Advanced Moving and Storage, Inc.

The WORST company ever. They stole our items, broke others, held our things hostage unless we paid an additional 500 AFTER we had already paid an extra 300 upon completion of move into storage facility, and denied virtually every claim we made. Complete scam artists. Go check out their otger reviews. Complaints have been filed with ICC and Attorney General. They are extortionists who changed the bill of lading. Stay away. Use virtually ANY other company. This company is utterly unethical and unprofessional. Should be put out of business.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $5000

If ever the need arises I would highly recommend Tony and Pedro (workers) it did cost me more but I’d expected it. First, it was the Weds before Thanksgiving! These guys worked so hard to make sure I got out of my old place. They also had to come back the Friday after the holiday to finish everything up. They were professional, listened to my needs and really were a pleasure to work with. Tyler worked with me on time and it was and all around good experience where it could’ve been a nightmare. I firmly believe that the 3 workers I had Tony, Pedro and I unfortunately can’t remember the 3rd gentleman’s name but they are the cream of the crop. They should be the premier movers of this company!! Thank you so very much for everything ????

Move size: 4 Bedroom Home Service cost: $4300

This is the review I posted on Google. I'm posting it again, here, because I want as many people as possible to stay away and save themselves from the headache my girlfriend and I went through.

This has to be one of the worst experiences I've had with a company. Ever. Unprofessional. Bad customer service. I don't feel like I can say enough bad things about this company to warn people. If I could give them zero or negative stars, I would.

My girlfriend hired them for a long-distance move from Chicago to South Dakota. With a moving date set more than two months out (plenty of time for logistics and dispatch to get everything in order) the delivery was delayed almost 2 months.

Trying to contact our rep, Tyler, was a nightmare as he was either out of the office or just not willing to take our phone calls until we made it a point to follow up EVERY DAY until he responded to us. The reason for the delays? "Dispatch just couldn't get a truck scheduled for delivery."

This was AFTER they had 2 MONTHS to make sure dispatch COULD get a delivery at the requested time. Delivery was supposed to happen in June 2019. We finally got our stuff in August. Tyler then told us to file a delay of delivery claim.

So, we filed the delay of delivery claim. They told us they weren't responsible for any truck malfunctions and therefore would not be honoring our delay of delivery claim.

So..two months after we were supposed to get our stuff, the driver arrives (super nice guy, honestly the only decent person I dealt with while working with this company) and delivers our stuff.

It gets even worse. Not only were they two months late on the delivery, high-dollar items were damaged, moving totes had been obviously opened, and we didn't even receive all of the items.

This is the condition of the totes on the day everything was delivered:

https://youtu.be/O_341LTc0Ek

This company is a joke. Save yourself the headache and frustration and go with someone else.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $3000

These 5-star reviews are either friends and family of the owners/workers, or they just had dramatically different experiences with the same nightmare company.

I’d sooner move myself than use Advanced Moving & Storage again.

Go somewhere else. Spend the extra money. Why?

1) NOT ON TIME: We scheduled Advanced Moving to start at 6am, and asked them about this start time prior to booking them because we were set to close on the sale of our home at 9am. THEY WERE NEARLY AN HOUR LATE, so our closing of the sale was postponed (and subsequently, the purchase was also postponed until later that day).

2) UNPROFESSIONAL: it was hot on the day of our move, so I didn’t mind the absence of masks; however, they also didn’t have gloves, packing tape, moving straps, or any of the other equipment ”typical” movers use. Moreover, they underestimated the size of trucks needed to pack our home, so we had to contact the attorney of the home we were purchasing, unload one of the trucks at the new home, and then go back to the home we were selling.

3) DAMAGED ITEMS: Awful. Our mattresses weren’t bagged. Not only did they drag our mattresses out on the lawn, they didn’t cover them while in the moving truck. Further, multiple items were damaged and Advanced insurance is a joke ($0.30/lb refund).

