Put it Writing: Communication is Key!
We’re very proud of all of our reviews. Over the years, we’ve accumulated a ton of positive feedback from customers. You can read the nice things people have said about us on Google Reviews, Facebook, and Yelp. (One blogger even went so far as to call us the best movers she’s ever used.)
However, nobody is perfect. Every now and then, a customer will give our performance a less-than-stellar rating. It’s rare, of course, but it does happen. And when someone isn’t satisfied with our work, we’ll work with them to rectify the situation as best we can.
An even rarer occurrence is the one-star review that we’re actually proud of. That’s right. On occasion, a negative review can be something a business is happy to get.
Not All One-Star Reviews are Bad
Recently, a potential customer gave us a one-star review. She was very dissatisfied that we couldn’t offer a moving quote over the phone. We told her our policy: that we’re not comfortable relying on a conversation for the exhaustive information we need to give out a quote. We want it in writing before we’ll talk numbers.
Needless to say, she did not like this policy and went on to tell the internet all about it. We told her that we were sorry we couldn’t be more helpful and that we hope her move goes well.
The crux of the disagreement at issue is this: we don’t want to say a number out loud in response to what a customer is telling us from memory. That number, the hourly rate we say, without enough information, is meaningless. The only thing that number is good for is setting someone up for disappointment. It’s almost certainly going to change once we know exactly what your needs are. We have this policy to protect ourselves and our customers from surprises.
Memory is Fallible! Writing avoids Surprises!
Think about it this way — someone calls us and rushes to list only a dresser, a night stand, a bed, and a few boxes on a first-floor apartment. We say what it’ll cost. Then, when we start exchanging emails, we find out that “a few boxes” means fifty, a first-floor apartment is actually an unreserved elevator, into which an unmentioned couch won’t fit and instead needs to be carried down six flights. The price changes because what we need for the move described in writing is more that what we needed for the move described over the phone.
Some other companies will be happy to give you a price, whether it’s an hourly rate or a flat fee, over the phone. But trust us when we say that number is going to change! Taxes, fees, staircase surcharges (yes, that’s a thing some movers do, but not us) — all these will alter the cost of moving services over the course of booking or, worse yet, on moving day.
With Email, You’ll know what to Expect!
We do our best to give you an hourly rate and travel fee that is all-encompassing. But we can only do that when we know exactly what services you need from us. Then, when we give you a rate, you will have the peace of mind of knowing that exactly what you will be charged on moving day. Moving is stressful enough. We try to make that day as easy as possible. In order to do that, we try to cross the t’s and dot the i‘s well in advance of the move.
With a clear chain of communication, any changes make themselves known well in advance. This way, if we need to bring a bigger truck, or if we can use a smaller crew, we’ll know. And both the moving company and the customer will know exactly why the change is necessary.
We know it can come across as overkill to insist on getting everything in writing. But we truly believe it’s the best policy to do a little extra leg work beforehand in order to avoid even bigger problems down the line.
That said, we always prefer five-star reviews to one-star reviews. You can read even more kind words about our superb moving skills over at the Better Business Bureau, Boston Magazine, or Boston.com. But some one-star reviews are fine with us.
