Roxy's Removals

(This website doesn't allow paragraphs so excuse the long slab of text!)  I found Roxy’s Removals on the shiply.com website. It was one of the most expensive quotes I received (£191 for 3 hours work). I chose them because their quote said: "..we are a professional moving company that provides a professional service to our clientele. Our company is dedicated to the satisfaction of our customers and the growth of our enterprise. Your quote includes friendly and efficient porters who will be equipped with blankets, bubble-wraps and straps to cushion, buffer and secure your property to ensure there won’t be any scratches or other damage during your move.. Our pledge: (a) We shall be punctual.." I was willing to pay more for a mover who would take professional care of my belongings and who could confirm a specific time slot. Unfortunately, they were very late, damaged my belongings, refused to pay a reasonable refund, and made personal insults when I did not agree with their inadequate refund.

-------- 2 hours late --------
We agreed that the movers would arrive at 8am on a Saturday. The specific time slot was important because the porters for my building would need to give access to the truck, and they are only there for a few hours on Saturday morning. The day before the move, I emailed Roxy's and was advised that the 8am time slot was confirmed. On move day, at 8am I had not heard and texted to find out where they were. No reply. I waited. Then I called the number I had been given for the driver. He had no idea what moving job I was talking about. I was given a different number, which I called, and was told they would be there at 9am. At 9am they were not there. I was told they would be 15 more minutes. Eventually they arrived at 10am, two hours late for a time slot only scheduled to be three hours. The drivers said there had been some problem with one of the trucks earlier in the week. It is understandable that mechanical issues occur, however it would have been better to give me correct information about the move time so I could plan accordingly. I had stayed up until 2am and was up again at 7am to make sure everything was ready for the 8am start, based on their confirmation of the move time.

-------- Damaged property --------
At the destination, which was only a 15 minutes drive, I noticed when the items were brought into my apartment that one of the boxes looked as if it had been dropped, and unpacked it while the movers were there. Everything in the box was okay. One of the movers also had a bit of a panic wanting a screwdriver because he said one of the screws in the drawers "had come loose". He quickly used a pair of scissors to replace the screw and reassembled the drawers. The next day, when I removed the drawers from the chest so I could move it (it is quite heavy), I realized that two of the drawers were badly broken. The "rails" that allow the drawers to slide in and out had broken away. There were supposed to be three screws holding each rail, and only one was still in place. The screws had pulled through the wood so they would not stay in place, and in any case several screws were missing. There was also a hole pushed through the back of the chest of drawers, the glass on a corner of the picture frame had broken off, and there was other minor damage. The minor damage included scratches and marks on the front and corners of the drawers, a hole in the plastic mattress protector, several boxes with holes in them (although the contents were okay), and a book with a torn cover (the mover had pushed holes in the boxes to carry them, instead of carrying the whole box).

------- Refusal to pay fair compensation for the damage -------
I emailed the day after the move regarding the damage to the drawers and picture frame (I didn’t claim for the minor damage or late arrival) and attached photos. I was told that the drawers weren't well made and that the picture frame wasn't packed properly, which is why they were damaged. The movers in their quote had said they would "cushion, buffer and secure your property to ensure there won’t be any scratches or other damage during your move" which suggested they would be able to move my belongings safely. If anything was inadequately packed, they also should have used the “blankets, bubble-wraps and straps” they said they would bring, or at a minimum should have told me beforehand if they had concerns. (A bit like at the dry-cleaner, where if something is already torn or is fragile, they tell you this and make a note of it.) In my case, I had a roll of bubble wrap in my room before the move (the movers asked, "What is that? Does it need to be moved?" and I said "It's bubble wrap.”) so I could easily have wrapped the picture or drawers while they packed other items into the truck. It is not acceptable to damage property then *afterwards* claim it was too fragile. I do not want to imagine the state my belongings would have been in if we had to travel further than 15 minutes. Roxy's asked how much I wanted for the damage. All the items had been in as-new condition before the move, having been delivered directly to my previous address and never been moved previously. I asked for the amount I could have sold the items for in the pre-move (second hand but as-new) condition. The drawers and frame were £104 (total) new, so I asked for £70 and later said I would accept £60 as a compromise. I didn’t get a response and followed-up by phone a few days later. Roxy's said they would only offer £40 for the two broken drawers. The drawers cannot be bought individually, and there was no recognition of the hole in the back of the drawers or broken picture frame. I will actually have to pay to have the chest of drawers removed because they cannot be disposed in the domestic waste. A refund of less than half the replacement cost is completely inadequate. They also suggested that the damage did not occur in the truck (which is false, and contradicts their earlier statements that the damage was because the items were poor quality or not packed properly) and said it would be “fraudulent” if I asked for anything more than £40. I did not hear anything further from them and have not received any refund, despite providing details enabling them to pay the £60 I requested. In short, Roxy's charge high prices for their market segment and promote themselves as a professional moving company with the equipment and expertise to perform work without damage, and to be prompt and courteous. They fail to deliver on any of these promises. They arrive late, damage property, refuse to pay a fair refund, and make insulting comments if their inadequate refund is refused.

Service cost: £191