“With our company, you are insured against deception!” “We work as honestly as possible!” assure us moving companies large and small, reputable and newly emerged. But, as they say, a 100% guarantee can be given only if there are no guarantees. A crafty mover will always find a way to lighten your wallet—not to mention not compensating for accidental damage.
We will tell you the most common ways to deceive customers when moving in Hawaii.
You Can Do It Without a Contract!
The mover often backs up these words with a weighty argument: “You do realize that the rates are always higher for official work, don’t you? A registered company has to pay taxes and fees to maintain an office and all employees… And we do not need to deduct taxes from the amount you pay – as a result, prices are lower, and it is more favourable for you!”
If this argument is not enough, the following ones come into play: “Why bother with paperwork?” The future partner in the deal plays on your emotions quite convincingly—but why would he do that? The answer is simple: no contract—no responsibility to the client! And if the movers accidentally break an expensive mirror or drop a plasma TV during the move, you can hardly make any claims against them.
You will simply have no grounds for this—a legal document confirming that you have entered into a deal with these people, implying certain rights and obligations.
How to Avoid It
It’s hard to believe, but there are unique moving companies in Hawaii. They do not pay huge bribes and consider all official payments quite normal. In other words, official registration does not prevent them from working—even on the contrary! The staff of such firms often includes lawyers who, if necessary, will draw up a contract at the request of a particular client. This, in turn, helps to solve many problems that arise.
Six-eight Is Not Always 48…
“I never thought I would be in this situation in my life,” says Max, a client of one of the Hawaii moving companies. “I found the crew for the move on the internet, and it was the quickest way. I studied several websites, compared prices, and turned to the firm whose rates seemed most reasonable to me. Compared to all the others, they were “average, closer to low.
We needed to move urgently in three days. We discussed the date, the number of vehicles, and the movers with the dispatcher, and I was fully confident that the final sum would not differ from the one indicated on the website.
When we had already arrived at the new flat, the carrier came to me with the bill, and I was quietly stunned. The payable figure was 40% more than I had calculated on my own! When I asked him why there was such a difference, the guy said: “Have you looked at the tariffs on the website? So they have been there for two years, and the prices have increased! Why didn’t you check with the dispatcher?” I tried to claim, but even in the contract I signed, there was no specific amount—just “the customer undertakes to pay for the services of the contractor”…
How to Avoid
Making an application for moving in Hawaii? Immediately clarify how much it will cost you for all the services combined. Let the dispatcher call at least a preliminary amount. If you look at the rates on the website, ask if they are valid now or if the rates have changed. Some transport companies rarely update information on the Internet, but some deliberately mislead customers.
To avoid becoming a victim of your gullibility, ask the dispatcher or estimator to make a preliminary estimate for the move. They should do this and show it to you before the work begins. It would be best if the document were attached to the contract.
However, some movers managed to bypass the preliminary estimate, which the customer had read and approved. This is the subject of our next story.
“And the Lift Doesn’t Work!”
“We ordered the office move from a good moving company,” says Anna, the owner of a small travel agency. “Official registration, references—everything as it should be. At my request, the manager made a preliminary calculation of how much the move would cost. It indicated how much to pay for an hour of transport rental, an hour of movers’ work, and cleaning after lifting things. I read it, and I was satisfied and calm. The movers were polite and very neat.
But when we arrived at the new business centre, their foreman, with a strange intonation, said: “The lift doesn’t work…” Rather happy than disappointed. I was still surprised—what is there to be happy about, it’s the sixth floor, it’s heavy, and we’ll spend more time… I found out the reason only at the end of the move when the foreman said, “You need to pay 15% more for the lift not working”. I took out the estimate, but there was no word about it.
I called the manager of the company. With genuine friendliness, he answered me: “Didn’t we warn you? For a non-working lift above the fifth floor, there is a surcharge in proportion to the value of the work, it is calculated on the principle of…” and then some complicated schemes with percentages. I had no time, energy or desire to understand them. So I gave this additional amount and said goodbye to the polite movers—with a firm intention to be more vigilant next time.
How to Avoid
“Not warned, forgot, it goes without saying” – arguments for unsophisticated customers. And the type of client the company’s employees determine very simply. A prudent person asks about additional payments for long corridors and non-working lifts in advance and on his initiative (almost as in the trite saying about saving drowning people). All tariff deviations and additions should be specified in some official document: a price list, contract, and preliminary estimate.
“You Drive Quieter, You Get More?”
Moving companies in Hawaii are divided into two types. One of them offers to carry out removals at a fixed price. A certain set of services has a clear cost; adding more work to the package increases. Others work on the principle of hourly payment. The price list with tariffs indicates how much it will cost you: an hour of movers’ work, an hour of renting a truck, an hour of dismantling furniture … Convenient? You bet! Especially for the moving companies themselves: after all, the cost of the move depends on how long it takes.
“We thought that paying by the hour was favourable, so we chose a company with such rates for the move,” says Sarah, a student. “Of course, we expected that all the furniture would be lifted and moved quickly, and we would be able to do everything in half a day and save money. However, we did not take into account that the movers may have a vested interest in working as long as possible.
It took them almost half an hour each time to bring down a sofa, a wardrobe, and a refrigerator from our third floor. My patience ran out when I went upstairs to get a forgotten flower and heard that the movers, instead of working, were standing on the floor above and quietly discussing who was thinking of taking a holiday when! And on my complaints, one of them boorishly said: “And you would kill hard at work for two hundred dollars an hour?”.
How to Avoid
Experienced Hawaiian movers see with whom you can stretch time and with whom the trick will not pass. And in some cases, a polite request or a hint that you understand where the legs of this slowness grow from is enough. But sometimes, it comes to the point that only a call to the manager helps. But the worst thing you can do is pay extra for speed for personal movers. This will prove that the client is easily divorced for money and that he simply does not know how to solve problems in another way.
Conclusion
In conclusion, navigating the treacherous waters of moving services, especially moving from Hawaii to the mainland, requires vigilance and an understanding that not all companies operate with the customer’s best interest at heart. The anecdotes and advice shared here illuminate a path fraught with potential pitfalls—unofficial contracts, outdated pricing, hidden fees, and incentives for slow work—that can ensnare the unwary.
Yet, the ultimate safeguard against such deceit lies in choosing to work with a professional moving company that values transparency, integrity, and client satisfaction above all. Such companies not only provide official contracts and clear, upfront pricing but also stand by their service quality, ensuring any accidental damage is duly compensated. Remember, while moving can be a daunting task fraught with potential for deception, securing the services of a reputable, professional moving company in Hawaii can transform this challenge into a smooth, stress-free transition.