ComplaintsforHercules Moving Company Inc

• Initial Complaint

  05/04/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We used Hercules for a home move February 15th, 2023, we paid them $2500 CASH. Initially the move went well however afterwards we discovered some damages and initiated a claim. They damaged a wall corner, bent a chair, damaged our $1500 couch, piled so much on our bins marked fragile that they busted apart, lost a chair mat,misassembled furniture. Their idea of resolution was to try to shame us for having purchased from **** as it is poorly made and that they do not take responsibility for that type of furniture. They used parts that did not belong to our furniture and compromised its integrity. They offered $70 to repair the wall and denied wrecking the couch but offered $120.00 (for a 1500.00 couch even though one of their workers came to my house and made it clear that they messed it up. I included Igor and Vidas in all my emails and neither of them had the decency to contact me. We offered to settle for $500 but they would rather go to court.

  Business response

  13/04/2023

  Thank you for your email regarding the claim made by ********* ******* against our company, Hercules Moving Company. We appreciate the opportunity to clarify some information and our policy.
  
  Firstly, we want to reiterate that ********* ******* chose our company for her moving services and agreed to our terms and conditions by reading and signing our contract on January 27, 2023, at 10:55 am. She should not have signed the contract or booked us for the move if she disagreed with our policy.
  
  Secondly, we want to highlight that the move happened on February 15, 2023, and ********* ******* was satisfied with the move and tipped our movers. We provide tipping as a voluntary service, and our clients choose to do so on their own. However, on February 17, we received a claim from the client regarding her **** sofa and requested it to be reassembled by our movers as she wanted to change the position of the sofa in the room. 
  
  On February 24, our two movers went to her address to reassemble the sofa and change its position, free of charge. However, when disassembling the sofa for the 3rd time, they found that the holes for the bolts lost their strength and got damaged due to prolonged use and multiple disassemblies and assemblies, as requested by the client. This type of damage is common for furniture made from brittle materials, plywood, particleboard, and fiberboard. 
  
  Our movers disassembled the sofa three times, one time at the pickup address and assembled at the final destination on February 15. Then two times on February 24 because the client didn't like the position of the sofa. 
  
  Per our policy, we are not responsible for furniture transportation, assembly, and disassembly made from pressboard, particleboard, and engineered wood. Because it is of poor and brittle quality upon manufacturing, let alone after prolonged use. No moving company refunds for damaged pressboard, particleboard, and engineered wood.
  ********* ******* read and signed our terms and conditions clearly stating this policy. 
  
  We would like you to review HMC's terms and conditions. Section 2 "Liability of a carrier, "The carrier or party in possession shall be liable for physical loss of or damage to any articles from external cause while being carried or held in SIT except loss or damage caused by or resulting: 
  Part 15: "Assembling, disassembling, or transporting furniture made from press board, particle board, and engineered wood. When a Shipper elects to ship an article as indicated herein, in no case shall the liability of the carrier exceed the liability indicated in Section 3, paragraph 1.''.
  ******************************************
  

  Unfortunately, we cannot go against our terms and conditions and provide a full refund for the damaged sofa. 
  Moreover, the sofa in question has a ten-year warranty, and we suggest that the client contact **** for a new sofa or sofa parts, as the sofa is of poor quality and got damaged during the move.
  *******************************************************************************************
  We want to assure you that our movers are experienced and trained regularly to care for the furniture during moving, transportation, assembly, and disassembly. However, as requested by the client, multiple disassemblies and assemblies of the sofa led to damage, and we cannot take responsibility for it.
  
  Lastly, ********* ******* paid for the move in cash, including taxes, which is one of our payment methods. We have proposed other payment methods, but the client chose cash. We have an invoice for the move, which is paid in full.
  
  As an appreciation token, our management decided to compensate ********* ******* based on Canadian freight and transportation standards of $0.60 per lb of the damaged item. 
  The client didn't purchase additional replacement value protection, which comes at an additional cost and deductible in case of damage. When clients book a move with HMC, they can add additional coverage protection before booking the move. For damages or lost items not covered by extended protection, reimbursement is based on the Canadian freight and transportation standards of $0.60 per lb of the damaged item. This is not only our policy but a provincial standard for carriers across Canada.
  Our resolution for your claims is as follows:
  Damaged **** sofa: $250.
  Missing office chair mat (estimated weight 5lb): $3 (5 lbs x $.060).
  Bent office chair: we do not see any visible bent to the chair, and we asked several times to send more pictures to prove this claim. However, we received only one photo. Please send us additional photos, and we will be able to review them again.
  Damaged wall: compensation of $70.
  Living room couches: we offer to send our movers to your location to reassemble the back of the leather sofa to ensure the issue is corrected.
  Damaged bins: as we understand, none of the items inside got damaged, just the plastic container top.
  

  Our client declined our resolution and demanded $500. We have agreed to the client's request only if she signs the release of the claims agreement. She agreed to sign the document and close the claim. 
  We are preparing the release of the claims agreement for the client to review and sign.
  
  Thank you for your time. 
  Regards, 
  Claims Department
  Hercules Moving Company 

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