Five College Movers

The most unprofessional experience of my life. I completed a virtual estimate and was told $2800 total for two daysi. I understood this was an estimate and not the final amount. I understood the total could be a bit more. well- it came to $6100. that's not a bit more. I feel like I was told one thing just so I would accept the service only to be charged something drastically different once they were in possession of my things so that I would be forced to pay it. And when I expressed how upset I was, using totally appropriate language, the owner accused me of being berating and belittling and informed me that if i continued to press the matter, he would make sure it would end very poorly for me and my family. When I reiterated that not once have I berated or belittled anyone but that I do believe this is completely unfair and that I was lied to by a company that is lacking integrity, he hung up on me and proceeded to put in writing that he warned me to stop being verbally abusive but that I didn't listen. So if I continued, he would be contacting authorities. he accused me and my husband of neglecting our children and needing reminders to supervise them when they would "get in the way." this never happened. he also claimed I didn't tell him about the boxing that needed to be done in my garage or the backyard playground equipment. However, he saw inside my house abd in my backyard. these were part of the original quote. Many more insulting things that were inaccurate and it my family were shared as "notes from the movers about what a chaotic and disorganized job this was." His movers wore head phones, sometimes didn't communicate with us when we talked straight to them, (to be fair, some were more communicative than others) packed up houseplants inside boxes so that now all our houseplants are dead, UNPACKED drawers and put those items into boxes and charged us for the extra time and materials it took to do so, packed my husbands tools in their truck while he was packing up things that were attached to the walls, like curtains rods, and furniture that still needed disassembling, so that he couldn't finish what he was doing and we were FORCED to ask them to do extra tasks. Then claimed they would take $400 off the invoice as an apology and never did. After threatening me and my family and falsely claiming I had threatened them. Oh- and on the second day, my daughter actually did get in the way at one point (after the original false claim she did which was inaccurate) and when I told her to move but she didn't right away because she's a kid, the mover knocked her over on purpose and then rudely said "excuse me" to her. Injuring a child on purpose? REALLY?! I wish I had checked yelp instead of google because they have a 4.9 star review over there. Had I known 2 stars on yelp it's probably because they offer people $50 off on their move if they write a five star google review. but they're awful. do not use them.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $6100

The owner?, Phil, is a rude man who expects a dispute and appears to enjoy it.

They bait you with a good estimate and then tack on unreasonable fees i.e. $31.50 for one roll of tape, environmental fee of $30 presumably to dispose of said "hazardous waste" tape, and 3.5% if you use a credit card. Read the contract's fine print.

The movers were 1.75 hours late and, consequently, hit rush hour traffic which tacked on additional hours. One man was often on his device and I even found him walking around an area of my house where he had no business - looking for better cell reception?

All in all there are much more reputable companies out there, read the reviews, and go elsewhere.

Move size: Partial Move Service cost: $1575

They seem like the perfect company to use for a move but buyer and mover BEWARE!! Before you sign a contract with them, please know that they are the best at tacking fee's onto your final bill that you'll be surprised about after the fact. Also, make sure to ask how much they charge to drive their truck to the destination where you have your things from where they are coming in from. They charged me $11.60 a mile, drove from Westfield, Mass to Springfield, Mass and said it was $145. That's 12.5 miles just to get to my mothers place. All they did was move her things into a truck we rented ourselves and they charged us all together over $800. They didn't drive her things anywhere.

They were 5 HOURS LATE!! So if your on a time constraint, be sure not to use this company.

KEEP ALL RECORDS AND RECEIPTS. They contacted me 6 months later and said I owed them $600. Thankfully I kept my bank receipts and statements.

I do not recommend this company to anyone and will not use them again. I've been in business for over 10 years and they do not even talk like business people.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $800

The contract with Five College Movers was for a move on a Saturday morning at 9:00 AM. When they did not show up or return several calls to their office we were required to contract with other movers at the last minute, at considerable expense, to be out of the first location on time. At 11:30 one of their drivers called to inform us that they would be 1/2 hour late, and by the way, that the move had been rescheduled to 12:00. We were never informed of this change. Their contract called for a $350 cancellation fee and/or a $250 rescheduling fee, but would not honor either. Not a reliable company!

Service cost: $390

From the start these guys were amazing. The initial appointment was convenient, quick & accurate. And this was not a simple move. It involved splitting up a large family home full of antiques and moving the items to four different locations some ending up at a storage unit 5 College Movers located for us.

The estimate we were given was precise both in time and cost - this was so important for our planning. On moving day it was obvious the movers were well trained. They were respectful, courteous and worked well together. They had a system that was thoroughly planned overriding all of our chaos. Juan was especially impressive with his ability to move fragile antiques.

I highly recommend these professionals.

Move size: 4 Bedroom Home Service cost: $1100

Most reputable companies stand by their work. Hard to say that here with FCM.

Had a small job where they had to move a bedroom set from the second floor and swap a set from a POD. The movers dropped a glass top off dresser down the stairs that smashed into the wall, bannister and tiles below. Sent estimates to repair but their contract says, they were quick to point out, will only cover 50 dollars. The repairs cost more than the move of around 600. They show no remorse, are rude, do not respond to emails and basically don’t really care because they are a high volume shop. Good luck if you use them. They do not stand by you.

They are very polite on the front end when they get you to sign but apparently that’s where it ends.

Move size: Partial Move Service cost: $600

At the end of the move on 4/22/2020, I asked for a copy of the detailed receipt showing the charges. The mover said he didn't have a copy but the office will send it out within 2 business days. I paid my bill via credit card and noticed it was charged 751.25. Called the office the next week after not receiving my receipt and it was told that they would email it over. Followed up the very next day after not getting it to confirm the spelling was correct on my email. Email was confirmed correct and it was mentioned that it would be resent over. The very next day after not receiving the email, I was proactive and re-followed back up to ensure I could get my receipt and check over the bill. It was mentioned to me that they would check with the manager since they would be having there daily meeting shortly. Fast forwarding up until today (5/6/2020) when I called back in and had them re-send it again that I finally received the receipt. Noticed that the billing was wrong. I called back and spoke with Corey and Pat about how no moving supplies was used but the bill said it was. They said that 2 rolls of tape were used when the movers didn't use any rolls from their truck because I had everything all ready boxed, taped, and stretch wrapped up. Also mentioned to them that my deposit wasn't included in the receipt. The manager got an attitude with me about the two rolls of tape and the deposit being refunded. I told him that I noted two charges of 751.25 being taken from my account. As me being a prior operation manager for a moving company in North Carolina, the office staff of Five College Movers was terrible. They didn't show any ownership as far as following up with the customer about the issue and it took a lapse of 14 days to get down the path of resolution. If a paper bill of lading was done, I would have seen the charges right away and disputed them but they said due to Covid-19, the office does the paperwork. After every move that the bill was ran, the credit card credentials are supposed to be shredded. How in the world did my move get billed twice? Once showing from the driver which was on the move day, then another time on the 28th of April.

A professional company will always stay tactful and never argue with a customer, especially if the company is in the wrong! The movers were excellent but the process and office are a different story.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $751

The guys from Five College Movers where hard workers and did a good job with the exception of one major problem. These guys broke my piano in HALF!! It was an upright piano that had been in my family for 30 years. The movers took pictures right away and reported to their company. I filled out a damage report and a month later, I have heard nothing from them. I finally called them today and was told that Dave was the person to talk to and he was not in there today. I will update this review when this issue is resolved but the timeframe for expecting a response from this company is unsatisfactory. Hopefully, I will hear from Dave on Monday 8/31/20 or I will be calling again.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $1000