Alliance Moving & Storage LLC

I did not know that Alliance Moving & Storage was a middleman during the time of booking. They do not make that very obvious on their website. In looking closer at the contract that I signed and in the fine print online, they do specify what they do, but as a first timer moving across country on my own I did not know. I learned my lesson in trying to save a couple bucks and the stress was not worth it.

Their motto is "Moving can be stressful. We can help" but this company was the source of all of my moving stress. When speaking with my moving coordinator Frank Jackson (who never emailed/called me back after getting my money) I told him that I'd like my things picked up Friday, 9/25. He said that Alliance gives a moving window of two days and that typically they arrive on the second day. Great, a window of 9/24 - 9/25 it is. Frank said I would get a call the Monday of that week to confirm which date the movers come. No call, so when reaching out to customer service I'm told they come on Thursday 9/24. Sounds good.

That Tuesday, I do my quality assurance call with Thomas Hoffman. Thomas has been responsive and helpful throughout this ordeal and I have no negative feelings towards him. As it turns out, with some extra boxes and my specialty bed disassembly my quote went from ~$2,800 to ~$3,900. I didn't even blink at the change because this is still a very affordable rate for almost 3,000 miles.

Wednesday morning rolls around and as I am preparing to finish my last 5% of packing (while WFH), the moving company calls saying they're coming today. So much for a 24 hour notice! I asked what he meant since this is a day earlier than the first day of my moving window and that I was not ready. He basically said that I just have to deal with it and pack while the movers start loading the truck. This really screwed my plans because I had intended to bring my cat to a friend's house and also had a therapy appointment on Wednesday which I had to cancel and pay out of pocket for. My cat got to stay in the bathroom for five hours while the guys worked and I lost $100 for a call with my therapist that I could not have. Plus the last-minute hysterics of throwing things into boxes hastily because I did not have time to adequately organize before they showed up. I had not had a panic attack in about a year, but Alliance welcomed that feeling back to me this week.

The worst part is the inconsistencies and miscommunications between broker and vendor. I signed a contract with Alliance saying that wrapping of furniture is free of charge, yet the vendor tried to charge me for that. When I pushed back, he helped me out because I had been nice to them. Alliance also told me I pay half at pick-up, half at delivery. The vendor wanted a 75% payment on pick-up. The vendor also tried to charge me for the elevator service (I'm on the 5th floor so we used the elevator to pack my things) and I just kind of stared at him. What? What I've found is that Alliance makes generalizations about what is included, but the vendor will try to charge you for extra things the day of.

Oh, that's not all! The Alliance booking system somehow became compromised, so not only were viruses sent out to clients via the clickable estimate they sent out, but the vendor did not have my updated inventory list. Customer service is kind but clueless, because when I called to discuss their system being compromised/whether the moving company has my updated inventory list + record of estimate, they said not to worry and that had all been sent to them. This, like many other promises Alliance made, was not accurate.

I work as an Executive Assistant and have to be an organized person. I had spreadsheets, calendar invites, and comprehensive plans for this move. I did everything right, but it still wasn't enough and I have Alliance to thank for that. Save yourself the headache and book through a legit moving company.

Move size: Studio Service cost: $4230

I wish to file a complaint against Seven Stars Movers of Garland TX that you contracted for my recent move.

The Owner and driver (Arvie) leased a 26 ft truck for our move, which from my research has a maximum storage capacity of a little over 1800 cubic ft.

When he conducted his on site estimate, he calculated an additional 1254 cubic ft., to the original estimate of 1371, for a total of 2625 cubic ft. The total estimate was over the storage capacity of the truck!

At the time, I didn’t realize the truck capacity, but still argued his figures. This individual became rude and abrasive and threatening to stop the move, and was wanting a cash form of payment within 2 hrs or he will stop loading.

I was aware of the payment requirements from conversations with Sam Roth at Alliance. Arvie continued to threaten to stop the move, I told him that he had backed me into a corner, and I obviously needed to continue the move process.

This individual was the most un-professional person that I have ever had to deal with.

I worked with Ciara at Customer Service and argued with her about the same, and she said she trusted his judgment. Again, at the time did not realize the storage capacity until later.

So I made a $10,000 wire payment, the ORIGINAL TOTAL ESTIMATE was $5181.

