Available Movers & Storage

Reviews

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1. J

   Jarrett

   Source: MoveAdvisor

   4 Jun 2015Paid $1,023

   Sent a half full truck.

   So I've used Available Movers Twice.  Back in January they moved my stuff from my apartment to my storage unit.  The guys were awesome and I had no issues.2 weeks ago I called again to have them move the storage and an additional pick up into my new place.  They arrived with a truck that was over half full.  I spoke with Sam the owner about it and he said "Everything should fit".  I explained that it clearly wouldn't and I stated that the storage would barely fit, let alone everything else.  This lead to the move taking many extra hours as the truck had to be packed perfectly to fit the storage contents.  Then we had to drop off everything and go to the next location.  I kept Sam updated all day with the delays and what was going on and he told me he'd make good on it.  At the end of the day (8 hours of moving that was estimated at 4.5 and previously done in 3.5) Sam offered to take of 30 minutes of time.  When I spoke him about it he said "You don't think the guys should be paid for an hour of work?"  I said "How dare you take the money away from the workers, you're the one who sent a half full truck, take responsibility".  He told me not to tell him how to run his business.  I tipped the guys well because I do believe he actually stiffs his workers on the hours.  Sam has no integrity and you should not use his company.

2. A

   Ariel

   Source: MoveAdvisor

   31 Oct 2014Paid $2,965

   Horrible! This company may scam you. DO NOT USE THEM!

   This company is a scam and will cheat you out of your money. I called available movers to move my 4 bedroom home from New Jersey into a storage facility in the Bronx while my new home was being renovated. Over the phone "Sam" quoted me $1350. The movers were supposed to arrive at 11a.m. However, they did not get there and begin until 12 and when they got there they took their sweet time. By the time everything was done it was 10p.m. at night. My storage facility closes at 7p.m so available movers said if they weren't able to finish by then, clearly they made sure of that, they would house my belongings in their storage facility, one month, for free. That was fine with me until after they charged me $250 for the storage. When Robert Gillmoore aka "Rob" finished the job the move was priced at $1665, for additional hours. I tried to pay him cash but he couldn't provide a cash receipt and kept insisting that the invoice, which stated that the $1665 was my BALANCE, was the receipt. I, obviously, wasn't going for that. So, I attempted to pay with my card but he said he would have to handle this tomorrow because he was "tired". The next day I was informed of my new balance of $1965 for "additional hours" including unloading, which they probably never did. See these moving companies claim they are storing your items but really just leave it in the truck. I called the company to understand my bill, they couldn't give me a breakdown and REFUSED to give me a location to speak to someone regarding this matter. They then proceeded to BLOCK MY PHONE NUMBER FROM CALLING THEIR OFFICE. I eventually got in touch with "Rob" who now said I owe $2100, then $2300, and THE ENDING PRICE ENDED UP AT $2795 PLUS MY $200 DEPOSIT TOTALING AT $2995! For a 10 hour move that was the price I was charged! Furthermore, they informed me I would not get my belongings unless I paid that amount upfront in cash or money order. I am a college student. They had my home. I had no clothes, so I was forced to buy new clothing that winter in NY as they ignored my calls and upped my price for 2 weeks. I even had to re-buy my college books. They refused to give me the location of my belongings so I couldn't even go pick up my jackets, books, or anything. THIS IS AN ILLEGAL CRIMINAL ACT. Movers do not have the authority to withhold your belongings and demand inflated prices. I was defeated and payed the $2965 to get my belongings. However, even that was a process. Rob met me at my storage facility, empty handed demanding the payment. I asked, of course, to see my stuff first; yet he didn't even bring it with him. So, I called the police and he tried fleeing the scene. I needed my things desperately, so in my desperation I stood in front of his car to stop him from leaving. He then TAPPED ME REPEATEDLY WITH HIS CAR, I JUMPED ON THE FRONT OF THE CAR FEARING MY LIFE AND HE DROVE TWO BLOCKS DOWN WITH ME, THIS 110 POUND 21 YEAR OLD WOMAN, CLINGING TO HIS CAR. I was able to flag the police down at the stop light, but they did nothing to help me. They said I shouldn't have stood in front if his car, and since there weren't any injuries I couldn't press charges. Those police are ignorant because I, as a citizen, have the right to do a citizens arrest for 15 minutes. For example, if someone robs you, you have the legal right to detain them for 15 mins until the police arrive. After a few minutes the police let him go, advising me to take him to small claims court as if that'd really help me get my home back. They didn't even bother looking at the video footage of the incident and immediately labeled it a civil case. They were nice and compassionate towards my situation, but unfortunately no help. I stood there praying rob would come back with my belongings worth over $50,000 (Raymour & Flannigan furniture, many shoes, clothes, jackets, jewelry, 4 flat screen TV's, etc.) Surprisingly Rob came with the truck, I paid my $2795 balance (on top of the $200 balance) and got my belongings. He unloaded my things, refusing to put it in my storage and saying that to do that it would be an extra charge. They broke a floor mirror, floor lamp, table lamp, and damaged my king bed headboard. Yet, I was just glad to get my things. I am now going to take them to court to sue them and I would advise anyone whose gone through this to do the same because this type of operation is neither right legally nor morally. It would also help to make this a class action law suit, so if anyone has had this issue with them feel free to corroborate with me. I can be reached via email at ariel.wong120@gmail.com. P.S. That address: 1443 28th Ave, Astoria NY 11102 is not even their headquarters. It's actually a residential building. If you're looking to move do your research, don't trust online companies like available movers. Try to find someone in your area or ask friends for recommendations. Don't become another victim to these moving scams.

