Assurance Van Lines

Sub broker company. estimators does all the sweet talk and will call you and beat all the competition to get your contract. The rip off starts right after that. Driver will come and demand more money. I was quoted $6500 to move and then driver came and said estimation was wrong so he need more money to pick up the stuff. how much more not few $100 but thousands yes I paid $3500 more. finally I was told by the driver that there is total flexibility with storage and just call and they can store and extend. guess what that is a lie too and I was told to pay another $2500 to extend it. original cost of $6500 become $12500. Rip off Rip off and what a headache to talk to the rudest people I have dealt with in my life. I swear you can easily have an heart attack with all the stress these guys can give you. what a horrible experience and I wish I would not have dealt with the sub broker company like this one.

Move size: 4 Bedroom Home Service cost: $12500

Rip Off!! Do not use. Moved from Philadelphia to New York September, 2017. Mac at Assurance hustled me, providing schmooze to get my $550 deposit. They are BROKERS, they subcontract all over the country to basically anyone.
There is no QA check on what they do. They never tell you this. They never tell you there is a 48 hour window to pick up and they give you less than 24 hrs to confirm the date. I booked them six weeks in advance and the dates kept changing. My contract stated same day delivery (very small move to a tiny apartment) and when they got there they said it would be delivered in a week! I talked them into same day delivery.
The guys who came show up in a rented Penske truck. Alex hustled me saying the contract was an estimate and he could change the rates as he wished. He was from State to State Movers, had a shirt on that said All in One Movers. He said they were all a network with Assurance and used one another. They moved everything just fine because we were there Hawking after them every minute.
When we got to NY, Alex restarted his hustle trying to shake me down for another $500 in addition to the $1300 I paid. He was threatening and intimidating and threatened to "cancel the whole thing" and wanted me to sign off that I received my belongings before they were brought in to the apt. I refused and he finally brought everything in, after I gave him a $100 tip to get him away from us.
Never heard from Assurance again. They make no follow up call. State to State did call and I reported the whole nightmare to them.
When moving time comes, Assurance will tell you that Mac,the salesman, and Kyle, their Quality Assurance guy (what a joke!) no longer have your file. So, the Jokers who do the original Hussle just disappear. Someone should take them to court. Bottom line---THEY ARE THIEVES!!

Move size: Studio Service cost: $1400

I have dealt with moving broker companies before. It seems to be a very cutthroat business. However, my experience with Assurance turned out to be ok. I spoke with Shawn to book my move. My move was last minute (same week pick-up as when I called). Shawn was able to get a truck booked for me. I explained to Shawn that I was concerned about the reviews on this page and I had no room for error with this move. He assured me that he would handle it. Long Distance movers called my right after I booked the move to try and talk me into cancelling and told me that I would loose my deposit with these guys and they are a sham. The next day after booking my move, Shawn called me very apologetic because there was a change in the truck route and he could not get one to me for a couple of days. Things happen. The good news is he suggested either booking for a couple of days later or he would refund my deposit right back to me. Althouth this move with them did not workout, the customer service from Shawn was great and I received a same day email refunding my deposit. I give them 4 stars because even though they had to cancel on the move, the customer service was great from Shawn!

Move size: Partial Move Service cost: $1700

I was dreading the move from one end of California to the other but Assurance Van Lines made the process nearly painless. The movers were fast but very careful and always used caution to ensure my possessions weren't damaged or broken. Everything arrived intact, from electronics to furniture, which was very important as I have a lot of things of great sentimental value to me. The movers were professional and polite at all times. I shopped around before selecting a moving company and Assurance Van Lines had the lowest price I could find. I am very pleased with their service and I would definitely use them again.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $2000

DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY. They are not clear about their rules. I was told by Ryan to beef up my inventory because I could always change it when I actually moved. I changed my inventory three times and when I moved it was still incorrect. Now that I have moved I still do not have my items, and my service rep has all but disappeared. Customer service is horrible, they belittled me and now I am on the line to pay for items I did not move because I was lied to. Scammers. Plus they do not even move your stuff, nor can they tell you who is doing it because its all third party. This has been a nightmare of a move. They do not deserve your money.

