Zippy Shell Incorporated

203 Reviews: Add Review

1. Misleading - Costing Me Hundreds Extra.

   I'm just going to post my email to ZippyShell and their response:
   
   My Email:
   
   Again I want to express and put on record my frustration with ZippyShell. After my front end experience I had hoped the unloading process would be easier however this was not the case. Two weeks before my Shell was to be delivered I called ZippyShell to start the delivery process. I asked for unloading to be added to my bill no questions asked I was quoted an unloading cost of $350. When I received an email about my Shell arriving at the final destination I called ZippyShell to schedule delivery. I was given a priority date of July 6th and an alternative date of July 10th. I was told I would be notified if my first date was not honored. Only July 5th I was driving from Michigan to Chapel Hill, NC in preparation for a July 6th delivery date. I called late morning of July 5th to confirm the delivery- only to learn my stuff would not be delivered until July 10th- resulting in unnecessarily losing time with family over the July 4th holidays. On July 10th when my Shell arrived I was immediately given an invoice from Tom (unloading captain) for an additional $300 charge because the 28 stairs, which were not inquired about, were not included in my unloading quote. He relayed to me that ZippyShell charges by the stair- meaning each stair cost me an additional $10.71. Feeling like I had no other option to get to sleep in my own bed that night I signed the invoice to accept the charge. Throughout the unloading process one of the movers complained to me directly about the two flights of stairs to get to the third floor “This is why you will never find a mover living on the 3rd floor” and about the shrink wrapping of the furniture which I explained to him was done by ZippyShell movers on the front end of this process. I understand it was a hot day- I provided water and a significant tip to each mover.
   
   Overall I was happy to use ZippyShell- it was an economical moving choice- each phone call was pleasant- my movers in Dallas were strong and efficient- and Tom and Jaylen in Chapel Hill were a pleasure to work with. However, I do feel like I was mislead or there were significant lapses in communication on multiple occasions resulting in unexpected costs to me. I would like this to be remedied with a refund of my additional $300 unloading costs.
   
   Their Response:
   
   Thank you for writing in about your compliment and concerns regarding your move with Zippy Shell. We very much appreciate the feedback and we apologize to hear that the unloader complained regarding the steps as that is not the professional behavior we strive for. I do apologize that a representative did not inquire as to whether there were steps or elevators that the movers would need to use in order to unload your shell.
   
   Unfortunately, we are unable to void that fee as it is listed in the contract that was signed.
   
   Thank you very much for your time in this matter and we hope you are enjoying your new home.
   
   Kind rgards.

2. Do not recommend.

   I'm incredibly disappointed with Zippy Shell. I found that there is a major disconnect between the sales team and customer care. Sales does a great job and I found my salesperson to be incredibly friendly and helpful, but Zippy Shell under-delivered.
   - My contract states that my belongings will arrive at my destination in 5-10 business days, and I'm fully understanding of that. But, my sales person kept mentioning she's obligated to say that, but my belongings would be there sooner. Customer care keeps mentioning that it's peak season and my belongings will take the full 10 days.
   - There is no way to track the status of your belongings once the Zippy Shell ships from the origin warehouse. I'll simply get an email when they arrive at the destination warehouse. This makes it incredibly hard to schedule labor and coordinate the actual move. The customer care team can only see that your Zippy Shell is in transit, but can't give you any additional information.
   - The concept, in theory, sounded like a great idea, but it's incredibly flawed. I used professional movers and they found it incredibly difficult to pack the cage without having anything shift and/or hang out the side.
   I really wanted to like Zippy Shell, but I am so disappointed. We didn't bring nearly enough with us as we sit in this empty house waiting for our belongings. We even tacked on a little vacation during our move, hoping our Zippy Shell would catch up to us by the time we got to our destination. I would not recommend for anyone looking for long distance movers.

