Best American Movers

Reviews

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1. C

   Christina L.

   Source: MoveAdvisor · Irmo, SC to Punta Gorda, FL

   2 Jun 20253-bedroomPaid $4,170

   Bad Experience

   I will update if it gets better. I was quoted a lower price of course. I also told the man on the phone that I had a TV that needed to be boxed, a glass drafting table and a mirror for my dresser. This was all supposed to be included in my quote. Once they got to me, they had to add things and said they were not included in the quote. And of course, they charged me more saying it took more space in the truck than what was quoted. I told the man on the phone originally that I was concerned and needed my things as soon as I found a house to rent because I'm starting a new job and need to get settled so I'm not calling off work after just starting. He assured me they usually delivered within 5 days. When I reached back out to get a date set, I got no response for days. Then a lady in the office responded to me and said that the man I had been dealing with passed away. If this is true I am of course very sorry and offered my condolences. However, I did pay for a service and she waited many days before even responding to let me know they received my message. I informed them on the 15th of May that I am ready for delivery. It is June 2nd and I still don't have an answer. Since Thursday of last week she has been telling me she will have an answer for me tomorrow. I still don't have an answer. I have used movers in the past and have never had such a bad experience. There is no communication, and they tell you what it takes to get your business with no follow through. And now, after reading other reviews, I am worried about missing items. I am preparing for the worst with legal action all set. I will update when I receive my things.

2. J

   Jennifer J.

   Source: MoveAdvisor · Redding, CA to Reno, NV

   17 Jan 20253-bedroomPaid $5,442

   Absolutely Terrible Experience - No stars

   The experience w/Best American was awful. In the months leading up to our move, I worked w/3 diff. sales people. All assured me there'd be no unexpected charges. But they showed up to the move & quoted $859 in packing charges for items they required they pack. I objected & they let us to do a few things ourselves, so it was $659. We were charged $125 ea for the washer & dryer to be “crated” which consisted of placing a scrap of cardboard on the outside of the moving blanket to cover the glass door. The blanket was incl, the $3 worth of cardboard was $250? They charged $175 to crate something else, they say glass shelves, but we don’t own any! There also was a sizable increase b/c we had more items; our only issue on this were 3 items that were in the quoted inventory, they claimed were not, so were charged for the addtl space calculated for those too regardless of the fact they were on the quote. One was a desk that’s large, I was clear w/the sales person that it was a big rolltop desk. There were 3 desks on the inventory, 2 very small & this large 1. They added the large 1 as separate & it counted as an addtl item. Prior to agreeing to the higher cost, I spoke to “PT” over the phone about our concerns & objection to the charges, she was very rude & finally said she couldn’t do anything until she rec'd the final paperwork afterwards. They know you have no choice but to proceed once they arrive to your packed up sold-house! After 3 weeks of the sales person pretending he was working w/the office on our dispute, he abruptly became rude & said to call PT directly. He was the 1 to tell me the info, so I thought it right for him to work on a resolution. When I could get her on the phone, her response to all things was to say we signed the contract, they’re justified. The contract states the cust is responsible to pack all boxes & fragile items – which we did& as was discussed w/3 sales people, none disclosed their requirements & addtl charges. The service at the time of the move & afterwards was abominable! Communication was very rude & unprofessional. I was told many times I’d get a call back the next day, but it never happened, after 10 days I called again. I was yelled at &admonished over& over that we signed the contract & took 10mos to book, which I still don’t get– I was never given an exp. for the quote, nor offered an updated quote at booking. Just another unprofessional attack on the customer! They knew we were listing a home that had to sell, the move was an unknown date when we contacted them in the beginning & it was never an issue until the multiple times I was yelled at when they didn’t want to offer a resolution. Delivery of our property took place 3mos later (they stored it for .50 per cu ft, even though I was told .40. The higher amt was what was in print so we were required to pay it& essentially called a liar about the wrong price given to me verbally). At delivery, I took pics to prove their so-called “crating” was a sham, they agreed it wasn’t proper & offered to refund PART of that charge IF we signed a release that states we withdraw any complaints& wouldn’t give a bad review nor report to the BBB. What a poor attempt to quiet an unhappy customer. They weren’t offering a settlement to agree upon, they were offering to refund fees they should never have charged! I wonder how many people needed the money enough to agree to be quiet about the AWFUL service. In addtn, when scheduling the delivery, I was told many times it was too early (2 & 3 weeks out) to call back the week we wanted to schedule. I did so &was told on Tues, yes they’d come that Fri or Sat as we were requesting, she’d confirm which day after calling the dispatcher. The next day I was told it would have to be Sun or Mon, she’d let me know Fri. She didn’t call me, so I called, left a message, on Sat; she called me back to say they'd do it Mon. Which of course was the day we advised them would be the least ideal day w/work & them not scheduling it until the last min. Also, they operate under the image of a family owned/operated co, that strives to offer a high level of service- this certainly wasn't true. It seemed like a bare-bones op w/noone that cared an ounce for the customer exp. I dealt w/the CA loc, but everyone is in FL& NC, aside from a warehouse/dispatcher in CA. The movers are ‘contracted partners’ & rent a truck for the move. The movers did an OK job. But this co is predatory; the sales people lie, the cust service is unjust & cruel. I asked a manager or owner review my complaints emailed weeks before w/no response, but was laughed at. Apparently, it’s PT & an owner that'd offer me less than she did –which was nothing. Reversing charges for a service not given isn't a concession, it would be the right thing to do. I’d liken the response as a spit in the face. It was clear that cust satisfaction& fair practices don't exist in this co. They got our money& enjoyed treating me terribly. Don't give them your business.

