Michael H

Terrible experience, this business is a ****

I was initially impressed by the efficient and clear communication from Louise at All About Moving, and chose to arrange my long distance move with them as the quote was competitive. The regret that I have since experienced for this decision is immense. Before you pay a deposit, please be aware that this is a sham business. All About Moving Pty Ltd (as the website refers to this business) is not a registered company. There is no listed address, and the only contact detail is a single cell number. Essentially, the business is a one-woman operation run by Louise - easily the shadiest person I have ever had the misfortune of trying to do business with. Louise will speak to you of company policies, a team of professionals who will coordinate your move, and a fleet of trucks. In reality she subcontracts all services to third party providers who definitely prioritise operating on a budget over any other aspect of the job. We booked a household move from Kimberley to Cape Town in May. Louise was polite and professional over the phone, and I thought nothing of it when she requested a 50% deposit. Imagine my surprise when on the morning of our scheduled move I received a whatsapp message to say the move would happen the following day as the truck was in the Garden Route (at least a 12 hour drive from Kimberley). Multiple attempts to contact her were unsuccessful. As we had already paid a deposit I was reluctant to cancel the move - another extreme regret - and chose rather to extend our rental lease by a day to accommodate the movers. The following day - a Saturday - started with a whatsapp message from Louise stating that the truck needed repairs and the move would have to be rescheduled. In the same message Louise had the audacity to inform me that she would not take calls or reply to messages outside of office hours, and I should not attempt to reach her until Monday. Numerous attempts to contact her were unsuccessful - bar one message stating that she could not attend to my calls or messages as she was at the dentist. At this point we strongly considered cancelling the move, which would definitely have been preferable to the three month debacle which followed, but alas we chose to stick with All About Moving. We left our belongings in our rental property in Kimberley and drove to Cape Town, where I was due to start a new job on the Monday. The deepest regret that we didn’t cancel then. Two men arrived on the Monday to collect our belongings. Although Louise stated that we could expect a team with a covered truck, these two gents arrived with a bakkie. Louise assured me that our belongings would be stored at a secure private storage unit until the truck was repaired and the goods could be transported to Cape Town. Louise insisted that I pay the outstanding 50% of the fee before any goods were loaded, stating with regret that this was “company policy”. Now at work on my first day in Cape Town, and not able to take control of the situation on the ground in Kimberley I paid the outstanding amount and said a quick prayer. From that point, Louise ignored all calls and messages. Progressively more concerned that we were being ****med, I called the storage facility at which our goods were allegedly being stored only to hear that there was no storage unit that fit my description. Weeks of extreme stress passed, during which Louise failed to take a single one of my calls and only occasionally responded to whatsapp messages, each time with a weaker excuse about why she couldn’t take my call or reply to emails, and why the truck was not yet repaired. We continued to attempt to make contact with her, fearing that this was the only route by which we may be able to reclaim our belongings which were now truly in the wind. Eventually, and with massive effort, we were able to agree with Louise that our move with All About Moving be cancelled and we were able to contract another moving company to retrieve our belongings - at a lower cost than what we had paid All About Moving. We were extremely grateful to be reunited with our belongings, more than two months after we moved, as we really thought we’d lost them all forever. At the point of cancellation, Louise revealed that our things were being stored at a different facility than the one she had initially told us. She also committed in writing to a partial refund (less her “company expenses”). In November, we have yet to be refunded the outstanding R18,000 that she owes us - more than four months after our move was supposed to take place - in spite of numerous follow up messages and assurances that she will make the payment — as soon as load shedding stops / she reaches her destination on a drive / she goes into the office tomorrow / she gets back from leave / a cheque comes through from a client / she leaves a doctors appointment, etc etc. Four months on from the date of our initial scheduled move, Louise has NEVER answered or retuned a single phone call - out of hundreds of attempts to reach her. Threats of legal action, including a lawyer’s letter, have gone unnoticed. Monitoring online reviews has been illuminating - for every good review on All About Moving there are several 1-star reviews which are quickly removed from Hello Peter. They are not listed as a business on Google - and hence have no google reviews. They also have no instagram, facebook, or twitter account. My family and I work hard for the money we earn, and it will take many months to save up the R18,000 that Louise has ****** from us. All in all, if you enjoy someone who says one thing but does something completely different, perhaps All About Moving is for you. However, I would emphatically caution against trusting this dishonest, underhand operator with your precious belongings and hard-earned money. I suggest to get a reputable moving company to help you move your possessions, and give All About Moving and slippery Louise the widest berth you can.