I got relocated from Albuquerque to Phoenix for work. My employer authorized me an allowance for the move. I got assigned to a relocation specialist to help me with the move. The relocation specialist gave me advice on movers she has used with her past clients and I told her that I would do my research to see if I can get a good deal. I used MayFlower for a previous move and I had a wonderful experience with them, so my expectation were based off my experience with Mayflower.
I did a google search for movers and talked to a handful of them. One of the moving companies was All State Vanlines. Robert Smith was my sales rep and he gave me a quote that was too good to be true. To make sure that I did not go over my relocation budget he over quoted or as Robert put it, "Padded the estimate" to cover any potential over charges. I submitted the quote to my employer and I got approved a grossed up dollar amount for the move of $5,600. Robert Smith told me that there was no way that the move would cost more than that amount.
I believed Robert Smith because my move from Phoenix to Albuquerque did not come close to $5,000. I didn't have nearly as much stuff on this move back to Phoenix as I did when I moved to Albuquerque. This was a no brainer to me because I knew for sure that I would come under budget. I paid $2,505.00 to Allsate and I was guaranteed by Robert Smith that the balance due on deliver would not exceed $3,100. My relocation specialist was also impressed with the quote and she told me that I got a good deal.
The day came for the packing. I was not present for the packing or loading. I was in Phoenix finalizing paper work for my new place. I was not present for the loading or packing on my previous move with Mayflower so I figured that it was not a big deal. I had a friend in Albuquerque who took care of all of this for me and he was really trustworthily.
It was Monday and I got a call from Mia from Sirena Moving. She advised me that her company was going to pack, load, and deliver my stuff. I was a bit confused because I thought All State Van Lines was going to be doing this. Come to find out later, Allstate brokered Sirena Moving for this.
Mia told me that my stuff was going to be packed and loaded Monday and that I would have all my stuff in the late afternoon on Tuesday or worst case scenario Wednesday morning. I thought, "Great" I have plenty of time to get everything situated before I start back at work the following Monday.
Tuesday
Mia called me and told me that my stuff would be there Wednesday morning.
Wednesday
It was 11am and I had not heard from Mia. I called her and she did not answer. I call Allstate and Kim from customer service put me on hold so that she could try to get a hold of Mia. Not even a minute later, Kim tells me that she got a hold of Mia and Mia said that my stuff should be delivered Wednesday night. Hmmmmmm... Why did Mia answer the phone for Kim and not me? I asked Kim this same question and she did not have a reply.
Now it's 4PM and my stuff is not at my place yet. I tried calling Mia numerous times and she did not answer my calls. I knew Allstate was located in the East so I was running out of time to call customer service to get an update on the delivery information on my stuff. I called Allstate and talked to Yvonne from customer service. Would you know, she got a hold of Mia. Mia told Yvonne to tell me to "bare with her" because she has a lot going on. Mia also told Yvonne that she did not have an exact dollar amount that was due at the time of delivery and that she was still figuring out the final balance. Well, I threw int he towel and officially called Wednesday a wasted day.
Thursday
I get a call from Mia at 8am. Mia told me that the balance due for delivery was $5,100. I was completely taken back by this number and told her that she has some explaining to do. She told me I had $1,900 of additional expenses because my load was overweight and that additional packing materials were needed for my move. I told her that there was no way that was possible. Mia then told me that her company only takes cash and that I need to have $5,100 cash ready for her driver. I told her that I only had $3,100 dollars and that I was guaranteed that the balance due on delivery would not be more than that. Mia then told me, "Well you better get on the phone with your company and tell them to pay this with their credit card". At this point, I blew a gasket and told her that she was completely in the wrong. She then hung up on me. I was very disturbed by her tone and also how she demanded cash.
Friday
My stuff was delivered in the AM on Friday. This was after my company got involved and harsh conversations with Allsate.
Total estimated weight of my stuff was 8,995 pounds. (Which Robert Smith padded to prevent any additional charges). My stuff supposedly weighed in at 11,000 pounds which was 2,005 pounds over weight. Wow the wieght of my stuff came out to an even number.
Total estimated boxes for my move was 100 (Which Robert Smith also padded to prevent any additional charges). Sirena moving supposedly used 23 extra boxes which would bring my final box count to 123. I unpacked a total of 87 boxes. Wow got burned on that quote too.
I found my paperwork from my last move and compared it to the paperwork from Sirena. Like I mentioned before, I had less stuff coming back from Albuquerque to Phoenix than I did when I moved to Albuquerque from Phoenix. I am going to the Attorney General's office about this. I am in the process of finding an attorney to make sure Sirena Moving loses their business license.
If you are moving, Do Not use Sirena Moving or call Allstate Vanlines. Sirena Moving is a scam so do not use them.
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