Zippy Shell Incorporated

I have been a consumer for 50 years in America. I have never seen a company that lacks from top to bottom any form of control or communication as poorly as this outfit. Do yourself a favor. Never deal with these guys. Zippyshell and pack rat are absolutely incompetent and provide nothing in the way of customer service. They cannot figure out if they are delivering an empty pod or picking up a full one it is so bad I could go on and on but our experience with them and their delays are unconscionable. Avoid this company. Their call center in North Carolina literally is full of people that don't know what day of the week it is. It is that bad. I would give them a negative review if the stars above allowed it. Good luck!

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $100000

This review may change in more of a positive light if my issues with Zippy Shell ultimately get resolved. I did an out of state move with Zippy shell from Texas to Kentucky this fall. Six pods total. Two of the pods I loaded myself. I paid for loading services on the other 4 pods because it involved moving the more heavier furniture that I could not do myself. Because Zippy shell doesn't have a physical presents in Texas, they contract with 1-800 Packrat. 1-800 Packrat farms out the moving services to 3rd party moving companies. That said, the 3rd party moving company that was chosen for me was terrible. They did not come with simple moving items like moving blankets. Luckily I had a bunch saved from my previous move. They were not careful with the moving and loading of most of my future which resulted in thousands of dollars worth of damage (including damaged hardwood floors) for which I have a claim filed with Zippy shell. They showed up with a pod late in the day one day and said they could only load for 20 minutes because they had to get the pod back to the warehouse by 5 PM. That resulted in a pod that was only 1/3 loaded for which I had to pay full price of course. I will say that the unloading of the pods in Kentucky went very smooth and the difference was that it was done by Zippy Shell employees who took great care as apposed to a farmed out 3rd party mover. Adding insult to injury for the damaged furniture was the fact that over a month after I paid the final bill and had my 6 pods delivered, they charged my debit card out of the blue for an additional $4270. When I called Zippy Shell to get an explanation all they could say was it must have been a billing adjustment. At this point I have disputed all charges made by Zippy Shell with my bank because A.) I did not receive the services that I paid for (I.E. my furniture being delivered undamaged) and B.) I was charged $4270 30+ days after paying the final bill and Zippy Shell couldn't explain why. All of this said, I base my opinion of a company on not only how they perform, but how well they resolve issues. I am hopeful that Zippy Shell will do what is right to resolve my issues in which case I will be more than happy to update this review. We are 60+ days into my claim and Zippy Shell states that they have 90 days to process claims. I will report back in the next 30 days.

Move size: 4+ Bedroom Home Service cost: $21000

I hired zippy shell to pack two shells for me as they suggested to move me from Colorado to Illinois. It was two shells for $5000. They were to pack me on November 22. They came with two shells and an independent packing company not zippy shell. The guys are very nice and packed the two shells and said there’s no way they were packing everything into 2 shells so we had to get another one and they did. They came back the next day and packed that shell and then they said we have to get another shell because we don’t have enough room so then they got a fourth shell. Meanwhile my conversations with the office was jacking the price up more than double my original bill. I was buying a house I had to be at closing and I told him that I did not agree with their rationale but I didn’t have much of a choice. In my contract it said they were going to deliver within 6 to 10 days of packing my belongings. It is now January 14. Zippy shell has lied to me numerous times about where my belongings actually are I’ve been told that they have been delivered to a warehouse in Illinois and that is actually not true I have been told that three of them have been delivered to a warehouse in Illinois and that is actually has not been true the first two times they said it my fourth shell has been in flux for over a month I was told it was going to be delivered to the warehouse on December 21 when I called on December 21 I found out that it was still in Denver. They lie. They lie constantly. They now want me to pay thousands of dollars just to get into my shells so I can get a truck and other movers to move my things into my house they won’t do it unless I pay them thousands of dollars. They’re the worst company in the world. They have lied and told me there was a truckers strike in Denver and there was no truckers strike. They have gone into my bank account without my approval or my knowledge and taken money out. I reported them to the US DOT for Deceptive practices. I am going to talk to the CO and IL attorney generals office. I have hired a lawyer. I have a fused spine and I’ve been sleeping on an air mattress since December 1 and I can barely walk. I have a son with autism who is having meltdowns every single day because he does not have his belongings. But these people don’t care. They really don’t care. They should be put out of business .

