Recourse for Terrible Mover Experience?

etchan on 27/02/2023 - 09:24
Last edited 27/02/2023 - 10:27 by 1 other user

Hi all,

My partner and I live in Melbourne. We recently moved homes to live together, and engaged a mover to help. The company had good reviews on Google and we chose based on that.

Long story short, here is how they demonstrated incompetence and lack of professionalism.

  1. The two movers, both young. The supervising mover had only been in Australia for 13 days and this was his first job. Not a problem in and of itself, but sets the stage for the rest of it.

  2. Refused to disassemble our long table and bed frame when they specifically advertised disassembly and reassembly. Tried to force the long table through a narrow door, scratching the door in the process before we insisted they stop and disassemble the table. They didn’t have the tools and we had to scrounge up some ourselves for them to use. After moving the parts for the table and bed in, tried to weasel out of reassembling the furniture and wanted to leave. We had to again insist that they do the work they promised they would. Bad attitude throughout.

  3. Broke my acoustic guitar during the move. The fretboard was broken into two pieces.

  4. Damaged a study table, such that the legs are now wobbly.

  5. Lost a part of the fridge and accidentally opened the fridge door during the move, spilling its contents on the staircase (they advised previously that it wasn’t necessary to clear out the fridge)

  6. Made two dents on the wooden floor of our new house during the move.

  7. Damaged bed frame by trying to rip the boards apart instead of working out how to disassemble them.

  8. Slow and ordered me around to help. I obliged so as to shorten the ordeal as much as I could. They needed my help moving the fridge, washing machine and dryer.

  9. Refused to move the last piece of furniture until payment was received. Quoted a number significantly higher than expected due to the number of steps in our staircase. That info was never requested at any stage of the engagement.

  10. Worst of all — supervisor harassed my partner when I wasn’t around. Asked if she was married, told her she was pretty, and said she has his number if she ever needs anything. Initiated improper physical contact when moving, brushing his arm against hers repeatedly.

What can we do beyond posting a one-star review on Google? We have photos of the damage taken on that day, but the move occurred about 3 weeks ago and I’m worried that it’s too late for us to do anything about it.

Thank you for your help.

Home & Garden Move House

Comments

    • Donaldhump on 27/02/2023 - 09:47
      +17

      because :
      paying movers is cheaper than lifelong back problems.
      not everyone can be assed lifting heavy shit
      not everyone has a truck

        • Donaldhump on 27/02/2023 - 10:51
          +8

          really?

          Don't lift beyond your means. : yes i don't lift fridges and dryers, thats why i get removalists
          Have friends / family to assist : then you would have equally help them out when their turn so no better off, plus thats using people
          Have friends / family that have trucks / pickups / utes : again blatantly using people.
          What are all these Gym memberships for? : I believe even strong people hurt them selves. bad knees / backs etc that shit you get when you get older

          you say move bit by bit? then rent of overlapping places probably negates the saving you make by moving yourself.

          why pay a builder when you could build it brick by brick yourself on the weekend over the course of 5 years.

        • tallkid123 on 27/02/2023 - 14:36
          +6

          Because most people aren't bogans in their 20-30s with tradie mates who'll do manual labour on weekends for a 6 pack…

    • AngoraFish on 27/02/2023 - 10:12
      +2

      Because, amongst other things, it's cheaper paying movers to do the lot in half a day than to pay for an extra month of rent on two different properties, not to mention the petrol costs associated with shuffling small loads of crap between properties in the back seat of your Camry.

      • brendanm on 27/02/2023 - 19:59
        +2

        Hire a truck for a couple hundred bucks.

        • AngoraFish on 27/02/2023 - 20:31

          Thanks for the advices. advices that are irrelevant to OP's preference for taking one's time on weekends / after work and move bit by bit, but advices nonetheless. +1 internet debating points to you good sir, well done.

    • altomic on 27/02/2023 - 10:18
      +5

      Still don't understand why people still use Doctors, you can take your time on weekends / after work and learn medicine on the internet bit by bit.

      • Donaldhump on 27/02/2023 - 10:53
        +2

        I plan to cancel the bob cat I hired for my drive way, will dig it bit by bit for 6 months using a shovel.

        • WT on 28/02/2023 - 10:19

          I did this, it wasnt a drive way but about 4x4m and 8-12'' deep

          I lost 6kg. Great work out, overall it was over 4t depending on how wet it was

          If I did it for someone else or was in a hurry, I would hire a bob cat

      • TilacVIP on 28/02/2023 - 08:43

        or self heal like our great grandparents use to do.

