Proud American Vanlines

Im moving from CA to NY. I got an over estimated quote of 4500 for a fully furnished 2 bed that i technically dont even have. My family and I recieved a call less the 24 hours that the movers would be there by 7 am on a sunday (mind you i dont move until the 20th but that was whatever) I stayed up all night packing my whole apartment for the movers to walk in and say that the itinerary was wrong and then tried to say for an extra 250 csq id have to pay another 3k and thats WITH A DISCOUNT. I had to send them away because theres no way i can afford anymore then the price they already gave and now they are refusing to refund me my $2k deposit because its apparently my fault that the itinerary was wrong when Armando was the one who filled it out and said multiple times the price wasnt going to go up if anything it was going to go down. They are all a bunch of liars and scammers thank god i found a new moving company for the same price last minute. DO NOT USE and beware of Armando he seems very nice and easy to talk to but him along with evveryone else that works there is money scamming liars.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $4531

I spoke with Tori twice and she absolutely not only saved us a ton of money she came up with alternate shipping methods and car transport that wasn't even on our radar. I can't stress enough that these are the kinds of people you want to do business with. I would recommend her to anyone seeking a quote and advice on how best to accomplish your move and help remove some stress from a stressful situation. She actually referred us to a company that specializes in smaller moves. I'm grateful I found her and Proud American.

Service cost: $1000

This is a broker, first of all. Focus on that and make sure that you're okay with that. They're a broker, and you don't know what moving company you'll get. It could be bad. For me, it was very bad: the moving company increased the estimate by double, and Proud American was totally unresponsive throughout the move. They then use CSI Pros to handle billing disputes, a company with all 1-star reviews on every site, and which tends to give zero dollars for any dispute.

Stay far away from Proud American Van Lines.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $5000

Do not use this company, carry your items on your own as that will be a better experience, would give "0" stars if that was an option. This is a broker, when the movers arrived to pack me, 2 hours late, the price went up 30% and of course payments must be cash. Items were packed 9/10 and did not arrive until 10/5. Items were packed that I asked not to be packed and other items not packed, I have a friend's SUV in PA with the back filled with items that were to be packed.

Each time I called the contract was repeated to me and "it should be this week". Communication was not good. One time I called and was told the person from Proud American contacted the carrier, I immediately called the carrier for information and asked if they had a call from Proud American in reference to my move and was told no. (The young lady from Quick move was helpful, when I told her I had been packed almost a month prior she said, "oh my".) Once my items were packed they were held in a warehouse in NJ and then placed on a trailer for delivery, all by different companies. This is NOT explained to you when the sales person gives you their sales pitch. When the items arrived the company, yes another company, was great, polite, communicative, etc.. The movers who packed the trailer had item jammed into the trailer, boxes crushed, items broken and the best is the pedestal from the table is missing (filing a claim) along with a closet of clothing. If the pedestal is not found, somewhere on the east coast, the table needs to be trashed.

As I was unpacking I realized I was charged for wardrobe boxes that had one thing in them, some items were packed with care, others were not. Those who had a good experience may have had a better "middle man", yet you do not know who you will get, be careful, use another company as your price will go up and be close if not over a more reputable company.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $15000

Proud American Vanlines contracts out to literally the worst of the worst to move your belongings. Their contracted, “professional movers” urinated in our public courtyard space and tried to con us out of an additional $4k in cash on pick up. As soon as the contractor picks up your stuff, Proud American is totally out of the picture and you’re on your own to deal with their horrendous contracted movers. They don’t return calls, offer zero customer service & essentially tell you to take all issues up directly w the criminals that picked up your stuff. Do yourself a favor and give your business to a better company for your move. One that respects your time, belongings and your money because Proud American absolutely does not. You’re a one and done phone close for a few thousand dollars and then they don’t give you a second thought after they have your money. Their contracts are written to specifically alleviate them of all responsibilities when it comes to your move. There are far better companies out there, run far away from Proud American and their horrendous contractors who don’t have a professional bone in their bodies.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $6000

I wish I could give zero stars.

