STI Moving and Storage

I recently used STI Moving & Storage for a local move and was thoroughly impressed with their service. The 4-man team was not only highly efficient but also completed the move in significantly less time than estimated—finishing in 5 hours instead of the quoted 7. That meant I actually paid LESS than expected—when does that ever happen??? After several moves over the years, this was the first time everything arrived without damage and without any surprise charges. Their pricing was fair, and was able to book them on fairly short notice, and they were on-time - which was critical as we had to schedule a loading dock and freight elevator at our new apartment.

Without a doubt, I’ll be using STI again for any future moves around Chicago!

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $1207

STI is a broker.  As a broker they are unreliable.  They would not meet the promised 3 day pick-up window.  I had to find another mover on short notice or alternatively reschedule a flight at my own expense.  While I expect that STI may sometimes identify local movers that provide fine service, customers need to be aware that the contract they sign is with STI who takes no responsibility whatsoever for fulfilling the contract. If they fail, they simply refund the money, and the move is your problem.   My advice is to contract with a local moving company directly. .

Service cost: $1400

TLDR: A sexually transmitted infection would be less painful than my experience with STI. Their employees are neglectful, indignant, threatening, mismanaged & irresponsible. They lied, attempted to intimidate & extort me, verbally abused me & caused damage/loss to my property. They broken 3 federal laws, made me feel so unsafe that I called the police, it was a nightmare.