    • cookie2 on 27/02/2023 - 13:34
      -1

      I'm not wasting a neg on your 2 comments but seriously, you can't understand this? You can see no benefit or reason this may be more suitable for the MAJORITY OF PEOPLE?

  • oscargamer on 27/02/2023 - 09:39
    +2

    Claim on their insurance
    or
    Claim on your insurance

    • HeWhoKnows on 01/03/2023 - 20:39

      Forget about it

  • barge-in hunter on 27/02/2023 - 09:46
    +3

    First thing's first - any damage you can prove should be claimed through their company insurance (I'm assuming you checked they have it, before engaging them). There's a good write up of the federal ACLs (in context of a removalist) on NSW's fair trading website. The key callout is:

    "Services must be: provided with due care or skill (taking all necessary steps to avoid loss and damage)"

    With regard to the price change/difference, did you get a written quote?
    - Without one, you're probably stuck with the higher price.
    - If you have one, I would investigate things like a credit card charge-back for the 'extra' - they breached the contract

    Regardless of the recourse above, definitely post a 1 star review detailing how uncomfortable your partner felt during the encounter - just expect it to be pulled down or at least challenged strongly. There are plenty of dodgy operators in every industry, who hide their indiscretions by "knowing how to play the review site game"

    Best of luck

  • freefall101 on 27/02/2023 - 09:51

    Have you contacted the company? That's usually the first recourse. While straight away would have been better, today is the second best time to do it.

    Make it clear on their shortfalls, their overcharging and that you want it covered under their insurance. Ask them about whether they want you to get quotes or not.

  • djsweet on 27/02/2023 - 09:59

    I've moved with one of the best and coincidentally more expensive movers. While my experience wasn't as bad as yours, it still sucked. Had fixed price thankfully, but they didn't send enough people to complete the job. They half-assed it and left sh*t everywhere. Broke a few things. A few things went missing (never to be found again). Scratched the wooden floors. I had to help them basically full time for the entire process otherwise it just wasn't going to get done. The movers wanted to leave because they stopped getting paid at 6pm but the job was only 3/4 done. They stayed begrudgingly. The pre-move process was a breeze. Very professional. But the actual move was a day-long nightmare with rude and incompetent hired labour. The movers "didn't know" it was supposed to be a pack and unpack move, and were not prepared for it at all. Oh yeah and they scratched my quite new 3k OLED, but I can't prove it so…

    In my case, I didn't make any claims or receive any compensation. It would have been difficult to prove anything and I couldn't be assed dealing with them again. Of course, your case seems worse, so if its worth it to you, maybe chase an insurance claim.

    • etchan on 27/02/2023 - 15:03
      +1

      Yeah that sounds so much like my experience, minus the creepiness. Sorry it happened to you too.

      We emailed them re insurance, but they pointed out that they have a clause in their terms of service that requires all claims to be made within a 24-hour period from when the service was performed. No luck there.

      As for your case, I’d encourage you to make a report to ACCC. You won’t get anything back, but there is a chance for legal action against the business if the ACCC receives enough complaints for its customers. That’s what we’ll be doing at the very least. I hate knowing that a business like theirs is existing, and possibly thriving, at the expense of the community.

  • Muzeeb on 27/02/2023 - 10:04
    +14

    Broke my acoustic guitar during the move

    There are some items you just need to relocate yourself. No way would I let removalists touch my guitars, laptops, wife's jewellery etc.

    • etchan on 27/02/2023 - 14:54

      Yeah I had moved our other instruments (cello, guitar) over myself and engaged a piano mover, but we didn’t think of this guitar for some reason. Lesson learned.

  • ThithLord on 27/02/2023 - 10:04
    +1

    Wow OP, that sounds like a truly horrible experience. I hope your partner is okay as well. Really unprofessional and definitely creepy regarding the remarks. I don't know what recourse would be available to you but I hope you find some

    • etchan on 27/02/2023 - 14:51
      +1

      Thank you. Bright side, we are loving living in our new home :)

      • ThithLord on 27/02/2023 - 15:33

        Did you buy, or renting? Congratulations

  • lostgoat on 27/02/2023 - 10:05

    This is my favourite . Sue them ( give good $$$$$ to the legal firms . they need some good business ) . And if your lucky the moving company will still be around at the end of the proceedings.

  • Motek Benzona on 27/02/2023 - 10:08
    +2

    If they genuinly touched your partner without consent in a way that is not accidental they they can be charged with offences. Thats what i would try..Karma

    • randombrick on 27/02/2023 - 10:38

      This!