Move size: Studio Service cost: $1700

I got a quote from top movers (http://www.tmq.us) and a lot of companies started calling me. The Assurance Van Line Services Inc also called me and said we have a truck which is right now available in our dispatch system for the day you are going to move, and we deliver your stuff ASAP (the day after), but you need to reserve it right now, otherwise, you will miss it. Then I signed the contract and paid half of the money. After that, they did not show up on the day they were supposed to pick up, and they kept telling me that you will be contacted when our service is on the way. Then they finally picked up my stuff (June 17th) and told me they will deliver the day after. I traveled to my new place to be there when they deliver my stuff. Guess what?! No one showed up. I called them the day after and they told me, oh, we are sorry and it will take 3-5 business day. After five business day, I called them, and said what's going on? they said: sorry it will take about 10 days. long story short, today is July 7, its more than 3 weeks and they are still even not able to tell me the exact day on which they deliver my stuff. I do not even mention how much they waste my time and money beside the extra cost that they do not tell about it when you sign the contract. Even if you are in rush, do not use this company (Assurance Van Line Services Inc) and the others who have dispatch system. Just go for the locals or the trusted ones.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $2000

This company is a scam. They give you some low ball estimate that makes you want to sign up, then when the movers arrive, they TRIPLE the price. Their "calculator" is designed to make it seem like it'll be cheap for you. My 1 bedroom apartment move was given an estimate of 2200 and once the truck was loaded, the moving company, at 2 am, told me I had more square feet than the estimate given, and if I wanted my stuff delivered, I had to cough up an extra 3500 dollars. 3500. What?! I emailed and said I needed to talk to someone immediately, and they answered immediately. I told them my issues and now it had been 3 or 4 days and no answer. I don't even have 5700 dollars worth of stuff on the truck!! All that I asked is that have someone come out to verify that there really is x amount of extra cubic feet or whatever on the truck, OR have someone send me the calculator to show I was never given a fair estimate to begin with. I am being screwed and will probably end up paying for it all, but it will be in the form of a lawyer.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $5700

Moving has always been a scary process for me, but Assurance Van Lines reassured me that everything was going to be fine.

After having spoken on the phone with a representative, we both agreed on a reasonable price. He was very nice, professional and even explained what I should expect. I had many questions, but he continued walking me through on what is going to happen.

On the day of the move, the guys came at the designated time. All of my things were handled with care, and delivered at my new home. I could not have been happier.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $1500

Each moving company tell you that they are good. When I talk to representative first time he is really good and provide the 'Bonded Estimate', he told me that this is valid for both weight and cubfeet (no surprises at the time of loading/unloading). He said they only Assurance Vanlines will come for pickup and drop but third party company (Sega Transportation Inc) came for pickup and drop. Third party didn't weigh the truck before came to my place and when I call customer support they said I can go by cubfeet and there will not be any additional charge as it is Bonded quote. But the third party asked additional amount and I endup paying the same.

Two of the items are broken and paid more than the Bonded price.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $4010

They are just brokers. They provided me with a very good deal and they took a significant potion of the total cost as deposit which was the money they kept. Then they arranged my moving with a very low cost, bad service but actual moving company. That moving company is named Sega Transportation. When I checked online, they only received horrible reviews and scared me to death. They came late for pick up( at 10:30pm), had to rearrange it to the next day morning for pick up, broke one of my chair, and delivered my stuffs 10 days later at destination. My advice, find an actual moving company with good reputation. I have enough bad experience with my first move. I would pay more to the actual moving company with good reputation to get the services done smoothly. I did not know that they were brokers and I have learnt from the mistake.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $1516

