American Van Lines

I had to argue just to get the charges removed. Worst part, is having items stolen from me. They have criminals working for them and being that I didn't get a reply from company, just proves higher ups are worse than the thieving workers they have since they condone what the workers do. Spent $500 tipping movers to find out they stole from me.

The movers quickly pack furniture that you tell them to not touch since it isn't covered, and refuse to pick up stuff that we've specifically agreed with AVL and paid for. It's not offloaded when you ask them to do so. We've given estimates of boxes we will need to move our clothes and personal effects, but all of that is disregarded. We ask for 30 boxes and for packing material for fragile expensive items - we are told the movers won't pick up anything more than 10 boxes unless we fork out more money, and the "fragile packing material" is just packing paper, not bubble wrap like we were told when making the order. We are helpless since they've loaded all the furniture they packed in the truck and threaten to leave it on the street if we don't comply - not return it where it was, but leave it on the street.

We're then told they will charge us by weight (even for what you asked them not to pick up and they did) even after they give an estimate, but don't do the weighing in your presence - you can't go along to review the weighing process - you have to trust those that definitely haven't earned it through the packing and pick-up process. Under duress, on account of AVL not complying with agreed contractual terms, and threatened with dire consequences of having all your furniture and stuff on the street unless you pay more money, you comply.

Drop off - The building we are in allows wide load trucks to enter, but we are told that the driver isn't capable of driving the large truck to our location, and so we have to pay for them to get a U-haul. A truck that is not a u-haul arrives with our stuff. There's damage to about 50% of our stuff, broken computer monitors, missing items and boxes. We are told to make an insurance claim. They do not refund for items clearly agreed to be transported, unless you make a claim(!). We thank the gods for having opted to purchase insurance.

Insurance Claim: We've sent a detailed email with pictures and videos. We've listed what items were never brought by AVL. We get an acknowledgment email seeking 90-120 days after the claim to compensate us - the fine print requires us to submit an insurance claim form for the 90-120 days period to kick in, and says AVL would send this form separately.

We follow up 90 days later asking for claim status, and we are sent a claim form asking us to fill this up. I've seen and heard of loads of folks getting penalized for not reading the fine print, but have never seen the person whose fine print it is not bothering to comply with what they say they would, and is a necessary first step for us to comply with the fine print.

Latest status - the claim form requires us to perform appraisals of the value of furniture at the time of transportation, obtain estimates for repair, and 300 other things to MAKE A CLAIM, that one will not be able to do in one lifetime. We are frustratedly working on this as I write this review, when I'm hit with the realization that I don't want my worst enemies to go through this pain and suffering - hence the detailed review.

We had to get of the house that weekend as the new owners are taking possession of the house. You can imagine we scrambled and called a ton of moving companies, most of whom, of course, could not do the move as it is short notice. We lucked into a local partner of Mayflower who took care of our move ASAP. Also, they came up with an estimate of total pounds for our move without sending anyone to review our house?!?! What a joke. If I can give me a ZERO star review, I would have. DO NOT DEAL with American Van Lines.

On pick-up day, I woke up at 5:30a, to pack up my bedding and the items that I needed for my last night’s sleep in my place. At 8a, I took my dogs to doggy daycare ($60 fee) so that they wouldn’t be in the movers' way. I waited...and waited and waited. At 11:40a I called American Van Lines to check on the status of the truck. After speaking to someone very briefly, I was then put on hold for 20 minutes, then a RUDE and extremely dismissive representative picked up the call saying “Can I help you?” – I explained the situation and said that I thought someone was trying to get me in touch with Frank and the boy said “Frank doesn’t work on Saturdays”. He said "the movers are unable to unload their current delivery that day and will come on Sunday evening instead" and that there was nothing I could do about it & that was my only option.

Again, NO APOLOGY for this inconvenience. This person acted pissed off at ME. He was snide and bitchy. He never apologized for the inconvenience they put me in. He made me feel like I was a burden TO HIM. What the heck am I paying this company to do then?? AVL's dispatchers couldn't call ME and give me the update about the truck's arrival?

