To read the most recent update on this situation, please visit my new blog at http://www.adambohannon.org/blog/update-on-our-horrible-moving-experience-transamerica-moving-inc-receives-f-from-better-business-bureau-accreditation-revoked/
There are many, many more terrible stories about negligence and intimidation by Transamerica Moving from extremely unhappy customers that you may read yourself, many of which are seeking recompense for their troubles. Transamerica has also been posting fraudulent comments in order to try to persuade readers. The IP addresses of these comments have been revealed below for all to see, which further undermines Transamerica’s attempt to prevent the onslaught of negative feedback that their negligent business practices are generating. Action is being taken. If you have fallen victim to Transamerica Moving, please share your story on my blog and/or get in contact with me at abohannon28@gmail.com. You are certainly not alone.
**UPDATE AS OF 7/09/08 – The rest of our stuff still has not arrived and, upon calling Transamerica Moving Inc. to inquire about the status of their arrival, Transamerica has REFUSED to deliver the rest of our stuff because their negligent business practices that inspired us to file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau resulted in the revoking of their license. They told us they refused to deliver the rest of our property until we wrote a letter of apology to the BBB (which, to my knowledge, is illegal). According to Transamerica, we filed a fraudulent claim regarding my stolen belongings, which, I guess, legitimizes their decision to break contract and refuse to deliver the rest of our stuff. The case report # for the theft is listed below and the responding officer’s card is still in my wallet (his name is Halladay). Now, Transamerica is telling us we will need to hire another company to pick up our stuff (which, not suprisingly, is still in Denver). I am astonished Transamerica Moving Inc. is still in business.
As many of you know, recently we had a less than pleasant experience with Transamerica Moving Inc. To recapitulate, they:
Were 2 days late arriving at our residence in Colorado. They were also 3 days late getting our stuff to our final destination in San Diego.
Failed to fit all our stuff in a 26 ft truck, though we were independently quoted a weight and size that would have no problem fitting in a truck of that size. What’s more, when my brother and I recently had to move all the stuff from a storage unit into a temporary rental here in San Diego we were surprisingly able to fit everything in a truck the same size. We even had room to spare.
Lied to us regarding a drop the movers made at a distant storage unit in Denver. They claimed there was another person’s stuff on the truck and that was the reason they couldn’t fit everything. Supposedly they had dropped this person’s stuff off so they could fit the rest of our stuff. However, upon asking the movers themselves about the other person’s stuff once they returned, they informed us that they had unloaded our stuff, NOT someone else’s and that there wasn’t anyone else’s stuff on the truck besides ours to begin with.
Stole from me. The movers they hired stole an envelope containing $400 dollars in cash (in an envelope that has”Country Club Bank” printed on it), my iPod nano (green), and my digital camera (Canon Powershot) with a 2GB memory card inside with thousands of pictures from my recent backpacking trip in South America. I contacted the Westminster police dept. but I don’t expect anything to come of it. My case report # is 2008-06378. Once we were in San Diego and the movers met us at the storage unit to unload our stuff, one of the movers, John David, was missing When we asked Carlos, obviously the primary employee, where John David was he informed us that he had failed to come to work that morning. He further informed us that he had originally picked up John David on the corner of a Home Depot where he was living out of his car. He thought he’d give the guy a chance to make some money, he said. The guy Carlos brought to help him unload that day was originally from Mazatlan and spoke little English. I asked him where John David was and after smirking, subtly laughing, and asking why I wanted to know he told me John David had taken another job in Canada. What this means, I have no idea. The two stories about John David’s disappearance were interesting, nonetheless, and made me question who actually stole my belongings.
Continuously failed to return our phone calls. After frequently promising they would get back to us ASAP, our calls were returned only a few times and never in a timely fashion.
Overcharged us. They told us our hardships were “to be expected” and refused to dock any more than $200 and the 3% credit card fee, a total discount of approx. $326 off of a $4,200 move fraught with problems and frankly unprofessional business behavior.
Have still failed to deliver the remainder of our belongings, as of 7/3/08. The items that were supposedly someone else’s but which turned out to actually be ours are still somewhere between Denver and San Diego, if not still in Denver. They were supposed to deliver the items 3 weeks ago, a week following our arrival in San Diego, but have at this time failed to do so. Also, they haven’t returned our calls regarding the status of our remaining items. On June 20th we called and were told our stuff was going to be picked up and then delivered on the Monday of June 23rd. It was not. We called on Thursday, June 26 and left a message that has yet to be returned.
After filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Transamerica responded saying they were “amazed and disgusted” by our dishonesty regarding the theft and proceeded to tenuously refute our complaint.
