University Moving & Storage

Reviews

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1. T

   Terri T.

   Source: MoveAdvisor · Niles, MI

   7 Nov 20223-bedroomPaid $12,000

   North American Moving-University

   They were wonderful. They kept us informed of what to expect every step of the way. Definitely use them again

2. R

   Rg L.

   Source: MoveAdvisor · Ann Arbor, MI to London, ON

   10 Dec 20203-bedroomPaid $7,200

   Relocation

   We cannot say enough about University Movers and Storage's attention to service and detail. In particular, I want to signal out Susan Berger and Mark Chambers. From the office, Susan was in constant contact with us to ensure planning and execution of the move was going well and that we were happy after the move. Mark Chambers is a team lead/driver; Mark is a ROCK STAR! Great communications skills, and outstanding logistic management skills to compliment his great personality. I highly recommend this company and compliment Susan and Mark in particular.

3. A

   Adam G.

   Source: MoveAdvisor

   7 Feb 2012Paid $4,850

   University in Indy was FANTASTIC!!

   My move was so great that I didn't even think about writing a review online until I saw all the negative and damaging articles out there about these companies. As a business owner myself, it is a shame that one only tells his friends about a good experience, but wants to tell the whole world about his experience. My encouragement for everyone would be to do your homework and get on the same page and the professionals in terms of the rules and regulations of your move. That's what I did with University Moving (North American Van Lines)in Indianapolis and my move was great. My rep was great, got my weight and packing accurate, and the number only changed by $12 when it was done. My movers were on time for the load and unload. AND, the person responsible for keeping me informed did her job. I rarely had questions because they were so on top of it. University gave me a great experience and plenty of bang for my buck.

4. K

   Kelly T.

   Source: MoveAdvisor · Cincinnati, OH to Wilmington, NC

   11 May 20234+ bedroomPaid $20,000

   DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!!

   I was assigned third party mover, University Moving and Storage by North American Van Lines on 12/8/22. I met with Blake Bruns who assured me that my move would be treated as if I were family. I requested packing services for garage items only. On 12/27/22, 7 movers from University arrived with no truck and no packing supplies. They proceeded to repack items inside that I had ready to be loaded and then told me that they needed to pack items inside my master bedroom drawers. They left after 4 hours and came back 12/28/22 with a truck and loaded all contents from my home. On 12/28/22, I told driver Nick that my house in Wilmington was ready for the items at that time but he said that he had already scheduled another job so 1/9/23 became the agreed upon move in date. On 1/6/23, Jacob Black of University contacted me that Nick was not able to deliver until 1/10/23. I complied with the delay because I needed my furniture after waiting that long. On 1/10/23 Nick arrived with 4 movers from Wilmington. Immediately the movers from Wilmington began telling me that they could return the next day to finish the job. The move became chaotic as boxes kept coming in before furniture. The driver Nick was not present in the house until 6PM at which time he said that everything needed to be off the truck because he was leaving. He told me that he was going to leave items on the driveway. Key pieces of furniture were slammed into the garage. I refused to sign the inventory sheets that Nick shoved at me because the move was not complete. He stormed out taking the inventory lists with him. He left with no beds or tables assembled and the house in complete disarray. I couldn’t find lamps or bulbs. I tried to get in touch with my move coordinator Jacob Black but he did not pick up and did not return my message. Two of the Wilmington movers came back 1/11/23 and told me that they expected to be paid by me to finish the job. I had them call Nick who screamed at them that the moving coordinator Jacob Black had already called me three times that morning. Blatant lie because the Wilmington movers were sitting with me near my phone. I called Nick then who said “Not my problem” and he hung up. I called my moving coordinator Jacob Black again who had me speak to the operations manager Robert Shofstall. I FaceTimed him the condition of my home. He did arrange for 3 movers to assemble items but not until 1/14/23. I had to continue staying at a hotel due to the condition that the home was left in. On 1/15/23 I was able to finally locate and open a University packed box from my master bedroom drawers. It contained my jewelry box with several high value items gone. I contacted the company immediately and Robert Shofstall told me that he would meet with Nick and find out what had gone wrong with the move. He asked me which movers I suspected were involved with the theft and he gave me his own opinion. I did not hear anything for a week and contacted him again. He deflected during this conversation and told me that Nick had said that I had asked for the delayed delivery and he himself was not responsible for the theft because he was operations only. He told me to file a claim with North American as they were responsible for claims. That was the last communication from him. He quit responding to emails or calls. North American denied my claim and told me that I needed to file a police report (which I had done the first day). Victoria Gaskill of North American told me that I would have to address the stolen items with University. North American Melissa Frey also denied my Late Delivery claim saying that I had requested the late delivery, which I did not. This is the worst move that I have ever had and the worst customer service that I have ever experienced. I would never recommend this company to anyone. They hire LIARS AND THIEVES. They definitely do not treat you like family and I would never trust them with a safe move period.

