SM&S Relocation

I requested a bid from this company, and during the bid process, it ran afoul of two CPUC regulations. First, it offered a «not-​to-​exceed» (NTE) estimate over the phone. According to CPUC regulations, an employee or representative of the mover must perform a visual inspection before offering the NTE estimate. No estimate, regardless of what it’s called, is binding before that point. The foreman of the job could have showed up on move day, when I’d committed to the company, and changed the charge for the job to anything s/​he wanted. Cortney V.‘s review is an example of what can happen with a phone– or email-​only NTE.
Second, the company insisted on levying a 5% fuel surcharge in addition to the mandated double drive-​time charge. CPUC regulations require movers to charge double the drive time between the move origin and destination to cover their fuel costs, and that’s *all* they’re supposed to charge for fuel.
I advise against doing business with a company that fails to follow these basic regulatory requirements.

WOW. First of all, I am shocked by all the bad reviews! It makes me think this is one person writing a ton of different posts! Anyways, perhaps the staff has changed, because our experience with this company was nothing short of wonderful. Frank, Chris, and Ramon arrived right on time. They went ABOVE & BEYOND moving my mom’s stuff out of her old house to her new one 3.5 hours away. She didnt have everything ready like she was supposed to and they did not even bat an eye to finishing packing things up. They worked so hard for hours and hours and I was so impressed with their friendliness, how careful they were with our expensive items, and their overall work ethic. Once at the new house they went above and beyond putting her furniture where she wanted it and setting everything up. They absolutely got the job done and we do not have ONE complaint! If anyone wants more information, please feel free to message me directly!

After working with a sales rep for over a week to finalize my estimate and soothe my concerns regarding all of the negative Unilocal reviews, I was finally ready to sign their online contract. The first box I was required to check was that I had seen and ‘read the Booklet as it was presented to me via a link…”. I scoured the contract, emails, and even did a Google search for a link to this mysterious ‘Booklet’. I couldn’t find it, so the next morning I emailed my rep asking about it.
She responded shortly after informing me a link was in the contract, and that their rates had gone up that morning. The new estimate that was attached had increased by $ 500!
I was incredibly upset by this, so I called and spoke with Lea, their Sales Supervisor. She assured me there was nothing they could do about the rate increase. When I brought up that I was being penalized for their company’s negligence (after all, the link to the ‘Booklet’ had NOT been included in the contract like they had stated) she had the audacity to say that a link had been included in the very first email they had sent me — over a week ago and 20 emails since — therefore it was my fault. She also told me that my estimate had accidentally been quoted at too low of a price and had she seen the estimate she would have increased their rates anyway. This was a lie, as I had sent Lea a copy of my SM&S estimate thinking she was from another company and trying to incite a bidding war (Speedee Movers is an affiliate of SM&S. She pretended they were not affiliated and responded saying she couldn’t beat SM&S’s estimate).
I insisted on speaking with her supervisor. The next morning Ben called me. I relayed the ridiculous mess their company had put me in; how their rates had increased dramatically overnight without any warning, how they had neglected to provide a link to the Booklet, how their sales supervisor had lied. And yet Ben would not yield. He encouraged me to find a different moving company.
For a company that claims to be «customer focused» and prides themselves on «honesty and integrity» I have been incredibly let down. 10 days before I have to move and I’m desperately searching for a new moving company. Believe the reviews — they have not changed.

