Andy's Moving and Storage

[topher]

i posted previously about moving from Los Angeles to San Antonio. Based upon feedback i received from this site and others, i chose to hire Andy's Transfer. The estimator from Andy's showed up promptly and was thorough in his estimate. Based upon the price i recieved from them and other prices from companies such as Flat Rate, i was able to negotiate the final cost which was about $3,700. The Andys rep expalained the entire situation and how it would be another North American carrier that would be moving my furninshings along with several other households that were also moving east. No suprises when the movers actually showed up and it was a North American agent out of Chicago. However, I became concerned when the movers chose not to prepare the furniture when it was in my apartment but rather waited until it was at the truck to actually wrap and protect it. When the furnishings arrived several days later, several pieces were damaged. I paid the driver in full upon arrival with a certified check, which i promptly cancelled. I contacted Andy's who referred me to the claims adjuster for North American.

In then end, North American agreed to settle my claim for $700 and i paid them the remaining balance with another check. It took about 60 days to settle the whole matter, but it was to my satisfaction. My bank, Washington Mutual, took about 90 days to refund me the amount of the cashiers check i paid North American with.

What worked to my favor was that i paid extra for the contents insurance offerred by North American. I would definately recommend Andy's for local moves in the Los Angeles area, but even though North American came through in the end with a settlement, if their agent had been more careful in the first place, the damage would never have occurred. Additionally, it is unclear to me if they would have settled so quickly had i not withheld the entire $3,700 fee.

[farrah7031]

Wow, I'm surprised they didn't do something more because you cancelled your cashiers check. That's almost theft on your part. You agreed to the terms in your contract when you signed the order of service. Interesting. I wonder what the professionals take is on this.

[MusicMom]

I think that's terrible!

They did a job, they paid your damage claim, and you yanked their payment?? I think you really lucked out, as they should not have paid the claim if you had not paid your bill, as is required by contract.

Damages happen, and that's what insurance is for. I bet the driver of your shipment suffered a large financial loss from you cancelling your check.

[Jim]

I personally would NOT have paid one cent of the claim until I got the entire check amount. One time, a customer cancelled their check and they got all bent out of shape when I would not even address the claim. When they then short-paid me by the amount of the claim, I refused to have our repair guy fix the items broken until the mover paid me the rest. Then I had our guys fix the mover's table and chairs.

It is clear on every contract a consumer signs that claims are not processed and settled until payment in full for the move is made. I personally would have sued the consumer in court for breach of contract and for more than the fees; it doesn't matter what the damages are - in this case, the word and spirit of the contract is crystal clear. If this consumer had moved with us, he wouldn't be out $3,700 - he would be out a helluva lot more. Some of our contracts were written like freight contracts and in such a way that we can go after the consumer for the full amount at tariff with 0% discount AND the courts have ruled for the freight company every single time.

This consumer is a prime example of a mover's claim that it's the consumer that is ripping off the mover, not the other way around. If this consumer was forced to pay more than the $3,700, I'd have little sympathy for the consumer.... Everyone has to live up to the commitments they make. Andy's did, and more. The consumer didn't.

topher, you're lucky it wasn't me you had to deal with........ and I'm a nice person. I can't even imagine what Archie would do....

[PMueller]

WOW! That is the one and only time I've ever heard of it working that way.

Consider yourself very lucky. Any agent would have had the right to not pay you a cent until full payment had been received. Quite honestly, had you not cancelled your payment with the proper valuation selected and paid for, your claim would have been handled the same.

The driver was definitely hurt financially by the cancelling of the move payment. He incurred fuel cost, labor cost, phone charges, and more just by handling your move. His help at loading and unloading did not wait for their money from him. He fronted all of those charges. He couldn't cancel his payments to the crews and gas stations. He was then not paid at all on your move until the van line received your payment. And everyone wonders why we don't have as many good drivers as we use to.

I'm glad it worked out for you. Usually I'm very mild mannered here and would never say anything negative to a consumer, but I believe you handled this selfishly and incorrectly. While it may have taken your bank 90 days to refund your funds, think about the driver's family that was without funds during your stand-off.

[ArchieWhite]

IF this question had been asked a few years ago, I would have said, it's not possible to stop payment on a certified check, but alas, I have found out that it can be done....I don't know how, probably friends in high places, but the standard procedure is to NOT PAY CLAIMS until the moving bill is paid.... but in todays consumer friendly legal environment, quite possibly the van line paid the claim out of fear and hoped the shipper would do the right thing and pay for their move. There will come a time when all the movers involved will stand around meekly at a bid opening for a 2 room local move and jump for joy when a shipper tells us they have decided to pay $79 flat, just like the carpet cleaners charge. That will certainly help us make our payments on the $60,000 truck that moves them, and help us train the 3 skilled workers doing the job.

[Diane]

This customer's prior post shows that Andy's did the move for only $100 more than the quote from Flat Rate, a bare-bones company - http://www.movingscam.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=11027

I don't think Andy's, the van line, or the driver came out ahead on this move. Maybe the customer did. Anyway, I added the review to the Superlist linked to below.

[The Moving Concierge]

It is this reason why companies require cash or cashiers checks upfront. Because unrealistic customers decide to circumvent the claims process and ironically hold companies hostage because a bureau was scratched.

I don't recommend anyone cancel their payment to try and use it as a negotiation chip. You'll have your claim denied, usually, and just get sued for the cost of the move + interest.

The two best negotiation techniques you can use: go with a brand name mover (and a good agent to boot) and buy valuation.