3. D

   Disappointed

   Source: MoveAdvisor

   21 Aug 2014Paid $2,000

   WORST Company.

   Our initial move was horrid; including leaving our belongings (which we paid to store) behind and charging us to return for them to complete the job to which they didn't show up twice when we paid to reserve a freight elevator, were on a deadline to vacate and paused our daily business..  Customer service was just as bad, with an agent on the phone becoming so volatile, someone had to step in and remove them from the call.  Once in storage we could not get our items released to any other moving company, they would not return our calls and stated to reserve 3 weeks in advance, find a moving company with a 5 million dollar insurance policy (when NYC only requires 1m) and pay a $250.00 fee.  We were forced to use Available again, or forfeit our items -- which took 2 months to confirm (all the while delaying the return of our property and incurring us rent charges).  Even if a company had existed with more than triple the required insurance, they conveyed a very clear feeling that if we were not to use them, there would not be anything to retreive.  When our things were delivered, we were told they would be reassembled.  Unfortunately, they conveniently lost the box of all of our parts and connectors to about 8k in cubicles and the mover admittedly said the box of pieces that should be with it was gone, and he didn't know how to reassemble them.  They also refused to furnish us a quote, saying it was impossible to guesstimate.  No other company, including available during the initial move had this issue. Both occasions our managment fed, and tipped the movers who then had an excuse to leave the job incomplete.  We then called customer care to find out what we were supposed to do with thousands of dollars in furniture which could not be reassembled and were assured that they could reccommend a friend to put them together, for an additional $600.00.  Sounds like a great business plan, to lose important pieces and then make a personal referral for a solution, I wonder what his cut is.  All in all, they received a lot of our money, and time, and provided nothing but a headache.  I shoudl probably also mention that although they charged our credit card monthly for storage, they also continued to submit bills to our AP department requesting checks.  We continued to refuse them and call the mistake to their attention but apparently they feel they should be paid twice, monthly.  We should have known the week we called when they were the only company with openings, there was a reason why.

4. M

   Mac

   Source: MoveAdvisor

   8 Jul 2014Paid $1,400

   Stay Away From These Crooks.

   STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY! **READ BELOW** I cannot stress that enough to anyone who reads these reviews.   My experience with this company was extremely unprofessional and deplorable.  Read the complaints on the Better Business Bureau (http://www.bbb.org/new-york-city/Business-Reviews/movers/available-movers-storage-inc-in-astoria-ny-85833/complaints)  to learn the truth about how this company operates. For more proof - don't just look at the recommended Yelp reviews - look at the 46 reviews Yelp says are "not recommended" (http://www.yelp.com/not_recommended_reviews/uxsBgCgbMUo6JVEkxqLZMg) that is where you find the truth. All the ratings and you'll see the 1 star reviews have a common theme as far as feeling scammed.   Long story short - I was quoted for a specific amount of time - told that I would only be charged for what I use.  I ended up fighting with the dispatcher who was trying to charge me for 8 hours when the guys had only used 4.  I overheard him fighting with the moving men at the job for not over charging me.  Told him "that is how we do things" "you know we make sure we over charge them" (Yeah that's how loud they were arguing).  When they got off the phone the moving guys pretty much confirmed what I read in these 1 star reviews on Yelp and the BBB - that Sam the owner is a crook who purposely tells them to add square footage to pump up the price and instructs them to make sure they get they go over the estimate by doing whatever it takes.  This company is horrible and doesn't deserve folks hard earned money.  Do yourselves a favor and STAY AWAY.

5. G

   Gwendia O.

   Source: MoveAdvisor

   12 May 2014Paid $18,000

   Crooks.

   I moved from Connecticut to Washington State and I am extremely disappointed with Available Movers. Unless they offer any sort of compensation, I will spread the word to all my contacts to NEVER use Available Movers. An objective review: Pros: 1. Very professional movers. They were courteous and efficient. Cons: 1. False estimates. I provided all the articles I was moving and the estimates came out to $7800. When the movers came and loaded, the charge increased to $18000 even though the number / size of my articles DID NOT CHANGE from what I had provided initially. 2. Delivery estimate was way off. I understand it's difficult to have an exact estimate and the contract indicates a long window of delivery. That being said, the representative I had spoken to indicated that a typical move should take no more than 14 days. It took 32 days. I had to pay for an extra month on my rental home in Washington, pay for a motel for 2 weeks plus food. If I had received a more accurate estimate, I would have had my stuff picked up earlier so that it would be delivered for my target date. 3. Dispatcher is impossible to reach. I had to call several times each day to find out where my stuff was to get a better understanding of the delivery date. Not only is the dispatcher very difficult to reach, she is unable to provide a good estimate of the delivery date.  4. They delivered my antique claw foot coffee tables with a broken legs, my winter coats were packed with my dirty vaccum cleaner, broken antiques:  stained glass lamp shade.  Naturally when I looked at their receipt every one of my items was listed as damaged and scratched so there was no recourse to file a claim.   My video camera, antique chair from my grandmother, stereograph and all the pictures were stolen. These people are crooks and once they have your items on their trucks you are a prisoner.  When the my furniture was finally delivered I was told the van couldn't fit into the driveway and that I had to pay 1000.00 to get a uhaul truck to unload my items from the moving van to the uhaul and then to the house. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY.

