Zippy Shell Reviews

After the delivery, I contacted Zippy Shell, asking for a copy of my weigh tickets. Zippy Shell had on file that the weighing was supposed to take place. Still, due to a lack of planning, Zippy Shell did not weigh the empty or full container (see attachment identifying that Zippy Shell admitted that they did not consider the container). The weigh tickets are REQUIRED for me to be reimbursed by my employer. The documentation Zippy Shell provided with what they deemed as a possible estimate of my shipment weight was not suitable but also NOT the weight of my shipment.

I contacted Zippy Shell several times after 28 July to work on a solution for the issue of no-weigh tickets, loss of food, and trauma of 4 children under 6 years of age and 2 adults in the heat wave of August. Zippy Shell could not provide a suitable solution for the loss. Their answer was to reimburse for the weigh ticket portion only. I reiterated the requirement of weigh tickets and that the goods moved into my home must be repacked onto a new moving vehicle, driven, weighed, and then subsequently unloaded back into the house.

This requirement resulted in me having to rent a Uhaul ($202.74, see attached), drive 108 miles ($57.85 in gas, 2 hours in time. This is public data based on drop-off location and closest Certified CAT scale location), pay for weighing empty/full ($27.00) and six total additional hours of loading/unloading (required to take an entire day off of work to complete the above tasks, $72.00 per hour at a total of 8 hours). This total equates to $1,263.59 in losses. While admitting fault, Zippy Shell would not provide compensation for a new truck rental or any hired help to load and unload the house (a service that was ultimately not used). I have accepted no payment from Zippy Shell as they FAILED to uphold the second half of the contract.

Update (Feb 13, 2024): it has been 6 months and Zippy Shell has not resolved the situation. Zippy Shell says they spoke to their driver and he claims he hit nothing. Therefore they do not find themselves at fault and are not providing proper compensation. Pictures below show truck backing into the wires. Wires cut. Burn marks on the container. Zippy Shell will not honor claims nor provide customer service to veterans and their families when moving.

I called zippy shell TWO WEEKS before we were supposed to move into our new house- They claim they only need two day- and scheduled our move. I scheduled it for a weekend and got confirmation via text and email that it was scheduled and ready to go. Three days before we were supposed to get our stuff they changed the date to a Monday and did not even call us to see if we could do that date. When I called they said the movers were “closed on the weekend” which seems nothing short of suspicious. At this point we are still waiting on our stuff and are to the point of either contemplating calling the police for stolen property or getting a lawyer involved. NEVER work with zippy shell.

Another hit against Zippy. We set up delivery of the PODS last week. I have an email saying they won't charge for storage this month since they will be delivered before the renewal date. Guess what they charged me anyway. This company is unorganized and has no idea what they are doing with logistics, which is a major issue for a moving company. Stay far far away. Pay the little extra for PODS. You will be glad you did.

So, moving for Florida, of course, I called Zippy Shell again. When the movers got there, I was told all of my things would not fit into the container, that I would need another. I panicked. Living on a fixed income, $3000 more was going to be a big jump, and what was I going to do??? But it was all for naught. There was room left in the container! Why he had to scare me like that, and not wait until the packing was done, was beyond me...

After tipping them handsomely, the movers told me I needed a lock for the container, so I went to the store. When I gave them the lock, they promptly told me that it was the proper lock, it was too small. My brother, who was helping me with my move, reminded me that there were two locks in my son's garage, right inside the door into the garage. Going back out to the garage, a minute or two later, the two locks were gone! We searched the area and could not find them. Now, only four of us were in that garage to move, and two of us did not take the locks. The movers, looking guilty as we questioned them about the locks, all of sudden, said they could CHAIN the container, and use my lock. Keep the keys, they said. They stole those locks!

Until that point, these guys had done a great job, moving furniture from the second floor, wrapping mirrors and small furniture. Again, until the missing locks, I was very pleased. I thought that when the company asked for a review, I would tell them about that situation. So far, I have not gotten that request. The move was to take ten days. About eight days into it, I was notified that my container had just left Texas. I was not happy. So, it was late getting here to Florida. When I called for delivery, nothing was discussed, except the delivery date, and time. As was with the move before, and with the move TO Florida, I assumed that two guys would show up and move everything in for me. However, to my surprise, a trailer showed up with ONE guy, and he is to drop off the container and I, a 66 year-old woman and her ailing, disabled brother, are to unload this ourselves!!!

I was shocked. I said, no, you are to do this. I called the office. The contract says, self-unload. Never assume, but I did. Of course, the MO for the previous contact was always TWO MEN, and THEY MOVE. But not this time. NO help was offered to me. The office did not offer me any assistance, and the driver didn't offer a solution to me, a senior citizen. I was livid. The office told me that the contract I had signed said self-unload. Nothing like that was explained to cited for me, and, as it was their MO in the other moves, I assumed they would be doing the unloading. (There was an email, with a website address, to get paperwork.

