Seka Moving

Two years ago I gave SEKA Moving a well-earned 5 star rating, but today I'm changing it to 1 star.

I am writing this as a deeply disappointed repeat (and once happy) customer. Two years ago, I used SEKA Moving to move into my previous apartment and was thrilled with the service -- my agent was Michael and he was a dream to work with. He was helpful and checked in on me throughout the move to make sure everything ran smoothly. The two men who moved my stuff and drove the truck were wonderful as well and I was happy to tip them at the end. They moved my apartment without fuss or complaint. The entire experience was effortless, and ever since I have been recommending SEKA to anyone looking for movers.

My initial positive experience with SEKA is why I decided to use their services again; I felt this was a company I could trust. I fear that high praise has been tarnished by what I experienced during my move yesterday. An already hard move was made all the more difficult by this company.

What should have been a 3-4 hour experience wound up taking the entire day, which is not an exaggeration. Originally, my movers were scheduled for a 9-11 am window. That was pushed back twice, and I didn't wind up at my new apartment until around 9 pm.

Not only did SEKA's movers show up SIX HOURS LATE, but the men who moved my things took over two hours to load the truck. Why? Maybe it's because they were either staring at or talking on their phones for most of the move, completely ignoring me, the person who has been waiting on them for hours. I think when you're already running late, you should show a bit of urgency, especially if you have people depending on you.

I want to reiterate: the last time I used SEKA, the whole move took about 3 hours. Granted, I wasn't leaving my neighborhood at the time, but that's the precedent that was set: quick, careful turnaround with minimal hassle.

Not only were SEKA's movers late and lazy, but they barely spoke to me (I didn't even learn their names) and when they did, it was to complain about the amount of stuff I had and how "heavy" it was. I've moved before and know how to pack a box. Nothing was heavier than what two strong, healthy, grown men could handle carrying down the stairs and up again. I also watched them carelessly throw boxes clearly marked FRAGILE into the back of that truck without any tact.

And THEN, after all of that, they tried to shake me down for a $200 cash tip. I'm a young woman moving into an apartment by myself. I was alone. And now two grown men are refusing to leave until I tip them 20% gratuity for a job they were late for and did poorly? I only tipped them so they would leave, but I've already reached out to SEKA's customer care to have that money refunded. But after my experience yesterday, I don't actually think this company gives one ounce of thought or care to their customers.

I'm not expecting even an iota of my money back. If I wasn't alone, I wouldn't have tipped them at all because the service I received from them, and from the company as a whole, didn't warrant it. But I want it on the record that I was pressured BY SEKA'S MOVERS into giving a bigger tip than I was comfortable providing, and I believe they took advantage of the fact that I was a young woman alone.

My experience yesterday was nothing like the experience I had with SEKA a few years ago. Moving day sucked for me and my family because of this company.

SEKA: I hope you do better next time, but I won't be a repeat customer again to see it. However, I'm noticing a trend in your other poor reviews -- lots of repeat customers with horrible second-time experiences.

You better believe I'm telling anyone who will listen about my HORRIBLE, DISRESPECTFUL experience with this company.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $1100

I have moved a few times across state lines and have used moving companies each time. I have always had small issues here and there, but never did I feel like the companies I used were ripping me off...well with SEKA I definitely felt cheated and misinformed.

The move itself went OK, but the sales person I spoke with initially definitely gave me a very low estimate. He knew I was shopping around with other moving companies, and my guess is he low-balled the qoute to get my business-and unfortunately he did! All the other companies I talked with gave me similar prices, but Alex's qoute from SEKA was so much lower than all the other companies, that should have been a red flag for me.

The sales person never asked for pictures of my apartment, nor did he say facetime could be an option. He estimated that I would need 7 medium boxes to pack up my one-bedroom apartment. The movers ended up using a total of 22 boxes! How uniformed can you be as a salesperson to give such a terrible estimate. I ended up having to pay a very high price for the 15 extra boxes and packing service that Alex underestimated.

I tried to talk to a manager later, Chris, who basically said that during one of the conversation I was told that the price of any boxes and services needed outside of the qoute COULD be at a higher rate. And that he would be more than happy to pull a recording of this. When I asked him why don't the sales persons offer the option of facetime to costumers, his response was that customers would have to ask for that option, and that it's never offered up by SEKA moving sales reps.

Save your money and time, don't use SEKA. Go with one of the more popular and reputable companies.

Move size: Partial Move Service cost: $1200