Safeway Moving Systems

DO NOT USE THIS MOVING COMPANY. THIS ENTIRE PROCESS HAS BEEN A VERY COSTLY NIGHTMARE!!
First, they are a broker and contract out to substandard moving company. They do not return calls following the move. I've called daily and no one has ever returned my call. I've no idea where my belongings are located. I received no paperwork from the moving company that actually moved me. Second, their "binding estimate" is based on an inventory that you painfully endure over the phone multiple times. After 3 inventory calls that each took well over 1 hour, I was given an estimate of 1301 cubic feet and price of $3500. When the no name non-English speaking movers arrived, I was informed that it I would take up their truck and it would cost $9800 with multiple up charges for this and that totaling well over $11000. The movers left cigarette butts outside everywhere and trash strewn throughout the house. In fact, I actually had to assist with moving several items and in the end mattresses were strapped to the back of the truck. Lastly, FIRST CALL who ended up being the mover just called me to inform me that I should probably have my belongings transferred to a local moving company while my house was being built because they would charge me over $1100 per month, which again was far more expensive than the initial $350 I was quoted. So now I have to have my belongings delivered to my temp address or a storage facility and pay for yet another move when my house is ready. WARNING DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY. WORST EXPERIENCE OF MY LIFE!

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $11000

Safeway moving systems is a RISK you have to be willing to take. When confronted about fake positive reviews, my sales rep simply replied "all of the moving companies have fake reviews" as if it's no big deal, as if it's not illegal to have such fake reviews.
After you sign your agreement, don't be surprised that it will take many phone calls to ever reach the sales rep that claims in the beginning will be with you every step of the way.
In our move, the truck was several days late, items were damaged, and showed up missing a box which held very sentimental items. They claimed they would try and track down the box for us; however, I haven't heard anything from them in weeks despite my please for empathy in that the items involved are irreplaceable. The movers who dropped my stuff off told me repeatedly that I needed to pay a $75 elevator fee that was very clearly waived on my contract.
Because I was missing a box, I didn't want to sign the delivery contract which states that I have received my belongings. I was then told that if I do not sign the delivery notice, they will take my belongings to a warehouse until I'm willing to sign and would then receive additional delivery fees. I wrote on the contract that needed to be signed that I was missing things and the delivery personal signed his name as lightly as possible underneath as if to try and keep it off the carbon copy. Please also note that the insurance coverage is based on weight, having a tendency to put the moving company in a better position as valuable items often do not weigh much. The box missing is by far the heaviest box we had.. when I asked the rep on the day of delivery how they were going to process a claim for something missing when they can have no idea whatsoever as to how much it weighs, he could not answer that question.
If I could do things over again, I would pay for a reputable company to ship the things that were really important to me, at the premium price that such companies charge(I'm now realizing why they can & should charge more) and leave it at that.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $2300

I'd like to preface this by saying that I've worked in sales my entire career, so I consider myself to be an understanding and patient customer. That said, I feel very confident in saying that my experience with Safeway was the absolute worst I've had in my life (to the point that I had to contact a lawyer for advice on how to handle the situation).

I'd also like to ask that you please, PLEASE read and consider the negative reviews - you'll find that they all have very similar complaints, and unfortunately my experience was exactly in line with every other negative review they've gotten. If you look closely, you'll note that all of Safeway's positive reviews are very likely fake - the accounts that post the shining, rave reviews have never reviewed anything else before or after reviewing Safeway. I know my review will be buried by fake ones in no time, but my hope is that someone will read this and avoids going with them because it was genuinely that bad.

Below is a high level outline of my experience:

-Richard Larusso, the salesperson I had the misfortune of working with, promised that my items would be delivered within 3-5 days MAXIMUM from my first available delivery date. I kept asking him what the catch was because I thought it was too good to be true and every other (legitimate) moving company quoted me at least 14 days. He repeatedly assured me there was no catch, not to worry, and that he would be with me every step of the move. Each of these promises proved to be lies to get the sale. After I paid my deposit, Richard (and everyone else at Safeway) slowly stopped responding to me and my desperate attempts to get literally any information on where my belongings were.

-My pickup date was delayed and no one told me - when I reached out to Richard about it, he claimed their software was broken and asked that I send him the quote so that they could reschedule the pickup date. This was the first red flag - how could a company that has been operating this long not have a backup system to access their own quotes?

-When my items did get picked up, I learned that the quote Richard gave me was at least $2,000 less than what I actually had to pay.