3. Do Not Use This Company.

   DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY. This was literally the worst customer experience of my life. I contracted with Zippy Shell to move my family from Charlotte, NC to the SF Bay Area. I found them online and what appealed to me was the fact that the trailers have license plates and therefore can be parked on the street legally vs. POD and other companies (which are not permitted to be parked on the street where we now live in CA). When I called and spoke to a sales person (which I had written down her name..) I gave them my drop dead delivery date of 5/27 and we then selected the container drop-off date in Charlotte based on the estimated delivery time which was provided to me on the phone (5/11). The service which was provided was foreshadowed by an email I received the first week of May stating that my container had arrived in CA. How could these be? I hadn't even received my container in Charlotte to pack my stuff yet? Then they couldn't locate the contract I e-signed, etc. a total mess. The container did arrive on 5/11 in the morning but the metal piece used to remove the cage from the trailer was bent so the ramp couldn't be extended.. the driver had to go back to the warehouse to have it fixed and then returned to my home in Charlotte later that morning. It was picked up on 5/14 and my assumption was it would be on it's way to CA on 5/15, as I was told. WRONG! I called Zippy Shell on 5/23 to confirm my container was in transit and would in fact be delivered on 5/27 and it HADN'T EVEN LEFT CHARLOTTE YET - it had been sitting at the warehouse in Charlotte for 10 days. I of course was freaking out as I then knew there was no way it would be delivered on 5/27. Customer Service stated that my container had been "bumped" from the freight which left on 5/15 and no one had scheduled it to depart until I CALLED. What if I hadn't called? When would my stuff have gotten there? Never? They told me the sales person I spoke with gave me false facts about the delivery time frame and they would "look into it to see if further training on protocol was needed." After working with Lauren, who I believe is an "Escalation Manager", I was finally told my container would be picked up in Charlotte on 5/25 and arrive in California on 5/29. Needless to say the container did arrive on 5/29 but I was then told by Lauren (only AFTER it arrived in CA) that "this time of year in the Bay area is pretty busy and it could take up to a week to get your items delivered - we will have to confirm scheduling with dispatch at the warehouse near your area). Are you F*CKING kidding me? Why didn't someone tell me that when I was booking? The only reason I went with this company was because I was told my items would be delivered on 5/27. I would have packed my sh*t up and had it picked up well before 5/14 had I known it was going to take this long. My stuff was not delivered until 6/7 - 12 days after I was told it would get delivered. I have a 2yo and 4yo, we had none of our stuff, I had to go out and buy duplicates of sheets, towels, etc., not to mention the NUMEROUS times I had to call their 888 number to get a hold of someone. More than a handle of times I was told someone would return my call and HOURS would pass with nothing, I would then have to call them back and basically harass them to get a response. Once again, DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY.

4. Do not use.

   I cannot recommend this company to anyone looking to move. It took a full month for my items to be delivered from 8 hours away. In addition, the team who packed my items did such a terrible job, they broke my TV and several other items. When trying to contact the company to complain, I was met with complete silence. They clearly do not care about their customers. Avoid Zippy Shell at all costs.

5. Horrendous Customer Service.

   If you're considering Zippyshell, turn the other way.
   
   From the pushy sales person to the unresponsive customer care team, you're left with a sour taste in your mouth. Our shell was 7 hours late and if we did not reach out, we probably would not have received the shell at all. There is a HUGE disconnect between the customer care team and the actual warehouse.
   
   When we received the email that our shell was delivered to our intended destination, we were ecstatic because we were expecting the worse. After scheduling the delivery to our new home, we were told that since we went with self-unloading that we only had 2 hours to unload before being charged an additional $100/hr. They suggested that if we hired their movers, we would get 3 hours to unload. Their logic did NOT make sense. Why would we need MORE time to unload if we had movers? It was apparent that their movers had a 3 hour minimum and that we would be required to pay for the full 3 hours when it would take no more than 30 minutes for them to unload. After rolling our eyes and biting our tongue, we went with the 2 hour self-unload in hopes of hiring our own helpers. On the day that our shell was scheduled to arrive, I called the customer care team in hopes of getting a better timeframe- no luck. BUT they did confirm that our shell would arrive in that specified timeframe. Once again, it got later and later and nothing. Instead I called the warehouse directly and was told that they had us scheduled for a later timeframe. Furious, I called the customer care team to ask if there was anything they could do to remedy the situation and as expected, nothing was offered.
   
   Our shell arrived on the back of a trailer completely exposed (they DID NOT wrap the shell like the sales person described). Since the shell arrived later than expected, we had to unload with no help. The truck driver FORGOT the ramp making it difficult to quickly unload. Thankfully, he stepped in and helped, making him the most valuable person at Zippyshell.
   
   If we were to do this again, I would NOT go with Zippyshell. I would NOT recommend them to anyone. Their customer service is atrocious and the disconnect between their customer care team and warehouse is too apparent to make the customer care team helpful whatsoever. If you do decide to go with Zippyshell, just ask for the warehouse number and contact them directly. Skip the care team and it might be a better overall experience.

