ComplaintsforMaster Movers Moving & Storage

• Initial Complaint

  03/07/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Hello my name is dongkuang ,phone number **********,I have to put in a complaint against the Master Movers Moving & Storage at ***********,they r address is ***********************************************************, Back in June 2023,I hired them for moving my home goods from ******** to *******,two of their employees show up did the job,everything was fine ,we moved everything to my new home,and I signed the paperwork and pay them,but the next day the manager from the moving company call me said there is one box left in the moving truck,and he return the box.couple days later we unpacked the box he returned ,the box was half empty,only few books left inside,all the valuable items were gone,including my wifes handbags,jewelry,age silver coins,watche,jade necklace. I called the manager and told him,he said he will file insurance clam,I waited for few months,I been try to call the manager,and his alway not in the office and never call me back,finally his call me back after 6 months and told me that he will not pay for what I lost and not file insurance claim,because I signed the paperwork when I pay. Thats my case,please help,I was worrying because they know my address ,I have 3 little kids,please help thank you.

  

  Business response

  03/26/2024

  Thank you for your inquiry. We are sorry that your experience was not what you had hoped for. The open box was found in the truck and we called to let you know it was at our location and you requested we bring it to you. Many people ask us to dispose of things and our first assumption was that it was disposal. We call to make sure prior to physically disposing of it. There was no indication of what was ever inside the box and all the goods looked very random, even looking like they came from several different rooms. 
  
  
  We received your claim on Aug 9, 2023. We spoke with you explaining the liability limits of the Bill of Lading (contract) signed on the day of the move in person and if you recall you were very upset. I want to assure you this is the same settlement that would be paid out through our insurance, except they will simply pass it back to us to pay out based on that liability level indicated on the Bill of Lading. If you prefer we get you a letter from the insurance company, we are more than happy to provide that.  When explaining the settlement, you made it very clear you "did not accept the settlement amount" and stated "do NOT send it via mail" and did not give us any other method to send it. 
  
  
  The items claimed on the claim form are of high value nature. There was no disclosure and no inventory listing the items as "within the shipment". There was no signature nor payment for the higher liability, and the settlement was based on your choice of valuation on the contract (Bill of Lading). This is not a repair issue, as the complaint listed. However, the limitation of liability would have also been the same settlement amount if  there was a repair needed as it is based on the weight of the item as opposed to the value. 
  
  
  We emailed a list of items "not to move" provided to you with your confirmation 7 days prior to the move. We have no problem in sending the original settlement, and it is being prepared for mailing currently.  

• Initial Complaint

  06/19/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  My husband and I had most of our household goods in storage with Master Movers for approximately two years after we moved from ********, ** to **************. When we finally had the items delivered, we discovered that many things were missing. I followed the correct channels and filed a claim. After a month of chasing them for a resolution, we were told that they had put out a trace and nothing was found. I contacted them several times to ask for an additional resolution, to put out another trace, or for compensation, and I was told repeatedly that there was nothing else they could do. They did not send anyone to meet with us and no one from the company contacted us. I called repeatedly, every two weeks, for over a year, to be told over and over that they were working on it, and would probably be able to reach some sort of settlement, although it would not be anywhere near what we valued our things at. We took out extra insurance for this very reason. They lost several pieces of furniture, books, clothing, shoes, kitchen items, and personal items that can never be replaced. During the last phone call I had, I was told that someone would be in touch, and no one ever has ever called us. Master Movers has consistently refused to take responsibility or to provide us with the compensation we asked for. We valued our things at $2,235.00 and would like the company to provide that compensation to us. I should not have waited so long to file this claim, but I was hoping they would do the right thing. I now know that is not going to happen without an intervention. Thank you.

  

  Business response

  06/20/2023

  ********************,

  Thank you for not giving up. I am sorry for any involvement my office had in delay of any settlement to you which in my opinion is unacceptable. I take full responsibility. I appreciate you reading through the full response as this may seem a bit complicated as there were 2 shipments completed by 2 separate carriers with storage in between as well. Your complaint was worded as if it were one shipment. I will try to make sure I have addressed as many questions as I can. If you still need additional answers or assistance, please reach out to me personally at ************, I am happy to help. The only day I am usually not in the office at all is on Thursdays.

  As the complaint included a list of selected allegations, I wanted to address these individually for you.Answers to these allegations are provided solely from Master Movers Moving & Storage (MMMS) in regard to the intrastate move performed from residence into our storage in 2017. For answers based on the **************** (***) shipment from ********, ** to **, I may suggest information from our records or yours on such, but for formal answers on these items, those questions should be directed directly to ****************s through ****************** or ************ per the claim documents presented.