4) INEFFICIENT: We moved from a modest 1,400 sq ft 3 bedroom home to another home that was less than a mile away. Our move TOOK MORE THAN TEN HOURS!! We moved from the city 35 miles west in less time.

Bottom line: go somewhere else.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $2100

I wish I would have seen the previous horrible reviews before hiring this shame of a company! Middle school students could have done a better job. The movers purposely broke and damaged many of my belongings! It is 5 months since the move and I am still finding damaged things! I moved the Wednesday before Thanksgiving 2020. It was a nightmare! Since Covid was in full pandemic mode they gave me a quite over the phone. When I received the email quote I called and told them the estimate was wrong and I had more belongings. The woman said not to worry about it that they would have a full size truck. She also guaranteed they would not be at my place before 1:00pm. I was closing on my condo that morning and was not sure how long it would take. The nightmare started when they arrived 10 minutes after I arrived home from the closing at 11:45AM! An hour and 15 minutes before agreed on. They told me they could wait till 1:00 but I had to pay extra for them to sit in the truck waiting to start. They said the time started the moment they pulled up. It was a very simple move. 70% of the move was boxes and sturdy storage bin and items already packed in the garage. I had moved 5 months prior after I sold my parents house. It was an easy move because 80% of the items were still packed the way they were delivered by the previous company. (I did not have many companies to choose from due to the pandemic). They knew there were 5 large items - a hutch with the china cabinet on top (2 pieces) handmade solid oak, solid oak table ( which was still taken apart and wrapped in moving pads from the previous move) with 6 chairs, a roll top desk, and a queen size canopy bed. I have moved 20 times prior and am almost a pro! They did not pack the largest and heaviest pieces of furniture first! They did not use ANY MOVIBG PADS! All of my furniture is wood furniture. It was drizzling and then started raining harder. I did not know they were putting my items outside the truck with them sitting in the rain. After 4 hours of moving which it was only a 2 bedroom 1.000 sqft place they told me they could not fit the 2 largests pieces of furniture in and I would have to pay them to come back on Friday to get them. That would mean paying another minimum of 3 hours to move just the china cabinet and table! After arguing with the crew chief and him calling me a f**king liar I called the company. I finally got a hold of the dispatcher and 10 minutes later he had told them they would have to repack them truck to fit it in. Like the other complaints the driver threatened not to deliver my belongings without giving them more money! After my nightmare 8 hour move I began to find damage and breakage. One of the dinning chairs which is handmade solid oak ($300 per chair), just “fell off” the truck. They tried to hide it for me by putting it in the garage when everything else was in the house. The leg was completely broken off! The last straw was today when I got my knee scooter and wheelchair out of the garage to prepare for surgery on my Achilles I discovered the broke the hand brake off the knee scooter and BENT my wheelchair! A piece of equipment I need to get around!!! I cannot sit in the chair. How the hell do you bend the frame of a solid steel wheelchair in a regular household move?!!! They have destroyed a $600 wheelchair that is a year old! The extent of my damage: 5 dining chairs with gouges out on the sides of the backs or cross bars, numerous scratches on the china cabinet, trim broken off wood cedar chest, 2 nightstands scratched and veneer broken off, scratched lingerie chest and broken veneer, 3 glass items shattered (box obviously dropped), destroyed queen size mattress (6 months old they folded it!!! The mattress developed a deep gully down the center within 2 weeks after the move), broken and scratched casing of solid wood electric fireplace, and who knows what else I’ll find! They obviously hire people who are not movers and will threaten to hold your items ransoms unless you come up with more money! My items were obviously damaged on PURPOSE!!! I did not bother submitting a claim through them for the damage because I knew they would find a way not to pay! Thank God my insurance covered some but I cannot continue to add new claims as I find more damaged items! Unfortunately, now I have to buy a new wheelchair! They damaged more items than all 20 previous moves combined! DO NOT USE UNLESS YOU WANT TO BE CHEATED AND HAVE ALL YOUR BELONGINGS DAMAGED OR DESTROYED!!!