As of 6/18/08, Transamerica Moving Inc. in Carlsbad, CA had its BBB accreditation revoked. It’s Van Nuys location in LA also has received a rating of ‘F’, the BBB’s lowest rating. As an explanation, the BBB writes on their website that an ‘F’ rating means
We strongly question the company’s reliability for reasons such as that they have failed to respond to complaints, their advertising is grossly misleading, they are not in compliance with the law’s licensing or registration requirements, their complaints contain especially serious allegations, or the company’s industry is known for its fraudulent business practices.
I wanted to post this experience for anyone who’s planning a move in the near future. I do not wish the frustration, stress, and expense caused to us by this horrible experience on anyone else. I advise you not to use Transamerica Moving Inc.
We expressed our frustration to the officer who responded to our call about the theft and he sympathized with our troubles. He told us how his brother had recently moved to Las Vegas and the company responsible for his move had lost the container with his belongings, which consisted of many perishable items, at a warehouse in the city. The perishable items either melted or rotted and it took them 6 weeks to recover the lost container. After sharing in each other’s amazement and amusement at such negligent business practice we warned him about Transamerica. The look on his face was priceless. “Transamerica? No way. That’s the same company my brother used!”
enzofsilva said
wow… that is a TERRIBLE company… sorry to hear that man…
NICK K said
dude that sucks, but if I were a moving company, I would never mess with the likes of Adam Bohannon considering this
U-Haul, Penske, et. al: take note
Mike said
Thanks for telling others about this. They are definitely off my list.
kona victim said
My experience with Transamerica Moving (Reseda) mirrors yours. I was overcharged, goods were held hostage, items missing or stolen, many items broken, and absolutely no response to claims, nor to the Federal Surface Transportation Board, yet they proudly display the Better Business Bureau membership seal. Well, they have at least one complaint filed with them now.
Ben said
I just came across this blog after searching this company.
I was one of the first victims. They had an A rating on BBB before my complaint.
They damaged my old house (screen door, flooring, walls, carpet) and ruined many of my belongings (fridge, BBQ, furniture, etc).
I also paid for their 2 hour lunch at Jack in the Box.
The best part is that they WOULDN’T FINISH UNLOADING THE TRUCK until I paid them a tip. How ’bout THAT!
About $3000 in damages, and I settled for $500.
I feel your pain, but looks like your experience was much worse.
Roy Halladay Game Worn Jersey Owner said
G’day!
As an Australia-based Blue Jays fan, I found your blog on google and read a few of your other Blue Jays posts.
I just added you to my Google News Reader. Keep up the good work. Look forward to reading more from you in the future.
stephanie said
i moved with transamerica and I actually had a good experience.
am i the only one??
I had called a few references from people that they moved with too.
thats weird to read what im reading..
K Patton said
WOW…..I cant believe these crooks are still in business.
They picked up my stuff in two rental moving trucks instead of one, They dumped it in storage then told me the bill would be $5,000 more then the estimate or I would not get my stuff. I paid these crooks and filed a complaint with L. A. sheriffs dept, L.A. FBI and California attorney generals office. This is not a moving company it is organized crime !!!!
Stop them before they steal from more people.
P.S. They also wrecked a bunch of my stuff.
Rod Solina said
After reading these comments I am totally depressed. My situation is identical to ALL the bad experiences I’ve read here.
I got involved with Transamerica the middle of June to move my household goods from California to Missouri. They originally quoted me about $4,000 to move 8500 pounds of household goods. I have since been told (unofficially) the bill could be as high as $9,000. Part of that incredible number was a balloon cost on the day of the pickup of $1,500 for packing tape and shrink wrap.
On the day of my move they showed up several hours late with a 26′ Ryder truck and two (appeared to homeless guys) wearing Transamerica tee-shirts. They worked until late in the evening to load the truck and finally determined the truck was too small and would have to return in the AM. This delay caused me the expense of staying in a local hotel so I could meet with them again to finish loading.
I was initally told it would take 3 to 10 days for my things to arrive in Missouri. Now, going on one month, I still haven’t received my furniture or any word when it will arrive. I also can’t get my account manager, Joy Penelton, to tell me, in advance, the amount of my account balance. She hasn’t returned ONE phone call in over three weeks so, its impossible to get any information. I am certain this deleivery will turn in to a hostage situation and I will have no recourse other than to pay the ranson.
I “also” contacted the FMCSA and found them to be of no help what-so-ever. Who are these people and what are they supposed to do for us consumers. I’m not even sure they are a functioning part of the DOT. The booklet I was givin by the Transamerica driver (required by law) was absolutely meaningless.
By the way, the ACTUAL weight of my household goods according to Transamerica was 14,020 pounds. They had estimated (after I meticulously completed the inventory) about 6,000 pounds. I asked them for a quote for 8,500 pounds just to make I had not missed anything. I should also mention, I had moved 4 years earlier with United and, at that time, had MORE furniture and, they gave me an actual weight of 10,000. So, I think Transamerica is padding thier weight by at least 5,000 pounds. I wish I knew of some way to (legally) confirm my assumption.
