Gold Standard Relocation Reviews (%countItem)
Gold Standard Relocation Rating
Address: 935 N Beneva Rd # 609-1021, Sarasota, Florida, United States, 34232-1397
Phone: |
Show more...
|
Web: |
www.gsrelo.com
|
Add contact information for Gold Standard Relocation
Add new contacts
ADVERTISEMENT
I have tried calling multiple times during active business hours and have not been answered nor given the option to leave a message.
On Friday, September 28th the moving crew picked up our belongings. Since then we have not heard anything from the movers or Gold Standard Relocation. I have been trying to get in contact with both and have not been able to get an answer from either. All numbers that Gold Standard Relocation have provided ring until an automatic hang-up with no option to leave a message. I am trying to get information on the status of my belongings and I am incredibly frustrated that I cannot get in contact with a single person after all the money I have put into this.
I desire a steady flow of communication and a personal line with a representative who can give me information that I seek. I want to have access to information regarding my possessions at the specified hours of the company as well as to be able to call knowing I will be answered and helped.
Dear Revdex.com and Mr ***,I apologize, that is undoubtedly frustrating. I am currently looking into any problems with our phone provider, and having one of my customer service reps reach out to you immediately to ask you the number that you are calling, and rectifying any problems you are currently having. Kindest Regards
Horrible experience. We were lied to by both the contractor & the movers. They lost some of our things. All the boxes look like they were thrown
Problems from start to finish
We were lied to about how our stuff would be picked
we were lied to about the drop off date.
The movers lied about how much room was on the truck he told us he could fit it all in the beginning but magically couldn't fit it and tried to charge us extra money outside of the agreed upon price. They left alot of things in the apartment so I had to go back later that week and clean it out. (Florida back to delaware)
when our boxes were delivered they were all open and smashed. They were taping them back together when they dropped them off. I have tons of
pictures. Also they lost our kitchen table and some other items
We would like our missing things. Refund for the 300$ extra dollars we were charged. Plus reimbursement for plane tickets. The cost of 80 Also just wanna report them for being terrible
Dear Revdex.com and ***,We have no existing customers by the name of the the individual. Based on nature of complaint, is it extremely important to us that we find out which customer this is, and assist immediately. We ask Mr *** to provide us with name on file, or job number, email or phone number, or Mr *** to please reach out to our customer service department at (XXX) XXX-XXXX as soon as possible so we can begin rectifying this situation. Kindest Regards
I contracted my moving from MI to FL
Gold Standard hired a carrier which is not legally established.
They hold hostage my goods for more money
Gold Standard, without my acknowledge nor consent, hired somebody not authorized to operate a moving company by the proper federal and state agents.
Now they hold hostage my belongs for more money. The delivery was set to August 21st, 2018.
Both companies refuse to declare where they place my things and refuse to accept my proposal do release everything wherever they are.
I want to load my belongs wherever they would be. I need the address and their consent.
Dear *** and Revdex.com,Under FMCSA guidelines and regulations, the carrier by law must receive payment before items are unloaded off the truck. If a customer refuses to pay, the FMCSA requires the carrier to hold the items in their climate controlled storage facility until customer can pay the remaining balance. This is also provided in the rights and responsibilities for customer. Spirit Van Lines is currently inactive, though legally allowed to service their remaining customers. At the time of booking, and dispatch, Spirit Van lines was licensed, bonded and insured. We at Gold Standard received notification that Spirit Van lines was no longer in active license status on 7/29/2018. Customer was picked up 7/20/2018. We currently do not do business with Spirit for this reason, with the only exception being for existing customers. We have requested ALL paperwork from Spirit Van Lines so we can get an accurate picture of how much more inventory Mr *** had, and will negotiate with Spirit on behalf of the customer to get the items released. Legally speaking, Spirit only charged the agreed upon binding to not exceed .57 price per lb. *** was not penalized for overages, and remained at the same agreed upon rate. They are by law required to store the items until payment can be made, and are acting well within law established by the DOT FMCSA. I will contact *** when we receive paperwork from Spirit, and negotiate on *** behalf with the price to get items delivered. Kindest Regards
They promise "A rated agents" and high quality service with "integrity and honesty", but they subcontract F-rated companies and lie to customers.
My wife and I contracted the moving/relocation brokerage services of Gold Standard Relocation in August/September 2018 for our move from Portland, OR to Pinckney, MI. Our negotiations/early contact with GSR was all through Alex (phone: (XXX) XXX-XXXX), a "Senior Moving Coordinator".
Alex told us they had a recent cancellation, another customer had conveniently paid the deposit on a move from California to Michigan, and that they would apply that deposit towards ours. He said it was a "win/win" since the "truck was sitting in California, waiting for a job".
He was communicative, proactive, available at off-hours, and overall gave us a positive impression of the business. He even said "while our prices our on the high end, we offer the highest quality service". He called several times a week to get our business.
We paid our $895 deposit and did have the discount he mentioned applied to our tariff base rate.
Two days before our scheduled move on Sept 26th, we called for confirmation and a pickup time window. Caylie, a "Customer Service and Dispatch Rep." (phone: (XXX) XXX-XXXX) told us she needed to contact the movers and that she would call back before 6pm EST.
She didn't call back by that time, and when we contacted her again were told us our move is pushed to 9/27.