However, when I tried to do that, it came up that the papers were filed away and unavailable. I also never received a receipt that they picked up, and never signed anything. The movers said the office would send me a receipt via email, which I never received.) So, he dropped it off, and two friends came over, and we unloaded things ourselves, slowly, the FL heat. This was totally unacceptable.

The problems: I was billed more money on the second of two billings, because, they said, the price of gas went up. I was unaware of such thing. But it did conveniently take away the discount I received when I made the reservation. I was then billed for a storage container??? I have no idea why. I emailed them, and got no reply. The container was NOT locked. So, the two 'movers' who stole the locks, did not even secure my container, as they said they would, with a chain and the lock that I legitimately gave them! It was opened right up. My holding the keys to the lock, well, I guess that was just for show.

I had two boxes that were 'eaten' through. Gross! I had packed a bag of dog food that was delivered a few days before we moved. The bag was still in the box it came in. A nice hole on the side from some sort of animal was evident, as was another hole in a box of toiletry items. That box looked like it was dropped and the seam split. So that was a bit tricky for us to take out of the container. Droppings were noticed on my couch and chair. That was disgusting. A hole is in my couch. It was not there before; it is at the top of the couch. Enough to see the stuffing of the couch is showing. Not happy with that, either.

I cannot describe the anger, the disappointment, the anxiety, the upset that I felt yesterday when the whole move came to a head. It was a nightmare from the start, when I was almost frightened into spending another $3000, to being overcharged for gasoline, charged another $50, had locks stolen from our garage, finding an unsecured container, and the topper, finding out that we had to unload my things. DO NOT use this company. The last move showed me that even if a company is cheaper, you will pay for that in the end.

Now to the delivery, we have items missing, furniture parts missing, scrapes on furniture. The customer service was deplorable because they don’t have answers for anything. Will NEVER use this company nor Packrat because they are sister company. I will not recommend Zippy Shell if you want to keep your sanity. I have moved before but this time around, the emotional roller coaster with the thousands of dollars I paid to both Packrat and Zippy Shell was too painful. Please stay away from them to keep your sanity! Not worth the pain!

I called and order the second crappy unit, they charged my credit card immediately and promised to deliver same day. They never did! After calling the company about 8 times all I received were promises. When they realized that they made an error, they tried to cover by telling me that it takes 24 hours. My wife had to cancel her flight, we cancelled move-out cleaning. All these were additional costs. Again, I called the company several times for compensation and given the same scripted response of no refund. After calling again and asked to speak with one of the top managers Josh, he offered me $75. This after total cost exceeding $6,000+. Please DO NOT put yourself through this ordeal!!! I did not do my homework and read the bad reviews about this company. I am planning to take my case to the next level, as they are a total scam and should be investigated.

It was an absolutely terrible experience. I will never use them again, and would HIGHLY encourage you to avoid using them as well. Additional Info: After house of calling trying to an update, they said they couldn't get in touch with the moving company. I called the local moving company which they were contracted with to load the container. They picked up first ring and informed me I was not on their schedule that day, or any day in the future. They also said that someone had called them earlier that day to ask about me. I was never called back or informed. Nor did they try and get me on the schedule.

The agent at ZIPPY SHELL said that, “Sir, the scale doesn’t lie”. These people are grifters. They know that customer is normally on a tight and stressful schedule and they take advantage of the fact knowing that a lot of people will cave in out of desperation. It is despicable and reprehensible. I told the driver to beat it and now they’re trying to take me for an $800 “cancellation penalty” that they will NEVER GET! Don’t use ZIPPY SHELL!

ABSOLUTELY UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE USE THIS COMPANY. You'd be smarter to sell everything you own than hire these people to "MOVE" aka destroy them. CAUTION DO NOT USE THIS ABSOLUTELY CORRUPT business. I don't even know how they're still legally an entity. Literally horrendous customer services, experience and execution (if you can even say they do that). I wouldn't wish my worst enemy to use this company.

The next day logistics worked out and they were able to schedule my move. They charged me more than what was agreed upon. I had to call multiple times to try to get an update on the charges and where my belongings were because their communication is nonexistent. Zippy Shell/Pack Rat could not tell me where my shell was at or when they could expect it. This is certainly not comforting and a bad way to conduct business. I was told there was nothing they would do about the the additional charges - again awful customer service- why not be upfront and transparent about your fees?

6/23/22 I got an email that my shell made it to the storage destination - The very last day. I call and get a message that they are closed. I called the next day to get my move scheduled. I give them 3 different options (3 different days- try telling your work you must take off, but you don't know when). I get a very vague email that my move is scheduled for 6/29/22. I call to try to get details and they are unable to provide me anything. Another charge hit my account days before they even deliver my belongings. Then again, the evening before my move I get a call stating that something has happened, and they are unable to move me as agreed upon. They would have to unload my belongings from the Zippy Shell/Pack Rat at the storage facility and then loosely load my stuff onto a truck then drive that truck to my home and then unload it again. I explained that is very unprofessional and increases the chances for loss or damages.

