Allied Van Lines

  Moving across country can be a stressful and daunting experience.  Happy to say that my recent move with Allied was neither.  I had such variances with the different quotes I got, and Allied was not the cheapest, but rather the simplest and easiest to work with.  From the beginning the customer services and communication was excellent.  The Quote was right on, and the people at every stage were friendly and  professional.  Our driver was outstanding.  Sean was incredibly professional and kept me updated throughout the process.  Weather was not in anyone’s favor on the receiving end, but Sean and the unpacking crew were amazing.  I could not have asked for a better experience.  .

Service cost: $7733

Worse move ever! Allied is very dishonest and whatever you read on their site is untrue. They do not wrap everything as the site states. They care more about their money than pleasing the customer. When they loaded my items I had to go behind them and pick up cords, screws, etc. The worse part was the unloading; it appeared that they got the crew off the street who worked daily for money. Very unprofessional and lazy. The driver did not give me the inventory to check off - the crew just took things off the truck put it wherever they pleased. I had garage things in the bedroom, house items in the garage, etc. My Ethan Allen roll top desk came off the truck soak and wet on one side with water dripping off of it; I feel this was the fault of the company for not protecting my furniture. They did not wrap my washer and dryer and the dryer came off the truck with a big scratch down the side. Some items were stolen and/or missing; the claims examiner said that I checked them off as received when in fact I did not check off any items on the inventory. I did not have a signed contract; no one asked me to sign anything prior to the move; it wasn't until I brought it up after the fact that they said I could now, after the fact purchase additional insurance. They did call me, however, while I was on the road and asked me for payment prior to delivery..while I was on the interstate I had to stop and pay over the phone by credit card..the claims examiner from Allied makes up things as she goes along; whatever works for the company and not the customer is their goal. Bad, bad move. My furniture was scratched, wet, dented, and they hid the nuts and bolts to my bed and dresser in my dresser drawer and I found them later..they didn't secure the tv on the stand and now if it is bumped it will fall over; they put paper and other items on the damaged totes so I wouldn't notice it..my wall unit had a broken bracket and now the door won't close properly..they were in a big hurry to unload and leave vice carrying for the customer; basically sign here and the driver and crew were gone. Worse move of my life - don't trust ALLIED VAN LINES!! They only care about the money! Very BAD customer service!

Service cost: $3900

Our delivery date has passed and they now quote delivery 2 to 3 weeks after the in-writing estimated delivery date. We were not advised that our load would be transferred from truck to truck (and perhaps held at a Washington DC facility) and we were not advised in advance by oral or written means that the trans-shipment or delay could/would occur. I had to call several times to even find out that info and they did not return inquiry calls I made. I never dwelled on the fact that I am 88, a Korean veteran, with Parkinson's Disease. It's no way to treat any client. Assuming we get our possessions eventually, it would take an act of God for us to ever use Allied again or even recommend it.

Service cost: $2566

If your not Military I wouldn't suggest this company.
100,000 pounds was moved within 4 hours everything was thrown on the truck unwrapped. I had to call the Rep the driver wanted to do a early delivery when he called I hadn't even made it to CA. The day that I was to except the delivery I wanted one town he refuse to deliver too that town so he when out and got a storage since I hadn't had time to find a place I received and email same day of my delivery if I didn't except the delivery I would be charged $46.01 an hour each for the driver and truck additional $200. a day, The Driver found a Unit I asked what time he said after 5:00pm since his friends have to get off there jobs I explain I have a medical condition I can't see how to drive at night and being in a unknown town well I had a chose either pay the fees or met him at night I when to go get the movers waters I was told I needed a second unit the storage employee at the storage explain it would cost me monthly that she had a larger unit that equal the size to the 2 units The driver stated that it would cost me hourly to removed the items from the smaller unit to the larger I got the 2 units again cost..It was getting late I had 2 special needs kids with me so the driver told me he would bring me the keys to the unit the next day. I offered Lunch for the driver and his family next day meet the wife keep looking at him strange when I arrived at my unit I almost passed out everything was thrown into the units books on top of Crystal you can see and hear damage when you open the storage unit. Now I've filed a claim after getting a month of runaround now I'm told that the storage unit upon deliver is my problem now why did I purchased additional insurance, paid extra to have my furniture stored in storage and nothing was wrapped/crated/blanketed and I was charged for it. Is this a company you want to move your things if your not military that was all I was asked before the move and during I have emails to support everything I've stated. If you don't want you things to arrive as they where packed go ahead used this idea company. Oh the best part I can't get the Rep on the phone now that I paid and my things are damaged I can't get a body on the phone. Nor will they reimburse me I paid over 5K to move my things.