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $2200

No matter how clear you are with their sales rep about what needs to be done, you will never know what you will be charged until they have all of your possessions locked up on their trucks. They lure you in with a lower price and then you are stuck. If the amount is much higher and doesn't make any sense, you are left with no recourse. If you ask to speak with someone in management, they tell you that management is "unavailable because they are in meetings." If you suggest that the new, higher amount should be discussed with management, they will hold all your possessions hostage in their locked warehouse until you agree to pay the ransom. In an effort to save money, I moved moved about 35% of the property in my home prior to Advanced arriving. Advanced Moving and Storage is demanding I pay 54% MORE than estimated for them to move 35% LESS than estimated. Despite claims of their movers being professionals, the crew didn't know basic moving techniques and practices. The Advanced Moving and Storage crew: (1) caused several thousand dollars of avoidable damage to not only my property but my home, (2) didn't use packing materials with the items they packed even though they charged me for them, (3) didn't label boxes even though they tell their customers to do so, (4) didn't keep screws necessary to assemble beds with the beds (one set I found on another floor in a ball of packing materials, unlabeled), (5) sent my son to McDonald's to pick up their lunch with cash covering less than half of the cost of the order. A second crew that came to my home to finish the job abandoned by the first crew asked me why the crew didn't do things like lift the backs off of chairs so they were easier to move, chairs that scratched my walls in the way they moved them. Advanced Moving and Storage sold me "repair or replacement" coverage for an extra $125 yet have not mentioned or conceded replacement to me directly and want to have my items repaired by someone who does shoddy, temporary repair work that doesn't look like anything close to what it did when Advanced gets their hands on it. As part of their scheme, other than the deposit, Advanced will only accept forms of payment where the consumer has no recourse - cash, money order or cashier's check. And since you don't have any idea how much it will be, their charges can vary so widely and you can't get cashier's checks or money orders 24/7/365, your own personal safety is put at risk as you have to keep thousands of dollars in cash at the ready or they will keep your property until you do.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $3500

The crew from Advanced Moving and Storage did an excellent job wrapping all our household goods and moved everything out of the house without damaging anything. We moved from Illinois to Arizona after having our items stored at their facility in Chicago. They delivered our furniture and household items in AZ in a very professional manner. We did have some minor damage to a loveseat. I would have given 5 stars, but gave only 4 due to the way their pricing works. When I signed the contract, I was given an estimated cost (also known as a not to exceed cost), but I was told the actual cost will be based on the actual weight of my goods at delivery (which would likely be less). In the end, I was charged the not to exceed amount, regardless of the actual weight, which I think was about 10-15% less than the estimated as I did not end up shipping as many items as originally planned. Still, a good experience with Advanced Moving - just know going in that you will pay the not to exceed amount.

Service cost: $12000

Although we did not have too much to move, two rooms.. The experience was still great. The movers were very efficient. I will use this company for any future moves! Also their response for my online inquiry was very fast and any time I was even able to reschedule my move with no issues! The three men we had were very polite. None of my furniture was damaged and we had a very large sectional that we needs to squeeze into a small space. I would definitely recommend advanced moving and storage. If you are on the fence on whether or not to hire movers, they will definitely make your decision easier!

Service cost: $300

[EDIT]

In late March, my mother & I hired Advanced Moving and Storage, Inc., based on their ability to accommodate our move from Illinois to Texas at the last minute. Everything was initially done through [NAME EDIT], [NAME EDIT]’s son, and company “relocation specialist.” Upon providing a 25% deposit, we set a date for them to load our household goods on 4/3/17, with the delivery date being set for 4/7 (4/15 being the latest, per the contract).

The moving crew arrived & did their job on 4/3 without incident. [NAME EDIT], the company’s only driver, informed us that he would call on 4/6 to let us know what time he would be arriving on 4/7, since they had another shipment to deliver on the way down in St. Louis. Confident that everything would go as planned, we left on 4/5 in our personal vehicle, and arrived at our empty house in TX on 4/6.

