Johnson's Moving & Storage LLC
About us
Johnson’s Moving & Storage, LLC has over 30 years experience as Charleston Movers. At Johnson’s Moving, one thing we’ve learned over the years is that no two moves are the same. Each Charleston move presents its own unique set of circumstances and we have the experience and know-how to make sure your move is successful and stress-free. Well, as stress-free as a move can be. You should expect nothing but the best Charleston moving experience from Johnson’s Moving. Because service is one our main priorities, our hiring policies and employee expectations are rigorous and thorough, meaning we have the best movers in the industry. They are professional Charleston movers, not part-timers. Our standards of safety and professionalism guarantee that every move is a quality move. Additional Phone Number 18882486683
Business highlights
Services we offer
World Wide Moving & Storage Commercial and Residential Relocations Household and Commercial Storage
Amenities
Emergency Services
Yes
Free Estimates
Yes
Accepted Payment Methods
- CreditCard
| Number of Stars | Image of Distribution | Number of Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 49% | ||
| 9% | ||
| 0% | ||
| 17% | ||
| 26% |
I called Mr. Johnson and asked him, over the phone to give me a rough estimate on how much it would cost to move me from my current home to another home. He asked me how much square footage I had, and after I told him, he gave me some hourly rates and a bottle line estimate of $1800 to $2000. He also said it would only take 2 days at the most and that 4 guys would be there to do the job. He also said the more we pack up the faster it would go and the cheaper it would cost me. Since I was deployed overseas, I wanted a moving company to do the moving for my wife; however, the wife spent several days, prior to the scheduled move date, packing up 50% of the house.
The first day the movers came, only two guys showed up. They said that the other two guys, were not coming because they were stuck out of town. The 2 individuals spend 9hours at our home packing on the first day. On the second day, 4 guys showed up and spend another 8 hours packing up. At the end of the second day, they handed my wife a bill for $4300. This bill included $1500 in packing material (which was never mentioned by Mr. Johnson during any phone conversations). I assumed the packing material was part of the hourly rate. It also included 12 hours labor for each day. When my wife asked about the houses, they movers stated it included the time they get to the warehouse and the time they spend going back to the warehouse after they quit for the day. In addition, they estimated it would be around $1500 to deliver our belongings on the prescribed date, which was two days from that date.
When I called Mr. Johnson to complain about the huge discrepancy between what he quoted me on the phone and what my wife was handed, Mr. Johnson started talking about the fact he sent me emails with the contract, which explained everything I was being charged for. When I explained to him the point was that he quoted me over the phone a price that was much lower than what my wife was handed, Mr. Johnson went on to basically say "its your fault for not reading the fine print." He also said I should have requested a person to come to the home and do an accurate estimate. I asked why he didn't offer to come do an accurate estimate. You would think a company wouldn't give a quote over the phone, if they couldn't give an accurate one unless they saw the house first. Mr. Johnson went so far as to say "when I showed up to look at the progress, I saw family members just sitting around and not helping. I saw stuff everywhere and vehicles blocking my guys access to the house." I'm sorry, I hired you to move me...not my family members. AND...my wife did pack up almost 50% of the house. He was very unprofessional and continue to refer to the contract he mailed.
Mr. Johnson is right, I should have read the contract entirely to see all the fine print on what his company was going to charge me. Mr. Johnson seemed like an honest guy over the phone that would do anything to help a family that has a deployed husband and father during their move. I feel that Mr. Johnson, like a lot of business do today, is not give you the entire picture over the phone, hope you don't read the fine print on the contract when they mail it to you, and then hit you with a huge bill at the end when it's too late to argue with them. I am very disappointed in the company.
The only bright side of the story is the individuals who did the packing were very professional. Bottom line....if you use this company, make them come to your home to do an accurate and read everything on the contract before deciding to hire this company. I do not recommend this company!
Jack Hankins
Our experience was mixed to say the least. I'll give you the pros and cons and let you decide whether you will use them or not.
Pros: We had a complicated sale and were supposed to rent back from the purchasers for 1 month. Less than a week before closing they informed us they were no longer willing to honor the rent back agreement. In a panic I called Johnsons. Richard was very professional, reassuring and extremely accommodating. He assured us he could have a crew available to move us on very short notice. They showed up on time and managed to get us loaded up. Another wrinkle. At the last minute there were complications with the settlements of both our sale and our purchase. We had to be out of 1 home and couldn't get into our new home for 2 more days. Johnsons off loaded all of our furniture etc.at their warehouse, then reloaded and delivered to several days later. They stepped up and handled the crisis on both ends of our move.
