Flatrate Moving

First and foremost we apologize for any and all inconveniences you experienced with your move. We pride ourselves in being able to provide The Perfect Move for our customers and strive for customer satisfaction.I have reviewed your specific complaint with our claims department and see that we...

settled your claim in November 2016 both fairly and per the terms of your contract. We will not be adding more compensation.
Our settlement included compensation to cover the damage that would be honored by a respectable third party furniture repair company.
Our representatives have spoken with the customer regarding this claim but if there are additional questions regarding the coverage option they purchased, the customer may contact our claims department at ###-###-#### or [redacted] if you have any questions or concerns.Best regards,
Legal and Compliance

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted], and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

[Your Answer Here]
 Let's stop this useless process and get a mediator involved? Obviously Flatrate has no business ethic and does not care for its business reputation. There is no point continuing with this process if Flatrate insists on responding in the same unhelpful matter. This is not a way to resolve any problem    
 
 
In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

First and foremost we apologize for any and all inconveniences you experienced with your move. We pride ourselves in being able to provide The Perfect Move for our customers and strive for customer satisfaction.
We have looked into your complaint and see that your mattress has been shipped from...

our NJ warehouse and should have arrived at your home on July [redacted]. Regarding your damaged dresser we see that you've opened a case with our claims department. It appears that they are currently awaiting further information from you so that they can complete processing.
Please reach out to the claims department at ###-###-#### or [redacted].
Best regards,
Legal and Compliance

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted], and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:[redacted]PLEASE NOTE: THE REMAINING DOCUMENTS HAVE BEEN E-MAILED TO [redacted] WHO IS HANDLING THE CASE. THE REMAINING DOCUMENTS EXCEEDED FILES LIMITS. WE WANTED TO ENSURE THE PAPERWORK WAS SUBMITTED THROUGH THE OFFICIAL CHANNELS, SO WE ARE RESPONDING TO THE LINK RECEIVED VIA THE E-MAIL FROM THE Revdex.com, AND SENT THEM ALL TO [redacted] AS WELL.[redacted]
Just as FlatRate altered the date (this says 9/**/15),they also altered the total. Attachment 1 shows our guaranteed binding estimateAFTER FlatRate sales rep Saadi A[redacted] came onsite to the apartment and reviewedEVERYTHING. It was the day of the move that FlatRate suddenly tacked on $617.73extra. The Valuation Agreement and assurances made prior to the day of the moveall contradict the settlement terms and the "new" valuation terms wehad to sign the day of the move, when we had no opportunity to change anything.Contrary to what FlatRate claims, they did not acknowledge the majority ofitems, namely area rugs among other things. Even their weight/boxes claim -which was not agreed upon at time of payment - contradicts itself because theselarge area rugs would not fit into boxes like they're describing.This is an unethical, shady business with deceptive and questionable businesspractices. They clearly have no problems doctoring paperwork and alteringterms. They also don't provide copies of receipts - they instead send a link toview your receipt which suddenly becomes deactivated and unviewable oncee-signed, so there's no way to print a copy at the time. We chose FlatRatebased on their website promises and all of the promises made by their sales rep,and based on the initial paperwork that echoed both what the sales rep andwebsite promised. Changing the price, the terms, the coverage, and everythingon the day of the move weeks after payment had been made is not what we signedup for.They are still ignoring the items damaged and "lost" or stolen bytheir careless crew, which totaled and disregarding the price gouging the dayof the move - which again, we had an onsite visit with a binding estimate of$3,899.12 that jumped the day of the move to $4,516.85.With regard to what they said - "All customers are informed that they canonly file one claim per move, not just one claim," please see Attachment3. FlatRate was aware of the situation that there were 3 moves, but we againwere specifically told to file one claim. Not linking these moves togetherwould dispell any liability for FlatRate; if the rugs were moved with the firstmove which were confirmed and signed off on, but didn't arrive with the secondor third moves and thus were not on those new inventory lists, they wouldobviously claim that they didn't move the rugs, citing the new inventory listsbecause there were no rugs on those lists, and they're considered separatemoves.On a side note, page 25 of the Valuation Agreement paperwork has Section 6highlighted where FlatRate explicitly states that consumers only have 90 daysto file a claim. They're lying to the Revdex.com about this, just like they're lyingabout everything else.
In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

as the attached letters I am unsatisfied with the decision to award me $1000.00 dollars for DESTROYING my lifes accumulations while in the care of...

flatrate moving co, that does not even cover the cost of the inital move which was $1350, my items were at least $6000.00 and I have had to be without my things (clothes, shoes, books, personal items, bed, equipment etc) for months.

