Jay's Transportation Group Ltd. (Headquarters)

Complaint[redacted] On Monday, August 10th, Jay's Moving returned our stored items to our basement upon completion of a renovation due to flooding in 2014. Jay's Moving was actually hired as a subcontractor by [redacted], as part of our insurance claim, specifically so that [redacted] could install the new floor. When Jay's had finished, I needed to sign a few different documents so they could go. One of the papers to be signed was a damage waiver which their employee said referred to obvious things like "holes in the wall". There was no wall damage visible so I signed it [redacted]. Later that afternoon, upon clearing some empty boxes Jay's left from a large piece of wall art, I found a large scratch in the new cork floor in the exact spot where the movers slid a large cabinet. I notified Jay's Moving immediately but because I signed the damage waiver, they will not accept any responsibility and cover repairs. My husband and I exchanged several communications with them regarding this matter and requested Jay's meet with us on-site to review and discuss. The scratch is at the entrance to the room at the base of the stairs and I couldn't have possibly gotten anything there myself to make such a mark. Regardless, these requests were denied as they continue to hide behind the waiver that removes them from any accountability saying the scratch could have been caused by any number of things after they left them home. [redacted]. [redacted] Desired SettlementRepair the damaged flooring and modify their business practices to be more transparent to the client. Business Response September 21, 2015To whom this may concern,The following is Jay's Transportation Group Ltd. response to [redacted]'s complaint with the Revdex.com: We had packed and loaded the [redacted]'s household goods on behalf of [redacted] on June 8th, 2015 and put it into our storage without incident. We delivered it back to residence on August 10th, 2015 seemingly without incident. Jay's has procedures and standards that protect both our customers and Jay's against damages to property and household goods, and one of those is called our "Property Damage Waiver". This document is used prior to any goods being removed from a residence and after the goods have been removed from a residence, this allows the customer and the move supervisor to inspect the residence for any prior damage to a residence, and then again after all of the goods have been returned to a residence to see if the movers may have caused any additional or new damage.Our property damage waiver [redacted] is a tool that we use to be up front with damages that may have been present before the move and to notice new damages that may have been caused during the move by our movers. This tool holds both sides accountable.The driver did the initial walkthrough at the beginning of the move, but when it came time to do this walkthrough to inspect at the end, [redacted] declined as she wanted to go somewhere. Our people are trained to bring new damages to the attention of both the customer and our office if and when they occur. [redacted]Upon learning about the scratch in the floor hours after the move was completed from [redacted], we immediately questioned the crew about the scratch. None of them were aware of it at all. When we received the pictures that [redacted] sent in, it is large enough that we all agreed it would be something they would have noticed at the time. [redacted] had mentioned sliding a large piece when she initially mentioned the scratch. The crew assured us that they had done so carefully and properly, and had looked at the floor after they had moved the cabinet and saw no damage to the floor. Again, the driver had asked to do the last walkthrough of the move before the crew left, as any number of things can occur in the home after our crew leaves. Cartons could have been slid on the floor, a contractor could drop something on it, etc., and neither the customer, nor any of the crew were aware of this scratch at the time of the move. Again, the property waiver is a tool for the customer to hold us accountable for damage we do create, but it must be noted at the time. If the customer chooses not to conduct the walkthrough with the driver, we cannot be held accountable for what happens in the home after we leave. When the branch manager spoke to [redacted]'s husband, [redacted], on the phone, this was explained to him, and was restating what our claims person had explained to [redacted]. When [redacted] had asked to have the manager assemble the crew and meet him in the home, it was explained to him that the meeting wouldn't change anything, would be a great expense to the branch, and scheduling that would mean that crew would be kept from servicing our other customers. [redacted]Consumer Response (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)Yes it is true that the walk through inspection was declined partially because I had to pick up my son but also due to the fact that I had been in and out observing the move. The employee said the waiver was for large, obvious things like "holes in the wall", and I had not seen any so I signed the agreement. The large piece of furniture was wrapped and the legs heavily taped. That being said, an experienced mover would should have also recognized there was a fair amount of dirt and debris on the drop cloth left from the contractor on the stairs. One of two things should have been done at that time. Either the stairs should have been covered with a new drop cloth of their own or the furniture should not be set down upon it so the heavily taped legs can pick up debris as it was moved in to the basement. [redacted]. Therefore, we do not accept this response. Final Business Response To the Customer and The September 30, 2015Speaking again with the crew leader, he said we had put our own floor protection down on the stairs, through the landing and into the main area of the basement. These get shaken out every day so that they are clean for the next customer. Once the crew finished moving the large piece in question, as they do with any piece on any move, they inspected the floor, walls and item for damage so that they could bring it to the customers attention immediately. It is especially important when moving heavy pieces in small spaces with new flooring to be especially thorough. In this case, they had been thorough, and found no damages to the floor, walls, or items. They also found no damage at all when it came time to remove the floor protection after all moving had been completed, then offered to take her through the house to do her own inspection. The walkthrough was offered to inspect the entire home for major damages, including things such as holes in the walls, however, this does not mean specifically limited to holes in the walls. It was stated that they'd inspect the ENTIRE home for any damages, holes in the walls was used at a for-instance. Unfortunately, the customer had turned the walkthrough down. She stated that she had moved some boxes and found the scratch on the floor, so, unfortunately, it is just as likely the scratch came from that as it is from anything else. Again, this is why we offer the walkthrough while the crew is there upon completion of the move. It is for the protection of the customer, to hold us accountable at the time if we do damage anything.However, Jay's does recognize that the customer is unhappy. While we accept no fault for the scratch in the floor and have the documentation to support it, in the interest of goodwill and finding a happy compromise, we are prepared to offer a maximum of $200 toward the repair of the floor, quoted by [redacted] at approximately $800. We aren't prepared to pay the entire bill, but if the customer so chooses to have the scratch fixed, upon completion of the work they can send us a copy of the receipt and we will send them a cheque for $200. This is what Jay's is prepared to do to put this matter to rest and resolve things with the customer. Thank you.Final Consumer Response Thank you for your email and yes, we did receive the letter. It has been signed and therefore accepted. Thank you for your assistance with resolving this matter. [redacted]