5. R

   Raza H.

   Source: MoveAdvisor · Ann Arbor, MI to Austin, TX

   28 May 20211-bedroomPaid $4,500

   BUYER BEWARE: DON’T BELIEVE A WORD COMING OUT OF THEIR MOUTHS

   BUYER BEWARE: DON’T BELIEVE A WORD COMING OUT OF THEIR MOUTHS. GET IT WRITTEN IN THE CONTRACT! IF I COULD GIVE THEM A ZERO STAR I WOULD but let’s start by going over some basic facts: Moving Date: 05/03/2021 – 05/04/2021 Delivery Date: 05/10/2021 – 05/15/2021 Moving from Ann Arbor, MI to Austin, TX: 1,350 mile Partner Used: University Moving We requested the stuff to be delivered by 05/13/2021 and before we signed our contract, the coordinator assured us that it will be done. Stuff picked up: 05/03/2021 Stuff put on truck: 05/13/2021 (yes, the day we requested things delivered) Stuff Delivered: 05/18/2021 (3 days past delivery the window) IT TOOK THEM 16 days to move 4,000 lbs. across 1,350 miles. These facts do not include the hundreds of calls both my wife and I had to make to get the required information and the emotional distress of moving to a new city, starting a new job, and that too without any of your stuff. We decided to go with a bigger company despite the premium because I thought they would be professional, will ensure that our stuff is delivered on time and will have good customer service. Sadly, none of that was true! They have expert sales folks ready to sell you and promise you the moon and the stars. But once you sign the contract, they will non-committal on everything. They will not make any commitments on when you can expect your stuff to arrive even within the delivery date window. In my experience, I believe this company is reactionary and does not have a contingency plan for anything. The day before our stuff was supposed to arrive, (after the delivery window had already expired), the driver called us and told us that he is 30 miles away but his truck broke down. We tried reaching the delivery coordinator to get an update but couldn’t get hold of her for the next 4 hours. Instead of acknowledging their mistake or coming up with a plan for when things go wrong, this company’s response was “things break down, we can’t control that!” Final note: If you get Rachel as your delivery coordinator, ask for another one. She doesn’t know what the job of a coordinator is. We were running after her all the time and she would never be in the office or available to take our calls. She did not know how to prioritize her customers and was unavailable when we needed her the most. I could go on forever. TLDR: RUN THE OTHER WAY!

6. R

   Randall A.

   Source: MoveAdvisor · Milford, MI to Fort Myers, FL

   5 Nov 20203-bedroomPaid $8,000

   Caveat Emptor / Let The Buyer Beware

   Double move with storage . Rescheduled original pack three times due to other "priority moves". Resulted in unnecessary additional expense at hotel. Gave us no choice even though we had contract. Driver said we already paid in advance. Had to contact office to have him take Cashiers Check. Four days later were notified they could not find cashiers check even though they had seen it. Told not to worry they would locate it. Four weeks later contacted us to say check was still missing. Long story short were told we must pay again and it was up to us to stop payment and receive a refund even though they lost check. Must wait 90 days to stop payment on a Cashiers Check. Informed we must double pay prior to the 90 days if we wanted furniture delivered. Requested to speak with manager and was told "we have many managers" and asked for direct report was told they "would not feel comfortable" divulging this information. We can only wonder why. We double paid and eventually received a refund. Also very difficult to get any call backs. Their follow up was very very poor. Customer satisfaction was certainly not a priority. Original moving crew was fantastic. The driver that delivered to Florida was very rude and uncooperative. Very upset they had to put down rug pads and rugs prior to setting up furniture, Said if we wanted this done we could pay extra or they could leave it in the middle of the floor and we could arrange. Driver said they had a schedule and they had to go. Also forgot to deliver a glass table top which was finally delivered eight days later. Draw your own conclusions and make your choices carefully.

