Long Distance Movers Inc.

This was my family's first move to another state (Indiana to Wisconsin). I have moved countless friends and family members myself and really thought that was how we'd do it. But it became evident that we needed assistance. Plus, I was to receive financial help from the company that hired me!

We got sold and scammed. LDM came on very strong in their sales pitch, but seemed like the best "deal." Additionally, the salesman was not so much aggressive as persistent, which I took to be a positive sign.

My wife and spent quite a while inventorying our items and going over everything with a fine toothed comb with the salesman. He gave us a guaranteed maximum price over the phone and then sent a contract by email. The contract, of course was an ESTIMATE. I prodded and questioned and was assured that unless there was some "piano hidden somewhere that we forgot to mention" we'd be within our estimate and may come in under.

About a week out from our move date we were contacted by another moving company who was (apparently) affiliated/subcontracted by LDM. This mover said that the window for the move was about a week and a half. I mentioned quickly that we'd agreed upon a pick-up and drop-off date specifically. This person was very brusque and said she didn't think it "worked like that." I spent first half of that day calling LDM folks, never getting hold of the original salesman trying to find out why we'd not be moved on the dates specified. Eventually the gruff person from the other company called back and said, "Well I guess we'll see you one the date you specified. You must have important friends."

Meanwhile my wife called to ask me if we'd like to change our moving date because a company called (the same subcontractor) and asked if we could move about a week ahead of schedule to better fit there workload.

When the movers arrived (on the originally agreed upon date, but about 2 hours late) they were from a different company entirely and had very little information including an incomplete packing list and no schedule. I found out that they were affiliated with the subcontractor mentioned above. The were huffy from the off. Complaining about everything from the distance to the house from the street (about 30 feet), to the stairs (listed as 2-story), to the amount of stuff (admittedly not in their incorrect manifest). On and on, they were quite vocal about how "bullshit" everything was.

They also wondered why we hadn't packed anything. Of course everything we owned was in boxes ready to be taken out the door. What we were not informed about was "packing" the furniture. Wrapping blankets around everything and packing foam or taping drawers shut etc. Not having had a company handle it before, I had no idea it wasn't something they'd do as they packed the truck. We were, of course, informed that this would all be itemized on our invoice. I thought to myself, "How much could a few rolls of packing foam and a bunch of packing tape cost? Plus, they are the professionals packing the truck. Surely, they'd do a far better job than I would anyway. Probably worth a small increase to have peace of mind. What a nerve wracking day, though.

Two days later, we met the movers at our new home. Except they weren't the same people at all. Novice, here. Didn't know that they weren't the same crew, but it makes sense.

The day started with me being handed a new invoice with a grossly inflated cost several thousand dollars more than the "guaranteed maximum price." I called the salesman first. He referred me to the secondary company who actually accomplished the moving. Same gruff woman who had softened at first only to double down. She yelled over the phone threatening to "sue" over my "lies." Not sure at all what she was on about, but the result was that if I didn't pay, I didn't get my belongings. They'd be stored until litigation completed. Never thought I'd lose my entire household's worth of belongings in one fell swoop. I caved and paid.

This group was extremely efficient and much more careful and conscientious. Instead of only two people as with the loading, there were six! However, many of the items were damaged beyond repair and many more damaged but reparable during transit. So much for professional packing. I was told that the damaged items were reported to the companies insurance and I would be compensated for repairs. A report was given me with all of the damaged items on the (now complete manifest) circled with notes. I bought this group lunch and tipped big as they were apologetic and thorough and drew such a sharp contrast to the rest.

When I followed up with LDM and the original salesman about the damaged items, I was told that no one new such a person. Eventually, I found a direct line and NEVER got a call back. I tried about half-a-dozen times over the course of a few weeks. I though this salesman's persistence was a positive thing. Now he was persistently unavailable.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $6000

First of all, please contact me if you have any questions. Secondly, I am only spending my time here in order to save any potential customers from having a similar experience to mine.

My move was with Long Distance Movers was heartbreaking. All of my furniture was destroyed. If you don't get all the information you need from my pictures and video, I'm happy to spend a few minutes trying to talk you out of working with this company. They are genuinely that bad at their job. Spend a few minutes reading the other reviews as well and believe them.

