Some Penn students who paid to store their dorm supplies over the summer had a more complicated move-in than anticipated.
Throughout move-in, numerous students using the BoxMyDorm storage service had to wait much longer than they expected for their belongings to be delivered.
Approximately 650 students from Penn used the service this summer, according to Joseph Leary, who co-founded the company in 2005 when he was a sophomore studying in Wharton and the College.
According to the company’s website, “students use BoxMyDorm to simplify their move out and move in.”
However, many students felt that the company made their transition back into their dorms or apartments more difficult.
Most students agreed that they had a positive experience when their boxes were picked up in May.
After choosing a time window of four hours to have their boxes delivered, customers anticipated the arrival of their belongings so they could unpack on their own schedules.
College sophomore Molly Sprayregen followed this procedure and expected her boxes midday on the same date she moved into her apartment. She waited the full amount of time, but “they never came,” she said.
She tried calling the company repeatedly throughout that day, each time getting a response that the delivery would be in “10 more minutes.”
At 10:30 that night, the service called her to say her boxes could be delivered either then or in the morning. Since she was not home, she chose to have them come back at 9 a.m. After waking up early, Sprayregen waited again, only to have the same issues as the day before.
When the delivery workers finally arrived that afternoon, her boxes were not in the truck.
The BoxMyDorm employees had to return to their warehouse, about eight miles from campus, to retrieve the storage containers.
After this experience, “I would not recommend them to anyone,” Sprayregen said.
While all of the students interviewed for this article said they had friends with similar problems, BoxMyDorm co-founder and Penn State University alumnus Dan Abrahamsen said that only “a handful of students” experienced a delay in service.
Leary added that students should not “expect any other problems like this in the future.”
Wharton sophomore Theo Sebagh said that “the service was definitely worth the time and cost,” although some of his furniture was returned slightly damaged.
He also said that his roommate was not as fortunate, as they had been in their apartment for over a week and she had “just collected her stuff” that day.
A College sophomore from Tennessee, who requested to not share her name because she is still in contact with BoxMyDorm, received her belongings two days late.
The company “didn’t have a very good communication system in place,” she said.
BoxMyDorm’s e-mail contact took around 24 hours to reply, and by the time she received a response, her question “wasn’t even relevant” anymore.
After BoxMyDorm representatives could not find three of College senior Justin Ching’s boxes and his futon, he tried contacting the service but communication was “more me coming to them than them coming to me.”
Having lost valuables, personal mementos from his last three years at Penn and “99 percent” of his sneaker collection, he still has not received his possessions.
College sophomore and California resident Ethan Alter investigated several storage options last spring, but ultimately chose BoxMyDorm because of its price and ease.
While his boxes came within the scheduled time frame, he said that the tube containing his “beloved Spiderman poster” was missing. BoxMyDorm said it was still at the storage facility, but had not been delivered more than a week later.
During the late evening of Sept. 3, the same weekend students anticipated the arrival of their packages, many boxes could be seen sitting un-delivered on the sidewalk of 39th Street between Walnut and Sansom Streets.
When asked how they would respond to unsatisfied customers, Leary and Abrahamsen said that students should e-mail them or call the number listed on their website as soon as possible.
Abrahamsen added that they would handle complaints on a “case-by-case” basis to “come up with a compensation that would be acceptable to [customers].”
Leary added that BoxMyDorm is developing a system of “delivery alerts” for next summer so that students know when to expect their belongings.
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
DonatePlease note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.