3Gorillas Moving & Storage Fraudulent Sales & Charges for Moving Personal Goods Tucson, Arizona

There seems to be some confusion here as to the facts in this case. On the one hand, the complainant states, "My Mom was driving up from Tucson to Glendale and not able to be present so in order to get my goods from them I paid them"  While the complainant witness whom I assume is the mother, states, "Everything Ms Handley states is true, I am a witness to all of it.  She was verbally berated and accosted upon questioning the original quote she received from this company; she was intimidated and made to feel like a criminal when she didn't have the amount they wound up telling her was due to them" So the thought that immediately comes to mind is how she could have been a witness to all of it as stated when she was in fact "driving up from Tucson to Glendale"??? It sounds like at least one half of the particulars of this transaction at the destination were in fact not witnessed but received by word of mouth from the complainant.

I am referenced in the response from 3 Gorillas.  I am also a witness for Ms Handley.  I am a retired federal employee, no criminal record, 34 years of exemplary service.  I can attest to the fact that 3 Gorillas is lying about going over the hourly rates with me.  They also submitted a fraudulent Bill of Lading.  Ms Handley has the original and it is different.  Everything Ms Handley states is true, I am a witness to all of it.  She was verbally berated and accosted upon questioning the original quote she received from this company; she was intimidated and made to feel like a criminal when she didn't have the amount they wound up telling her was due to them.  She was prepared to pay what had been quoted to her.  They did unload the entire truck, except for the television, before they asked for payment.  Perhaps this company only treats their "women" customers in this manner, if we had a man with us, this may not have happened this way.

Not all the reviews I looked at on the internet for this company are rosy. I have moved interstate and intrastate and have always had estimators come to my place first, way before I signed with them, and the final cost was pretty darn close to the estimate. I don't know why this company didn't do that in this example but it would seem to me that it would help reduce situations like this. No legitimate moving company would expect a customer to have the knowledge and ability to do their own estimate nor know what things cost extra. If you are too cheap to provide on-location estimates then you don't deserve the business. It's the cost of business so build it in.

OP - If I were you, next time, I would only deal with a company that sends an estimator out and certainly research them further before signing with them. Anything they promise, get in writing. Also, you really need to be there on the moving day.

Dated:  October 30, 2011

Re:  Handley

Complaint

In September of 2011 Darlene Handley contacted 3 GORILLAS MOVING and STORAGE to request professional help in the proper moving of her household goods.

We scheduled her move date for October 6, 2011 and supplied 2 GORILLAS and 1 truck to move her from Tucson, AZ to Glendale, AZ, which was 165 miles one way in distance.

She originally requested 2 GORILLAS and later upgraded to 3.  The rate for 3GORILLAS and 1 Truck was 139.00 per hour plus travel/trip charges and a fuel surcharge.  Because this was an intrastate move it was subject to a travel trip charge of 3 hours. 

At origin in Tucson, Ms. Handley was not present.  Her mother, Karen Esau acted as her agent/representative.  3 GORILLAS MOVING and STORAGE sent 3 seasoned professional movers with years of experience between them.  We only employ the highest quality staff and utilize the best practices possible to service the individual needs of ourcustomers. The men worked from 11:15 AM to 7:45 PM for 8 hours plus 3 travel hours for an 11-hour day.  According to the men, they discussed the price of the move while in process with Ms. Handleys mother.  Karen Esau asked them if the job would cost around $650.00 and they assured her that with the level of work required with travel time, there was no way the job would cost $650.00.  At that point they said Ms. Esau told them to do whatever they had to do to finish the job.  When they explained that they couldnt move loose, unpacked items, she told them to pack whatever they had to and gave them permission to do so.

At the original booking, Ms. Handley assured us that she would complete all of the packing herself and we would not need to complete any.  Additional packing was required and we supplied packing materials to service 8 cartons.  We supply shippers for cargo coverage at .60 per pound per article at no additional charge. 

Her mother opted to also purchase additional full replacement value coverage of $10,000 at $50.00.  Ms. Handley argues that her mother was not told the additional insurance did not cover cartons packed by owner.  The first line under Valuation at the bottom of the BOL states clearly Cartons packed by customer are not covered by replacement valuation.

A copy of the Bill of Lading is attached.

The Bill of Lading (shipping document) states that charges are based on HOURS and RATE.  The movers explained the hourly charges on the paperwork to Ms. Esau. 

2 men and 1 truck was $101.00 per hour and 3 men and 1 truck was $139.00 per hour.  They discussed that the job would be best serviced with 3 men since there was substantial travel time and the shipper wanted it completed in one day.  They showed her the rate of $139.00 and she agreed.

