Preferred Relocation

This was the absolute worst moving experience of our lives. We have been moved several times over the past 20 years, but Preferred Relocation was by far the worst. Some "low lights" are as follows:
1. They arrived late, EVERY single day of the 4-5 day experience.
2. They packed as if they were maliciously careless and/or utterly incompetent. Examples: tape was wrapped around ANTIQUE (!) wood furniture, lampshades were crushed by being stuffed into wardrobe boxes with electronic equipment and books, china was improperly packed and many pieces broken, and artwork was mangled. They brought no book boxes, despite having been told that we had hundreds of books to move. Many small items were tossed into wardrobe boxes along with large heavy items; some of these items were fragile and irreplaceable, and were damaged or destroyed.
3. At times, we had difficulty reaching the company (or anyone there who could help) by phone.
4. They destroyed the top of our antique china cabinet, likely by placing heavy items upon it while in the large moving truck. (We discovered this only after the cabinet was placed in our new home.)
5. We were coerced into having to rent an additional smaller truck as a "shuttle" because of our long driveway with a turn at its beginning. We went along with this, but have since determined that this was unnecessary, as we have had many large trucks and trailers traverse our driveway. This cost us several thousand dollars extra because they were either gouging us for more money, or their driver was incompetent, or both.
6. The moving team leader repeatedly asked for a HUGE tip ($1000) for his team. This felt like extortion, and was in no way deserved. We bought the team several lunches in good faith, BEFORE we realized how disastrous this move would turn out to be. The packing/moving crew was also occasionally crass or rude.
7. Over multiple years, with multiple forms, letters, and nearly 100 photos of damages, we were not compensated by the company, or their "claim clearinghouse" Anthem. After a round with the Better Business Bureau, we nearly gave up, since the company would only compensate us approximately 20% of the actual several thousand dollars in damages we incurred. They also wanted to place a "gag order" on us, and accept zero responsibility for any wrongdoing. We filed a complaint with the NJ Division of Consumer Affairs, but at this point, four years after the nightmare, we are not hopeful.

I am sure that I could find more things to write, using materials from the file of documents we have for this horrible move, but I simply do not want to think about this any more.

We strongly suggest that you AVOID this company!

Service cost: $17000

I used budget vanlines to set up my move and they hired preferred rolocation. First off at pick up they were 3.5 hours late with no communication. The guys who picked up were horrible. One of the movers was more worried about wether or not my fiance was wearing victoria secret perfume and flexing what little muscles he had then taking care of my stuff. His b.o. was so bad we had to go out side. After the truck was loaded I found out it was going to cost me $600 more then my quote and no insurance is offered. After the paperwork was signed they started asking for a tip over and over again. I went into my house to get my wallet and was amazed at the mess they left in my living room. All of the garbage from there packing material was left in the middle of my floor. I went back out and had ask them if it was common practice to leave there garbage behind & one of the chuckled like it was funny. I then asked them to pick it up and take it with them and they kinda looked at me like I was crazy. My stuff was supposed to be stored at there facility from 09/22/12 until around 11/01/12. The communication w/ the company is horribe. I had to call budget to get them on the phone. I called mid october to set up delivery on 10/29/12. I was assured it would not be a problem and they would call me back the next week to confirm. Ofcorse no call back so I call budget again to get them on the phone and now they can't deliver untill the following week. So then hurricane sandy hits! now I can't get ahold of them,  either can budget during the entire week of expected delivery. Then on 11/03/12 I get a phone call from a truck driver saying he will be here tomorrow. SWEET! They were early on 11/4 for delivery but played the we can't get our truck into the community game. Well the shuttle fee is $700 but we will do it for $400. B.S. I rented a uhaul and did it for $54. the delivery guys were very polite. During initial inventory by us unloading from the moving truck to the uhaul we had 5 boxes missisng and noticable damaged boxesw and items. Items that were packaged when they left my home but upon delivery were not. Due to the issues the movers rode to my new home with me in the uhual to reinventory and remove there furniture and t.v. packaging. Every single piece of firniture was broke scratched, and the entertainment center was water damaged! Numerous boxes were crushed, some you could tell had been wet and the driver did the inventory and wouldn't you know it was all there. The large framed artwork I was charged extra for was no longer package and the frames broken apart and the glass shattered. Upon contacting budget because they hired them I was informed that its not there responsibility to handle this its the company they hired. Ok so get them on the phone, ptreferred relocation (eric) gives me the number to the 3rd party claims the use (AnthemClaims in A.Z.) who by the wy has worse reviews the P.R. I was told it will take upto 90 days for this to process once they recieve all of the info they need. Ok so I filed a police report for the missing items and called the booking agent at budget to see what could be done. She was going to a supervisor in custoer service to get this takin care of ASAP . Yea right guess who else stopped returning myphone calls. So in the end I payed around $2500 to have budget hire a moving company to destroy all of my belongings and then drop it off to me here in Florida. Oh and also budget quotes you by weight and the company bills you by space that's why it cost more at pickup. Do yourself a favor and move your own stuff if you value it.