The morning of 9/26, Sam, who is also a "Customer Service Pickup/Delivery" rep (phone: (XXX) XXX-XXXX) emailed us saying our moving company was "NW Relocation", a local company in Portland. This surprised us, since Alex told us about a truck in California that was "ready to go" (hence the discounted rate).
We looked up "NW Relocation" online and saw red flags. Numerous terrible consumer complaints and reviews, and an "F" rating on Revdex.com.
We called Sam at GSR, voiced our concerns, and he tried to negate them by saying "people only post bad reviews online" and that GSR has had great experiences with them.
We re-iterated our concerns, and asked to talk to a manager or supervisor. Sam initially said "I'm more than capable of handling your concerns", but transferred us to Caylie after we insisted.
Caylie similarly told us not to trust online reviews, that GSR has had no issues with them, etc. We got into a heated exchange as Caylie refused to acknowledge our concerns. She even said "well how do you know unless you give them a chance!". Meaning, risk all our possessions being damaged/lost/stolen (see "NW Relocation" reviews on Yelp and Revdex.com complaints).
We asked Caylie for a refund of our deposit. She stated if we cancel, we forfeit our deposit. We said we don't feel the contract is valid anymore, given the horrible customer service and handling of our concerns, and that they contracted a fraudulent company for our move on the day we were supposed to move.
Caylie told us we could speak with Maggie (phone: (XXX) XXX-XXXX), who Caylie first said is "in the finance department". We later discovered Maggie is a subordinate customer service rep of Caylie's. Maggie was initially understanding, and told us if we let them try to arrange new movers, and they failed to do so, that we'd be entitled to "compensation". She said GSR would call us back by the end of the day with an update.
They never did, so we called them late ~8-9pm EST. Caylie answered and said she hadn't started looking.
We realized the broker we contracted had not once called back when they said they would, that we were the proactive ones, they lied about who was superior to whom, that Alex was no longer returning our calls and that they could not transfer us to him due to "privacy" reasons.
This company seems fraudulent or a scam.
They falsely advertise "high quality" service, lie and fail to meet promises, are generally unprofessional and sketchy.
Please read the negative consumer reports:
Ideally, a refund of our $895 deposit as they incurred financial and personal losses to my wife and I due to their failure to hold up their end of our contract agreement. The problem initially was that they subcontracted an F rated company to perform our move. The *realproblem then became how they handled our complaints/concerns. They strongly encouraged us to cancel in writing, so as to cover their liability and, in our opinion, give them legal defense. In our opinion, the service we received and unprofessional manner in which they communicate makes their advertising and described services on their websites fraudulent/false. Their sites: https://www.gsrelo.com/ *** We seek a refund of our deposit. We offered to split the deposit with them, asking them to refund $448 so we can all cut our losses and resolve that way. They continue to say they cannot approve that, yet refuse to say who can approve a refund. We asked to speak with the owner to make these complaints, but again they refused to name or transfer us to the owner who they said is a "silent owner". We see no path to resolution with them.
Contact Name and Title: Jim (General Manager)Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXXContact Email: ***@goldstandardrelocation.comDear Revdex.com,I have contacted Mr and Mrs ***, and have come to a resolution for their complaint.Kindest regards
This company is deceitful, highly unprofessional, and masked it a point to be shady about communicating facts that would would have saved me money.
Although scheduled to come Thursday, September 20, 2018, Gold Standard Relocation's movers called me Wednesday morning, September 19, 2018 saying they were on their way to pick up everything out of my 2 bedroom apartment. Despite being frustrated that they were coming a day early, I went forth with their services. They came and picked up everything and left my house at 9pm Sept. 19, 2018. Before leaving, I paid them $2000, which was in addition to $1300 that I had paid as a deposit prior to them coming and at that time I signed a paper with a delivery date of September 21, 2018. They were moving my things 1053 miles from Houston, TX to Charlotte, NC. Fast forward to today and my things are still not here (in Charlotte). I've been here a week with nothing because of these people, literally having to sleep on the floor. For an entire week they have been giving me the runaround about the whereabouts of my things. And when I called today they tell me that they legally have 21 business days to deliver my things. If I had been told that up front I would have NEVER gone the route of choosing their services and I feel completely cheated. I am supposed to give them $2296 (in addition to the $1300 + $2000 that I've already given them) after they deliver my things and I don't feel like this was worth this much money. They were not honest at all and because so this move has cost me thousands of dollars and I'm still laying on the floor. At this moment, all I have been told is that they may be there in 3-5 days. Which at that point will be almost 2 weeks of me being without my things.
Because of the dishonesty of this company, I have spend thousands on the move itself, as well as hundreds from having to buy new work clothes and everything else I need on a daily basis. I do not feel comfortable with giving these people $5596 and at this moment I still don't have an exact time these people will deliver my things. They need to take some money off of this service for their terrible lack of communication and shadiness when it came to important details that would have undoubtedly stopped me from choosing their services.
Contact Name and Title: Jimmy (General Manager)
Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX
Contact Email: ***@goldstandardrelocation.com
Dear Revdex.com and Ms ***,
I am saddened to hear you find Gold Standard Relocation to be decietful and unprofessional. I have been present for each conversation and feel my customer service representatives where very professional, curteous, and emphatic to your frustration.
In national long distance moving, the most affordable option for consumers is "piggy backing" with other customers on the same truck heading from the same region on the country to destination. This was explained in the very first call to Ms ***, and in even more depth during the Quality Assurance call. It is extremely important that we explain this multiple times to prevent the customer from assuming it is a direct door to door process.