Here's the BAIT & SWITCH.. These people are BROKERS, not movers. So they do not do the moves themselves. They handed my move off to a 19 year-old who DIDN'T HAVE A TRUCK and HAD NEVER DONE A CROSS COUNTRY MOVE. When I spoke with the 19 year-old afterward, he told me that he told Frank he was concerned that he wasn't ready for it. Frank told him "don't worry, you're insured. You'll be fine." You see the thing is, Long Distance Movers are off the hook the second they get your check. They will tell you that they don't even have insurance and they can't cover any damage and that the second contract you signed with the moving company (the actual one, not the broker) supersedes the broker's contract and they broker is no longer involved. Take it up with the 19 year old they said. See "Francis'" review. Identical story to mine. Independent reviews with same story? You be the judge.

FACTS from the pictures: They moved my stuff in a local 26-foot truck across the country after telling us it would be moved in a trailer. There was ONE moving pad used in the entire truck and it covered about half of a leather couch.. the rest was rubbing against the wood bottom for 2200 miles at freeway speeds. Everything you see in these pictures was destroyed -- including punctures, gashes, scratches, and fractures in the furniture.

I don't doubt that these guys have successfully moved people from place to place. Of course they have.. but should you be one of those whose contents are damaged you will not get anything for it. I can't stress enough to just look at my pictures and if you still think this is who you would like to hire.. oh man. Here to help if I can. My stuff will never come back, but hopefully I've been able to save yours.

Jaron.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $3200

I hired a moving company for the move but their cost was so high that I could not provide the money required for the move. I was helpless and decided to look for a different moving company. In my search, I came about Long Distance Movers whose quote was a lot cheaper. I had no option than to go with them but I was ready to make do with inferior service. To my amazement, their service was more wonderful than I expected and on time. I will recommend you guys to others henceforth. Every staff and worker in this moving company is excellent. I came to realize this on talking with their manager and also with the way the movers worked. Even their customer service reflected the same uniqueness and this made me to believe that they are all trained and versed in their job.

Service cost: $2700

This is my first move across state. I was moving from Washington DC to Chicago. The quote given to me was 1500 for door to door move with tax, labor fuel charges. But when they came for move they told they need extra 300 + 75 + 120 + 75 ( for moving to Chicago, as the truck will not fit , they told + 75 feet away from door + extra packaging). But the same truck which took our stuff came and delivered to our doorsteps. Not sure then why was the extra 300 taken. also a proper receipt was not provided.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $2100

I went with Long Distance Movers because I was directly told that they did not use distributors and delivered shipments directly to the relocation address. This is false. Also, I was told that it would be no more than 3-7 business days total for delivery, but most likely will get to the new location within 5 business days. This is false as well. I'm currently at business day number 5 and just got off of the phone with a rep from Long Distance. They called the dispatcher at the distributor and they stated they will not be leaving for another 3 business days. By the time the shipment leaves (if they do leave as stated) we will be sitting at 8 business days for a trip from Portland, OR to San Diego, CA. If I would have known that this was possible I would have went with another company. I'm currently sitting in San Diego waiting for my shipment because I decided to come down early and get situated in my new residence (internet, cable, etc.) assuming the information provided to me was accurate. Also, I had to call for 3 days straight to get an answer about my shipment. If I would have received an answer the first time I would have waited to drive down to San Diego and enjoyed Portland, OR a little longer. Overall, initial customer service and pickup was great, but since they left with my shipment it has not been great and very little communication on their part. I'd recommend doing a deep dive into moving companies before going with one especially this company.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $1700

BEWARE: THIS IS A "TRAP"

Long Distance Movers INC - The representatives will scam and lure you into a very sweet deal and then as soon as you sign the contract, you are on your own. My experience with them was like a nightmare. I couldn't believe someone could go to such low professionalism just to cheat you and charge you eternally. I was cheated at every step, beware guys so that YOU DON'T FALL INTO THEIR TRAP!!

Scam with Loading: The first trait appears once you will receive their email with the contract estimate, they will try to rush you in getting your digital signature and close the deal off. "DON'T DO THAT" - that's where the scam begins, read the contract carefully and you will know why. In my case, I did that blunder of trusting these guys who were calling me endlessly - but I am now paying the consequences with a broken 65-inch TV and cracked furniture. The bigger shock came when they were not able to fit my stuff in their truck which was already 70% full, they had to tie my dining table and my king size mattress outside the truck - YES OUTSIDE THE TRUCK (look at the pictures). I knew something was fishy and started taking pictures. In essence, he charged me for the extra volume which he didn't had in the first place, this is illegal. Now after the loading was done, this guy cools off and discloses what just happened, that's when I came to know that he is from a vendor company that "Long distance movers" hired for my move and everyone had to make a margin especially them as they are doing the actual move. He even said, "Long distance movers" haven't done anything on their own except scamming you off for more money and I could have avoided all this if I would have selected the movers smartly I.e. someone who would do the actual move. So, my first suggestion, NEVER DO BUSINESS WITH THEM if they will outsource the work to someone else.