Service cost: $2000

Great experience! Cal was extremely helpful and was able to make my move a seamless process. The amount quoted was the same as I was charged. I have had experiences in the past with other moving companies where many hidden fees were present. However, no hidden fees were present in this case and every promise made/price quoted was followed through with. The individuals that moved my items were also extremely helpful and I had absolutely no issues with any damaged items, nor any lost items. The entire process was smooth and easy, I definitely recommend using this moving company in the future.

Service cost: $6000

Company stated it was going to cost 2,400 dollars to move my furniture from CA to FL. I over estimated all items and boxes on phone. They arrived packed up all my furniture dropping my things (file cabinet) and then stated a price $600 more then stated on phone. We payed because they had my furniture hostage. He did take the price down to 2,900 after an hour of stating how I over estimated items on the phone. It should of been lower not higher than the quoted price. He stated our furniture would arrive between 7 and 18 days. They all stated on the phone that it will be there by within 18 days no problem. 35 days later and numerous calls which most went unanswered we received our furniture. The guy shows up at 9pm to drop off furniture with no help. I had very expenses items to move. Alex and Eddie stated that we would receive $30 a day for any day after day 21st. The driver knew nothing about it. Again the furniture was held hostage on the truck until we paid the balance in full. He couldn't even get a hold of a manager on the phone. I said I want to make sure my things are fine before I pay in full. He refused. We felt backed into the wall because we needed our things. We payed the money but wrote down on inventory sheet about the refund that was due to us which the driver signed. When we got our furniture everything looked great at first than I was so upset. We still haven't finish unpacking (finished dropping off furniture at 1am in the morning last night). However, my $5,000 baby grand piano doesn't work (chip on the side, keys stick and metal plate to pedal is broke). There was water damage on my curio on the bottom and the wood is flaking off. My hutch is cracked on left side top and bottom. It looked like they dragged it on its side. My wall unit is chipped. My monitor is broken, water damage to a few boxes, statue cracked and a missing lamp. Not sure what else I'm going to find today when I unpack. I'm very dissatisfied with this company and its service. Do not use there services. I didn't listen to the reviews and decided to use the company because they assured me they don't subcontract out and where a family business. They did subcontract out and all the reviews where true. I should of listened. Hope you do.

Service cost: $2000

I'm hesitant to post this review because as of yet, the move is not complete.  My first mistake was going through a broker (Moving & Storage Inc.)  Promises, promises! I was told that my daughter's belongings would be picked up on a certain date & delivered on a certain date.  I was also told that given the address the items were being moved to, a shuttle would not be needed.  So, all was well (at first.)  Then the actual mover, Preferred Relocation called me & again, the person I spoke to said it wouldn't be a problem to have her things there by a certain date. Nothing was mentioned about a shuttle either.  So, again, all was well.  The problems began when the truck showed up (they first called & said they would be there a day early..then didn't show up until the next day & didn't call--we had to call them to find out they weren't coming the day they told us.) They did an okay job loading up, but when it came time to sign the paperwork, several problems arose.  The first problem was the driver said I would have to spend an extra fee of $350 because he could not manuever his truck to the address we gave.  This was the same address we gave to the broker in the beginning & the same address we gave to the person that called from Preferred Relocation!!  Now all of a sudden, when everything was already loaded on the truck, they bring up the extra fee!  Next, the drivers tell us that there is NO WAY they can have the things delivered by the date we had given them at first. And, it would probably be a week later! Even though a date was promised verbally by both companies!  They told me that on the agreement, they had to allow extra time because the truck might break down, etc..I understood this, but here was the driver telling me from the get-go, there was no way.  I felt trapped by these people & didn't know what to do, so I allowed them to leave with the belongings. It was too late to call & make any other type of arrangements--they had me over a barrel! When I called to talk to customer service, I got the run-around from both companies--both citing the paperwork with the allowed extra time.  I told them there should be some type of compensation or reduction to my bill since they were not fulfilling the bargain they verbally made..but no one seemed to care.  DO NOT USE THESE COMPANIES ON YOUR NEXT MOVE!! PREFERRED RELOCATION OR MOVING & STORAGE, INC!  Who knows if we'll ever get our things!!   .

