American Budget Van Lines LLC

I want to start off by saying that the whole process was very unprofessional. There was a huge lack of communication and understanding in terms of when I would receive my belongings. I received them almost a week later than I was told upfront. Also, there were a lot of hidden costs that were not communicated with me initially. I was quoted $1500 and the final cost was $3100. The packers used a lot of packing material that I neither requested nor that they told me they would be using and charged me for it. The individuals who delivered my belongings yelled at me because my apartment was difficult to get to with a semi (I didn’t even know that that would be the method of delivery). They tried to charge me extra beyond the final amount of $600 cash you quoted me on the phone. They also delivered my dresser and night stand broken and unusable, and not only this, but failed to mention it to me. I discovered this after they had left. They also did not deliver all of my belongings. I have discovered some to be missing, lost, or stolen in the move, I’m not sure which, including some belongings of high sentimental value. Also, the lack of communication between them and I including the screening of my calls while I was waiting for my belongings to arrive was also rude and unprofessional. I tried to contact them afterwards regarding my broken and missing belongings and they will not answer my emails or my calls. I took this another step further and filed a complaint to the Better Business Bureau. After investigating, they said the company either did not respond to them or was “out of business”. I would highly recommend against using this company. So shady.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $3100

This company managed to milk a solid grand out of me if not more. They were hired by a broker that estimated on price, when all was said and done it was doubled. Money was demanded at pick up rather than the agreed upon credit card, we had to go out of our way to make a direct cash deposit only before they would transport our property. Then the communication was terrible and they were rude. Demanded cash on delivery and when notified of damaged property, they refused to supply us with the claim information and responded with a smart ass comment of "your stuff was in great shape when we picked up". If you see this truck pull up, call someone else or rent a uhaul and pack your own stuff.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $3200

Was hired through a broker for a cost of $3,080. Packaged my stuff and put it in the truck and gave me a price of $5700. I told them that’s not the quote. The boss got in the phone and told me I pay it or they drop everything in my driveway. Well that’s exactly what they did. All my stuff dropped in my driveway the day before I leave for Florida. Then tried to charge me $390 for packing Materials which was tape!! Totally refused to pay almost $400 for tape. They threw all the tape used in my driveway after unwrapping everything. Stay away!!! New movers coming tomorrow

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $5711

They were subcontracted by another scammer - Presidential Van Lines - to move me state wide. Not only did they charge me $1400 for materials which should have been included as per original contract from the broker, but they were RUDE, DELIVERED BROKEN FURNITURE, HUNG UP THE PHONE ON ME WHEN I ADDRESSED THEIR UNPROFESIONALISM. Absolutely horrible!! Beware Beware Beware. A move which should have cost me $3,000 - ended up costing me $6000 because of this company. They held my stuff hostage and told me I have to pay the whole balance, threatens to charge me additional loading and unloading fees ($120/hr) for 30 day storage (when it was also included in original contract). STAY AWAY FROM THESE SCAMMERS!

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $6000

We didn't know we were getting this moving company because we made the unfortunate decision to use the broker Start Point Movers. (Please for your own safety do NOT use them either!) Our broker Jessica and ABV were never on the same page to begin with. Jessica said ABV takes credit cards at the time of PICKUP if you warn them in advance. Heba of ABV said they haven't taken credit cards in over a year. Or never. She also never fully had the story straight. Jessica said we MUST give two pick up dates in case one is unavailable. I said I wanted Friday June 29th, but told them Thursday would be the back up plan. I got a call Wednesday saying they would be coming on Thursday. Nothing in their notes said anything about the preferential day so it wasn't even noted to the movers OR the movers didn't take good notes. I don't know who to blame on that.

Now let's get to ABV's full throttle into gross incompetence. They arrived and wrote on their sheet 3 extra feet on all of our furniture items. We signed off unfortunately before we realized. When I called to confront them on this on Thursday, I was told I would get a call back. Nothing. Called Friday and could finally speak to the foreman. He literally told me we were paying for air. After getting a scolding like a child about how moving works like playing Tetris, they couldn't (or wouldn't) play a little Tetris with our furniture and instead charged us for an extra 200cf which cost us an additional $750!