Foreshadowing the horror to come, [NAME EDIT] called on 4/5 and said he needed to run our credit card for the remaining 75% of what was supposed to have been due upon delivery. Not thinking anything of it, we tell him to go for it. On 4/7, we woke up early in anticipation of the truck arriving. After waiting several hours without contact, we called the company & left a message. A couple hours later, [NAME EDIT] called and alleged that the truck broke down in St. Louis, but that it was a “minor issue.”

The aforementioned “minor issue” turned into us waiting almost three weeks to receive our property. There was no apology, no discount or compensation for what we had to buy to sustain us in an empty house, and extremely limited information as to when the truck would ever be repaired. Two weeks into the ordeal, I told [NAME EDIT] that we were going to consult with an attorney, whereupon he ceased all communication with us.

I had to have my father (who lives in Chicago) reach out to him for any information. [NAME EDIT] told my father that he was not going to deliver our property now until he got a cashier’s check or money order, despite that fact that he had already been paid over $4,000 (the full amount for the move). Horrified by this, my father alerted me, upon which I filed a complaint with the Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration.

They said that [NAME EDIT] was effectively holding our property “hostage” at that point, and would be subjected to a $10,000/day fine for each day he asked for a different form of payment (he said he would “refund” us the amount paid via credit card when he got cash, but due to his rude and shady behavior, we couldn’t trust him).

On 4/24, the truck finally arrived with our belongings. Before offloading the trailer, however, [NAME EDIT] told us that we had to sign a Credit/Debit Card Authorization Form, stipulating that we still owed them over $3,000, and that we had to file all claims directly through them.

We refused to sign, whereupon [NAME EDIT] instructed [NAME EDIT] to leave [EDIT] with our property and to store it somewhere indefinitely until we signed said form. After facing [NAME EDIT]’s extortion, I called the FMCSA, whereby they said to do everything in your power to regain your property, even it meant signing something that we had no legal obligation to sign.

Horrified that we might not ever see our property again, my mother signed the form under duress. Additionally, I called the police so that an officer could make note that we were strong armed into signing a form that we did not legally have to. After all of that, they finally offloaded the trailer, and we once again had our belongings… or most of them, at least.

After spending hours going through the inventory form, we noticed that thousands of dollars in household goods had gone missing [EDIT], including my desktop computer. Moreover, [NAME EDIT] neglected to inventory many items from when they first packed that truck, which I believe was done so that it would be easier for them to [EDIT] things. Having worked in the transportation industry for a while myself, I was also perplexed that the turnaround time for their truck took so long, which gave rise to the following suspicions:

A) The truck never broke down in St. Louis. Instead of driving down to Texas with only a partial load, they decided to go back to Chicago (only 4 hours from St. Louis), and wait until they could fill it with more loads to make it full (intentionally delaying our shipment), or B) the truck did break down, but was repaired much faster than [NAME EDIT] let on so that, once again, it could be filled with more loads, thus delaying our shipment. Considering that I overheard [NAME EDIT]l say that they delivered a load prior to ours in Kansas City, I am inclined to believe that suspicion B is more plausible.

[EDIT] My only hope that as many people as possible read this so that they do not have to endure what we did.

Move size: 4 Bedroom Home Service cost: $4350

3 man crew showed up 2 hours late, moved like snails.  Said they were out late night before and were tired.  Only took half my belongings - said rest was not on their "list".  Was never told there would be a list even though we had many conversations with the office.  Office girl even admitted she "forgot" to put somethings on the list.  Had to rent a truck and have my children move other things they did not take.  After my daughter posted a negative review owner Jim called and said if she took it down, he would pick up rest in couple days. She did, and of course he kept coming up with excuses and after 2 weeks we knew he never intended to pick anything up. 
 The crew was rude and even called my family "freaks".  I have moved in and out of 9 homes and never experienced anything so horrible.  Would never use these people if they were the last movers on earth.
 .