1) They give you an inaccurate quote to get you to book them for the job (even though the quote is based on a facetime of your apartment), and then increased the price by 150% when they arrived on the day to move, stating they must have "missed some things". They know you're stuck and have to agree. Con artists.

2) They assured us it would arrive within 17 days (99% of the time!). After 17 days they stated they legally had 30 days to deliver (first we heard this). It had not even left California by day 17 and took a total of 42 days. We were without belongings for 3 weeks.

3) They lost 20% of our belongings, including a key component of our bed, making it unusable and heirlooms that cannot be replaced.

4) the belongings that they did eventually deliver were damaged and broken.

5) Their communication was horrific, no one would answer or return our calls. They often had no idea where our belongings are and could never give us helpful information.

Truly a horrendous experience. Unprofessional. Deceptive. Unreliable. Do NOT use this company.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $9200

This was the absolute worst moving experience I’ve ever been through. This company took 3 months to deliver our items and lied countless times about the status of our delivery. I strongly suggest you look elsewhere for your moving needs. Our experience is outlined below.

When I hired Proud American Vanlines, I was assured they were NOT a brokerage and that they in fact were the moving company who would be transporting our items. That ended up not being the case. On the day of the move I was greeted by a completely different moving company. I was told the items could depart as soon as the following day. I made phone calls daily to check in on the progress of our delivery and I was told each time that we were slated to be the next departure and our items would be departing in a couple of days. Cut to almost 3 MONTHS LATER and our items had still not been delivered. I spent countless hours of my time on the phone with both the brokerage (Proud American Van Lines) and the movers (Flat Price Moving) trying to understand what was going on. I was constantly given the runaround. No one would give me a straight answer. Once our items seemed to have departed (not that I had any confidence this was actually true) I was contacted by a man who seemed very distraught and aggressive who explained that he didn’t work for the moving company, but that a friend had asked him to deliver our items to make some money on the side. I was extremely uncomfortable with the fact that this person didn’t even work for the company and was apparently handling our items. It turned out, in fact, that the brokerage put me in touch with the wrong person. So, I was again left wondering where our items were. We then waited another few days until being contacted by a new driver who informed us that we would need to pay for a smaller truck to shuttle our items onto the premises. This was going to be an additional $1400. We felt helpless and swindled. What other options did we have? We paid the additional amount and got our items delivered.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $12000

This was possibly the worst business transaction I’ve ever been involved with, moving or otherwise. I gave one star because the scale didn’t allow lower. A zero or negative rating would be justified. I came very close to taking legal action against the company. Had I known how close I would come to taking legal action against Proud American Vanlines (PAV), I would’ve documented better, but for the sake of a negative review, my recollections should suffice.

It started when I first submitted a request for bids online in late October 2021. PAV responded immediately (literally within minutes) via phone late at night, a sign that I initially interpreted positively to mean responsive customer service. We went through an EXHASTIVE inventory of everything in my studio apartment. I provided pictures of every room and every closet. Again, I interpreted this as a sign of diligence and thoroughness.
After a day or so of questions and answers and sending pictures, I received a quote, put down a 40% deposit, and was given a three day time window in which the move would occur. I was told that the movers would call a week before to confirm the inventory and then again three days before the actual move to confirm the exact time. When the one week window was broached, I called to inquire why I had not been contacted yet. Then I was informed that I would be called WITHIN one week of the move—not one week before—a potentially big difference. Then I was called not three days before the move, but the day before. I tried to tell the gentleman that I thought I would be given three days notice. He got curt with me and hung up. I called the number on the caller ID and got a voice mail in Spanish, which I don’t speak. I called PAV customer service to explain the situation and confirm the time, and then I scrambled to pack since I was initially expecting three days notice.

When the movers came (December 17, 2021), they informed me that the move would cost $2,000 more than initially quoted. Since I had exhaustively accounted for everything in my apartment, there shouldn’t have been any surprises about the final inventory. They even tried to tell me that my bookcases were “non-standard.” As a bibliophile with a 1,000+ book library who used to build bookcases with my grandpa, a master carpenter, I found that explanation preposterous. Regardless, I was on a timeline and didn’t have much choice but to pay. The movers were hurried and left a trail of furniture parts and other belongings in the hallway while they were moving. When I admonished them to be more careful, they didn’t speak English. They requested a tip and then sneered at what I gave them as insufficient. As we parted, I confirmed my cell phone, delivery destination, and final payment amount, $1260, which was different from the initial quote of $1278, but it was close and less, so I didn’t complain.

