Furniture Removalist Services

I had an unimaginably awful experience with FRS recently, on a move from Sydney to the Northern Rivers in NSW, just before the floods hit. I booked the truck approximately 4 weeks in advance to move 2-bedroom's worth of of furniture and belongings. The removalists arrived at 8.30 p.m. on the day and I was their 3rd backload. After loading some of my stuff, they announced at midnight that they couldn't take it all. I had to call a friend to contact the real estate agent the following day and get the keys so that he could move the remainder to the garage, prior to a pre-settlement inspection on the same day. (I now have to pay another removalist $1,600 to move the remainder of my stuff, which won't happen for 10 days.) After saying they would arrive at 6.00 p.m. the following day, the truck didn't get to my new home until 1.00 a.m. and loaded until 3.00 a.m. On top of that, the driver had asked me to pay him cash, which is why I insisted that FRS head office take the monies from my credit card prior to completion of the move. I was very distressed by the whole experience, and I would never recommend FRS. Pay the extra for a dedicated truck, if you can. Doing a backload is too unreliable, especially as FRS sub-contracted the move to another company called Campbelltown Removals (don't use them either!).

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $2200

My only advice to you all is do not use this company.
I used them to move our house full of furniture from Melbourne to the Central Coast NSW.
They caused over $12000 worth of damage.
After months of trying to get some response from the company we took them to NCAT.
We were awarded $12000 compensation by the courts, we eventually settled for $8500.
Do not waste your time trying to get this company to respond if you have damage. Go straight to ncat and also report them to fair trade, fair trade have a large file on this company.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $4700

In the best intetests for your familys' sanity and your wallet, avoid FRS at all costs.
We booked a move more than 3 months in advance with FRS, initially because the representative sounded lovely and the first site I searched came up with their page and all looked good with 5 star reviews. The quote also stated inclusions and a big banner of NO HIDDEN FEES.
The initial amount of the move was $2000+ gst and after reviewing their quote and what was included, I agreed to pay the deposit of $500 which was non-refundable.
On the day of the deposit, I was called to say that the price had changed to $2300+ gst (First red flag).
After getting my deposit confirmation a few days later, the email attached stated to reply to the contract. I noticed key significant changes.
The big one being a clause which states the full move fee would be payable if you decide to cancel. This term was NOT included in the terms on their website, within the terms of my contract and when I specifically asked whether there were cancellation fees before paying the deposit, the representative stated there were none. They had changed other terms from my initial quote that transit insurance includes damages causes by their staff during upload/unload. After paying the deposit, they retracted this, stating that they were not covered.
They also added other fees for services which were originally included in my quote, which they now expected me to pay on top of the before agreed amount.
I was also sent a payment schedule for the premium option of bubble wrapping. When talking with them on the phone, they denied even having such a payment schedule or sending it to me and refused to offer the services for the prices I was offered.
On top of all this, they would not send their public liability insurance documents despite stating they were insured. The manager was very persistent and rude on the phone, trying to get me to pay my account by credit card which I repeatedly refused.
After removing or changing all the terms in my contract which led me to paying the deposit in the first place, they refuse to refund our deposit.
We took the precaution of canceling our credit card after reading other reviews of them illegally deducting payments after storing credit card details.
In all, we just hope others learn from the mistakes made by us and others by trusting a company to deliver services that they never intend to supply.
As Fair Trading recommends, use an AFRA approved mover and don't fall for their niceties before paying the deposit as they will surely cause you unwanted financial and emotional stress.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $2530

UPDATE: I finally received a response from the complaints department 1 1/2 months after making the complaint. They agreed to provide a partial refund however after I sent them my bank account details they told me that in order to get the refund I had to give them a 5 star rating. I advised that my review would remain the same but that I was happy to update it stating I had received a partial refund. Apparently I didn't get around to updating the review quickly enough as I then began receiving emails saying that they would have the transaction reversed if I didn't write an update. I told them to go ahead and reverse the transaction as my opinion of them was now even worse than it was to begin with (something I didn't even believe was possible). A further 1 1/2 months has gone by and today I received another email from them stating that if I remove my review altogether they will give me a further $50 refund. Needless to say, I declined because I believe everyone needs to be aware of how terrible they are. I'm sure I'm not the only person they are doing this to so beware of any good reviews they have received as it is quite likely they have paid for them. And as per my original review, if they deny this or say this is a fake review as they have done with others, I'm more than happy to make the email chain between them and myself public. This company is a disgrace.

