Moving Forward

Superb workers — BUT some tips for dealing with mgmt This review is five stars — for the workers, who are by far the most important part of the company and the ones you'll be interacting with most. They were excellent, hard-working, and professional throughout (with one exception, but I'm told he's no longer there). * SEBASTIEN was absolutely fantastic. He helped with packing two days and the move on day 3. He was extremely skilled and organized, quick and efficient, professional to his fingertips, and fun to chat with on day 2. He's been doing this for 16 years and headed our team. Trust me, this guy is an ace. Make sure to request him on your team. * SKYLER also helped with packing on the first day and was great to work with. Mgmt had screwed up the scheduling for my reserved time so they had a lot less time to pack, and we ended up going late into that night, but Skyler kept a positive attitude and worked extremely hard. He was also fun to chat with, which helped the day go much more quickly, while still staying entirely professional. I really, really wish he had come back on day 3 for the move, instead of the new guy. * LUCAS helped with the move on day 3, and he too was professional and excellent, and worked so hard. He got the stairs at both places, on a hot August day, and stayed positive and just kept on going. He was great and pleasant to work with, and really careful that everything went to the right place. * The one caveat was a new guy who came to help with the move on day 3, though he left early. I've also been told he is no longer with the company (so may not be relevant to other moves). He said his name was Tsay. He was moving things from the apartment out to the stairs. So Tsay was inside with me from 9am-1pm with no one else around. Within 5 minutes, he started hitting on me — and this went on for 3 1/2 hours (!). He would not take no (50 different ways) for an answer. Unequivocal harassment. Once he got a very hard no around 12:30, he became resentful and hostile for the rest of the day. It was extremely unpleasant and, for a woman with bad past experiences, very intimidating and uncomfortable. It made the morning and parts of the afternoon when I had to interact with him just awful. Why on earth didn't they send Skyler from Tuesday, instead of this guy?! That would have made the day go quickly, and he would have stayed professional *and* worked quickly and efficiently. SMH. Abby told me the next day "the worker you mentioned was let go this morning", so hopefully Tsay won't be a risk for anyone else. But considering mgmt's lack of follow through on other things, just a fair warning that if this guy does show up, buyer beware. As for the mgmt... well, I know it is hard to find a good company in the moving business. But I do have a few warnings/tips for dealing with them (Abby, Kenny, and the owner Max). 1. If Kenny, one of the managers, calls to ask you if he can delay your scheduled time bc there's an "emergency at the office" — just say no. I agreed to wait, but it wasn't an emergency, he just wanted to do a last minute job instead of my reserved one. Kenny then didn't follow through on any of the promises he made in the morning (they were later; he didn't keep me updated; he didn't come himself; he didn't talk to Abby about making up the time or "doing something for my bill"). This company likes being able to help people in tough spots. BUT IF you have reserved in advance, another person's lack of planning does not constitute your emergency. Just say no. Keep your time, bc mgmt is too busy to keep track of it and communicate with each other to fix the problems their delay will create. 2. Mgmt seems to have difficulties with communication, both with you and each other, once a job has started. Confirm everything explicitly with everyone else, even if they say they'll tell the other person (eg if Kenny says he'll tell Abby X Y Z). Keep it short and concise. Be VERY clear about what you're saying. Do their communication for them. 3. They may underestimate the time needed to get your job done. (1.5x for me.) So, if you need your estimate to prepare your expenses and/or to get reimbursement of any kind, err on the side of caution and set aside quite a bit more. 4. Be prepared for them to bill you on the spot at the end of the work, over the phone. And keep your checkbook out, bc they will charge you a 3.5% fee if you pay by card. (They apparently don't cover their Quickbooks fees but pass them on to the customer — they could cover them in their overhead / build them into their prices, that's a perfectly normal practice, I am also a business owner.) OVERALL, it's really the WORKERS who make the move and who you will be spending your time with. SEBASTIEN, SKYLER, and LUCAS were solid gold, and I highly recommend them. If you're careful with mgmt, things should go okay. As moving companies go, this is a good one, and I'd definitely recommend it for those excellent workers.