ComplaintsforWard North American

• Initial Complaint

  05/31/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I was given a quote by Ward North American for relocation services on April 23rd 2024 for the amount of $5886.48. This was for a move from ******** to ***** and it was via a FaceTime call. I paid the requested amount and the moving team arrived to my Colorado townhouse on April 30th 2024 to provide their services. Upon arrival the moving team advised two things: One, that they would NOT be able to break down my gym equipment and that a third party would be required at an additional cost. And two, that due to the density and layout of my location, they would not be able to load the Semi-truck directly and would require a 'shuttle' truck to move my items from the unit to the shuttle. This would allow them to back the shuttle up to the larger semi and unload that way. Neither of these things were communicated to me during my virtual consultation with the sales coordinators that provided me with the quote. They did go ahead and take care of breaking down the gym equipment at no additional cost to me, but they charged me an additional $984.18 for the shuttle services which I was forced into being obligated to pay on the day of the move.They have stated that the move would have been impossible to complete without said shuttle service and that the charges incurred were necessary to facilitate the relocation process, yet they failed to include these charges into my initial quote. I don't see how this would be my problem as the customer whatsoever.They've also stated that any additional services beyond the agreed-upon scope would incur additional charges in their contract terms but would not actually provide proof of this to me upon my request.I am requesting they refund me for the additional services I was charged due to their lack of foresight on the matter in the amount of $984.18.Thanks

  Business response

  06/20/2024

  **************** contracted with Ward North American to move his Household goods from ******** to ****** We completed a virtual survey of the interior of the home to determine the contents to be moved.  At no time during this consultation did **************** relay the logistical difficulties of his homes location.   After research, I found that when he moved into this home, he required the same shuttle service, so he was fully aware at the time we quoted the original pricing of the need for this shuttle service.  **** cannot be responsible for unforeseen services needed. We will not be issuing a refund.  We are sorry that there were difficulties with his relocation, but I hope he understands our position.
  
  *******************
  VP Administration
  Ward North American

  Customer response

  06/20/2024

  Complaint: 21780870
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  ************* stated in her reply "At no point during this consultation did **************** relay the logistical difficulties of his homes location. After research, I found that when he moved into his home, he required the same shuttle service, so he was fully aware at the time we quoted the original pricing of the need for this shuttle service."

  The issue here is that I am the customer and not someone that works for the logistics company. I was in fact NOT fully aware of a shuttle service being needed 18 months prior for the initial move, nor is it my responsibility as such, to inform them of any difficulties and here's why; When I moved 18 months prior the moving coordinator lived in ****** so he came out PRIOR to the move to assess the area. He showed up in the appropriate vehicle (not an 18 *******). As the customer it wasn't made apparent to me that this 'appropriate' vehicle was in fact called a 'shuttle service' or that it was being billed as such. Even if I had been aware, the likelihood of me remembering trivial details of something that took place 18 months prior is small and should not be my job to report. Additionally, if my previous move was being referenced to determine the costs of THIS move, then why was the shuttle not included as part of the original pricing? Their planning oversight should not have become an inconvenience to me, nor should I have been penalized financially as a result.

  
  
  Regards,
  
  ***************************

• Initial Complaint

  08/25/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I hired North American Moving Services in May 2023 for out-of-state move. They picked-up my belongings on 16 Jun 2023 and delivered 02 Jul 2023. Per our contract, North American is to refund me $282 under "Guarantee Rate Reduction" clause. Additionally, they are to refund me $150 fees for packing services not received. I was informed by my move coordinator their refund process and timelines required up-to 35 days from day of delivery (02 Jul 2023) to receive the refund on my credit card. As of today, it has been 53 days and needless to say, no refund. Every time I contact my move coordinator, he says he will "follow-up on it." I asked to speak with the manager. She told me the company recently discovered an error on their part? She said I have to wait four more weeks to receive my refund. This timeline and excessive delay is not acceptable acceptable to me. I have fulfilled all my obligations as a customer. I expect the same courtesy and delivery of obligations from this company and deserve prompt resolution on this matter. This company seems to utilize a "drag their feet" tactics and excuses to delay issuing me a refund. I request an immediate refund of what is owed to me by North American Moving Services.

