ComplaintsforBekins Moving & Storage (Bekins Canada) Ltd.

• Initial Complaint

  06/11/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  1.In August I contacted Bekins Moving and Storage with respect to a move from ******* to ********. Following a detailed in-house examination by a Bekins representative of the quantity of goods to be moved we entered into a contract based on the estimate provided to us. 2.Following the packing and moving detailed in house estimate we commenced the moving process by pre-positioning four vehicle loads of personnel effects, disposing of two loads with **** *** **** and gifting two table sets. We then packed our personnel clothing and effects leaving the kitchen and the breakables to the professional movers. 3.Despite our efforts the final bill was 25% higher than the estimate. 4.We can accept that an estimate is subject to change by a small margin however having the estimate differ from the final billing by a full 25 % is either incompetence on the part of the person providing the estimate or a Bekin accepted business practice. Low estimates then inordinate billing once the contract is agreed to 5.My attempts to contact Bekins went unanswered

  

  Business response

  09/11/2023

  Dear ****

  Thank you for bringing your concerns to our attention regarding the price of your recent move. As mentioned to you on our telephone conversation Tuesday, I was unaware that you had written our office with your concerns. As my Auto responder was not set up by my IT fellow on the correct dates of my return.  We wish you would have called our office so that someone would have helped you immediately in my vacation absence. 

  Since our conversation on Tuesday November 7th, when we offer to refund you $500.00 towards the packing materials used, I have spoken to my Operations Manager and he has advised me that the refund offer stands at $500.00. Although we would like to find a resolution that satisfies both parties.  My Management teams feels that the $500.00 towards the $1,181.55 of the packing is very generous.

  We strive to provide accurate and transparent estimates to our customers. However it's important to note that estimates are based on the information the moving consultant sees at the time of the survey. Considering the hours on such a large move were only out by 2.5 hours this is actually a very good estimate. Please find attached the copies of your Bills of Lading (Packing and Moving portion).  The original Estimate shows there was no actual cost on the estimate for the packing materials (plus all new packing materials cost TBA).  Please review.

  Sincerely

  *******************************

  Customer response

  09/11/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that once the this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

• Initial Complaint

  15/08/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I would like an apology from Bekins and a refund for part of the excessive charges of 3x higher than original quote. Local move Partial pack, storage, delivery date was July 14, 2022, I repeatedly contacted Bekins by email with my complaints about a number of things including; 1. The mess left after they packed on June 29, 2022 (garbage and boxes and used tape in all rooms) 2. The final bill was more than 3,times the quoted estimate. I can understand a perhaps 20%error margin but my final bill was 3x higher than the estimate and is unacceptable. I believe the terrible packing and excessive number of boxes and paper used to pack contributed to the excess time. For example books were wrapped individually in tons of packing paper while valuable objects were not wrapped carefully and were broken. 3. On delivery day they were one man short, resulting in everything taking longer than expected. 4. Many items were damaged - an expensive ** Air filter ($1,200) was cracked, a statue was broken, a chair was broken, a desk was broken, ornaments were broken etc. their insurance did not cover the cost. 5. Many items could not be assembled as various hardware was not in the ‘set up box’ - they came back later to assemble but not everything was found. 6. An excessive number of boxes and way too much packing paper. After the move in it was a huge challenge to unpack and deal with the boxes. I contacted Bekins and they finally did 3 pick ups - so you can imagine the waste of cardboard and packing paper. 7. Bekins responded on the excessive charges saying they had more to pack than expected and on delivery we didn’t know where things would go. I dispute this -I agree that a 20% increase above quote would be fair however excess time was because of poor packing. (Including moving items that were not supposed to be moved) and being short a man on delivery day-we directed where everything should go with floor plans for furniture placement and colour coded boxes by room.

  

  Business response

  19/08/2022

  This shipper was provided an estimated cost of a partial packing service and full moving services including an approximately 2 week holdover in between loading and delivery.  Upon the arrival at the origin residence, the packing crew ascertained that the shipper had not packed as much as they had intended prior to our arrival.  There were many communications between our Operations team and the shipper throughout this process.  The shipper was downsizing from a nearly 3,000sqft home into an approximately 2,000sqft condo/apartment.  The bulk of the overage charges are due to additional time and materials to complete the additional packing.  The final bill that was submitted and paid in full was not 3 times the quoted estimate - it was approximately 63% over the estimate.  The debris left behind by the packers as we understand it was related to packing and the packing crew was returning for a second *unscheduled* day of packing due to the additional packing being required.  The shipper states that an "inordinate" amount of paper was used to protect the goods, an assertion that is subject to the judgement of a professional mover.  Our crews use the materials necessary to protect the goods as they see fit.  With respect to the claims, unfortunately when items get handled/moved - there is always risk.  The shipper was offered Replacement Value Protection on both her estimate as well as the Bill of Lading and the shipper declined that coverage.  The goods then travel at the industry standard rate of $0.60/lb/article.  The shipper did submit a claim for the damage incurred and that claim was settled in full within 5 days of delivery.