Scam with Packing/Assembly: Mrs. Heidi Lynn from Long distance movers, asked me for an added 500 $ (over the existing 2K) to get a professional packing of my fragile items. I paid that amount and when it was pickup time, I see that my 65 Inch Samsung TV getting rapped poorly in a piece of cloth, no bubble wrap and no cartons. I called Long distance movers over phone to complain, but they said, don't worry you are covered with our insurance if anything breaks. If this is the professional packing Mrs. Heidi charged me for, then you can imagine the quality of service they promise. Eventually I get my delivery with a Broken TV and scratched furniture. It's almost 3 months now and I am still running to get my claim for the damage - my claim seems to be stuck as they do not have an inventory list of my move which is the responsibility of the movers in the first place. Long distance movers don't even pick my call - they have refused to take any responsibility or accountability. It seems to be my fault that I did an agreement with a company who bears no responsibility or accountability on my move as they outsourced the work to someone else who was an equal fraud.

Hope this doesn't happen to happen to anyone else, one way to ensure this is by not doing business with this company. They take advantage of the limited knowledge that customers have regarding the moving business and then rip you off. If they don't do the actual move and we have no control over who the actual carrier will be - then why do business with them, because if we do- the results will be damaging.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $3000

My purpose in posting this is to prevent others from being over promised and under delivered. Our move from Los Angeles to Seattle was beyond atrocious.

Between the blood, comments about race & complete unprofessionalism I would expect a full refund even if our stuff arrived flawlessly, which I assure you it did not.

Issues with service:
-We paid for our $12,000 tv to put put in a protected tv box. In reality, it was put in a wardrobe box that was taped together.
-We paid for our computer monitors to be put in a protected box and in reality they unscrewed, and wrapped in a blanket.
-We paid for our mattress to be put in a mattress case. In reality it was shrink wrapped and wrapped in a blanket. The mover promised me that he would put it in a sealed bag once they got to the warehouse. In reality he did not. In reality the plastic ripped and who knows what kind of dust or debris infiltrated.
-We paid for all of our lamps to be "expertly" packed. In reality they were all broken.
-We paid for our planters to be packed by the movers. In reality they were broken.
-We paid for our furniture to be wrapped in moving blankets and protected. See below for damaged dressers etc.
-Tommy told us that there wouldn't be a shuttle fee and that they do drop offs in downtown Seattle all the time. Night before our stuff was supposed to arrive we were told that we needed to pay $650 + elevator fees. Tommy texted that we should only pay $300. We decided to just settle and pay $600 with no elevator fees. I am unsure if this is on the recording because sometimes we talked to him on his cell phone.
-When the movers showed up to deliver our stuff they appeared as if they came from Craigslist. Rhino re-contracted with a separate company. I forgot the name of the company they said they were from but they were a mix of guys that honestly some of them seemed like they were on drugs.
-We were told they would have runners or materials to protect the floor and walls. I ended up putting cardboard boxes down on the floor. We have scuffs on all of the walls and floors of our new apartment. I get that there is going to be some damage during a move but this is another example of being promised one thing and having something else be delivered.
-One of the movers commented on me and Josh being in an inter-racial relationship. Completely unprofessional. You just have to turn on the news to realize that this is unacceptable.
-The movers started taking pictures of our apartment and our view. Weird. Unprofessional.
-Movers brought in boxes that were upside down, labeled "fragile" yet on the bottom of dollies.
-We paid for our bed to be put back together. The driver who put it together BLED all over it. This is disgusting and unhygienic. I was the one who cleaned off the blood. His tools didn't work so the bed isn't put together correctly. Screws are sticking out potentially damaging our new mattress. I will have to pay Crate and Barrel (This is a $1600 bed) to fix the slats. I am unsure what to do about the blood as it is really gross and potentially harmful to our health.
-We paid for our furniture, tvs, monitors, coffee table, metal shelving etc. to be unwrapped and put back together. NONE of this happened. WE DID IT ALL.