We are very sorry for the experience the customer had. The customer filed a claim for their missing items which was settled and closed per the terms of the elected coverage. Investigations for missing items are ongoing; found items are returned to customers regardless if a claim has been settled and...

closed.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted] and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

AGAIN The sales person did not clearly stated that during the quote, he sent me the toral quote for $500 knowing the piece needed dissassembly YET he did not tell me the price would be extra.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

First and foremost we apologize for any and all inconveniences you experienced with your move. We pride ourselves in being able to provide The Perfect Move for our customers and strive for customer satisfaction.
I have reviewed your specific complaint and see the issue here is that the services you...

were requesting during your move involved carpentry work which was not included in your move (which you signed and
acknowledged electronically prior to your move).Please contact the legal department at ###-###-#### or [redacted] if you have any questions or concerns. Best regards, Legal and Compliance

As we are not an insurance company, we are unable to sell insurance. What was purchased was the Extended Valuation Coverage. As per the contract, this covers repairs before replacement, and if an item cannot be repaired it can be replaced with an item of similar like and kind. The claim was settled correctly per the terms of the agreed upon coverage.

We have attempted to contact the customer directly in order to resolve this (see attached email) and have not received a response.We would like to know if the customer would like to leave any gratuity for the movers, or if they would like to receive the full gratuity back.

All of our belongings were destroyed during a move with FlatRate Moving when the moving truck carrying them caught fire spontaneously. The event happened approximately 2 1/2 months ago, and we still have not received appropriate compensation for the incident or any indication that FlatRate Moving intends to deal with this appropriately. FlatRate has also violated numerous FMSCA regulations. This began before the shipment event started, and it continues now that the shipping has ended. Shortly after the incident when they sent us "settlement" for a nominal sum even though we had not submitted a complete claim with a request amount. Since then, they have attempted to get us to waive our rights to pursue claims against them in exchange for reimbursing freight charges that they are prohibited by law from charging. They also took possession of the remains of the shipment and refused to provide access before transporting them to another location. The process in attempting to resolve this has been horrible.

Review: I hired FlatRate Moving for an apartment move in July *, 2015. Their movers destroyed my flat screen Plasma TV (even with all the packaging and blankets they used). I promptly filed a claim and was told that I would ONLY be reimbursed $**0 dollars for the TV. That doesn't even cover repairs! According to their Claims Department, my claim was processed and closed out on July **, 2015. They said a check was mailed out July **, which I did not receive. I made calls to follow-up on the check, and only after I did that, they said they forgot to include the apartment number so the check was probably on its way back to them. After following up AGAIN a a week or two after that, they said they received the returned check and mailed out another one to the correct address. It is now September *, 2015, and I have not received any check. BUYER BEWARE. Do not deal with this moving company. This is not about the money for me, this is a matter of principle. It is infuriating to see how they treat clients, most especially people who have had claims against them. I should have paid attention to the negative reviews about this company on [redacted]. Deeply regret hiring them.Desired Settlement: FlatRate Moving must send me a check as payment for the flat screen Plasma TV they destroyed. I went through their claims process so they need to settle and pay up.

Business

Response:

Hello,Claims are settled and closed per the type of coverage the customer chooses. All moving companies are required by law to offer Minimum Liability Coverage at .60 cents per pound. Our claims department greatly exaggerated the weight of the customer's television (165 pounds) in order to maximize the compensation. We will be happy to issue a stop payment on the check that was mailed and issue a new one. Please be advised that it can take 7-10 business days for this to be processed by our Accounting Department prior to mailing.Thank you,

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted], and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

Unless I have the check in my hands in seven (7) days (INCLUSIVE OF MAILING), this issue remains unresolved. No more delaying tactics FlatRate Movers! I have waited long enough. FlatRate Movers MUST ALSO provide me and the Revdex.com with a copy of the replacement check AS WELL AS the post office mailing tracking information AS PROOF that an EXPEDITED replacement check has been issued and mailed. The burden of proof that a check was issued and sent is with FlatRate Movers, not the consumer. Unless I have the check in the specified timeframe, this issue remains unresolved.