A window of 4-14 business days was givin to Ms ***, and legally carriers have 21 business before we can legally demand compensation for each day carrier takes to finish delivery.
Ms *** move is a high traffic route for us, and should have been on the lower end of the window. Unfortunately the hurricane has slowed down all of our west to east moves, and drastically slowed down our SC,NC, and VA deliveries.
We can completely understand the frustration, and we are doing our best to continue to get updates from the carrier and communicate it to Ms ***. We also understand Ms *** has not been particularly happy about the updates we have been giving her, but I can assure the Revdex.com and Ms *** that we will continue to keep our customer updated, and continue to push the carrier to deliver as quickly and as safely as possible.
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
This generic response you took the time to write out could have been valuable time used elsewhere because it didn't sway me one bit. First of all, I didn't mention one thing about your customer service representatives, so why did you? Sure, they were courteously telling me different lies every time I contacted them regarding the whereabouts of my things, but did they actually get anywhere and provide me with any real information? Not at all. What you say you explained to me on the first call, is a complete lie and is the reason I was *** off when after a week of being without my things all of a sudden your representatives are telling me they have 21 business days to deliver my things. Like I explained before, had I known that information on our first call I WOULD HAVE NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS CHOSEN YOUR COMPANY'S SERVICES. My problem with your company is 1) you and your representatives failed to tell me about this 14-21 business day *** upfront which would have UNDOUBTEDLY steered me away from choosing this companies services and 2) each and every time I received an update on the whereabouts of my things I had to call you guys, you NEVER ONCE CALLED ME. I finally received my things this past Sunday, 11 days after your movers took my things, 9 days after the scheduled delivery date. I should add that when the movers finally arrived, the finally balance magically rose $400 more dollars than what was previously discussed. I AM THOROUGHLY OVERJOYED THAT THIS NIGHTMARE IS OVER and I feel like it is my duty to make sure this company doesn't take advantage of anybody else. DO NOT CHOOSE THIS COMPANY FOR YOUR MOVE UNLESS YOU HAVE THOUSANDS OF EXTRA DOLLARS LAYING AROUND TO GIVE TO THESE UNETHICAL MONEY GRUBBERS.
Although Fair & Square Transportation did operate within the DOT and FMCSA laws Gold Standard Relocation did stop
working with them due to ***'s confusion about payment. Even though the carrier has the right to collect cash on
delivery we always want to give customers this option and we request that all our carriers give them this option as well
and because Fair & Square did not offer her this option we decided no longer to work with them. We understand her
frustration with the delay in delivery but what most customers dont see is that with long distance moving if a truck in Texas
is delayed that can delay the truck in NC, but please also keep in mind that there was also a hurricane at the time of her
move that caused delays as we all know are completely uncontrollable to everyone. We are also understanding that she
had $400 in overages due to a slight increase in her inventory and we do not have a problem helping *** out with her
experience and are willing to offer her a 200 refund for any inconveniences she may have went through.
We are happy to take any advice we can to make us a better company and to help out of clients.
Although the move was extremely stressful and inconvenient, I do appreciate the effort to resolve my issue. I'm happy to hear that you don't do business with Fair and Square anymore, that company was terrible and out to screw people out of their money and, most importantly to me, my time. I gladly accept the $200 refund offer; how do you plan to send the payment? As for advise, I believe it would benefit future customers if you made sure to highlight the fact that you legally have 11 business days to deliver people's belongings. This can be done on your website as well as your contract. It should be bold so that nobody can miss that very important information that helps the customer make a better decision on whether or not that time frame works with their move in/move out date.
Hired trucking company to move me. State to State Moving NY, Inc. gave receipt with no information as to name, address, etc. They want cash up front.
Talked with Gold Standard (don't know exact location as all done on phone. They set me up with State to State of NY, Inc. to do the move. No one sent paperwork nor advised of any "extra" charges. I have no knowledge of how this happens - they are supposed to have the expertise. 2 drivers came with 1 Penske truck and 1 UHaul truck. I asked for preweight because they were already loaded with items. They loaded up my things, ran out of supplies and had me show them the way to the weigh station. They came into the station and said I owed twice what was quoted and that I had 5,000 lbs. I had maybe 3 small tables, a chair, 4 poster bed frame, light weight office chair and the rest were boxes. They added costs which were never mentioned and never talked about by anyone. Last Monday State to State called and we explained that we never got the preweight, got a generic form and several charges that were not explained. They called this evening after 5:00 and with most places closed and would not let us talk but demanded the rest of the money or they would dump our items in a storage place and bye bye. I believe most of what they did was illegal but because I only spoke to the Relocation company wonder if anything can be done. This is highway robbery and very, very unprofessional on the part of the Relocation company and the trucking company. Something should be done and they should be shut down. Can you do something?
I want the preweight of the original UHaul and Penske truck. I don't want them to give some made up figure. I want it from the official weigh station - Flying J, Penbrook, NY and I want some adjustment in my bill. There is no way those two trucks had the exact same weight on them - NO WAY. Please all the extra charges. What a scam
Hi Ms. and the Revdex.com,
We are requesting your paperwork again from the movers to look over the weigh tickets and the Bill of Lading to assess your overage charges. We explain to our customers in the beginning that the reason for the discount pricing for the move is because we offer pricing based on filling entire trucks in your area, therefore there usually are other House Hold Goods on the truck upon arrival and delivery unless your items take up an entire truck. Our movers are extremely experienced, as well as licensed bonded and insured by the Department of Transportation. We do not believe that they would charge you any more than your overages based on the price per pound/cubic foot on your original estimate with us.