Even though It was abominable service, we tipped every single mover on both ends of the move. $50 for each mover who packed and $40 for each mover that delivered. We have really nice things and are generous people. My upset in all of this is that there needs to be accountability for the discrepancy in what we thought we were paying for and what we received. We paid $6,000 which is way overpriced but we were fine with this because we were promised excellent service.

I would like a refund. It's really not about the money and more about the gesture to acknowledge the lack of service. Due to the inability to acknowledge this mistake I cannot in good conscience not share our experience with others.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $6000

Don't know how they get any good reviews at all. The original price was good so we went with them with out checking reviews. A big mistake!! We booked the move 2 months ahead. Was given a Binding Moving Est. By the time everything was loaded on the truck the price was tripled and would not unload truck on the other end until paid in full in cash! They wouldn't pick up or deliver on the days promised originally. We were originally told for a 3 bedroom house it should only be 60 boxes, they are the so called experts so the week before they came to load the truck we had a lot more than that so we sold off beds, couch, tables, freezer ect. to make room for the extra boxes, didn't matter, they knew they were going to jack up the price regardless. The local men that they hired to help them unload, told us that they were taking our boxes and just throwing them off the truck. When I showed them the damage they did to our floors, they only tried to brush away the chunks of wood from the threshold and didn't care about the scratched up paint. Also, damaged furniture. (The brokered moving company LDM used was Streamline moving and storage, Las Vegas) they showed up in 2 budget rental trucks 26 ft and 11 ft., so now we are paying for 2 trucks and 2 drivers! I have never experienced anyone so rude and unhelpful as LDM's so called customer service.. They told me that they didn't care what anyone say's in their reviews or comments. I also filed complaints with BBB, FMCSA and the Florida Attorney General, also bombarding social media about this company!! Do not use these people!! website can't upload more that 2 pics ;-(.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $14325

I soughted this company after googling a bunch of moving companies and there reviews which was mainly positive without checking the Better business bureau website. What a mistake because their ratings is 2 stars on BBB and not 4.5 on goggle and I didn't know they are a BROKERS.
It has been a nightmare since then. I was contacted by Larry a senior relocation specialist who claimed to be best friend with the owner of LDM and they owned there own company, professional movers and trucks so my stuff should get to TN in a short time and without any problems. I explained to him what I wanted move from a storage (containing a small 1 bedroom apartment in NYC) and my budget of $1600. He offer discounts to accommodate me and decided on $1795 cost. Once I paided him the deposit. He disappeared. Upon moving day I was greeted by Anthony and 2 movers who drove a budget rental truck and not a LDM company truck. Anthony was extremely aggressive and bossy and wanted me to pay up to $6000 for a move that was originally $1795. We went back and forth and I called Larry who was no help. I was forced to sign a contract for a new price of $2807. Since then I called the office constantly to ask the status of a moving date and was given the run around with no call back as promised. Two weeks I asked for the owner and was told he would called me back and hasn't (it's been almost 2 weeks later). Then last Thursday I called and told them I'm going to the local news channel to expose them. Since then, I not only gotten a date but some of my things the next day on Friday.
The driver called me repeatedly Thursday evening after 5 pm and wanted to make sure I had the balance of payment of $574. Upon arrival on Friday he demanded I sign the contract or I wouldn't get my things up front without seeing or examining my stuff and he wanted an additional $75 because of the length of the truck and $40 a piece for anything broken? I told him no. He said if I " I took care of him and his helper" who look extremely young about 15 years old kid he would waive the $75 fee" I said what do you mean ? He replied " tips" I told him no again. He took my previous contract papers and $574 ( I got from the ATM) and said " why I couldn't get $100 bill instead?" I look at him and reply that's what I got from the ATM and I'm beyond stressed from the experience with the company. He then opened the truck and started to bring my things into my apartment and was placing in everything. In addition the truck was unorganized, stuff was not labeled correctly and they were being in boxes of other people stuff which I identified and refused immediately. He then again started putting things everywhere and I stopped him and told him where I wanted which he did for a short time then went back to placing thing everywhere. I unwrapped my furniture pieces and showed him the missing legs for my couch, console and broken queens size adjustable mattress base ( which I'm still paying for at Ashley home store). I'm missing a large picture frame and couple of things. He claimed "there's another truck in the area about 15 miles away and he's going to look for the box and will return to finish the moving" . He went ghost and never returned or called me back. I'm sleeping on a blow up mattress on the floor. My dinner table legs which they took off is still unattached and sooo much more.
I called the company multiple times before someone answered and said she will give my concerns to a supervisor.
I still haven't gotten a call back and I will proceed further because the missing and broken pieces and I didn't get the service I was promised.
I would never recommend this company.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $2807