In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

Sincerely,

Review: Sales person of Flat Rate moving misrepresented the delivery date of our moving shipment. Verbally, he quoted us a delivery window of 10-15 days. When he asked our desired delivery window via email, we asked for the soonest possible, to which he did not reply. We have a record of this. The move commenced on the [redacted] of December, 2014, when all of our belongings were loaded to their truck. The date is now January [redacted], 2015, the items have not left New York for California (where we moved). Flat Rate Moving is now giving us a delivery date of January **. In the meantime, my family (which includes a 1 year old daughter) has lost work, lived out of a suitcase, and slept in makeshift beds. We have also incurred significant expenses trying to make up for our belongings not being delivered in the expected time-frame. In addition, I lost a job at the beginning of January as my work equipment is with all of our belongings. Lastly, because of work obligations, I have to leave town before the delivery window, causing further hardship on my wife who has to receive the items by herself while caring for our daughter. We feel that all of this could have been avoided if the proper information and timeframe was disclosed at the beginning. If we knew the delivery could potentially take this long, we would have contracted another moving company. I should make a note that there was one consolation allowed by the company. The company promised to [redacted] some important tools (instruments) from our belongings to me prior to the late delivery in order to allow me to do some of my work in the coming weeks. This activity is underway at this time, though it has not been confirmed as of the writing of this statement. While this is helpful, I do not feel that this action fully makes up for, or should be adequate compensation for the late delivery we are disputing here.Desired Settlement: For desired settlement, I selected delivery of order, because prompt delivery of our belongings, early in the next week would satisfy us. However, since the company claims this is impossible, via several phone calls, I would instead like a refund. As of now Flat Rate Moving has charged my credit card $4999, and not delivered our belongings in the timeframe we agreed upon.

Business

Response:

We understand there was a bit of confusion regarding the delivery window. Customer did not purchase a GDD (guaranteed delivery window) or Express delivery. Customer did express a desire to receive their items as soon as possible and customer also believed the delivery would be on 1/**. Customers signed the Move Plan and Bill of Lading with the delivery window TBD (to be determined) see attached. Customer was also informed by the Long Distance dept. the window of delivery would be 1/** - 1/** customer was delivered on 1/**. Per the customers request we did fed-ex the musical equipment he stated he needed for work prior to delivery, customer was also given $250.00 courtesy compensation for the confusion and any inconvenience this caused.

Review: I contracted Flat Rate and took out extra coverage of $20k for my expensive items- I even had them line itemized on the insurance request. Both my custom glass table and chandelier arrived broke. the table's legs were shattered beyond repair and the chandelier cracked on the bottom, requiring a skilled repair.

Flat Rate send an adjustor and offered me $745 TOTAL for there $11,000 worth of items they broke. With my $500 deductible, that comes to $245. They then offered me an additional $300 when I complained- stating that they only had to reimburse me for "valuation" so that I could purchase a "similar or like kind" item.

The insurance they offer is dishonest and fraudulent.Desired Settlement: $6,000 to replace the glass table and the full cost of repair for my chandelier, if it can even be repaired.

Business

Response:

We are very sorry for any damages suffered as a result of the move.We do not sell insurance. The customer purchased Valuation Coverage. The claim documents are attached. The claim was settled correctly per the terms of the Bill of Lading (contract) which is also attached.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted], and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

I took out extra insurance and clearly asked for coverage , even line itemizing my expensive items. The offer is not acceptable , my $6,000 table was shattered and cannot be replaced by $245. Your checks will not be cashed as a settlement of my damaged items. I expect reimbursement in full to buy another table. Your company fraudulently provided additional insurance that you claim covers a replaceable item, however a $245 check will not buy anything more than a plastic folding table.

Attached correspondence clearly shows my ask for additional insurance with a confirmation from your team.

In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

Sincerely,

Business

Response:

As we are not an insurance company, we are unable to sell insurance. What was purchased was the Extended Valuation Coverage. As per the contract, this covers repairs before replacement, and if an item cannot be repaired it can be replaced with an item of similar like and kind. The claim was settled correctly per the terms of the agreed upon coverage.

