAT? You have me over the coals. $200 administration fee (for WHAT?, and I already paid one already) and a truck I don't need. If they were a good moving company they would have trucks that make sense. 

I have never felt more swindled in my life by this inflated, bogus price. I would NEVER recommend them at all.

Now let's talk about the damage, which there is thousands of dollars of. First, my Nelson bench. See the photo of the horrible, destructive scratch across the entire thing. That is completely unacceptable. They also damaged a desk, a shredder, a lamp, a trash can, a file cabinet, and even the wall of the apartment. they even made a hole in my bedroom rug which I don't even know how they did unless it was with a box cutter. All of that equals literally over a thousand dollars of damage. There are photos of all of it. The Nelson bench though.. it's a true classic. I'm sick about it. 

They are scammers and crooks. They run a scam based on a bogus list and then surprise you have more than you listed. Then they take advantage of you.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $3000

Horrible company that destroyed our valuable furniture and refused to apologize or take meaningful responsibility.

My move occurred on Saturday, September 26, 2020. My girlfriend booked the move under her name as she had previously used this company but it contained both of our things.

The move had started off rocky because the movers had left the truck with the back fully open (and our belongings totally unsecured) in the alleyway of a public street, for a significant period of time.

The movers began to unload our valuable dresser, which was packed by DUMBO moving and is very heavy (approximately 500 or 600 pounds). The movers placed it on a dolly and started to let down the truck's lift without securing this item properly. It fell to the ground from some height, destroying it. Considering that DUMBO Moving has previously packed this item, placed it in storage, and the two movers doing my move had picked up this item from the warehouse the night before the move on September 25, it was known to the company and these two movers specifically how heavy this item was and how to properly handle it.

We have obtained security footage from my building showing this. You can see it here: https://youtu.be/aj_SXa4HS4s -- the item was allowed to simply fall off the lift and shatter on the ground. I spoke to another moving company and was told that an item as heavy as this should never be put on a dolly before putting it on the truck's lift--as it will fall just like what happened here.

The dresser was in perfect condition before the move, DUMBO moving came back and offered us pennies on the dollar for it, despite the video evidence of their negligence.

I was extremely disappointed in the service I received during this move. Do yourself a favor and use better movers that act professionally and take responsibility for their mistakes.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $2400

The Worst experience in Moving I had!!! I received all my furnitures damaged on all the corners or for some broken. Missing boxes with expensive clothes! TV box was upside down during a long distance delivery, boxes totally destroy. The driver was alone to do the delivery of my furniture 1000 cubit feet a big two bedroom apartment. Instead of carrying the furniture, he was pushing them on the floor because he was alone. My is claim is more than $10,000 claim and they offered me $865. I should never booked with them! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND TO DO NOT HIRE THEM FOR YOUR MOVING OR YOU WILL REGRET JUST LIKE ME! Attached some of the photos of my horrible experience.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $4500

This company doesn’t deserve any stars, they should never be utilized for a move. Movers were completely unprofessional and had NO idea what they were doing, as if this was their first move job. They demanded a 25% tip upfront (moving is typically 10% of total cost for local moves or $5hr per mover) before the move even started. A move that should have taken 3 hours tops (based on inventory list) took 8 hours. Disassembly of one item(bedframe) took them over 1.5 hours to complete, they did not wrap the furniture properly nor to its entirety. In between destinations (5.7 miles) it took the moving truck an hour to get to the second location and an additional 45 minutes to get up to the correct floor from time of arrival. The movers kept complaining about the process of taking an elevator upstairs, the amount of space in the new location to place items, as they were bringing things up out of order and couldn’t place things properly, which is entirely inappropriate because this is THEIR JOB and what they are getting paid for. The movers claimed they needed to come back the next day to reassemble the furniture, as they wouldn’t have enough time to complete before the end of day for fear of receiving a parking ticket. As the client, I had to assist them in moving items to speed up the process. After the move, the men requested I pay them directly in cash for a parking ticket they claimed to receive. They also left all of their trash outside another resident’s apartment in the building without cleaning it up, and I as the client had to clean up their mess. After receiving a 10% tip (more than generous after being disappointed with the service) the movers were combative and demanded more money for a tip. The point of hiring movers is to pay for a service, so you don’t have to lift a finger, it should be painless and seamless with no stress. That is the exact opposite of what my move experience with DUMBO was, this move was the MOST PAINFUL, laborious and stressful experience I have ever had moving. DO NOT use Dumbo Moving for any move you have, seriously.

Move size: Studio Service cost: $520

We hired Dumbo for our April 30 move from Brooklyn. We paid for packing up of our kitchen to avoid wrapping all the fragile items. We also expected them to treat our items with some level of care, especially those that were more fragile. During the move, they failed to pack up any of the fragile cups, glasses or bowls we had paid for them to pack, leaving me to finish the move myself. The movers basically didn't want to do it (neither did we, that's why we paid for the service), so they didn't do it. They also didn't wrap or protect our nice dining chairs in any way, resulting in one of the wooden legs breaking during the move. The movers also, halfway through packing up our apartment, demanded additional payment for "15-20" extra boxes when there were at most 5 extra medium boxes, and falsely claimed our two-story move was actually a three-story move that required additional payment, in cash. Classic scam technique. Since they had all our items and we needed to be out of the apartment that day, I felt compelled to pay them to complete the move and not break more of our stuff. After the move, they have been unapologetic and I've had to fight for every inch. They have reluctantly given a small, partial refund for not packing the kitchen, but refuse to replace the chair they carelessly broke. I had actually used Dumbo twice before, about 7 and 4 years ago, and thought they were good, no complaints. Something must have changed in management because they no longer hire professional movers and act in a very dishonest way. I used to recommend them but now I strongly recommend you look elsewhere. Moving is stressful and expensive enough without having to deal with day-of-moving scams, careless movers that break your stuff, and movers that won't do the job you paid them for.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $3300