Uber Movers Inc Uber Movers Misleading, misrepresented, Untruthful, Unreliable,Unprofessional 42 Halladay Street, Jersey City, New Jersey

I found Uber Movers Inc. to be the absolute worst moving company, the most unprofessional, most unreliable and inconsiderate moving company I have ever done business with and I have made eleven intra state moves in 26 years but this was my first inter-state move. Some of their business practices, including but not limited to their advertising, communicating with customers and contractual employment practices in my experience was very close to, if not, fraudulent. I am a retired executive who decided to use them after receiving several referrals from www.move.com

Initially “Randy” sounded quite responsive. I received two estimates, a lowball and a highball. I utilized the highball figure because as a cost-conscious consumer I wanted to safeguard myself against excessively high ending dollar surprises. In choosing Uber over their competitors, they seemed to have a better value than the traditionally established larger companies in representing a decent value. I researched them through local Better Business bureaus on lines, Google reviews and other search engines, made sure they had the appropriate DOT licensing etc and did not find any negative findings.

I satisfied my initial deposit to Uber on line with some initial apprehension and hesitation. The Uber representatives, Randy and Paula, were unable to provide a specific delivery date for my job from NY to Az but I felt that was understandable with a 3-week advance reservation for pick-up and a 3-week delivery window. Even with that 6-week period Uber expressed concerned about a potential fraudulent credit card activity and requested I provide a copy of my NY driver’s license and a copy of the credit card front and back with a credit card authorization form. Now just let me logically point this out to people who don’t pick that up: In my experience of running a small business, I understand the need and “CYA” for an authorization form, but not the driver’s license AND a copy of the credit card front and back. The customer should be just as leery in providing too much information to a business that might compromise individual financial security and identity. Realize just because a web site says a business conducts criminal back ground checks on their employees doesn’t mean they actually do. Additionally, once personal information is transmitted to a company, it doesn’t mean they continually take measures to safeguard it. In fact there’s no way for them to ensure or reassure you that they do safeguard your personal security information once you transmit it to them. If there is a potential fraudulent credit card problem for a rendered service that is six weeks in advance, that’s usually a pretty safe period of time for the business or individual to catch and report it. The individual is usually covered by the financial institution. The moving company, most probably can catch the fraud within six weeks but more importantly may know where you lived, may know where you are going to live by moving you there and they already have all your STUFF so are pretty much already safeguarded!!!

So finally overcoming that small hurdle and continuing; Uber professes and advertises that all their moves and movers are conducted with their own qualified personnel and equipment (trucks). Prior to the move, I had completed the bulk of all packing including covering box springs and mattresses with plastic mattress covers and wrapping some of my goods with plastic. Specialty items such as flat screen televisions and some wooden furniture were completed by Uber. The day before the move date, Uber contacted me and provided an arrival window when they would show up to begin loading. On move date, a Sunday, they showed up several hours late and with too small a truck. It was only after adamant discussion towards the end of loading did the moving crew relent and decide to rearrange its load to accommodate all my property and that was accomplished by strapping some of the ladders to the exterior portion of the truck and then departing from upstate New York to somewhere in New Jersey to unload it in and then reload it in a semi for departing. That’ s what the driver informed us would happen.

Uber financial payment for the job is formatted in three partial payments; an initial deposit, pickup and delivery payment. My process was further complicated by two different company representatives not communicating with each other and providing conflicting payment instructions to me over the next several days. These verbal instructions countermanded written instructions and caused such complete confusion and complications and removed any credibility that this was a professional moving company. It was the classic case of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing. None of the representatives could provide clarity and both deflected blame for the confusion towards each other. One representative in particular when discrepant dollar amounts were being argued over refused to forward my complaint to the business owner or anyone with oversight. At times it was if I was dealing with different businesses for the same move and it became so repetitious and incredulous, I began allowing the conversations to be overheard on speakerphone to witness my “dumbfoundedness” of the conflicting and contradictory information that was being provided to me.

After repeated calls during the next twelve days to ascertain the status and an arrival date of my move’s contents, I was informed that my household goods were finally being loaded! Repeat LOADED! My entire move had not even departed but had been simply stored for twelve days without my knowledge and was just started to be prepped for departure. At no time did ANYONE from Uber convey that my household goods and furniture were going to be stored! My helplessness, anger and frustration was further compounded when I was contacted two days later on Sunday (2 weeks to the date my furniture was picked up) by the Uber billing department who clarified the situation and that my items were being loaded that day (a Sunday not the previous Friday) and I would have delivery by the end of the week. Additionally, I was to receive 24-hours advance notice by the delivery driver when he would be arriving. They instructed that final payment was only acceptable in cash or a U.S. Postal Money order. I repeat, U.S. Postal money order not just a bank money order but U.S. Postal money order.

Monday night (the next day), I received a call from the unidentified driver who stated delivery might possibly be Wednesday morning but would be confirmed by Tuesday night. Tuesday night the driver called back and said delivery could not be accomplished by Wednesday morning. That was the last telephone call until 6:43AM Thursday morning when the driver called and he said he would be arriving in 15 minutes. Twenty-five minutes later, after I went and found him because he got lost, he indicated he didn’t have help and wanted to detach the trailer in front of my house and go get some help to unload. I asked why didn’t he bring anyone and he didn’t have any response. He detached his rental Penske tractor from a trailer that was clearly not from Uber Movers Inc but from Oasis Inc. and left. Three and a half hours later he was back with LOCAL help (as my new residence is in Arizona please put two and two together). In payment, I utilized postal money orders as I was not giving anyone cash and I wanted documentation. The driver requested I leave the “Pay to” blank as he needed payment for fuel. I indicated payment was being made to “Uber Movers Inc” as that was who I contracted services with. He expressed his displeasure and revealed that he was simply a shipper and provided transportation services only. He further revealed that his help was simply local day laborers. I indicated to him that at no time did anyone from Uber ever indicate my move was to be contracted out or my household goods stored. He acknowledged that was a common practice and not routinely revealed by Uber Inc. One of Uber’s advertising and promotional practices states all their moves are conducted by themselves using their own equipment. Clearly, that in itself is fraudulent if that doesn’t occur and they don’t reveal that to the customer.

On watching the driver and his hired help unload the crammed tractor trailer without any regard for its contents, I felt helpless as they inconsiderately dragged and dropped many of my items. As one individual unwrapped my wooden furniture Uber had packed in blankets, many revealed significant damage either with broken legs but more surprisingly “blanket damage”.  It was apparent that while in storage, the furniture had been exposed to humidity as the blankets had to be literally peeled off the furniture. Many of these wooden items had blanket residue engrained in their surfaces. Leather couches were ripped, my plastic mattress covers had been removed and the mattress transported exposed and were now flithy.  Many boxes were crushed due to the cramming effect and I haven’t even examined their contents in all of them yet. The unloaders did a dump and run when I told them how displeased I was. Most of the furniture after some negative comments concerning the damage were crammed in the living room, boxes crammed in the garage and they left as quickly as possible without any assistance in helping moving large furniture to various rooms. The driver acknowledging there was significant damage to furniture blamed Uber on the way the furniture was packed and not the way it had been transported. From beginning to end, the entire escapade was the “The Move and Moving Company from Hell” and even though my move was close to $10k, I guess that’s why you pay Allied Movers, North American and the other bigger companies. NEVER would I use Uber Movers Inc. again, recommend, suggest or infer that you give them a try. You get what you pay for and peace of mind is everything especially if you’ve worked hard for things during your life or have items of sentimental attachment you care about. Uber Movers Inc is a disgusting company undeserving of ANY try.