Review: My wife and I hired Flat Rate Moving for our move from NYC to [redacted] on November **. We had used Flat Rate three years ago with no problems. During our move we had the following issues:

A) Items were not inventoried properly with inventory stickers or a list. This is actually a violation of a DOT law for interstate moving, plus it doesn't provide the customer

with any clear way of knowing that all items that left the origin made it to the destination.

B) Personal items were stolen from the destination out of a duffel bag. One Garmin GPS watch and a mens toiletry case containing an electric toothbrush, electric razor, and three

prescription medications that were desperately needed. These items were among the very last things packed, so we knew exactly where they were and even saw them

when we arrived at our new house, as my wife had opened the bag they were in to retrieve something else and left it on the counter in the bathroom. When she returned to the

bag later, after the movers had left, these items were gone. Flat Rate said that "these are not items that the men would take." I'm not really clear on what that means, or

what items they do typically steal, but I do know that these items were stolen from our new home during our move.

C) Our three bikes were left behind at the origin (approximately 80 miles away) despite being on their list of items to be moved, and my wife and I telling the movers three times to

put the bikes on the truck. We paid extra for them to transport our bikes, and when we arrived at our new house, the movers told us they forgot our bikes. Flat Rate has been

unwilling to compensate us in any way for the fact that we had to return to NYC the next day and retrieve the bikes at our own expense, which was close to $200 between gas

tolls, since we had to borrow a friend's vehicle that was large enough to put three bikes in and fill it with gas.

D) We have two damaged pieces of furniture that were in perfect condition when they left our old home. One is a coffee table that has a huge chunk of wood taken out of the top,

and the second is a book shelf that has MANY chips and scratches, as well as having two of the six casters on the bottom ripped off (and nowhere to be found). The casters

were broken when the movers tried to put the bookcase on a dolly with the wheels still facing down. All of the weight was put on these two small wheels and my wife and I

heard a loud crack which was obviously the wheels breaking off. The item should have been turned upside down before being put on a dolly. I can provide pictures of all of

the damage. The moving company said they they will send a carpenter to attempt to repair the damage. We had paid for $20,000 of insurance for our personal property, and

at this point feel that the furniture should be replaced instead of repaired, as I do not feel that this damage can be repaired to our satisfaction.

I have attempted to contact Flat Rate about all of these issues over the past two weeks. The first gentleman we talked to named [redacted] in the sales department said that he would take care of it. He had us fill out a claim form but told us to leave off the stolen items, as they would handle that separately, and that he would call my wife back within 24 hours. He never called back. Two days later I spoke to [redacted]'s boss, [redacted]. She told me that she didn't know about any claim that had already been filed, but that he should have told us to include the stolen items, therefore I would have to re-submit the claim forms and include the stolen items. Almost a week went by after I forwarded [redacted] the claim forms, and I heard nothing. I finally contacted [redacted] again on December * to check on the status. She replied that I would have a resolution by the end of the following day. I did not receive a resolution by 5pm on December ** as was promised to me. Instead I got another email telling me that they had received my claim form and were working on it.

I contacted [redacted] again, as the claims department has yet to return a call to me, and told her how disappointed I was, and that it wasn't right that the issue hadn't been resolved yet. I explained to her that the furniture damage, the stolen items and the cost of retrieving our bikes had exceeded the cost of the move and that if some resolution was not proposed for these issues, that I would have to contact American Express, which is how I paid for the move. She stated that the stolen items were not taken by their people and they would not compensate us, as it was merely conjecture, and that it wasn't their fault that our bikes were left behind, which it clearly was, and that the only thing they could possibly offer me is an attempt at repairing our furniture. To be honest, after the experience I had with Flat Rate, I do not want them sending anybody to my home again. I STILL have not been contacted by the claims department telling me how the propose to resolve our issues.Desired Settlement: I would like Flat Rate to reimburse us for the stolen items (approx $677...can provide receipts), the cost of retrieving our bikes (approx $200....gas plus tolls, plus mileage), and 80% of the cost of our damaged furniture, as it was 2 - 3 years old (approx $1,120). Total - $1,977. This was greater than the cost of the move itself. At this point I would accept a full refund on the move as resolution. I have also contacted American Express for help with this matter.

