Extremely Disappointing Experience with Monarch

I recently moved from Malaysia to Cape Town, and I needed to ship furniture from Johannesburg to Cape Town. Megan from Monarch contacted me, asked for the details, and quickly sent me a quote. Initially, I was impressed with the responsiveness, but unfortunately, the experience turned out to be a nightmare.

The quote from Monarch was significantly higher than others I had received, and Megan justified this by claiming that other companies would ask for more money later, and that Monarch was not a “fly-by-night” company. She emphasized that with Monarch, all my goods would be insured, and in the event of any damage, they would replace the items. Her persistence and convincing tone led me to believe that paying a little extra would provide peace of mind, so I decided to go with them.

I provided my move-in date, which was 1 September 2024, and paid a 50% deposit. I also sent Megan the letting agent’s contact details for where the furniture was stored in Johannesburg so she could arrange collection. However, she failed to follow up with the agent, causing a huge issue with the pickup. When this was pointed this out on a conference call with the agent, Megan admitted it was her fault and then rescheduled the pickup time.

The furniture was finally picked up over the weekend of my move. I contacted Megan to confirm everything was on track, only to be told that 1 September was a Sunday, and I would need to pay a Sunday surcharge. I reminded her that I had provided this date when we discussed the quote and that it was her responsibility to check the details, as move-in dates are typically on the 1st of the month, and we cannot get the keys any earlier. Megan then claimed they were fully booked and said I would have to wait another week for delivery. I was horrified—my entire move-in was scheduled for the 1st, and without the furniture, I would have nothing. I scrambled to arrange an earlier key collection, and I told Megan that they could deliver the furniture on Friday or Saturday.

Instead of accommodating that, Megan told me that because she had changed the pickup time, my furniture was now stored in Johannesburg and would only arrive on Sunday. This was never communicated to me when the change was made, nor would I have agreed to it if I had known. The original arrangement was for the furniture to be picked up and stored in Cape Town. Megan then insisted that I pay an additional R1800, or they could not deliver the furniture. At this point, they had my belongings, so I felt as though my possessions were being held hostage. I had no choice but to pay.

The furniture finally arrived on Sunday, and sadly, some items were damaged due to clear negligence during transport. My gas braai cover was torn in multiple places, and a brand-new sofa was scuffed and sc****d on the armrests. I immediately informed the company, and Nadine instructed me to get a repair quote. I reminded her that Megan had explicitly told me my items would be replaced if damaged. However, Nadine then told me that the insurer would only cover repairs, not replacements.

Weeks went by with no updates, so I followed up. Eventually, I was told that the insurer would only pay 50% of the damage on the sofa, leaving me to cover the remaining 50%—even though the damage was not my fault. I expressed my dissatisfaction, and Nadine said she would escalate the matter to the insurer. Again, weeks passed with no communication. When I reached out again, Nadine bluntly told me that they were not budging on the matter and that the 50% coverage was the only option.

In the end, Monarch’s service was substandard, and paying a premium rate for their service added no value. I was misled with promises of full insurance coverage and fast, efficient service, only to find out that once they had my furniture in their possession, I was left with poor customer service, unexpected extra fees, and damaged items. I lost thousands of rands because I trusted Megan’s words and believed I was getting a higher level of service.

To anyone considering Monarch: Beware. They will say and do whatever it takes to get your business, but once they have your belongings, the customer service disappears, and you are left dealing with hidden fees, delays, and poor handling of your possessions.