Zippy Shell Incorporated

To be honest, they were the only ones that we found who would bring a storage container to where we lived. We were selling our house and wanted to get most of our belongings out, so this seemed like the best plan. We had the initial call and listed off everything in our house that we needed to move and they assured us that it would all fit in one pod. So we set everything up we rushed to pack up most of our belongings and then the day of arrival, they kept saying they were on their way, it kept getting later and later. Darker and darker out. Finally they showed up super late, moved everything out and I'm looking at the truck that's already filled up and thinking, I dont think the rest will fit in there. But we figured they were unloading it into a different storage crate or something. They know what they are doing. Anyway, skip forward a few months of having our stuff in storage and they are scheduled to come pick up the rest. Then two days before, we get a call saying, hey the rest of your stuff isn't going to fit in here. You are going to need get another pod. So we call and they say, 3k more for that one. Which we hadn't budgeted or planned for because they said it would all fit. But we need the rest of our stuff, so what are we going to do? We book the second one, of course. They come and load it up, on time. They even securely wrapped all our appliances up. We were actually really impressed with that part (and the storage aspect was super great) but otherwise they are severely lacking. Now we have moved and they said it could be 3 weeks before the pods get to the facility and then the place will call us to arrange delivery. There's a tracking option on the website but you need an order number which we didn't have, so we had to call in every time to check where our belongings are. The first time we called, they said the estimated arrival was early last week, which was clearly incorrect. Then we received a text saying our belongings were in transit to the destination warehouse. Which sounded like it just left and was incredibly scary. We called and they said it was almost here. Then today when we called they said they couldn't get ahold of dispatch, which sounds scary. Then all the sudden, they tried charging us 5,144.83 out of our account. Which of course didn't work because we were told we had 4,500 left to pay. So we had that moved from savings and our limit on our bank account raised to that amount. But now they want over 600 more than that amount for some reason. My husband sat on hold for 2 hours today. TWO HOURS on hold just to get them to not charge us EXTRA money over the amount THEY told us. And then said they would look into it and call us back tomorrow. I just want my stuff. I miss my bed, my fridge, my table. It should not be this much work and extra money to get it here. So here's hoping it comes between Wednesday and Friday like they said it would. Guess I maybe should have waited to review until it actually made it here, but I'm just so frustrated to keep having more and more charges added to our original quote. Plus waiting and not having our belongings is really frustrating. Eating out everyday (no dishes, pans, fridge, etc) is really expensive. I just kind of wish we had rented a truck and drove it. It's less convenient, but at least we wouldn't be camping out on air mattresses in our new house and eating take out for 3 weeks straight. Oh and we would have at least 6k more dollars.

Update: Now they cannot tell us when all our belongings will be delivered. They sure took our money quickly though, even the 600 extra. They said they would look into it but instead just tried to charge us again the next morning. So we've now paid the full amount and are just waiting, hoping to see our stuff sometime in the near future. We have called and called and called, each time waiting on hold for 45 minutes to 2 hours. Just to see when we could get OUR stuff. We were told they can't contact the team directly, but they would make a note in our ticket. Which they have done several times to no avail. Still no call about when they are coming. We were told 24 hours for one team to pass it on. Then we called again and it was 48 hours to go to another team. Now we are way past all that time and still nothing. We were also told in the beginning it would be Wednesday to Friday at the LATEST. Well guess what tomorrow is. Friday and still no word. I highly doubt it's coming. We've probably just lost all our belongings and paid over 6k for them to just take it. Who even knows at this point.

Also, reading through all these other reviews, we've realized they do the bait and switch. They bait you with a super low price and promise all your stuff will fit, but then switch it on you and charge you for more when it doesn't fit. They may seem cheaper than their competitors, but it's only an illusion.

Update: And now three weeks later are still trying to charge us for storage!!

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $6500

Never use this company. We were lied to from the beginning. I requested a move/delivery date which was agreed upon by the company. 2 days before the move I was informed that the delivery date was to be determined and would be at least 2 weeks after the quoted date. This is after they have charged me half the amount and at a point where i couldn't get another mover fast enough. For 17 days my family had no furniture at all (beds included) and the company did not care a bit. They wouldn't give any answers or work to have the furniture there when agreed upon. Eventually I was given a $250 discount for the labor to unload but come to find out that that didn't even cover the entire labor needed so I still had to pay more for that. They don't have the resources, ability, or desire to compete with other companies and I recommend not using them.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $3900

WA - PA My experience was not one I wish to remember. The initial sales representative I spoke with said she would be available for contact throughout the process if needed and after I signed the contract I never heard from her again meanwhile I never even received a confirmation email. The pod was picked up a day late. The pod arrived late even though I was given a confirmation of delivery meanwhile it hadn't even arrived at the facility yet. Once I was able to get a true confirmation it still came a day late. On top of all of this there were additional charges for gas costs which I was aware of but the insurance coverage was not included until the end and I ended up paying way more than was explained to me. Overall very dissatisfied and a 6% refund on $5,000+ move after countless calls and missing our things for almost two extra weeks and no attempted reach out from the company. I do not plan to use this company in the future. Also the frame of the pod was smashed in a couple of places damaging some our items.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $5100

Be VERY careful when considering this company. They do NOT cover damage to personal items caused by their careless loading or unloading. We purchased their Content Protection Plan and upgraded it to cover up to $50,000 in damages per container. The cost of this insurance was $119.85 per container. A few of our furniture items were severely damaged due to poor wrapping and one priceless antique was damaged beyond repair due to loading heavy objects on top. We claimed $4900 in total damages and provided detailed photos of the damages, descriptions, and original cost for each item. One item was an original Stickley credenza that had nearly all the stain scratched off on the front bottom panel. Another item was a custom made dining room table that had deep scratches on the metal base because the loaders didn’t wrap the base.