As moving coordinators it is our job to provide you with an accurate inventory based on the items you disclose to us in the beginning of our estimate process. We also have a verification call as well as a quality assurance call to go over this inventory again to prevent you from experiencing increased overages. However, it does happen on occasion that the movers arrive at the house and there are significantly more items.
The great news is that your items have been delivered, and it is up to us to come to a resolution. Please allow us some time to look over your paperwork and see if we can get any additional discounts from the movers.
Please give our offices a call to discuss 941-417-4827.
Kindest Regards,
Gold Standard
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
I talked with the weigh station and they show only 1 truck being weighed that day. When Gold Standard said they had a truck that needed to be filled, the normal person would think "moved van" NOT a Penske and a UHaul. Myself or my sister also requested you look into this many times with the response ALWAYS being "We are requesting the paperwork from State to State". I attached a copy of the Bill of Lading which you can see has no company info anywhere. That didn't raise a flag for you. I am 68 yrs old and know nothing. How was I supposed to know who these people were, if they had the proper paperwork, etc. I did ask for the preweight of each of these vehicles and didn't get it and then they more than doubled what you quoted, plus I paid $700 for that quote. How is this fair? Your company is fraudulent. State to State is also fraudulent and you should really be accountable for your part in this fiasco. Look at the inventory sheet attached. Not properly completed at all. Your response is a laugh and there is no "great news" about any of this!
Dear Revdex.com, and Ms ***.
I will resend Ms *** all the paperwork, and also load the files. Files will include receipt of deposit, Bill of Lading, Light weight ticket, Heavy weight ticket, original estimate inventory, and on sight revision for additional items. You will see 1340lbs of difference that State to State discounted that I was explaining in previous comment.
We ask after the review of paperwork supporting everything stated, that the Revdex.com close out this complaint.
We also ask that Ms *** contact customer service and ask to speak to a manager if she has any questions with understanding the paperwork, and also discuss how to come to a reasonable resolution.
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
You can send the paperwork for review. But this does not address the fact that nothing was given to me AHEAD of time. No contract was signed BEFORE my pickup and all the items pointed out before were NEVER explained. I want some money back for the distress, and highway robbery that took place. I live on a limited income and for anyone YOU HIRE to take advantage is outrageous. There are many, many complaints against State to State and they only list having 1 truck. You need to realize taking advantage of people when you or your hire are holding all the cards should be against the law and may be. This is NOT finished.
Short version of a complaint against a Florida-based moving broker (and New Jersey-based mover). Backup documentation available.
7-16-19, 2018, I researched moving trucks for my nephew's move from NY to NM the end of July. I knew I could rent a truck for $2300 with unlimited mileage, but I researched other options for the best deal using credit card only. One of the companies' reps I talked to was Garin Combs, GSR, who convinced me he could beat the $2300 because they had a full-service, direct-route truck, almost full, ready to head out by the end of July. But to get the 50% off and beat the $2300, I would have to sign the agreement now. I explained I hadn't talked to my nephew about the timing of the move or what household goods he needed to ship, but Garin told me because we were working with poundage (later to be cf), the agreement for $826 down and the remainder ($1300) due at the end of the move would remain the same as long as we were at 2000 lbs or less ($.70/lb over that). Even after I provided a better, but far from complete, Garin noted I was still okay. I quickly reviewed the agreement and noted for the first time, GS was a broker, not the actual carrier, but since the agreement appeared to be okay, I assumed these were all the charges, including the broker fees and mover's (still unknown to me). GS had a good Revdex.com and other ratings, so I assumed, wrongly, that GSR would contract with a reputable carrier. I signed the agreement and had 72 hours to back out. For the next 3 days, I couldn't reach anyone when my fist credit card charge came in for $966.49, instead of $826, per the binding estimate. From this point on, every e-mail/agreement included a change, increase, etc. The next increase I paid was $1000 by cc. I've disputed this charge (really both cc charges) because it was charged by Liberty Bell Moving Group which I've since found out is owned by the same person, but it has horrible ratings. Since then I've also talked with the FL AG's Office, and if I'd known what I know now, I would have run from this company. The next big surprise is when the mover, Direct Movers (Union City, NJ) (I'll be filing complaints) showed up late 7/29, and after loading up my nephew's stuff, demanded $1500 in cash. GSR "negotiated" MY payment in cash for later. I never agreed to pay any cash; I didn't have any. Everything would have to be credit card or it was a no go and Garin knew that! I had to use a convenience check from my cc company, wait for the money to get put in my checking account to wire $1500, which took a few days. I continued to argue with GS to no avail. The $2300 move was now $3,466.90 and I still owed another $1500 if we wanted my nephew's belongings. His belongings were now the hostage of two shoddy businesses and there was no way we were getting them back unless we paid more money. GS assured me they'd keep me informed of the move, but late 8-5, Sunday, I received a call from the DM driver. They'd be delivering on 8-7, and $5,000 in cash or PO money order to DM had to be paid, if we wanted my nephew's stuff offloaded. Calls, arguments, etc. followed. GS "negotiated" the $5K down to $2K. When the truck arrived, we negotiated it to $1600 CASH. Now that we have my nephew's stuff, we're filing our numerous complaints with the DOT, FTC, State AG, etc. Assuming my disputes for $140.49 and $1000 (this one already is) are approved by my cc, my $2300 move cost $3926 and a lot more gray hair. I doubt I'll ever get another cent back, but this company (and its mover) needs to clean up its act (transparency in advertising, communications, etc.), basically tell the truth. Even if this complaint can't be resolved, I want it posted as a review with a warning: Florida Moving Broker Scam! Call the FL AG's Office and check this site and research before you sign anything with this company. https://www.***.com/people/***-***.html
I'd love to see all my money returned except the $2300. I would have paid that for a rental truck. But because I seriously doubt either company will admit to deceptive sales and other practices, incomplete documentation later provided to the customer "completed" (and surprise, we lied!), etc., I at least want this complaint posted as a negative review for both this company and Direct Movers, LLC. At least, it will add to the already numerous other complaints against Direct Movers LLC(Union City, NJ) and Liberty Bell Moving Group, LB Moving Group, etc. you find on Revdex.com, State AGs'/DOT/FTC sites; Yelp, Yellow Pages, etc. I wish when these companies are "nailed" they'd go away rather than reinvent themselves as an honorable business.
