Available Movers & Storage

I recently saw an ad on Amazon Local for 2 hours of moving and an hour of travel from available movers and storage for $99.  I thought it was a great deal but as they say some things are too good to be true.
I called them and they kept telling me that though this is a really good deal it isn't going to work for me.  They kept pushing what a normal rate would be.  I added up all the costs and even paying an extra hour it was still less than their normal rate.  When I told them I was hesitant to use the promotion because I was afraid I was going to be nickel-ed and dimed - they agreed with me that they would be nervous as well..? I should have hung up then.
I decided I wanted to book through the promotion (thankfully I had not purchased it yet) and just try to make sure I was aware of all of the costs.  When I tried to go forward with this they then literally gave me every excuse why it didn't apply to me.  First it was oh- this isn't listed on the promotion but it doesn't apply to the beginning and end of the month.. ok.  Then I said let's change the date, because I luckily have some flexibility.  We changed it to earlier in the month and then the excuse they came up with is since my building that I'm moving out of asks you to reserve a two hour time slot the promotion isn't valid..?  They said its generally like the cable guy- you might have to wait all day for them.
I hung up at this point.  Their promotion is a scam and they are only doing it to get calls for their normal rate.  DO NOT USE THEM- they are clearly scam artists!

Service cost: $480

These guys should have had the decency to wear a mask when they robbed me.  I put a deposit down for a certain date and had a cleaners scheduled to come based on this date.  They showed up 4 days late.  I had to pay the cleaning company for just showing up and than again when they actually cleaned.  Halfway through the move they transfered my stuff to another moving company.  The new company showed up 7 days late.  The move was promised to take 14 days.  It took 21 days.  They day they showed up I wasn't there so they charnged me a $300 storage fee.    Run away from this company.  .

Service cost: $4100

I've made a few long distance moves now, state to state, and this is my first and last time using Available Movers. The company is the WORST I have experienced as far as communication, professionalism, and just plain doing their job. It's not rocket-science, you pick up items, drive them, and drop them off. The fact that they cannot keep track of customer's belongings is RIDICULOUS. Someone needs to teach them how to itemize items on a packing slip and you should check every little box and item you have on your list before the movers drive away with your money. Their inventory list is worthless so make sure you write your own and check off each from your own list when they deliver.  3 items were undelivered and now I have to continue dealing with this horrible company through the claim process as no one, of course, can tell me where my three missing items are. Customer service doesn't get back to you. They are NOT open always. I don't know why it says that on this Facebook page. They don't answer the phone on Sundays and they transfer you to customer service to deal with you (whom don't give you any answers either). They are only helpful, pleasant, and responsive when they are trying to make the sale and take your deposit to secure the move. I used a GREAT company, completely reliable and professional a couple of years ago but they wanted to charge me DOUBLE of what Available Movers quoted me. Unfortunately, I made the decision to save half the money by using Available Movers and now I have HALF a dining room table set. WORST MOVING COMPANY EVER. I DO NOT RECOMMEND AVAILABLE USERS. 1 star is being generous.

Service cost: $2070

I moved from Connecticut to Washington State and I am extremely disappointed with Available Movers. Unless they offer any sort of compensation, I will spread the word to all my contacts to NEVER use Available Movers. An objective review: Pros: 1. Very professional movers. They were courteous and efficient. Cons: 1. False estimates. I provided all the articles I was moving and the estimates came out to $7800. When the movers came and loaded, the charge increased to $18000 even though the number / size of my articles DID NOT CHANGE from what I had provided initially. 2. Delivery estimate was way off. I understand it's difficult to have an exact estimate and the contract indicates a long window of delivery. That being said, the representative I had spoken to indicated that a typical move should take no more than 14 days. It took 32 days. I had to pay for an extra month on my rental home in Washington, pay for a motel for 2 weeks plus food. If I had received a more accurate estimate, I would have had my stuff picked up earlier so that it would be delivered for my target date. 3. Dispatcher is impossible to reach. I had to call several times each day to find out where my stuff was to get a better understanding of the delivery date. Not only is the dispatcher very difficult to reach, she is unable to provide a good estimate of the delivery date.  4. They delivered my antique claw foot coffee tables with a broken legs, my winter coats were packed with my dirty vaccum cleaner, broken antiques:  stained glass lamp shade.  Naturally when I looked at their receipt every one of my items was listed as damaged and scratched so there was no recourse to file a claim.   My video camera, antique chair from my grandmother, stereograph and all the pictures were stolen. These people are crooks and once they have your items on their trucks you are a prisoner.  When the my furniture was finally delivered I was told the van couldn't fit into the driveway and that I had to pay 1000.00 to get a uhaul truck to unload my items from the moving van to the uhaul and then to the house. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY.

Service cost: $18000

STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY! **READ BELOW** I cannot stress that enough to anyone who reads these reviews.   My experience with this company was extremely unprofessional and deplorable.  Read the complaints on the Better Business Bureau (http://www.bbb.org/new-york-city/Business-Reviews/movers/available-movers-storage-inc-in-astoria-ny-85833/complaints)  to learn the truth about how this company operates. For more proof - don't just look at the recommended Yelp reviews - look at the 46 reviews Yelp says are "not recommended" (http://www.yelp.com/not_recommended_reviews/uxsBgCgbMUo6JVEkxqLZMg) that is where you find the truth. All the ratings and you'll see the 1 star reviews have a common theme as far as feeling scammed.   Long story short - I was quoted for a specific amount of time - told that I would only be charged for what I use.  I ended up fighting with the dispatcher who was trying to charge me for 8 hours when the guys had only used 4.  I overheard him fighting with the moving men at the job for not over charging me.  Told him "that is how we do things" "you know we make sure we over charge them" (Yeah that's how loud they were arguing).  When they got off the phone the moving guys pretty much confirmed what I read in these 1 star reviews on Yelp and the BBB - that Sam the owner is a crook who purposely tells them to add square footage to pump up the price and instructs them to make sure they get they go over the estimate by doing whatever it takes.  This company is horrible and doesn't deserve folks hard earned money.  Do yourselves a favor and STAY AWAY.

Service cost: $1400