We used American Choice Van Lines recently for a move to another State. And I have to say that I was very disappointed. I took my time prior to selecting a moving company and thought I did my research, however very few items that have been praised in prior reviews were noted by me.
My first complaint would be the poor communication once the move in progress, such as them letting you know that they will be late or not show up at all that day. I had to initiate the phone calls to find out the continuous changes over a two day period. Also since it was the weekend nobody could be reached at their offices. They originally promised that they would be at my residence between 9:30 am - 11:30 am. After not having any contact with the movers, I initiated a call at 13 pm. This is when I was told that they were still in another state trying to make a delivery and might or might not be able to be there in the evening around 8 pm. Since it was pouring rain and dark out by then, and we were moving from an apartment on the second floor, I asked if it would be wiser to rescheduled for the next morning, so that the movers as well as us could get some rest and so we wouldn't upset the neighbors with a late night move. They agreed and stated they would be there by 8 am. So day 2 they in fact showed up on time and ready to go. Since everything was pretty much ready to go, the initial loading did not take up much time. However after the items were loaded I was informed that I now owed them an additional fee for wrapping the furniture. Which in the original quote the wrapping of the large items was included.
I paid them for the ahead of time agreed amount, and they left with the understanding that Monday morning we would have a delivery time, as well as the amount of the outstanding charges. Well once Monday came I again had to initiate the phone call to find out the information.
I was told that they really couldn't tell me anything until possible the afternoon of the following day. When I finally did receive the information, I was floored by the amount they noted the items shipped were weight as. We have moved many times with our family during out time in the Military and moved much more furniture and items, so in comparison to only moving a small one bedroom which was only partially furnished, the weight seemed extremely high. When questioned, we were told that this was what the truck was weight at and that we needed to pay the difference prior to delivery of the furniture. Our compromise after a 2 day discussion, was that we would request the full truck to be weight in our presence at the delivery location and then again once the items had been delivered to us. A date for the delivery was arranged and it appeared that all was good. Then at the last minute we received a phone call stating that the truck would be there a full day ahead of the discussed date and that this was the only opportunity to be able to receive our stuff. So we rushed and rearranged everything and made the time to be available. Once again the movers were late showing up, they showed up late in the evening, and then decided that the truck they arrived in was too large to enter the apartment complex. Therefore we now were responsible for an additional amount to rent a smaller truck or that we could have the items stored until we could pick them up ourselves at the storage area. We decided to pay the additional fees, and have our furniture delivered the next morning, we were promissed that they would be in contact by 9 am in order to give them enough time to secure a different truck. Once noon came around with no word, we once again had to make contact with the driver and he stated that they were having difficulty obtaining a truck. He promised to let us know when he was on his way to weigh the empty truck prior to reloading it in our presence and then deliver the furniture. Once again we had to wait for a call. By the time the call came in they were ready to deliver, the truck was already loaded and we were supposed to take their word at the what they said it weight. So the furniture was delivered the additional fees paid, and we then followed them back to the weigh station to weight the empty truck to note the difference. At which point we noted that we had been overcharged for an additional 1260 pounds of furniture. At a cost of $ 0.46 per pound that comes out to $579.60.That is quite a differnce. Also of course we found out that the initial weighing not witnessed by us, included moving personnel in the back of the truck for additional weight gain. So either way we were overcharged by even more than that, but of course we couldn't go back to proof it. So we were reimbursed for some of the difference, minus the charges for the additional weigh in.
So to make a long story short, be aware of what you are getting yourself into. Check many references, and research the moving company you are using. Make sure there is a penalty if they do not show up on the day promised, as for us we ended up with additional fees for Hotel stays, loss of work, change in travel plans, etc. Also make sure that they don't use unneccessary additional packing materials to upcharge you cost without consulting you first. And watch out for hidden fees and "set up situations". Be aware about how much your move might weigh so you don't end up paying for weight not yours. And make sure you have someone you can contact at the company after hours and on weekends that has some authority to make decisions.
I have to say out of all the moves we have experienced, and this one even be by far the smallest, we were very disappointed with the quality of service we received, and the poor communication. I would not recommend using this company and will not consider using them again for future moves.