Long Distance Movers actually impressed me by their customer service, communication, and helpfulness when coordinating my move across the country. However, they chose the most incompetent, disrespectful company to move our things.. Cobra Van Lines. Please see the below review for more details on my moving experience:

Unbelievably horrific experience.. it's honestly hard to fathom that this company can exist in the US and still have a license. I had a smaller move across the country, with a pregnant wife in her third trimester who desperately needed a smooth move.. well, I failed to deliver (no pun intended). Let me start from the top:
- Reassured numerous times from the beginning that "it would take 5-10 business days, tops" to ship our goods. This was from Long Distance Movers salesmen and the movers when they showed up. I asked about the "21 business days" caveat on the contract, and they said that would be extremely rare.. well as I found out, this is standard practice. There is actually a clause in their contract saying "there is no obligation to abide by oral promises" or something of the like.
- After signing a preliminary contract to use weight, instead of cubic feet, I was nearly talked into paying by cubic feet, which would have been disastrous if you had seen how these guys load your goods. I stuck with weight, and ended up paying a fair price (if it had gotten there in 5-10 business days).
- The moving guys who picked up my goods were professional, prompt, and actually treated my things with respect.. as soon as they have your things loaded up, this is a different story.
- One week in, I called, and a sociopath (Charlie) answers the phone and acts like I am out of my mind for wondering where our things are, "AS ITS ONLY BEEN 7 DAYS! DO YOU WANT SOME KIND OF DISCOUNT OR SOMETHING, COME ON! I told you we have up to 21 business days (not including weekends or holidays)."
- 14 days in - I called, same response. "WE HAVE 21 BUSINESS DAYS, WE DON'T HAVE A DRIVER YET!"
- 21 days in - same response. "Theres a shortage of trucks.. be patient, it'll get there on time".
- 28 days in - same response. We are sleeping on a blow up air mattress, and my wife now has excruciating back pain from being 8 months pregnant.. not to mention the emotional turmoil of not being able to get ready for baby given we don't have a single item in the house.
- Several more calls reveal that they "might be loading up your things soon".
- 32 days in - FINALLY get a call that there is a delivery time.. less than 24 hours before drop-off. A little more heads up would have been nice, given we both work full-time.
- Delivery day - what should/could have been a sigh of relief. Two guys, who look like they've been lost in the tundra on ice-road truckers roll out of the car, and literally hurl my things out of the truck on the ground. Had me sign a contract that had "Expedia Van Lines" crossed off the top with Cobra Van Lines written in. Nearly EVERY item they moved was damaged.. this is no exaggeration. Coffee table edges beat up, bookshelf completely destroyed (broken in multiple places and looks like Mike Tyson chewed on the sides of it), baby rocker (destroyed.. doesn't rock at all), TV stand scratched all over, brand new couch - huge rip on the back corner and the feet were severely scratched - looks like a saber tooth tiger had a snack, side tables - all broken or scratched, antique jewelry dresser - the guy walks in and says, "Do you have a drill or something? The leg must have broken off of this thing." I had a drill.. and I had to replace the leg, among other things. Bar stools - beat up with scratches literally on every corner. Nearly every box was smashed in with huge holes in one. Nice cooler for camping - arm broken off, nowhere to be found. And they left it laying on my neighbors doorstep when they left. Very nice trash cans that we got as a wedding gift - looks like it endured a hail storm.
- I have never seen someone treat another person's good with complete wreckless abandon - tossing boxes, things falling out and rolling on the ground, dropping dressers, chairs falling over onto concrete.. you get the picture.
- The only things that weren't broken/destroyed/scratched, were those that I put in my car.. and my toothbrush (bravo!). I was actually more impressed by there ability to damage every single item in the house.. this must take a lot of practice and skill.
- The delivery guy was also very pushy with adding a tip, which got annoying, consider I was told numerous times that "tip was included" in the price by Long Distance Movers salesmen. I guess I would act the same way if I was contracted out by the one and only, Charlie.

Conclusion - Long distance movers is an exorbitantly priced broker that has absolutely no control over the actual movers themselves. In essence, they extract from the moving process with little to no added value, and use cut-rate, bottom of the barrel carriers to move goods to maximize profits.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $1850