I wanted to get a local move done and I had multiple quotes on my hand. But when I talked to Joey he seemed to be a very good guy and even with all these bad reviews I decided to go ahead with them, especially because of their price. There are few good and bad things happened during this move.
Goods:
* Joey was very responsive and I could reach him at any time BEFORE the move.
* Frank, the leader of the crew who came for my move was good too. He knew what he is doing and also seemed to be a very good person. Even the helpers were good.
Bads:
* Joey promised me that the move won’t take more than 4 hours but when Frank came to my house he estimated the time to be 10hrs and at the end I payed about 75% more than what initially mentioned to me by Joey. When I asked about this discrepancy Frank told me that Joey is just the marketing guy and he doesn’t know how to give an estimate.
* They moved all my furniture except my entertainment center without any damage. They used to move the items into the house and THEN unpack the items but only for this one (not sure why) they decided to unpack outside and tried to bring it in. But when they were bringing that in, it hit the garage door and created a big dent making it unusable. When I mentioned this to Frank, he said the company and the insurance will take care of it and asked me not to worry. Then, having talked to Joey, I filed a claim with their insurance company. After about two months, and after repeated conversations with them, they got back to me and said they are not covering the pressed wood so I have to bear the cost. This is ridiculous from my point of view. I was never mentioned about such a closure and it was clearly their fault. When I tried to call Joey, he didn’t pick some of the calls and when he got back to me after sometime, he said they also can not do anything. Now I’m left with a broken entertainment center.
At the end of this move, I paid, may be even more than other quotes I got (out of which one company even came to my place and did the estimation) and also a broken entertainment center.
I know moves are always painful but it could have been better if they are upfront with what is covered in the insurance and not. Also, it could have been better is Joey could provide a better estimate than surprising people with a bill a lot higher than promised.

THIS COMPANY DESERVES 0 STARS! READ!!! BEWARE!!! YOUR ESTIMATE WILL TURN INTO HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS MORE WITH THESE GUYS… I PROMISE!
THIS IS THE EMAIL I SENT TO BRIAN, THE GUY THAT SET UP MY MOVE. FIRST AND FOREMOST, SPEEDEE NEVER CAME OUT. SOME GENERIC MOVING COMPANY, SM&S RELOCATION (BEWARE!!!) IS NAME OF THE COMPANY; LICENSE #8B97793, DOT #1 734 966, MC#635 509. CAL T#190 474!
Brian,
I am beyond upset in the way my moving, a stressful time in any one’s life, was handled by your company.
I booked my move w/​your company, because I thought I was booking professional & honest movers. My estimate moving time was booked at 9:45a.
I received a call from your mover the day prior of my move telling me the moving company would be moving me between 1−3p. I told him that was not going to happen. At any rate, I was forced to comprise, starting my move at 8:15a! I was quoted 3 movers @85.00/ hr., 5% fuel charge, 4hr., min., and double driving time. Your ringleader driver took one look at the things in my storage unit, that consist of more boxes than anything, and estimated my move at 6hrs., I assured him I wasn’t paying that and the move wouldn’t take that long at all. It took my boyfriend and one uncle to move my things in the storage unit in only 1.5 hours and they weren’t professionals!
95% of my things were packed up, the other 5% was loose items in which my father and I tended to.
ONLY 2 movers moved my things. The ringleader of the pack spent more time in his truck dealing w/​paperwork. He took 15 min., of our moving time talking to me about paperwork. Prior to that he hadn’t lifted a finger to help his two movers! After that he maybe helped his two movers for 10 min., My father had to go looking for him several times. Your two movers spent at least 2 hours retaping all of my things and repacking all of my things like garbage bags of blankets. The website said boxes and bags were fine. They put all of my garbage bag with items in it in their big boxes and spent way too much time taping. When I got home I couldn’t even use any of my bags because trying to undo the taped ripped my bags up. UNBELIEVABLE.
The ringleader even spit his candy in my tree: See the picture, it’s still there. He said he’d take the candy out but never did. (Between repacking, taping and re-​tapping all of my items, my four hour move (which is what it should have taken, including the 2hr., drive time clause), was turned into 6 and I was charged $ 60 for packing supplies. The ringleader told me he had to charge me that or else he wasn’t making money. You repack my things to benefit your financial intentions and charge me??? In between him tending to his truck to do paperwork, talking on the phone, smoking a cigarettes and drinking his red bull, he’d go to my dad and tell him the move would be 8 hours and back to me to tell me it’d be 6. I told him we’d be unloading on the road if that was the case as I hadn’t dreamed of that in my budget.
In the photo’s you’ll see the sweat on my father’s (a SF Sheriff) and my boyfriend, talking to the ringleader because he wasn’t helping. You’ll see our things on the sidewalk as they deliberately made us run out of time forcing my father and boyfriend to do the rest. I was forced to sign my signature as my things would not be released to me from their truck. One of the movers even apologized. He knew what was happening was wrong. — Two people did the work from your end, which isn’t what I paid for. I want a third of my $ back and they $ 60 packing supply fee they charged me.
I can’t believe you do business in this manor. This is horrible business conduct and as a business woman, I’m in aw that your company is in business and that someone hasn’t lost their temper. Thankfully, we have sense enough to let the law deal with it. I truly hope you’re able to refund me what is right, and that is a third of the money I spent on work not done by your ringleader and $ 60 for supplies that were not needed at all.

