Cousins USA Moving and Storage

I strongly suggest you read my post and do NOT use Cousins USA. In all total I paid Cousins USA $9,878.12 since October 2012 to keep my possessions safe and instead they took my money, ruined my mattress, expensive couches, dings and damages to dresser, books and many other possessions ruined. I had to throw away the majority of my possessions due to damage caused by Cousins.

I stored my furniture with Cousins for a 3 year period from 2012 to 2015. When I asked them to take it out of storage and deliver it to me, I received the furniture with a great deal of mold damage. I was advised by ServPro a mold inspection company that the furniture could not be salvaged. I had to destroy about $8,000 worth of my property as a result of their carelessness. I contacted Cousins to receive restitution for the furniture I had to destroy and have received no restitution of any kind.
I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and I hope they will investigate this company and their storage facility since there must be mold on other long term customers stored household goods. I offered to settle with Cousins but Clem (owner or head manager) never has returned a single phone call or email in the entire 3 years after he got my business.
When Cousins is trying to get your business they will be nice and return phone calls, but once they have your stuff or they damage it you will never get a call from Clem or Cousins staff. Clem told me I would get every 7th month free and I tried getting him to call me back over the 3 years and he never would. They are a dishonest company that has ruined my possessions while in storage. Really, how do does a storage and moving company manage to ruin all of my important hardback books? I have moved at least ten times in my life and this is the first bad rating for any moving company. Their parent company and long distance carrier Stevens Van Lines is just as bad.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $7000

My husband and I moved out of the state from Fl to In. The move happened on September 20 delivered on October 8, 2019. I'm making this post until now waiting for the insurance's claim response.

This service sucks!! literally. My advice based on my experience DO NOT HIRE THEM!.

At the begging, everything looked perfect. A Consultant that they sent to my house for the estimate was amazingly kind, friendly and "had helped me a lot with all my concerns". We hired a completed packaged that had included the wrapping and putting into boxes all our stuff. The consultant also knew that we had an attic that needed to be wrapping and packing and he told me is going to be fine. They are going to do everything you just seat and relax! Turned up that they do not climb or they can sue you. So it was up to me leave them to climb or not.

This situation happened at 5:00 p.m. when they were almost leaving the house and the next day the truck had might be at my home at 8:00 a.m to pick all the boxes up. Nobody answers the phone at the office nor even their "personal ones" that they promise to be in touch with you at any time. Bullshit!

There were 3 guys at my home packing. They arrived late. Ok, that was fine if you don't have anything else to do!. They started packing and all of them had had a different opinion about what stuff could be packed or not. You can't send on the truck any flammable as oils, matches, candles.. One of those guys packed everything for my bathroom that was oily, my candles and even had taken out the wall a mirror. Another guy just did not take any of the other oils that I have on the kitchen (just left almost all my groceries). Seriously nobody told me about these restrictions.

It turned out that the first 3 guys at my home all day long (as if I lived in a mansion) just packed the smallest thing and the tvs. The guys from the truck had to disassemble all the furniture and wrap them. They left things unpacked that the guy's truck told me was their obligation. So again nobody answered the phone at the office.

Other concern just to end this faster, was about the insurance. They are going to tell you that they hire professionals movers, is nothing to worry about. Another lie. they DO NOT HIRE PROFESSIONALS, people treat your belongings like trash. They don't care.

The cherry on the top of this story. When I received an answer to my claim the told me about a stamp lamp and a mirror that even that they were damage are still functional so they did not cover it. The word that they used: "May have a diminished appearance due to transit damage". Who in her or his mind is going to accept that your items are damaged when those were almost new but still working.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $5904

A simple 3 block move--or so we thought. Damaged furniture, damaged floors, punctured wall. Management did not send a large enough truck or enough movers--this was a direct quote from the driver. On Day 1 they had 4 men and a small truck, then only 3 men on day 2. As a result the second day of the move took 13 hours and two separate loads.

Salesman claimed to be the owner and at the time of contract signing promised he would personally handle the move and would be available at all times on days of move. When I called with complaints about breakage he denied saying that he would be available, telling me that his sales calls took precedence and he would return calls when he was not in new client sales calls. After a heated discussion he hung up on me and would not call back--a supervisor was never sent to the job. That was Friday--the first day of the move.

On the second day of the move we were told by the movers that all of management had taken the day off--even they said they had been unable to reach "the boss" . I left a message with Joseph to call for an update at the beginning of day 2,and a text with Clem with no response. Have tried to reach ANYONE via text with no response. Sent Clem, the Rep numerous photos of damage over the course of the move and then again today with no response. Also sent photos to Joseph, whom the movers said was "the Boss".

At the end of the move was presented with a blank release and asked to sign it relieving Cousins of all responsibility for damage.

The driver was drinking and smelled of alcohol late in the second day.

The ONLY good thing-- despite the breakage, at least the movers honored the contract and finished the move. Hourly workers being paid $13/hour saw the importance of completing the job while management sent too few men, too small a truck, and then totally went totally non-responsive. Despite the damage I respect them for their willingness to stick to the job and get it done. Good for them.

