Feedback on Humboldt move (Boston to California)

[Guest]

First I want to thank all the members of this forum for sharing such invaluable information. I recently moved from Boston to California and used the services of Humbold (United). Here is the summary of my experience with Humboldt.

Overall, I would not recommend Humboldt to anybody. I would advise people to steer clear of this company and avoid yourself from wasting time and energy arguing about multiple overcharges.

The estimation process was very good, I was most comfortable with Humboldt estimator as compared to others (NA, Allied), so I chose Humboldt for my move.

Things started going wrong from the packing day. The packers came with half the packing supplies needed, and that too at around 5 PM on a Friday. Looking at our household goods, they called their main office and said they can be out of here in 1 hour. Well, they finally took 4 hours and as they realized that it was taking more time than they estimated, they started doing a bad job with packing. THey just started dumping stuff left and right without much packing and they even broke my computer table in a hurry. They came in a shuttle van, and when I asked why not the trailer directly (as I was told by the estimator), they told me its because the trailer was not in Boston yet. I didnt care as long as they didnt charge me for it.

THe packers made me sign lot of extra services in the papers (long carry, extra labor, shuttle, stairs). My apartment was on 1st floor. It was late and I could not talk to anybody in Humboldt about these extra services (how long is long carry? etc.)

The hauling itself was done by a Mayflower driver, who was very courteous and was the only good part of this move. When we unpacked, we realized lot of stuff was broken, all due to poor packing.

THe weight estimate was 3300 lbs and the driver called me from the weigh station and told that my shipment weighed 2400 lbs. He also told me that Humbold folks told him that the reason for using a shuttle was because his trailer could not get into my apartment complex. That was a lie. The estimator said tralier could come in and I myself have seen trailers come in several times.

Anyway, I was expecting to receive a big refund, but received a paltry $100. I must have made atleast 20 phone calls from then to get things sorted out. They had charged me $700 for shuttle, some extra labor, long carry, etc. I enquired details about each of these items (like how long was long carry) and they finally took off these charges after much arguments.

In the next bill, I saw that they charged me for 2600 lbs and valuation for $35000 (I had signed for $20000). Again I had to call them and ask them to show me a document where I had asked for $35000 valuation. They took that off finally since obviously they did not find it. The extra weight, I could not do much as they said thats the weight they have in writing. The Mayflower driver had only verbally told me the weight and I could not do much about the weight.

Overall, I have not seen so many intentional extra charges and blatant mistakes. I expected some decency and professionalism from a big company like Humboldt instead of such cheap behavior to ripoff the customer without any justification.

I had a 100 times better experience when I moved with a small-time moving company last time, than with this United agent. Avoid Humboldt, save yourselves some trouble.

[Diane]

Hi - I am very surprised to read this bad report on a company that has such a good reputation. I'll add it to my summary post as one person's experience. In time, as more people report, hopefully the quality of these companies will become clear.

Companies using the 400N tariff are not supposed to charge for a long carry, stairs, or extra labor except under certain circumstances, and a shuttle situation may be one of them - I'm not sure. They are allowed to charge for a shuttle if a tractor-trailer can't access the property or if the customer requests a shuttle because he has to be out on a certain day. In my (limited) understanding, they aren't supposed to charge for a shuttle if it's used just for the convenience of the company. Anyway, it sounds as if Humboldt reversed those charges. Charging you too much for the valuation coverage was almost certainly an unintentional mistake - and again, that was reversed. However, you had to keep nagging them about it, which is not good.

The poor quality of the packing, the lack of enough packing supplies, and the resulting damage to your things are probably the most disturbing thing that you posted.

The fact that you got such a small refund for your lower weight isn't too surprising. People in the past have posted that they got back around $50-$80 for every 100 pounds that they were below the estimated weight, and you may have had some other charges that offset the savings.

All in all, it sounds as if communication with you was poor. I'm glad that you liked the Mayflower driver, at least, and I'll put his name in my summary post if you want to supply it.

[Jay]

just a few comments..

Im sure the $700 for the shuttle was before discount ($700 is way too high), not that that justifys the cost.

If the driver didnt make it in time, than that crew was there to "G-11" the shipment and they charged you a shuttle to offset the cost, which I would fight if I were you, especially if it wasnt on the original estimate and doube especially if you have seen full size moving trucks in your complex.

THe long carry cant be charged for, if thats on the final bill, they have to remove it (especially if they charge you for a shuttle), as Diane mentioned, UVL cant charge for logn carries if it was a interstate move.

I seriously doubt that the charges would go down $70 - $80 per 100 lbs. unless you moved cross country, which if you did, is a definete possibility.

And lastly, the declared valuation amount should of gone down with the weight. The declared value should of never even been close to $35,000 unless you asked for it. Based on the actual weight of your shipment, it should of been $15,000. Based on your estiamted weight, the declared value should of been $20,000. I would question that too.

Any other questions? SHoot me a PM.

Thanks,

[PMueller]

Jay has provided good information. I would follow through with his suggestions. You do not have to do it with the Humboldt agency, you can contact the carrier (United in Fenton, MO) direct and speak to someone in customer service.