Contact Name and Title: Jim (General Manager)
Contact Phone: 904-267-1410
Contact Email: ***@goldstandardrelocation.com
Dear Revdex.com and Customer, We at Gold Standard Relocation, before responding to this complaint, have been diligently trying to work out a resolution that would satisfy our customer's complaint. After Reviewing all paperwork and recordings, we have found that our senior moving coordinator in no way pressured our customer into making a decision "now", but gave different options at different price points, in which customer chose cheapest same route option that had the last remaining space on a similar route one of our carriers were making. Our senior moving coordinator explained in three separate times during the course of the call that if any additional items would be added since the time of booking, that customer would only be charged .70/LB When carrier arrived on location, they found a significant amount of things that were not on the inventory stated and agreed upon during original booking. as well as during the scheduled Quality Assurance call that took place on 7/28 at 12:14pm. Quality Assurance is in place to prevent surprises, by going over customers inventory again making sure than anything overlooked during the the time of booking. Our carriers, by law, have to do a revised estimate to account for the extra items, which is assessed by the original agreed upon contract binding price per lb, which in this customer's case was .70/lb. The carriers then give an estimated price based on the new revised inventory, and give the customer multiple options. As stated in the complaint by the customer, we were there with her every step of the way, giving the customer the option of going by cubic feet, opting out of the more expensive option of going by weight. This is how we were able to get the price down as the customer has stated in complaint. We also offered customer a refund of $1,000 trying diligently to rectify complaint and come to a satisfactory resolve for both parties in which customer denied. We are continuing to try to come to some sort of resolve with customer because even though we followed FMCSA guidelines and regulations, and even found a way to save customer the most money for her additional items, we care very much about the customer's experience. We hope to come to a resolution with customer as soon as possible.
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
First, let's begin with the $1000 refund so generously (that's sarcasm) offered me. I was billed the $1000 for Quality Assurance (my written response, when I saw it was, "Are you kidding me?". I hope GSR has kept copies of my correspondence as well as their recordings. They'll find that particular e-mail right up near the front of my stack of communications.) however, I was billed by Liberty Bell Moving Group (LBMG), not Gold Standard Relocation. When I questioned the billing in writing, I got a call from Sharon (Accounting, GSR). She explained that GSR was in litigation with LBMG over the name, Liberty Bell, and as not to derail the litigation effort, they'd be willing to refund me the $1000 IF I signed a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) swearing that I wouldn't tie the names GSR and LBMG (or LB Moving Group) together in anything I wrote/said. I agreed until I received and reviewed the NDA the next day. If I signed, I would be agreeing to not say anything bad/complain about the company ever. Sharon swore she didn't say what I heard, so with as many things that had gone off the rails already, I stated I wouldn't sign it until maybe after the end of the process, IF there weren't any more surprises. The next surprise was a call from the truck driver late Sunday night; the truck was 2 days out (but I was told by GSR I'd be kept informed of the truck's departure, status, etc.; I was not; but that wasn't a deal breaker), but what was a deal breaker is when the driver told me that if we wanted our stuff offloaded, we would owe $5000 in cash or postal money order written to Direct Movers, LLC. SURPRISE! We were told $1500 when the truck arrived (which, with the $960+, $1000, and $1500 already paid was a heck of a lot more than this move was ever supposed to cost...maybe plus a little per Garin...over $2300!) (So much for more Quality Assurance!) As far as the maybe I'll sign the NDA, I chose not to at that point. Instead, when my nephew's household goods were off the truck, I immediately contacted my credit card company and disputed the charge. I won (fraud)! That's the reason I got my $1000 back AND am at liberty to tell my side of the story. I didn't get the money back because of GSR's attempt to rectify a customer complaint. I don't know what the true story is, but after researching Liberty Bell, LB Moving Group, and other companies apparently owned by the same individual, I seriously doubt the story Sharon gave me about litigation over Liberty Bell was the truth. What I believe, true or not, is the other companies had such horrible customer ratings, they decided to create GSR and try and start over. And when its ratings go bad, we'll see a new Florida moving broker.