-My move was picked up on September 24th, and as instructed by Richard, I gave my first available pickup date as September 28th. This means that based on Richard's quote that he repeatedly promised me was doable, the LATEST my items should have arrived was October 2nd. It arrived on October 23rd.

-I want to make something very clear - if ANYONE on the Safeway team had been honest with me and just let me know that there would be a month long delay, I wouldn't be even half as as upset as I am. Instead, the team (when I was actually able to get ahold of anyone) was repeatedly evasive, gave me no direct answers, and at times were outright disrespectful. I spent hours each day digging for information and trying desperately to get in touch with their team, and I cluelessly moved across the country only to have to live in an empty apartment sleeping on the floor/an air mattress for a month.

-Because the only bags I brought with me were packed for a week, I had to purchase an air mattress, pillow, sheets, a towel, pot/pan to cook, a plate and silverware, a bar stool so that I could have somewhere to sit while I worked, dog food, laundry detergent, and more.

-I also want to point out that if Safeway had been honest from the start (or at any point, really), I could have stayed with friends or family in Chicago and saved thousands of dollars by starting my lease a month later, my cable and internet a month later, purchasing a car a month later, etc.

-The above expenses and all of the items I had to purchase because I was so deeply misinformed have put me into a financial hole that I will be digging myself out of for months to come. I recognize my privilege - this is something that I can survive, but there are a lot of people who would be in a much worse position stemming from Safeway's dishonesty. At one point, I asked Julian on the CS team to tell me what he would do if he were in my position and could barely afford to buy these things, he said "I wouldn't have put myself in that position". Regretfully, I absolutely lost my temper after that. I also asked him to send me recordings of my calls with the Safeway team, and he responded, verbatim, with "no, the calls are recorded to protect us, not you".

-the most important thing take away from this post is to GET EVERY. SINGLE. WORD. IN WRITING. Get the quoted dates in writing. Read every word of the contract you sign. There are loopholes in everything Safeway says or does, and that they make their money by lying and deceiving their way into a sale. Shame on me for not doing better research before I gave such a large sum of money to this company - I really hope someone learns from my mistake. I've attached 2 of 30+ screenshots of my texts with Safeway for reference.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $5700

This is not a fake review. I was told by the customer service agent that my move would be $3500 it is now over $7000. I was told that as they picked up my stuff. I was told boxes listed as medium and I had large, told I had suitcases not listed. I will deal with the price. I was told the move should take 10 days! It’s now day 14 days and my stuff has not left it’s original pick up. When I call and ask they tell me sorry can’t find a driver. What the hell!! Isn’t that your job to have drivers??? It’s insane that my stuff is still in a storage unit and not moving. The customer service agent told me “ we have 21 days and after 21 days we have 30 more days until we are penalized”. This is horrible customer service and a horrible company. I’m living out of a suitcase. My customer service agent should have been honest and upfront that it may take months to get my crap!!!

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $7000

DON'T hire Safeway! Lied to my face about not being a broker. Their agent overcharged me at pickup and LIED that he can't adjust anything on the spot and I need to call in the dispute. But when I called, "oh, we can't do anything on our end!" No one would take responsibility. Even tho the initial estimate and picked up items were *exactly the same* they overcharged me 2200 extra.

My booker promised to help every step of the way, but when I needed him, I got transferred to a handler trained to talk in circles. The fact that they have one means they rip people off all the time. Just look at the other reviews!

A really disgusting experience.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $7713

This company was great in the initial process (quoting and collecting money), but awful at giving me delivery updates. Please pay attention to the average long-distance delivery time frames for the number of miles. They have an "estimated delivery date" and a "legally allowed up to" time frame which changes to business days. I found out the company they contracted stored my stuff for three weeks before heading cross country. They delivered my items as close to the 30-business day legal obligation as possible. When my items were delivered, several boxes were crushed and re-taped and one of the larger items was lost in transit.

I contacted Safeway numerous times to fill out a claim form and it took them two weeks to email me the forms and that was only because I sat on the phone with the claims department until I received it. I am dreading the whole claims process based on my recent interactions. Do your research as it may be worth it to pay a little more money to get the service and accountability you deserve.

