Zippy Shell Incorporated

I'm incredibly disappointed with Zippy Shell. I found that there is a major disconnect between the sales team and customer care. Sales does a great job and I found my salesperson to be incredibly friendly and helpful, but Zippy Shell under-delivered.
- My contract states that my belongings will arrive at my destination in 5-10 business days, and I'm fully understanding of that. But, my sales person kept mentioning she's obligated to say that, but my belongings would be there sooner. Customer care keeps mentioning that it's peak season and my belongings will take the full 10 days.
- There is no way to track the status of your belongings once the Zippy Shell ships from the origin warehouse. I'll simply get an email when they arrive at the destination warehouse. This makes it incredibly hard to schedule labor and coordinate the actual move. The customer care team can only see that your Zippy Shell is in transit, but can't give you any additional information.
- The concept, in theory, sounded like a great idea, but it's incredibly flawed. I used professional movers and they found it incredibly difficult to pack the cage without having anything shift and/or hang out the side.
I really wanted to like Zippy Shell, but I am so disappointed. We didn't bring nearly enough with us as we sit in this empty house waiting for our belongings. We even tacked on a little vacation during our move, hoping our Zippy Shell would catch up to us by the time we got to our destination. I would not recommend for anyone looking for long distance movers.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $3200

Zippy Shell might have been the best choice I made for my entire move. I moved across country and although it was a bit more expensive than the cheapest choice I AM SO GLAD I MADE THIS CHOICE! This entire experience was amazing and stress free and relaxed. The customer service has been AMAZING. I moved alone with two toddlers and they managed to make me feel confident and amazingly calm for the entire move.

When I first called for my quote it was easy painless and no pressure. We talked about what the best way to plan the move was for my family and signing all the paperwork was a breeze. They were very hands on and never made me feel like I was left in moving limbo.

As the load date got closer they were very open and upfront about what to expect and what I needed done. The movers who came to my house were insanely kind and polite. They even brought extra paper and wrapped items that I hadn't thought of wrapping. They allowed me to be part of loading my cage to make sure everything was as secure as I had hoped it would be.

Once my shell was sent and on it was to my destination I had movers jitters and must've called them a half dozen times asking for updates like a nervous first time mom leaving her kid alone for the first time. They were great and patient and never made me feel bad about calling asking for updates.

Now here is where we hit a snafu, and in typical Zippy Shell fashion they were AMAZING handling it. One of my little humans is on extremely specialized formula, like not available at a regular store sort of thing. I thought I had packed enough and lo and behold I was wrong. I was in full blown panic mode, and of course the place I ordered from dropped the ball and was delayed in mailing more formula to our new address. I called zippy shell and explained the situation and they let us go to our cage and get the extra formula that I had packed even though it wasn't our unloading date (we opted for a terminal unload). They were so kind and understanding that it was a medical urgency. Joe at the San Leandro terminal is the sweetest kindest man I have ever met.

On unloading day our cage was outside waiting for us to open and finish getting everything out. Joe came and gave us some advice and offered help. It was a very easy and non stressful unload.

All in all I would recommend Zippy Shell to anybody moving across country and I could not give a higher praise to this company. Nobody likes moving, its just not fun. But they managed to make it slightly less sucky. They assured me and made me feel like they had my back for the entirety of the move. Great company FIVE STARS FOR SURE!

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $4500

I'm just going to post my email to ZippyShell and their response:

My Email:

Again I want to express and put on record my frustration with ZippyShell. After my front end experience I had hoped the unloading process would be easier however this was not the case. Two weeks before my Shell was to be delivered I called ZippyShell to start the delivery process. I asked for unloading to be added to my bill no questions asked I was quoted an unloading cost of $350. When I received an email about my Shell arriving at the final destination I called ZippyShell to schedule delivery. I was given a priority date of July 6th and an alternative date of July 10th. I was told I would be notified if my first date was not honored. Only July 5th I was driving from Michigan to Chapel Hill, NC in preparation for a July 6th delivery date. I called late morning of July 5th to confirm the delivery- only to learn my stuff would not be delivered until July 10th- resulting in unnecessarily losing time with family over the July 4th holidays. On July 10th when my Shell arrived I was immediately given an invoice from Tom (unloading captain) for an additional $300 charge because the 28 stairs, which were not inquired about, were not included in my unloading quote. He relayed to me that ZippyShell charges by the stair- meaning each stair cost me an additional $10.71. Feeling like I had no other option to get to sleep in my own bed that night I signed the invoice to accept the charge. Throughout the unloading process one of the movers complained to me directly about the two flights of stairs to get to the third floor “This is why you will never find a mover living on the 3rd floor” and about the shrink wrapping of the furniture which I explained to him was done by ZippyShell movers on the front end of this process. I understand it was a hot day- I provided water and a significant tip to each mover.