Flat Rate has told me that they won't compensate me for this because I did receive service from them. When I booked a mover, it was not my expectation that they would break furniture (which I paid for insurance on), leave items behind that were costly to retrieve, and steal personal items from us, despite being tipped well. Each person in their crew was tipped $100 despite doing a poor job. Additionally, I find it very troubling that prescription medication was stolen from my wife that was an absolute necessity. When she went to take it before bed it was gone, and it was very difficult to replace since the pharmacy would not re-issue these prescriptions before 30 days from the last refill. These were medications that were necessary for my wife after giving birth to our daughter only six weeks prior to the move.

Business

Response:

This customer’s claim has been settled per the Bill of

Lading and based on the valuation coverage at the time of their move. In

accordance with section six of the Bill of Lading, under the Full Valuation

liability coverage, the customer is required to give repair estimates for

damaged goods in order to complete the claims process. As the customer refused

to give any repair estimates, the damage to the customer’s furniture has been

processed in accordance with the Bill of Lading and the claims process. The

carrier is not liable for items that are packed by owner. Therefore, an

itemized inventory of items packed by the owner would not be taken; neither

would liability for any such items be accepted. Any items claimed that are

packed by an owner are processed with the complete discretion of the carrier.

These are terms clearly stated in the Bill of Lading that the customer herself

signed. Therefore, the claim has been processed as follows: Full valuation

coverage for the damaged bookcase ($550.00) and coffee table ($850.00)

amounting to $1,400.00. Less the $500.00 deductible as stipulated by the

contract, the claim has been processed at $900.00. As we regret the poor

experience that the customer had with FlatRate Moving, we are also providing

courtesy compensation for the expense of transporting the bicycles. Therefore,

the full and final total settlement is $1,100.00. It has been closed and is

currently being processed with our accounting department.

Review: FlatRate was hired to move a 1 bedroom apartment from [redacted] to [redacted], TN. At time of pick-up (Sept *, 2015) there was no forwarding address, but I was told by two different employees I just need to call once I had the address and delivery would be within 14 days and one free month of storage would be provided until then. I called with the delivery destination on Sept [redacted] and was told delivery could not be completed until Oct [redacted]. I said that was not agreed upon and asked for partial refund since other companies were guaranteeing 2 weeks delivery for a thousand dollars less to which I was replied to by a manager at FlatRate by the name of Madeline D[redacted]" and stated that in order to access my belongings in storage there would be a $60 per hour fee which was never written in our contract. I then wrote to the Long Distance Manager, Joshua K[redacted], on September [redacted] asking for clarification if my move would be completed. I have not received an answer yet and when I call the company, my calls go unanswered. If I call from a blocked number I get through, but then disconnected.Desired Settlement: FlatRate has not completed the service agreed upon, nor will they clarify if it will be completed so a refund should be in order.

Business

Response:

We did everything we could to try and accommodate her delivery window. A discount was offered for any delays. The customer did not want this and informed us that she was hiring another moving company. We have processed a refund for $2,385.39 which is the difference from moving Into Storage as opposed to Long Distance. The refund receipt is attached. Her belongings were picked up from our Storage Facility by another company already. The signed document showing this is attached.

Review: On Feb * I had a 2 bedroom apt moved 5 blocks with Flatrate Movers. I purchased approximately $30,000 worth of insurance at the cost of approximately $150, with a $500 deductible. The move was $1500.

The move was a debacle. The 3 movers arrived on time at 9 AM and we had eliminated some of the packing and moving they allegedly planned for. They did not have to pack/move: the lampshades (we did it), ANY of the 4 closets (we packed our own wardrobe boxes), wrap the wall clock , load the contents of the storage unit.

With that the packing of the apartment into the truck took more than 5 hours. They did not leave my new apartment until 7 PM that night, after they SHOVED my sofa through the front door after banging it around for over an hour. They never thought of taking the legs of the sofa, which we suggested and they clearly wanted the job done. In the process of the move a leather sleep sofa was broken in two spots and a brand new wood bedframe has two chunks taken out of it. Additionally, we may be fined by the building for having the move go past 5 PM.

Damages are:

The bed frame was wrapped in one piece and when they couldn't get it out the door, the mover asked to bring it down in the tenant elevator. My super came up and had to chastise the mover into actually taking the bed frame apart since it could not be moved in the tenant elevator and it would not fit anyway. The mover had to borrow the tools to take the frame apart from my super. This was at 1:30 in the afternoon and they rushed and damaged the item

The sofa was wrapped without taking any of the cushions, all of which were removable, off. When the sofa was being shoved through my new apartment door at 7 PM, it was scratched bent and broken. By that time they had also unwrapped it from the moving blankets and were blocking my entire hallway. The move was supposed to be LONG completed by that time and I am still dealing with the repercussions of an awful first impression on a new super thanks to your team.