6. K

   Katelyn

   Source: MoveAdvisor

   18 Mar 2014Paid $2,070

   Worst Moving Company.

   I've made a few long distance moves now, state to state, and this is my first and last time using Available Movers. The company is the WORST I have experienced as far as communication, professionalism, and just plain doing their job. It's not rocket-science, you pick up items, drive them, and drop them off. The fact that they cannot keep track of customer's belongings is RIDICULOUS. Someone needs to teach them how to itemize items on a packing slip and you should check every little box and item you have on your list before the movers drive away with your money. Their inventory list is worthless so make sure you write your own and check off each from your own list when they deliver.  3 items were undelivered and now I have to continue dealing with this horrible company through the claim process as no one, of course, can tell me where my three missing items are. Customer service doesn't get back to you. They are NOT open always. I don't know why it says that on this Facebook page. They don't answer the phone on Sundays and they transfer you to customer service to deal with you (whom don't give you any answers either). They are only helpful, pleasant, and responsive when they are trying to make the sale and take your deposit to secure the move. I used a GREAT company, completely reliable and professional a couple of years ago but they wanted to charge me DOUBLE of what Available Movers quoted me. Unfortunately, I made the decision to save half the money by using Available Movers and now I have HALF a dining room table set. WORST MOVING COMPANY EVER. I DO NOT RECOMMEND AVAILABLE USERS. 1 star is being generous.

7. J

   John C.

   Source: MoveAdvisor

   22 Aug 2013Paid $2,000

   Terrible long-distance move.

   I moved from New York to Chicago and I am extremely disappointed with Available Movers. Unless they offer any sort of compensation, I will spread the word to all my contacts to NEVER use Available Movers. An objective review: Pros: 1. Very professional movers. They were courteous and efficient. Cons: 1. False estimates. I provided all the articles I was moving and the estimates came out to $1500. When the movers came and loaded, the charge increased to $2000 even though the number / size of my articles DID NOT CHANGE from what I had provided initially. 2. Delivery estimate was way off. I understand it's difficult to have an exact estimate and the contract indicates a long window of delivery. That being said, the representative I had spoken to indicated that a typical move should take no more than 6 days. It took 10 days. I had to change my flight, costing me $200 change fee plus the difference in fare. If I had received a more accurate estimate, I would have had my stuff picked up earlier so that it would be delivered for my target date. 3. Dispatcher is impossible to reach. I had to call several times each day to find out where my stuff was to get a better understanding of the delivery date. Not only is the dispatcher very difficult to reach, he is unable to provide a good estimate of the delivery date. 4. They delivered my coffee table with a broken leg. Instead of offering any sort of compensation, the movers said everything will be fine if I just use wood glue. WOOD GLUE, SERIOUSLY? Again, I am extremely disappointed in this service.

8. P

   Pam C.

   Source: MoveAdvisor

   31 Jul 2013Paid $500

   Scam.

   Do not waste your time.  You can find a more honest company with better prices elsewhere.  I purchased an Amazon Local deal and when I attempted to use it I was told it was going to cost $500 to move a few items from one house to another 1 minute away.  It cost me $800 to move an entire apartment's worth of stuff out of Manhattan to Long Island.  Customer Service was rude and unprofessional.  Look elsewhere for a good experience.

9. L

   Leighton B.

   Source: MoveAdvisor

   11 Jul 2013Paid $600

   Available and terrible.

   Came late. Broke couch. Came with truck that didn't fit all belongings. Left stuff at our storage unit that we had to move ourselves. Charged more than we were quoted. Called and spoke to customer service rep that was completely rude. I can go on but I think that says enough. Charged $600 for a 1/2 move. Was quoted $465 for 2 man crew they charged $600 for a 3 man crew but only took 2 hours but charged for 3.

10. S

    Scott

    Source: MoveAdvisor

    20 Jun 2013Paid $4,100

    Do Not Use!!

    These guys should have had the decency to wear a mask when they robbed me.  I put a deposit down for a certain date and had a cleaners scheduled to come based on this date.  They showed up 4 days late.  I had to pay the cleaning company for just showing up and than again when they actually cleaned.  Halfway through the move they transfered my stuff to another moving company.  The new company showed up 7 days late.  The move was promised to take 14 days.  It took 21 days.  They day they showed up I wasn't there so they charnged me a $300 storage fee.    Run away from this company.  .