  All of the above being said, an audit of the actual services provided and the final bill has resulted in the discovery of some calculation errors that we will be emailing direct to the client to refund accordingly.  

   

  Customer response

  19/08/2022

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. Bekins also reached out to me after they received the notice from BBB and we discussed all of the issues to reach this resolution  I am happy that they noted the errors in the billing and refunded the overcharged  
  

  however, I would like to note that there are errors in the above note from Bekins. 1 the mess left that I complained about was not i have a couple of additional comments about the response on the first day of packing (with any intent to come back and tidy up) but was on the second day when they packed snd loaded. They did not come back and left a large mess. 
  2. Because if overcharges, damaged goods that needed repair and so on, my cost for the move was almost 3x what I expected  I notified Bekins about this. 
  3. The administrator who contacted me following BBB’s notice, wrote to me to say he wished I had notified Bekins before contacting the BBB. I assured him that I had contacted his team with numerous emails over weeks. I also forwarded him some of this correspondence. 
  

  I would like to thank the BBB for helping me to have my concerns listened to and resolved with Bekins. 
  

  I would like to thank Bekins’ administration for finally responding to my concerns, following the notification from the BB and for adjusting the bill by refunding the overcharged. 
  
  Sincerely,

  
  ***** ****** *****

• Initial Complaint

  13/07/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Re: Move Bekins #*** *** 21 We received a quote on July 16, 2021 from a moving consultant representing Bekins Moving & Storage (Canada) Ltd. 6598 Bryn Road, Saanichton BC V8M 1X6. Bekins Moving and Storage is a member of ****** *** *****. We accepted the quote a few days later. Packing day was August 10 and Loading day was August 11/21. We received our effects on November 05,2021 after pre-paying the new price demanded by Bekins. Our complaint consists of: 1) Bait, Switch & ******! The consultant from Bekins told us he has over 20 years of experience in the industry and assured us that over 90% of his quotes are within 10% of his estimates. We believe he gave us a lower quote to secure the contract from a competing bid because approximately 6 weeks after moving day we received a revised bill of lading adjusting the weight and packing charges therefore, the price increased by 24% more than the original quote. The original quote for packing charges increased 77.5%. When we inquired specifically about the details for the price increase from their consultant, he directed us to contact ****** *** ***** H.Q. then they informed us that Bekins management were well aware of our issues and referred us back to Bekins - the classic run around. We received an email in September from Bekins branch manager which in effect was an ultimatum - to pay all of the revised bill or we would not get any of our furniture and personal effects. 2) Movers not complying with Covid Protocols. On packing day, one packer did not want to wear a mask even though he was not vacinnated. On moving day, all movers including the driver did not wear masks on moving day even though we were staying in the house for another week. This caused us considerable stress since we are seniors and have medical issues. 3) Insurance claim. Their insurance adjuster was intransigent who refused to accept liability on various items with no reasonable explanation.

  

  Business response

  14/07/2022

  Please see attached

  Customer response

  20/07/2022

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  

  Complaint ID ********

  1) The bait is that the quote was for 8000 lbs and 207 pieces in the consultant’s estimation which was way below actual. As Bekins states the actual is now 9,080 lbs after a re-weigh and the pieces have changed to 242 pieces. The number of pieces would naturally increase as more boxes would be needed to pack the extra weight. The original quote was to include a pack of all valuable breakables and all kitchen breakables

  That resulted in more than a 20% increase in price because our move was across the country and the cost increased substantially because this resulted in surcharge increases to following: transportation, origin, origin labor, destination, ferry, fuel, and finally insurance charges.

  Bekins mentions I had a conversation with their consultant/sales rep. on Sept 20/21 but I informed him in August about some changes as I wanted to keep him fully informed as to any possible weight adjustments and he said that the changes  may result in a minor weight increase. Contrary to Bekins statement, we did not add 4 tires and rims to the move. They were originally added in the quote but we shipped them in our SUV which was moved by another carrier. The 3 wall units are actually 3 shelving units with no backing and made of light weight wood. Their consultant unreasonably under estimated the weight.

  2)Some of the concerns we discussed with the Bekins consultant was that mirror cartons for packing framed art and pictures were underestimated because not all cartons could take 2 items. We informed the packers that we were going to pack additional personal effects like lamps and shades, Christmas effects and souvenirs and we showed them where they were located. The packers packed them any way and charged us for their packing services approximately $50. per box. After we showed them the things not to pack, we went downstairs because of Covid concerns and Bekins states in their statement the onus is on us to maintain distance and we did.