Cons: The crew and moving vans that were sent were undersized for the move. They hustled, were professional and polite but they just weren't equipped to handle a house of that size. As a consequence furniture was not wrapped properly and was damaged. Boxes that were well marked as FRAGILE were placed under much heavier items and were damaged. Flat screen TV's weren't boxed, wrapped or handled properly. Because they sent 2 smaller trucks rather than the expected full size moving truck items were forced, pushed and squeezed in. Not the way you want to see your furniture handled.
Because most of our stuff went into storage we didn't know the full extent of the damaged until 8 months later when it was delivered to us. I had an extremely uncomfortable phone conversation with Richard. He was angry, argumentative and I would have to say verbally abusive. From that point on, I dealt strictly by email with Molly. Via email we finally reached an agreement to have a specific number of upholstered items cleaned. Molly made the arrangements with the upholstery cleaning service and had them call me to schedule. When we set the date I confirmed the # of items and even emailed Molly to have her verify again the work to be performed with the co. one final time. The job was satisfactorily performed.
Molly had also agreed to have some missing glass shelves replaced. Because they needed to match the existing shelves she asked me to have them made and then to send her the invoice. When I did I got no response. Several attempts finally yielded a response that they wouldn't be reimbursing me the agreed upon amount of $300. I have repeatedly tried to settle this with them and have gotten no further communication or response. They have left me no choice but to sue in small claims court. I am confident that I will win as there is a clear, documented email agreement on their part to reimburse us for these damages.
Johnsons handled some things well but overall it was a disaster. The refusal to reimburse us for what had already been agreed upon is inexcusable and highly unprofessional. Richards manner in dealing with me was highly unprofessional. I would not use them again nor would I ever recommend them to anyone.
We were told all of our contents would be placed on skids and shrink wrapped to keep them in tact. The cost of moving our items into storage was estimated to run approximately $500. He left some packing materials for us to use the day he reviewed our needs. On moving day I was told I would receive the final charges billed to my credit card. After several unanswered calls I finally got the charge and was astounded! He seriously inflated the inventory of supplies used for our move: way too many rolls of tape at three times what the typical box store charges, charges for boxes not used, etc. When challenged he was defensive and nasty. The slick friendly salesperson who had visited our home was selling another unsuspecting customer.
Fast forward several months when our stored items were delivered to our new home. The movers were efficient and nice to work with. Unpacking is a tedious process and takes a little time but within a week we knew we were missing a few items: a garden rake, a single 25 pound dumbbell, and a large carton of kitchen items. Trying to reach Mr. Johnson was as fruitless as always, but his lovely wife Molly assured me that "nothing had been left behind in the warehouse." Okay, then where did it go???
To add to this unsatisfactory service, I learned that Johnson's increased the monthly fee from $89 to $199. When asked, Molly Informed me they had sent out letters advising customers of the increase but "many people said they never received them".
So beware of who you choose for movers and storage. This group is definitely NOT one I would recommend.
401
His guys showed up at 7:30AM, and proceeded to get to work. They did quick work and appeared to be careful. When the truck got to the other house they backed over some landscaping curbing. No offer to fix this was discussed. I advised them that we could settle up with the office after the move was complete. They got everything in place and finished in 5 hours. I made the mistake of signing off on the bill without checking it, because I was still busy moving, and I didn't figure there would be any issues with the amount since we were an hour under the estimate. I was pleased that they had worked quickly and saved my an additional $124. After they left, we began to notice damage to some furniture and one of the appliances. As well we found water damage at the old house due to the water not being completely shut off when the washer was removed. These issues are mine alone to follow-up with the company. My larger concern was with the additional charges I found on my debit card. The total for the move was now $878!! When I contacted Mr. Johnson he explained that there was a "stair" fee that was charged for both homes as they both had stairs. The stair fee was $100 per house for a total of $200. I told him that this was not discussed or disclosed during the estimate or when his men started working. Professional and honest businesses will disclose a complete schedule of their fees and charges in advance (usually when giving an estimate), so that there is no surprise for their customer. I found this way of doing business dishonest and unprofessional. The $200 is not a huge amount, but in terms of this job, $200 made up well over 20% of the total charge for the job. THAT is something that clearly should be discussed beforehand. If they will do this for a small amount of $200, imagine how much they will try to take advantage of customers with larger jobs. Beware of this dishonest and disingenuous business. This was a small job, but the impression made will last a long time and will be shared freely.
