Paid a premium for peace of mind, got the opposite.
I found Joyful Movers here on Wise Move for a Pretoria to Cape Town move. Their quote was one of the most expensive I received and I chose them anyway, because moving your whole life across the country is stressful and I wanted to be in good hands. I paid the full R23,800 upfront without any fuss. I could not have been an easier client to look after.
Collection day already started off wrong. The crew arrived with no identification at all, so I had no way of knowing who was driving off with everything I own. I only got confirmation through photos on WhatsApp. The helpers had no IDs on them either, so my security estate would not let them in and I had to go fetch them at the gate myself. They also did not help pack or wrap a single thing.
I will be honest about my part. I ended up with more boxes than my original list. I flagged it myself that same morning and asked Mamello, the owner, to amend the quote, expecting a reasonable adjustment. Instead the new price only came at 20h30 that night. R35,800. A R12,000 increase, no itemised breakdown, and by then my goods were already loaded and locked away in their storage with the truck leaving at 05h00. Once she had my belongings she flat out refused to negotiate. I offered R30,000 to meet halfway and Mamello told me she "can't compromise". Think about that position for a moment. It is 21h00, you cross the country in the morning, and everything you own is sitting in someone else's warehouse. You have no options left. You pay. I made an instant payment of the extra R12,000 within minutes, that is how little choice I had. Then I sat through my own farewell dinner with a knot in my stomach, unable to eat, typing WhatsApp messages under the table about belongings I no longer had any control over. That feeling of complete helplessness is something I would not wish on anyone.
And here is the part that really got me. R35,800 for a 4 ton truck. That is an insane amount for a truck that size, and it was not even dedicated to me. When we offloaded in Cape Town there were at least three other parties' goods on that truck with mine. Mamello had told me herself that other items were loaded to fill space, and after my delivery the truck carried on to another drop off in Burgundy Estate. So I paid a full truck load rate, on a small truck, and still shared it.
Then the timelines. They stuck to none of them. Not one. Collection was promised between 09h00 and 10h00, the crew only arrived closer to 11h00. The truck was supposed to leave Saturday morning, by 13h00 they were still busy loading and it only left that evening. Delivery was promised for early Sunday morning. It became midday, then afternoon, one postponement after another, while we sat on the floor of a completely bare apartment, not a chair, not a bed, nothing but our phones, waiting. We were starting new jobs the next morning. When things keep getting pushed out like that, at some point you start wondering if your whole life is simply gone. And right in the middle of that, Mamello tells me the tracker is not picking the truck up and she cannot reach the drivers. Sitting in an empty flat being told the company itself does not know where your belongings are, I cannot describe that feeling properly. The truck eventually pitched up after 16h00. And when I asked for basic updates through all of this, after paying R35,800 in full, Mamello's response was that not all her clients are "high maintenance". I was asking where my life was.
Everything did arrive in the end. But that is the bare minimum, not a service. I paid the full amount immediately, both times, and was still treated like an inconvenience. I paid a premium specifically so I would not spend my move anxious and powerless, and that is exactly how I spent every day of it.
If you are considering them, please learn from my experience. Do not pay in full upfront. Insist the crew carries ID. Get every item and every timeline in writing before collection day, and get it in writing whether your truck is dedicated or shared. Because once your goods are on their truck you have no say anymore. You will pay whatever they decide and wait however long it takes. Moving is hard enough. Choose someone who will not make it worse.
Response from Joyful Movers
Dear Leonidas,
Thank you for the feedback, which was expected based on everything that took place. I must clarify these points:
1. You requested us to move a list of 14 items when we initially quoted. I sent you the paperwork for the move a month in advance and made you aware the quote was for the inventory list provided.
2. On the day of the move, your items were 43, with super large furniture items. I invoiced you of our standard price for the additional items and offered you an option to find you an alternative service provider because you kept complaining about our pricing, even offered to discount with R5000 because you kept complaining about even though you said money is no issue. The statement “high maintenance” is taken out of context, you wanted hourly status updates even through the night and I said our clients are usually are not that high maintenance. But I still proceeded to look at the tracker updates throughout the night since the truck was driving overnight. Gave you an update at 2am and at 4am and 6am.
3. The camels back broke when I informed you that our guys will be taking a break before making deliveries.
4. With the identification of my guys, you implied the truck was not ours and “who are these people”, because our driver was an Indian man. Very layered accusation, but I sent you the truck documents to prove ownership.
5. Lastly you asked me to invoice you and make the invoice to the company you work for and make it as a Office Relocation whereas it is a personal move, I don’t want to get into the ethical implications of this request.
6. But I would like to apologise for the bare minimum service you experienced. I’m sure if someone else moved you, your experience would have been different.
Best regards Mamello