Second, as for the poundage, yes, they explained everything actually over 2000 lbs. would be $.70/lb. But I was billed based on cubic feet. GSR said my nephew approved it verbally despite the fact that my nephew was not on this contract and would not have had authority to change it, when they were loading the truck late Sunday evening. He swears he didn't because I was the one signing the agreement(s), and I believe my nephew, not GSR. I would also add that if GSR did in fact change this contract at the supposed word of my nephew, which is a falsity on the part of GSR, it would not have been a legal contract. I know I didn't approve cubic feet. So, if they have a recording of me or my nephew approving cubic feet, I'd like to hear it. I documented my talks via e-mail with GSR to the maximum extent possible, because what was said to me over the phone wasn't what I received in the mail the next day or the next or the next. And I'd be more than happy to provide those to the General Manager (and the Revdex.com), if GSR didn't keep copies. Now when the moving guys handed my nephew the Interstate Bill of Lading Contract and Order for Service (attachment 1), the summary of actual charges only noted a few charges. However, when we received the "real" document (attachment 2) from GSR, the "real" cubic foot measurement had been filled in. Surprisingly, it was 1000 cu ft even. I complained again/more in writing. So, then I demanded that the actual truck be weighed with and without my nephew's belongings AND the actual cubic-foot measurement. We were not provided the cf measurement because the drivers exclaimed they'd have to offload the entire truck to get it because my nephew's belongings were mixed in with other customers' belongings. I've attached a picture of his belongings when they were loaded on to a smaller moving truck (an 18-wheeler wouldn't fit on this Brooklyn, NY, street). I questioned GSR whether that looked like 1000 cf...yes to them; absolutely no to me. His household goods were dumped (boxes crushed/frames broken, but at this point there's little point filing a complaint) in an 8' x 10' (height unknown) storage unit. After we repacked everything, there was 4' left in the front of the unit and we certainly didn't go 8', let alone 10' high. There is absolutely no way there was exactly 1000 cf! I don't have a picture readily available, but would be more than happy to provide one. If anything, the unit is fuller now than before because my nephew moved most of his clothes by rental car, which I've made him move to storage.
Third, I would love to hear the recordings between Garin (the senior moving coordinator) and me, when we first talked about what GSR could do and how "they" could beat my $2300 U-Haul move. "We need to sign the agreement soon (the first day)/now (he might have said today) (the second day), if you want your nephew's goods put on the truck...almost full, ready to leave direct route and that's how we'll save you 50% and keep the move under $2300. I suggest you/GSR listen again. Better yet, I'll take back every word of this part, if he didn't push to sign the agreement, after I listen to the recordings.
Fourth, I guess I absolutely missed the "different options at different price points, in which customer (me) chose cheapest same route option that had the last remaining space on a similar route one of our carriers were (was) making". Request GSR provide those options I was supposedly provided over the phone and somehow completely missed. And then ask yourselves would this customer have selected one of our other options or went with her $2300 U-Haul? GSR was the one trying to make it cheap enough to get my business. I wasn't buying unless GSR could get it under $2300 and by credit card! And that's the only option I got because none of the other options would have beat U-Haul! So, they weren't brought up!
Fifth, when the carrier arrived on location, my nephew had broken down all his furniture, packed/wrapped it all and had a complete inventory. Nothing new was added at that point. And even if it was (and it wasn't), any extra poundage (over 2000 lbs.) would be charged $.70/lb. Isn't that what the agreement stated? Besides, Garin was supposed to have corrected the inventory by the time the carrier arrived and two days prior to the truck arriving my nephew had a full written inventory of every box and item and went over that with Garin in detail. When we began the process, I told him I didn't have a complete listing of my nephew's belongings. "Oh, that's okay, we're still good..." Did GSR also hear the discussion between Garin and my nephew and then Garin and me about the estimate is going to be higher than what we agreed, but Garin assured both of us it wasn't a problem. Everything will be based on actual pounds and it may be over the $2300, but not that much. That may not be pressuring, but it's not telling the truth either!
Finally, I've only responded to some of the comments made by GSR. The last one I want to comment on is, "We at Gold Standard Relocation, before responding to this complaint, have been diligently trying to work out a resolution that would satisfy our customer's complaint." First, that should be numerous complaints; there's more than one. Second, I don't know which customer you've been diligently trying to work with, but I haven't had any communications with any GSR employee since the day before the truck arrived and we were notified that GSR was able to negotiate the $5000 to $2000 (still $500 over the last increase). By the way, I seemed to be more successful. We negotiated the $2000 down to $1600. By this time, I knew there was no point in arguing with you or DM any longer. I knew I'd be filing a dispute and complaints and writing/posting my review of your "services" unless we receive a full refund. After all, by GSR's argument that they were only following a contract in my name their are claiming my nephew changed, it is no longer a legal contract because my nephew would not have the authority to change it, only I would.
Dear Revdex.com,
We have come to an agreeable resolution with our customer Ms ***. The Revdex.com should be receiving notification from Ms *** stating the same thing.
We thank you.
Kindest Regards
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
The company and I did come to an agreeable resolution and the company did fulfill its part of the agreement; now it's my turn. Please close this complaint and thank you for your assistance in this matter.