If you want to read more negative reviews on zippy shell go to a website called Trust pilot you will not believe what people have written that they’ve done to them. In their reviews they have broken their furniture and belongings. I pray that they have not done that to mine. Go see for yourself. I wish I had never heard of this company. The information to report zippy shell to the US DOT is in the trustpilot website. I would highly recommend that everyone who has had a negative experience with this company to file a complaint against them and contact your states attorneys office and the Better Business Bureau. Even if you have resolved your issues it would be helpful for you to do this to stop them from being able to do this to others.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $10000

Pros: The subcontracted packers and unpackers arr. by Zippy Shell were professional and efficient once they showed up. All of our stuff was delivered intact wout damage. No unexpected charges and price was fair. Customer service people were very nice (when you could get them) even though they could not address delivery or scheduling problems. Cons: The logistics were a mess. Loading was delayed by 2 days with only 3 hour notice. Unloading was 10 days late with no delivery time given. We had to try to figure it out each day. The customer service people had no way of figuring out where and when movers would show up. Managers/Supervisor could find out where pod was and if there was 'MAYBE' a scheduled drop off IF you get a manager. Hours on hold every day to customer service even though they knew we had a problem. I realize this was in the middle of the COVID craziness but they never knew what was happening and never were proactive in communicating with us. On the actual delivery day movers were 5 hours late because the wharehouse loaded the wrong pod on the truck and had to call movers back and start over! Great idea but really need to figure out better coordination between delivery people, wharehouse and customer service. Won't use again.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $4310

Listen, friend: DON'T. Don't even think about using Zippy Shell / 1-800-Pack-Rat unless you want weeks of your life lost to helpless frustration while this horribly negligent and deceptive company puts your and your family's life on hold and repeatedly lies and jerks you around about the status of your moving container. But don't just take my word for it--Google "BBB ZIPPY SHELL" for dozens of stories as bad as mine (some worse!) logged by the Better Business Bureau.

Only once before in my life have I felt compelled to post an online review (a positive one, ~9 yrs ago), but my recent experience trying to move cross-country with Zippy Shell was so bad I am now speaking up on every review site possible so others are aware. The short version is that they didn't even ship our unit for 27 days after they said it would (with no communication of delayed status--every time I called their customer service I got run-around excuses and empty promises), and this was after we were sent an email about a "confirmed delivery date" that came and went (though they charged me the 2nd half of the total before the unit reached the destination warehouse--in violation of the contract!); in the meantime my wife and I are having to care for our 2 year old in an empty place and I can't get started on my work without the shipment.

They ended up refunding me less than a quarter of the original price--not nearly enough to be worth the 3 additional weeks of aggravation, but just enough for me to rationalize that it's not worth taking any more of my time and energy to sue them (which I was fully prepared to do at that point).

Again, moral of the story: DON'T. Don't ever, EVER use Zippy Shell--you will regret it.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $4000

Please do not consider using Zippy Shell. I have lived in nine different countries, and I have never experienced anything as bad as Zippy Shell.

I ordered a move from California to Michigan. The salesperson I talked to initially where very “professional” and “service-minded.” I told him we were moving a 1-bedroom and a 10 feet storage. He said I would need the 15-feet container. I asked him several times if he believed that was enough, and he ensured me their containers easily would take that. As I compared prices, Zippy Shell came out as giving the best price, and also, according to their website, the process looked very smooth and fast, 7-10 business days according to the salesperson. Huge mistake.

It started on the day of the move from CA. The movers came out, looked at the stuff, and immediately said, “everything won’t fit; you need to call Zippy Shell for another container.” Interestingly enough, the movers said that “this is how Zippy Shell is doing it.” What they meant is that they sell a container that’s too small, and then they leave the customer to buy an extra container on the day of the move.

