| Echo Trans World |
| Liars/Overcharge/Bad Service/Damaged Goods |
| 13th of Oct, 2011 by VeroniqueInLyon |
Company information:
Echo Trans World
462 7th Ave
New York, New York
United States
Phone: 877 324 6222
echotransworld.com
STAY AWAY FROM ECHO TRANS WORLD. I used this company to move my belongings from Santa Barbara California to Lyon France. I hired them to professionally pack up my home and transport it to my new home. My decision to use them was based on their prices which I completely regret now. The packing crew they sent to my home were 3 nasty, dirty, convict looking men who barely spoke English. I was afraid to stay there alone with them so I had to call my son to come stay with me while they packed. I had to direct the entire packing process. I don’t think these men ever packed a house before. They finally finished packing at 8:30 PM (started at 9AM). The next morning they arrived to load my belongings into the truck. This took them 9 hours to complete when Alexandra Ostrowska, my contact at Echo told me that 2 hours should be fine. Finally day 2 was over.
I received the invoice the following morning and almost fell off the chair. The invoice was over $3000 MORE than my original estimate:
Total Estimate: $8, 449.00 FLAT BINDING PRICE
I was being invoiced for $11725.00!!! I immediately called to inquire about the bill. They told me that the bill was correct and that the reason it was higher was because of the time it took the men to pack and load everything. I explained that this wasn’t my fault and they didn’t give a sh*t. A man name Dan Cohen (who I later found out is really named “Deror Balileti”) told me that either I pay the full invoice or they would hold my goods and not ship them. After arguing back and forth for almost a week, I finally paid the inflated bill.
4 months pass and my shipment has finally arrived at the port overseas (I was originally told 6-8 weeks max). Their ‘partner’ that is supposed to be taking care of customs and then delivering the box to me contacts me to let me know that they can’t move the container out of the port. When I ask why, they tell me that Echo Trans World NEVER PAID THE OCEAN FREIGHT!!! I immediately call Alexandra and she tells me that she’ll call me back. No call received. I call again and again and send numerous emails. No response. I call Dan a/k/a Deror for an explanation. He is so nasty to me. Finally 4 days later, the container is released from the port.
Then I find out that they never paid their partner in France. I call them again. Again they’re nasty. Another few days go by and they still haven’t paid their partner. The company overseas is worried that I will be billed more money from the port because of how long it is taking for delivery. I then paid Echo’s partner so that the delivery could be done. I don’t think Echo ever paid them.
When the container arrived at my Lyon home, it was disgusting. The contents were in shambles. It looked like someone turned the container upside down and shook it. It was an embarrassment to the company delivering the container to me. As they unloaded the container, 90% of my belongings were completely ruined. I felt like throwing up, it was that bad. My entire life’s treasures were ruined. We took pictures and sent them to Echo. Thankfully I had purchased insurance for my belongings.
After I documented all the damages, took individual pictures of the items and was ready to send everything to the insurance company, I contacted Echo for a copy of my insurance certificate. They couldn’t provide one. I asked for the contact details for the company and they gave that to me. When I called the insurance company had no information on me. It seems that Echo never paid them for my insurance policy so I had no insurance on my move!
To sum things up, I am in the process of filing with the authorities, the FMC, The Household Goods Freight Forwarder Association of America, and every other association they are members of. Echo Trans World is a bunch of liars, crooks, bullshit artists. They inflate their invoices, don’t deliver as promised, don’t pay their ocean freight or their partners overseas. The worst of all is that my son Googled the head guy’s name (from his signature on the paperwork) and he’s a registered sex offender in Santa Barbara! Thank GOD that I called my son to come home from work and stay with me during the 2 day ordeal.
I really wished that I had done my homework before hiring this company to do my move. When I Google their name so many complaints come up!!! And from what I’ve read, it looks like they’re in the process of changing their name to Blue Horizon
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