  Business response

  08/28/2023

  North American's interstate tariff Item 111 Minimum Charge States:
  
  Except as otherwise specifically provided for (or amended) in this tariff, shipments transported under the provisions of this tariff and weighing less than ***** pounds shall be accepted only at a weight of ***** pounds, and applicable rates and charges based on weight shall be subject to *****-pound minimum. 

  As the contract that ************************** signed with North American *** Lines did not specify the weight minimum cap, Ward North American has elected to reimburse the $282.00 for customer relations along with the $150.00 refund on his TV.

  ************************** has been notified of refund and payment should be mailed out to him by end of week.

  Ward North American will be addressing this matter with North American *** Lines internally to ensure that their contract verbiage is corrected to avoid said situation to arise on any future customer.

  Thank you,

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

  Customer Service Manager

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

   

  Customer response

  09/12/2023

  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.
  
  Regards,
  
  *************************************

• Initial Complaint

  08/16/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We had a complicated multi-state move, with multiple pick **** storage, and finally delivery to our new home. We were very impressed by the ability of our sales rep to understand what we wanted to achieve and his explanations of how everything would work. We signed a contract for $30K that was supposed to cover the entire move.Unfortunately the rest of the organization was not up to the task. *** operations/logistics person responsible for our move was not able to help with the simplest of tasks, referring us back to our sales rep to even schedule pick *** and delivery. Whenever I had a question or problem, I was always referred back to my sales rep. *** driver brought me endless problems and issues, expecting me to fix everything. He continuously complained that while the company got all the profit, he was losing money, as if this was something I had to solve.*** final set of excuses from the driver resulted in the company forcing us to put all of our stuff into storage instead of being delivered to our new home. In spite of my repeated communication that the delivery was to a mountain home and that the delivery needed to accommodate the dirt roads and steep grades, the driver decided that he could not make it up the final leg and left with all of our stuff shrill in his trucks. I was promised by the logistics person the day before our scheduled delivery that I want to assure you, we are ready to load your goods for delivery but in fact they had not even scouted the address location, leaving that for the day of delivery, and deciding what size of truck they needed without doing any research at all. Communication with the driver was almost non-existent, and when he did communicate the message was always different from the one he was communicating to his bosses and management. This was truly a horrible experience, and we received about half of the services originally promised by the sales rep, but it wasnt even worth half of what we paid.

  Business response

  08/26/2023

  
  **************** contracted for an interstate move with multiple pickups and warehouse storage.   It was a complicated move with many moving parts.  While we did handle the pickup and transportation services as scheduled,when our driver arrived at destination, things fell apart.   My driver was ready for a shuttle service at the delivery (the 18-******* was not able to travel on the road to the home, so we move the goods onto a smaller box-type truck and make multiple trips to the home).   A shuttle is not an unusual situation and this driver is well versed on how to manage this service.   We were unable to make the delivery to the home even with the scheduled shuttle service because the road was washed out and unsafe for our truck.  That is not something that we were aware of before the delivery.   **************** was aware of this as his wife had blown a tire in their auto trying to traverse the road.  The owner of the road told our driver that the constant rains that week had caused the road to wash out in a specific area and he was not going to fix the road until it quits raining because he wasnt going to fix it twice.   That forced the driver and **************** to make the decision to put the goods into a mini storage complex.   **************** would be moving the goods to his home at a later date.   There is a tariff charge for putting those items into mini storage of $535.33.  **************** signed the new estimate and agreed to pay those charges.  It was an unfortunate situation, but certainly one that the driver could not control.
  At ****, our sales reps are very involved in each and every service that they contract, and I apologize if that made it seem that our Operations unable to do their job.  As stated above, all went well with his service and the communication until the washed out road situation happened.
  I am unaware of any problems or issues that our driver brought to the shipper to solve.  If he could cite some examples, I can address them.  As to the driver complaining about losing money, I can only assume that he was talking to one of his helpers and didnt expect **************** to overhear.  When the delivery of shipments change at the last minute like this one did, it gets very expensive for the driver and helpers.   We have coached our driver on maintaining his professionalism throughout the entire move process and I am assured he will be mindful of his comments in the future.
  As a gesture of goodwill, **** will waive the additional costs for the mini storage delivery of $535.33.  We wish **************** well and are sincerely sorry that he had causes for concern on his move to his new home.
  