Service cost: $5000

A bad mistake using this company. 2.5 hours late for pick up and called and expected me to find them in my car. Arrived in AZ. received a call my items where here so of I go to my storage unit when I arrived they were unloaded but it was not mine. Returned next day another call back to the unit. 100 degrees in AZ , one person to unload. Myself and my brother had to help because I have health issues and could not just stand there for hrs. when they started to unload again bringing goods in my storage again not mine. I packed most of my good except antique furniture, when they were at my place they were placing stickers for inventory on the wood. I kindly asked them to place the stickers some where else so it would not damage the finish. Unloaded, unable to do a proper inventory upon delivery, all the wrapped goods were not marked with inventory stickers.. I find out in a few days I am missing a antique steamer trunk. Placed a claim, heirlooms inside the trunk. Received a letter stating because I did not do an inventory on the spot, meaning unwrap all the furniture and check it against a inventory sheet they are not responsible. I stopped payment, gathering info for the claim, ask them to send me a copy of the inventory they did , crossed checked it to find the trunk No trunk. Called them they said they never shipped a trunk. I responded it was shipped It would not fit in my car and the house was completely empty. I requested a inventory copy of the truckers inventory upon delivery, answer that all we have is the inventory we have on file. NO truck inventory of my goods. The process is still in arbitration and they refuse to acknowledge that they lost my goods. Sent me arbitration for and it is going to cost me to file. They have ways around there responsibilities with every excuse they can find. This fight will continue.

Service cost: $3100

I just had the best moving experience with Allied Van Lines. I hired them to move my apartment and car from MI to CA and everything went extremely smooth. They loaded everything onto the van, provided extra boxes, tape, and packaging material. The movers wouldn't let me lift a finger to help them, which felt weird but spoke to their professionalism. The movers handled my belongings with care and took inventory of every box to ensure nothing was lost. They also had constant communication with me as they drove my stuff across the country and my items arrived earlier than expected. I highly recommend Allie Van Lines for any moving you might need!! Worth the money!

Service cost: $5000

Our move should have been easy and straightforward. Enter incompetent, rude moving company.

I requested May 17th as the delivery date. Since I was getting paid on the 15th, and wanted to keep the 16th as a buffer date, the 17th was the date I picked. This is exactly how I explained it to the sales agent who came to our apartment to give us a quote.

This was in March. At that time, he also stated that our stuff would arrive over a 4-5 day window. I remember this clearly because I actually discussed that with my SO that evening, and the 4-5 day window seemed like an inconvenience. But we understood that logistically there were a lot of challenges and a 4-5 day window was reasonable.

The quote Allied provided us was significantly higher than some of the other companies. But we decided to move forward with them because we had met them in person. We assumed that a company that takes the time to come out and meet you in person would be more reliable and provide better service. Our assumption was wrong.

We had our stuff packed and loaded on April 21. That went pretty well. During the days that followed, we encountered some of the worst customer service I have ever encountered. They would tell me to call them the next day. When I called them the following day, I get told that the person is out of the office for a graduation ceremony. Now I definitely think they should have attended the ceremony. I do not, however, think they should've asked me to call them at a time they would be out of office.

This wasn't the only incident. When I requested a quote, they got my email wrong three times even though they had emailed me before. And when I tried to confirm that they had my email right the third time, the lady took a very rude tone with me. And when she read the email back to me, surprise surprise, it was wrong! It took them two whole days to get me a quote. During this time, I had to call them multiple times, leave several voicemails, and was told that the email was sent and that I needed to look in my spam folders, etc., which I did several times.

When I finally received the quote, the delivery was scheduled for May 20 - June 6, an EIGHTEEN DAY window! Some with customer service later on explained how that was well within the national average. But my point was this. First of all, the date we agreed upon was May 17. Second, an 18-day-window might be okay for several people, but not for me. The sale was made by misleading us.

This happened around May 12. Trying to resolve the issue and move forward in a productive manner, I tried to put my frustrations aside and politely requested to have the date moved up. Instead, I was threatened that if I did that, they would deliver it even later. So obviously, I refused to sign the contract. It wasn't something I had requested. But they had our stuff and knew they could harrass and bully us.

When I called customer care, the lady said that the only written record was that on the contract, and that at this point, I had to pay them for the late delivery in full amount and that if I tried to stand up for myself, they would put my stuff in storage and charge me even more.