We’ve recently used SM&S Relocation for a move from San Francisco down to Sunnyvale. I really don’t know why or how these guys have received negative reviews? They were great and everything went really well. From the moment I called the representative, Joey, was very informative and polite. He spoke to me in a professional manner and answered all of my questions addressing all my concerns. I was sold and happy with the quote and understood all the conditions.
On the day of the move the men worked hard. Frank was great and led his team very well when packing and loading my belongings. They were fast, efficient, and very hard working. My move wasn’t exactly an easy one, I have a lot of stuff. A 3 bedroom move going down 3 flights of stairs and into a 2 story home. But they knocked it out in no time and they didn’t damage one thing. Nothing was scratched or broken, and all of my walls and floors were left in the same condition that they were in before my move (very happy about that). I was really impressed with their work ethic and would highly recommend them to anyone who’s looking to move. I was very happy with the price, especially in comparison to some of the other quotes I had recieved and will use them again if I ever move.
They really are the best! I didn’t know there were still such efficient and hard working movers in the bay area. I was worried about getting ripped off, but I am very happy with their efforts and my move… it went very smoothly. Great job and thank you SM&S Relocation!

Negative star-​DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY.
I use this company for my move 3 weeks ago and it was a horrible decision. I blame myself for not checking this company out on Unilocal.I went through hell with this company. Moving to from Bay Area to San Diego, I planned around their delivery date. I had to pay extra money for the new Apartment along with host of other things. Joey the salesman promise me 3-​to 5 delivery day for in state move in California. Well, they were 7 DAYS late but that the least of my problems. Once my stuff was in San Diego, they wanted to me to pay the additional $ 650 on top of $ 900 that I had paid them on Pickup date. The owner is joke, this guy barely speaks English and was rude. Somehow he thought it was ok to treat customer like this after failing to deliver his promise. After 30min of bickering, I told them to get out of place and I will see them in court. So they left but return 3hrs later and finally release my stuff without paying additional money. When I got my stuff back, half of furniture was damage and most my boxes was crushed.. Ben the dispatcher was sleeping in the truck while the other 2 guys work. I pointed out my stuff was jacked up but he just took off. I’ve email the company about this but no have reply back. If you need more info about my move, let me know… DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY, THEY’RE FRAUDS.

