Based on a ""binding estimate"", I hired Hercules Moving Systems to haul a bunch of my parents' furniture from Los Angeles to Maryland. They showed up 1.5 hours late and then immediately said the move would cost more than the quoted $995 because my furniture was shaped such that they could not stack it to the ceiling of their van. The final quote was $1595 (about 60% more!) and they asked for tools to take apart my furniture, including a hammer to force off the trim to made the furniture ""delicate"". At this point, I cancelled the move and requested a refund of my deposit for failure to honor the original contract. They refused to refund the deposit and we are currently in a credit card dispute.
As an aside, one of the movers asked to use our bathroom while I was on the phone trying to get hold of someone from the main office to help sort out the discrepancy in price. He was in there for 15 minutes, never used the toilet and left an article of clothing behind. It was very odd.
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