Overall I was happy to use ZippyShell- it was an economical moving choice- each phone call was pleasant- my movers in Dallas were strong and efficient- and Tom and Jaylen in Chapel Hill were a pleasure to work with. However, I do feel like I was mislead or there were significant lapses in communication on multiple occasions resulting in unexpected costs to me. I would like this to be remedied with a refund of my additional $300 unloading costs.

Their Response:

Thank you for writing in about your compliment and concerns regarding your move with Zippy Shell. We very much appreciate the feedback and we apologize to hear that the unloader complained regarding the steps as that is not the professional behavior we strive for. I do apologize that a representative did not inquire as to whether there were steps or elevators that the movers would need to use in order to unload your shell.

Unfortunately, we are unable to void that fee as it is listed in the contract that was signed.

Thank you very much for your time in this matter and we hope you are enjoying your new home.

Kind rgards.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $3000

Stay far away for this company - if you value your items and need a smooth move - do not go with Zippy shell. They are unreliable, will run your credit card without your authorization for charges, pack the cages so badly that everything was damaged, do not read labels on your boxes - so no need to label things fragile as they won't take any notice, and they do not pick up or deliver when you want to schedule them. Pretty much every thing about this company is terrible.

Move size: 4 Bedroom Home Service cost: $12000

Zippy Movers is a living nightmare. They do not live up to their contract and hire convicted felons to pack the shell which they had no experience doing. I had to leave behind furniture due to their incompetence. Now I am dealing with non-delivery of my goods. I was promised my goods will arrive in NH by the 15th of July nearly a month after being picked up in California. To date, they cannot give me a status on my goods. I am to begin a new job soon and am a single mother of a 6 year old. What are we to do, sleep on the floor? Their Customer Service is totally useless. I have been calling and all they tell me is that they must discontinue the call. Someone PLEASE help me. I am so stressed out over this matter.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $7500

Zippy Shell Moving and Storage
This has been the WORST customer experience of my life. I was (wrongly) assured and reassured of how simple and convenient this process would be for me..

2 months of arguing about being double charged, with employees refusing to let me speak to a manager. Being told that they didn't know where my property was. Being told that the time I requested was unavailable because "it's a weekend and peak moving season" (umm.. You are a moving company and don't make the necessary adjustments in staff for peak moving season??). Having to explain 5 times that I need to have the trailer delivered as late in the day as possible, only to be told the warehouse isn't open after 5pm, and that my things would be delivered between 9am-1pm on a Monday. FINALLY being told they could "escalate" my case to manager, but not for 2 business days. NEVER being contacted by any manager. I asked how I was supposed to even hire someone to come help if they don't know exactly when my possessions are arriving. They offered to have me hire their workers come unload for $300 extra. Found people who were able to help unload at 10am- all strangers to us from our new church- (since you told us repeatedly that the truck would be here as close to 10am as possible)- onle to have 10am come and go. Being called at 1:30 by the driver to tell us they are 45min out. Hmm, warehouse must be open after 5 or how does the driver return? Guess who's still not here (3:00pm)?

Move size: 4 Bedroom Home Service cost: $2000

I strongly encourage you NOT to choose Zippy Shell for your move. By far the WORST customer service I have ever dealt with - I still have not spoken to a manager or supervisor after multiple attempts since my belongings were picked up - and it took from 6/15 to 7/18 to have my belongings delivered and absolutely NO refund or discount was offered.