Like many other reviews I have read I would also rather give a ZERO STAR for HORRIBLE service. This company needs thier licensing (if they have one) revoked!!!
PLEASE DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY.
I have never in my entire life been treated so horribly, or felt so betrayed by a company ever. I thought like all others moving companies were sincere, reliable and trustworthy. These are 3 compliments I CAN NOT give this company.
See I originally signed my contract/​quote with VIP Relocation, and never thought anything twice about the company. I had researched them looked them up and of course their quote was the best I could afford. However when the schedule date arrived 7÷24÷2011, (mind you I had to call to get my schedule date as I received no call backs!!!)… SM & S Relocation arrived. I was shocked, I almsot thought it was a joke to be honest.
Then I tried to introduce myself to the gentleman who were coming into my house, and taking my personal belongings. However they didnt speak English. Then I really thought this was a joke, I asked Frank the one guy who spoke English questions on who he was and why he was here and I was all confused. He said they were a «sister» company to VIP and my bid was sold off to them to handle. BOY WAS THIS A MISTAKE!!! I had to be out of my place the next day so I was ultimately out of options. MY quote went up $ 715 dollars, he also said he wouldnt charge me for any shipping materials as I had everything wrapped already and I have my own suranwrap and 4 bundles of tape extra, in the end he ended up charging me another $ 40 bucks for his materials he used!!! He shouldve used mine!!! I was livid, but again had no other options. I was very cordial with the men, it was hot, they had nothing to drink I gave them plently of bottles of water, plenty of gatorades and made sure they were well hydrated. (Of course no discount for that!)
Now here is the big part… It is not August 12, and my stuff from CA to TX has still not arrived. I have been here now over 2 weeks by myself without any of my belongings. I have called, and called and called and I either get the «ill call you back» or «i am not at the office right now i will call you tomorrow» yet THERE IS NEVER A CALL BACK!!! What kind of service is this??? You have ALL my personal and memorable items in your posession and you cant even pick up the phone and call me back???
Finally I was told that «something happened to their truck» which seems to be their excuse for everyone as I read and that they would call me when they knew something. I waited another 4 days and I CALLED THEM and he said, «3−5 business days it should arrive ma’am.» I said are you sure? He said yes… he was very bothered with my calling and asking questions, and I let him know I WOULD NEVER EVER RECOMMEND HIM TO ANYONE AND I WOULD MAKE SURE NO ONE EVER USED THIS COMPANY AGAIN. He said «I am sorry you feel that way»…
I havent received my belongings yet, and whose to say if they are even in one piece anymore. I am already preparing myself for multiple things to be damaged and its saddening to me. All I want is my things, the things that make me, me and the items that have been with me my entire life. Is that too much to ask?!
If you have any questions dont hestitate to contact me at

0 stars — never use this company. In my opinion they are liars, thieves and cheats!!!
worse then horrible customer service. The mere thought of customer service is completely wasted on this moron.
They held our stuff hostage and refused to deliver on our requested day. then tried to break our pay limit set in the contract.
Be sure to thoroughly read your contract and booklet. They tried to charge us an extra $ 296.00 which broke a legally binding contract. Thankfully we waited until the truck was unloaded before bringing this to their attention, because their first threat was to not unload the truck and drive away unless we paid the remaining balance in CASH.
the company tries to strong arm you. they are super nice until they have your stuff. then customer service flies out the window.
thier estimates are ridiculously low!
Joey tried to play us on our emotional attachments to our stuff.
direct quote — joey, «you’re being melodramatic and i don’t have to deal with this sh*t!» — then of course he decided to hang up the phone.
i’d never ever recommend this company!

If I could give this place «No» stars, I would. STAY AWAY!
My husband and I recently booked SM&S Relocation for a long distance move from San Francisco to San Diego. The experience was so horrible that I have now formally filed a complaint with the California Public Utilities Commission. They broke the law with us, and don’t think they won’t do it with you. If you are in position in which you have already booked this company and they are attempting to strong-​arm you into paying additional fees or you feel that you are being treated unfairly, do not allow them to make you believe you are powerless. The California Public Utilities Commission HIGHLY regulates their business and are willing to help you. Contact them at 1−800−366−4782. They are very helpful and will provide you with options on how to deal with SM&S Relocation. They will also help you understand the laws in place to protect you from their underhanded tactics.
This company illegally broke their own contract. Their game is to get your business by grossly underestimating the weight and, therefore, keep your quote way low. Since they don’t do a written estimate, they aren’t technically breaking the law. However, the «Do Not Exceed» contract is required (and in place) to protect you from a surprise increase. The only way they can get around this contract is by having you sign a «Change of Order» form. If they don’t provide you with one, and they are attempting to charge you over the «Do Not Exceed» limit, they are breaking the law by making you pay over it. This is what happened to me (amongst other things).
They attempted to charge me nearly $ 400 over their own «Do Not Exceed» limit, would not take my items off their truck until I paid (in cash) the full amount they were demanding. When I produced the «Do Not Exceed» contract, the manager first denied it existed, then threatened to have the truck driver leave without unloading our belongings (I was smarter than him. I didn’t produce my document until AFTER we had possession of our belongings again!), then tried to get me to sign a «Change of Order» form, then attempted to convince me he was allowed to charge me 10% of the «Do Not Exceed» limit, then tried to just give me $ 100 back to hush me up, and finally, when I threatened to take him to small claims court, he refunded me my overages. I HAVE THIS ENTIRE CONVERSATION RECORDED FOR PROOF. I am handing it over to the commission as evidence of their illegal activity. I wonder if I should post it on youtube?
If you have been scammed by this company please contact the commission and file a full report. It will only take a few complaints before they are under investigation, and hopefully, out of business.