Service cost: $1446

Lord, how to make a long story short? I will start by saying there should be a no stars option.  They broke/damaged MANY of our things, including a mirrored closet door, lamps, dresser, dishes, etc. Items like drills went missing altogether tho we watched them being packed.  They denied most of our claims stating they weren't responsible.  They charged us over 1000 more than the estimate and refused to return our things, threatening to drive off unless we paid the added charges which included more labor than what was used and supplies never used.  I reported to Illinois Commerce Commision, the BBB and the Attorney General.  I so wish I had read previous reviews.   The owner is the one that told the workers by phone to collect all additional money as he makes ALL decisions.  They offered me a whopping 60 for hundreds in damaged and missing items.  Did I forget to mention the owner altered the Bill's of Lading? Changing the amounts and hours AFTER I initialed already?   After much back and forth, I realized the owner wasn't the most ethical person and was never going to pay what was just, so I took them to Small Claims court, and I WON MY CASE. When I emailed about paying me the amount the court awarded, the response was to cease and desist (ummm, no, I don't have to) and to say nobody from the company will respond to my calls or emails. It appears I have to go back to court to collect.  All they've responded with is that "an attorney will contact me", but won't provide a name or number, and there is no attorney on record in this case.

Not sure if I mentioned that the ever so classy owner screamed at me in the court hallways causing a sherriff to escort me to my car after the first hearing.  In another sites review,  the owner responded that he regrets doing business with me.  Of course he does.  I refused to let this company take advantage, I followed through on the tedious process of suing them as I told him I would, and most importantly, I WON my case.  I am the one filled with regret for trusting this was a professional company, that they held our items hostage demanding more money and threatening to drive off with our items if we didn't pay, charging us for supplies never used & damaging our things to top it off.  I also regret their refusal to pay the judgement, instead claiming they will appeal and get a new trial, because it just means back to court we go and a lengthier process. I have no doubt this outfit regrets that while I was prepared, they were not, bringing 1 witness to say a confirmation letter with added charges was sent to me, totally untrue by the way, which is why they could not produce it in court.  Instead of providing any kind of letter, they claimed it wasn't on the server anymore because they have delete docs for space reasons.  I believe that was the moment the Judge knew they were not credible. There was NO evidence I was wrong and the owner falsely said he was  involved in our move from the start, yet didn't even know I hired their packing services. Hmmmm.    I was prepared for court.  Armed with proof of every discrepancy, emails, contracts and quotes to prove my case.  It is WHY I WON.  I had the truth on my side and proof to back it up.

So, I guess I'll see em back in court soon.  They could just send me what they owe, but they won't because in my opinion the owner has no ethics, morals or business acumen whatsoever.

In my personal opinion, this company is incredibly unprofessional.  It's been my experience the owner thinks he can do whatever and charge whatever he wants, and will most likely try to do so as he did with me.  Hiring them was the worst decision I ever made, and again based on my personal experience, you will likely end up paying far more than what was quoted as I did.  Save yourself the headache that I've endured for a year before going to court.  Read ALL the reviews, there are many just like mine, and you will see the pattern. You'll be better off going with a well known, trustworthy company that cares about their reputation.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $5000

DO NOT HIRE THEM UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!!
Arrangements went smoothly to set up the move. Items were stored by them in a "climate controlled" warehouse and then delivered to our home one month later. The move was not handled in a professional manner and items were damaged or lost. Although we had purchased a Full value protection policy, the company refused to honor that commitment claiming damage was pre-existing. No notation of this was made on the loading sheets and we are certain it was not damaged before the move. Our claims were for close to $4,000 and they sent us a check for $23.

We were assured that the driver who loaded our belongings in Bloomingdale would accompany them to our new home. This did not happen, and the driver assigned to deliver was with the company only a couple of weeks. That delivery driver, while capable, was ineffective in managing the crew engaged to offload our belongings.

The crew which Advanced engaged to offload our belongings was from our perspective inept and unprofessional. They were more concerned about getting done than about caring for our belongings. They even marked items as delivered which were not as evidenced by a lost lamp and a box which had to be forwarded to us on a date one month after delivery.

