Vanport Handy Helpers

They work very hard. I did not have anything broken. They hooked up my washer and dryer, also. I have been very pleased with their work and would recommend them to others.

(1) Showed up 30 minutes late, no call warning about tardiness, angry face, no greeting, no apology for tardiness; (2) Extortion of cash up front, threats made that they would leave unless the cash was provided immediately; (3) Absolutely horrible verbal abuse and mocking/taunting of the customer when customer started crying; (4) A piece of furniture was broken (legs broken off) and some of the pieces disappeared never to be found; (5) Creepy scary behavior that swung from completely abusive during the first half to normal and pleasant during the second half; (6) Lazy, immature, unprofessional helpers caused the loading to take longer than necessary.

Handy Helpers was contracted to move furniture on July 1, 2009. The movers damaged two pieces of furniture - a coffee table and a couch. I informed the mover that the coffee table was damaged; he denied that he caused this damage. About 20 minutes later, he stated that he talked to his boss and that they had decided to get the table repaired by a repair person. The mover took the table and it is supposed to be returned in a few days. Just after the movers left the apartment, my daughter and I moved the couch away from the wall where the movers had placed it. We saw a very dark grease stain, approximately 3 inches in diameter. I tried to stop the movers but they had just pulled away. I phoned immediately and they did not pick up. I finally spoke with a woman who stated that the mover (owner?) would phone back when he returned from out of town. He did not so my daughter phoned this morning (7/8). She told him about the couch damage and asked why he hadn't phoned back after several messages. He told my daughter she was "ranting" and that he didn't cause the damage. He was extremely rude and then hung up. I phoned and he didn't pick up his phone nor return my call.

Donovan told me the truck was big enough to move a 3 bedroom house in one trip. One trip was important to me. The movers did not show up and no one called me. When I got Donovan on the phone, he said they didn't have an answering/forwarding service and he didn't know what was happening during the time he was gone from the office. He said they would be there the next day. They arrived with a small truck not capable of moving a 3 bedroom house in one trip. In fact, they made two trips on Sunday and another one on Monday. Three trips!!! This happened in August, 2006. I haven't reported it until now because of the move and lots of other happenings. Donovan was very proud of the A rating he had at that time. I don't know how he ever got an A. He had moved down to a B when I checked. I don't know what his rating is now, but I will give him an F. I called and Donovan told me they could be there the next day.

Handy Helpers were terrible. They did have 2 movers and a truck come and move most furniture. But, the piano mover NEVER SHOWED UP. After repeatedly telling us he was coming later, he never showed and they never called to cancel. No apology afterwards, nothing. The next day, they just said they don't move grand pianos, even though we have a BABY grand, their website says they do move BABY grands and they quoted us for moving it. They stranded us with a piano in a house we no longer owned! We had to arrange for an emergency move with another company. In addition, they damaged 3 furniture pieces, and COMPLETELY BROKE our 55" plasma screen TV - it has scratches on the glass, a large dent in the metal casing, and no longer turns on at all. They charged us an extra $5/hr for rescheduling. In trying to resolve this with them, they have repeatedly hung up on us and cut off all communication. They have offered no compensation at all for the damaged items and have referred us to their lawyer.

I called mid-morning and needed to schedule the work for later the same day. They were able to schedule the work for 3:30 PM that same afternoon. The 2 movers arrived several minutes early and completed the work quickly and professionally. The young men were polite and friendly. When I indicated concern about potential damage as a result of moving the refrigerator over wood floors and stairs, they addressed my concerns by using a back entry.

Great! They picked up the piano first thing in the morning (only 2 days after we called to schedule the appointment) and called me to let me know they just left Beaverton and were on their way to Vancouver to deliver the piano. They arrived when they said they would and moved it in very efficiently. We only asked for a price quote for a regular upright, not knowing it was a grand, so when they delivered it, they informed me it was a grand (explaining the difference between the 2, including the extra few hundred pounds in weighed), but gave us a price break since we didn't know. They seemed to have a lot of knowledge and were very friendly. We were very happy with them!

Went fine. Like I said, the job was easy, and could have done it myself if there weren't a piano involved. Two young 20-something guys came out and took care of it. They were punctual, polite, efficient, nice kids.

They were very prompt and worked continually over about 9 hours, with a short 30 minute lunch break. They moved the heavy 65'' TV without even having to take it apart! The piano move went very smoothly too. They charge a flat fee for this $185, which was a little high for my move which didn't involve any stairs (I also supplied a handy ramp for the move), but this may be a good deal for other more difficult jobs. They were very polite and friendly.

The moving itself went well. The company provided 3 workers and made 2 trips. The main problem was with the front office. The movers broke a wall at the bottom of the stairs in the Portland house and promised to repair it or pay for the repair. Since the office manager said they could not get to it for weeks, I arranged to have it repaired. The repair cost was $125. I offered to pay half the cost. I sent the invoice for the work to the company and have called them. Once when I was asking about the problem, the office manager hung up on me. I made no more phone contacts. Again, the job itself went well, the problem was the unfulfilled promise to fix the damage to the wall and the rudeness of the office manager. I would not do business with this company again. I assume they will stick me with the cost of repairing the damage they did to my Portland house.

