Page 1 of 1
Shipping Experience - Universal Relocations (sponsor)
Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2017 12:32 pm
by santhoshsram
I moved fromSunnyvale to Pune in April (well items reached in August) 2017.
In short, the movewas a terrible experience full of headaches; the staff could not have cared anyless. I deeply regret doing business with them and I would never recommend themto anyone. All of this is based on my experience of course.
[LIST=1]
I worked with Mr.Madhusudhan. He seemed like the most professional and knowledgeable sales repassuring me that they will make my move as smooth as possible. Well that wasuntil I paid my first dollar, that's when the trouble started. Later I realizedthe hard way that it's the trick they use to lure you in - hook, line andsinker.
The packers whoshowed up to pack the stuff were the most unprofessional packers I've seen. Theguys waiting outside Home Deport for work do a better job. All though I hadsegregated different items in different boxes (bathroom, kitchen, bedroom, livingroom etc) and placed them in different groups, the guys just dumped everythingrandomly into the boxes.
If I were to packthe stuff myself I was recommended to use heavy duty (double walled) boxes. Ihad them pack instead and they ended up using regular boxes (single walled)which don't hold up well to rough use. Of course they charged me for the heavy dutyboxes. It wouldn't have mattered if half the boxes delivered after 4 monthswere not squashed and mangled resulting in the stuff inside them being broken.
They suggest thatyou have to use their special TV boxes ($100) to be able to claim insurance andthey put the box through a battery of tests. That's a lie to make you pay more.It is the same adjustable box you could find at U-haul or Home Depot for under$30.
My shipment washeld up in the destination port (Chennai) for almost 3 weeks and that resultedin port storage charges. Universal dumped all of that on me. I later found outother companies that do the right thing by absorbing part of the fee and havingthe customer pay the remaining.
The way thecustoms and port discharge was handled was very unprofessional. I got requeststo pay all dues (customs, port charges etc) which I did, but there was nofollow up to inform me of the status or provide me with the paper work to backthe charges. I had to make several call and follow ups to obtain these. Againevery time I called I heard the standard excuse "Sorry sir weforgot". They kept forgetting for almost 2-3 weeks.
Finally when theshipment made it to Pune, there was more trouble from the Mathadi union.Maharashtra has a union of workers who do loading and unloading, and movershave to use these workers - that's the state law (well the union is run by youknow who, which is a different issue). But universal (for a company that claimsto operate across the globe ironically) does not employ them and had mecompensate the union instead. Universal rudely declined they'd have anything todo with the compensations, while it was their responsibility to know about thestate rules and employ the right folks as the state rule mandates. Therepresentative quoted different clauses in the agreement (which were of courseopen to interpretation) to shake off their responsibility. This is exactly whatthey quoted from the 'exclusions' - "Difficult access charges to the door,Shuttle Service" -> interpreted as the union was causing themdifficulty to access the customer's door. Cunning!
On unpacking andchecking several of the items were found broken and damaged, including someexpensive ones. As always universal disowns any accountability - it's theinsurance company's responsibility they said. Of course the insurance companyhad their own way to deny the claim. Universal did zilch to help with theclaim. The items would have made it safe if universal used professional packersand the right packing materials to pack the stuff in the first place. But no,they cut every possible corner to make more money at the customer's expense.
[/LIST]
And by the way, I haven't been able to get a hold of Mr. Madhusudhan ever since the shipment leftthe door in Sunnyvale.
Admin Comments:
Comments indicating Universal Relocations are deleted.
Universal Relocations and Universal Relocations are not same company. They were partners earlier and now they are separate. Universal relocations has been acquired by another company few months back. There is another thread in this forum announcing that.
Shipping Experience - Universal Relocations (sponsor)
Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2017 11:07 pm
by mn712
I'm not sure whether this forum is packed with Universal employees giving glowing recommendations to their own company. Because my experience with them has been simply terrible so far and am only now realising (too late) that all other forums such as Yelp, Mouthshut, etc have really negative reviews about this company.
The 9 boxes I shipped with them to Mumbai left Boston on 23rd June, and as of today (16th Oct) are still being held in Chennai. There's no sign of getting my boxes delivered and I'm not sure if I ever will receive any or all of my stuff. Chances are very slim.
I got my 1st nasty surprise when I got the confirmation email from Universal. I live in Mumbai and they informed me that the shipment will arrive at Chennai port. When I called their office, I got Mr. Sai Dattani on the line and he assured me it would not be a problem since this was the norm for less than full load shipments. I was ok with it then, but fast forward to Sept and look what's happening:
[LIST=1]
8th Sept: got an update that the stuff has arrived in Chennai.
13th Sept: the update was that the stuff was offloaded from the container and is at the port waiting for customs clearance.
20th Sept: I received an invoice from Universal stating that the customs inspection is complete and I need to pay port charges of Rs 3,900. I called Shyamala (who sent the email) and she told me these government charges are applicable for all shipments and are NOT included in the original invoice (which was certainly never mentioned earlier). She told me that the shipment will arrive at Universal's warehouse in the weekend of 23rd Sept and will take 10 days to reach me in Mumbai.