DO NOT BOOK THIS COMPANY!!
I Read reviews and I wish I would have listened. This Company is very unprofessional and I wish I would have known they hire any and everyone to come and move your things. In the beginning, they are so helpful and always available when you do have any questions. Once you book with them and they have your deposit (money), they are no longer understanding, helpful or accommodating. I was told the movers would arrive Monday or Tuesday by the gentlemen "Blake". When I asked him how would I know for sure which date he said I would receive a 24 hours courtesy call to confirm the exact time and date for pickup. Well, I advise you be on top of them and call them because the only call I received was a call saying they were on the way. Monday, Sep 25th, I was extremely frustrated that I never received a call Sunday to set up a time, so I assumed they would be calling Monday to schedule a time for Tuesday. I spoke with "Shayla" who was absolutely NO help, I was pretty upset with them. She dispatched the driver who was beyond rude. He proceeded to yell and say "Look this is all I have available and I do not have time for this and actually hung up on us. This is the type of people they hire. I was furious and Shayla said there was nothing she could do. She had an awful attitude with me because I was upset. I got off the phone with her and call the number 800-951-0502 that was attached to the email from Blake he sent me when booking my reservation. The women who answered again was Shayla, and once I gave her my Job # she realized it was me again and yelled "Ma'am what is it that you need" I told her I was looking to speak with Blake Cornett to see where the mix up was and why I was not given a courtesy call, she said, Blake was no longer able to help or have access to this reservation (all of a sudden). So At this point, I wanted a manager, she yelled back at me for about a minute as I insisted on speaking with someone other than her. Finally, she puts "John" who says he is a manager on the phone. He states Shayla is one of their top employees and has always been nice and understanding, although today this was not the case. John told me he was very sorry we did not receive a courtesy call and he was trying to get in touch with the driver and see why they never called me or my husband, but no matter what we are supposed to remain available 48 hours prior to pick. Basically, that's all they could say, the driver was never able to provide proof of calling us, because he NEVER did. As bad as I wanted to just say I don't want you service I had already paid the down payment. During this whole conversation, I am in the care speeding home from work. Now I had not even found a king size mattress cover but after going to 4 different stores I had to give up and just rush home to finish taping up boxes.

Fast Forward, The Movers arrive and they were honestly so unprofessional and even used profanity around my goddaughter and two girls. The first guy jumped out the truck yelling "which of you are in charge" my fiance said he was because at this point I was extremely upset. They went over some paperwork and we had explained to them we were still unable to find a king size mattress cover, so would we have to throw our bed out if it was not covered. He called a manager I believe and said if it is not covered it cannot go on the truck, which is understandable but I wish I would have known you can add things to your reservation but you CANNOT remove anything. So we still paid for it even though it could not go. I decided to walk my goddaughter and her mother out and the guy who was with my fiance doing paper said very loudly "how many Dang (but the actual curse word) feet are in this living room". At this point, I was to my breaking point regretting going with Assurance Van Line Service Inc. How dare you to say something like that around my family. Once I walked them out even my friend was said she would never recommend this company just off those words. I went back in the house and took my girls in my bedroom for the rest of the night. I can see them right outside my bedroom window, and at one point they were throwing my plastic bins down the stairs and laughing, I could hear them say "I don't get paid enough for this stuff (using the actually Curse word again). I understand you might be feeling this way and that's fine but expressing it out loud while slinging my thing around is not professional and just flat out rude. My fiance even said they look like they were on some sort of drugs or had been drinking and honestly I agree.
When it comes to delivery, there is no way to check the status so just be sure to be available because more than likely they won't call to say they are on the way. They can Monday, Sep 25 and I had not heard anything from them. On the evening of October 4th the call my fiance to save they would be arriving at 7 am. (thankfully we actually got a courtesy call). A week ago on October 5th, two gentlemen arrived and we began to explain the pink paper they left us with the remaining balance on it was incorrect. I gave a $500 deposit and the remaining balance was to be split between pickup and delivery. The guy at pick had written down the wrong amount and we had not noticed this until they left. When the guys at delivery called the manager had begun to get loud with me and said this is the first he had heard anything and we should have called prior to this. Well, I tried calling but I also said there was no way they could not fix it when you have emails of what I had paid. Although it was only $40, the fact is that this company is extremely unprofessional and rude. I have never dealt with anything like this from a company.
Beware of how unprofessional, this company is even when the person setting up your reservation seems like they are always available for anything during your whole process because they quickly are nowhere to be found or are not allowed to talk.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $1615

After getting my new job, I was a little hesitant about how I was going to tackle a move from New York to Florida without a lot of time, but after looking around the web and researching my options, Assurance appeared to be the company that had all of the services I needed. I'm pleased to say that I was right! The team that came was fantastic and super respectful of my things (I admittedly can be a little particular when it comes to certain items). I was super pleased when everything arrived on time and just as it was before I left. It was really easy to make all of the arrangements I needed and the customer service rep that I dealt with answered all of my questions and was really helpful.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $2000