Still waiting for our furniture from SF to NYC. This experience has single handedly has made me decide to take the NY bar exam so i can utilize my time by suing their asses.
Promised our furniture weeks ago, they failed to call us to tell us that their «truck was stuck in colorado when it broke down»…for a week, so we moved into our new place eagerly awaiting our furniture (and as my boyfriend pointed out, its highly unlikely that the truck driver is sitting in a hotel, hitting up strip clubs all week while this truck is slowly being «repaired»).
Weeks later, they are still unconcerned that it isn’t here, it will likely arrive destroyed, there was likely no truck «breakdown» rather they wanted to wait until there was a full truck to bring it cross country (they’ve had our stuff since sept), and now tell us that despite the estimate including shipment to our zip code in manhattan, we actually have to pay an additional $ 350 for «shuttle service.» Oh and thats after we paid a hefty deposit, but they still have control and possession of our furniture, and won’t release it until we pay the remainder, so are forced to pay whatever they demand essentially, pursuant to the contract my BOYFRIEND signed.
Can’t wait to deal with the disasters that arise when we actually get (some) of our furniture. Also by researching online subsequent to learning that they dont give a flying F$%(*%(#* that our furniture is so delayed and no one bothered to notify us, it seems that their business license was revoked, so they now operate under another name.
Sheisty as F. Can’t wait to sue. Oh and apparently they won’t take a thing off the truck until you pay whatever remaining balance you have due upon arrival (including this increased rate). Oh, and also they promised us a discount, upon numerous other things, which they have naturally retracted.
The «manager» Ben (likely the one who gave a 5 star review), is literally incapable of forming thoughts, and i caught him in about 10 lies in my one conversation with him (I let my boyfriend interact with idiots, especially as he chose these negligent f (@#*%(*%s), which when i pointed out (and he looked like a jackass, repeatedly), he told me he had an emergency and would have to call me back.
I also asked him which of the many lies we’ve been fed he planned to repeat to me – and when I pointed out that his numerous stories didn’t add up, this emergency arose. (my boyfriend, like apparently others, chose the «cheapest» mover). Understanding the law, I have never felt so incredibly trapped due to the contract he signed, where they have virtually no liability for this situation, and absolutely no concern whatsoever, and as a former manager myself, it is shocking that customer service (along with basic coherency and conversational skills) are so lacking, especially by someone in a management position.
I’d rather carry our 1200 sf apartment’s worth of furniture on my back cross country while wearing no clothing through the mountains before using these rat bastards again. Oh, and that’s PRIOR to receiving our broken or missing furniture.

I have to say that the owner Joey really has gone out of his way to help amend my bad experience. He has really taken the time to contact me and try to correct what went wrong with my moving experience. In my book, this is quite redeeming and shows that you at least care enough about customers to work on their satisfaction and at try to make a change.

This is an update or more like a response to this pathetic company. Um… first off, JOEY… YOU were the one yelling at me and telling me that I was wrong when YOU were the one that gave misinformation and wouldn’t refund our money in the first place! AND the only time you contacted me was through this Unilocal review, this is only the SECOND time that you sent something. If you were a legitimate company you would have records on file of all the people you screwed over, aka, you have other means to get a hold of me and have NOT once tried any of those avenues. So you can’t say that you have been getting a hold of me for some time now, when it was only twice. And why should I remove my review from a shady company that screwed us of our money… I need to warn everyone how terrible of a company you are. It’s sad that I even spent time writing this, but I needed to set the record straight so people don’t assume that you are a great company because YOUR NOT! You should have made your wrongs right when we first confronted you with the situation. But you JOEY, gave us the run-​around, yelled at us and hung up on us… that my friend is NOT a good company or customer service. Want to get better ratings? Fire yourself and shut your company down because your lack of business is a reflection of how crappy of a company you are.
I definitely wish I did my research before wasting my time and money on your company.