To note the response made by the provider: A first person, on-site inspection was made before providing an estimate. No "surprises" were found on the day of the move except the "extra-charges". Transparency should include a specific schedule of itemized fees so that there are no hidden or unknown costs going into a binding contract. The best tradesmen are very open and up front with their charges and don't hide behind hidden fees or the fact that the work was required on a holiday. No mention was made of extra charges due to the holiday by this provider or the other providers I contacted. It was never communicated that this was an inconvenience to the moving business, as it is asserted now. Also note that this wasn't an entire 4000 square foot house being moved, but a select list of items totaling 4 rooms at the most. Even in response, the desire to muddy the water and obscure the truth is found. Please be aware of who you work with. Many recent poor reviews is revealing of how this business is managed. As for damage, I would include pictures if possible here, but that option is not provided. If the business were even slightly concerned with the damage, and are the tradesman that they call themselves, they would request pictures and do what they can to rectify the situation. As this has not been done, I think the customer service level speaks for itself.
"No problem, I completely understand your point of view. If you were to refer to the back of the blue form that you have a copy of, the provisions are more eloquently described. It's 800 word document and legally binding contract that you have signed and agreed to on the front before services are rendered. We are as transparent as possible, however we are by no means the low cost option. Our rates and fees are regulated and ultimately audited by state and federal agencies. These regulatory authorities in transportation industries cannot be persuaded otherwise. When onsite estimates are performed well in advance to move day, the actual job can be correctly estimated in most cases. Telephone conversations are not always perfect in that regard. Sight unseen circumstances are nearly impossible to amortize. Better said, if we completely relocate your [member information removed] in the [member information removed] on a Memorial Day when no other company will operate for you, standard rates apply. A 4000 square foot home is a days work. All of those men that moved you sacrificed time away from there family for you. None of your high end furniture was damaged, neither home was damaged. That's actually what matters in the end. The best tradesman always come at a worthwhile expense. Try to look at this from a more positive outlook. Thank you,"
LOADED TRUCK 3/27/14 AND DELIVERED ON 3/30/14
CLAIMS TO HAVE STORED OUR FURNITURE FOR 6 DAYS. NOT TRUE
. i WANT TO KNOW WHERE HE DISSAPPERED TO FROM YOUR SITE
MAYBE HE IS WORKING UNDER A DIFFERANT NAME
1625.00 IS THE EST THAT i SIGNED
HE HAS MY CREDIT CARD NUMBER AND NOW HAS CHARGED ANOTHER 4142.00
1 MILE MOVE
3 BEDROOM TO SMALLER 3 BEDROM
"Hello, I have no record of you being our client. You said we moved you almost one year ago, but I can't verify that information. Please make sure you are reviewing the correct moving company."
"Lets start by telling the truth. Your real name is [member name removed]. Your an assistant college football coach. You moved from the [member location removed] to the campus at [member location removed]. The real reason you are unhappy is we would not fraudulently create a larger fake invoice so that you could embezzle money from the colleges you work for. You said "our prices are lower than other companies". "Most other estimates are higher and that it shouldn't be a problem". It is a problem, we do not do these criminal things you ask of us. You signed a contract and gave us a credit card to use specifically for this move. You said "I want the miles". You called us frantically late one evening saying you wanted us to move you out of storage two months early. So we delivered your items as fast as we could per your instructions. We even added two extra men all the way to New York. You tipped our employees hundreds of dollars, and told them what an amazing job we all did. This is all about money for you. I am copying the admissions department at both colleges in an effort to have this [member name removed] scandal stopped. This isn't fair, to the colleges, their budgets or our company."
"Thank you for taking the time to review our company. It was a pleasure working with you, and we appreciate your positive feedback. Thank you for being a great client!"
"Hi, We appreciate the time you took to write us a great review. I am please to hear everything was moved smoothly and efficiently. Organization is key when your relocating an entire house, so we take it seriously and work hard to make sure everything goes as planned. I will pass this on to your crew, as they appreciate positive feedback greatly! Thank you again for the kind words and for being our client."
Two of the five people packing and moving were experienced and efficient .
All were curtious and polite .
"Hello, Thank you for your review on Angie's List. We are happy to hear you had a positive experience with our company. We strive to train our crews effectively so that every move is flawless. Sometimes there are items that get damaged unfortunately, but we do our best to remedy those situations to your satisfaction. Thank you for choosing us to pack and move your home. Every client is important to us."