Now we had to come up with this extra money and our furniture wasn't in transit because now the 50% deposit (aka ransom) was more money.

I spoke to Heba again and after more waiting for her to call me back and having to call her company and miss her multiple times and STILL not hear back, she finally sent me the information to directly deposit money into their business account. She said to do it as cash. Their bank told me to write a check and I did recall Heba telling me that checks were fine, but they would take 3-5 business days to clear. Now this information on how to send the money didn't reach me until Saturday June 30, the day I was supposed to leave NJ to my new home in Georgia! Driving! The information didn't reach me because, once again, no one called me back! Now I spent my morning running around trying to get the check properly deposited.

Tracking our dates, the check wouldn't be sent until Monday July 2nd because the Saturday it was issued isn't a business day. And it wouldn't hit until Tuesday July 3. But then it would be 3-5 business days after that. NOT including the July 4th holiday. All of this mess because ABV couldn't do their job to call me AND they scammed us out of hundreds forcing our furniture to be held hostage until we got payment settled.

Continuing their incompetence, on the 5th business day, the check still hadn't hit and they had the NERVE to blame me. I told Heba I had a receipt for the check so it took another 2 days of ABV investigating and this is now nearly two weeks without our furniture. Finally Thursday July 12 Heba called (this was an honest shock to me that she actually contacted me, but it took an assertive email to get a response) and told me they had received the check and she would contact me again Friday July 13 or Monday July 16 with an estimated delivery date.Which was odd to me considering I was originally told that once the movers were paid their 50% deposit at pick up, they would immediately give me an estimated delivery date. SCAM.

I got a call Sunday July 15th at 9:30am from the driver saying he's arriving today between 4-6pm. No warning. No cares about my plans and waiting for a confirmation call. Nothing. Just that he's showing up and no sympathy other than making sure I was going to pay him. So my afternoon plans were shot because once again ABV failed to do even their simplest of jobs--calling their clients!

He arrived and had the gall to rush me and the freelance budget helpers he hired. They were nice at least, but the driver from ABV was just like the rest of his company, incompetent and rude. They brought my furniture damaged. They scraped and cracked my walls, ceilings, and stair railing with the furniture. The driver who helped move furniture in again had the nerve to say, "You have to understand how heavy it is" like that's an excuse for damaging my property. They also left a giant wad of plastic and tape on my front lawn.

From the start, this enormous move was nothing but stress and chaos thanks to both Start Point Movers and American Budget Van Lines. Warn everyone you know far from them. Don't use a broker. Period.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $2500

Beware of this moving company - they forced me to sign something saying I wouldn’t ask for a re-weigh (which is illegal), and then attempted to tell me that my possessions weighed over double what I was quoted (I had prior move weigh tickets which proved otherwise). Held my possessions hostage and called constantly harassing me that they would auction my possessions unless I payed them $4000 more before the move was completed (also illegal). Got the DOT involved and got my possessions back.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $4000

American Budget Van Lines accepted a binding estimate from the broker I was using for a cross country move. They had plenty of time to contact me if there were any issues. They waited until the day before the move to ask for a deposit - which is fine as they would be picking items up from a storage facility. After receiving payment from me they then said they would not move until I signed a new contract that was over three times as expensive as the binding estimate. I told them that was not acceptable, they could either provide the services described or return my money. They now do not return my calls nor my emails and I still don’t have my money.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $3562

They will be delivered, but have the common, terribly poor, know nothing, script-bound, zero responsibility customer service agents who will refuse to escalate a call or discuss any actual service or issues. And my much loved and not inexpensive washer and dryer have been stolen.

We went through a fire where we rented. We went through salvaging items after the arson and murder investigations at the rental complex were completed for the death of our neighbor a few doors down. We went through many weeks of being essentially homeless though well loved by good and decent people. And now we are going through the evils of realizing how badly cheated and robbed we were by Budget Van Lines, a company of extreme ethical and moral deficiencies.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $1500