When I finally did hear from Frank on Monday morning, he was completely unaware of the fiasco that had occurred over the weekend, he sounded apologetic and said he’d be back in touch with me the next day (Tuesday 1/30). I did not hear back from Frank until Friday 2/3. On that call he told me that he’d call me on Tuesday 2/7 with an update on the delivery of my things. At 7pm Saturday evening (2/4), the movers called me telling me that they would be delivering my things the next morning – Sunday 2/5. Are you kidding me!?! I had plans to go out of town with my family for the day and those plans had to be canceled at the VERY LAST minute.

Honestly, the communication was lacking after American Van Lines received the initial payment but after the move was set in motion, I was treated like garbage. I felt like I was held hostage. Before the movers would unload the truck, they said I had to pay the remaining balance. NO ONE from American Van Lines called me about this payment. A dispatcher from the moving company took my final payment over the phone. I don’t have ANY idea who that person was – or where is my CC information is now either. Was that a licensed and insured company – WHO KNOWS?! I still haven’t heard from America Van Lines. I am incredibly annoyed and will be certain that everyone I know hears what an awful experience I had too. *The movers who did arrive Sunday evening were efficient and friendly and the only positive part of this whole ordeal.

Pick up day was Christmas eve and I was not able to watch their every step. The first thing Igor did was a walk around to assess our property. He said it looked like I was a couple items over and he would have to send me a new contract. The price on the new contract was significantly higher than my estimate, but I was repeatedly told by Igor to ignore it because it would go back down when American Van lines took possession of my items. I was also told that they would not move anything until I signed the new contract. Based on my previous conversations with American Van lines and the fact that I was backed into a corner and needed my stuff to be moved that day, I signed the new contract.

A few days later, I was finally able to sit down and go through the new contract I was sent. There was a whole section label "additional household items", but most of the things listed, I didn't even own. I spoke to my moving coordinator Niyah and explained the discrepancies I had found. She said since I signed there was nothing she could do. I explained the situation I was put through on moving day and the information I was given during multiple conversations I had had with American Van lines prior to move. She kept repeating that there was nothing she could do. I asked to speak to a supervisor and was told no one was available.

Niyah, sent me the itemized list of what was put on the truck. I pointed out that the additional items I supposedly had were not present on my list of possessions that went into the truck. At this point some other woman got on the phone claiming that she was a supervisor and had been listening to our conversation the whole time. Weird. Anyways, she was the first person, 5 days after they had possession of everything I own, to tell me that I was in a contract for a specific number of items to move and if I exceeded that number even by a pencil, American Van lines could void our original estimate and charge me by weight. This was never told to me in all the conversations I had with American Van lines about would could possible affect my final balance.

She also reiterated that since I had signed the new contract, I owed the new price. I told her that I only signed the new contract because Igor and his crew were refusing to move anything until I signed it and I needed my stuff out. I wasn't given any other option, but to sign it or not get moved. This is when she told me that wasn't true, but that they still would've had to move all my possessions on my original estimate if I had refuse to sign the new paperwork. I told her that was really important information for me to have and no one from her company told me, not even when I received the call that I was being outsourced to another company. I would think they'd want their customers to have all the information needed for a smooth transition of companies.

I asked to speak to a manager above her and was told no one was available. I asked that someone call me back as soon as possible. No one called me back. My stuff was supposed to have arrived on Jan 3 at the latest. At 430 on Jan 2, I received a call that my stuff was delayed and I would be called again tomorrow. It wasn't until we called on Jan 5th and demanded that we know where our stuff was and when it would be delivered that we finally started getting answers, only they weren't from American Van lines. Unlike what we were repeatedly told, American Van lines never took possession of our items, their sister company was doing our entire move!

They finally arrived Jan. 7th, four days late. The driver demanded we pay the full amount of the falsified estimate. I told them that I only had what I had originally agreed to with American Van lines. It was a $4000 difference in price. They refused to deliver our stuff. The cops came and told them they should accept the agreed upon amount, deliver our stuff and let us finish the dispute with the company. They again refused. Our stuff was not delivered.

