Transit Systems Inc.(TSI)

The dispatcher made a mistake when he told the customer that pick up would be on the 28th.    The pickup  was and always has been set for the 27th which is when we said it would be all along.  The customer was told this one week prior to the 27th and still decided to...

cancel.  As per our terms and conditions, a cancellation fee was charged.

From: Jessica C[redacted] Sent: Friday, January 27, 2017 4:14 PM To: '[redacted].com' <[redacted].com> Cc: Tom T[redacted] <[redacted]@transitsystems.com> Subject: Regarding Your TSI Shipment # [redacted]   Good afternoon [redacted],   We received the attached paperwork from our...

carrier- it’s the paperwork that was signed at pickup.  It shows that the clock, the weights, and the tubes were picked up, but it does not show a pendulum.   The weights were listed as CU and PBO this means they were packed by owner and because of that the condition was unknown.    The tubers were noted as “MCU”, “CU”, and “PBO”.  Mechanical Condition Unknown, Condition Unknown, and Packed By Owner.    Our crew did do a search but ultimately did not find anything because we only picked up the 3 pieces- the clock, the weights, and the tubes- which is what we delivered.  They’ve suggested checking with [redacted] in MA to make sure it wasn’t left behind at pickup.   I’m sorry I wasn’t able to give you a better update.   Sincerely,   Jessica C[redacted] Support Supervisor

Please see attached terms and conditions that were digitally signed.  Transit times are not guaranteed.

We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and the missing items.  It is certainly unusual that the delivery took longer than normal.  Most areas deliver within 20 business days but it can take longer if traveling to a remote area and Lewiston, ME is considered remote.  As per the...

signed terms and conditions (attached), the only coverage that the customer had was the carrier limited liability of 60 cents per pound ($21) on the TV stand (there is no bedframe listed on the inventory).  We would be willing to refund $250 to the credit card on file as a sign of good faith.

This is basically a rehash of the initial complaint but I will try again.1) Lost part of my shipment.  There were items that were misplaced and the carrier is in the process of finding them and redelivering them.2) Didn't deliver on time.  As per the terms and conditionas that were sent and digitally signed, transit times are approximate and not guaranteed.  That being said we issued a refund as a sign of good faith.3) Mixed my shipment in with other deliveries.  We handle small shipments and the only way to do that cost effectively is to conolidate with other small shipments.   If you wanted to have your items be the only ones on the truck, you would have had to pay for the whole truck and not just the small portion that you used.  The charges would have been in the tens of thousands.  The moving process in general is a huge logistical undertaking.  On occasion, things get mixed up or misplaced.  Usually, it is a result of human error.  To accuse people of stealing is an emotional response to an unfortunate situation.  It doesn't make it true though.4) Absolutely no sense of urgency to help.  There is a huge sense of urgency on our part because we don't like situations like this anymore than the customer does.5) Doesn't return phone calls.  This issue is with the carrier and not us.  You contracted with us and all communications should have been through us, that is what we are here for.6) Still missing items (family heirlooms). The carrier is doing everything in their power to get these items to you and we are staying on top of them to see that they do.7) Need I say more? No thank you.8)  I requested this shipment through Transit Systems, Inc. They apparently contracted out to this company, [redacted] Moving with a reputation for stealing boxes. See number 3.9) The scheduler took my payment, and then left for maternity leave the following day. No heads up given there. We have an entire team in place to handle shipments once they are scheduled.  The fact that your sales person went on maternity has nothing to do with anything.10) I was told that this was white glove service, and not to pack anything. It was not. White Glove Service is a 2 man inside pick-up and delivery.  The carrier takes care of preparing furniture items for transport.  I'm not sure what "It was not" means.11)  I needed the shipment by May 4th. After they picked up the shipment (we had 24 hours notice if they were to get it there on time), I was notified by another person that the shipment would be late due to driver issues and truck issues. Now we were looking mid-week the following week. Finally, I get a call from the driver about May 6th. He can deliver the following day. Of course, that was an over-promise. He realized other shippers' items were in front of mine and couldn't get them off in time. Finally, I get the shipment May 9th. Missing two Persian rugs, and a box. One rug was located before they left. The other was not. It was mixed in with another shipment and had to go all the way back from Portland to Pennsylvania. Still missing a box. I was told by Sarah that they would [redacted] the rug to me. No follow up, nothing. This was last week. Apparently, though, due to the cost, management cancelled that. Unfortunate mechanical error and human error which was the other reason for our good faith refund.12) No call, no follow up. It is supposed to finally make it in June. Lastly, when you call them, they rarely return calls, they don't tell you when you are speaking with the wrong person (first talking to Nick, then Sarah, then was told to call Transit Systems after a week), and your lost items? Those are an inconvenience. They won't email you a claims form. Absolutely zero proactive communication here. So if you want to lose some of your shipment, a bunch of excuses, and a terrible experience all around, [redacted] Moving & Storage is your go to. Otherwise, would avoid at ALL costs.  See number 5.13) Oh, and if anyone sees Box 51 (red sticker), let me know. Would love to have those items. Agree with some other reviewers that there is likely some theft going on here. It's hard to imagine it's sheer incompetence on this level.  It is somewhate libelous and also difficult to prove that someone would steal a box.  The moving process in general is a huge logistical undertaking.  On occasion, things get mixed up or misplaced.  Usually, it is a result of human error.Asked for a refund, the manager, Jessica C[redacted], offered $200. Based on the terms and conditions that were sent and you digitally accepted, we were not obligated to refund anything.  We refunded the $200 as a sign of good faith and continue to work diligently to resolve your issues.We have been in business for 26 years and arrange approximately 10,000 shipments every year.  The overwhelming majority go off without a hitch.  When things do go wrong, we do everything in our power to resolve them as amicably and quickly as possible.

