Long Distance Movers Inc.

My story is pretty much like everyone else who gave an HONEST review, and I would give zero stars if possible. I got several quotes from different moving companies (and LDM does not state they are a broker - in fact on their website they claim to be movers, which is illegal).

Our move was very small in terms of items (moving a small NYC apartment to Kansas, and most of what was moved was boxed as I decided to not take most of my furniture). First we were quoted a price of a little over $2,000 and promised all sorts of things - such as free packing of anything we didn't manage to get done, free pickup at a second stop to get my boyfriend's things out of storage, free set-up at the new location - and of course a change in cost to lower it depending on weight of the items. (Their estimate was also based simply on what we told them, rather than sending someone to do a walk-through. I have learned that's the first sign of a scam 'mover' and you should never use a company that does not do a walk-through.)

We were then email a list of our items and the @$2,000 cost. They had ridiculous weights assigned to things, such as a small wall mirror which maybe weighs 7 pounds - they put that down as 50 pounds. I spoke to them again and told them their estimated weight was vastly more than the actual weight but I was reassured the the final price would be based on acctual weight. We were also told that the procedure would be to give them a deposit, then pay the movers by DEBIT CARD if we wished when they loaded in, then pay the rest in cash or money order when delivered. So, we gave them a deposit of a little over $500 and set a date for pickup on July 16. Not only did we need to be out of the apartment on the 17th we had already made, and paid for, reservations in VA starting the 17th, about a 10 hour drive from NYC (we have a dog so had to stop more often, making the drive longer than normal.) We were also told a 'co-ordinator' would contact us on that Friday just to go over everything with us.

We did receive a call that Friday and were told we just needed to electronically sign off on some documents so hed email us the documents along with our itemized list just to make sure they had everything. In this email they had increased the estimate from $2,000 to almost $4,000. I went over that again with them, wanting to know why the increase and why they had added items which I never mentioned. I was told 'people always understimate the weight' but, don't worry. The actual cost would be based on weight and since it was late Friday already and we needed to be out Sunday we were basically screwed since it was too late to get someone else. So, we signed. Then hhe asked for another deposit, this time of a bit over $1,6. He then gave us 00. We pointed out that we had already paid a deposit and were not told that 2 deposits would be required. Once again he reassured us, stating that all we had to do was pay half of what was left owned to the movers picking up and half to those dropping off. I pointed out again that we were barely moving anything, they now would have about $2,500 from us, and that I was previously told the price was based on weight so how could they even know it would cost that much, much less more. He said of course it was based on weight and they would refund us if need be. He again stated that we could pay the movers via debit card but the drop off would have to be in cash. He then gave us an estimate for arrival time on Sunday.

On Sunday we waited and waited. The movers never arrived. We couldn't contact anyone at LDM because they were closed (we tried). We finally got a call from someone else saying they'd be there around 9 pm. By this time the storage facility is closed and the man I spoke to, who I later learned was from another company called Century Movers in NJ (Long Distance Movers had lied and said that they,themselves, were 'nationwide' and had facilities out of NJ - they never once told us they were brokering us out to someone else) said that since the storage facility was closed (and he claimed he hadn't been told about a second stop) that they'd have to pick up the storage facility items the next morning and charge us extra for it.Then he said they could be over at our apartnent by 'around' 10 pm. I put my foot down. I was not going to spend all night waiting for movers who were supposed to have arrived between 12 and 2 pm and be charged extra. I told him they would just have to come in the morning and to come around 8 am, thinking it would take no more than a couple of hours if we helped them load, and we could then get on the road not too late in the day. He refused to come at any time except 4:30 IN THE MORNING. I'm sure he chose this time knowing we'd be unable to reach LDMs to complain (and we still didn't know he was from a completely different company). He flat out refused to do the move other than at that time and told me if we refused we'd lose our deposit. So we had to do it.

At 4:30 the next morning they arrived and immediately started picking up boxes and taking them out. He did not do a walk through but only claimed that we had 'a lot more stuff' than he'd been told, which is absolutely not true. And on top of that we were actually taking LESS than we planned because we had been told the movers would help us pack so, having the move planned for Sunday and since they were charging us for boxes and packing material anyway we planned to do just that. Still I didn't want to leave all my possessions so I tried to tell them what I needed them to pack. That was a complete nightmare. I got pushback, refusal to load things because they were 'too heavy,' such as a 50 lb boxing heavy bag I had already noted in my list. They were slow in taking things apart which needed to be.(And I later found, after they left, that whoever removed the mirror from my antique dresser broke one of the pieces of wood which attaches the mirror to the dresser, and never mentioned this once, just left the broken pieces on the floor. I'm hoping I can fix it with glue or have another piece made. The dresser is from the 30s and is one of the few pieces of furniture I was moving, the rest being an iron headboard and footboard, a small iron table with a glass top, one medium bookcase, one medium bookcase with glass doors, a tv stand, and an antique chest of drawers. That is a little over one room's worth of furniture.)

