Reliable Van & Storage

I could not recommend reliable van to anyone under any circumstances. I have had reason to use movers 12 times in the last 17 years so I know what should happen and how long it should take to happen. All of my moves have been 850-1100sf apartments/homes. Nothing fancy.

My experience started with a 75-minute phone call with George to get an estimate. At first, I was impressed by the thoroughness of the call. However, in retrospect, it didn’t matter what I said on that call because they were going to overcharge me anyway (I’ll get to that.) I was informed of the many items that reliable refuses to move unless you pay them to put your items in their special (aka expensive) box (lamps, art, TVs, anything glass, etc.) some of this was reasonable but other items (like my cheap lamps) they wouldn’t even move with a signed waiver. I was offered wardrobe boxes during this call as well. I informed George that I did not need any. He said that he’d include them in my estimate but wouldn’t charge me if I didn’t use them. I didn’t use them and I was charged. Anyway, my initial quote was for $1150.

Once the movers arrived they were taking their time doing absolutely every bit of the move. It was painfully slow. My husband and I documented (yes, we took pictures) the three movers taking smoke breaks, leaving our truck open and unattended, leaving our stuff out in various hallways unattended. . . And that was if we could even find them. They disappeared on us 3 different times.

The movers tried to tell us that they couldn’t move some smaller items unless we used their (pricey) boxes (air purifier, fan, etc.) we ended up taking two full car loads to our new home and unloading ourselves because they refused to take so much stuff.

When we left point at the lead mover informed me that they have the right to an hour for lunch. I had previously been told 30 minutes plus travel time but whatever. Over two hours after leaving point they showed up at point b. No explanation was provided as to why they took an hour and 45 minutes for lunch ( travel time.)

Once the move was completed they began putting our bed back together. It took an additional 90 minutes to put our bed back together. I have no idea why it took 3 men with power tools that long to put a bed back together.

All in all the movers were with us for 11 hours minus their 2-hour lunch. There was no reason in the world it should have taken 9 hours for our move. The original estimate (which I was told was “worst case scenario”) was for 6 hours/$1150. They wanted me to pay an additional $400 for their inefficiency.

Of course, they wanted to charge us for all the extra hours. I called and complained after the fact to my move coordinator (barb.) she was kind enough on the phone, apologized and told me she would look into it. However, I never heard from her again.

I was not charged for the extra hours because I called to complain. But, I was charged for wardrobe boxes I never used. Those charges were not reversed.

Again, let me say, I have moved many times. I have it down to a science. I know how to pack so nothing breaks. I know what is easiest for movers . And I like to make the whole process as simple and painless as possible. I have never once complained about movers. As a matter of fact, I usually am the person who calls after the fact to let management know what a great job the movers did. I would strongly discourage anyone from working with reliable for personal moves.

Service cost: $1150

NEVER USE THIS COMPANY!! We recently moved from a 1st floor apartment to a 5th floor apartment in an elevator building. The ONLY reason we hired movers was because of a very valuable mirrored entertainment center that had been custom built built and in my family for almost 40 years. Aside from our movers being extremely rude and annoyed that they had to do work to move us. The mirrored piece was broken in 4 places. Their claims office seemed more than willing to pay for the damage, until they received the $1200 quote. They are refusing to fix it! Don't use them if you value your stuff!!

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $1600

We used Reliable for a move from NJ to CA that included storage at their facility. Our belongings were received damaged. There was significant water damage (unknow source) and breakage including items crated by them. Despite paying additional money for full replacement value insurance, they have been unwilling to repair or replace everything they damaged. They are also been unwilling to provide a clear explanation of the settlement (despite repeated request). I have relocated 14 times in my lifetime and this has been by far the worst experience.

Move size: 4+ Bedroom Home Service cost: $17583

As with most reviews, people tend to only post reviews after a bad experience. Our experience with Reliable
Movers was totally positive.

We were only moving a few pieces locally (including a baby grand piano), but the work was done efficiently
and professionally. The final cost was under the original estimate.

We were informed about the responsibilities of the company and what was not insured, given excellent
details about every aspect of the move and someone from the company was in contact with us before,
during and after the move.

We would definitely use Reliable Movers for our next move.

Service cost: $485

My experience was not good. The loading crew goofed off a lot and took numerous cigarette breaks. I constantly had to go outside and gently remind them to get to work. Somehow a bunch of boxes got lost in transit and I will never get those things back. After everything was delivered, the movers seemed in a rush to get going because they had a second job to do, so they left before everything was assembled. Screws and other hardware were lost because the first crew didn't pack them right.  A dresser got damaged. I had a very difficult time getting the office staff on the phone. The manager was unavailable, her assistant was hard to reach, the original guy who signed me up left the company. Callbacks frequently came 48 hours after my call, if at all. And every time I brought something up, the company got very defensive rather than proactive about trying to address it. 
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Service cost: $8600

HORRIBLE!! Never never use them! Missing items. I am missing my Venetian glasses, down comforter, bed skirt, and a shelf for my side board. Also, my statue of St. Michael was broken, and there were missing pins for my DVD and book cases. Also, they didn't even re-assemble my coffeee table. Mind you, I gave each of the movers in Jersey City $50 tips, totally $150, with plenty of Gatorade and water. The movers in Florida received $60 tips, per person, totaling $240, pluse Gatorade and water. What do I get? Missing and broken items. Not only were the hand blown Venetian glasses were very expensive, but those glasses were sentimental to me. I bought them when I was 16 and first went to Italy. I gave them to my parents for their anniversary, and they gave it back to me when they retired and moved to Arizona in 1998. I had that set ever since. Moved four times never had an issue. Use Flat Rate movers, which I have used four times without any incident. I only used this horrendous mover because my new employer paid for it. In retrospect, I would have rather paid out of pocket and pick a more reliable mover.

* I just inputter $2k for the cost but I have no idea since my employer paid.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $2000

We had a great experience with the crew from Reliable as well as Deidre who gave the quote and Tierra who kept us informed along the way. Brent, our driver, and everyone on his team at both ends were terrific. They were on time and worked diligently. Brent had the rig in place the night before at our new home and was out before 6:30am getting started. We didn't just enjoy them as workers but people you'd like to be friends with. Thanks again for the great experience. Richard B.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $1200

I had a great experience using Reliable Van and Storage. The crew arrived on time and they were very professional, polite, clean and they all got along & worked well together. Although I moved to the third floor in my new place, I only heard positive things out of the crew. Jonathan Monico and Samantha Roman were a pleasure to work with. They were very understanding and cooperative with my uncontrollable situation with all of my closing delays and rescheduling. I would recommend using Reliable Van and Storage for all your moving needs.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $1422