Authority Moving Experts

These guys are brokers who farmed the actual work out to a bunch of yahoos who showed up 4 hours late for the pickup in a rented Uhaul. They shook me down for an extra $3K when they did the pick up almost doubling the quote, and demanded to be paid the remianing balance in cash when they finally delivered with only 30 minutes notice it on a Sunday morning a full 6 weeks late. Had to call the cops to prevent them from leaving with our belongings. Lots of damage to our belongings as well inlcuding an antique china cabinet. Never, never, never use these guys.

Move size: Partial Move Service cost: $6200

I have never felt so taken advantage of. Authority Moving Experts suggested S&A for our move from ME to CO. They took our things to NJ and repacked there for the long trip. The NJ crew destroyed 20% of our things. Stole a 6ft ladder and a tri-pod shop light. Left items in the rain. Broken furniture, antiques, paintings, lamps/shades, dishes. Unbelievable destruction. The drivers were great, but NJ employees just didn't care. Filing a claim took hours of pictures and research to find the value.(no mention of needing the weight). AND we were 115 in line for them to reviewour claim. Started in July, today (Nov 13) we got the results. AME brokers completely overcharged us for brokering us to S&A. And AME said it would cost $11,500. As our furniture was in the driveway, the cost rose to $30,000 total on the spot. No option but to pay the balance. Now S&A will only reimburse after a long, tedious claims process, by the weight of the item ($0.60). Not the value. To "Dispute", the requirements are just about impossible. More and More hoops to jump through. I agreed to their $268 (!) refund. And now I'm saving you from this terrible experience.

Move size: 4 Bedroom Home Service cost: $30000

What a breath of fresh air! After trying to coordinate with another moving company I finally demanded my deposit back and called these guys. Totally positive experience from the first phone call. I was given a REASONABLE quote - no hidden fees or charges. They sent great company who knew what they were doing and were super knowledgeable with the packaging! All three movers introduced themselves - were friendly, efficient, and professional. They were wonderful. Thank you so much guys! You are indeed as good as you promised!

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $1100

I had the best experience with these guys. They went out of their way to accommodate me and the needs for my situation. I had items in two different storage locations and they made it super easy to move into my new home. They found an incredible team of movers who were professional, respectful and were caring to all the staff! They really were amazing. Very courteous and helpful, and made sure I didn’t have to take care of any coordination. I would definitely recommend them.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $4000

Things started out great with this company when my husband got into contact with Jonathan. Then, once they got our deposit, it all went downhill from there. This company refused to call us back multiple times so we could update our inventory to accurately reflect an updated quote. When we first spoke with Jonathan, he assured us that we would be able to call and update our inventory as needed. Calls to customer service to update our inventory went unanswered.

We were never given a breakdown of cubic ft. per item when the estimate was originally given. After we received our original estimate, we got rid of the following items of furniture: 1 three-seater couch, 1 loveseat, 1 recliner, 1 refrigerator, 1 4-seater dining room table with two chairs, 1 four-seater pub-style table with 4 chairs, 1 gun safe weighing ~300 lbs., one changing table, and one cabinet to hold DVDs/CDs. Once we got rid of those items, we added about 20 more medium/large boxes to our original estimate. They tried telling us that our cubic ft. went up, increasing our original estimate by approximately $1500. How? After removing all of those heavy, bulky items and adding stackable boxes, how on earth could our cubic ft. have gone up? We felt taken advantage of since we could not get a hold of anybody for a revised quote until 6 days before our scheduled move, like we were backed into a corner and forced to accept the ridiculous increase in price or we'd be screwed.

Per the first paragraph under “Understanding your estimate,” they state explicitly “this document is an estimate only and not a contract.” They then go on to write under “cancellation of services,” that “the customer must provide written description evidencing any and all breaches of the contract by email to Authority Moving Experts…” Which we did, and no answer. We also did not sign ANY contract; we only received this estimate, which was stated to NOT be a contract.

We did write to them explaining that they did not provide adequate service and would like our deposit refunded. No answer. Under “Cancellation of services,” they state in the italicized portion that “If I claim that service was not rendered, I must provide notice of any service failure made by Authority Moving Experts, LLC, in writing to customerservice@amemovingandstorage.com.” We did so. They failed multiple times to return our calls so we could update our inventory with enough time to make sure we could afford the move. The one time my husband got through to someone, they told us they cannot update our inventory until a week before our move. We never received a call the week before our move (see attached email chain); we finally got through to somebody 6 days before our move, when we received the inflated quote. We also did not receive a breakdown of the cubic ft to explain how additional boxes could possibly take up more cubic ft than all of the furniture we got rid of, referenced in the first paragraph. They are attempting to hide behind an estimate that they state both is and is not a contract.

This company has been in business for less than two years, is not BBB-accredited and has a C- rating, which did not exist until after we already started doing business with them. Judging by their reviews that came in around the time we initiated service, we are not the only ones they have done this to. Their business practice is unfair, predatory and contradictory. We were lured in with a good initial quote, only to be taken advantage of less than a week before our out-of-state move. Once I submitted the complaint, they then claimed that we were offered our original estimate back...huh? What sense would that make? Does that not just go to prove that their pricing is not transparent or legitimate?