My belongings were picked up on June 15th to be shipped across country from PA to CA. I scheduled a cross country move with zippy shell on 4/21/18 to be picked up on 6/15 for a 7/1 delivery at the latest. Called customer service rep on 6/8 to confirm and schedule an immediate shipment, no storage needed and was told that wouldn't be a problem and it was confirmed. I then also confirmed with the movers when they packed up the truck, - they said it would be 3 days max to ship, as it was a Friday and they had to load 2 other storage cages into the freight before it could depart. Thinking everything was on schedule, 10 days later I called on 6/25 to confirm the location of the freight and provide the delivery address in CA. Much to my shock, I was informed it hadn't even shipped from PA yet. They apologized for error and the customer service rep assured me they would handle it - she said she spoke with her supervisor who would "expedite the shipment" to arrive by the end of the week 6/29 and I should call back in the morning to get accurate date when freight would arrive. I called back the next day and spoke with another customer rep who said unfortunately it wouldn't be able to make it until Monday 7/3. I didn't have any other choice so I said that was okay. I was told I'd get an email the next day confirming. The next day I got an email that said it was "expedited" for delivery between 7/6-7/9. Again different dates and info than the last two customer service reps said. Although extremely frustrated, I again was calm and waited until 7/9. Still no email or call to let me know my unit had arrived. I called in the afternoon on 7/9 and was told "they don't have GPS to know where the truck is, but she spoke with freight and it would be there that night. I'd get a confirmation/delivery email late that night or early in the morning and I'd then be able to schedule my delivery to my house from the storage facility."
By 5pm on 7/10, no email. I once again called the only number the company provides and was told by customer service rep Sabel that "oh I'm sorry the rep you spoke with yesterday provided you inaccurate info. It's not there yet and would arrive sometime this week". I asked to speak with a manager or supervisor and was told I couldn't, that someone would call me in 2 business days and in the meantime again was told they'd expedite my shipment." I said I was already told that my shipment was expedited for 7/6 - that response made no sense whatsoever. I asked again to speak with a supervisor and she informed me "she's on the other line so she can't talk right now." I asked to be put through and would wait on hold until I could speak to someone. She said "ma'am I can't do that and I have other calls to take so I need to get off the line with you now."
Again, no date or accurate information given and no one has contacted me from the company to rectify the situation. I filed a complaint with BBB and the company simply stated they didn't have a reason for the late delivery and acknowledged nothing else about the horrible customer service and shortcomings of the complaint.
I did not ask for a refund or a discount for any of this up to this point, and no discount was offered for the error with shipment. I simply wanted to know where my belongings were and I get a straight answer from management. It was over a month since I shipped with this company and my belongings were finally delivered on 6/18. Mind you also, the warehouse was over an hour from my place and only did deliveries between 8-12pm. By this point I had started my new job and had no extra time off, but the company would not make any exceptions (nor was I ever told this when I called to get information and a quote back in April).

Again - I thought choosing this company would be okay and I read the bad reviews and prepared accordingly, but I was very wrong. Please do not use this company if you value your time, money and sanity.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $3700

Great service and friendly people on the front end. The customer service rep selling me their services was very friendly, responsive, helpful, and good at her job. It is clear they are paid on a commission based structure.

The transportation of our goods was relatively quick (from Colorado Springs to Melbourne Florida).

Where it got messed up and a headache was at the tail end. My destination address wasn’t plugged into their system properly and when I called to schedule the redelivery of my cube they said that since my address is 5 miles further than what they had in their system. This cost me an additional $157.

After we scheduled the redelivery for a Saturday. They emailed and said the warehouse could do it on Saturday but since it would put their guy in overtime there would be an additional $150 fee.

Finally, a small but annoying thing they’ll do, is 4/5 times I called their customer service team, they would immediately place me on hold after I’ve been waiting on hold for someone to pick up the phone. I’ll be in queue waiting for someone to answer and when it rings, the person on the other line would immediately say “zippy shell. I need to put you on a brief hold”. I’d understand if that happened once, but it happened 4 times to me. Seems like they don’t have food management or accountability. For all I know they’re chatting it up with their cube mate or checking their Facebook in between calls.

Again, small point, but speaks to their customer service. The contrast is so stark compared to their “sales” group.

I’ve used PODs twice. UPack once. Now Zippy Cube once. PODs is hands down the best, and you’ll pay for it. Zippy isn’t too much cheaper, so when I do this again I’ll likely pay the $200 extra and have a better more hassle free experience.

I thinks it’s ridiculous for a company to surprise you with over $200 in extra fees for something that isn’t my problem. If you’re open on Saturdays and by having someone there create an overtime issue, hire more people or do something differently but don’t pass that cost onto me after the fact.

Also a difference in 5 miles should not equal an additional 150+ dollars, they can get away with this because they know you want your stuff back, and 99% of the people are stressed out over a mo also a difference in 5 miles should not equal an additional 150+ dollars, they can get away with this because they know you want your stuff back, and 99% of the people are stressed out over having recently moved and my guess is most people just pay the money and get on with it.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $2800

We hired Zippy Shell to move our home into storage while our new house was being built. We paid in advance for the loading and putting our stuff into storage for 3 months and for delivery to new house and unloading. The initial move was flawless and stress free. Just called for the delivery and was told they no longer offer unloading help. It appears that a contract has no meaning with them. They are refunding $400.00 and the company I've had to hire to unload the containers and is costing us $560.00 plus the added stress of trying to cordinate the container arrivals and the new helpers.
Recommend you get all your answers up front and be warned they may change the terms with no recourse.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $2652

I used zippy shell to move from MD to TX, initially the sales person promised me that one container is sufficient, with loading and unloading, furniture assembly for a price and when then they came to load my items got a shocker saying that container is not enough and need one more so have to double the initial cost and even worse was they dint even care to confirm that is delivered, I have to follow up multiple times and when it came they added another amount for stairs my origin has more stairs then destination but still I have to pay and then they dint even do assembly of the furniture and I called them 3 days multiple times and never got a response from them too much hassle and it is worst.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $4900