I hired Atlas Van Lines to facilitate a local move on 11/21. The drivers showed up late, did not follow direction, moved extremely slow, and the foreman was constantly on the phone. I hired the company for three hours, so every minute was precious to me. I prepared for the move by putting a large amount of the boxes outside, and the remainder in the front room, by the door. Everything was labeled and ready to go. I was in another room getting some things together when the foreman asked me to enter the room he was working in. He put shrink wrap around my couches, cushioned ottoman table & side table, & book case. He then proceeded to tell me how much each item cost for wrapping. I did not authorize him to wrap these items and no where in my contract did it state that these items needed to be wrapped. I asked the foreman to continue with loading the truck and to not wrap any other items with out my consent. I left the room and called the company to inquire about the items the foreman was wrapping. The dispatcher told me that these items needed to be wrapped to go on the truck even though the contract did not state that. When I re-entered the room, the foreman had wrapped a dresser and several other items. At this point, two of my three hours had been used and not even ¼ of my things were in the truck. I asked them to please pack the items they had prepped and leave the rest so that we could go to the other location before my time ran out. They slowly put the items in the truck and then proceed to sit there for 15 min doing who knows what. Finally we reached the new location and the foreman presented me with the bill. He said they would not unload the items until I paid them in full. To my surprise the bill went from the $223.20 I was quoted to $628.77. He then proceeded to tell me I had to pay in cash. I was very upset, and phoned the office to inquire why the bill was so high, and why the foreman demanded cash when the contract did not state that, and they had my credit card number on file. The dispatcher was rude and hostile and said I had to pay in cash or they wouldn’t release my items. I refused. I asked for a manger but was told there wasn’t one available to speak with since it was Saturday. I was told I had to wait until Monday. I reluctantly agreed to pay the amount and speak to the manager on Monday since I didn’t have much of a choice. I had to get my things, and felt threatened by the company so I agreed to pay the outrageous amount and figured I would speak with the manager on Monday for my refund. Next they demanded I pay the full amount in cash. Nowhere in my contract did it state I had to pay in cash, and when reserving the company I gave my credit card number over the phone. I was told I could pay by card but the foreman supposedly did not have a slip to process the card. For the next hour several calls were made from myself to the office, and the manager to the foreman. They continued to demand cash, and I continued to refuse. Finally they conceded and used my credit card number on file and the foreman magically produced a credit card slip. When I received my receipt by email, another company’s name was on it. Shamrock Van Lines. I have placed several calls to the company and no one had called me back. I plan to dispute this charge with my credit card company, but I feel like this company should have some sort of consequence for their actions. I would also like to help prevent this from happening to other people in the future.