  Contrary to Bekins management statement, their consultant after listening to our issues advised us to contact Customer Service at ****** *** **** Headquarters located in Mississauga, Ont. We received an email dated October 02/21 from Ms. Louise B****, Customer care Representative it states, “*** ****** *** ******** *** *********** ******** ** ********** *** ****** ****** *** ******** **** **** ******* ** **** **** *** ***** ** **** ******** *** *** ********** *** ****** **** **** *** ******* ********* ****** ** ******** ** ***** ****** ****** **** ****** ** ****** “

  Bekins initially informed us that they do not negotiate on weight, ignored packing and covid issues and that we would be charged storage for the whole month of August because our effects were delivered on August 31: No Pro-ration of storage rates. We were never informed of this issue and the consultant said he never heard of it. However, as Bekins points out in their statement that storage fees are based “for each 30 days or fraction thereof” All consumers should be made aware of this when a quote is presented to them.

  Eventually, they offered to do a re-weigh and said the destination mover made some concessions which we appreciated.

  3) Bekins stated Workplace Safety allows movers/packers to not wear masks – may we have a copy of that directive.

  In summary, Bekins states there was never an attempt at “Bait and Switch” but did not address the ****** charge because in the end Moving companies like Bekins can and will give you an ultimatum – pay up or you won’t get any of your furniture and personal effects. *** ** ******* * ** ***** * ****** ******* ******* ********* ***** *** ***** ****** *** ****** *** **** ** ***** *** *** ***** ********** ********** *** ********* *** ******** *** ****** *** *** ****** ** ******* *** ********* **********

  
  
  ******* ******

  

  Business response

  25/07/2022

  Please see attached

  Customer response

  05/08/2022

  BAIT: Their response is more of the same of defending their practice of baiting by giving very low bids to eliminate competing bids. We were never offered the option of a guaranteed price because then we may not have offered Bekins the contract.
  The manager states the increased weight may be attributable to an industry & government system of weight calculations or we did not tell the consultant about changes before the move which is not true as a matter of fact the manager stated that we added a full set of tires and rims to the inventory but they were originally included and then taken off.  When I informed the consultant about the changes before the move, he said they would be a wash or a minor difference.
  SWITCH:The day After loading day the moving truck went to the scale and reported an actual weight 9391 lbs. an increase of 17.4% from the estimated weight from 8,000lbs. This resulted in an increase of over 24% in total price in their original quote to us.
  After we complained to the consultant, there was another actual weight done resulting in another different number. So that is 3 different weight amounts and Bekins says they didn’t do any thing wrong but just trust the system and us when we demand you pay an additional $5,000.
  The packing estimate increased over 70% because the consultant under estimated the picture cartons and the total number of required cartons. Additionally, packers were shown and told not to pack a number of items that were isolated – they packed them anyway and charged us.
  Whether it’s the packers or movers when they are finished their supervisor will have one foot out the door while he shoves a pile of papers for you to initial without any explanation of the changes but says the initials are required to say they were here to do the job.
  People who are moving be aware that moving companies and their insurance adjusters will use those forms to deny liability for damaged and/or missing items, increase their prices and etc. So, take your time and carefully review every document before you initial it. This will take time and the workers will be very annoyed but what is the alternative.
  I want to clarify the storage fees that the manager keeps bringing up.
  In our original quote there was a month storage fee included with the possibility of additional time if required. When I first called the destination mover in Halifax, she said our effects were delivered on August 31 and that we would have to pay for the whole month of August - an additional $517. For one day of storage. I informed Bekins consultant who said he would look into as he thought it would be pro-rated. As Bekins manager points out, moving companies have the right to do this to clients too. We paid for 2 whole months of storage and the destination mover waived 6 days of storage and if they were pro-rated like most business would have done, the additional cost would have been $100. So, again Buyer Beware if you require storage.
  With regards to Covid protocols, Bekins manager stated they refer to ******** reference #************. I reviewed this source and contacted BC ******** who confirmed there is not anything specific to the moving industry but that they should be following BC Ministry of Health directives on Covid protocols specifically mask-wearing and they were strict for all BC business in August, 2021.
  The manager states his company has moved V.I.P.s and I believe that is true and I am sure they have had no problems like the ones we have experienced because Bekins would not want to lose future lucrative government contracts. Seniors can be targeted because they are low-hanging fruit with little leverage to being treated fairly except for the TRUTH.
  ******: We agreed to pay the full price for the services agreed by us at the time the estimate was accepted. It is when they grossly overcharged us by more 20% and refused to negotiate when weight estimates and packing errors were clearly made then they demanded the exorbitant price increase or we would not get our furniture and personal effects. I’m sorry the manager feels that he has been offended but below is a definition of *********.
  Merriam Webster dictionary:  Definition of *********
  1: the act or practice of ********* especially money or other property especially: the offense committed by an official engaging in such practice
  2: something ******** especially: a gross overcharge.
  
  In summary, it appears there will be no resolution to this case. 

  

  Business response

  08/08/2022

  The carrier has addressed this situation and our position remains unchanged

  Customer response

  09/08/2022

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting their response because: Bekins refused to negotiate on packing overcharges when I clearly gave 2 examples where they made mistakes and refused to take any responsibility for their ********* business practises of baiting, switching and *********.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******* ******

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