Move size: Studio Service cost: $3818

When I got a quote they told be distance between my pickup and delivery location was ~1000 miles and it can take 3-14 days but will be more close to 3. I planned my personal travel accordingly thinking I will have my stuff around 4-5 days. Now 8 days later after following up on text, 3 calls and 3 emails to get an update first I am told the move can take upto 3-14 days and per DOT even 30 days may be a possibility!!! Can you believe that!!!! Why wasnt I told that when I got quote! And after all this, now I get call saying my stuff will be loaded now and delivered around 13-17 days after pickup!!!!! All of my furniture, kitchen stuff isnt with me. I planned my travel based on what they told me and now I need to buy stuff because I cannot live like this without my stuff for another 5-9 days!! Please beware, prior to you booking the move with them its all happy and good service. But once they have the stuff and money the DOT regulations and the weather and the rest of the world will be an issue before you get your stuff!

They also will push things around from one department to another. I asked the person who did the initial booking for me about when my stuff will arrive, she said she is in sales ask other department. Other department said they are waiting for response from dispatch. customer service person said DOT regulations say they are allowed to deliver in 30 days!!! Atleast give me an update or estimated date... 3-30 days is an unacceptable window.... or tell me that before I book!!!!! And I dont care which department you are in, stop pushing me around.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $3049

Avoid this company at all costs! I had the worst moving experience imaginable.

I contracted for “White glove” service with Safeway Moving Systems for a move from CA to NM. I paid a significant premium for this service. To me this meant the best moving experience possible. I couldn’t have been more wrong. This service was supposed to include packing and unpacking of all contents of my household and placing the contents of my furnishings in place per my instructions.

It turns out this company contracts with smaller local independent movers who may or may not adhere to the services paid for to SMS. In the case of the pick up of the movers packed everything as expected, until I unpacked my goods and saw that they merely dumped many items into boxes without taking care to wrap or place them carefully. In addition I was charged an additional fee for the pick up portion due to the project being “underestimated”. 

Per their contract, the moving company has 28 business days to deliver goods after the pickup date before they pay a small penalty. Originally they asked what the earliest date of delivery would be, giving the impression that delivery was imminent. With that, I tried checking in with their dispatch office, but it was impossible to get any information until the day before the actual delivery. They delivered exactly on the 28th business day from pickup (actually a total of 37 days, over 5 weeks). 

The delivery driver arrived in a 53-foot tractor-trailer and claimed he could not maneuver his truck down a 25-foot wide driveway.He claimed he had to go get a smaller truck, again at a significant additional cost. I was told that this had to be paid for in cash, making me concerned that this was a scam. The cash had to be presented before he would deliver my furnishings or even open the truck to confirm they were in fact, mine. A brisk conversation about this turned ugly when the driver called me a “f’ing dick.” This is clearly unacceptable customer service. I had no options and handed over an additional $1,400 in CASH! They unloaded my furnishings and that was it. NO unpacking at all. When I asked the driver about the White Glove service I paid for he said he only provided basic service  I was left to unpack all of my furnishings after he drove away. In total I paid an additional 25% beyond the initial estimate to receive extremely subpar service.

Aside from the fact that the service I paid for was not provided, many of my furnishings were damaged or broken. I have contacted SMS on four separate occasions to rectify the situation or at least make good on the broken items. They have never returned a call, which simply underscores my advice to never do business with Safeway Moving Systems. 

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $8000

Like most companies, they have people who get you signed up and people in "customer service" who offer anything but. The folks you do the estimates with and work out the estimate with are very personable, and even sound reasonable. But these people don't move you. Once you sign up you're transferred to customer service where they tell you they won't have any idea if your set pickup date is confirmed until five days before it happens. They tell you that the binding contract you signed is only binding in that you pay them money, but the amount it costs to move your stuff could change. The fee they collect is ridiculous considering the service they give is lousy and they are not to be trusted. DON'T USE THEIR SERVICE!

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $9663

On the date that my move occurred the mover on site insisted that paperwork be signed that increased the cubic footage by approx. 45% (to 1100 cubic feet) beyond the estimate I had received, and the price for the move by $2,497.96 or 35%. On the day of the move, the driver of the truck and what I assume was their dispatcher repeatedly assured me that if the added volume wasn't needed I wouldn't have to pay.

My goods were delivered Friday April 9. To confirm what was actually delivered, I cleared a space in my garage 5' wide by 14' long - 90 square feet. The goods when delivered covered the five foot width, and about 10 feet of length (50 square feet) to a height of about six feet - a total of 300 cubic feet.