  *******************
  VP Administration
  

• Initial Complaint

  06/14/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We hired ************** to move us from ******, ** to ****, ** in May of 2023. They were to partially pack and move our items then unload them in ****, **. We had 5 pieces of furniture broken, 5 pieces of furniture put together wrong. One of the items broken was a high value item it was a medical device for our disabled daughter. The room that they packed was done so poorly my teenagers could have done better jobs. There was zero organization to it. They simply wrapped everything in paper in shoved it in giant boxes. They didn't use any dish boxes, dish dividers, dishes were literally shoved around my kitchen aid mixer. They use a third party company for claims so they have zero responsibility for broken items. They did not have their large truck available to move our items so they used two small ones and literally packed our items in like sardines and this is how our furniture got broken.

  Business response

  07/28/2023

  
  We understand that your move with **** Moving and Storage,an agent for North American *** Lines, in May of 2023 did not meet our usual high standards, and we apologize for any inconvenience and damage caused during the process.
  
  Our team aims to provide a smooth and stress-free moving experience for all our customers, and we acknowledge that the loading of your household goods fell short of our normal standards. We appreciate your feedback, and we will take this as an opportunity to improve our services further.
  
  Regarding packing methods, we agree that it is essential to ensure that items are tightly packed in the boxes to prevent shifting during transit. While we may not always use dish dividers for packing dishes, our experienced movers typically use paper and carefully pack around odd-shaped items to keep breakables safe. We are glad to hear that this approach successfully got your items to their destination intact.
  
  Regarding the claims process, we handle all claims directly through North American *** Lines, without involving any third-party companies.As such, we sent you a claim form, which unfortunately wasn't completed or returned. However, upon being notified of your BBB complaint, our Claims Manager, *********************, proactively reached out to you on behalf of North American *** Lines and successfully reached a claim settlement that was agreed upon today. We hope this settlement compensates for any damages caused during the move.
  
  Once again, we deeply regret any inconveniences you experienced during your move, and we sincerely apologize for not meeting your expectations. We hope that our responsive approach to resolving the claim demonstrates our commitment to rectifying the situation and providing the service you deserve. Your satisfaction is essential to us, and we will work diligently to ensure that future moves are handled with the utmost care and professionalism.
  

• Initial Complaint

  04/26/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  My husbands company used **** North ******* to relocate ** across state lines from ****** to ********** between May 9th and May 14th. They are a full service moving company that packed, loaded, transported, and unloaded all of our belongings. Ive been trying to get a claim approved for almost a month and a half regarding my business materials being totally unusable in the state they packed them. I create rhinestone phone cases and all of my rhinestones were in storage bins that were organized by color and size. They werent packed correctly and were all shifted, mixed and spilled all over the boxes they put them in. I explained to them in the claim paperwork, photos, and video I included, that it would take months to sort through all of that and Im losing money if Im not able to use them right away. They denied me twice and only say they cant cover it. I need at least $3,000 to restock all of my supply that they werent careful with in the first place.

