The Bekins Company was originally formed back in 1891 by a pair of brothers in Iowa. It soon expanded into Illinois and is said to have pioneered containerization in 1920. In fact, Bekins are also believed to have carried out the first transcontinental move in a motor van in the United States in 1928. It became an agent-owned company in 2002 and their headquarters are now found in Illinois. The Bekins Company has also become part of pop culture with appearances in Hollywood movies such as Legally Blonde.
Website
The first thing you see on the company’s website is their commitment to trust. Bekins claims to have an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) (more on this later) and offers the usual array of services. They have a special Tradeshow service which is specifically designed for high value products, corporate relocation, international relocation, government and military moves and the standard Full Service residential move.
There are more than 250 Bekins agents located around the world. The company offers a free website estimate but you can also benefit from a free quotation with a Bekins agent coming to your home to check out the goods to be moved. They claim to offer flexible pricing and payment options and a dedicated point of contact which will help you when it comes to planning your packing, loading and delivery dates. This all seems fantastic on paper but when it comes to the crunch, does Bekins Company really deliver?
Services
There seems to be a common theme regarding Bekins and it’s only partly positive. According to the majority of customers who have used Bekins, the drivers are exceptionally good. These drivers are hard working, polite and make every effort to ensure that your possessions get from A to B in great shape. This is a major plus point for Bekins Company. Sadly, it also appears to be the only bright spot on the horizon. There are numerous reports of agents who are less than honest and try to charge for extra weight after agreeing a quotation. The discrepancy between the final charge and original quote is said to be as high as $800.
The agents are said to have a tendency to be great until the deal is closed. Then, customers find it almost impossible to reach the agent. Even the movers don’t escape criticism as they are branded as ‘slow and lazy’ by a wide range of angry consumers. It seems strange that they have an A+ rating with the BBB when the BBB themselves state that Bekins Company has the most complaints attributed to any moving company in several states. Even if the BBB allegations are proven to be false, the number of complaints relating to Bekins Company are not.
Sadly, for all their promises, it appears as if Bekins Company is yet another organization that falls well short of the service it should ideally provide. There are a few positive experiences recorded by customers but these are greatly outweighed by the negative comments which are easily found online.
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