Absurd increase in delivery fee

I would advise against using VIP Movers because:

a) I made use of VIP Movers for collection, storage and delivery of household content. Initially, storage would have been for a one month period but I eventually extended this to 7 months, during which I paid monthly storage fees. However, upon delivery the initial quote for the delivery-component was increased by 55 % which, in my opinion, was absurd. When querying the 55 % increase I was told it is a result of increased diesel costs. I pointed out that over the 6 month period in question diesel prices only increased by 5.8 %, but to no avail. Take note – throughout, neither the quantity of goods nor the delivery address changed.

b) Upon redelivery, a handling fee of R 250 was added to the quote (this was in addition to the 55 % increased mentioned above). Such a handling fee was not mentioned when initially quoting for the work. Six months after querying the handling fee I was told it was added because my goods were transferred from short term storage to long term storage, which sounds plausible. However, at the start of our discussions I did indicate the possibility of extending storage from one month to multiple months, but the handling fee was never mentioned.

c) Four framed pictures sustained damage to the frames even though they were properly bubble wrapped (this I had done myself). VIP Movers’ response was they cannot be held accountable because [i] the pictures were moved and stored (you would think that rather obvious); and [ii] I had not taken out insurance. Perhaps the most concerning part is that when I asked Michal whether she is proud of their service, she rep****: “Yes, definitely.”

d) The VIP Movers website and Facebook page show imagery of a branded fleet. I did not see any such vehicles and I get the impression all of their work, storage included, is subcontracted. I have no concerns with subcontracting but their website and Facebook page are purposefully misleading. This I do not appreciate.

e) When I initially queried points a, b and c (see above), Michal told me she will convey my concerns to her superiors and provide feedback. It took me six months to squeeze something akin to feedback from her. I turns out she has no superiors and I get the impression VIP Movers is run as a one woman show. I have no concerns with a business operated by one individual – quite the contrary – but she blatantly **** to me and maintained this lie for 6 months.

Perhaps I was expecting too much from an industry where the aforementioned behaviour has become the norm? I’ll leave that up to you to decide.

In all fairness, I should mention that it wasn’t all bad. They were more or less on time, give or take a few hours, for both collection and redelivery. None of my items went missing and apart from the damaged picture frames and a scratch on the edge of an oak dining table, all my items were in good shape.

If you have any questions, feel free to give me a call.

Frederick **********