We are being offered $230; 50 % of the estimate for the repair by their vendor ($460). They refuse to provide any warranty for the services or have a discussion about the quality or choice of vendor for repair. Quite frankly I would like the value of the sofa paid for as the frame is damaged and I do not wish for it to be reinforced and the sleep sofa mechanism is broken. I emailed [redacted] yesterday and asked for a formula for how they decide value of damage vs. replace or repair. This is not part of any of the literature I received prior to the move. He answered the "case was closed".

Finally, I actually considered asking for a refund of some of the cost of the move after it took almost 10 hours to complete a 6 block move. Clearly the gentlemen who did the estimate did not correctly estimate the amount of time the move would take since the 3 person team didn't arrive at my new place until almost 3 PM and they were still folding blankets at almost 7 PM while trying to shove my couch through the door.

I wrongly assumed that this matter would be handled efficiently and professionally and am very disappointed.Desired Settlement: I would like the cost of the sofa and the bedframe both of which were like new prior to this move. The bedframe was less than 1 year old and the sofa is a quality sleep sofa that should last a family 20 years. Not have a damaged frame and the open/close mechanism shattered at less than 5 years. The total replacement cost for both pieces of quality furniture is about $5000. hence the reason I purchased $30,000. worth of insurance, so I didn't have to worry.

Business

Response:

Customer claimed two (2) pieces of furniture as damaged. A furniture restorer was scheduled and vendor advised the items were both repairable and provided an estimate for the repair. The customer purchased valuation with the understanding that a $500 deductible would be applied. The repair cost fell under her deductible and we gave her a settlement of ½ the cost of repair in good faith. Per section 7 of the bill of lading (see attached) for items that are lost, destroyed or damaged, carrier will, at the carriers discretion, either (1) repair the item, (2) replace the item with an item of similar like and kind or (3) make a cash settlement for the (i) cost of repair or (ii) the then current market replacement value of an item of the similar or like kind. In this case the ½ the cost of repair was given although the customers repair cost fell under the deductible. No mention of issues with the move came up during the claims process, customer made complaints regarding the move after the claim was settled, had the complaints come to light during the claims process they would have been addressed accordingly.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted], and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

Review: We used FlatRate for our move from New York to San Francisco. During the move, many items were damaged. We specifically used FlatRate to pack (1) furniture (2) lamps (3) electronics and (4) artwork. All our personal items, including the entire content of our kitchen, frames, etc. were personally packed by me. Not one item I packed was damaged even thought the boxes they delivered were pretty beat up. Regarding the items FlatRate packed, ALL of our floor lamps were destroyed as they were not packed properly. Their sales rep even emailed us and stated that they were not packed in accordance to their own policy. Their own delivery team was shocked. Our electronics were packed in linen boxes instead of the proper electronic boxes and our record players was damaged as a result. Our largest piece of artwork did not even arrive. All of this is pretty negligent to me, given the sales pitch and the fact we paid close to $10K for the move. Nevertheless, our sales rep also sold us a "Valuation Coverage" policy that was meant to protect damage against high value items.

