Just moved into my new apartment today. I think I was seriously ripped off.

[smirkymonkey]

I hired a mover to move me basically a few blocks away in Boston. It was $199 per hour. My building effed up and triple booked for 9am this morning which is a whole separate issue and I am trying to get money back from them for my move out fee. However the movers showed up at 9am and finished at 3pm which is 6 hours and should have cost me $1,200 (minus my deposit of $135).

They charged me $1685.00 because they included the "hour" to and from the destination, however when I asked them where they came from they said Cambridge, which is just across the river. I think it's bullshit that I should be charged $200 per hour for their drive to my apartment and back again. I was too tired and burnt out to negotiate with them by the time they left so I wrote them the check in full. But now that I am thinking about it I am furious. I paid them the money for the work they did, not their drive to and from.

I am thinking of stopping payment on the check and I am definitely calling the owner tomorrow. If they don't re-negotiate the price I am going viral and trashing their business. This has completely wiped out all of my savings. This move has cost me $10,000.00 (not just for the moving fee, but for everything included in moving) for a measly $2,100 studio. It's insane. It just makes me sick how much money people gouge you for when you have to move and they know you have no choice.

What do you think I should do? I would appreciate any advice. I have to act by tomorrow or it will be too late.

Thanks in advance.

[C_U_L8R]

1. That's pretty standard

Moved a few times in Boston and they always tack on their travel time.

[smirkymonkey]

9. Ugh! $200 per hour for "travel time".

That is just insane. Especially since they just came from Cambridge. It seems like such a scam.

[SCantiGOP]

18. Read your contract

I would bet that it says that travel to and from the premises is charged, and it will be in increments of one hour. If that is the case, you have no recourse.

[Laurian]

2. When we moved, we did pay for the mover's travel time.

Being in a non-metro area, the rates were more reasonable than what you paid. I did not consider it unreasonable because the truck and movers were tied up with our move during that time, but again, the rate was considerably less.

[smirkymonkey]

10. It just seems like the rate should be lower for travel time than for actual work time.

To pay $200 per hour for them just driving a truck from one place to another seems unreasonable. I am going to have to go back and read the contract, I suppose.

[elleng]

3. Check any written document you may have from them,

that is 'contract,' and all the terms it includes, like when do the hours they charge begin and end.

Good luck

[smirkymonkey]

11. Thank you.

Good advice. I tend not to read the fine print. However, I still think it's insane.

[FBaggins]

4. It isn't uncommon in some areas for in-town moves to include travel time in their hourly rate

That should have been disclosed up front when you were negotiating.

Having said that... movers are one of the more common scams out there. Largely because they don't count on much repeat business.

[smirkymonkey]

12. I just feel so taken advantage of.

I have been so stressed out all month because I had such short notice since they sold my apartment immediately and I had less than a month's notice. Finding a decent, affordable place to live in this city is a nightmare and then having to pack and deal with all the logistics while working full time, including an offsite business trip, has made it all that much harder.

Anyway, thanks for your input. I appreciate it!

[ProudLib72]

5. Honestly SM, you should let it go

It's not right. It's outrageous how they take advantage like that. But it's not worth the headache of trying to pursue it.

This sort of thing happened to me one time when I hired a company to set up my swamp cooler for the season. Over the phone the price seemed reasonable. The bill at the end was double what I had been quoted. I took it up with the BBB. They were no help. I threatened to deny payment (stop the check), and they threatened to put a lien on the property. The thing that really got me was how useless the BBB was. The man who did the job claimed he had to climb up on the roof of a three story building. It was a two story house! But the BBB sided with the company.

The point is, it just wasn't worth the effort and expense. Two, three, four hundred dollars seems like a hell of a lot at the time, but down the road you will just be glad it is over with.

[smirkymonkey]

6. Thanks ProudLib.

I just feel sick to my stomach. This was almost $700 more than I budgeted for and frankly, money that I can't afford. I am completely wiped out. I just feel like I was so screwed over. I was nice to them, I bought them coffees, I offered to buy them lunch. I didn't mind paying them for the extra time that they actually worked, but it pisses me off that they charged me $200 for easy, short driving time to and from the destination. That is just so unfair!

I will speak to the owner tomorrow and see what I can do. If he can't negotiate, they are definitely getting a very bad review on every site I can find.

[ProudLib72]

7. Oh, the other thing is that moving expenses are tax deductible

Unless they have changed the law on that. Save every receipt! I've moved so many times!!!! It wears you out.

Just think about what you've accomplished in the last couple of months. You were freaked out about having move. You couldn't find a reasonable apartment. Now you've moved and all that is behind you. You can rest easy.

[smirkymonkey]

8. Thanks! It has been an exhausting few months.

I have moved from city to city and even cross country, but no move has worn me out like this one has for some reason. I appreciate your advice and support!

[Dumu254]

13. ugh

People are sometimes very cruel, unfortunately.

[Mosby]

14. I would complain

[Tipperary]

15. Holy crap! I used a good moving company in the Carolinas to move a fairly large condo's contents.

They packed everything, moved everything to a storage place about 40 miles away. I paid nothing near that. Just under 600 bucks I think.

[benld74]

16. Talk to the owner, explain situation, you may be surprised

[smirkymonkey]

17. I think I will.

I am just so worn out from the whole ordeal. This was by far the hardest and most expensive move I have ever had.

[Totally Tunsie]

19. So sorry to hear you got caught in this trap, smirky.

Hope you get some modicum of success in negotiating the travel charge, but sadly you might be out of luck.

I've often noticed when traffic ahead of me is moving slowly, it's usually because a service, utility, or moving truck is travelling at a snail's pace - the better to pad that travel-time addition to the bill. The commuters may be rushing to work in the morning, but there's always that panel truck ahead transporting some local plumbers, electricians, TV installers, and the like, off to their first customer of the day, doing 10 mph under the speed limit.

Good luck and happiness in your new apartment.

[smirkymonkey]

20. Thanks Tunsie!

[LisaL]

21. Be careful about trashing anybody's business.

Because they could sue you for libel and you can end up owning them more.