Best Time Movers Quoted one price but doubled the price at the time of the move. Rockville Maryland

On Friday 12/12/2008, Best Time Movers arrive to my apartment home in Annapolis MD. The foreman of the job along with 3 other men entered my apartment home. The three workers walked in and immediately started moving my items (boxes/plastic crates) on to the moving truck. The foreman came in with a brief case and asked me to sit with him to go over the paperwork for the move. We sat down and the first thing he asked for was my signature. My response was "what am I signing". He kept saying he did not know and this is standard. I continued to question the large stack of documents that I was to sign. He tried to be a little humorous and reassuring because I had so many questions and at that point, as the consumer, became very skeptical that they would send a foreman who claimed to not know much about what I was signing but knew that I needed to sign. The document with my signature did not have the total cost of the move on it. It reflected $375 as "Total moving quote". It was finally explained that this was the initial contract that only documented the cost of just the move (1 van, 3 men, and min. 3 hours). What were not included were the preceding documents which outlined the actual cost versus what I agreed to. This cost was more than double the initial contract cost. After he had my signature, I was informed that every item in the apartment had to be bubble wrapped or shrink wrapped. I had two glass top tables that I knew had to be wrapped. The cost was higher but I they were breakable so it was okay ($100 more). He informed me that EVERYTHING WILL NEED TO BE WRAPPED. He also stated that I could not wrap the items because they had to pack them. This included lamps, dressers, mattresses, pictures etc. Everything!! The initial quote of $375 plus an additional $50 for each glass table top escalated to an additional $675 on top of the $375. I was outraged. I told them that I simply did not have the money. This was not the agreed upon price. The foreman kept apologizing and telling me he was just doing his job. I asked him to call the owner/his boss. He called on his cell phone. After a while of him speaking to the owner/supervisor in a different language, he handed me the phone. The man on the other end of the phone would not give me his name. After explaining the dilemma, he told me that he could not work with me. In fact, he started yelling and verbatim told me, you pay me or I am going to take your money, for the third time, I told him that I did not have that kind of money, what totaled to be $1,050 to move my items. At that point, he said that the only thing he could do was reduce the additional fees to $550. My new total at that point was to be $925. I told him that I do not have the money. At that point he became very upset started yelling and using obscene language. I was in shock. This was a moving company!! He told me "pay me or I will charge you $600", pay me now or I take your money. This went on for approx. 10 minutes. I hung up the phone in disbelief and afraid. Immediately, in the upper right hand corner of the document that had pricing, I wrote contract void, I did not agree with change in price. The foreman then became upset. He called his boss they were not speaking in English, so I did not know what was said. I became very afraid. He asked for the money, I told him I did not have it. He became frantic. At this point, I called the police. The three men that were moving my boxes/plastic crates threw them out of the truck onto the side walk in front of my apartment building. And left. I went to the management office, and the maintenance supervisor and his friend helped me to bring the boxes back up the stairs into my apartment. I incurred the cost of 3 additional days in the apartment, and the cost for an emergency move. I immediately went to Bank of America in Annapolis for help. $375 to move what really takes under 1.5 hours was excessive enough. However, it was the minimum. I accepted. $100 to wrap 2 glass (small) table tops was higher than norm. The cost is no more than $25-$35 with every other moving company. Still, I was willing to pay the additional $100. But, when the price raised in excess of $1,050 for what took all other moving companies 1.5 hours to do, was just robbery. This company knew that. Worse than there shady business and definite lack of customer service, is the distinct intent to earn money through deception of the consumer. This company needs to be held accountable for their actions.

Danelle
Upper Marlboro, Maryland
U.S.A.

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