FULL STORY: Arranged for full service with STI from Chicago to LA. I was employed full time, which is why I sought service from a professional moving company. According to STI's website, their mission is to "deliver dependable, worry-free moving". It goes on to pledge moving services that are "quick, efficient and professional". Unfortunately, their was unsatisfactory due to the lack of organization between employees and horrific customer service.
At the time of confirmation, they advised that delivery would occur within that fourteen day window & they would give me a 24-48 hour notice of the exact time. I was working in Chicago & my office new equipment was part of the shipment. I was to fly out and meet the delivery once they gave 24-48 hour notice so there would be no lapse in my schedule. When it did not arrive within 48 hours of this notice, I called to inquire. I was told it was delayed & would arrive the following week. When the delivery still failed to arrive, I called again & was told it would take another two weeks, longer than the 14 business day window.
No one ever reached out to notify me of a delay. Instead, I had to call every day & every employee seemed to have no means for tracking it. I received different estimated delivery dates that seemed to move back and forth with no rhyme or reason. It's evident that there was a lack of coordination between the dispatchers, trucks & coordinators.
I was concerned that the delivery had been lost or damaged & they were stalling. They did nothing to soothe my anxieties and reassure customer confidence. As a result of STI's failure to stay organized, I missed several weeks of work. My employer grew critical of my relocation efforts as I was forced to relay conflicting information, & as a result of STI's incompetence, I got laid off.
The following month, I received a call on a Friday 5pm confirming that the delivery would arrive between 9-11am the next day. This 16 hour notice also falls short of what might qualify as 24-48 hour notice. The truck still didn't arrive on time. It showed up in the afternoon & the driver said dispatchers had given him the wrong address. All tardiness aside, this is when the real nightmare began. The driver wouldn't give me his name & demanded an additional payment in cash for "added fees" before completing services. I spoke to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration who explained that by law, a moving company cannot demand more than the binding estimate upon delivery. Lawfully, STI could have charged me added fees within 30 days of delivery. Instead, they unlawfully demanded more money in cash & threatened to hold my property hostage if I didn't pay. As I refused to pay more than the binding estimate from the Bill of Lading, the driver raised his voice & threatened to leave with my property. His language was demeaning, his tone disrespectful, he kept gazing at my body & I had to request that he look at my eyes, not my chest. I was home alone & felt unsafe by the two nameless employees, one of whom was the driver, whom seemed fixated on my body & threatening my property. After it escalated, I called the police to ensure my safety & settle the dispute. Then, I began collecting evidence (i.e. - taking pictures of the truck, the license plate, etc..all while they belittled me with undignified laughter). The driver called me a liar & insisted I hadn't actually called the police. I recorded video of the driver refusing to identify himself, threatening my property & refusing to cooperate with the police. It must have dawned on him I was serious because he stopped laughing, told me to put away my camera before climbing back on the truck & driving away with my property.
I then called STI & I spoke to a dispatcher, explaining that two men who refused to identify themselves had demanded more money than I owed. The dispatcher responded by also raising his voice, claiming I had no reason to not trust STI. He called me a "stupid girl" among a slew of other vulgar insults and further remarked, "You don't know how to read". The dispatch employee called me a liar & again I was accused of not calling to police. I refused to let him raise his voice & insult me over the phone, so I attempted to move the conversation to email to have it on record.
I sent 3 emails expressing my grievances. Refusing to correspond in writing, the dispatcher kept calling back repeatedly, yelling with abusive language. According to the FMCSA, if STI wanted to dispute my complaint, they had a responsibility to express this in writing. Instead, they bombarded me with verbal abuse & drove away with my property. This violates the Household Goods Movers Oversight Enforcement & Reform Act of 2005 (Public Law 109-59) section 4210, which makes it unlawful to hold household goods hostage.
At 3:00pm, I received a call from a relocation coordinator who was willing to speak without raising his voice. We discussed the situation, looking over the contract while I expressed distress caused by their employees' disorderly conduct. He agreed to have the truck return to complete the delivery and I was to pay the balance according the binding contract without the "added fees". Following this, he sent an stating in writing that I had refused to pay the balance (false).
When the truck returned, they still refused to give me their names. They also refused to reassemble my property as promised by the full service agreement. Instead, they tried to coerce me into doing it myself. Our disagreement over who was responsible for reassembling these items only served to further catalyze the conflict.
About halfway through the delivery, the police arrived. The driver reached them first & told them that I'd refused to pay for my delivery. Their story didn't fly with the cops, especially when I showed them my deposit receipt & money order for final payment. The police took my side and the driver got mad because I was a woman and he wanted to get his way. He called me a liar & once again, refused to complete the delivery. I got their supervisor on the phone, who spoke with the police before speaking with the driver, instructing him to cooperate. The driver's behavior was so appalling it's no wonder he refused to reveal his identity. Any sense of professionalism and legitimacy I had for was lost.
Much of my property received significant damage since I'd released it into the care of STI, there were even items missing. Their website claims professionalism in moving art, yet original pieces were haphazardly crushed & stuffed into boxes. They weren't packed between cardboard inserts, while one particularly large piece of artwork went missing entirely. Other items had water damage, indicating that they hadn't been stored in a temperature controlled facility. The movers failed to wrap my electronics in thick brown padded paper & the moving boxes themselves were in bad shape. Fragile boxes hadn't been labeled "top load", while boxes labeled "this end up" were unloaded with no regard to this labeling. My glass plated table was only wrapped in one blanket & a large mirror got broken after they hadn't wrapped it in any padding at all. My marble desk was delivered in such terrible condition that it fell apart upon delivery, while delicate musical instruments had been stuffed carelessly into boxes.
Their website claims to "ensure a safe and successful long distance move". Under no circumstances should a successful long distance move make the customer feel unsafe or entail police involvement. The poor execution of this delivery failed to reflect any sense of security or professionalism. The services of STI was beyond unsatisfactory, hardly the "dependable, worry-free moving experience" that is clearly stated as their mission. Their services caused me to experience distress and anxiety as a result of the property damages, neglect, indignity & mismanagement.
In response to my grievance letter, STI offered me a $200 settlement that required my signing a nondisclosure clause. I refused to accept this agreement, how could that small amount possibly compensate for the extent of stress & abuse not to mention lost wages & damage to my property? According to the FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration), STI had broken not 1 but 3 federal laws including extortion as well as holding property hostage. I filed reports with the FMCSA as well as the BBB and Attorney General, all of whom suggested I take STI to small claims since I had documentation.
Of course, ran into a problem filing claim because the courts couldn't locate STI's agent of service! Turns out they weren't authorized to do business, make transactions or operate in the state of California! Digging deeper, we discovered that STI changed the name of their company a few years back, which means it's likely they've faced previous litigation.
When we stood in front of the judge, he ruled that the dispute involved violations of federal law & was thereby out of his jurisdiction, suggesting I take them to federal court. Good luck finding an attorney who's willing to represent a lone consumer against a small sketchy business on a federal level! STI walked away scot free - no accountability. They're free to be negligent & abuse customers while breaking whatever federal laws they please.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $2200