Note that the entire time thus far, I had kept the calmest of tones. My boss actually asked me, "Have you dropped the F-word yet? Because if you don't show discontent, you WILL be taken advantage of." As someone who always maintains his composure, the idea was extremely off-putting to me even though I knew this to be true.

Anyway, during one such attempts to resolve the conflict, my SO called the agent (who miraculously answered for once). The moment he answered the phone, he started yelling at her constantly, calling her a liar and what not. He started denying that we had ever requested the 17th and that I had tried to call him only twice. Every time my SO tried to speak, he kept yelling. Finally she had to raise her voice to be heard over his yelling, something she hates doing. (Life lesson: The customer is always wrong when the mover has all their stuff!)

I was at work when this happened. During a break, I called her to check in and see how things were going, and she answered the phone sobbing. It was one of the worst feelings ever! I've endeavored every day to make my SO smile and laugh. It's my life's goal, my passion, my pastime! And now, I was pay $2500+ to these monsters to yell at her and make her feel terrible!

I called the agent, furious, and yet I tried to maintain my calm and ask him why he'd done that and how he could dare to take such a tone with her. And then he started yelling at me and started calling her names and what not. Losing my cool, I caved and dropped some expletives. The phone call went nowhere, and the realization that I had lost started to dawn upon me.

So here I am, writing up a sorry little note, hoping that I can help someone else avoid this nightmare. Hopefully you don't have to hear your loved ones cry because your movers decide to take advantage of you the moment they have all your stuff.

Service cost: $2574

The loading in SLC went pretty well. A team of 5, all but one with experience and even the newbie was OK. Felt pretty good about things as they drove off. They could not tell me if my stuff would be put in a warehouse, load split or really anything about what would happen to my things once they drove off. I had worked very hard to label my boxes AND colored coded them for placement at the other end at the suggestion of the moving agent.
Unloaders were not happy because they had to unload a van into a smaller truck in order to access my 2nd floor apartment. This team consisted of 3 guys, 2 of whom looked like druggies from the Union Gospel Mission. They did arrive on time at 8AM, however not a single item was moved into my apt for 1 1/2 hrs after arrival. The boss seemed OK with standing around looking at the other two work and not making any suggestions or comments. They seemed unaware of the benefits of using a dolly for heavy things, especially on stairs. They did not place things in the house, they dropped them (including my computer}. They tracked dirt all over the rug. Virtually every piece of furniture was damage and two pieces completely destroyed.
Twice during the day the 'boss' had to leave to 1) go to the bank and 2) "buy moving equipment", each time gone for an hour or more. Many items were unaccounted for. Also, one of the underlings turns out was color blind and apparently could not read English so he put boxes where ever. So much for the color coding and labeling.
At 6PM, having apparently decided they'd worked long enough, the boss said they had to leave. They had not assembled any items that had been broken down in SLC, although I was told they would and I had to argue with the 'boss' to get him to stay long enough to assemble a book case. I hired these guys because I'm 67 yrs old and 125# and not an Olympic athlete and had really counted on them to help me assemble items and to get boxes in the designated rooms so that I would not have to hurt myself moving them. HAH!
Every day as I unpack I find more damage to furniture. I will NEVER hire 'professional' movers again. I have packed and shipped an entire household, including the expensive fragile dining set to New Zealand and back without any damage or loss.In fact, one of the unloaders complimented me on how well I had packed things. I thought so called professionals could do at least as well as I could, but evidently that is not true.

Service cost: $4550

Everything was already packed. Movers only had to put boxes and furniture into the truck.

Movers stole PS4, laptop, headphones, music bag, and countless other things of value out of boxes.

Movers got into a FIST FIGHT IN FRONT OF OUR HOUSE. One mover was actually thrown out of the loading truck into the street by another mover. Huge ordeal with yelling, cursing, physical altercations and complete disrespect for everyone around. Driver sent them home, finished packing and drove off.
When truck arrived in Colorado, broken furniture came out of the truck.

How were we compensated? With a letter stating "the broken furniture did not meet your deductible", and there was "NOTHING THEY COULD DO ABOUT THE STOLEN OBJECTS, and sorry for the movers altercation during the move. NOTHING WE CAN DO".

And to top it off, the driver was over an hour late to pick up our stuff the day of our move.

NOTHING COMPANY WILL DO TO COMPENSATE.
Made our move extremely stressful, and VERY expensive.

Please use a different moving company.

Service cost: $7299