    • etchan on 27/02/2023 - 14:49

      Thanks. I asked a lawyer friend of mine about your suggestion, and she said that unfortunately such things will be quite difficult to prove. We may pursue legal recourse through VCAL — pondering whether it’ll be worth all the hassle.

  • Archi on 27/02/2023 - 10:14

    basic assumption was that if you didn't want things broken and damaged you would need to do certain things yourself and pre-empt that removalist just didn't care.

    that would just be common sense i thought, first time moving when we had a family

    assuming a removalist would take better care than you at moving your stuff is silly

    unfortunate about the missus getting unwated attention, did she call it out on the spot?

  • JIMB0 on 27/02/2023 - 12:02

    Sounds like a company that carefully manages their online reviews. Post a bad review and maybe they'll pay you to take it down.

  • Hardlyworkin on 27/02/2023 - 12:09
    +1

    In my opinion, movers are some of the lowest paid workers in Australia. Couple that with a really tough job. I've always done everything I can to avoid using them. Even for a company with a good reputation, turnover is often high due to the work so it's always a lottery.

    I've found renting a Budget truck to work well and economical. I've moved most stuff myself using a hand trolley and a some help. Heavy lifting is minimal and only for bulky items. White goods are easily moved up and down stairs with no lifting via a good trolley.

    For a large move I found someone on Airtasker with good reviews to help out. They were awesome. For interstate moves I've used PODS though I'd consider something similar for close moves too.

    It won't help your situation though food for thought for next time. I would give some feedback to the business regarding issues with your partner. Better coming from her though. Maybe nothing will come if it though unwanted behaviour should be called out.

  • JimmyF on 27/02/2023 - 13:55

    What can we do beyond posting a one-star review on Google?

    Any yet you didn't name and shame to warn others in your post. Why so?

    • etchan on 27/02/2023 - 14:46
      +1

      Tbh, I’m not sure why I didn’t. Guess I didn’t wanna come across as spiteful, but you have a point. The company is Ace Movers and I’d avoid it like the plague if I ever needed to move again.

      • JimmyF on 27/02/2023 - 14:50

        Looking at the Google Reviews, it seems to be the luck of the draw if you get a good crew or not. Seems they hire cheap labour, so mostly unskilled at moving stuff like you have found.

        • djsweet on 27/02/2023 - 15:34

          Sucks that movers are unskilled labour. I mean it definitely takes skill to move stuff. Part of the reason people get movers in is they don't think they have the skills to safely move their stuff without damaging anything. But yeah, movers seem to just not give af. Its not like movers are cheap either…

          • kiitos on 28/02/2023 - 08:15

            @djsweet: Definitely, from carrying it without damaging it or the house, to packing the truck so it doesn't move and get damaged.

  • kanmen on 27/02/2023 - 15:46

    Have you contacted the company and spoken to them about it?

  • [Deactivated] on 28/02/2023 - 09:17

    We moved from our first house (owners) to our second (again owners) about 20 years ago. Removalist company was attempting to reverse back up and into our driveway at 7am, it was rainy and we had concrete fences. I wanted them to park outside the house on the road, but no, they wanted to park in our narrow driveway.
    I was calling over the balcony of our deck to my husband, who was watching the reversing antics from the garden, but he couldn't hear me over the truck. I just knew they were going to hit the fence.
    And they did. The whole fence fell over, they hit it so hard while reversing uphill.

    Then the new owners refused to settle on the property due to the damage. I was eight months pregnant and had our toddler to watch, and did what all pregnant women do. Burst into tears, took our 2 year old, and went to my parents house, and started calling our solicitors, insurance company. Everything went on hold for a few hours, but eventually the removalist company had insurance and gave us written confirmation they would cover the damage. The removalist guys were grumpy and surly all day… no surprise, because they had copped a huge spray from their boss.

    We eventually got the keys to our place in the early evening, and then the company could start unloading… in the dark.

    It was horrible. That was the last time we decided to have property settlement for both houses fall on the same day. Too freaking stressful. Since then we give ourselves 2 to 4 weeks of changeover, when we buy and sell.

    • Donaldhump on 28/02/2023 - 10:56

      tldr: removalist company smashed concrete fence , decide to pay for it, and now use 4 weeks to move

  • jackyrfthtrh on 31/08/2023 - 14:44
    -1

    basic assumption was that if you didn't want things broken and damaged you would need to do certain things yourself and pre-empt that removalist just didn't care.

    that would just be common sense i thought, first time moving when we had a family

    assuming a removalist would take better care than you at moving your stuff is silly

    Check with: https://www.wemovegroup.com.au/

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