Thus the volume actually shipped was not only vastly less than the inflated amount demanded on the day of the move, but was less than half of the original estimate (I had deliberately increased the estimate originally as I did not know how many boxes would be needed - it turned out to be only seven). Had I been charged for what was actually moved, the cost would have been the minimum of $5,750 (the very first estimate I received - almost $4,000 less than what I actually paid).

I repeatedly asked Safeway for help in resolving this matter. I spoke on the phone with a number of people, most notably what was supposed to be a customer service person. He never seemed to take my concerns seriously, stating that the huge difference from the original estimate was surely right and must have somehow been due to how the items were packed (?!!?). It seems odd to me that the customer service team appears to inherently not believe your customers... Note: I will admit that I lost my temper when on the phone with him a couple of times, which I usually try very hard not to do - but it was enormously stressful to have him not listen to me, dismiss my concerns out of hand, and not return calls or emails when asked.

I really wanted to like these folks. They had good reviews on Move Buddha (including for accuracy of estimates!) and I really liked the fact that they are veteran owned, and the original estimation and set up process went fine. But the ultimate experience was enormously stressful and cost me not only significant money but also time and energy at what was already a stressful time.

Move size: Partial Move Service cost: $9900

I had a very negative experience with Safeway Moving System. My actual price was 25% higher than my "binding" price when I signed the contract, and I was given misinformation by Safeway at every interaction. It's also relevant to note that Safeway doesn't actually move your belongings, they contract out with other agencies who do the moving.

I contracted with Safeway for a move from California to Chicago, and took advantage of a month of free storage between pickup and delivery. I was quoted $4999 total, and paid a deposit of $2100 when I initially booked the move. When my move pick-up window was confirmed over the phone, I was told I would have to pay $1500 of the remaining balance by check, cash or mail order to the movers when they picked up. When I met the movers, however, they told me that I would actually have to pay $2700, including an additional $800 in charges that they had added on, even though the cubic space wasn't any larger than what I had initially booked for (I know for sure it wasn't larger, because the booking was for 467 cf., and it was coming out of a 10'x7' storage locker of already-packed boxes which was NOT packed 7' high). It was more than a little stressful having to come up with an additional $1200 on the spot.

I had taken advantage of free storage, and when I made the booking, I was told that I should call Safeway 10 days to two weeks ahead of my first available delivery date to coordinate a delivery schedule close to that date. When I made that call, however, I was told that there was no possibility to have input on scheduling. I arrived to my house on the first available date having heard nothing from Safeway. I called them every day, for days after my arrival, and every day I was told I would get a call back within 90 minutes from "dispatch;" I never heard from "dispatch."

Nearly a week after my arrival to my home, Safeway couldn't tell me what state my belongings were stored in, whether they had ever left California, or when I could expect to hear about the scheduled delivery date. They made excuses at every turn, such as, "it's just really hard to coordinate moves in the midwest"--I had booked with the company in part because they're based in Chicago, the city I was moving to.

I was told by a Safeway agent that the move hadn't happened because the original driver had gotten COVID, and they were having a hard time finding another driver. I had initially been told I would hear five to seven days in advance of delivery. In the end, I got a call less than 24 hours in advance from the *actual agency* that was moving my belongings, even though several hours earlier the same Safeway agent who had told me that the driver got COVID had confirmed that they still hadn't found a new driver, and maybe I'd hear something the following week. I believe the whole COVID story was made up--Safeway evidently had no contact with the agency who actually completed the move, since they didn't even know that the cross-country move had been initiated evidently days earlier.

I was also then charged another $450 "shuttle fee" on delivery (even though the movers who did the pickup, and who added on the $800 in charges, absolutely confirmed that there would be no extra charges at delivery). Even though I only had about 450 cf. of stuff, they had put it on an 18 wheeler truck at some point, which they said couldn't come down my street. The guys who were delivering didn't want to do the shuttle transfer and tried to convince me over the phone to rent a small UHaul truck myself and drive it to their depot, so they could load the stuff onto the UHaul there, and then I could drive it back and unload it myself to save the $450; they said they absolutely would not unload the UHaul for me. I have a spinal cord injury, so moving it myself was out of the question (and I had already paid Safeway $4800 for the move at that point) so I had no choice but to pay the additional fee.

