Dont be deceived unfortunately we were totally deceived, not knowing much about the ins and outs about moving, packing, etc. We used Mayflower and United Van Lines in our previous two moves through company relocations and didnt have much problems during both moves. Since this time we were relocating on our own we decided to check online to get the cheapest quotes. All American Van Lines (AAVL) was by far the cheapest.in the end it was too good to be true. A horrible experience is to put it lightly.
Price match? Not possible at AAVL since they calculate estimates by square feet (the amount of space your stuff takes up) and all other companies generate quotes via weight. I told them I have 8000 lbs based on our previous move. They told me this is approximately 1200ft2 (way off!!!).
Once the truck was loaded it was determined our stuff took up 2900ft2. Our original quote was for ~$3400. Once the truck was loaded the floor manager wanted to charge $10,000. After arguing for several hours we got the price down
to $6500. Talking to the floor manager was like talking to a rock. He didnt budge until we threatened to have them take all our stuff out of the truck.
The online site claims they want 60% of the money at pick-up and the rest at the destination. We were forced to give over 80% at pick-up.
Upfront we told them we may need at least 2 or 3 months of storage. They offered 1 free month which was nice, however, the floor manager called 3 times a week to see when we would be ready for our stuff. At the end of the free month he made the decision to send our stuff across country before we were ready. Obviously, we were very upset and call him. His answer was, whats taking you so long to find a place? Again, always trying to blame us for his poor decisions. Thus, we had to scramble to find a place for our stuff.
Then he said he would call before the driver leaves. The next thing we know, the driver calls and says hell be at our destination tomorrow and needs an address. Who does business like this?
These guys are Arabic. They would not listen to anything my wife said as in many Arabic cultures, women dont have much wife has a Type A Personality and this was very frustrating and offensive for her. I dont mean to sound racist, but this is reality.
As for the sales guy, Michael, - watch out. Remember hes in sales. He seems like the friendliest guy youd ever talk to, but once the move was done and the money was in their hand, his customer service ended and refused to provide us any help or get us in touch with upper management to voice our complaint. He never returned our messages and followed through with our requests. Terrible customer service!!!
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