As my daughter and I were flying out later that day, we had to solve this issue. I called Zippy Shell and eventually got to talk to a Manager named Nathan. I asked how they would help me solve this to get all my belongings over to MI. He told me I had to get another 15-feet container paying up another $2250 that day. When I asked the prices for a small 10-feet container, he said they had stopped using them and hadn’t updated the website yet. However, the website still offers a 10-feet container..

Nathan didn’t do anything to help us. He only wanted the money for the second container. I told him that it wasn’t right for me to pay double the price I had initially signed up for. If I had known that, I would have picked a company that offered a lower price and, as it turned out, better service. Nathan then asked me, “do you want another container or not. I can have it out there sometime tomorrow”. I tried explaining to him that we had flight tickets leaving that night.

I then asked him if we could take a U-Haul and move the belongings that didn’t fit to a Zippy Shell warehouse and have it shipped later. Nathan then came back and said it would cost me for a local move if I drove the stuff to their local warehouse, around $2000. At that point, we had no other choice than to urgently find another storage for the rest of our stuff, put it there and fly out the same evening. Thanks to the moving people (NOT ZIPPY SHELL) for apologizing on Zippy’s behalf.

The container left the apartment in CA on November 23, 2020. There is no way to track the container, and you are just left hanging. I called Zippy Shell, and they said it would be delivered latest December 11, 2020.

On December 7, 2020, I received an email confirming that my container arrived and please let us know when we can deliver. I called and said I wanted the delivery asap. I then received an email confirming that my delivery was scheduled for December 24, 2020….

I called and again was met with no understanding, poor customer service, and no efforts to try to come up with an alternative solution. I will now have to rent a U-Haul, go out to the warehouse and get the stuff myself. Interestingly enough, they kept saying both in CA and here in MI that they could not contact the warehouse. However, when I asked to pick it up myself, they could suddenly contact them.

This is absolutely the worst experience I have had during all my moves. Once they have sold you the initial container, they will not care about you as a customer. I even had to call to confirm they received my container at the origin as they never communicated anything.

This is the first time I write a review in my entire life, but I feel so strongly about how Zippy Shell treated us after signing on the dotted line.

I want to urge everyone that considers using Zippy to think long and hard and look for alternatives. The service is as poor as it gets, and the initial price that looks good will end up much higher than expected. For me, it was double the price that we agreed on!

Walk away from Zippy Shell!

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $4500

This is a service company without the customer service. They outright canceled our (signed) agreement and didn't pick up my stuff, and after more then an hour talking to their reps, I found out because my move would cost more to service then they anticipated at the time of the quote. They outbid a competitor to get my business, and because of the delays related to them pretending like they thought they might do my move, ended up going with the other company but more then 600 dollars more then the original price. ZippyShell was like "Oh well, we said we'd do it for more money too." Worst, worst, worst company experience I can remember. Feels like an outright scam. Their real name is 1800 packrat and they do business under that name as well. Make sure to avoid both. Moved alot because of the military and I would recommend U-pack and then PODS for self service moves. Can't go wrong with U-haul/Penske if you can make the drive.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $2800

They do not have a good network in other states and keep billing you even when your container has left storage. I gave them notice well in advance to move my container from Virginia to Texas but it took them almost 1 month to do that after calling and e mailing them a number of times. In Texas I had to hire a truck to pick my items as they’re partner in the DFW area in Texas wanted to deliver my container after 2 weeks. They are only after your money and not interested in providing a reliable service. I have been charged for storage even thou my container is not in storage. Pathetic Service!

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $2500

Wow.....

The price is right but wow...... The customer service is absolutely terrible. Recommend this company to people you don’t like. Saturday- your shell will be delivered between 8-12. 12= no shell. Customer service your shell will be delivered between 1-3. 3 = no shell. Customer service has no way to track or reach out to the third party delivery service and find any information out regarding delays or issues. Sunday- no shell. Monday morning it finally arrives. Honestly you’d get ahold of the cable guy easier than these people. Supervisors are few and far between and apparently don’t like to return calls. I would never ever recommend this company to anyone. I’ll update this post as needed as my belongings haven’t yet been picked up or delivered. It can’t get any worse..... or can it? I’ll update this as it transpires.

Move size: 4 Bedroom Home Service cost: $4000