7. D

   Dorothy G.

   Source: MoveAdvisor · Belmont, MI to Petoskey, MI

   22 Apr 20192-bedroomPaid $4,356

   A Very, Very Bad Move-In Experience, Damage Claim Denied.

   I had a bad experience with University Moving & Storage (UMS) during an intrastate move from west Michigan to northern Michigan in August 2018. The issues relate to furniture and condo damages caused by a poor move-in crew for which UMS refuses to compensate me. I hired UMS for $4,356.59, which included a $715 fee for “extra care protection” to cover damages at replacement cost up to $65,000 with $0 deductible. I specifically asked for and was promised experienced, professional movers at both ends of the move. Although the move-out crew in west Michigan was excellent, the move-in crew in north Michigan was neither professional nor experienced. • Wardrobe boxes were placed upside down. • Crew members slid boxes off their backs, causing them to land hard on their corners. • Heavy book boxes were placed on large, light weight boxes. • The crew didn’t know how to maneuver pieces around 90 degree turns, ramming multiple pieces of furniture against oncoming walls and/or corners. • No care was taken to set furniture down carefully on the driveway or inside the condo. • One broken piece of my entertainment center was wrapped in a moving blanket and left between two stacks of boxes. • Throughout the move-in, crew members yelled and swore at each other. • One crew member refused to take breaks and wanted to quit before the job was finished. • Another crew member staggered under the weight of furniture and boxes. • My condo was left with marks and gouges on walls, trim and ceilings. • My freshly cleaned carpeting was soiled. I relayed my dissatisfaction to the driver during the Saturday move-in and to my moving coordinator on Monday, the first business day after move–in. I submitted a written claim for all damages within the allotted timeline. UMS reimbursed me for only the cleaning of 2 soiled upholstered pieces ($195) and a computer desk ($279.99) that was so badly damaged that the driver took it with him to dispose of. UMS refuses to cover any other furniture damage. In addition, UMS refuses to cover ANY damage to walls, trim and carpet. The reason given for denial was that damages “were not noted on the inventories at the time of delivery”. BTW, the two soiled upholstered pieces were NOT listed on the inventory sheets. Later, UMS said that a damage report indicated “pre-existing damage to many of the pieces.” I was not permitted to see that report. I completely refute that any of the damage claimed was pre-existing. I reported my experience to Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division (CVED) Regulatory & Credentialing Section of the Michigan State Police that oversees intrastate moves. January 2019, CVED said, “UMS was reminded that the Motor Carrier Act 254, PA 178 of 2015 allows 3 months for a shipper to make a claim. We requested that the claim be reviewed according to the regulations of the Motor Carrier Act.” It is now mid-April 2019 and UMS has not responded to that request despite CVED’s follow-up emails and phone calls. I have now filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and the Attorney General. I interacted responsibly and patiently with UMS over the past 9 months. I communicated with UMS in a timely and professional manner. I did my best to follow procedures. I submitted my claim well within UMS’s deadline. I asked questions. I kept things moving forward by periodically checking in with UMS. I allowed ample time for UMS to respond before submitting complaints and reviews to public forums. I am seeking the following: (1) replacement cost of the broken Ethan Allen entertainment center piece, (2) the cost to repair scratches and marks on furniture, (3) financial consideration for devaluation of damaged furniture with deep gouges, dents and scratches beyond inconspicuous repair, (4) the cost to repair of condo wall and trim damages, (5) the cost to clean carpeting, and (6) reimbursement of the $150 cost to have my treadmill brought inside.

