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Review 1/2/2008
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DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!!!!!
If the "F" rating doesn't say it all I don't know what does. And this company is still doing all it can to ensure that it earns its "F." I didn't research them in advance and had a series of frustrating problems as a result.
At first things appeared to be fine. I got along well with the move representative and put down a $150 deposit on a scheduled move in mid-December. I decided to go with 2 movers because I felt my house was pretty small.
When the movers arrived on the morning of the move day, the problems started. First the moving problems: the first thing the foreman said after surveying the job was that they'd need 3 movers. When I asked how long it'd take with 2 movers, he said about 6-7 hours to load and about the same to unload. That would have stuck us with a bill for 12-14 hours that might not end until perhaps midnight!
Then there were communications problems. The foreman couldn't get a 3rd mover on the phone to help, despite many attempts. I too couldn't reach anybody in the company office (like, say, my move rep) despite the fact it was Sunday, which is usually a big move day.
Then we had legal problems: The mover suggested the move could go quicker if they didn't have to wrap the furniture. I agreed because it was only going to be a 12 mile in-town move anyway. To my surprise, the foreman HANDWROTE a quick, 1-sentence, too-broad liabilty release into the printed contract that attempted to relieve them of ALL responsibility for any and all potential scratches. Because of its broadness, I saw potential pitfalls in the release immediately. To fix the problem, I merely added the word "minor," to the foreman's HANDWRITTEN sentence. It said I wouldn't hold them liable for "minor" scratches, as opposed to, say, their own negligence completely unrelated to not wrapping the furniture, i.e., like dropping a glass coffee table.
Then came attitude problems from the foreman. When I had the temerity to again ask him the question, "From your experience, how long do you think this move will take?," he angrily responded, "You know what?, I don't need this," stormed out of my house, hopped back into the truck, and took off into the Sunday sun. I was shocked that these movers would just abandon me on move day. As if the general stress of a move isn't enough I had to put up with this?
Still unable to get anybody on the phone from Transamerica (did I say there were communications problems?), I scrambled to find another moving company who could still move me that day. A new moving company (North Star Moving) was an absolute joy to work with, even if it cost me an additional $25/hour for the last-minute move. (This company, by the way, had a "satisfactory" rating.) And, no suprise, the actual move only took about 4.5 hours. When I told them how long Transamerica said the move would take, the new movers just laughed, "Yeah right."
Then came the Transamerica front-office problems: The week after the move, I tried to get a refund on my $150 deposit. Transamerica's move rep appeared to come around to my story, after finally all-but-admitting that her mover had apparently lied to her by using the "I didn't want to pay more than the 3 hour minimim" excuse for abandoning me (the 1st rationale). Heck, she even said I seemed to be a reasonable person.
However, they didn't want to be reasonable. Instead of immediately refunding my $150 deposit on services that were NEVER rendered, like any reputable company would do, the move rep kept putting me off, blaming it on needing the alleged approval of her mythical supervisor -- who apparently, and quite conveniently, seemed to never be in the office (or never available by cell phone, email, Blackberry, internet, fax, telex, or snail mail either).
Then came the additional lying problems. On January 3, I received a written response to my complaints from Transamerica's mouthpiece (whether it's the company president or not I do not know) -- and it was another lie. Not only did it completely miss the point, that their movers abandoned me and I never cancelled the move, but it offered the 2nd untruthful rationale for their movers' abandonment. This time, they claimed that they left the job because I objected to their "PUC-approved" contract. (Funny, the company didn't seem to address at all that their foreman HANDWROTE a too-broad liability release into the contract which could never have ever been PUC-approved.) Now they can't even keep their stories straight. Additionally, in a lame effort to bolster their argument, the company incorrectly claimed that the "customer had copies of our contracts emailed...twelve days prior to the move date and had sufficient amount of time to ask questions and/or to cancel the order." For the record, NO CONTRACT WAS EVER SENT TO ME IN ADVANCE.
Later that month came more lies in response to my complaints -- this after the move representative, with whom I thought I had a good professional relationship, had finally AGREED in writing to give me a refund, which I have yet to see, by the way. This time, the company mouthpiece claimed, "If the customer refuses to use protective materials he or she needs to sign a release of liability for any damages, not only “minor” (customer handwrote that in to the contract) since we would not be able to properly protect his goods, if customer disagrees with that we have no choice but to walk away." Once again for the record, I NEVER refused anything and was prepared to not only go forward with the contract but to go forward without wrapping my furniture. For those keeping score at home, this is their 3rd rationale and they clearly still can't keep their lies straight.
Obviously I am disputing this $150 deposit charge with my credit card company.
Using Transamerica Moving -- for a move during the Christmas season, no less -- is the "gift that keeps on giving." Here I am, still trying to rectify problems nearly 3 weeks later in January.
Take my word for it: an "F" rating tells you all you need to know about Transamerica. There are plenty of other movers out there.
3/4/08 UPDATE: Transamerica NEVER refunded the $150 deposit. Instead, I had to contest it through my credit card company. When Transamerica failed to respond, I won by default and got my money back.
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