Perhaps most importantly, the driver, acting as the agent, agreed that the two tables which the crew destroyed were irreparable. We took him at his word and disposed of the damaged tables since we had no room to store them in our new location.

We understand that the company believes they were following the letter of the contract; and while the company can hide behind the wording, we do not believe that we were treated fairly in this situation. From our perspective we believe that the actions and communications were unprofessional, unethical, and perhaps even immoral. Because of that we feel that we must let others know of this situation so that they can make informed decisions about entrusting Advanced Moving with their precious belongings.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $11000

I wish I could give negative numbers. My parents and I experience with this company was horrendous!! I communicated with the agent that I was calling on behalf of my parents to book their move, because they were unavailable at a funeral. I asked the booking be placed in their names with their phone numbers. When it came time for the move, I would not be there, a point that I explained to the agent. Anyway, they arrived looking for me saying I had a ton of paperwork to sign, and made it seem like they could not start until I arrived. The way most moving companies work is your price is based on amount of time spent on the full move out and in. When they arrive, the clock starts. We were quoted a 4.5 hour move based on the amount of items we estimated we had. Now, this is where I was wrong. About 25% of the items were going to storage, which is across the street from the move in address. Other companies, in prior moves, had no problem with that because again, you are billed based on time. I was wrong because I didn't mention it because I didn't think it was a big deal to have stuff split between locations because of the proximity. Big mistake. The movers complained, called their dispatch, in turn the dispatch called me saying they will move to one location, because of time constraints and they had another move directly after, also that I had to be there in person to sign papers for the move. I was so pissed that I had to go there, when I clearly stated I could not upon booking, but I accepted that they could not go to two locations..that was on me. Anyway, the guys started the move, and it was contentious. One of the men was drinking on the job and you can smell the liquor on his breathe. We suspected that they were pushing all the buttons on the freight elevator so it takes longer to go up/down (the times my father rode with them, this did not happen, but when we wasn't and inquired what was taking so long, they would reply "all the buttons were pushed" or "the elevator malfunctioned"). They took long breaks between moving. The same drinking guys lied to my father about something my mom and said and when my father asked my mom, she denied having said that, and when he was confronted in front of both of them, he blamed someone else. They also took 1 hour to break down a queen bed and then did not put it back together properly upon completion of the move. It took them 4 hours to move out of the 2 bedroom 2 bath apartment, even with the help of my dad and brother (who came over to help) taking down the other bed and dining room table to move the process along. They took advantage of my parents and the situation, knowing at this point, they had no other options. Clearly they did not have another job to do as the dispatch led me to believe. The job took almost 8 hours, and my parents had to come up with cash to cover the difference. A quote went from about $700 total to $1200. Unbelievable. Had I been able to be there, there is no way in hell things would have went down like they did. We ended up having to move the stuff from the apartment to the storage facility ourselves..not from the final apartment, but from the 1st one, because they did not take everything, because they were taking too long to move. At this point we paid them $1200 to move about 80% of 2bed/2bath worth of stuff for 7 hours.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $1200

We were given as estimate of 12800 lbs totalling $5700 (with insurance)to be picked up in Shorewood IL and delivered to Huntsville Alabama between 18-23 Dec 2020. It is now 28 Dec 2020 and we still do not have our furniture, clothes and belongings. We continue to get the run around from customer service. Spoke with Jim the owner who told me the driver quit and there was no driver available to transport our belonging to Huntsville, AL. The owner said he should have a driver hired and ready to deliver 26 Dec. I reached out several times over the weekend to get a status report without successful. Today 28th Dec, I was able to talk to the owner regarding delivery of our shipment. Now he tells me he has a driver for next Sat (Jan 2) for delivery Mon (Jan 4). He didn't seem concerned at all that his company broke the contract for delivery of 18-23 Dec. He refused to talk about compensation, only that he would reimburse us for an air mattress. Not exactly what I had in mind for breaking our contract and delivering weeks late. I normally do my due diligence and research companies thoroughly. It was my mistake to believe Greg Smith the estimator who came to our home was honest. People, please do not hire this company to transport your possessions. You may never see them again. Feel free to call or text me if you would like further details. 815.585.1065.