On Jan 9th, I received a call from American Van lines customer service manager, Ken. His compromise for the situation was that we pay the full amount upfront and if they found discrepancies, they would issue me a refund later. I told him that their company should front the difference and if later on they found discrepancies they could charge me. He said they could not do that. I told him that I did not have an extra $4000 laying around and couldn't pay them even if I wanted to and the fact that they are holding hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of my goods for $4000 was extremely off balance.

This is when he informed me that due to our stuff not being delivered, it was being stored for a fee of over $6000! I told him I would be seeking legal counsel and I'm in the process of doing that. Refusing to temporarily take a $4000 loss until issues were settled, but then turning around and spending over $6000 on storing my possessions sounds like really bad math to me. They currently have everything I own and are holding it as collateral to force me to pay what they want.

I asked the company not to deliver on a specific date because I was out of town. They initially said this wouldn't be a problem to accommodate. However, They moved dates four times, each time cancelling with hours to spare or even during the moving window. Eventually, they wanted to schedule the delivery on dates that I was not available. They had zero flexibility on this, suggesting either I pay thousands for storage or I assign power of attorney to the manager of my storage unit (a stranger essentially) to accept delivery.

I expressed dissatisfaction and they offered me $200 dollars in "compensation". Keep in mind I am paying close to $7,000 for this move. The pitiful compensation offer came with strings attached and they would only offer it if I agreed to terms that would prevent me from suing them if my move was delayed and/or my items were damaged. The compensation agreement stated that I would only be able to seek damages via a claim to their company. At this stage I had not even received my items, let alone determined if they were damaged, so I rejected their compensation agreement.

Ultimately, I was able to find someone to accept delivery on my behalf and they cancelled again. This time it was the last day of the contracted delivery window. Day of delivery the driver decided he could not deliver with his 18 wheeler, despite not even visiting the property. The property regularly fits 18 wheelers and has space to turn the truck around. The customer service made no attempts to call the property and confirm, instead requiring I pay an additional $635 dollars or risk paying thousands of more dollars for them to hold my items in storage. Driver also tells my contact not to show up at the delivery. I tell my contact to show up and supervise the delivery. Turns out that my most expensive items were destroyed and one didn't even make it onto the truck. If we hadn't shown up, I don't believe we would have learned of our damaged items

LESSONS LEARNED. Do not agree to delivery dates that you cannot attend to (my fault) because they will make no effort to accommodate your schedule. Instead, clear your calendar for the entire window and expect to be inconvenienced multiple times. They will only compensate your items at $0.60 per pound. Think about that... Their compensation for inconveniences is not a refund, it is an agreement that prevents you from seeking damages in small claims court. Their customer service is terrible. There is no service to the customer. They have clearly structured their customer service program to protect or increasing the company's revenue.

We were told one day for arrival at the new home, they were there the next day. Before this things were strange but now, it gets worse. In the dead of night the driver calls and I have to go get him, cold and raining. We spend the next hour and a half scoping out his route because he does not think he can get his truck in to where I live now. Well he decides he can't do it so we will have to "shuttle" the load. Well, ok I guess we need to do what we need to. I get a call the next day saying if I do not pay over $2600 dollars for a U-haul rental I will not receive my possessions. Well, ok...I guess they need to pay for numerous people to help shuttle my things between the 18 wheeler and the u-haul and into my home....wrong.

The driver informs me that he can't find anyone to help him so his 22 year old nephew and him were going to do the entire load themselves. (You already know how this is going to turn out without me saying anything, and just so you know....you are right.) The driver never calls to let me know when he is coming, tells me he will be here at 7am and shows up at 4pm (evidently he had to deal with the police being called on him so he had to move his truck and other issues). So, it's cold, they are not dressed for the cold, the first time they pull up with the U-haul and open the doors I can't believe my eyes, stacks of boxes turn over, furniture not covered and just thrown in, chairs impaled into boxes.