Since it was getting later and later, even though they showed up at 4:30 am, and I couldn't argue all day with some one who's supposed to be a mover about whether something's too 'heavy' to move, I made the decision to just leave things, including my boxing bag, most of my kitchen items, several larger pictures (for which we had paid for special boxes for from LDMs), an antique pine linens chest, many things from my childhood and from when I was younger. I'm in tears typing this because those a**hole scam artists forced me to have to leave about 1/2 of what I owned. They didn't finish loading what I DID decide to take until around 11. That's over 6 hours. It was ridiculous. And they still had to get the items from the storage facility. But it gets better - I was then told that our move would not cost $2,000 or even $4,000, but over SEVEN THOUSAND DOLLARS. He pushed a piece of paper in front of me to initial, verifying that they had received the goods. I told him I was not going to sign anything until speaking to LDMs, and that we were not going to pay over $7,000 for this move. So, he started threatening to remove my things from the truck and leave it in the street.

I should have called the police actually but I was so tired and upset already, I couldn't get hold of anyone at LDMs (conviniently), we had a long drive ahead of us - I just wasn't thinking straight. He refused to answer me about what my items weighed and what exactly he was basing this figure on and he just kept threatening me with dumping my possessions in the street. My boyfriend urged me to just sign it. Note that I'M the one who had to sign because the move was contacted with ME. Having anyone else sign documents regarding a contract with another person is illegal. Keep this in mind for later. So I initialed it, the movers and my boyfriend left to meet up at the storage facility, and luckily I looked out the window as th ey were leaving because that's when I saw the truck and saw that it was from a completely different company than what I had contacted with. I started googling them while trying to reach LDMs (who never got back to me and who have yet to return my messages then and later, when I received my furniture and found my antique chest of drawers destroyed).

I also tried reaching my boyfriend to tell him to not sign anything, that I had found reviews on Century and the same thing had happened to others - these 'movers' show up and demand twice as much as quoted. Unfortunately he didn't get the message until it was too late because when they met him at the storage facilty (and it took them about an hour to there; it's a 20 minute drive from my old apt) they refused to load any of his things until he gave them $3,000. Cash. Not on the debit card as promised, but cash. They also did not provide a receipt (but we have the bank withdrawal as evidence) and the head guy started pressuring him to sign something saying he agreed to a 'flat rate' of over $7,000, rather than based on weight, or else they would not load his items. So he signed it but I hope Century and LDMs realize anything he signed would be non-binding as the contract was with me, and me alone. Then they refused to help him unload the locker unless he paid even more, because there were stairs - which we had been told were covered in the price. And to end it all they demanded a tip from him. Movers are not legally allowed to ask for a tip, much less demand one. Since our possessions had already been threatened he just paid what they asked. So, they're guilty of extortion on top of everything else. We didn't leave NYC until after 4 pm because of all that and didn't arrive in VA until around 3 AM.

We had also contacted with LDMs to not deliver our things until mid-August since we were taking our time driving to KS and weren't sure exactly when we'd arrive. We were told that wouldn't be a problem either and we'd get delivery around the 17th. Luckily we got here the end of July because two days after we arrived we got a call telling us delivery would be the next day and if we wanted it to be put off we'd have to pay for storage.

The man who delivered our things arrived in a plain white van so I'm not even sure who he's affiliated with. He did tell us we'd been ripped off when we paid him the final $2,500 'owed.' And he moved our things in with only a teenage girl as his helper - the same things the three men from Century had spent half a day going on about how 'heavy' everything was.

I have't even unpacked my boxes yet because frankly I'm afraid to look after seeing what was done to my chest of drawers. For someone to damage it as badly as it is, it almost had to have been done on purpose. One of the bottom 'feet' - which are quite sturdy wood pieces on each corner, very short and thick, not at all easily breakable - is completely missing. I know I need to unpack and itemize the entire damage but I've been too depressed to deal with it. We are not rich and $7,000 is a lot of money to us. I spent a couple of weeks getting quotes so we could find someone affordable. All we found was scammers.

I have already registered a complaint against both companies with FMCSA and intend to pursue legal action if necessary.

Move size: Partial Move Service cost: $7200

Pros
They were able to start moving even for a very short notice.
The guy who received my phone call initially was kind.

Cons
They took full two weeks+ to deliver mine delaying estimated arrival time repeatedly.
They lost my item, but they simply decided to ignore me after rushing me into signing the documents.
I found blood stain on my furniture..??