6. Disgusting people.

   The movers who loaded my things out laughed at my furniture, smoked on my property without my permission, stashed a half smoked cigarette on my porch to save for later and then complained about how many boxes I had. One of the same revolting people (named Steve, I think) was on the crew to move into my new place. This time I got to listen to profanity and tales of his love life. My things were damaged and the office people didn't care at all. I had no recourse. Never again. Just disgusting. Total white trash crew of losers.

7. So many issues.

   Great service and friendly people on the front end. The customer service rep selling me their services was very friendly, responsive, helpful, and good at her job. It is clear they are paid on a commission based structure.
   
   The transportation of our goods was relatively quick (from Colorado Springs to Melbourne Florida).
   
   Where it got messed up and a headache was at the tail end. My destination address wasn’t plugged into their system properly and when I called to schedule the redelivery of my cube they said that since my address is 5 miles further than what they had in their system. This cost me an additional $157.
   
   After we scheduled the redelivery for a Saturday. They emailed and said the warehouse could do it on Saturday but since it would put their guy in overtime there would be an additional $150 fee.
   
   Finally, a small but annoying thing they’ll do, is 4/5 times I called their customer service team, they would immediately place me on hold after I’ve been waiting on hold for someone to pick up the phone. I’ll be in queue waiting for someone to answer and when it rings, the person on the other line would immediately say “zippy shell. I need to put you on a brief hold”. I’d understand if that happened once, but it happened 4 times to me. Seems like they don’t have food management or accountability. For all I know they’re chatting it up with their cube mate or checking their Facebook in between calls.
   
   Again, small point, but speaks to their customer service. The contrast is so stark compared to their “sales” group.
   
   I’ve used PODs twice. UPack once. Now Zippy Cube once. PODs is hands down the best, and you’ll pay for it. Zippy isn’t too much cheaper, so when I do this again I’ll likely pay the $200 extra and have a better more hassle free experience.
   
   I thinks it’s ridiculous for a company to surprise you with over $200 in extra fees for something that isn’t my problem. If you’re open on Saturdays and by having someone there create an overtime issue, hire more people or do something differently but don’t pass that cost onto me after the fact.
   
   Also a difference in 5 miles should not equal an additional 150+ dollars, they can get away with this because they know you want your stuff back, and 99% of the people are stressed out over a mo also a difference in 5 miles should not equal an additional 150+ dollars, they can get away with this because they know you want your stuff back, and 99% of the people are stressed out over having recently moved and my guess is most people just pay the money and get on with it.

8. Bait and Switch.

   People write reviews when they're upset or overjoyed. I've given ZippyShell a one-star review, so obviously I'm upset. However, the world doesn't need to read my individual sob story.
   
   What does the reader need to know about Zippy Shell? You don't need to hear my drama - you need to know the important facts.
   
   Here's what is important:
   
   Zippy Shell has the appearance of a snappy upstart that has improved upon the logistics of an old industry throug the power of data and technology. Nothing could be further from the truth.
   
   Zippy Shell is basically a call center and a website. Moving is a very physical process. The call center employees and website don't move your belongings from point A to point B. Zippy Shell is a the worst type of concept - let's break up a process into pieces, outsource those pieces to multiple vendors, and create a process where lots of people have a small amounts of responsbility, and where no one actually has to answer for the whole (terrible) experience. Let's put most of our effort into our sales force to sell (and disguise) this bootleg product.
   
   Your move is handled by a series of outsourced partners. A "franchise partner" will pick up your stuff. Another franchise partner will pick up your stuff after it's delivered, by train, to your destination. They will not know each other. They will have no accountability to you - you are not their client. Zippy Shell is their client. Zippy Shell will coordinate with the different partners as they each fulfill their part of the larger process.
   
   So, if and when you have an issue, there will be no one to listen to your concerns. The call center people are based in Florida and will tell you everything you want to hear until you make your initial deposit. After they have your stuff, good luck - you will be forced to sign a piece of paper that basically says "this worked perfectly and I love it" before they will release your belongings. So, once you have your stuff and you try to complain, they'll just say "looks like here like the move went off without a hitch." You'll be told that eventually you can talk to a manager - someone with a sense of ownership over the process, someone with the ability to interject and fix the situation. Ha, silly you, you gullible, sad little person. Even if you talk to this person, they can't answer for the work that was done - they're just working in the Flordia call center.
   
   What was most suprising to me is that they couldn't give you a status at any point during the move. Our stuff was picked up and we couldn't get up an update for 3 weeks. It was just a total black hole. Like I said, not a technology company - not a smarter way to move.
   