Service cost: $2175

Our pre-move contacts with the company were very good and we believed that we were dealing with a solid reputable company.
What we didn't realize is that virtually all of the moving companies hire "temp" personnel to load and unload the trucks and most also contract with truckers for the actual transfer.  The upshot of this is that there are 4 different groups of people involved in a move: The moving company that we contracted with, the crew that loaded the truck, the trucking company, and the crew that unloaded the truck.
Everything seemed to go well during the loading process but when the truck was unloaded 7 days later, there was significant damage and 2 lost items. 
One lost item was the glass top of a living room table that was most likely broken during loading - value: approx. $1100 (from the estimates we have gotten to replace it).  The other item that was lost was a valuable solid bronze sculpture weighing around 100 lbs. and appraised at $18,000.
There were also a dozen or so furniture items that were damaged.  Most are scratches (not minor ones!) and large dents.  A large executive desk had 2 broken panels and a drawer whose bottom was crushed and destroyed.
When we contacted the moving company they were very apologetic and said they would make things right but as time went on, they suddenly became unresponsive and have remained so.
We were encouraged to file a Police report on the missing items which we did.  The initial report was filed at the destination location since that is where the theft was discovered but they quickly decided that the theft probably occurred at the loading end (which we agreed with) and they transferred the case to the city in which the loading occurred.
Speaking with the detective in charge of the case at the loading end, he basically told us that this sort of situation is not unusual during moves and there was very little that could be done about it given that 4 different parties in 4 locations were involved and there is no way of knowing where the theft occurred.
We are now talking with our home owner's insurance company about the loss and it appears that they will cover the losses (at least for the 2 stolen/broken items), minus our $1000 deductable of course.
Overall this move has been very stressful, frustrating, and time consuming.  I hope to never have to go through something like this again.
One other item - The cost of the move increased significantly from the estimate to the actual move.  This is another case of everyone pointing fingers at everyone else.  The items to be moved actually decreased between the time of the estimate and the move when we decided not to move 2 whole rooms of furniture.  The original estimate was made via an in-person visit to our home rather than just an emailed inventory list that many movers use.
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Service cost: $12000

First off my move has not been completed yet. I went through MovingAPT and they subcontracted it out to preferred relocation. After placing my down payment with movingAPT, a company calls me and says they are not good but it was too late I would lose my $. So preferred location came to move me. Shannon, from preferred relocation, had a verbal contract that Monday 9/30 would be my delivery time. She must of forgot that she had said that and said no we have, by law 21 BUSINESS days to delivery our stuff. As the movers were there, they continue to add on charges, for more stuff and moving equipment etc. Was charged almost $700 more than quoted. The movers were shady. I should have know when they asked about one of my neighbors. But my hands were tied. I started my job on Monday and didn't have time or extra $ to find another company. So as I sit here in Florida with still NO answers on when my shipment will arrive, I question myself if my stuff isn't truly stolen. Shannon says she is an advocate for me, but yet I haven't heard from her in days and still will not pick up her phone. Josh Grillo her boss will not return any of my calls but did respond to via text message promising my delivery last Wednesday. I have had three different delivery dates and they have all gone and passes with no delivery. Shannon assured me last week that it was enroute to Florida as we spoke that wed but then called me late Friday to tell me it wasn't and she has the key to the lock. Please save yourself the heartache and headache and please go with a great company. Police reports have been filed and the bbb has been contacted. So frustrated at this point. I just hope my stuff arrives and is not stolen or broken.