ORIGINAL REVIEW: I am absolutely disgusted with this company - would give no stars if I could. The removalists were 2 hours late because they apparently had a flat tyre but didn't notify me until they were already late. At one point they called to say they were 25 minutes away when in fact it took them another hour after this to arrive. They were incredibly slow taking 10-15 minutes to carry just 1 box into my apartment, and took 3 hours to do a 2 hour job. I'm sure they would have taken longer so we ended up unloading the truck ourselves. And of course they expected full payment at the end. I've seen their responses to other reviews that are similar to mine so I am more than happy to provide a copy of an invoice if necessary to prove that this review is genuine. I sent a complaint via their own complaint process but got absolutely no response.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $500

How bad can these guys get.

They double-charged my credit card in excess of $1200. They never contacted me and since I noticed I've called 4 or 5 times over approx 4 weeks and they still haven't returned the money. They promise and promise, giving this reason and that, promising to call back with a confirmation it is done..and nothing!

Furthermore, I suspect they subcontract with a group call Quick Move, who I swore I would never use again after they turned up 5 hours late and with the wrong size truck for a move I had to make 18 months ago. The FRS removalist turned up in a Quick Move T-shirt and it was the same guy.

Steer well clear of this mob. They clearly think it is okay to deprive a fee paying customer of an excess $1200 of their hard earned cash. I'll be getting that money back FRS..don't you worry about that.

Shaun.

Move size: 4+ Bedroom Home Service cost: $1200

I hired FRS removals to move my belongings from Canberra to Melbourne and it was the most stressful and frustration experience.

They cancelled a total of 10 times, including 3 no shows with no warning, apology or explanation. 5 times they told me the truck 'broke down'.

When they finally delivered my things, there were things missing. When I informed the drivers, they simply replied, "not my problem". When I tried to call FRS, they dodged my calls for 2 days and I eventually had to get Consumer Affairs to call on my behalf. Though they still lied to them and it took another 2 weeks and countless phone calls to finally get things delivered.

Every time they don't show up, you can call them up and be given the standard lie for the day. It's usually ranges from:
a) the truck broke down (this is their favourite)
b) the person before you under quoted and we ran out of space (i got this one twice even though the missing item was one pole that could be squeezed into minimal space)
c) there was a mix up (no additional explanation)
d) the driver got sick

and if you call them out on all the lies above, then they just hang up on you.

I haven't even gone into how damaged almost every single item was. The fridge was dent and scratched and the power point prongs were so bent we had to get it replaced. The mattress came covered in grass. THe dining table and coffee table are both scratched. Countless things broken.

Please save yourself the stress and frustration and go with someone else. These guys will drag out your moving for months!

Service cost: $1100

For your own safety please DO NOT USE THESE REMOVALISTS. These removalists physically assaulted me with a heavy tub and threatened to punch me in the face. I am a woman and was alone. I was forced to call the police while they stole my furniture.

The offence is currently under police investigation. I had to take this company to the NSW Civil tribunal to get my stuff back after I refused to pay them double the agreed amount.

I could go on but in brief:
-A two day delay in pick up
-I was told there was no room on the truck (there was)
-I was told my stuff was 5 cubic metres more than stipulated (even after it was measured with a laser volume tool by a qualified builder friend of mine)
-No wrapping or protection
-General appalling rude and bullying attitude
-Culminating in assault

Their mates have obviously written the good reviews.
PLEASE DO NOT USE THESE REMOVALISTS.

Service cost: $900