Upon delivery it was demanded that I pay the drivers the remaining balance in cash. In my opinion, that was not acceptable, and I chose again to wire directly to Alliance. The wire transfer was submitted about an hour prior to the arrival of the truck. Upon arrival, the wire was still in Pending Status, and I provided a copy of the wire to Ciara at Customer Service. Arvie called my wife and began yelling and berating her, about payment! I was working with my bank to expedite the wire, even though I provided a copy to everyone. According to Alliance, they needed the transfer to be received. After a couple of hours, finally got the wire processed and by that time both Alliance and Seven Stars Movers are demanding Extra Time payment for the drivers because they had to sit for a period of time, all of this was out my control and no one was willing to be flexible.

Needless to say, I have made multiple attempts to contact Customer Service at Alliance with no results. Long wait periods, unanswered messages etc.

This has been the most stressful, exasperating experience for both my wife and myself.

I will hope and pray that Alliance take action on this company’s actions, not to say, some needed improvement in the Customer Service area.

At this time, Im requesting a refund of the overages, based on the full use of a 26ft. truck with a maximum capacity of approx.. 1800 cubic ft., which at this time has gone unanswered by Alliance.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $16500

They broker the move. Our price almost doubled from the original quote. They didn't show up the day of the move after forcing us to pay deposit. The company they brokered it to was also shady. They hold your cargo hostage. After they have your stuff the price continued to escalate until delivery. At delivery they showed up two days late with stuff missing. I have called Alliance, wrote emails, and now contacting the BBB. They never call us back or return our emails. We have been trying to file an insurance claim and now we have to go to court. Do Not Use Them!

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $17000

I booked my move with Alliance Moving and Storage and was given every assurance that they would be with me “every step of the way,” in my move and that I was receiving a good quote and they would not nickel and dime me. The customer sales rep even said “I have daughters - this is what I would recommend for them.” And so I placed my trust in this company thinking that they would make the stressful experience of moving less challenging, especially in the midst of the pandemic. The reality of my experience was the exact opposite - it was emotionally and financially traumatic.

They severely underestimated the space that my goods took up so that when the company they hired for my move arrived, I was immediately notified that my cost would be significantly higher than what I was quoted, and that there were a number of added expenses (read the fine print VERY carefully - a binding estimate does not include a number of added costs that you cannot dispute when the movers arrive to pickup your goods,) and ultimately, once the new company arrived for pickup, I was forced to sign a new agreement and Alliance was basically off the hook for the rest of the move.

My goods were estimated to arrive on August 3rd and didn’t arrive until October 4th. When I attempted to get updates on my delivery date I repeatedly received conflicting information from representatives at Alliance, including being told that my goods would be loaded on a truck on a certain date and then the next day calling to confirm that they’d been loaded only to be told that they weren’t. This happened many times, and I was also told, on many occasions, that I would receive a return call with an update and never did. This is not an exaggeration - I have documented evidence of my experience both in recorded phone calls and emails.

In the end, the promise that Alliance would be with me every step of the way was a total lie. Moving is incredibly stressful during regular times, and during a pandemic it is even more stressful. I hired Alliance thinking I would be reducing the amount of turmoil I’d experience during my move, and as a result of my experience with Alliance Moving and Storage I will never trust a moving company with my belongings again. I’d rather know where my stuff is at all times and coordinate the details, truck rentals, labor, etc. myself. I would have saved a whole lot of money and turmoil.

I would not recommend using this company by any means, but if you are considering it I would definitely urge you to look them up and do thorough research:

Federal Motor Trade Carrier Safety Administration: (42 complaints this year at the time this review was written)

Https://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/hhg/SearchDetails.asp?ads=&id=30463694&id2=32385759&f=search%3D3%26CNS%3D1%26CN%3Dalliance%26DOT%3D%26MC%3D%26Submit%3DSearch

Their BBB Profile (grade D+)

Https://www.bbb.org/us/fl/deerfield-beach/profile/moving-companies/alliance-moving-and-storage-llc-0633-90552819

Move Rescue: (lots of good info here for before during and after your move)

Https://www.moverescue.com/

And this article from the BBB about avoiding moving scams:

Https://www.bbb.org/article/news-releases/22678-moving-scams-cause-financial-and-emotional-nightmares-bbb-study-finds.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $2400