• Initial Complaint

  01/05/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  My household items were delivered by the Ward North American on Sep 16, 2021, from the local storage building to the final destination. When the items were delivered, my Dyson V10 vacuum, ****** dining table set, bed assembly, dresser w/ mirror, Dyson Air Purifier, Pliss blender, Dyson Supersonic hair dryer and other minor items were either missing/damaged. Before the moving crews departed from the destination, I checked the damages on the checklist and informed the Company via email on Sep 17 regarding my intent to file a claim. On Sep 27, I submitted the claim along w/ the photos of the damages and the receipts of the missing/damaged items. On Sep 30, I was informed that the third party damage inspection company has been assigned to inspect the damages and they came to my APT and inspected/took photos of the damages. In the meanwhile, I was asked to submit more info/photos regarding my claim, giving me an impression that this Company is trying to delay/hinder my claim process by requesting repetitive info/photos. After the long wait while they ignored my phone calls and emails for so many occasions, they finally sent me the Settlement Letter on Jan 4, 2022. In summary, they rejected all the missing item claims and rejected/discounted almost all of the damage claims on my Dyson/furniture products/other items as the damages were previously noted in the paper at the origin according to them. They stated that they rejected all the missing item claims as these items have not been assigned with the inventory ID numbers at the origin, ignoring the possibility of the item theft/loss by the moving crews during the inventory packing process. Also, the furniture checklist has been falsely, excessively noted with the damages checks to prevent the claims. Some areas w/ previous minor damages have been replaced w/ even greater damages. Probably, the crew did not care about the areas with the minor damages as they can make excuse that these damages are present before.

• Initial Complaint

  09/22/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  We had Ward North American move our belongings from Drippinng Springs, ** to **************, **. Our closing date on our house in ************** was July 29th and the truck was loaded in **************** on July 22nd. Our representative had told us that our furniture would arrive anywhere from July 29th to Act. 3rd, but on the contract, they put Oct 5th. When it did not arrive then, I called (they would not return my calls, I had to keep calling until I got hold of someone) and was told it would arrive the next day. Finally on August 8th, I talked to the general manager at the ******, ** office. He apologized for the delays and told me to send in a claim for expenses for the days past August 5th and I would be reimbursed. The load finally arrived on August 10th. I send in the claim, but they would only pay the $100 per day delay amount that is in the contract and denied the hotel and food charges. They claim that the general manager is now denying ever telling me that they woul

  Business response

  10/05/2021

  Below is our response to ***************************:

  1. On the contract that the customer signed (see attached Estimate & Order for Service) it states the following: "Guaranteed Pick-Up & Delivery Rates- daily allowance of $50 per day for **** lbs. and less or $100 per day for greater than **** lbs., subject to carrier's applicable tariffs and terms and conditions".

  2. Shipment hauled by another agent of North ******************************** The agent's dispatcher contacted on ******************** prior to the delay, and also our General Manager notified him.

  3. Per signed contract claim was paid out $100.00 per day (see attached Claim Settlement Record of $500.00)

  Please let me know if you need any additional information.

  Our intentions are to always go over an beyond for customer satisfaction.  Although ********************** was not the agent that shipped (delivered) the product, we did initiate the contract.

  Thank you,

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

  HR Director

  Customer response

  10/06/2021

  Complaint: 15890297
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  
  

  This does nothing to answer by complaint.  I hired Ward North American to move my furniture.  If they are saying they passed it off to another agency, that is not my problem.  The only contact I ever had was with Ward North American.  No one ever called me about the delay, I always had to try to get answers by calling Ward North American in either *********** or Austin.  The never returned my calls, I had to try until I got hold of a live person.  My complaint is that I was told by the general manager at the ************* that I would be reimbursed for my extra expenses for the 5 days of delay past the last due date and it would include lodging and meals.  I was told to itemize those expenses, send them in and they would be taken care of - this did not happen.  Nothing in the response I received addresses that issue.
  
  Regards,
  
  ***************************

  Business response

  10/14/2021

  Upon further review and consideration of the delay claim, we have communicated to ******************** that an additional reimbursement of $521.50 will be issued. This brings the total payout of delay compensation to $1021.50, which is full consideration of submitted expenses for meals and lodging. Reimbursement of meals and lodging are being covered in lieu of the contractual $100 per diem for delay.

  Customer response

  10/14/2021

  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.
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  ***************************

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