In the end, I paid Safeway a total of $6250 for moving about 450 cf. from CA to IL, having initially been quoted $4999. Upon unpacking, I also filled up a moving box with broken dishes and glasses.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $6250

We are in the midst of a move from California to Tampa, Florida. It is May 6th. We contracted with Safeway based on their rating and reviews. Don’t be deceived- they are brokers. What this means is that they subcontract moving services through a third party vendor. Joe Winters was our representative; funny how responsive Joe was when we were negotiating the terms and conditions of our move. He hasn’t been cited since we signed our contract. Since then, we had movers who arrived who were unmasked, rude, sexist and incompetent! We’re scheduled to move tomorrow - May 8th. They charged us $2,000 more than their original quote, packed stuff that we asked them not to, and then told us that it would cost $400 an hour to unpack the truck to get our belongings!!! This is a bogus outfit. I plan on taking every possible measure to insure that they don’t screw other families like they have us!!!! Don’t fall for their BS about making contributions to St. Jude. We’re sitting here in what is supposed to be our new home- no response from Safeway. Wish us luck!!!

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $13000

22. Customer hereby knowingly, voluntarily and intentionally waives the right to a trial by jury in respect of any litigation based hereon, or arising out of, under or in connection with the goods and services obtained here under, the move, or any course of conduct, course of dealing, statements (verbal or written) or actions of Safeway moving system or the mover. customer acknowledges that this waiver constitutes a material inducement to Safeway moving system to enter into this agreement.

23. As the customer, i agree to pay the total charges for moving coordinator services to be provided by Safeway moving system LLC. i understand that my deposit/fee represents only a portion of my total estimated service charges. due to scheduling and routing reasons my deposit/fee is not refundable, unless i notify Safeway moving system LLC in writing within 72 hours of booking at info@safewaymovingsystem.com. I understand there will be a 5% cancellation fee that will be deducted from my refund. the 5% cancellation fee only applies to the deposit amount, not the entire move cost. If the first scheduled pickup date is within 72 hours of the date I reserve my move, then my deposit is non-refundable. I understand that if I cancel my move within the 72 hours of my first available pick up date I am only entitled to receive a credit of my deposit for future interstate moving services to be used by the cardholder within a 12 month period from the date of cancellation. I may change my pick-up date or place the move on hold at least 5 business days (Saturdays, Sundays and holidays not included) prior to the pack or load date (whichever applies) listed above. this cancellation only pertains to the original pick updates of the first signed contract. I understand that if I do change my dates, or put my move on hold, my deposit is no longer refundable.

Move size: Studio Service cost: $3300

BIG WARNING!!! Don't get fooled by SafeWay Moving Systems. Our experience with them has been a nightmare. They repeatedly change their words, they haven't delivered our belongings and it's already been a month even though they promised 14 days. We had to spend thousand of dollars in hotel in the middle of Covid when expecting a child because of how terrible SafeWay Moving System and their service is. I highly recommend people DON'T USE THEIR SERVICE.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $3000

I signed a contract with Safeway Moving Systems in Dec 2020 for my May 2021 move from Philadelphia to Tulsa. I told them I needed my items on May 1st, no sooner, no later. I was advised that in order to ensure that delivery date, my items should be picked up on either Apr 19 or 20. On Apr 19, they finally found a carrier. When the carrier arrived on the 20th, I was charged hundreds of dollars in extra fees. On my move-in date (May 1st), I called one of the packers to ask what time he’ll be arriving. After much confusion, I learned that my things were in storage in Philadelphia. At no point was it communicated to me that my things would be held in storage for any amount of time. I’m currently writing this while laying on the floor of my new apartment because I have NOTHING. According to Safeway, I should’ve been told that when I requested May 1st, that meant it was my first available date of delivery; not that it’d be delivered on that exact date. Meaning I actually have no way of knowing when my items will arrive. I’m so hurt and frustrated. I’m alone in a brand new state and this is the worst thing that could’ve happened to me. Now I’m afraid that when my items do arrive, there’s a great chance things will be missing.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $3369

This is a SCAM. Do not use. They are liars and cheats. They will take your money, lie again, take more money, hold your possessions hostage, lie again, faulty phone numbers, horrible service, liars, crooks and cheats. Do not trust this company with your most valuable possessions. They are scamming you out of your money and using smoke screens and gaslighting to do it. They are good at what they do - crime. Do not trust them. They will not insure your stuff, they will have you sign several DIFFERENT contracts and have another contract with a shotty moving company. They will keep your stuff hostage in a storage facility and then convince you it’s your fault and tell you that you have to pay for storage. We still haven’t received our belongings. It’s been over 1 month. We don’t know if we ever will see our entire life’s savings of valuable possessions. We are waiting on a shoestring. So devastating. We are in complete grief about this nightmare process. To be scammed like this with our only possessions on the face of the earth. We feel used and violated. Horrible communication, horrible management, despicable company. Please save yourself the trouble and find another company. They are liars and cheats. Do not sign, do not buy into their low quote, they are not war veterans, only veterans of greed.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $14000