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
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. 
Regards,
[redacted]

We will be contacting the carrier ([redacted]) today to get then to resolve the insurance claim.  The issue is that insurance companies require damages to be notated at delivery in order for a claim to be paid.  If there are extenuating circumstances, the claim could be reopened.  Days in...

transit are not guaranteed.  I can assure you that no one here would hang up on a customer on purpose.

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
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. 
Regards,
[redacted]

The customer did buy Moving
Insurance Itemized coverage for a hutch with glass doors.  The item that
was damaged was a dining room table.  There was no insurance on that
piece.  The Terms and Conditions state that all orders are subject to
extended timeframes and delivery...

dates are never guaranteed.

We are very clear with our customers regarding the nature of our business.  We are one of the only companies that specialize in handling small loads.  The big movers cost more and take longer. We are very up front with our customers about the nature of our work and the logistics...

involved.  Our crews are not dispatched locally, they are over the road teams that are responsible for 15 to 20 shipments on every trip, consolidating loads is what keeps the costs low.  Although trips are carefully planned, there are many things that can throw a wrench into the works and cause delays (weather, truck breakdowns, customers rescheduling set appointments at the last minute, etc.) and because of the amount of shipments effected, answers don't always come immediately,  However, we have a support and operations team that are responsible for staying on top of our carriers to make sure that they resolve issues as quickly as possible.Regarding this shipment, the sales reps had notated the pickup request that the customer had on the carrier's work order but somehow, they missed it.  Human error often gets in the way of perfection and we deeply apologize.  The complaints about lack of communication on our end are simply not true.  There was a team of people working on this and there are at least 15 notes in the system detailing communications.  The communications from the driver and his company that handled the shipment were clearly lacking but at the end of the day, this shipment was picked up and delivered.As a sign of good faith, we would be willing to refund $100 to the credit card on file.

The federal government (not us) sets liability for carriers at 60 cents per pound. Again, this is an insurance issue and you chose not to purchase the additional coverage that was offered to you.  The $50 was refunded to your card on 11-14-16.

Insurance was offered but declined.  The insurance that we offer is through an insurance...

company and not the carrier.  The carrier has no idea or interest in who chooses the additional coverage and who does not.  As I said previously, it is extremely rare that items get lost.  The additional coverage that you declined would have covered you.  You signed and agreed to the terms and conditions that fully explained all of this.  Technically, the shipping charges are also still owed but we are refunding them in full.

Maybe it would be best to have your lawyer contact us in writing to let us know that he is representing you.  We can then have a discussion to see if our terms and conditions were met.

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
 Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
When the shipper called, I specifically asked, twice, if the pick up date of the 28th was a "hard" date, and asked if the shipment could be picked up on the 27th, noting that this was the outside date that I had specified with Transit Systems. I was told that this was a "hard" date, and that no adjustments could be made. This was clearly not a "mistake" by the dispatcher. Additionally, after I notified Transit Systems of this situation, I did not receive any comunication for them for more than 24 hours, and -since they had set up a shipping date outside my limit and had failed to make a timely response to my notice- had a reasonable expectation that they would not perform. When they finally did communicate, they provided me with a tracking form that did not specifcy the actual shipper, making it impossible for me to contact them to make sure that there would not be another failure to perform. This is the communication that I sent to Transit Systems to sum up the interaction:Recapping things to this point I just wanted to recap where things stand at this point.1. I paid in full for a shipment, specifying that pick up had to occur between the 17 and the 27 of April, since I had to be out of my apartment by the 28th.2. The shipper that you designated phoned me on 4/19, indicating that they would be picking up on the 28th at some point in the afternoon. When I told them that I needed the pick up by the 28th, they said that the date they had been given was the 28, and that they could not pick the items up before then.3. I emailed you and received a return email saying that you were checking with operations and would get back to me shortly. You dd not do so 4. I emailed you early this morning to let you know that I needed to have the pick up by the 27th. 5. By mid-morning, I had heard nothing, and so I made arrangements to donate the furniture items and have the boxes shipped by another carrier on the 27th. I emailed to notify you and ask for a refund.6. Late in the morning, you called and asked whether I had from operations. I had not. You said that operations had told you that everything was taken care of. I said I had no notice of this. You asked if I would be open to having the items picked up earlier and I said that, given the issues with communication and the urgency of my being out by the afternoon of the 28th, I did not feel confident that your company would perform, You said that I would receive a refund.6. In the early afternoon, you phoned to say that since I had "decided" to cancel the pick up, I would have to pay a 10% penalty. You said that you could arrange pick up before the 28th. I asked who would be doing the pick up and when I would be notified. You said "in a couple of hours." The situation this creates, of course, is that I will be charged this fee unless you fail to pick up by midnight of the 27, at which time it will be impossible for me to make other arrangements. I am waiting to find out what alternate arrangements have been made, as I will want to contact the shipper to verify that these arrangements are in place for the correct day. If there are no satisfactory alternate arrangements, I would like to receive a full refund, since you will have failed to perform, while I have not. 
Regards,
[redacted]