We went through the entire Claim process, submitted all of the requested information, including receipts and current valuation of our damaged items. We were asked to provide support for the replacement costs of our damaged items and the repair estimate for a $4,600 table that was also damaged in the move as the moving team also did not follow instructions for properly moving this table. When we finally heard from the claim department, they sent us an email that listed the damaged items and the amount they were settling the items for. There was no support for the settlement amounts and the settlement amounts were very random. For three items in particular, the valuation did not come close to covering the replacement value. There was also no consistency on how they came up with the valuations. For example, for a $70 garbage can they were happy to pay us the full $70 replacement amount, but for a high-end record player that was a year old (also damaged due to not being packed correctly), they offered us $90. There was also not any consistency in how they valued the lamps. We had three floor lamps that were destroyed. One was valued at $65, one at $149 and one at $658. They offered us $40, $40, and $45 respectively. Our largest piece of artwork which they did not deliver to the delivery location that was valued at $480, they offered us $83. How can I replace that with $83? I repeatedly requested more information on their valuations and supporting documentation for how they came up with the valuations (if the customer is required to provide supporting documentations for the damaged items, the company should be required to also provide support for their valuation if they disagree with it, otherwise that is very poor customer service and a very shady, not scientific, qualitative judgement process that is not fair to the consumer), but they either did not respond or told that the settlement was "final and and full", while ignoring the request for more information. I asked multiple times, but they did not provide support. Instead, I feel like they are trying to "bully me" into accepting the check they sent me, which does not even begin to cover the damages. I have not deposited the check as I don't think this is a fair settlement. I have not accepted this as a final settlement, as they have failed to properly assess the damage. FlatRate has stated that they are not required to agree with the valuations as long as the replacement amounts are "similar or like in kind". That term is not defined anywhere on the Bill of Lading, hence why I have repeatedly asked them for support to justify their differences in valuations. As a customer, I can tell you there is HUGE difference in QUALITY (not just price) between the $65 lamp that was made in China and bought at target (and settled for $40) vs. the $658 German made Holtkoetter Satin Nickle lamp. If there wasn't, companies wouldn't be able to sell it for a higher price. Furthermore, by the very nature that Flatrate provided different valuations for the lamps (even though it was only a difference of $5) shows that they valued them differently. Where is the support for that? IF they have not going to support their valuation, there is no reason the customer should have to back off the valuation the customer provided as support with receipts, and current selling price. That is my true replacement cost. Also, it is odd that you they would give me the full replacement value for the cheaper items (the garbage can) but not the high value items like the lamp which the very reason we got the Valuation Coverage policy. It makes no sense that they think I can replace a garbage can for $70 but a brand new lamp for $45??? I also requested reimbursement for the poor customer service and negligence that resulted from their move team not properly moving us according to their policy. They did not respond to that either, even though our sales rep said that would go through the claim process as well.

At this time, I am very disappointed as I am sitting on a number of damages items that have not been valued properly by a move company that doesn't care about its customers or customer service. I am requesting further reimbursement from Flat Rate in the amount of $2445.

The reimbursement is meant to cover the difference in what they offered me for the three items I discussed above and an amount for poor customer service which is above what they sent me the check for. The check they sent me for is $800 and does not cover the extent of the damages. I am not disputing the valuation for the other damaged items above what I mention below and even am not disputing the $500 deductible they subtracted.

The Items are:

(1) Holtkoetter Satin Nickle Swinging Floor Lamp Offered. $45. Purchase price submitted by Customer: $658. Difference: $613

(2) Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Record Player - Purchase price / receipt submitted by Customer: $525. Replacement Value Offered by FlatRate: $90 Difference $435

(3) Missing Parvez Taj Artwork (48x32). Value $480, FlatRate Replacement Value: $83 Difference: $397

(4) Reimbursement for Poor Customer Service / Negligence - $1,000

Total $2445Desired Settlement: Additional refund of $2,445. The service was less than satisfactory as their own moving policy was not enforced properly by their move team. They need to take responsibility for that. The damages we suffered as a result of the negligence is beyond what they offered to us for settlement and not substantiated by them. As discussed above, the valuations are completely subjective and do not make sense. Their tactics to not provide support for the valuations and to disregard request for information is unacceptable.

Business

Response:

Hello,We are very sorry for the experience the customer had and any damages incurred. The claim was settled correctly per the terms of the elected coverage. The claim settlement is attached, along with replacements and the Bill of Lading (contract). As per the Bill of Lading items can be replaced with items of similar or like kind.Thank you.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted], and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

[Your Answer Here]

I

understand the contract that I signed and the clause that FlatRate is referring

to, however that term is NOT defined and left to subjective judgment on the

part of FlatRate. I continue to believe that there was no consistency applied

in how my claim was settled. There is a SIGNIFICANT difference in products by

brand and I can get industry experts to verify that. FlatRate used some

judgment in replacing the lower priced items with the same brand and

replacement cost. For example, they agreed to replace my REIDEL wine glasses

with REIDEL wine glasses. Reidel is a top quality wine glass maker - you can

confirm this with any sommelier and wine expert. They had no problem giving me

the $40 for the glasses. They did the same thing with the garbage can - they agreed