I had the worst experience with Safeway. Safeway is just a broker who outsources the pickup up and delivery to different companies. I dealt with Safeway for the quote and scheduling the move, then with a company Febex for the pickup, and are currently dealing with Prime Relocation for the delivery. There is no communication between these companies. Febex showed up and without actually loading up the trick, increased the quote to DOUBLE. My husband had to leave work to supervise them for 5 hours and they reduced their quote. But still told us to give them a hefty tip in order for them to remove line items from the charged amount. We felt like we were being taken advantage of. I am still working with Prime and that has been very difficult and frustrating. They called to get half of the remaining cost but have not been able to get them on the phone to schedule a delivery. Even after I mentioned that I had a family member who die unexpectedly and needed to know when to expect our delivery so I can plan to participate and help prepare for the funeral. I have sent numerous emails and my calls are going straight to voicemail. I have not heard from Safeway since a few days before the movers came. This has been a nightmare experience. This company should not be recommended to anyone.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $7907

In the end, the Chicago pick-up and New York delivery were both within the promised time windows. One bureau leg was broken but repairable, and some inexpensive lamp shades, towels, lamp, bedspread, and dishes are missing, so far. The cost was roughly $6500, and the on-site crews were knowledgeable and courteous, whom we tipped accordingly.

Still, it was one of the worst consumer experiences of my life, in terms of service-provider communication, transparency, and accountability. This was three very stressful weeks, requiring frequent calls, double-checking, corrections, and hand-holding.

One factor in my mover selection was a contractual agreement to store the belonging for up to thirty days for free, if the destination apartment was not ready yet for delivery. When such storage for just four days was a possible scenario, because my building freight elevator has been so overbooked, the delivery company outright rejected that, implying that it would not honor a contract which it did not sign, even though it assumed my move and corresponding payments.

From what I have experienced firsthand, read on many consumer-review sites, and been told secondhand, even brand-name interstate movers have devolved into simply brokers feeding random contractors. Generally, no company performs all the pick-up, transport, and delivery stages of a move order in a continuous, single-handed chain of custody.

Instead, these movers typically sub-contract a local labor company for pick-up, an independent trucking company for transport, and another local labor for delivery. Given so many unaffiliated parties, nobody is really in charge or accountable about communication, scheduling, property tracking and security, customer service, issue resolution, or claims recovery. If anything goes wrong, each sub-contractor points a finger at the others, if any response at all. Indeed, customer service tends to be just over-filled voice-mail inboxes, even during business hours.

Note that most of these brokers lack true business addresses; they are empty corporate shells which use dummy addresses in the Contact Us sections of their websites. Most of these parties accept only cash or US Post Office money orders------not even bank money orders or cashier checks. No credit cards, usually, to skirt no recourse.

According to my building manager, one family has been waiting for over thirty days for its belongings, without any clear sign of where they are, who has them, and how they might be delivered. At this stage, neither the broker nor the sub-contracted parties will even respond to the family anymore. They are onto their next "jobs". Total silence, hence loss. Another resident lost all her belongings, too. She then filed a claim, having paid a steep premium for "full replacement value" insurance. Well, as typical, no adequately capitalized, independent, reputable insurer exists to pay her claim. Worse yet, the mover stalled her for weeks, and now has said that original receipts for all her belongings must be filed within a few days, or the claim irrecoverably expires. So, who keeps original receipts for everything? The so-called insurance is mainly a cash-generating hoax.

My lost box was labelled clearly with the destination address and contact details. However, I am confident that nothing will be recovered, as neither the pick-up, transport, or delivery sub-contractor has any incentive, end-to-end control, or accountability to return them, even if found. My e-mail to make a claim has been effectively ignored. Fortunately, the contents had no sentimental value, and are cheap to replace.

Lesson: If your destination address is ready to receive belongings, just ship more effectively and cheaply via Fedex.

If you Google the names of positive reviewers for either their purportedly old or new places of residence, you suspect that these people often do not exist, meaning fake reviews to bury the real but very negative ones. By the way, my objective but damning initial review was deleted. If the site is packed with apparently positive albeit fake reviews, such moving companies may be more likely to advertise there, in my opinion.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $6500