Move size: 4+ Bedroom Home Service cost: $3700

First off, I can't give a zero rating or a negative 5 which may be more appropriate. We moved from S. Florida to Western NY items were loaded in August 2022 and delivered to new address in Dec 2022. The experience on the load side....the kitchen guy that packed all the glassware....perfection not a broken glass anywhere!!! the rest of the move they broke our stairs (Cousins did fix this). However, they broke it with our master bedroom furniture that was around 15k and took 12 months to get. They pieces are all heavily marred and damaged. They broke glass scounce globes and hid them in the corner of the garage (not knowing my wife is a neat freak and found them cleaning everything out). Tools were damaged (safety guard broken right form a hedge trimmer - anyone know how to use a hedge trimmer safely without a safety guard? We are missing numerous boxes that until we come across something we are missing we will never know what it was. To top it off we paid around $1000.00 per month to Clem and the cast of clowns to store our stuff.....I think we paid them to take their time and pilfer through our stuff....missing rugs and other items. In addition, my wife had an old cameo that the box arrived empty. Wonder where that went?

All in all, I've used Cousins in the past with much different results. However, they have taken a satisfied customer and one that has referred a fair amount of business to them over the years into one that won't refer anyone and potentially would never use them again... Why do you ask? Because Clem hasn't responded to any messages I've left or anything! If he actually made it look like he cared, I might upgrade this to a 3 if he gave us back the money we paid for storage as he definitely didn't store it with care and refunded $5k to cover the damaged and missing items. I will post again if he actually does anything. We will be contacting BBB tomorrow.

Move size: 4+ Bedroom Home Service cost: $26000

  The packing crew came late the first day and for one of them it was the first time on the job. He had obviously no training and packed very expensive items on an expensive table which he scratched.   After they left I noticed that the top of one of the boxes was bulging, indicating that it was over packed. The next day when a different crew showed up I pointed this out to them and they told me it was his first day on the job and I mentioned that I was worried about the items inside the box. They removed some of the items so that it was packed level.   After they truck was unloaded at the new Florida location and I started unpacking my items I noticed that many item was damaged. All these items had been packed by the same untrained person.   After about five month and very little response I received a check for about ONE percent of the value I claimed. Their response was as good as none, phone calls and email went mostly unanswered.   The really don’t care about you the customer, but are purely money motivated. Please don’t use them, I lost thousand as well as items that can’t be replaced. On a positive note the packing crew of the second day was better and the crew that unloaded the truck was better even though they damaged some of my interior wall.  .

Service cost: $4270

The spring of 2012 we decided to move around the corner to a smaller home. My Husband and I called Cousins and asked them for a quote on the move. They said Oh, it will be around $600-$800 max for this move to move a three bedroom house.  They showed up and stood around for the first 2 hours on my bill charging me $200 an hour, just thinking about the move and then started to work. The time it took to move should of been around $800 for the pack and first half of the move, and then I was to pay to unload the truck at the second location which should of been 1/2 the time, since I did the packing to speed up the move. They said it took 9 hours for the second day move, it was 15 minutes from their office, they padded 4 hours to the day. When they unloaded the truck I kept saying My personal things, are missing, I wrote on the boxes what was in them and as I unpacked them as they unloaded them I noticed alot of items, perfume, coffee maker, bullet food processor, oriental rug, directiors chairs, as well as ALL MY WEDDING CHINA. When they were finished they cornered me in my kitchen and made them pay for the move, I kept saying "what about all these things (15) items, plus the china that are missing. They said Oh its all there. The next morning I called the Police and filed a police report, I expressed to them to please find my things missing. They called me a liar and said that they did not have them.After 5 letters they requested details, I sent photos, and filled out reports they said oh just fill this out and we will adjust the bill, 5 weeks later a letter came and said we are doing nothing for you. I then filed a report with the State of FLorida BB and now this report. I called them expressing can I come down and see your lost and found section, Oh we do not have one. They only pay .60 cents per pound so if they steal 10 pounds of china they only have to pay 6.00 to you. They still paid me nothing, and said I was a liar.  This company did not do anything for me, the Bill was The spring of 2012 we decided to move around the corner to a smaller home. My Husband and I called Cousins and asked them for a quote on the move. They said Oh, it will be around $600-$800 max for this move to move a three bedroom house.  They showed up and stood around for the first 2 hours on my bill charging me $200 an hour, just thinking about the move and then started to work. The time it took to move should of been around $895 for the pack and first half of the move, and then I was to pay to unload the truck at the second location which should of been 1/2 the time, since they did not have to do the packing as they needed to do on the move. They said it took 9 hours for the second day move, it was 15 minutes from their office, they padded 4 hours to the day. When they unloaded the truck I kept saying My personal things, are missing, I wrote on the boxes what was in them and as I unpacked them as they unloaded them I noticed alot of items, perfume, coffee maker, bullet food processor, oriental rug, directiors chairs, as well as ALL MY WEDDING CHINA. When they were finished they cornered me in my kitchen and made them pay for the move, I kept saying "what about all these things (15) items, plus the china that are missing. They said Oh its all there. The next morning I called the Police and filed a police report, I expressed to them to please find my things missing. Since I do not know which of them stole the items I could not charge all of them.They called me a liar and said that they did not have them.After 5 letters they requested details, I sent photos, and filled out reports they said oh just fill this out and we will adjust the bill, 5 weeks later a letter came and said we are doing nothing for you. I then filed a report with the State of FLorida BB and now this report. I called them and asked can I come down and see your lost and found section, Oh we do not have one. This was a bad sign. They only pay .60 cents per pound so if they steal 10 pounds of china they only have to pay 6.00 to you. They still paid me nothing, and said I was a liar.  This company did not do anything for me, the Bill was around $2999, not the $1600 quoted. STAY away from these liars Theives. .

Service cost: $2999