Move size: 4 Bedroom Home Service cost: $5700

Absolutely the worst. Don't use them unless you want to learn what extortion really is. The owner is a bully and has a rotten mouth. The sales estimator doesn't know how to estimate a job. We are now working with past customers who have sued them and won and a lawyer. They will have another day in court! DO NOT BE FULLED BY THEIR 5 STAR REVIEWS. THEY WRITE THEM THEMSELVES. AS A JOURNALISM MAJOR AND GRADUATE, I CAN TELL YOU WITH CERTAINTY THAT ONE PERSON IS CRAFTING EACH OF THESE 5 STAR REVIEWS. PLEASE READ ON GOOGLE AND OTHER PLACES LIKE THE BBB TO GET AN ACCURATE READING ON THESE CRIMINALS

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $4700

ZERO STARS!!!! *Scroll past the 5 star comments that are more than likely coming from the owner himself*

I find it disgusting that they try to bury actual reviews with fake ones to cover up the fact that the owner Jim runs a scam of a company.

To the staff that knows what is happening behind closed doors. I ask you have integrity and leave the company.

As for the movers or anyone looking to apply or currently work for this company I suggest you RUN the opposite way.

I pray Jim gets a wake up call soon.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $2000

Let me first say that Advanced Moving and Storage is not the worst moving company but is a very close runner-up.
THE GOOD:
- arrived on the date that we agreed to move out of my apartment
- nothing was lost - most of my stuff was undamaged
- delivered my stuff in their own truck
- delivery driver James was great
- delivered within the delivery window agreed upon (13 days)
- price was reasonable (you get what you pay for)
THE BAD:
- packing team was late by 4 hours.
- packing team of only 3 men which should have been 4 for the amount of stuff I have.
- one of the packers smelled like very strong alcohol.
- packing list was not accurate or very descriptive
- many items were not inventoried (I created my own inventory and marked boxes myself)
- they took my wife's clothes after we asked them not to several times. was not able to get them back because they would not let us into warehouse where my stuff was stored. the owner had no compassion that my wife had nothing to wear.
- did not allow us to see the weighing of the truck or provide a weight receipt.
- was charged for full estimated cost because they lied about weight of shipment.
- the delivery team consisted of the driver and 2 hired help from Labor Ready (not professional movers)
- one of the hired help was a woman with flip flops on. (nothing against women but she was not prepared to perform move)
- would not unload the truck until I signed a waiver that they will not be responsible for damage to the house.
- damaged many pieces of furniture due to improperly packing and handling.
- 2 table casters broken from coffee table
- mattresses where shrink wrapped instead of bagged like I was told. mattresses are dirt stained where shrink wrap was torn
- IKEA book shelf and tv stand where severely scratched because not properly wrapped
- brand new bedroom set was scratched and dented - leg broken on my daughter's princess dresser.
- company is unresponsive. they will tell you they will call back but never will. you have to keep calling them.
Advanced is very unprofessional. The estimator Tyler is the only professional person at this company but that is were the professionalism end. The owner seems like he does not even care about his customers and will lie to you in a second. Many things were damaged but its not worth filing a claim because they will probably never pay or admit responsibility. Even though I purchased the full value replacement protection. If you roll the dice and use this company like I did, make sure you pack and inventory everything yourself. Use heavy duty boxes and lots of packing tape. Shrink wrap your own stuff and purchase mattress bags. Get a not-to-exceed estimate and expect to pay the full cost. I was told that the foreman would stay with the shipment and would be there for the delivery but lied to. The delivery driver James was great but was put in a bad situation when they hired unskilled movers at the delivery. He made the best of the situation and worked extra hard to get our stuff in the house without causing any more damage. All of the damaged was caused in the packing process or when they moved my stuff from truck - to storage - to truck. I do not recommend this company.

Service cost: $4020