We were mislead by the driver who picked up the load.  That is the sole reason we have overages.  Perhaps your company routinely under estimates the load and then the drivers work the weight up....and it is a win win for the drivers and the company....and you tachoose not to believe the what the customer said they were told.  I want to know what percentage of your estimates actually are within the estimated amount when the actual work is done.   W are owed a refund....as the driver informed us we were underweight...when in actuality we were over.  Please issue the refund.

We never promise specific time frames without checking with our
carrier first and there is no proof that this was requested at the time of
booking.  If she had noticed that it wasn’t on the contract at the time of
booking then she should have called in immediately- I didn’t hear about...

this
request until after it was picked up!  Our terms and conditions clearly
state that it takes 15-20 business days from pickup to delivery and we
delivered in less than that- this picked up on 5/14 and it delivered on 6/2 (12
business days- we do not count weekends and we do not count Memorial
Day.) 
 
The pickup was admittedly a mess.  Our carrier contracted a
crew that behaved the exact opposite of how we would like them to behave. 
They arrived in a rented van, instead of a truck, claimed they had never moved
furniture before, and bribed our client for a tip in order to “not charge them
extra for added on pillows.”  The client called in in the middle of the
pickup and I immediately went on the offensive, trying my best to fix the
situation.  I had the carrier send us pictures and the inventory of the
pickup to ensure that all of the items were there and packaged correctly. 
The carrier sent me pictures mid packing and while I requested pictures of the
items before they were packed and again to see the full packing- I never
received them.  Since I’m not in the Midwest location I cannot force them
to give me more than what I received.  We usually don’t provide these
pictures for our clients, but I got them to try to set their minds at
ease.  While I understand their frustration in not having exactly the
picture they asked for, we were not required to submit them, and everything
arrived in good condition, so why continue to complain about it?
 
When I spoke to them during the pickup process I told them at
the end of the shipment we would assess the situation and if a refund was
necessary, we would process one.  I was not aware that this had delivered
as they contacted the Revdex.com instead of contacting us and our dispatcher told us
it would deliver this week- so it actually arrived early.  We would be
willing to give a $100 refund for the inconvenience and concern that was caused
at the pickup.

A full refund will be issued to the card this week.

It was made very clear to the customer that final charges would be based on the actual weight and shipments were subject to reweigh by the carrier (see attached terms and conditions).  There is a certified weight certificate attached.  It is far from false.

You contacted the Revdex.com the day
after everything delivered in good condition?  This is like complaining
about a steak dinner after you’ve finished eating.
 
Your items were picked up by a
crew.  We have admitted that they spoke out of turn and acted exactly the
opposite of how we would expect a crew to behave, but the items were picked up
and kept in good condition.  They were then wrapped, and delivered by
another crew within the time frames that we list in our contract.  While
we recognize that the pickup was frustrating, hence the refund we have already
processed for you, there is no proof that Steve promised the 28th for
delivery.  1- It was not on the contract.  2- There are no emails or
documented phone calls between him and the carrier. 3- You did not insist on
this time frame until after the items were picked up and in transit.  I’m
tempted to believe that you’re making this up so that you can get a larger
refund than we have offered.  Please keep in mind that we did not have to
give a refund at all as we did fulfill the terms of our contract.  We
processed the refund out of kindness and
 
We’re saddened by the fact that
this situation ever happened.  We have apologized repeatedly for the
inconvenience and discomfort that the pickup crew created.  However, your
items were handled with care and they arrived in good condition in less time
than our contract states.  This is the final response! We will not respond
any more, we will not refund any more than you’ve already received.

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
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. Once I see the $500 in my account I will be fully satisfied. To clarify, I had to sleep on the floor for two months while waiting for the bed. The bed did eventually arrive.
Regards,
[redacted]