8. N

   Nicholas

   Source: MoveAdvisor · Brighton, MI to Allen, TX

   28 Sep 20184-bedroomPaid $10,000

   Do Not Use This Company.

   I moved cross country for a new job and the relocation company selected University Movers. University gave us an estimate for packing and loading time frames. Then changed it at the last minute. Packing ended up taking a full day longer than anticipated, resulting in me and my family sleeping on the floor of a half packed up house. The packers were late arriving each day. University delayed the delivery of our stuff to the new house and blamed the relo company. My property arrived damaged. Boxes crushed. Furniture broken. China packed under small appliances. Parts taken off furniture/appliances and lost. They even opened boxes of fragile items I packed and threw books into the boxes, damaging the items. Clothing was just thrown into wardrobe boxes, not hung up on roads. Bottles of liquid soap were thrown into boxes on top of food. I was told by University's QA department "things happened during a move". I am now dealing with nearly $10,000 in damaged property. Pure incompetence. DO NOT USE UNIVERSITY MOVERS.

9. A

   Andrea R.

   Source: MoveAdvisor · Wixom, MI to Buckeye, AZ

   26 Jun 20172-bedroomPaid $6,800

   Very Bad Experience!!

   I wish that I found this website and read the reviews before hiring this company. If I could give zero stars I would! We packed all our belongings and put them in a storage unit. The company came out to the unit to do an inventory to give us an estimate. At no time did the person giving us the estimate tell us there would be a problem because we packed ourselves. They proceeded to give us an estimate that turned out to be completely wrong so they charged us $1000 more. Also they sold us insurance for everything even the furniture that was covered in blankets never telling us if they chipped or cracked anything they wouldn't be responsible. When we unpacked we found our armoire doors out of wack due to the mover moving the piece on its end. They claimed it wan't level but as the picture I've attached shows it was. Also they chipped up our bedroom furniture and dining chairs. Of course when we made the claim they said sorry not covered because it could have been like that before. We tried to go higher in the company but like others have said the customer service is terrible all the way to the top. I've moved several other times before and never had such a disreputable company which wouldn't stand behind the damages they did. Do yourself a favor and find a better more honest company!

10. A

    Andrea

    Source: MoveAdvisor

    7 Dec 2016Paid $7,000

    International move disaster.

    We had to use this company because of my husband's job. They sub-subcontracted another company to arrange the pickup of our belongs in Germany. During the assessment the man provided us with no specific instructions, but we has packed everything ourselves already because we could not have packing paid for, and showed him the packed boxes. He said nothing about this being a problem. I had however arranged to pay separately for professional packing for two sets of fine china and crystal, one set being an antique. I knew something was wrong with this company the day the movers showed up (45 min late without notice). First of all they said they needed to open and inspect every box for batteries, though we had not been told this before, and I had at this point I had spent a month packing almost 40 boxes very carefully. Finally after a long discussion I showed them the two boxes with electronics with batteries, but had to carefully unpack and repack them myself seeing how carelessly they handled things. They then started to "pack" my china. I heard plates banging together, and went to investigate and found them pilling my dishes unwrapped into boxes, which would not have survived an international move without breaking. I had to yell at them to stop and get the manager to come to my apartment. I told him I had paid separately for professional china packing, and was not going to accept my dishes arriving broken. He finally agreed to actually provide the service I had paid for, but they could only show up a week later. I had already left the country at this point, but my husband was still there to supervise, I can only imagine the disaster this would have been had we had to move immediately. I contacted University Moving and told them I was uncomfortable trusting my life's belongings with this company, and they did absolutely nothing, other than ask about our payment for the china packing! Finally our belongings arrive 2 months later, and a half a dozen of our boxes were opened by the moving company. It is at least obvious which boxes were opened because they resealed them with tape with their company logo, but now I have to try to deal with the fact my boxes were illegally opened, and see what has been stolen or damaged. I have done an international move of the same scale before without a single problem. The company charged less than half of what University mover's did, did not open a single one of my boxes, and provided professional packing china without an argument. This company just used subcontracts on both ends, under no circumstances should they be trusted.