Mason Moving & Storage

Review: I am writing to register a complaint regarding the poor services provided by Interstate Moving & Storage Inc. [subcontracted by Interstate Moving of Alexandria, VA] in transporting my household goods from Stafford, VA to Charlottesville, VA in August 2014. In the rush to complete the move in a shorter period of time, the firm performed in a substandard manner, damaging several high-end pieces furniture and jeopardizing other fragile and antique items. The major issues included:

Use of incorrect tools and procedures to disassemble antique furniture;

Inappropriately mixing household items (e.g. packaging bulky garage items with fragile items from the basement living area);

Disregarding requests for special care or boxing of important items;

Use of low quality boxes/cartons;

Use of previously used (their's and mine) boxes/cartons;

Use of boxing tape on the exposed wood of finished furniture items;

Use of a non-skilled mover to crate two fragile, antique items;

Destruction of shrubbery by backing a tractor-trailer into a neighborhood tree, breaking a limb;

Extended periods of unsupervised work while the Driver took a 1.5 hour lunch break;

Improper tracking of transported inventory.

While I was informed by the Owner of Mason Moving & Storage, Inc. that I was a “Red-Line” customer, and would receive top-notch service, I do not believe I was afforded this level of service. Due to the poor packing and transport of my household good items, I will incur a greater cost in my next move by replacing and repacking all their cartons

I have filed and settled a claim with Interstate Moving. In addition I filed a claim with the Personal Property Directorate, Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command (via DPS) and then notify my local Personal Property Shipping Office ([redacted]).

Thank you for registering this complaint and forewarning future customers.Desired Settlement: My sole objective is to warn other consumers of this firm's substandard performance.

Business

Response:

Ms. [redacted]In response to complaint #[redacted], the crew was not in a rush to complete the move for[redacted]. The driver and the shipper both agreed to an earlier delivery date that wouldbenefit both parties. In regards to how the items were packed in boxes; all items were packedproperly in the appropriate packing materials/boxes that we provided. The furniture items werepads wrapped for protection and the Sofas & Love seats were shrink wrapped for protection.These are all standard procedures that all of the movers have been trained on.In response to the comments, regarding the driver left for 1.5 hour, yes he did. The driver wentout to get lunch and enough fluids to sustain a long day for a crew of five workers. the driveralso did say he hit a low hanging tree limb that really couldn't be avoided. Driving 48"Tractor/Trailer truck sometimes with the height of the trailer, there are occasion when the trailermay brush across low hanging trees. This wasn't something done intentionally.At the end of the day the shipper had an opportunity to complete a job performance work sheetregarding the crew performance. Since this shipment was a "Red-Line", Top priority shipment,we provided the customer with a job performance worksheet regarding his relocation experience.Upon reviewing the worksheet, there was no indication of there being any problems or anydissatisfaction from the shipper. The purpose of providing these forms is to make sure that ifthere were any problems or concerns, we would address/correct them immediately.There are rules when handling very large shipments things don't always go right; or someMilitary customers are very hard to please. In this case having no knowledge of the customer'sdissatisfaction, we couldn't address the customers concerns regarding their relocation process.The procedure for filing a claim since this was a Military move is to contact the [redacted] which iswhat the shipper did. As I mentioned, the shipper did filed a claim with our [redacted]s,and if we were found at fought, they have already resolved any unsettled issues with the shipper.We apologize for any dissatisfaction the shipper receive. However, if we would have known thiswe would have resolved the problems before any complaints were filed with the Revdex.com.Attached please find om paperwork which includes inventory exceptions of the conditions of theshipper rupture;· job performance work sheet.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

My comments regarding the response provided by Mason Moving & Storage, Inc. follow:1. The driver did rush the packing and transportation of my household goods to meet his personal agenda. His crew warned us of this possibility at the pick-up site. However, I errantly agreed to expedite the timeline at the driver's insistence. Unable to watch the packing in multiple sites within my residence, I believed my household goods were being properly packed. Only after the driver's departure did I find that many items were improperly packed (e.g. heavy items mixed with fragile time; insufficient packing paper in boxes; flimsy boxes; minimal sealing tape; use of old boxes from other firms and prior moves). Since many of the boxes remain in my basement unpacked, I invite Mason Moving & Storage, Inc. to inspect the conditions of these boxes.2. The driver did leave for 1.5 hours, but not to care for his 5-main crew as reported by Mason Moving & Storage, Inc. Instead he informed my wife and I that he left to cash a check at a local bank. Also, he did not provide food or beverages for his crew. My wife and I did! We purchased over $100 of food and beverages for the crew at both the pick-up and delivery sites. Also, please note the driver took an additional 1-hour nap in the cab of his vehicle, claiming that he was flushed.3. The tree limb that the vehicle struck was approximately 14-feet off the ground and 8-inches wide. It was on the edge of a cul-de-sac that provided sufficient clearance and turning area to maneuver the vehicle without damaging any of the adjacent landscaping. The driver had sufficient time and space to avoid the adjacent trees, but simply chose not to.4. I noted on the job performance worksheet that the driver had incorrectly disassembled my 200-year old antique mahogany table. In addition, I called the prime contractor, InterState Service Group ((703) 569-2121) during the off-load to report the issues listed in my original letter to the Richmond Revdex.com. A similar letter was sent to InterState Service Group several days after the off-load and after the discovery of additional damage (to include, but not limited to a broken sofa leg, crushed antique, crystal glasses, and torn chair dust cover).5. I resent the obvious anti-military bias demonstrated by Mason Moving & Storage, Inc. in paragraph 4 of the response. As a veteran with over 28-years of honorable service to my Country, I take affront at the author's assertion that "some Military customers are very hard to please." This statement clearly displays the distain and distrust Mason Moving & Storage, Inc. feels toward its customers, especially those in the Armed Forces. Such discriminatory attitudes cannot be tolerated and will be reported to DoD transportation authorities. Thank you for recording this response. Please feel free to contact me if you need any additional information or action from me regarding this complaint.

Regards,

Review: The movers hired damaged my home during the move, lost my personal property. They are refusing to pay for any damage caused or items lost. We have also asked for the name of their insurance company in order to file a claim with them to cover the loss and damage which they are refusing to provide. In an effort to make this transaction go as smoothly as possible I have provided estimates which I feel were very reasonable given the circumstance. They still have however refused to work with me in order resolve this issue.Desired Settlement: In order to have this resolved I would like for the company to take responsibility for their actions and compensation for the damage that is in need of repair and for the items lost.

Business

Response:

Revdex.com spoke with [redacted] from the business regarding this complaint. The business had provided all of the information regarding this move and the documents regarding the claim that the customer has already accepted.