Well, hope the C- rating was worth it AME! Good luck getting any business now. You do a great job perpetuating the stereotype that moving companies are crooks.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $7500

Where do I begin with the deceitful experience I had with AME (Authority Moving Experts). While they did pick up and deliver all of my stuff, the entire experience was riddled with lies & deceits along the way. They’ll be very sweet to get you to sign the contract – but once that’s done, they mostly don’t believe in any sort of customer service. Here’s my best attempt at summarizing – hope this is a good warning for whoever is considering them 

Quoted price vs. actual price (~2x difference)

I called AME a month or so in advance of my move. I provided them with a detailed item by item list of everything I had – in an excel sheet. AME gave me a quote, and said my cost was “likely to be even less, given the items you have”. On the day of pickup, the truck shows up, and low & behold, the cost to move the same items is now magically double – I tried calling AME, but of course no one picked up because it was after 5pm. Ended up paying double the quoted price because I had to move out that day – thanks AME!

Hidden fees coming your way at pickup!

As if the deceitful pricing wasn’t enough, the truck / movers added an extra $205 ‘materials fee’ for padding and tape. All of my things were already packed and taped in boxes – this was for padding, which is already included in the contract! This was never mentioned to me before the day of pickup.

Misled about delivery – don’t believe their dates

During multiple phone calls before pickup day, I was told delivery will happen in 24-48 hours. And of course, when the truck shows up for pickup, they inform me that delivery will happen in 7-14 business days! How can a moving company be so off in their estimate? Clearly it wasn’t their first rodeo – they knew what they were doing. Again, didn’t have a choice at it was move-out day, so had to agree.

Nonchalantly breaking your things

Literally broke the legs of a bookshelf in front of my eyes while putting it in the truck – if they’re not careful while you’re watching, who knows what they do behind your back.

Insurance claims for broken items – what’s that?

Was given a person’s number to call about my broken bookshelf – was told I will get a call back with the details on how to file a claim. I believe the person I spoke with has since blocked my number – no updates :)

Oh wait – more hidden fees – this time during delivery!

Day of delivery, I get a phone call – they will now charge me $150 for the 5 extra feet the movers have to walk to deliver my stuff. Also, their delivery truck apparently can’t get into Brooklyn – so another $100 extra to get a smaller truck (again, unexpected new fees – they knew my delivery address since day 1!)

I’ll end this by saying that AME knows exactly what they are doing – they know that most customers will end up paying for unexpected fees on the days of pickup & delivery – we simply don’t have a choice if it’s move-out day! And of course, they very explicitly ask for cash or purchase money order during pickup & delivery – because they know that if the customer pays by credit card, the first thing they will do is call their bank and have the charge blocked – because of the deceitful experience! My move was certainly not their first rodeo :)

One final point – AME works with different contracting companies for moving – so they’ll always be ready to point the blame at someone else (and the contracting company will point the blame back at AME)

I hope this is helpful – please find better & more professional movers – AME will definitely sweet-talk you into a helpless situation on moving day.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $3200

Long and short of it: I had an out-of-state move, was contacted by Jayson Dior regarding my upcoming move and he was UBER friendly. Sounded like a nice person and I NAIVELY paid the deposit quite fast based on the info he had provided.

Promised I'd get a call back the Friday coming up to go over logistics. COOL. I waited, no call. I had to call them back the next Monday. I'm a business woman who works from home & I don't like my time being wasted.

A verification email was apparently sent on Thursday hence why I didn't get a call (email never came)- but there was no communication to that regard!

Combing through the verification email, I realized there were 2 major issues: 1. Jay mentioned a "flight" of stairs being covered in the quote, but didn't specify it was 10 STEPS. Anything over would be an extra charge!

2. Delivery to my new address was not guaranteed. THIS is the HUGE problem for me, because my stuff has to be delivered on a specific day! Jayson made it sound like it was going to happen that way, but lo and behold...

Next day I reach out to the moving company and now someone else is in charge (Salvatore)- who matter-of-factly states that everything was outlined in the document I signed prior to paying (big mistake on my part, lesson learned) and that none of my deposit would be getting refunded.

The only way to guarantee delivery on a specific day is to pay an extra $2500! WTF?????

In this economy? I've been saving up for MONTHS to make this move and I have 2 children to care for!

I feel duped- there was no clarity on that first call with Jayson, who has chosen to remain unavailable after the fact (I've attempted multiple times to get a hold of him but I'm always advised by Danielle that "he isn't handling my account anymore".

I understand losing my deposit of over $1,000, but there needs to be ACCOUNTABILITY. This is NOT the way you run a business!!!!!

Unless you want to lose money, I wouldn't hire them.

I'm making alternative arrangements for my move which I should have done to begin with.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $5900

I hired these guys to move from Kentucky to Washington. Once you've signed the contract and made your deposit, they are EXTREMELY difficult to contact. I was told my stuff would be delivered in 7-10 days. When an ACTUAL moving company showed up, they said they worked for Authority Moving Experts, but they were All Season Van Lines. They said

Authority Moving Experts were only a moving broker that hires moving companies. They charged an additional 5300 dollars because they said authority moving experts hadn't calculated my shipment correctly. I asked them when it would be delivered and they asked me what the company told me, I told them 7-10 days. They said if that's what the company said they would deliver in 7-10 days. My first partial delivery was 28 days, the second 20 days later. When they damaged ALL of the furniture they actually delivered (never received everything), Authority moving experts said they were not responsible for the actual movers. Complaints were filed with the BBB and the New Jersey attorney general but I have yet to be compensated for damaged or missing claims. Lesson learned: if a company contacts YOU for a move, move on and hire a company that YOU contact. If a company wants your bank account information for payment move on. When they finally relented to get their deposit by credit card, they told me if could all be on the card. After calling to confirm inventory and shipping date, they told me only cash or money orders for pickup and ONLY cash for delivery to be paid prior to opening the truck. VERY SHADY!

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $12500