to pay the price of a SIMPLY HUMAN garbage can. The problem comes into play

when they applied a different logic for the more expensive items. I am

particularly dumbfounded because these damages items would not have been

damaged if they had packed them according to their own policy. So for my more

expensive items, the record player that they packed in linen boxes and my

Holtkoetter Swinging FLoor lamp, they went to IKEA to find

"replacement" values. These used IKEA values for the floor lamps, but

not IKEA values for the wine glasses or the garbage can?? Why is that? There is

also a MAJOR difference in the record player they are using as a comparable. I

know this because I did extensive research prior to purchasing my record

player, a year ago. An electronics expert, or a review of online product

reviews would confirm this. As a customer, I can only believe that are

using inconsistent valuation methods because they are trying to limit what

they pay through the claim process - even though we are only in this

position because they did not provide the packing services according to their

policy and what we expected as customers. I have a problem with using "low

ball" replacement costs because it does not accurately reflect the quality

of our items and does not compensate the customer appropriately, which is the

main reason we are purchasing a replacement valuation policy. This is

COMPLETELY misleading to consumers who pay over $500 for the valuation policy,

for this specific protection. I would not have purchased a valuation

policy to merely protect my wine glasses, I was trying to protect my fragile, expensive,

high-quality items. If all my stuff was from IKEA, I would not have

purchased valuation coverage.

Furthermore,

FlatRate has repeatedly ignored that they have a customer service issue here.

They have not acknowledged that their movers did not follow policy, even though

it was the customers who suffered for that. We not only have suffered through

emotional stress from a cross country move, but are experiencing higher

financial expenses because as any educated consumer would want to do, we

want replace our items with what we believe to be "similar and like

kind" with the items that were destroyed as a result of mistakes made by

FlateRate. We have previously used FlatRate two times for our moves and yet,

they have made this process unbelievably painful for us. I had to write to the

Revdex.com to simply get them to show how they were calculating the valuations. As a consumer

who paid a significant amount of money (a premium relatively to other moving

companies) for a move, I would have expected a more courteous and fair process.

Instead we received conflicting stories from our sales rep and the claims

department and in the end, were left with expensive damaged items that

FlatRate wants to replace with low, discount quality items. I remain

disappointed in this process and do not believe the replacement values that

FlatRate is using, appropriately reflect "similar and like kind" for

the items they damaged. At a bare minimum I would like reimbursement of $,1048

for the lamp and record player and $500 for the lack of quality customer

service, for a total of $1,548.

In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

Sincerely,

Business

Response:

The settlement amounts for the record player and lamps are based on internet research for those items. We are sorry if the customer feels the quality of these items do not match those of their items. We are able to replace items with similar like and kind (not quality), at our discretion.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted], and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

FlatRate should really review the department that conducts "internet research" because their "research" is just simply wrong. Googling lamps and clicking on the Ikea website is not research! Funny also that their "research" found that Riedel wine glasses should be replaced with Riedel wine glasses, but a German Holtkoetter lamp should be replaced with one from Ikea. Google it, I am sorry, I mean do some "internet research". I am sure the Holtketter Lamp will not bring up any comparisons to Ikea lamps. Future consumers be warn - Flat's Rate's arrogance and lack of knowledge on doing comparable research should serve as a warning sign as who you are doing business with. They use their "discretion" very broadly and don't care if they are wronging the consumer. The term "similar and like kind" is sufficiently broad and thy are completely hiding behind that instead of simply doing what is right. All be warned, stupidity has no limits, and to us, FlatRate has demonstrated that loud and clear. I will also note that in all our moves (including 4 international moves), we have never dealt with a moving company that had done such a poor moving and customer service job. Take your chances elsewhere. Flat Rate has not even tried to resolve this complaint.

In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

Sincerely,

Review: Hi - the movers broke a number of items during my move. The movers said that they would notify headquarters who would send someone to remedy it and they did not. Upon filing a claim I have not heard back from the company. And they have not returned my callsDesired Settlement: At this point they have left this broken furniture in my apartment which the movers said they could not move because the claims department would have to look at it to verify the damage. That was a month ago and they still have not contacted me about this. I want them to pay for the damages they have caused during my move and remove the broken furniture from my apartment.

Business

Response:

We are very sorry for the lack of communication

with the customer regarding her claim. The customer submitted her claim form to

the FlatRate Moving® Claims Department on August **, 2013 and is at this time

being processed. It is generally a two to four week process. We will reach

out to the customer once the claims process has been finalized.