Also I initially called the company long distance movers and then I realized I was dealing with the company united transportation who seems like ordered another outside company to do the actual moving. Are they all the same companies? Anyway I am giving 1 star for long distance movers since that is the company I made a phone call. Confusing and some communication issues.

Move size: Studio Service cost: $1700

Is it possible to give a company 0 stars? I won't make this long but here's why you should NOT use this company. Eric Denglerld is an incompetent salesman who told me my move would be $1950. AFTER the movers came two hours late and had packed everything, they said it would be $3700. They also said they expected a 15% tip and if we did 20% they would take down the price $200.. sketchy business. They told us we would get our things on 6/26. It came 7/3. We didn't have anything. Everything came broken and smashed and boxes labeled FRAGILE were upside down and smashed. Not to mention those movers told us 9am and didn't get in until 6pm.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $3700

This company is a broker. I did not choose this company and booked with another cheaper and equally bad broker company(Assurance Van Lines). I did not know they both were brokers. Anyway, the lady from Long Distance Movers Inc, kept calling me, saying that they are the best, the other company has bad reputation, they would left me stranded, they cared for me, they want my move to be smooth because I have a kid.. blah blah blah. Now I think she used my kid to scare me off. I was really scared that other company would left me stranded. When I checked online, they both have equally good and bad reviews. ( Now I think good reviews are fake ones). I was so naive and stupid that I ended up booking with them at last minutes when the other company was late for pick up because I was so scared of not getting picked up by other company. The other company did come but really late. I canceled the booking with them 2 hours after the booking but it was after hours so they ignored me till the next day. And then they only refunded me half the money of the deposit and stated that it was a courtesy because according to the terms of agreement, I would not have get any refund. They charged me $1300 for last minute booking. I felt like I was cheated and stolen. If you want to know how bad their company with actual moving, please read the review by Kelsey. I can't even imagine how she would have felt. And read my review on Assurance Van Lines. My advice, never chose a broker company. They keep the deposit money, then arranged your move with a cheap moving company, and that company will make your life miserable. Please always read the bad reviews because they are the true reviews.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $2986

This has been one of the worst experiences I have ever had with a "company". It's hard to even figure out where to start. Moving from Chicago to Denver. Scheduled pick up was on a Monday and we were closing on our house in Chicago the next day. Instead 3 hours after our "pick up time", they change the time to later in the day. Then call back and it is now the next day, the day of closing on our house. Two idiots show up the next morning, charge repeatedly over the estimate for everything they can think of. They even tried to charge us a late fee for us not answering the phone at 6 am for our now scheduled 7 am pick up, because they are from a different time zone and "didn't realize the time was different here." Fast forward through 5 hours, our estimate was totally off. This kid "can't get ahold of his dispatcher" and now wants an additional 2500 for "truck fill up fee" , half in cash now and if we pay it all he will save us 200 as a favor. I explained to him that that's not how math works and that even based off of the difference of space, he was overcharging is 1000 and that there is absolutely no way I was handing him 2500 in cash. Also, we have to throw away a large amount of what was in our estimate because it simply wouldn't fit in the truck and they are moving everything to North Carolina? Fast forward a week, still nothing has arrived and we haven't heard about our delivery. When we finally get ahold of them, it is supposed to be delivered on day 9. On day 8, the day changes to day 15 all of a sudden. Day 15 comes and goes. On day 17, we "receive our shipment". Which consists of a bed, a shattered TV (appropriately packed in standard TV moving box), a dresser, half of our couch and a few boxes. They tell us the rest will be coming in 2 more days. Day 18 the truck is supposedly in Denver. On day 19, our delivery has not arrived. After calling the dispatcher for the moving company 3 times, she finally states that the truck is broken down and that it will "probably be another day and a half". But isn't the truck in the same city as me? Probably not. Just another lie. So now I sit in my new home, with no belongings, 3 weeks into my move. Hoping that some of my belongings will eventually show up. I would not recommend this moving company to my worst enemy. They are by far the worst company in terms of customer service, agreed contract and every other aspect you could possibly think of.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $4000

This company is unprofessional and pathetic. They lied the whole way through the process and never mentioned my move would be brokered out. When you quote someone one price then jack it up upon arrival, that's highway robbery. Then you offer a $400 dollar refund after we paid $2792.96. Our original quote was $1400, that's why I went with this company and not getting a storage pod which quoted me $2300. This is ridiculous, luckily my lawyer will take care of everything. I just want to make sure no one has to go through the stress and headache that I did. DON'T USE THIS COMPANY!