   My move with Zippy Shell was beyond awful. I lost a lot of property. I lost a lot of money. The stress and frustration probably took a year off my life.
   
   My grievances are many, but the most salient point of malfeseance was this:
   
   They didn't send pods/trailers/containers to my residence. They sent a truck instead. You can see the picture - does that look like what you see on the website? That truck wasn't in the contract, that wasn't the deal, but they did it anyway. Everything got worse from there.
   
   I have to move on now. I spent four months fighting with this company, but when a person goes against a corporation, the person usually loses. All they can do is right a review.

   

9. Attn: Pres/ceo of Zippyshell- Unprofessional Company!!

   I live in Sacramento CA and rented one of these crappy containers. Contains inner cage where your stuff goes, which greatly reduces usable square feet. They delivered. We loaded. Was to be stored in Sacramento warehouse ~4 mos. About 6 wks later, a RUDE young guy called and said Sacramento company was closing and my stuff was going to be moved to SF area. I said NO, bc it was not packed to be moved 180 miles round trip. His response was that I didn’t have a choice unless I wanted to take my stuff back THAT VERY AFTERNOON. I TOLD HIM I DIDNT HAVE A PLACE TO TAKE IT W/ such short notice! They moved it. Three months later, I took out of storage. They drove it all the way back; ~90 miles. My beautiful furniture has SO MANY SCRATCHES AND GOUGES. They were not careful. I filed a claim. They assured me it would be paid. IT WAS REJECTED. Their reason: OOPS, WE FILED WITH THE WRONG INS CO!! I never received a penny for all the damage. THEY ARE UNPROFESSIONAL AND DON’T GIVE A ROYAL RAT ABOUT THEIR SO-CALLED CUSTOMER! AVOID!!

   

10. Just another company that has chosen to fly by it's own unfair rules.

    Once again a happy go lucky moving relocation and storage company with an overwhelmingly positive Web presence bares it's behind by being just another company that has chosen to fly by it's own unfair rules hiding behind a well hidden sentence in its contract with its victims that says that the cost of delivering the goods that you have entrusted to their delicate hands can change at any time for any reason.
    
    When I first contacted Zippy Shell I received an initial quote that included delivery to my home. At the time I was told that the delivery charge would be considerably more expensive because of the distance my new residence was from the terminal in Syracuse, NY. Some time after after I packed up my shell and had it picked up, I thought that I would try to save a few bucks and I would rent a truck and pick my household items up my self, so I changed my delivery option to what is called a terminal pick up. Several weeks later I changed my mind back to having my shell delivered to my new home. I called and spoke to a reresentative and was told delivery would be an additional $850. This may seem like a lot but it is what I expected because it was what I was originally quoted back in the beginning.
    
    However before I agreed to this charge I wanted to discuss us this charge with my wife as any good husband would. We decided that yes pay the $850, get the thing delivered and be done with it. After all it included our items being unloaded by the Zippy Shell people! So 48 hours later I called back and confirm with Zippy Shell that yes I want to change back to home delivery and yes we will pay the additional $850. I'm placed on a lengthy hold because they need to "make sure their numbers are correct", something I was familiar with because I just went through the same process 48 hours ago before discussing with the boss (my wife). They came cack on the line and asked if they could charge the credit card that we had on file and I agreed. We confirmed a date (Friday, 4/6/18) and a back up date (Tuesday, 4/10/18) incase or weather or some other emergency and I said good by.
    
    That was Monday afternoon, 4/2/18 and aparantly they had extended to April Fools fetivities an additional 24 hours at Zippy Shell Corporate because I received a voice mail on Wednesday the 4th that in order to have my shell delivered and unloaded as we initially agreed and contracted to do on Friday that I needed to call them back and pay an additional $442. It seemed that because my delivery was greater than 100 miles away that the terminal was charging the fee and that they had no control over that situation. So after calling twice and getting the same quote, and after I accepted that quote and Zippy Shell charged my credit card placing a contract in force, Zippy Smell was playing by their own rules and was now holding my goods hostage for an additional $450. After speaking at length with Brittany, the customer service robot who said over and over how she could understand my anger and frustration with the situation that Crappy Smell had placed me in I was refereed to Lauren, an escalations manager who also told me that she understood my anger and frustration, but due to an incompatibility in their software with the Terminal company (not a Crappy Smell company) they were unaware or the excess charge- as if this was the first time they had a delivery more that 100 miles from the terminal. Lauren then referred me to the original contract that stated on page four that the cost of delivery can change at any time for any reason by any amount and that there was nothing she could do.
    
