Ethics--not Agarwal's strong suit. Review on Agarwal Packers and Movers Ltd

I have always imagined the stereotypical local Indian businessman as being someone who pushes the envelope in terms of what can be done with scarce resources. I must thank Agarwal for ably living up to this stereotype.

We were promised a dedicated truck to transport valuable works of art and rare books from B'lore to Pune. The packing was managed efficiently by a crew of five, although they started late. Once the packing was done, Mr. Agarwal said he had sent us a larger truck than originally promised, and would therefore charge us extra money even though the truck was less than 2/3rds full and we did not have any items beyond what was originally estimated (Violation 1).

Once that ploy failed, he asked for at least Rs. 10, 000 in cash as advance, although his area manager indicated to us clearly a couple of days ago that no cash need be paid at the time of pickup (Violation 2). We agreed to part with Rs. 5, 000--all the cash we had in hand.

A couple of days later, we received the truck at our new home in Pune, only to find that it was packed full, and our boxes of rare books were piled up haphazardly on top of each other and mixed in with our furniture. This was a far cry from the configuration when the truck left our residence in Bangalore. A veritable mess. The driver confessed that our 'dedicated truck' had picked up an additional load from another customer in Bombay (Violation 3). I called Mr. Agarwal in a fit of rage, eventually suggesting I would have to report this to the police to which he retorted "go ahead--we have our contacts!" My temper eventually calmed, Agarwal told my father that he would "investigate this" and "make good" if there was any damage. We noticed minor damage to several books and statues, but chose not to report that.

In summary, as they say in baseball--"three strikes and you are out". Three major violations by Agarwal--never again would I deal with them. I would strongly urge you not to bother with using them. And suggest that you spread the word.