BBB issues warning about Great Moving after consumers in 26 states complain

Milwaukee, Wis. – The Better Business Bureau (BBB) Serving Wisconsin is warning consumers nationwide about Great Moving, after dozens of consumers told BBB that their experience with the moving company wasn’t “great” at all.

BBB has received 49 complaints from consumers in 26 states, with losses totaling more than $58,000. Complainants tell BBB that, on the day of the move, extra fees were added, which doubled or tripled the price listed in their contract.

Consumers were unexpectedly charged in almost half of the complaints filed for a “shuttle service.” The service was described as an additional, smaller truck provided on moving day after the company claimed its standard moving truck was too big to fit in the homeowner’s driveway or apartment parking lot, even when the homeowner claimed it would fit. One homeowner said she knew the larger truck would fit because she used a similarly sized truck when she moved into the apartment complex a year earlier.

A South Carolina customer wrote in his BBB complaint, “As he [the mover] started talking,  we realized that there were so many charges that weren’t discussed originally like a shuttle truck because, according to them, there was no access for any other truck and because of that the estimate went from $1800 to $5000…”

When homeowners objected to the extra fees, they said they were intimidated into paying or felt “stuck” since their belongings had already been loaded onto the truck. In more than a dozen cases, homeowners claimed Great Moving was “holding their belongings hostage” until they paid.

One complainant from Connecticut wrote “I was given a flat rate of $1100 to move a small amount of belongings interstate from my mother’s home in the southeast to my home in the northeast. In short, they tacked on $1600 in charges after the things were already loaded in the truck…After he packed my mother’s things into the truck, (he) presented me with the additional $1600 in charges. His tone became threatening when I balked at the charges, and since it was just him and me alone in my mother’s empty house, I signed the packing slip.”

Another complainant wrote, “We could have given away all our furniture before we left Pennsylvania and bought all new here in North Carolina and had money left over for the amount they charged us. It was a nightmare from beginning to end.”

Other complainants told BBB that items were damaged or lost during the moving process. Two complainants told BBB that they filed claims with Great Moving’s insurance company, but those claims were denied because the insurance company was not contracted with Great Moving.

One complainant was asking to be reimbursed, after paying to have Great Moving’s truck towed when it became stuck in the snow. Another complainant told BBB she was being charged by Great Moving for a parking ticket and subsequent late fees incurred by the movers on the day of her move.

The company has an F rating, the BBB’s lowest rating possible. Of the 49 complaints received, 37 received no response from the company, three were closed as unresolved and two as resolved. In seven of the complaints, the company responded to BBB but did not issue any requested refunds.

“The best way to protect yourself against a dishonest moving company and avoid extra fees or having your belongings lost, broken or held hostage, is to do your homework up front,” says James Temmer, president/CEO of the BBB Serving Wisconsin. “Read reviews, check licensing and always check with BBB before you sign any moving contracts.”

Additional Information

BBB Serving Wisconsin opened its investigation in January 2020 and found the following:

• Although Great Moving lists 1039 W. Mason St in Green Bay as an address on its US Department of Transportation license, as well as on company invoices, it is not located at this address. A company that leases virtual office space is located at this address, and a representative for that company tells BBB that Great Moving is not a client and never has been.
• In February 2020, BBB asked the company to substantiate claims on its website, www.greatmovingusa.com, that it donates to Gary Sinise Foundation, Salvation Army, and Move for Hunger. BBB also asked the company to substantiate claims on its website that it’s a member of several different organizations, including the American Moving & Storage Association. To date, BBB has not received any substantiation from Great Moving, and Great Moving is not listed as a member on AMSA’s website, www.moving.org.
• In February 2020, BBB sent the company a certified letter, asking it to address a detected pattern of complaints regarding additional fees, delivery times not being met, and non-responsive customer service. Great Moving did not respond to BBB’s letter.

Read more BBB tips on moving scams and advice on hiring a reputable mover.  Read our BBB investigative study on moving scams at BBB.org/moverscams. 

For more information or further inquiries, contact the Wisconsin BBB at www.bbb.org/wisconsin, 414-847-6000 or 1-800-273-1002. Consumers also can find more information about how to protect themselves from scams by following the Wisconsin BBB on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

ABOUT BBB: For more than 100 years, the Better Business Bureau has been helping people find businesses, brands and charities they can trust. In 2019, people turned to BBB more than 183 million times for BBB Business Profiles on more than 5.8 million businesses and Charity Reports on 11,000 charities, all available for free at bbb.org. There are local, independent BBBs across the United States, Canada and Mexico, including BBB Serving Wisconsin which was founded in 1939 and serves the state of Wisconsin.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.