    Thats right: First the Terminal people are not part of Zippy Shell and they make their own rules, rules that Zippy Shell is aparantly unaware of and that Zippy Shell tolerates or at the very least have not figured out how to communicate their policies to their customers, and that they have a glaring software incompatability that they refuse to fix or address. And second, tucked away in a 20,000 word contract is a clause that states your cost can change by any amount, for any reason, at any time!
    
    So I will leave you with that. Beware the multicultural happy faces on their website. Beware the ease at which you think you can move with Crappy Smell. They are just another corporate entity designed by theives who will hold your personal belongings hostage and they will do it with a smile.
    
    This is currently unresolved.

11. Don't ship your valuables.

    Don't ship anything valuable with this company. If other companies charge more, pay them - but don't ever use ZippyShell. I plan to post the pictures of my vintage bicycles and wheels before and after they were shipped in a ZippyShell container. My container was shipped to a wrong location and it took weeks before I got it. By the time I got the container a large portion of carefully packed items were wiped out. Then the company offered a few hundred dollars to buy my silence, asked me not to write bad review about this company in exchange for the money. Guess what!

    

12. Zippy Shell Arizona.

    Complete misrepresentation of the unit size and very poor customer service! They claim the unit holds up to four rooms, which is incredibly misleading as well false advertising. When the unit pulls up on your property and you see the size, they ask you if you want another unit delivered trying sell another delivery charge and storage fee.
    
    When I approached the delivery driver, on the size of the unit, he said it does hold up to four rooms "but only what you really need". The third party movers also said they have told the company multiple times of the problem however, the problem continues. They both thanked me for not taking it out on them and ask me to call the office regarding my concerns, as they are the one’s the customers typically take out their frustrations on. This is apparently a normal occurrence and very unethical business practice by this company.
    
    When I called to discuss the issue with Stacy, I was basically told I was a lair by both Stacy and Amy “the manager”. They claim I was told the unit holds only "2-3 rooms with only a moderate amount of items", however the only thing I was asked by Nancy was if I was moving a piano because "they've had a problem with that the last couple days", as to which the answer was no piano. We have a small 1,500 sf house and about half of the items are being moved and with no appliances. They refused to compensate for anything or any services and were unwilling to come to a fair and reasonable compromise.
    
    I've used other companies like this for moving in the past and I regret ever calling Zippy Shell and giving them a chance and my money! I DO NOT recommend them, especially since there are many other companies out there that will treat you with respect and be upfront about how much the unit can hold. Now my hands are tied as they have 1/2 of my stuff, I've paid for movers, and I still have more to put in storage.. and they don't care, they just want your money.

13. San Francisco to Oklahoma City.

    The absolute worst moving company. My container was picked up on December 19th. I will finally receive delivery on January 17th, 4 weeks to the day after pick up. The container sat in California for more than two weeks before they even began to move it. Even with the holidays factored in I was notified the container arrived more than a week after the latest arrival date, according to how they calculate business days, per the contract. They then had the nerve to minimize the number of days late by creating extra holiday days and saying those days don't count as business days (Dec 22). They notified me of arrival on a Monday, told me the container had arrived the previous Friday and didn't count that extra business day either. They acknowledged being 3 business days late then just said we're sorry there's nothing we can do to make this right. No adjustment to the bill. I won't even go into how they were 2 hours late in dropping off the container on the front end of the move costing me an extra 2 hours of loading labor. Stay far away from this dishonest, incompetent company.

14. Never! Horribly Slow!

    Never use Zippy Shell. They were unable to locate our shipment for weeks, and we've been without our property now for 37 days! Now that they've found it, they can't reliably predict or expedite delivery. At current estimation, we'll have been without our property for 43 days when (if?) we get it back. Outrageous! We were originally promised between two and three weeks. Never use Zippy Shell!!

15. Beware of Hidden Fees.

    The Zippy Shell representative was very clear on the phone that I could cancel up to two days before the move. However, there are hidden fees when you cancel, which are not listed on the contract but are only visible if you hyperlink off the actual contact to sub-pages.
    
    This company has a two-star rating for a reason and after my experience with them, I would NEVER use them. They are disingenuous on the phone and the 4-page contract does not contain all the information it should make fees clear. All fees should be on the signed portion of the contract.