DO NOT USE THIS BUSINESS!
If I could give ZERO stars I would. I generally only write reviews when I have something good to say, but I am writing this to warn people not to use this horrible business. I have never, never, been so disrespected in my life seen such incompetent and disgusting customer service!
The Beginning:
My boyfriend needed to move across the country from San Francisco to New York. He had limited time and without doing much research chose the «cheapest» quote. He was initially quoted at $ 750 which seemed like a steal at the time.
The Pickup:
First off, the movers were over an hour late, and threw in all sorts of charges (too many stairs, too much stuff). They were very rude too. We ended up paying $ 600 dollars up front. This was March 15^th btw.
The Drop Off:
SM&S first scheduled a drop off on the weekend of the June 11^th. Then they changed to the 25^th, called and changed again to the 19^th, back to the 25^th.
Finally the scheduled a drop off was for Monday the 28^th. When they came up with some bogus reason for more charges, my boyfriend was pretty upset with their service. A person by the name of Joey yelled at my boyfriend, berated him for minutes and was overall a complete jack ass. Joey denied that SM&S had ever scheduled (and then rescheduled) those drop off times and said that we «just made it up» Joey also claimed that «because we didn’t catch the name of who we spoke to (it was him) that we have no proof that there had been prior scheduled drop offs. When my boyfriend asked for the name of the manager or owner, Joey said that «you can’t talk to him; I am going to make sure you don’t contact him.» This whole time I was thinking, «wtf is this a threat?»
Anyway, the Monday drop off didn’t happen, nor did the Tuesday the 29^th drop off happen. They finally delivered my boyfriend’s stuff June 30 at midnight. Oh and of course the inventories didn’t match. They charged an extra $ 100 for stairs (never mind that it says first flight of stairs free). We payed a total of $ 1270 when we were quoted fro $ 750!!! They ripped us off and threatened to not give us our stuff.
The Stuff:
The boxes they brought looked like they had been through a war zone. Multiple mugs, trays, and glasses were broken. They lost the bed frame, a box of wine glasses, and the the bed looks bent and is probably ruined. And of course SM&S claims no liability for the damaged and lost items. The whole time they were complete jerks. On the phone. In person. All the time.
I have never, ever, been treated so horribly in my life and that includes a nasty break-​up, and a speeding ticket from the biggest ass hole cop that’s ever walked the earth. Save yourself the frustration and do not use this company!

I have used SMS Relocation to help me move on a short notice. Joey was very helpful and courteous & and displayed very good customer service.