The Claims Department offered us a $175 settlement! Below is the response that we received from the Claims Department at Zippy Shell. Their insurance basically covers natural disasters and other disasters, and they take NO responsibility for the damage caused by their careless loading or unloading. Avoid this company at all costs because they don’t take responsibility for their carelessness, even with purchased insurance. The insurance is a complete rip-off and scam company and their $175 settlement offer is insulting and ridiculous given the amount of damage caused by their company.

CLAIMS DEPARTMENT RESPONSE (typos included):

The 1-800-Pack-Rat Zippy Shell claims procss has concluded, and we appreciate your patience regarding this matter. We apologize for the damages sustained to your property and would like to present an offer. Please be advised that the “actual cash value” or the most reasonable “replacement value” of an item is always taken into consideration by the 1-800-Pack-Rat claims team when arriving at an settlement offer. An “appearance allowance” is also offered when the damage has been determined to be cosmetic in nature, and no evidence has been submitted to support the property was broken or no longer in operable condition. Below you will find the amount offered for each item listed on your submitted claim form and an outline detailing the determination.

Again, avoid this company at all costs because your personal items will NOT be protected by their insurance, even if you purchase insurance from them and show proof of the damage.

Move size: 4+ Bedroom Home Service cost: $7000

My wife and I paid Zippy Shell for a long distance move from NJ to NC in May. The experience with the customer service team and management were all horrific to say the least. We were told on the phone by Dio that we would NOT be charged for a storage fee if we had our pods delivered within the first 30 days, our receipt says NO STORAGE – DELIVER ASAP and they still charged us $438 for storage of 2 pods on the day they loaded our things. When we called to ask them to reverse it and to check the voice recorded call, they gave us the run around again saying they didn’t hear anything on the call and that they couldn’t share the recording with us. It took 17 days from day of load to the day of delivery – 17 days not 30! Not over 30, not at 30 – nowhere even near 30.

Dio rushed my wife off the phone while we were planning the move saying if we didn’t book then and there that we would lose the special price and that he had to run to get his next Covid shot or he would be late. All in the same call that he said we would NOT be charged a storage fee. When asked about that conversation in the call, they said they didn’t hear that either. DID WE MAKE THAT UP TOO? When we asked for a manager – we didn’t a call back until 2 days later at 10pm at night. The “manager” was rude and hasty on the phone and said there is nothing he could do for us we “signed a contract”. The contract says nothing about being charged prior to 30 days and on the receipt it says NO STORAGE in clear English. Not only that, but they damaged our items!

We paid for the loading team and the team that loaded one of our pods loaded it incorrectly and we had multiple damage to expensive furniture. We supplied them with multiple moving blankets, tarps, towels, and cardboard as to not damage anything and they never used any of it. We also supplied them with bungee cords and ratchet straps which were never touched. Our fireplace was manhandled and not covered with the blankets supplied, our bedroom furniture is all scratched up, there is a rip and a giant oil stain on our couch – oil stain?! From where the pod that was above us? They loaded a metal spiked outdoor tool on top of my ironing board cover and ripped it to shreds. We paid an extra $1000 for them to load our things to have them break, scratch and dented? Our mattress was dirty and disgusting because they literally wrapped our pod in $.99 black wrap from the dollar store. Our pod wasn’t even wrapped correctly. I have photos of everything. I emailed a claim form to the claims department and never received an email saying they received the paperwork. What kind of customer service/experience is this?

The unloading team in NC were sweethearts – they were respectful, kind and unloaded very quickly. Our unloaders were the only good thing about Zippy Shell.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $5918

Communication is non-existant. There's no telling how much you'll actually have to pay because they'll just charge you whatever they want for the surcharge, which seems like thievery. When they return your pod, they don't give you a time so you can't plan to have anyone help you unload it. It's 10 pm and it's not here yet and despite 3 calls, there's no information to be given. Incredibly unhelpful with no effort to even try to get answers.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $7500

Zippy Shell has excellent sales reps that make you feel comfortable and cared for. As SOON as you sign the contract, all representatives become completely unreachable and unreliable. Our items were more than a week late being delivered to us with 0 communication about the delay. I reached out several times ahead of the move to confirm the delivery date with 0 responses. Not to mention that we rented a "two-bedroom unit" that barely fit enough furniture for a studio apartment.

It's been weeks and I still cannot get ahold of a representative to discuss my experience. They do not care.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $3000