Flat Rate moving update

I guess you chose to decline the insurance option?

Always a hard lesson learned when you realize that the standard insurance is basically useless, especially when valuables are broken and they are light (e.g. Cristofle glasses? Yeah, enjoy the $0.60 they reimburse you for the $60 glass).

I learned the hard way one time, and ever since ALWAYS purchase the additional coverage, even though it feels like a waste of a couple hundred bucks. Of course, when you have the coverage, they tend not to break or lose things...funny how that works.

During 4 moves in an 18 month period, I had excellent experience with Flatrate. Each time, the team on the phone and the movers who showed up made very clear to me what would be covered under the free default insurance (basically nothing) and what the additional insurance would cover and what it would cost. There was no scamming. It was a risk analysis for the consumer to do. AFter the 1.5 years of somewhat complicated storage (we stored stuff, then got some out of storage 6 months later, then got it all out but delivered it to two different places), we had no problems. I have no doubt Boss_Tweed's experience was exasperating, but it didn't reflect my experiences or those of the majority of other posters re: Flatrate and I thought in fairness the thread should reflect that.

Of course, always listen to kylewest, who still hasn't apologized for hastily starting a thread about a broker, by name in the title, accusing that broker of intentional deception, saying the broker should be ashamed, ... while all along, a much more benign answer was much more credible and ultimately right.

Kylewest, why can't you be a man and apologize for your INTENTIONAL bad behavior?

You think you are above it all, but you haven't acted above anyone here.

>I guess you chose to decline the insurance option?

When I asked about insurance they told me it was included. The problem is that the included insurance only covers 60 cents per pound. Apparently if you want BETTER insurance you have to contact one of two other companies, but they never told me that part.

Kylewest, were your moves all within NYC? I stored my stuff in Los Angeles and then had it all moved to New York. It's the LA team that told me the storage "came with insurance" (nope, I didn't ask for the details - it wasn't really scammy, but they assured me everything was covered) and it's the LA folks who lost stuff, didn't return calls or emails, couldn't find my paperwork whenever I phoned, messed up bills several times, won't apologize, etc. I haven't heard back about my claim, either.

The movers themselves, both in NY and LA were all nice and hyper-efficient. (Well, except that the NY ones made it clear several times they should get a ridiculously large tip.) Clearly somewhere there was incompetence and laxity -- I assume at the LA storage place.

If you were told by LA that you had insurance, a better business bureau complaint may be in order. In NYC, they specifically ask you if you want insurance and explain without it, you are only covered for a limited amount (I have moved with Flat Rate 3 times). Also, they are very careful to point out previous damage and in my experience, if they damage anything, they tell you immediately (especially if it's a wall). They also always ask us to check if everything is there and let us walk through the truck before they leave.

They have also never ever asked for a tip. It says on their sheet how much tip is customary, but I have never been asked (though I always tip at least 15%). I have never been treated as your are describing, so complaining to a higher authority may work, especially if you make it clear you were given bad information and plan to tell multiple people about your experience. They like to market themselves as more upscale than others and this story will not help their case.

Experiences with Flat Rate seems to mostly very good, but perhaps there are a few bad moving crews out there.

After reading good reviews/hearing good word of mouth, I had a terrible experience with their movers that showed up hours early and unprepared (didn't have boxes that were explicitly stated they would provide on the contract). The movers damaged the apartment I was moving out of and tried to hit it, took my furniture apart and didn't put it back together, left dozens of moving blankets and rolls of duct tape at the apartment and then asked me to return it to them, etc. The movers blamed the snafu on the move coordinator while the moving coordinator told me that my crew were known to be liars and had several complaints against them.

There seemed to be communication issues between the various parties. Or maybe my moving crew didn't like my coordinator. At the end of the day, I paid the agreed upon price and gave a 20% tip since I truly didn't understand who screwed up and my moving crew and coordinator both repeatedly reminded me that a tip was expected, however when I signed off on the check out sheet, I documented what the movers left behind and what was damaged. I argued and received all but my tip money back through use of the BBB (they have a special relationship with BBB and I was assigned a case handler) and American Express. Good luck.