29th Sept: I received an email that the customs inspection was delayed by a week due to 'Pooja Holidays'. (How was the inspection delayed when it was already apparently completed earlier and paid for?)
When I called on 29th Sept and 9th Oct, I was informed by Rajan (customer service manager @ Universal) that the customs people are delaying the inspection due to their backlog. Both times he assured me that the delay is for a week and no more.
13th Oct: I demanded the names and designation of the customs officials who were delaying the shipment. Rajan assured me that the stuff would definitely be cleared by 16th Oct.
16th Oct: Rajan informed me today that the entire pallet has been held by customs due to incorrect paperwork of some other customer and apparently my shipment cannot be unloaded for 2 more weeks. He mentioned that Universal will bear the port expenses for the delay.
[/LIST]
At this stage I don't know what to believe. If the customs cleared my shipment and I already paid the charges, how did this pallet problem occur now? Who is actually the bottleneck? What's the resolution for the issue? The only things I've heard from Universal so far is that 'they are sorry, but cannot do anything'. What's the guarantee this issue will be resolved in 2 weeks - after all I've been hearing different excuses for the past month!! Since the email on 29th Sept, I have received no written updates from Universal.
Meanwhile I have been forced to buy duplicates of almost all items I shipped to India (medical equipment, clothes, shoes, vacuum cleaner, household items, etc) because of the delay caused by Universal. Who is going to compensate me for all these duplicates?
Given my own experience with Universal and reading other people's reviews I'm almost certain I'm not getting my stuff in 2017. And if I actually get a delivery, I will not be surprised if some or all my stuff is damaged or missing.
This is a major issue with companies like Universal cheating people because they know most people will use their services only once. As long as they can create an illusion of good service on forums such as r2i, they can get new customers without actually having to deliver the goods. And since the customers have moved to India, they are free to run their racket in the US without having to answer to anyone. I was also told by Rajan that I cannot claim insurance since the goods are being held at the port. If they hold the goods for 6+ months and everything is damaged, who will compensate me?
Lesson for others: Just sell your stuff in the US and bring what you need with you on the plane. Forget shipping things to India. Our hard-earned money holds no value to these people.
My plan is to now call the NJ office to demand an explanation. Let's see what they come up with. Will update.
Shipping Experience - Universal Relocations (sponsor)
Posted: Sun Oct 22, 2017 6:32 pm
by Universal Relocations
Hi
I am sorry to hear that you aren't happy with our service. Can you please send us your QUOTE REF # information along with more details on the issues you are having to [email][email protected][/email] so that we can try to help.Thank you
Universal Relocations
Shipping Experience - Universal Relocations (sponsor)
Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2017 1:51 pm
by mn712
Update:
A couple of days after I posted this and also emailed the NJ office, I got a call from the Chennai office. They cleared the shipment within 2-3 days and sent it to Mumbai. Thankfully nothing broken except a couple of dishes and smaller items (some breakage is to be expected, I suppose).
I finally got my stuff, but the Chennai office need to get their act together. When I was polite on the phone, they kept delaying my shipment for 1.5 months. On 16th Oct they told me it would take 2 more weeks. After I yelled loudly on this forum and on emails / phone, they got it done in less than a week.
We could have avoided all this drama. I know only drama gets things moving in India, but maybe Universal can consider operating without it.
Shipping Experience - Universal Relocations (sponsor)
Posted: Thu Jan 04, 2018 6:12 pm
by rakeshpoonia505
Thank you for sharing this information. I was looking for best packers and movers in Gurgaon.
Shipping Experience - Universal Relocations (sponsor)
Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2018 3:12 pm
by am0gh
The experience of packing and moving from one home to another can be very stressful, let alone moving continents. In such a scenario, it is refreshing to see a company so dedicated to eliminating stress for the 'movers' (pun intended).
Right at the outset, Richard (US sales) - explained exactly what I was paying for. He spoke about customs charges and when to expect these. None of the other representatives even mentioned there was a customs charge.
Every step of the process the communication was clear and the updates precise and timely.
A special shout out beginning with Richard. The US moving team. The Chennai team - Leon, Saravanan, Rajan and Shyamala coordinating the customs clearance. The Mumbai team - Ravi, Sujan and Karan with the delivery.
Thanks for the wonderful experience. Should a need arise for relocation services again, Universal will be my first call and I will wholeheartedly recommend Universal to my friends as well.
PS: If I missed calling anyone else's name out, my apologies. But rest assured you have my thanks!!
We loved the service so much that we ended up using them for our move from Mumbai to Bangalore as well. When I got a quote from them and said it was more expensive than the others I had received, they promptly revised it and sent it over. The pick up was excellent, as usual, and the drop off and installation was spot on as well.
Although I don't hope to move in the near future, I know where to go for my moving needs should I need it!
Shipping Experience - Universal Relocations (sponsor)
Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2018 6:16 pm
by Universal Relocations
am0gh;673689The experience of packing and moving from one home to another can be very stressful, let alone moving continents. In such a scenario, it is refreshing to see a company so dedicated to eliminating stress for the 'movers' (pun intended).