I can’t beleive this carrier is allowed to continue to do business. I wish there was some way I could voice my complaint to the licensing authority to try to get their license revoked. I can’t find ANY federal agency or governing authority to get help.
If any one reading this email can offer advice, I would greatly appreciate it.
Farid said
I also had good experience with Transamerica Moving and I did check their references before I made my reservation. My actual weight was 800 lbs more than the estimate (7000lbs estimated- 7800lbs actual weight) I asked to reweigh my load and it actually came out to 7900lbs. But Transamerica steel charged me for 7800lbs.
My advise to everyone: if you not sure that you weight is correct, request a reweigh!
DELIA said
**Edit by Adam This comment is a fraud. The IP address of this comment matches Transamerica Moving Inc. See results of WHOIS search below.
WHOIS Search Results
75.23.4.46
Record Type: IP Address
AT&T Internet Services SBCIS-SBIS-6BLK (NET-75-0-0-0-1)
75.0.0.0 – 75.63.255.255
TRANSAMERICA MOVING INC-060610002810 SBC07502300404029060610002842 (NET-75-23-4-40-1)
75.23.4.40 – 75.23.4.47
WOW I CANT BELIEVE WHAT I AM READING! I WORKED WITH THIS COMPANY! AND MY MOVE WENT SOOOO SMOOTHLY! MY HUSBAND HAD A SMALL PROBLUM WITH THE MOVING GUYS AND IT WAS THAT THEY WERE MOVING TO FAST AND MY HUSBAND AND BROTHER IN LAW COULD NOT KEEP UP WTITH THEM!(THEY WERE TRYING TO HELP) FINNALLY THEY JUST GAVE UP AND LET THE GUYS DO EVERYTHING THEM SELVES! WE DID ASK FOR STORAGE! SO WE RECIVERED OUR BELONGINGS 45 DAYS AFTER THEY WERE PICKED UP JUST AS WE PLANED! OUR POUNDAGE WAS ESTAMATED AT 11,OOO BUT WE ONLY CAME OUT TO 8,300 SO WE ENDED UP PAYING LESS THEN WE THOUGHT WE WOULD ! WOW I RECOMED YOU LOOK INTO ANY COMPANY YOU DO BISSNESS WITH YOU CANT JUST GO WITH ANY FLY BY NITE COMPANY! I BELIEVE IF YOU HAD A PROBLUM WITH TRANSAMERICA IT COULD HAVE BEEN RESOLVED IN A BETTER WAY OTHER THEN SLANDERING THERE NAME ON THE INTERNET!
Suzanne Wolfe said
********WARNING******DO NOT USE TRANSAMERICA!!!!!!!********
I only wish we had found this website before hiring Transamerica Moving.
We had exactly the same experience! We received an inital quote of
of $3,002 to move our belongings from Portland, Or to Tucson Az. The day before our belongs were to be delivered we received a call from Tony Plummer our so called rep who stated that the actual weight of the shipment was a additional 2840 lbs. Our new price…..$5,031 including $590 for packing materials.
We disputed this and requested the weight receipt. Cannot prove anything, but our experience mirrors everyone elses. If you try to challenge they charge you an additional weigh fee of $200. The driver had problems trying to prove the weight, did not have a weight ticket. I have read another post that if you use these guys, take pictures of the trucks licenses, drivers, etc. We requested the registration of the truck showing the weight, but no telling, we didn’t check the VIN we had no idea of what we were dealing with.
Our belongings were wrapped in dirty greasy blankets which transferred grease to all of our belongings. I’ve sent a copy to adam here maybe he can post it. Our belongings were broken, and it is unlikely we will even come close
to being reimbursed. The so called insurance policy excludes almost everything of ours that was broken, electronics/appliances, musical instruments. Ask to see a copy of the insurance claim form, it’s a joke.
Here are our specific complaints:
Greasy blankets, furniture covered in grease
left wood kitchen table upside down on tile floor, unprotected by blankets not assembled, one leg on wrong, no other legs attached
nothing reassembled, bed, entertainment center, treadmill etc
many items left in boxes, taped etc
Packing tape left stuck on furniture, have ruined the finish on wood furniture, have spent many hours trying to remove adhesive melded to belongings
Items damaged and broken
As if all this wasn’t enough, the damaged property, being ripped off, stress etc. the attitude of Transamerica was like …”So? Here’s how you get glue off of your furniture….
We are going to set up another website to try to warn people of this NIGHTMARE excuse for a moving company….
DO NOT USE THESE GUYS!!!!!!! LOW LIFE POND SCUM and I’m being nice
Suzanne Wolfe said
P.S.
I just discovered that someone in Seattle had the same experience….
but they were lucky and had a news crew waiting. Here is the link….
http://www.nwcn.com/localnews/consumer/stories/NW_091009GJB-movers-mark-up-cost-TP.16a7b1b4a.html
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