I was sent an binding estimate for moving, which turned out to be not so binding. I was never asked specific questions about the items in the estimate that would be moved. I went over the items on the list and did not see any problems. I sent a deposit to book the move. The next day I received a call from the company to go over the items with me. There was a discrepancy in the estimate, worth $600. I had to give them more of a deposit and luckily the moving company worked with me to not have to change the next payment. I feel that the estimate was not done in good faith and that they only called me after I sent a deposit because they had me locked in. I feel this was a scam to get more money out of me. The move is not done yet but I am sure that there will be further problems with the move before this is all over.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $3194

My wife and I decided to move from DC to NY for personal reasons and after submitting for quotes, Assurance Van Lines was the first company to call that didn’t' seem like total thieves (totally wrong). A sales rep named Ryan contacted us after submitting for quotes and was our point of contact when planning the move. He certainly knew how to sweet talk us because there were several things he shared that ended up being not true. This review also encompasses Budget Moving and Storage which is based out of Rockville Maryland, and was contracted by Assurance Van Lines to do the move.
To start with, we worked with Ryan Summit from Assurance based in the New York City office and explained that our target was Memorial Day weekend but we were open on drop-off and pickup (pickup being Friday/Saturday, drop-off Tuesday/Wednesday) due to the nature of the holiday weekend. He understood the situation and assured us that we would know when our pickup was 5-7 days before (Lie #1). This caused us to have to coordinate with both our old apartment and new apartment building for moving elevators, but not really a big deal as both buildings were accommodating to our situation. Turns out we didn’t 'know our pick up until 24 hours ahead. We were also told that according to Department of Transportation rules that they could have up to 4 business days to deliver our stuff because of the nature of our move (which was fine, but we once again explained our situation with the NYC apartment and how they had restrictions, and started early to cover ourselves). In addition, we were also told that we would not need to wrap the TV, dresser, lamps etc. and that they would be provided as part of the move (lie #2). However, we were then told the week of that we would be responsible for wrapping everything. Fortunately we had enough supplies but it was still a surprise and a lie. There was an additional cost for the additional packing supplies even though we provided items that were requested by the movers. Additional items such as boxes, cardboard, which weren’t even used but we had to incur the expense.
We were also told that our stuff would not be removed from a truck (Lie #3), and we’d be the only stuff on the truck (lie #4) during the transport and that it would sit locally over the weekend in a secure location (Lie #5) and that worst case we would get 30 days free storage if there was a lag on delivery and we would give permission in a worst case scenario (lie #6). During pickup our move went pretty smoothly. We got a crew of 3 led by the driver Zach and they worked as efficiently and as fast as they could. The only surprise to us was that we would have to get an extra charge due to the amount of feet from the truck to the apartment (first 1000 feet were free). While this was a surprise, it was in our contract. Alex was nice enough to guestimate and didn’t go exact which we greatly appreciated. We were very nice to this crew as we were very ready, offered them breakfast and drinks (which was the direction of Ryan) and made sure they were okay throughout the moving process. We also discussed with Zach that we liked their work so much that we wanted them to do our drop-off. While he couldn’t promise anything we put in a request and were told that this would be made to happen on the back end. We were also told that we would get a call either Sunday or Monday with a drop-off time for Tuesday or Wednesday by both the dispatcher and Alex (lie #7). We were fine with this and also explained that the elevators were only available a certain period of time both days and we really needed to make sure the delivery lined up with what was available. They reassured us and said that it would be perfectly fine.
Fast forward to Monday at 4pm and I still have not received any type of information from Budget Moving and Storage and I decide to give them a call. Alex picks up and half hazard says that they can’t do our drop-off until Thursday or Friday. I explain to him our situation with the elevators and we were promised Tuesday or Wednesday, but he said that there was nothing he could do and that a truck broke down and that our stuff was on a truck sitting in Maryland (which we were also told our stuff wouldn’t be but refer to lie #3). I let him know that I couldn’t make a decision on which day until I spoke to the Parker Towers rep in the Parker Towers office since she coordinated the times of moving for the building, and then I would give him a call.