Failure to honor parts of contract, specifically wrapping all furniture with quilts, providing list of movers, follow up calls, delivery issues. No follow up to phone messages. Multiple staff use their personal cell phones for this business and 4 of the staff I spoke with generating the contract left employment during my move. If I did not reach out to this broker multiple times, my household may still be sitting in a storage facility. Gold Standard Relocation of Florida failed to abide by their contract. The moving company did not send us a list of movers they use. The mover assigned to us by the broker arrived to load our household at 9:30 pm on 06/28/18 and came without a bill of lading and would not load anything until they had a 50% CASH payment. The contract from Gold Standard stipulated all furniture will be wrapped in quilts. Every piece of furniture has scratches, chips and gouges with chunks of wood missing. My washer and dryer were not wrapped and are scratched and paint chips exposing metal, the balance feet on the dryer were completely broken off and missing. Two bicycles have areas of paint gouged down to the metal. Items noted on the inventory check list are missing from delivery. I was sent an image of a weigh ticket from the wrong order, the wrong truck and wrong state. Then they sent me a weigh ticket image less than 24 hours before delivery that was 1,540 pounds heavier from my actual load. I had to continually reach out to the broker to inquire where my household was after the promise of 14-day delivery. I continually received voice mail by some numbers and other numbers the mailbox was full or not set up. Gold Standard offered me an insult of $700 refund from their fee of nearly $6000.00. In their official "Release" it stipulated I had to comply with not posting reviews online and could not speak negatively. Basically it equates to hush money.
Product_Or_Service: Broker for Moving
Order_Number: ***
Account_Number:
Billing Adjustment I want a 50% refund without requiring a formal "Release" requesting my silence.
Dear Revdex.com and Ms.,
We have spoken with Ms. many times throughout her move. Our initial refund agreement was sent out to Ms. offering a $700 refund. This is a standard settlement agreement, drafted by a lawyer, and is sent out to any customer receiving a refund from our company.
We are sorry to hear of Ms. damages that occurred during her move. We have a claims process set up with all of our motor carriers to handle any potential damages that may occur during the moving process. Unfortunately, in long distance moving, house hold goods are being shipped long distances. Although damages are not standard practice they do occasionally occur and this is why there is a claims process and insurance required by the FMCSA.
We would like to help Ms. file her claim with the motor carrier. Per our contract, which was signed by Ms. on 6/18/18, our brokerage does not handle damages, since we physically do not move the items, however we do help facilitate any claims process. Please if you could have Ms. call our customer service line 941-417-4827 during business hours we will have a representative help walk her through the process. The first step is taking photos of the damaged items and making a list of the items.
Our $700 refund is still is still being offered for Ms. inconvenience at this time.
I please ask that you close this complaint and have Ms. call our offices so we can assist her further.
Kindest Regards,
Gold Standard Relocation
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Dear Revdex.com and GSR,
I was the initiator of 98% of the many calls throughout my move. I was originally offered $500.00 discount. The two-page refund contract drafted by an attorney titled "Release" is for a standard refund of $700.00. Our aggravating experiences lasting 38 days was anything but standard. As a condition of accepting the refund I must refrain from: "any negative or disparaging statements or speaking ill of GSR's business affairs, practices or policies, standards, or reputation". I believe it's important to share my experiences so consumers may make confident decisions with moving.
According to my contract with GSR the following were not honored;
-Professional Door-to-Door service.
-Expert advice and guidance throughout the course of your move.
-No charge for packing tape and moving pads.
-Wrapping of all furniture with quilted moving blankets.
Gold Standard Relocation charged us a fee of $6742.58. Neville and Son trucking charged us $6600.00. Neville and Son loaded and unloaded my household two times before the 3rd loading which created all of the unnecessary damages. I have a list of damages with photos.
I do not think this complaint should be closed. I have asked for a 50% refund prior to the formal Release offering sent to me via email. As further example of this company's lack of professionalism, I should not have to reach out to GSR for facilitating the claims process as they are aware of my dissatisfaction prior to reaching out to Revdex.com. Final note, GSR meets criteria identified by FMCSA as red flags. It was my failure to research prior to signing the contract.
Cordially,
Ms.
Dear Revdex.com and Ms ***
We are extremely motivated to come to a reasonable resolution with Ms *** We are genuinely disheartened when damages occur. Unfortunately, eliminating damages entirely is impossible in the national moving industry. We believe what separates Gold Standard from the majority of other companies is that we are constantly reviewing methods to combat damages, lower the percentage of occurrences, review and update company procedures, re run carriers periodically through the Department of Transportation vetting software, and expertly guide customers through insurance claims. There is only three options for insurance in the moving industry. Standard Cargo Protection, Third Party Insurance, and certain home owner insurance policies covers damaged items during relocation. Although Gold Standard is not liable for damages that may occur, (since we are not actually the ones physically moving the inventory) we have found over the years that the majority of our clients are budget conscious during the shopping phase of choosing a national moving company, opting the Standard Cargo Protection Amount of Liability Coverage of .60/lb up to $10,000 insurance policy that every carrier must carry, and is of no additional cost to the customer. At Gold Standard, we have understood from the beginning that to our customer, it is more than scratches and dings. There is a certain amount of an emotional connection to everyone's belongings, a sentimental value that we do not take lightly. Insurance claims take time, so although we are under no legal obligation, we immediately begin assessing compensation so that our customer can begin repairing or replacing damaged items.
We do not believe any of the discrepancies by Ms *** over the course of multiple reviews are in any way malicious intent, and we do want to side track off from being solution oriented, but must legally correct one discrepancy for the record. Ms Carona states that " Gold Standard Relocation charged us a fee of $6742.58". The actual customer payment made to Gold Standard by Ms *** was $5,209.42 in the form of two payments. The initial deposit of $3709.42 on 6/18/2018 that she signed for at 6:35pm ES, and a second deposit of $1,500.00 made with our quality assurance department who worked with Ms Carola to minimize the price increase when adding items overlooked during the original time of booking.