  a.  MMMS did provide the Oregon Rights and Responsibilities within an email titled Master Movers Moving & Storage Confirmation which was sent to the same email address used within this complaint. The email was sent on Dec 6, 2017. Additionally, there were also other attachments including Packing and Restricted Items, Rate Confirmation, and Contract Terms regarding this specific shipment. ***I can forward any of these or other notable documents, please ask.
  b.  Within the Master Movers Moving & Storage Confirmation email, the Contract Terms has claim procedures noted, as does the Rights and Responsibilities attachment which states the same claim wording. This document is required per our state guidelines.
  c.  Arbitration process notification is not required by The State of Oregon as far as I am aware.
  d.  As is standard practice when going into storage, MMMS did provide 8 pages of inventory produced at your origin location when we were taking the items away to our storage. This 8 page document was signed at both the origin, and again at destination (delivery) in ** on March 6, 2020. The shipment was picked up from our warehouse through ****************s (on the second shipment you have been referring to). I am not sure why *** would not  provide you with a copy at delivery once you had signed them.
  e.  *********** provided by MMMS was performed hourly per our tariff and did not require scale weights on the shipment. We were aware that you were planning a long distance move, so rather than guess, and to help get you the best and most accurate pricing we did weigh the shipment in 2017 on the way to our storage at our own cost for both out of route time and the charges for the scale service. The *** shipment was quoted based on the scale weight obtained. The Order for Service you provided for the *** shipment shows page 1 of 2 at the bottom. On page 2 of the Order for Service would be where your request to view or not view the weighing of the shipment would be found. Should you need a copy of that you could reach out to *** for assistance. On that Order for Service under your initials it shows this is a Firm Binding Estimate based on the Tariff of that time and the weight of **** pounds. Although it states the weight based on that original scale weight, the charges would not have changed should the weight either increase or decrease from that due to the binding option chosen for that shipment.
  f.  I was unable to find any filed claim to MMMS. The provided claim was filed with ***. I am not avoiding anything with this technicality. I can consider this exchange through the BBB as a formal claim and will get a settlement to you based on the weights and descriptions noted within those documents as quickly as possible and by Fridays mail at the latest.  I will expedite it based on the inclusion of the necessary details provided here. The shipment MMMS performed for you was shipped and stored at our Basic Valuation choice which is a minimum valuation option covering 60 cents per pound per article as indicated within the Oregon Rights and Responsibilities document noted in response a above. I apologize again for the frustration you must feel having this open ended for so long. I will forward a copy of the Bill of Lading for the 2017 shipment with the claim settlement to you by Friday this week.
  g.  Details above in response f
  h.  Details above in response f
  i.   Details above in response f

  Customer response

  06/26/2023

   
  Complaint: 20208073
  
  I am rejecting this response because: Master Movers has accepted no responsibility for the loss of my furniture and other household goods. I filed the claim per the procedure they outlined to me and they are now saying they are not responsible, and are asking why I did not file a claim with them instead of ******* *** Lines. When I realized our things were missing, I filed the claim according to the procedure they outlined.  I do not accept this outcome. 
  
  **************************************************

  

  Business response

  07/19/2023

  Dear *****,
  
  
  We want to again express our deepest apologies for the unfortunate loss of some of the items you entrusted to us at Master Movers Moving and Storage. Please know that we continue to value your long-term patronage and are committed to resolving this matter in the most compassionate and understanding way possible.
  
  
  Upon reviewing the records of your shipment with Master Movers, you had selected the Basic Valuation option for your belongings as indicated on the Bill of Lading, attached here for you. The settlement we have provided was based on this contract. This coverage is based on weight of the specific items and a corresponding multiplier of 60 cents per pound. While this basic coverage ensures a standard level of protection for your items, we acknowledge that it may not fully reflect the true value of your belongings. We tried to be generous with the weights of the items that were not provided.
  
  
  Please know that prior to sending the settlement we thoroughly investigated this matter, including tracing efforts, and unfortunately, we were unable to locate the missing items. Our inventory records indicate that everything was properly loaded onto the ******* *** Lines truck, which makes the situation even more perplexing.
  
  
  We understand the distress and disappointment you must be feeling due to this unfortunate incident. As per the contract between you and our company, we have provided the compensation that corresponds to our maximum liability for loss. If you believe it prudent, we are open to proceeding with arbitration to ensure a fair resolution. Our aim is to expedite this process for you, as we recognize the considerable amount of time that has already passed.  
  
  
  As we move forward, we want to address your concerns with the utmost care and consideration. While our liability is capped based on the agreed contract, we are more than willing to explore all available avenues to reach a resolution. We understand that your experience has been prolonged and frustrating, and we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused.
  
  
  If you feel that arbitration would provide the most fair and impartial means to resolve this matter, we are fully committed to facilitating that process promptly. Our goal is to bring closure to this situation as swiftly as possible while ensuring that your voice is heard and your feelings are respected throughout the entire process.
  
  
  We are committed to learning anything we can from this experience and improving our services to ensure that such situations do not recur in the future.
  
  
  Warmest regards,
  
  
  *************************

• Initial Complaint

  03/01/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We hired Master Movers for an in-town move in Oct 2022. Several items were removed from the home during the move which were not part of the materials being moved. These items were removed and not delivered to the delivery address. Several items which were packed into boxes were removed from the boxes at some point during the move and never delivered. The boxes were re-taped. One of the items removed was an Apple Air Pods earbuds with location tracking. The item was tracked back to the movers' location. When confronted with this information, Master Movers admitted taking the Apple Air Pods and returned one of the two earbuds which were taken. Because I could not prove that the other items were taken by the movers, they are refusing to admit fault or cover replacement. A police report was filed with the ****************. Items removed from the home plus items removed form the boxes total more than $10,000 in value.

  

  Business response

  03/13/2023

  ************** did have a move with us in October of 2022. We have addressed his claim within normal guidelines. He did choose a higher level of insurance which required us to perform a full inventory of all goods moved from the origin location.  When performing an inventory, we are also required to separately list items of high value, designating items with a value of over $100 per pound in value. When moving high value items, we would need to view any high value packed items within the boxes he had already packed. We would have inspected both at the origin location and destination getting signatures that the items were received. No high value items were provided to list, so no high value inventory was provided. Each item on **************' claim is considered a high value item, or an item of exclusion on the terms and conditions of the Bill of Lading. When delivered, inventory was signed with no exceptions of loss or damage at the completion of the move. 
  
  
  There was a set of Air pods that one of the movers picked up alongside a co-workers personal items. ************** informed us that his were missing and also gave us location information. We reached out to the crew and immediately got the answer that the Airpods had been taken by mistake. Prior to getting the set back to **************, one of the pair was lost. We returned the one and sent settlement for replacement for the missing pod. As I recall no damages happened.  

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