Right at the outset, Richard (US sales) - explained exactly what I was paying for. He spoke about customs charges and when to expect these. None of the other representatives even mentioned there was a customs charge.
Every step of the process the communication was clear and the updates precise and timely.
A special shout out beginning with Richard. The US moving team. The Chennai team - Leon, Saravanan, Rajan and Shyamala coordinating the customs clearance. The Mumbai team - Ravi, Sujan and Karan with the delivery.
Thanks for the wonderful experience. Should a need arise for relocation services again, Universal will be my first call and I will wholeheartedly recommend Universal to my friends as well.
PS: If I missed calling anyone else's name out, my apologies. But rest assured you have my thanks!!
We loved the service so much that we ended up using them for our move from Mumbai to Bangalore as well. When I got a quote from them and said it was more expensive than the others I had received, they promptly revised it and sent it over. The pick up was excellent, as usual, and the drop off and installation was spot on as well.
Although I don't hope to move in the near future, I know where to go for my moving needs should I need it!
Thanks so much for taking time out to write about your pleasant move with Universal Relocations. We pride ourselves on our professionalism and nothing makes us happier than to have satisfied customers. We hope to serve you again in the future
Shipping Experience - Universal Relocations (sponsor)
Posted: Wed May 09, 2018 4:28 pm
by saikrishna29
RRK;644317Universal Relocations is known to be an efficient and reliable solution to hundreds of thousands who have relocated their belonging to and from India. Our company was founded in 1998 and is proud to say that we have evolved into a professional organization employing a team of more then 150 members. Our accreditations within the industry standout within several organizations including the IAM, FIDI, AMSA, ISO & IPATA.
Most importantly, Universal Relocations is capable of offering our clients a true Door to Door Experience. Just ask us if it will actually be our crews and truck providing your pickup and delivery. Yes, we have 4 offices around the U.S. And 6 within India! Therefore, if you live within 1000 miles of any of the following locations with in the U.S., we will indeed have our crews providing the pickup or delivery:
Parsippany, NJ
Alpharetta, GA
Fremont, CA
Dallas, TX
Likewise our crews in India are based out of our following locations:
Chennai,
Hyderabad
Bangalore
Pune
Mumbai
New Delhi
Feel free to contact us if you are interested in enjoying the real experience of Universal Relocations.
Contact Info:
UNIVERSAL RELOCATIONS INC
Contact : USA 1-888-D2D-RELO ( 323-7356)
India : 1-800-103-7356
Website : www.universalrelocations.com
Email id : [email protected]
Youtube :About Universal Relocations
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).
Our MC# is MC-836909-C. Our US DOT# is 2428388.
Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) # 025083NF
New Jersey License # 39PC00115200
[HR][/HR]Admin Note on Background of the company:
Universal Relocations and UniRelo.com were partners in shipping business for very long time. Together they carried out lot of charity projects along with r2iclubforums.com charity team.
Due to business reorganization, they split and were functioning as separate business for past few months. Both have been an active sponsor since 2008 and they will continue as sponsors.
We request members to share their experiences with Universal Relocations in this thread.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d29iho68htc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbdW9H7bUTY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThFQ_dy2W0U
[HR][/HR] I was relocating back to India from the US and was looking for a relocation service provider. I did some research and got to know about Universal relocation. After comparing with other providers, I went ahead with Universal for my shipment of few household and toys for my little one. As promised, I got my boxes delivered in 90 to 100 days at my door steps without any damage. yes, I said "WITHOUT ANY DAMAGE". I never expected this as general with relocation companies you never know what will happen to the packages until you receive them. But the way the boxes were handled has surprised me and I will definitely recommend Universal to all my friends and colleagues.
Shipping Experience - Universal Relocations (sponsor)
Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2018 5:01 pm
by kswapna85
it was an amazing service from universal relocation's. Venkat did a great job in providing service to us, i am more than satisfied and thankful to him in each and every step of the shipping process. He was updating me when ever there was a change in the status of the process. the moment i saw my tv i was more than happy.
i suggest everyone to go with universal relocations as they did a fantastic job for us.
Thank You
Shipping Experience - Universal Relocations (sponsor)
Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2018 9:53 pm
by ajmal1330
Moving a home is never easy, and it becomes even tougher when it involves moving to a different country across continents.
I got in total 9 bags to be carried with us on flight. Anything more was becoming difficult to take to the airport from home. So we thought of leaving some luggage behind and thought of donating stuff. We finished donating stuff and there were some items that we loved so much and didn't want to leave behind. The search started then, after comparing options available, I was connected to this guy "Venkatesh V" from Universal relocations. He was very nice and explained everything in detail and assured that our package will be safe and we will get best price.
I got support from the team in everything like:
?Guiding about the type of boxes and packaging material we should use
?Pickup/Drop at Fedex locations
?Timely updates on the package status, clearance from port, etc.
?Delivery to my Door and I was surprised to see my boxes in the condition they were, I was expecting that so long overseas journey there might be little damage, but it was like I packed it.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]5715[/ATTACH]
Loved it.
I would recommend anyone moving from USA to India should consider using Universal Relocations as their partner for moving what they care for.
Thank you Universal Relocations...!!!