Michael & Allen were absolutely great during the move. They were very professional, courteous and hard working. I would definitely recommend them.
"Thank you for your feedback. I am glad we were able to accommodate your requested time of day, and it worked out to move you at the last minute. However, it sounds like you were not completely satisfied with our crew that day. I am sorry for your misunderstanding of the charges. The "estimated cost for the first 3 hours of $300.00" is our 3 hour minimum. There is a three hour minimum in place for most all relocations. A 2 man crew is $99, so the minimum would be $297.00. The crew was not able to move all the contents of your house into your new home and set up everything as well within those first three hours. There were absolutely no hidden charges on your bill of lading. You were charged for hours of labor and $76.00 in packing materials that were used to protect your items. We did not charge for stairs, fuel, mileage, booking fees, excessive carry, flat screen tv, etc. I do not understand why you say watch out for hidden charges because there are none. It is very important for all of our clients to understand exactly what they are paying for, and we train our crews to explain this clearly. I believe there was some miscommunication between our crew leader and you when it came to billing at the end of the day. I do apologize for this misunderstanding. You are always welcome (and it's encouraged) to call our office if you have any questions with the billing."
"[member name removed], I am sorry you did not have a pleasant move with our company. I was quite surprised when I read this review because it is not common for our company to receive such negative feedback. It is our goal to provide excellent service, and it does not sound like you were happy with any of it. I would like to clarify a few things on our end. Richard completed an estimate for you two years ago, not one year ago. Estimates are not binding, and they are not good for two years. You may have the exact same items in your house over that two year period, but our estimate to you could change easily for a variety of factors. Trucking, fuel, labor, facilities, tools, and supplies increase yearly if not monthly for us. I hope you understand this, and I believe we were honest from the beginning. We offer realistic in-person estimates without misleading our clients. Both of your houses were three stories high. A large amount of your furniture was extremely heavy. You did not empty any of the drawers, so the crew had to move large, heavy furniture with the extra weight of contents up and down three flights of stairs. This is not an easy or quick task especially in the heat of the summer. We train our crew members to be as efficient as possible without damaging anything. Richard knew of the glass table top, and he arrived with the materials to build a crate for that special piece. This was just as he told you over the phone. He built a crate, and it was moved without any damage. I am not sure why this was unsatisfactory? During summer peak season moving companies have to acquire additional labor because of demand. Your crew had two experienced movers and one new man who was in his first week of training. The only way they can receive training is on the job. I apologize that he was not up to par, and I appreciate your feedback on that. However, we did send two more crew members to your house that day. You had a total of four men. According to our tariff, crew members are allowed to take breaks. Because of the physical demands of the job, they must eat as well. I can not fault them for choosing to go to McDonalds for dinner. That is their choice where to eat, and this is irrelevant to your relocation. We did not charge you $700 for packing supplies. You were charged $192.00 for packing supplies including shrink wrap and tape. Shrink wrap protects furniture and the house while moving items in and out. Again, I apologize for your unpleasant experience with my company. I can assure you we strive to make every move easy for the client and provide a high level of service. I understand that not every move is going to be perfect, and we learn from our mistakes along the way. Thank you for being our client, and I hope your next relocation is better for you."
"Thank you for taking the time to review our company. It is best for us to meet you in person and see your house when moving out of state so we all have a better understanding of the costs involved. It is our pleasure to provide you a free estimate, and we appreciate you giving us the opportunity to provide an excellent service on your relocation to Virginia. Thank you for being a fantastic client, and we hope you enjoy your new home!"
will for Johnson's Moving and Storage. We had a relatively complicated
two-households-into-one move from Charleston to Raleigh. Richard from
Johnson's provided excellent guidance and a realistic estimate and
timeframe to accomplish the move. The gentlemen showed up on time every
day and were always polite, pleasant, professional and hard working. For
what could have been a nightmare scenario, it was accomplished with
ease and efficiency. All of our goods were packed well and showed up
unharmed.
I found Johnson's on Angie's list because of other
recommendations like this. It then comes as no surprise that I am
writing one myself.
"[member name removed], I want to thank you for being our customer. It was a pleasure working with you and making sure your relocation to Raleigh went smoothly. It is not unusual to have complicated arrangements when moving. The management and our employees at Johnson's Moving & Storage work hard to try and relieve some of the client's workload and stress. I hope all is well, and thank you for the great review!"
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