PLEASE Do not use this company. HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE. I recently moved from Michigan to Florida. So far so good. When they finally delivered my shipment, it was descovered that they badly damaged my desk; the delivery men clearly acknowledged they damaged the desk it once they unwrapped the desk from its padded tarp and noted that they damaged the desk in the remarks section of the inventory log sheet; also noted that I tool pictures.  I filled a claim as directed the very next day. And the claim came back 2 months later for $42.00 for damages. They state in the claim letter that I did not describe the damages in the proper space on the inventory log sheet (which there is no room the write anything in since they write in those spaces) and then signing the sheet indicates their liability is limited to the terms and condition of the bill of landing. Even though we noted the damage in the remark section of the inventory log sheet. Sasha Transport should want to do right by their customers but apparently they don't. I am in the process of filing an arbitration but for those of you looking to move, I warn you about this company.

Service cost: $1439

We hired STI Movers out of Lincolnwood,IL to move us on 05/03/2012. We had a large move going to Florida. By the time they were finished loading us up, they had dented a Kenmore Elite stainless steel side by side refrigerater on the sides and the front door. They rolled up a temper-pedic mattress as if it were a futon and rolled up a hand woven wool 9x12 rug into a ball they would fit into a large turkey roasting pan. They didn't have a clue how to move peoples belongings. They also say "business days", What trucking company only runs during "business days? We were told by Sasha that the truck was at their warehouse and they would probably be the ones loading our belongings into the 18 wheeler when they got back to the warehouse. Ha! We assumed that they truck would be leaving the next day to bring our belongings to Florida. They give you a 10 day window but keep in mind, it's "business days". Steve Sanders told us on 05/22/2012 that our stuff had left, after it sat in Chicago for more then a week after the pick up, it hadn't. But then he also told us he was the owner of the company when we asked who to talk to to file a complaint.  Dishonesty should not an option for a company. No call, no communication..nothing unless of course I was calling for info. 
Our belongings arrive and this so called professional moving company had left many items back in Chicago that they knew were coming. When I question Steve on 05/21/2012, he had a deal for me. He'd refund us $125.00, which is their $25.00 a day past their window BUT, he give me $250.00 if I took the negative review I gave them on Yelp, off. What part of bribery or violation of our Freedom of Speech does STI not understand? 
Do not use these movers, espicially if you're moving out of state. You will be sleeping on the floor for a long time. They are dishonest, have you sign a contract and then add things to it to bump up the price and are very unprofessional. Remember folks, you get what you pay for. .

Service cost: $3820

A friend of mine told me that she had a friend that owned a moving company and sent them my information. I had been looking for someone to make a cross country move without seeing my old house as I had already moved. From the start they treated me better than any other company I had called. They game me an estimate and were able to work the move around my crazy schedule. The movers were in constant contact with me. Ray the driver couldn't have been nicer. They gave me a great deal. When my estimate went over at my own fault they did not charge the amount over that was standard. I moved my stuff temporarily into my friends garage. They left all the blankets and the stuff protecting my furniture. They did this on my word that I will use them for my local move, once the time comes. Do not listen to negative reviews, this company is very honest and upfront. You have to understand that they are at the mercy of you accurately listing what will be moved..