Service cost: $2700

First off I was given a quote of 1 price and when the 2 young men had packed everything in the truck I was charged double. Over $5000.00. The 2 young men that came to pack was very careful with my item and packed it in the truck nicely. But it was DOWNHILL after that. With the way they packed I figured everyone in the company would be like that. They had to unpack that truck unto another truck to get it to SC. I guess me not being therre to watch  them the next set of guys didn't care what they did to my things. 5 to 6 days later I get a call from the guy deliveriing it. When he got here after 3 or 4 calls later saying he was going to be late. Another truck and car pulls up with the moving truck to unload. I watch as they unloaded my thing just to watch them drop my wood file cabinet, mower and a few other things. So now I have a broken file cabinet, mower, recliner, lamp, and other things and missing a wood book shelf and some other bins and boxes. My grill is bent and twisted. When I called to complain I was told to go to website and download a items list and take pics. I guess from me watching the first 2 guys and the way they were I felt I wouldn't need the more costly insurance. I thought my things were in good hands. Boy was I wrong. They even dropped a small refrigerator I had bought for my dads room and broke it. I was told once I submitted my list there would be NO changing it. So some of the items mentioned was not on their list. I am heartbroken from the way these people operate. Some of these items I had just gotten for christmas. They DON"T CARE for your thing. I submitted my item and they only offered $150.00 after months of waiting and argueing with them that my stuff was worth more and I had watched their guys just drop things and break them.  I couldn't take it anymore and just took the 150. My advice to whomever is reading this. DO NOT HIRE THESE PEOPLE. You will be sorry unless you have the money for the expensive insurance PLEASE Stay Away from this Company. If you are told you have to use them from a secondary Co..tell them hell NO and stop your contract with that CO. PLEASE>>>PLEASE>>> STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY> Preferred Relocation Interstate Moving Company will rip you off and break your things.      .

Service cost: $5000

I am extremely dissatisfied with my service. I have been waiting a week for my belongings. They were supposed to be picked up on Sunday the 5th and they were delayed twice With no communication of what was going on or why my move was being delayed. I even spoke to someone in customer service who covered the phone to put me 'on hold' and proceeded to yell at someone , repeatedly using profanity (the F word specifically)about my situation and me calling to another person on the other end. I don't think he realized that I could hear him. I hung up , so upset and offened. I tried again until I got someone different. Frequent calls/emails to customer service ended with "we will call you back" and no call backs. Picked up tuesday with $100 off service for inconvenience. Then my estimated cost jumped from 1000 to 1700. I stated that I signed an estimate that states I would not pay more than what was listed, Mover tells me I had a sofa that was not listed on the estimate when I told them I had 2 sofas. And this error on my estimate was mistaken. We could not pay the amount and so they said they would wait until Saturday after payday to deliver my things. Saturday came and went, and not even a courtesy call to me on delivery status. I called off work - my brand new job - to be present for my delivery. When I called customer service because the mover would not return my call, she stated I was scheduled for delivery Sunday. She said she would contact my mover and call me back. Never did. I still have not recieved a call from the movers and I'm not sure when I will recieve my things.   .

Service cost: $1400

Our experience with Preferred Relocation of Hackensack, NJ was stellar. We were in dire straights -- we had been "stood up" by another company at the last minute and we were on a time deadline. Preferred Relocation went above and beyond the "call of duty" for us -- since, try though they might, they couldn't fit us into the schedule at the last minute, they helped us find a solution and we were able to put our things in storage and leave for our destination on time. When the time came for delivery to our destination, Preferred Relocation was timely and kept in touch with us from pick up of our items in storage in one state to delivery and unloading of everything in another state. Our belongings all arrived and all were in tact and in good order.

From the initial phone call to the final delivery, the customer service and follow through was excellent. There were no surprises in the $$ amount quoted. We are forever grateful to Mark and Cal for getting everything set up as well as for the great follow through with Alex and Simona. Sebastian and Antonio were great with the delivery. Preferred Relocation: Top notch professionalism with the human touch.

Service cost: $4200