I was very upset and requested that I be present when the unloading at the Zippy Shell facility was happening so I can ensure things wouldn’t get broken or lost. I explained as well that this would cause the move to take longer and that I didn't want to be charged for any additional time! He promised me that I wouldn't be charged and that I could do that and that it wouldn't be a problem.

I was also explicitly stated that Zippy Shell/ Pack Rat did not have authorization to charge my account anymore. I was told that the movers and the facility would call me and that they would not open the storage unit until I got there. I am in the area by 7:30 waiting for the call. I waited until 9:30 a.m., still no call so I showed up at the facility in Buford, GA- Charlie was rude and inconsiderate - he claimed to not have any notes about me wanting to be there. He cuts me off when I am explaining the situation and is overall unprofessional towards me. I find out that the movers have already started without my consent. The storage wasn't locked by Zippy Shell/Pack Rat as stated and was left open since 6/11/22!

The movers were ill prepared to move- the truck was too small, and they didn't have a dolly to move my stuff. It took the movers 6.5 hours to move a small one bedroom. The move damaged a vintage bike, and hybrid bike, broke a 20-year-old antique Disney Snow globe, stained my brand new couch, and almost every piece of furniture was damaged. I filed an insurance claimed, they denied it after 6 months of investigating. Which I wasn't once contacted for a statements as most reliable and ethical companies would do. Please save yourself the trouble.... Zippy Shell/Pack Rat is the worst. They are unethical, unprofessional and fail to communicate.

They will seem very nice and helpful till your first payment goes through (2 days before the container drop-off), then expect to pay several hundred dollars extra and hours on the phone. Everything is about locking your options by not giving you any information (in time, if at all any). Every time, they will pull up the agreement and read out a hidden condition. Double their initial quote, that is what you will be spending. They add extra and duplicate charges, you have to spend days arguing to get them to admit it and get the refund. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, DO NOT USE THIS SERVICE. THEY ARE THE WORST, RATINGS DON'T LIE, I WISH I HAD REALIZED THIS BEFORE.

I followed all of those instructions, had the movers on my end ready to go for that date I discussed with VA team. Called to confirmed the schedule drop off and the soonest they can do it was OVER a week from when I called. And zero customer service. You call the corporate line and they put in requests, but you won't know for 24-48.hrs the outcome. If that date they provide you is different than what was already very clearly worked out, you won't know for 48 hrs. And then, you have to call back and start the process ALL over. If they schedule on a Wednesday and you've been clear it has to be a weekend, guess what, you have to call back and wait maybe 48 hrs. Schedules fill up quickly and I'm now in a new city with no ability to really plan my move, because I'm at the mercy of back and forth. Thus, so are the movers.

Take away what the VA team and I worked out, here is what they promise on their website: "Don’t worry, your things are just a phone call away. Now that all that stuff is out of your hair, we’ll keep it safe in one of our climate-controlled and secure locations. Need something back? No problem, just give us a call, we’ll have it back in a flash."

A "flash" is actually no less than 10.days and you best be available on that 10th day, or it will be another 10. Now I'll have thousands in extra hotel and other costs because they won't honor the original date and also there is no "two day" delivery. Don't bother with Zippy Shell. It's a cool business model, with a great website, they reel you in on the quote side, and then you are on your own. You are better off with the sketchy one truck and a dolly company.

Our belongings arrived, multiple pieces of furniture damaged. They didn't even bother to remove a credenza because it couldn't be salvaged. We initially thought our apartment was on the first floor, but when we realized it wasn't, I called to inform them. They said they would be adding the stair fee, which was fine with us. Fast forward 9 MONTHS later, and today I received an invoice saying $150 was being charged to my card on file. I immediately called to dispute and was told they never charged for the stair fee. After going back and forth with a supervisor who talked in circles, I was told there was nothing they could do. 9 months later. This is absolutely unacceptable. Save yourself and do not use this company. It's the cheapest option for a reason.

It's been 9 months of calling customer service to get a resolution. 9 months of false promises. We were even told they'd found something on camera in one of the warehouses. This past week, they denied our claim and offered us $250 of hush money. They stole from us and are trying to cover it up. All we got out of this move is pain and heartache, and I want justice for what they've done. Don't use 1-800 Pack Rat or Zippy Shell, or you may be as financially and mentally destroyed as we are.

Original Review: July 14, 2022

Went with this company for a long distance move from NJ. The sales rep was nice and I felt like I made a great decision. Once the move took place, they delayed my container 2 days and were unapologetic. Charged me erroneous fees for a drop off at my house and storage insurance I never purchased. The unit itself had a busted interior lock when arrived at my moving location and exterior shell lock when it arrived at my destination. They accept no accountability for their errors and their customer service reps act like you are bothering them when you call. Will never suggest this company to anyone sadly.

If that wasn’t frustrating enough, they took over a week to get us our COI correctly and delivered it on the morning of the move. And as a warning, the customer service department is absolutely useless and will tell you that they put an “urgent” request and still take time to get back to you. The company has been an absolute nightmare while moving and highly recommended that people look elsewhere for long-distance movers.