Bekins total relocation service just destroyed my Eames chair and ottoman... i bitched and they replaced. They sucked as movers and storage but generally were very professional. Flate rate is anything but. So while these guys ruined some of my stuff, they at least did the right thing and didnt give me the run around based on fine print clauses like 60cents per lbs. That is the dumbest thing i have ever heard.

Thanks for your comments, folks. I'm not sure how I could prove to the BBB that Flat Rate wasn't clear on the phone to me three years ago. I mean, I can't prove they didn't tell me about other insurance options, and their measly coverage is indeed spelled out in the fine print.

I emailed today to get them to acknowledge that they had even received my claim, which I sent a week ago, and which is not acknowledged on the website link for my move; I got a note back that just said there were no photos attached to the claim. So they simply ignored it.

I sent photos and reminded them again that I am blogging about my experience on a real estate blog. Bingo: they responded immediately and said they would attend to the claim within the week.

I gave a 20% tip to the movers who schlepped my stuff in from the truck. I would have given the same amount if they hadn't bullied me, because I live in a fourth-floor walk up and it was HOT that day. But I didn't appreciate the bullying.

check your homeowners - chubb covered my possessions during my move, too.

That would be brilliant if I'd been a homeowner and had homeowner's insurance!

So then you're a renter? Check your renter's insurance. No renter's insurance *and* you didn't pay for the moving insurance? While Flatrate clearly bears part of the blame here, it sounds like you tried to cut some corners and save some money and are now finding out that sometimes there's consequences to that approach.

Thanks for the slap, but when I put my things into storage I was neither an owner nor a renter; I was on a fellowship that came with free housing.

No excuse. You can have renters insurance even in a dorm room.

A dorm room is rented. I had renters insurance when I lived in a rental. When I moved into free housing -- no utility bill, no rent, no monthly payments -- I cancelled the insurance plan.

Whether or not that was wise or the only option is irrelevant. My things were in storage for three years while I was out of the country, so even if I'd had renters insurance before I put them in storage I doubt an insurer I'd used three years ago would cover losses discovered now.

Again, I asked Flat Rate about insurance and they told me I was covered. My mistake was in believing them.

Final update: on August 10 Flat Rate assured me they'd attend to my claim "within the week." They didn't, but they did get to it Friday (August 20), when they left a phone message asking me for my Visa card expiration date so they could reimburse me.

It's actually the same Visa card and the same expiration date they had on file all those months they were charging me for storage, as I told them Saturday by email.

Today I got three envelopes from them in the mail, all mailed on Friday; two contained checks totaling a whopping $328.60 and a third contained a letter saying my total refund would be sent directly to my credit card.

These people really are inept, and I am very glad to have nothing more to do with them.

Did it cover your missing furniture?

In their mind, yes: $280 was for three years of storage of the armchair they lost (they said it costs $8.75 a month for them to store an armchair with them, though of course if you called them about storing an armchair they'd name a much higher monthly fee).

It was a cheap thing from West Elm, now discontinued, so I found out the weight of a new West Elm armchair and they paid 60 cents per pound.

What was the armchair worth? It's not clear to me if gross negligence, which may be argued on this, is in the realm insurance. I.e., if it's worth significantly more than $280, some research and a small claims filing may be worthwhile.

Oh, it's really not worth worrying over any more -- I don't remember what I paid for it, but I'm sure it wasn't more than $280, let alone significantly more. I liked it, but it really was a cheap chair.

I only posted these updates here since I thought people should know about Flat Rate, because someone asked a follow-up question about it on another thread, and because it was pretty clear Flat Rate wasn't going to do a thing about my claim until I told them I was posting on the web about it.

Hurrah for the web, huh?

i wonder if flatrate reads streeteasy and finally answered you and your complaint.

Don't just pick the people who advertise the most. (and speaking of that, their TV advertisements are just plain stupid. I want an efficient, fairly priced move without hassles, not a ski trip to South America with a short old guy). Get recommendations from your building or from friends or do some google searches and call around to a few places.