Mike and Albert were wonderful!!! They were very helpful and considerate! These two were lifesavers there is no way I would have been out of my house in time for the new owners to move in without the assistance of Mike and Albert. They were speedy, experienced, and friendly. I was scared to death and they made it look so easy! I won't pack or unpack again without their help!

unknown

Well, the crew was late (not a good start!) because the previous client had a last minute change of service, but once they got there, Handy Helper's crew was fantastic. Courteous, careful to wrap all delicates, fast and efficient. They worked until 8:00 PM because they arrived late.

I thought it was going well, but when we arrived at our destination many items were damaged.

These guys are great. Hardworking, courtesy of our home and belongings. All for a reasonable price! This is the second time I've used this company and will continue to use them in the future.

A mixed bag, but it left a sour taste in my mouth. I found their info in the Oregonian in a very small classified ad. The ad didn't mention the two hour minimum, so I was shocked when I ended up paying $120 for a one-hour job. And to think I had them NOT move some things because I was trying to economize! When I brought up the price discrepancy, the workers were quick to justify the cost in drive time etc., and then handed me a card (a little late for that!) and humphed that it was "on the website." When I protested further, in a rush to leave for the 4th of July holiday weekend, they told me to take it up with Donovan. I never heard back from him after I left a message over the weekend. To give credit where it is due: they came out on short notice and moved super fast.

Handy Helpers were quick and courteous. The furniture was moved quickly and with minimal issue. There was minimal damage to the home and furniture, not much more than daily wear and tear. Excellent work overall.

Handy Helpers arrived on time and were ready to work. They took exceptionally good care of my more expensive and treasured items, a brand new 50'' Plasma TV, and an all glass coffee table, very fragile! In addition, I had a king size latex mattress, which has no frame, (real hard to carry) and is very, very dense and heavy. The value, that I received could not be beat, the workers were fantastically good natured, well mannered-and very, very efficient! I could not have had a better experience. Do not hesitate to use them, they are absolutely awesome!

The movers (Kevin, ''D'' and Mike) arrived on time and did a fantastic job. Especially considering they had to deal with a small elevator (in use by other tenants also), or 3 flights of stairs. They completed the job quickly without any dilly dallying around. I was extremely satisfied with the entire move from start to finish, so much so, that I gave them a $118.75 tip. Great job guys, thanks so much!

Where it went wrong: There was a faint odor of marijuana between the 3 crew members. The crew leader, Mike, said "expletive it, we'll take this guy's money" just prior to beginning work. (This should have been my clue to send them home). During the move Mike continuously behaved in a rude manner and made unprofessional remarks. He yelled at me at least once. After moving the first item (somewhere between 45 minutes and one hour) I felt I could no longer work with Mike and dismissed the crew. To their credit the other crew members were professional, especially the gentleman with the shaved head and tattoos who attempted to diffuse the situation. Also the item that was moved was moved quickly and without damage. I have no complaints about the actual quality of the work that was done, only the attitude of the crew leader. Although I was quoted in email $170 for two hours I was charged $185 with a 5% cash discount and 5% Angie's list discount bringing the total to $160.

From the moment they arrived, Mike, D and Ryan were ALL action. I was truly amazed at how organized and fast they were. Mike directed his team with great efficiency and they worked together flawlessly. They were pleasant, professional and very focused on getting the task done in a timely manner. I would use them again and have already recommended them to others. Thanks guys! I hate moving and you made the experience more pleasant than I would have ever guessed.

Kevin and crew arrived about 30 minutes late, but not a big deal. I was told up front that one truckload could handle the condo plus the storage unit. It actually required two trips. Some items had to be left behind otherwise it would require a third trip. A 22' truck is just not large enough. I felt that very little effort was taken to protect the furniture. I found some scratches and gouges on a dresser and nightstand that were not originally there. As one of the workers was carrying out a TV stand the drawer fell out and was scratched. If it had been wrapped before transport that would not have happened.

Fast and professional, they moved me up to Tacoma. The boys were safe, careful and quick, as well as polite.

Spoke with Donovan who quoted me for 3 guys at $80/hour. The piano would be an additional $185. The guys showed up with their truck right on time, did a quick walk through to see what was being moved and then went immediately to work. These guys work hard! They took great care to make sure items were protected in the truck and no damage was done to the walls. All three of these guys (Kevin, Donald ''D'', and Mark) were great to work with. Kevin managed the job and kept me updated on the progress as they went along. This was a 10 hour job and they guys pushed strong all the way through. They earned their tip!! There was only one small item damaged and Kevin made good with it right on the spot. No haggling or having to file paper work. This is a great company to work with and I recommend them for your moving needs. I will refer them to friends and use them in the future again! Donovan - You have a great group of guys working for you!

They were on time and tried their best to move everything to the location I requested.