Well, "In order to expedite this moving process (He only had the u-haul rental for the day), we will just put all your stuff in the garage and another room". He did, however try to put some things inside the home. I started helping because it was just him (The Driver) and his nephew...I swear I unloaded half the truck. After the third load we were done with the u-haul....He had to get on the road for another job in another state 8 hours away so he rushed through trying to get some things done. Well our leather chairs fell apart when we sat in them....In the middle of the night our mattress fell to the floor with us on it (stop laughing, it's true). All major furniture was damaged, things were broken.

In trying to get with the company, they will not talk to me...When I do finally talk to my "Customer Service Rep" I get lip service and no results. They will try to get someone else to my home to put up all the things left in my garage and back room, but no results days later. I am having to haul furniture, boxes, things through the home to where they go now when they were contracted to do so. I will file insurance, yes, but how do you think that will go? Do Not hire this company. They got my money then dropped me with a home full of damaged furniture and torn apart boxes I have to move myself.

David

Moving week arrived and we were given a 3-day window when we should expect the truck to arrive. It never did. It's very difficult to get ahold of anybody who can actually help you at AVL but we finally spoke to Rita who manages the dispatch. Rita explained that they didn't have a truck and the NEW date is two days from now. We were selling the home so now in violation of escrow but luckily worked with the agent and buyer to give us two more days. Rita also promised a $100 credit per "day late" but of course we were never given that credit. We thought the worst was over but not even close.

Moving day arrived and the truck was on time. The moving manager spent two hours walking through the home writing a detailed list of every small item in the home. He said that he was going to send this list to AVL and they would send us a "revised estimate". Really? What happened to our BINDING guarantee? Liz ** called from AVL and (surprise surprise) has a NEW PRICE due to all the small items they failed to ask for during the initial bid. Things like a coffee maker, dishes, a small box fan, garden tools... just things you would expect a home to have. We were NEVER told that they needed this level of detail.

So, here we are, already past the escrow date and we absolutely have to be moved today, and Liz gives us a price that is MORE THAN DOUBLE the original "binding estimate". After quite a bit of arguing Liz stated that "We can honor the original binding contract but we will only move the items listed on that contract. But if you want everything moved, you have to sign the new (double price) contract. Choice is yours." And that's the scam. They had us up against the wall, with really no choice but to accept this new price, which could be anything they want.

In my opinion, AVL has very suspect practices. I can't say for sure that AVL planned this all along, or that they never intended to honor the original contract, but that's how it seems to me. James could be incredible, incompetent, or just very crafty. He's a sales guy who landed a contract and ended up doubling his sales on moving day. Worked out great for James while they emptied out my mother's savings account. I wish there was a law that protected consumers when they are at their most vulnerable. AVL took full advantage of the situation. I could never recommend this company. The entire moving experience was an absolute nightmare and cost us a fortune.

Speaking of commitment, when we first put a deposit with American Van Lines, we received an email from someone stating she was our “permanent contact at American Van Lines.” Then she disappeared. That happened three more times. After the moving date getting bumped four times, a crew finally arrived at 3:45 in the afternoon. They were a sub-contracted moving company – not even AVL. In our case, it was a company called Next Stop Moving and Storage, which was horrendous. They essentially extorted us for more money. After reviewing what needed to be packed and moved, they concluded that it was going to cost a couple thousand more dollars and said we could either pay, or they’d leave. This is a tried and true tactic – check out all the online reviews. They are a moving broker who will purposely underreport how much your costs will be to get your business.

Frantic phone calls to AVL led to the crew finally agreeing to pack up the house. Since they didn’t arrive there until 3:45, they were there until 2am finishing the job. The same thing happened when they arrived at the move-in house. Before they would even open the door of the truck, they were demanding a) to be paid more money, b) to be paid upfront then and there, before the unloading, and c) we had to sign a waiver saying everything had been received – again, before the truck door was even open. In the end, we paid – we were exhausted, stressed and they had our entire home in their possession.

Next Stop Moving Company was despicable, but ultimately American Van Lines is the responsible party as they are the ‘trusted’ moving company that we hired. The many levels of unprofessionalism are staggering: the bumping of dates, the lack of communication, the sub-contracting of the work, the refusal to be accountable. This is a company built on dishonesty, deception, and dereliction of duty.