I lived in Worcester, MA.in January I began my move to Petaluma, CA to start a new job. I had to move quickly as time was crucial. Nonetheless, I needed to get three moving quotes, per my company's request. Ayer Moving Company, located in Ayer, MA is the local representative of North American Van Lines. The moving coordinator providing me the quote arrived nearly 30 minutes late and then proceeded to take nearly two hours to give me a quote, despite the fact that I told him time was critical (as I was on a lunch break). I am a single man living in a townhouse - a quote should not take two hours to formulate. When he left, I informed him that I needed more quotes and would be in contact. He then proceeded to call me repeatedly asking if I was going to use his company. He even chastised me for not getting back to him immediately, despite my comments that I needed more quotes.
Despite this, I chose Ayer and North American for several reasons. I had used North American Van Lines before with good results. Ayer's quote was the most fair and I went with them. As soon as I stated I was using Ayer, I never heard from the moving coordinator again.
The packers also arrived late. These two young men were friendly, but seemed more interested in chatting with me or their girlfriends on the phone than in packing. They also frequently used my bathroom and even incredulously broke a soap dispenser! Near the end of the day they ran out of tape.instead of getting more tape, they told their boss that I "lived out in the boondocks" and they had no idea where any store was. Worcester is the second biggest city in Massachusetts - stores are abundant. Several major chains are just blocks from my house. As a result of this "tape shortage", they did not pack items in two rooms.
The North American movers arrived the next day, and quickly realized how much more had to be packed. They called Ayer to finish packing. The owner actually arrived and quickly tossed items in boxes. I didn't realize how poorly he was packing until I tried to unpack (more on that later).
North American gave themselves a VERY generous window in which my items would arrive. However, before leaving my house, the driver stated he would be at my new home on February 5th. That day came and went and I heard nothing. I called Ayer and North American. A day later, they reported that the driver had become very ill and they had no idea when my items would arrive! Exactly when were they going to tell me this? However, the next day I heard from the driver saying he was not back on the road and my items would arrive on the 9th - exactly two weeks after they took them from my home. To be without one's items for two weeks is a very long time! However, because of this VERY large window North American gave for delivery, the 9th was the last possible date with out being late.
The movers unpacking were good overall - except for the fact that the driver dropped a TV. However, the unpacking crew had quite a bit of difficulty as many, many boxes were unlabeled or poorly marked. They had no idea which room the items belonged in. Furthermore, the few boxes that were labeled were wrong. For example, something would be labeled "books" yet contain kitchen supplies and not one book!
The unpacking was a fiasco.in addition to the mislabels, many items were horribly packed. All computer wires were tossed together in a jumbled mess. It took me 45 minutes to untangle everything (despite the fact that I unplugged and untangled the wires before having them packed). I discovered that most of the broken and damaged items were items packed on the second day - by the owner of Ayer Moving Company! In his hurry to finish the job, apparently, he didn't care how everything was packed.
Numerous items were lost, broken or damaged. I filed a claim with North American. I let a few items go, like the fact that my couch - which was fully taken apart - now is loose and squeaks or that my entertainment center now has many gashes and dents in it. Walls were damaged in both homes. But my overall claim was for $1300, the two most expensive items were an inflatable bed and my printer. I used this printer the day before it was packed to get directions to my new home.
How much did North American send me? $15. Yes, $15. First, they claimed my company owed $220 (this was proven incorrect). Second, they claimed that items like lost CD's cannot be verified (as the packers simply wrote "CD's" on the list, as opposed to listing individual items). I had disposed of the damaged bed - no one had told me that I needed it to file the claim until it was too late. But I still had the broken printer. North American claims that all damage to the printer is "internal" and that they cannot be held responsible! If they cannot be held responsible, who can? This is partly why a person hires movers - in the event of damage, one is covered! For them to claim that they aren't responsible for an item they damaged is ridiculous. And that soap dispenser I discussed above? They claimed that since I threw it away, they have no proof of its damage! Apparently, North American expected me to pack and transport a broken soap dispenser, which is now sharp and dangerous, across country just to prove to them that their own movers broke it!
This move was a nightmare from start to end! I highly recommend NEVER using North American Van Lines or Ayer Moving Company (in Ayer, MA) again. This company is untrustworthy, disrespectful and unprofessional. I have moved many times in recent years, employing several moving companies. Not once did I have to file a claim before now. Yet, when I finally did have to file a claim, it wasn't honored! Avoid this company at all costs!
John
Petaluma, California
U.S.A.
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