Service cost: $3500

Calling them liars and thieves would be a complement. Worst experience ever. As usual, the initial conversations with the Sales rep were good and he roped me into thinking it was a good decision. I told the rep the exact window when I needed my items delivered and he helped me with the pick up date based on my delivery date. The pick up was supposed to happen on Friday but they never came. I had to call them several times before finding out that they will come to pick up items on Saturday AM. Instead, they came Saturday PM. The guys who came out to pick up the items and the manager, whom I talked to on the phone showed no remorse for wasting my time. The guys were very careless in handling my items, clearly ignoring the FRAGILE and THIS SIDE UP markings on the boxes. I received a call 4 days later to discuss the difference I owe them and the delivery date. As expected they were asking me for more money basically because the guys who picked up the stuff ESTIMATED on how much weight the items were and how much size they took up. When I argued with them about this thievery, the manager basically said that pay up or I won't get my stuff. Then he told me that I will not be getting my stuff on the window the sales rep had discussed but instead I will get it 8 to 10 days after (I started a new job in 10 days). He basically said that he doesn't care what I was told and that I signed an agreement with them so I will get it when its convenient for them. My items came 2 days before I started my new job and it came damaged. They managed to damage a brand new entertainment center which was never opened and in its manufacturer box when they picked it up. They lost a mattress (how does someone lose a mattress). They damaged our storage cabinets and our rocking chair was damaged. They lost two boxes containing brand new dinnerware. I can go on and write a whole book about how careless job they have done and how unprofessional they were. I even got an opportunity to talk to Sasha (The Sasha of Sasha Transport Inc.) and he was as rude and unprofessional as everyone else.

Service cost: $1100

I had a terrible experience with sasha transport.  I was moving from Chicago to new york.  I went to the University of Chicago Business School GSB.  (now the Booth school).  Someone on the university of chicago message board recommended them. Where do I Start?  sasha transport lost two of my boxes.  they refused to take responsibility for the lost items. sasha transport gave me zero notice about when their moving truck will be able to deliver my stuff to new york.  when they were going to arrive, I couldn't be there because I had to be at my new job.  they threatened to drop my stuff off in a warehouse in new jersey 50 miles from where I lived.  I had to take a day off of work. sasha transport claims to have certificate of insurance which is required to move in most buildings.  they did not have it. my doorman would not allow them to move my belongings upstairs, so Sasha transport left it on the curb.  I had to find movers who then charged me cut throat prices to move me. I also found a live cockroach in one of my boxes of clothes.  they store your boxes in horrid conditions. in short they are terrible.  do not use them.  .

Service cost: $951

This company is the most horrible company you can find.  They were late, over charged me, destroyed and pulverized my furniture.  Some of my furniture was brand new and they didn't care.  As soon as they saw it..they ran out.  Nobody will hold responsibility to it.  Memories of my famil who have passed is either missing or broke.  Expensive items like my Cutco, is missing, how convienant.  I had about $300 worth of car products..guess they liked that box and decided to take it for themselves.  They are ruthless.  Trust me, I expected a knick or two here and there.  But I now have a huge, heavy computer desk and hutch being held together with tape.  Can not be moved, it will fall over on me.  Nightstand broke in half, kitchen table is so bad it couldn't even be fixed.  They are in breach of contract.  They did not get my things from point A to point B in the same condition that it left.  Could all this be because their drivers and/or warehouse people were getting high, since they left their crack pipe in one of my boxes.  You can see where they pushed it through the box, perfectly round hole.  You think they would make a deal to keep my mouth shut?  Nope.  I will continue to tell my story until they fix the wrong they did.

Service cost: $4700

STI has the worst customer service I have ever received. Not only were the pick up drivers 6 hours late, but the miscommunication between Andrew, the dispatcher and drivers was so horrendous. They had incorrect paperwork, no one in office to help with our emergency problems, the driver got pulled over by the police on the way to our pick up, and then wouldn't put our stuff on the truck! Salesman had nothing to say, never called us back and made NO efforts to fix the situation that HE created. Do NOT use this company. What a waste of time.

Service cost: $2800