Read all of this! Important! It’s long, I know.
PLEASE PLEASE CONTACT ME IF YOU ARE THINKING OF USING THEM! I am an RN, and feel like I am an intelligent person, and I still got screwed by the fine print. GOOGLE: SM&S Relocation Services+ Better Business Bureau. Their rating with BBB: F (very poor)
I gave 2 stars because the movers wrapped blankets and taped wooden furniture well. I had already packed and boxed everything independently by going to Public Storage and buying my own boxes and furniture covers.
This company is SHADY!!! Buyer BEWARE!
1. The 2 movers arrived 5 ½ hours late with a RYDER truck and didnt finish until 2:15AM. Yes, AM, as in the morning!
2. The movers did not bring their own tools to disassemble my bed frame and Bowflex. I had to provide tools, boxcutters, and my own hand truck.
(Ask yourself: What would Judge Judy say?)
First they present you with a contract that is mostly blank. DO NOT SIGN A DAMN THING until everything is filled in at the end of the day.
The shipping dispatch manager, BEN, also arbitrarily changed my estimated weight for a 1 bedroom apartment from 1500 lbs to 3000 lbs, after loading the truck while it was still sitting at the curb. When I asked to speak to the Manager at 2am to explain the charges, he actually started YELLING at ME. Yelling! To which I said,” Your yelling is unprofessional and to please explain how you can charge me for 3000 lbs, when the estimate is for 1500 lbs and the truck has not been weighed yet.” When asked to speak to the owner or his supervisor, he blatantly LIED and stated; «I am the boss, the owner is in Israel for the next month.»
My initial estimate: $ 675. 70% paid up front, 30% on delivery
New estimate: 2030.99, 70%= $ 1625.99 SHOCKER!
TO save yourself and keep it cheap:
1. Pretend you are hiring the illegal day laborers on the street corner.
2. All numbers on the contract up front. No exceptions.
3. The day laborers don’t pack your crap for you, do they? So, Pack and wrap everything to YOUR OWN SATISFACTION and tape it shut (mattress covers, sofa covers) or they charge you for all the tape and plastic wrap. Tell them no thank you, move it as is, that is what your renters insurance or optional insurance is for. They break it, you can claim it.
When I asked to speak to the Manager at 2am to explain the charges, he actually started YELLING at ME. Yelling! To which I said,” Your yelling is unprofessional and to please explain how you can charge me for 3000 lbs, when the estimate is for 1500 lbs and the truck has not been weighed yet.“
Ammendment:
The owner personally drove the truck to deliver my stuff from San Jose to Desert Hot Springs after reading my Unilocal review and to persuade me to change my review. He deducted 50% of the packing fees and removed the $ 120 elevator charge.
I still ended up paying hundreds more than a larger company would charge. Also, the worry and anger increased the cost exponentially.
So, contact me:
Please. Be careful. Moving should be a positive experience.

THE WORST SERVICE I’VE EVER GOT IN MY «LIFE»
1. They were 6 hours late and didn’t even bother to call to let me know they were going to be late. I had to call 4 times to see what was going on and when they were actually going to be here.
2. The driver had NO courtesy to say «sorry», not even once, for being 6 hours late, instead he gave me such a bad attitude. VERY RUDE.
3. They are nice on the phone when you’re making a reservation. But when things don’t happen the way you were told to and you question them, they will give you the shittest attitude and tell you they don’t remember what they said. Pretty much, you have to pay full price+extra for the shitty service you get.
Overall, my moving day with SM&S Relocation was A NIGHTMARE. YES, they are that HORRIBLE.
NEVER EVER use their service unless you want to do me a favor and beat the crap out of that rude man.

I have to agree with all reviews in that this company SUCKS. Just like everyone else they were late, they charged me WAY more than initially quoted and to top it off, they broke my picture frame, scratched up my floor and stripped the connection to my dryer causing a major gas leak!
Do not use this company. I believe they send out low quotes to reel the consumer in without letting you know about the hidden charges for wrapping and TAPE. My $ 340 job came out to $ 750. They did more damage than they did moving. They dont’ even use power tools to dissemble to ensure that it takes them longer to complete the job meaning more money in their pockets. Talk about shady!

no words can describe how pathetic this company is… they turned my move into a nightmare… It took them 8 hrs to move a 2 br apartment 5 miles away. I could have done it myself in less time… One of the movers did absolutely no moving (he was wrapping furniture and charging us for tape, blankets, etc…) After all that, the owner of the company was rude and unprofessional. this company does not deserve to be in business…
If you are planning to move, do not underestimat the reviews on here, I suggest if they are your last option, just rent a u-​haul and do it yourself and save yourself a $ 1000 bill…

If I could give a lower review, I would.
My scheduled time was on ⁰⁷⁄₁₃ @ 09:00, they finally showed up at 18:45. they made few attempts to answer their cell phone.
There are un-​mentioned charges/​fees… ex, to wrap/​move my 27′ TV cost the price 65 $ alone, I took the TV in my car…
Mary made no attempt to compensate for this hassle and inconvenience.
I don’t understand how they have survived so long.
If their was a Unilocal review back when I was doing my initial searches, I would have never used them.