To address contracted "estimate includes the following" bullet points that were not honored, I have personally investigated each claim. Although professional door to door service to other companies is a matter of opinion, it is the strictest standard for our company. We hold our carriers accountable, and continuously adapt by enforcing strict repercussions and policies to ensure that our carriers are holding their employees to the same standard, from the foreman, to the trainee on his first day. If any employee of the carrier acted in any manner rude or unprofessional, please report any details directly to me, the General Manager of Gold Standard. Although you can find all my contact info in the contact email sent to you, for convenience purposes my email at ***@goldstandardrelocation.com. I am sorry you feel that The expert advice and guidance through out the entire course of your move was not honored. I can say that I am very proud of the major accomplishments my customer service team was able to achieve for you. I have spent a long carrier in the moving industry, and convincing a carrier to not charge for additional items by the agreed and signed contracted price per pound is rare for even small inventory change say by just a few hundred pounds. With that being said, convincing a carrier to not legally charge for a large enough increase in weight/cubic that the entire logistics of truck size, dispatch, and shared customer loads is changed is, for a lack of a better expression, unheard of. On 7/24/2018 called in requesting that we weigh the truck again. This is not an impossible request, but very time consuming and can cause greater delays for multiple customers. Customers are weighed individually before being transported on to a 53' Semi for safe interstate travel. Once customer is in transit on the semi, there is now multiple customers sharing that truck, making an actual re weigh of the customer impossible. The carrier can do what is called a back weight which will produce a certified federal weight ticket for a single customers inventory. Although carrier was under no legal obligation according the FMCSA guidelines and regulations since Ms *** was a "binding estimate", my customer service team members were able to convince carrier to fulfill Ms *** request. Although I have not been able to verify that the Ms *** was charged for packing tape and moving pads, since the contract states below that item that specialty packing services such as bubble wrap, shrink wrap and boxes are not included, I am unable to clarify at this time if tape and pads are in anyways mistaken for specialty packing material either requested by Ms Carona, or suggested by the carrier on site to ensure a "high risk" item be better secured and packed.
As for FMCSA guidelines, we take DOT regulations extremely seriously at Gold Standard Relocation. We have never in company history been found to act outside The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Guidelines and Regulations. We maintain direct contact with Transportation Specialists and the Division Chief for the Commercial Enforcement and Investigation Division for the FMCSA within the Federal Department of Transportation to ensure we are providing the highest quality of service for our customers.
We ask that the Revdex.com close this complaint, and allow us to continue to work with our customer in coming to a reasonable resolution through immediate compensation while in wait for claims, and guidance through the insurance process for any damages that occurred in transit.
Kindest Regards
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Dear Revdex.com and "Jimmy",
Firstly, my name is spelled ***, with an "o". And I stand corrected, the correct fee is $5209.42. I have communicated in the past with many employee's at differing levels with this company and honestly am perplexed why this was never handled by the owner or business manager directly with me. One on one.
Secondly regarding the re-weigh. On page 19 of the Rights and Responsibilities booklet; "You have the right, and your mover must inform you of your right, to observe all weighing of your shipment. Your mover must tell you where and when each weighing will occur. Your mover must give you a reasonable opportunity to be present to observe the weighing. You may waive your right to observe weighing; however, you must waive that right in writing. If your shipment is weighed at origin and you believe that the weight may not be accurate, you have the right to request that the shipment be reweighed before it is unloaded". My household originated in California. It was first weighed north of Chicago which was not the originating location. My household was delivered to me on a rented 28' Budget truck. Not a 53' tractor trailer. Neville and Son can confirm this.
Thirdly, the only specific request I made was for one large flat screen TV box and nothing else. The wrapping of furniture with quilts clearly is outlined in the contract was INCLUDED in my contract. I have had conversations with a couple different employees of my expectations for reimbursement which was met with a resounded No by the "business office". Why is a contract necessary to receive a reimbursement?
The 1st weigh ticket I received from GSR stating was my household. I notified GSR this was the wrong job number and one young man insisted it was my weigh ticket. He was rude and consistently interrupted me during our conversations. I had left a message with Sharon (no last name provided to me) I refused to discuss anything further with him. My job number was Job No: BXXXXXXX. Upon review, you will see the job number is not mine, the origin is Ontario Oregon and a weight for an empty 53' tractor trailer. The 2nd image was for the rented Budget truck CAT weight ticket near Chicago that contained my household. The fact that the rented Budget truck was not weighed at point of origin is why I asked for a re-weigh.
See attached files of weigh tickets, Rights and Responsibilities, how items were not quilt wrapped and the "Release" from GSR to receive a reimbursement. I have been contacted by other customers using GSR via Yelp that are experiencing what I have gone through. I am not the only consumer with a bad experience.
Additionally I am still waiting on Neville and Son movers to honor my request to open a complaint for my damages. Neville DeSilva Jr reiterates "I will get to it the file is on my desk, we have 30-90 day's". I requested this on Aug 16 and still nothing has been initiated.
In closing I ask Revdex.com to keep this complaint open with GSR as I am not satisfied and believe it is unusual and not customary for a consumer to sign a legal contract to receive a reimbursement. Once I have direct contact with "Jimmy" and we agree on a resolution, I will contact Revdex.com to request an update possible closure of this complaint.
Regards