On December 23, 2021, I got a phone call followed by an email from PAV. They were urgently trying to contact me. I called them back and was informed that my belongings were “enroute,” a word that I’d hear a lot of in the coming weeks. Since PAV picked up my belongings the previous week, I expected it to be in transit by then, but didn’t understand the urgency in contacting me: We wanted to hurry up and tell you that we have nothing new to report!

When I finally arrived at my new place on the agreed upon move-in date, December 29, 2021, I contacted PAV to inquire as to where my belongings were. I was told that the truck was in Dallas and would arrive in the next few days. The following week, I called again. This time, the truck was “enroute” and would arrive in the next few days. Then, within an hour, the estimate was updated for the following week.
At some point during that exchange, the final quote changed back to the original quote, $1278. The differences between the first quote and the last weren’t material, but it showed that the “team” within PAV wasn’t diligent, or communicating, or both.

The end of the following week arrived and I again contacted PAV. They said that the truck was again delayed. I told them that I was at the end of my rope and laid some ground rules: My belongings would be delivered the following week. I’d give the movers a money order for $1,278—as per our agreement--and if there were any additional delays or charges, I’d call the sheriff, my attorney, the Better Business Bureau, and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. PAV acknowledged that they understood and that there wouldn’t be any additional surprises.

The following week, PAV assigned someone to personally track my case. She informed me that the driver of the truck had Covid and that they were looking for an alternative driver. I was happy to be getting what seemed like timely, accurate information--for a change--and accepted the reason. A few days later I was told that my belongings would be delivered THAT DAY and that I was going to incur an additional charge because the driver wasn’t able to get in touch with me. Not only had I been assured that there would be ZERO additional surprises, but I’d RECONFIRMED my cell number when the movers picked up my belongings and I hadn’t been contacted on my cell phone, so he was clearly either incompetent or simply trying to extort more money out of me. I called PAV fuming and to its credit they took care of the issue and I didn’t incur any additional charges.

When the movers arrived, there were only two of them, a light crew for all my gym equipment and books. I helped them considerably, or else they might never have finished, and tipped them well. They had to carry several heavy boxes up a flight of stairs. The initial movers over-packed the boxes since there were no stairs in the first move and why should they care? It was going to be someone else’s problem at the final destination. Also, the movers didn’t reassemble my furniture, as promised. They were told that they weren’t informed that they’d be responsible for reassembly and they had another move to do. Why would they have been informed? There hadn’t been any effective teamwork or communication to this point; why did I expect anything to suddenly change?

To PAV’s credit, they negotiated with the movers to reimburse me $150 for their failure to reassemble my furniture. When I inspected my belongings, several items were damaged. When I went to reassemble my furniture, several parts were lost. On my wire shelves, fully one-quarter of the necessary plastic sheaves to secure the shelves were missing. One or two parts I could understand, but one-fourth of them? Also, they lost my ironing board.

In short, PAV failed to deliver on price, time, and service. They were three weeks late, endlessly surprising me along the way with false time estimates followed by surprise arrivals. They blindsided me with $2,000 in charges and tried to blindside me with more. Finally, they damaged several of my belongings, lost others, and failed to reassemble my furniture, as promised.

Not only do I not recommend PAV, I consider it a criminal enterprise that shouldn’t be allowed to exist. They give you a low ball estimate to secure your bid, then farm it out to the lowest-cost movers, who in turn try to extort more money out of you with surprise charges. Then on the back-end they over-promise with their delivery estimates and then get you your belongings just in time to not run afoul of the thirty-day Federally mandated arrival window. Then your stuff arrives with no warning, over-packed, damaged, and disassembled.

PAV doesn’t deserve your business. They don’t deserve to be in business.

Move size: Studio Service cost: $6000