3 GORILLAS MOVING and STORAGE has worked hard to build a solid foundation in the Tucson moving market and we have hundreds of customer satisfaction surveys that can attest to that. We have hired an independent rating company Customer Lobby that monitors customer satisfaction reports and posts them on our website.  We are the number one rated origin service agent for military packing services at Davis Monthan Air Force Base, in Tucson, AZ.   The men worked earnestly to perform all of
the services necessary to complete the job in a timely and safe manner without damage.  They did not even stop to take breaks.

Upon receipt of Ms. Handley's complaint, which she ccd to The Better Business Bureau, The Federal Trade Commission, The Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration, Senator John McCain, Attorney General Tom Horne as well as numerous online review sites including Google Places and Yahoo Local, we initiated an in house audit of the charges and services provided and interviewed the crew and staff.  Ms. Handley is confused when she says the owner came out to the job site.  He did not. 

She spoke to him on the phone but not in person.  It was determined that Ms. Handley was treated fairly, charged appropriately and serviced professionally.

The Bill of Lading demonstrates the breakdown of charges.  Rates in the Tucson moving industry range from $75.00 per hour to $150.00 per hour depending on the company.  Many of the companies that quote low rates have vehicles that are not licensed and insured.  They do not provide quality equipment for the protection of the shipper and the household goods and they provide unskilled labor often resulting in damage and or theft.  We only employ professionals who have been n the business for 10 plus years.  We do not hire students or temporary labor. 

It is the old adage that you get what you pay for.  Ms. Handley paid for a top-notch crew that worked diligently to address her specific needs within the time constraints she was bound by.  At the completion of the job, on the Bill of Lading,  Ms. Handley
initialed next to Customer agrees to charges.  Paid full for all services at the time she provided payment.  If she had damages or complaints at completion of the job she should have written them on the paperwork.  Best practices would have been to have written, Paid Under Protest or Damages as Noted.  She did not.   She later spoke of damage when she started a campaign against 3 GORILLAS MOVING and STORAGE because she suffered buyers remorse.  Her argument against the charges is not sound, however, because everything we contracted to supply her with, we supplied.  She is now trying to renegotiate the price and receive a refund by creating a negative libelous campaign against the company.

She spoke about a television being held on the truck at unload.  All of her items were on the truck at unloading.  It is not an uncommon practice to collect at destination prior to unloading.  Arizona law 47-7307 Lien of Carrier allows for a lien on goods covered by a bill of lading for charges stated on the bill.  In long distance moving, it is the industry standard to require payment before the first item is offloaded.  Our men almost completely unloaded the truck before they presented her with the final bill. 

They trusted that she would pay the charges and unloaded in good faith prior to payment.

Arizona is a deregulated state and as such state authorities do not govern intra-state moves.  

3 GORILLAS MOVING and STORAGE is a federal Department of Transportation recognized company that has been in business since 1999.  We are licensed and carry insurance coverage in compliance with the Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administrations
directives.  

We are sorry that Ms Handley has suffered buyers remorse upon the completion of her move.  The truth is, she received a quality move at a fair market price on the day she requested and within the time frame she requested.  We made no efforts to hide the charges from her.  Upon the addition of an extra man, we explained the additional hourly charge. 

The Bill of Lading clearly states that any boxes packed by the shipper are not covered by additionally purchased insurance.  As we did not pack them and did not know the condition of the contents, the insurance company will not permit us to assume liability for such cartons.  If Ms. Handley had any grievances about damage to her home, she did not mention it to the men in order
for them to correct it while they were there.  She did however take one of our brand new furniture dollies valued at $350.00 and would not return it to the employee who asked her for it.  He even made a special trip to Phoenix the day after the move to request it because he is responsible for its care and possession, but she still refused.  We have a receipt showing that the dollie was purchased one-week prior.  

We regret that she states she felt violated as a result of her move.  We have a great deal ofrepeat customers that are continually satisfied with our service and we are accredited by the Better Business Bureau. 

The men were granted permission to provide the services they did by Ms. Handleys agent, her mother, and for that she was charged.  There was nothing untoward or deceptive in our practice.  

It is unfortunate that she has had to go to such great lengths in an attempt to have us supply the labor, equipment and service to complete her move at more than half price. 

It is unreasonable to expect a company to essentially provide free services for quality, professional workmanship.  She signed a contract, provided payment and is legally responsible to honor that transaction.

We hope this rebuttal answers any questions you may have concerning this case and we welcome any requests for additional information.