The next morning, Tuesday May 30th my wife and I arrive at Parker Towers and explain the situation to the Parker Towers rep at the front desk. She looks at the schedule and says that Thursday and Friday are booked but that Monday was available for a drop-off. My wife then picked up the phone to call Alex to relay the logistics and Alex at this point is very rude to her and states that if we don’t have our drop-off by the end of the week our stuff would be going to a storage facility and that we would be responsible for moving everything! Real nice guy. At this point both of us nearly lost it and explained what was going on to the Parker towers Rep who got us a manager to explain the situation. Fortunately the manager offered the Thursday early and mentioned that we could have a bill created to send to Budget Moving and Storage. She also offered us a discount on how much it would be since it was technically out of their designated moving hours. Once we discussed with the manager, our leasing agent and the Parker Towers coordinator what was happening they agreed to have us call Alex to relay the logistics and mention that we would need them to be at our building no later than 7am because we had to give up the elevator at 10am for another move. While all of us are sitting with Alex on speakerphone and I mention to him that we have the elevator from 7-10am and that I need his guys here by 7am, he then states to me “well I’ll have the guys there by 8”, which to all of us in the room say “No please be here by 7am because we need you done by 10am”. He “Yeah yeahs” us and says they’ll be there by 7am” (also a lie, lie #6). At this point we really wanted our stuff and were upset because everything that was told to us was downright wrong. In addition, we also have an email from Budget Movers stating that the movers will arrive between 7-8am and complete the drop-off by 10am, even though we asked for arrival by 7am. This at least confirmed that they knew they had a limited window, even though we only got 2 moving men. In addition, any move before 10am would cost us 250 an hour, which was another additional cost we had to take because of the lack of competence from both Assurance and Budget Moving.
Fast-forward to Thursday June 1st when the movers are supposed to arrive at 7am. We receive a phone call at 645am that the guys (only 2 of them this time, which we were told on the phone previously we would get 3 guys again, lie #8) are within a short distance away but stuck in traffic. They finally show up around 740. When I ask the driver what time they left and where they left from he stated that they left around 515 from an hour away but that “it’s New York” and they got stuck in bad traffic with a lousy attitude. I’m skeptical that based on my previous lies, that if you leave from an hour away at 515 that you can’t get where you are going pretty fast, even in a major metropolitan area known for bad traffic (lie #8).
Upon arriving (with only 2 guys, Ivan and the other guy), Ivan immediately starts counting the steps from the truck to the apartment while the other guy starts unloading the truck (more on that in a second). Upon getting to the apartment he then DEMANDS RUDELY the remaining balance that was issued to us on the front end. This then required me to ask my wife where it was. Keep in mind that they are already late, we wasted time counting steps, and now I have to find the money order for him all while he is being rude.
Once he has his money order, we go down to the truck where the other mover is unloading SOMEONE ELSES stuff on the sidewalk to get to our stuff. If you recall earlier in the review we were told that it would only be our stuff on the truck and it wouldn’t’ be removed. Add to the fact that we were on a time crunch, you can’t think we are happy but obviously happy our stuff is arrived. Obviously by this point it is after 8am, and since we are running short on time I have to start doing my own pushing and loading.
On the first load, he also makes note to us that we owe extra due to the fact that there are extra steps and once again demands payment on the spot. I ask if we can give credit card and he was nice enough to let us use credit card. Keep in mind that he didn’t’ charge this amount that we owed until he got in the truck when the job was completed (almost 2 hours later). He’s still being very rude by this point but we were obviously happy to get our stuff.
Finally, once we are wrapping up, I noticed that Ivan decided to take a smoke break in the truck while myself and the other mover were working! In addition, I also noticed McDonald’s wrappers in the truck. Now for someone who left at 515 from an hour away, they had time to stop for breakfast but got stuck in bad traffic? Keep in mind that the dispatcher said they’d be there between 7-8 even though we pleaded for 7am, but it fell on deaf ears.
All in all, I cannot in good faith ever recommend Assurance Van Lines or Budget Moving and Storage for any moving needs. We were constantly lied to when we started the move very early and are very organized people. It’s a shame that both of these companies are allowed to operate this way.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $2500