Move size: Partial Move Service cost: $2700

I plan on "documenting" this move with ratings along the way. This morning I gave LD Movers my deposit for an end-of-June move from California to Wyoming. Anthony S. is my LD representative. Anthony is very thorough, very professional and answered all my questions. He certainly did not come on as a "pushy salesperson". My next step will be giving my final inventory and then meeting with the movers, when they show up. Since LD is a brokerage, I am anxious to see if the actual movers are as professional, do not try to change any parts of the contract and leave me with a feeling my household will be moved in a safe and timely fashion. The price of the mover is not a great concern to me, since it was stressed that the cost is by weight only and the quote will only change (higher) if I add move to the move or things were heavier than originally anticipated. I would like to purge some things, but not doing well on that! Since my move is over two months out, the inventory I gave Anthony will surely change to some extent.
I will write again in June.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $3950

I would not recommend this company to anyone. Not even my worst enemy. My partner and I had a pick up set for Friday February 23rd with a window between 1pm-4pm. They said they would call an hour away. By 3:30pm we had heard nothing. WE HAD to call to find out that their truck broke down and that they would be there in the morning. They show up and said that they could not get their truck close enough to the building (they were 8ft from the building) so we would have to pay them in CASH for them to make the "long distance" from our building to the truck..Since the truck was late (not our fault mind you) our truck will not be delivered for two weeks. We found this information out once WE called them since nothing was being communicated to us on our window of arrival. Now, another week and a half we find out after WE called that they will arrive on Sunday at 4pm. My partner called off work and at 2pm they said they will not be there until the following day. When my partner called to complain they said she was ridiculous for calling off work because it was not a definite thing. Then they tell us that they will be charging us another $400 for a shuttle because they cannot bring an 18 wheeler into our complex. We told them that we spoke with our complex and that they have multiple 18 wheelers coming into the complex daily. So when we relayed this information to them they said they will keep everything until we agree to pay them more money. Since they had all our belongings we had no choice but to agree. They proceed to show up more than an hour late. Start to unload our things and demand that we shut down the only elevator in the building so that they do not have to wait. They threatened to charge us more and if not they would leave with our things on the curb. (We also found out they forgot 3 boxes and an ironing board on a different truck) After finally getting all our things into the apartment they left and said they would be in touch about our things. After a few hours they said that the only way for us to get our forgotten items would be to drive 30 minutes to them to retrieve them. If not then we would not be getting our things back. After driving to get our items, we were finally done with the horrid company.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $1800

I was told six days for my stuff to arrive , they picked my stuff up March 17th , and now they are saying it will not be here until the 4th of April . This is the worst company to do business with especially Brittany they offered me a 250 credit on a almost 5000 move which I will not settle for , I am going to report this company , even if a place is more expensive go with the other company . DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THIS PLACE . They lie and change dates constantly .

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $4800

I firmly blame my poor experience on Tom. He is either a complete liar trying to make a sale or so utterly clueless as to what it is his company can actually offer and he tarnished my entire view of this company.

I went with Long Distance because Tom promised everything would get in on a certain date and everything would be simple and easy but my experience was the opposite. Mind you, this is a BROKER and not a mover. Something that was never mentioned to me on the initial call. I landed in California only to realize my stuff still hadn't left Chicago. Long Distance was impossible to get a hold of (except Brittanie, but that comes later). Eventually, I ended up talking to the movers and got far better service from them instead (I highly recommend you go straight to Encore Movers). My stuff arrived three weeks late and Brittanie offered a measly $75 for the trouble. I already had to go an buy new clothes and start my job without any of my things and eat out of a mug, but sure. $75 is great.

Except I accepted the $75 and was then told in order to get it I would have to sign a non-disparagement agreement (something that is illegal in California). By signing that, I wouldn't be allowed to write this review to warn you all off from them and their deceptive practices. Brittanie told me she forgot to add it when she offered the money (this email also had someone else's credit card information in it, just to further show me the extent of this company's ineptitude). I suspect there would be more negative reviews if this company didn't have that policy.

Some lies:
- Estimate was more than $500 off
- No one allowed me to see any measurement of the truck so I couldn't decide if the estimate was fair.
- I was never told this was a broker and not the actual mover. Tom made it sound like they were the movers themselves.
- I was told I could pay with credit card on the drop off and this was written into my contract. This was not the case and they refused to let my stuff off the truck until I had a postal check.
- Was told it would arrive February 9th in California. Didn't leave Illinois until the 11th.
- Was told they are always available for 24 hour service. Nope. No one answers. I had no idea where my stuff was for a few days.

Overall, I would avoid this company like the plague. I disliked them enough to refuse money back so I could write this review so I beg you to take heed of it. Don't make the mistake I did.

Move size: Studio Service cost: $2200