3. T

   Trish L.

   Source: MoveAdvisor · Southport, NC to Allen, TX

   6 Jul 20243-bedroomPaid $13,000

   Bad All Around Experience

   All around horrible experience. I’ve spent the last 23 years relocating every few years for my career so have used a number of long distance movers. I decided to give this company a chance as it seemed to be a good value and I liked the claim from their site of no hidden fees and that your calculated quote would not change. The movers that packed me were on time and moved quickly. However, they filled the truck 75% of the way vs 50% of the way, they called it a full truck, then charged me double the quoted price, total was over $13k. I have pictures of the inside of the truck upon arrival that shows it was not full. Also, found numerous boxes unlabeled even though I paid for full service packing, numerous wardrobe boxes containing only 1 item and poor packaging in general; just a mishmash of items thrown in boxes. Damaged furniture (I have pics of this as well). Communication was horrible. I was told by sales I could use a credit card, no mention until it was time to pay that it’d be 3%. Told dispatch to deliver on 7/1 or 7/5 as we would be on the road 7/2-7/4, this was agreed to. Got a call on 7/2 as I’m driving 17hrs that driver would be at my place on 7/2. Was repeatedly threatened with added fees if I wasn’t there to meet the driver. Lots of back and forth with texts and phone calls until finally was given delivery date of 7/5 at 7am. I was told the driver wasn’t happy because it was his birthday and wanted the day off. Why is this my problem??? I paid in full prior to delivery. I was told at least six times that I had a $5200 balance due. Finally told it had been resolved yet the driver showed up 3 HRS late mind you, with paperwork saying I had a balance. Driver did not contact me at all and I only heard from someone an hour and a half later after numerous angry calls and text messages from me. By this time, I’d wasted $300 on additional movers to take some items to storage. They arrived at 7:30am since my driver was supposed to arrive at 7am. I asked the moving company if they would either put the extra stuff in my garage or reimburse me the $300. I got yelled at and told I shouldn’t have sprung it on them and that they would have done it for free if I had told them. In next sentence then I’m told “well, they may have charged a sort fee but it wouldn’t have been $300.” Which is it? Then I get a text saying the extra stop would be $150. Then another text saying that service is $300 depending on how much stuff it is…Again, which is it? Dispatch on the receiving end refused to call me despite repeated requests and a request for a supervisor (nothing). He began ignoring my questions about the driver’s ETA and if the driver would contact me upon arrival. Finally I was told I’d be informed when driver arrived. Driver did not call and got lost in my complex. My fiancee had to get in his car and drive around to find him. Driver arrives with a helper who says he got the job off of Craigslist. Wait, what???? I paid for professionals not Craigslist day labor. Both movers were sluggish and slow. The Craigslist worker was scaring us with unsafe practices. My fiancee and I ended up working and doing about 40% of the job ourselves. Oh yeah, and I asked dispatch what my time was worth as I’d waited 3 hours and wasted $300 because of their lack of communication. I was literally told, “Nothing. Read your contract.” I would go with a big name instead. Never again. Literally the worst move decision of my life.

4. D

   David O.

   Source: MoveAdvisor · Alexandria, VA to Miami, FL

   24 Mar 20243-bedroomPaid $8,000

   Terrible company

   We had a terrible experience with Best American Movers. After a phone call to review all of our belongings, Mike quoted us an estimate of around $4,600, at about 100 cubic feet, to move from Virginia to Florida. That was similar to what we paid a national chain a year earlier for the inverse trip. But once the movers got everything in the truck, suddenly the bill was nearly $8,000. They claimed our belongings took up 150 cubic feet. The company insisted we had more belongings than initially estimated. We dispute that -- in fact, we sold several major pieces, including a crib and a big BBQ, before the move. Be wary of their "estimates." The company also hires locals off Craigslist to unload the cargo. They were not experienced movers who can reassemble furniture. I thought I would be a good citizen (and save money) by hiring a smaller company like Best American. I was wrong. Go with an established chain.

5. J

   Jill R.

   Source: MoveAdvisor · Jefferson, GA to Spring Grove, PA

   3 Mar 20244-bedroomPaid $25,000

   Worst American Movers not Best

   If I could give them a zero I would. They tell you what you need to hear to get your business then don’t deliver on it. After speaking to Stacey multiple times about the truck and being assured it would be a 53’ truck they arrived with 2 box trucks not large enough for the quoted price. When we called to have them rectify the problem, Stacey refused to assist us and turned everything over to Pauline. Pauline was rude, condescending and called us a liar multiple times. She refused to help us when the smaller trucks arrived. We had spoken to her prior to making the wire transfer about delivery. Delivery was supposed to be Thursday. She claims we never had that conversation even though we did. It was even in writing in an email she claims she never received. As the truck was packed the first thing they did was drop a box of China not packed in a moving box. My refrigerator hit the floor in the vestibule because one person attempted to take it out and it was too heavy for him. As they packed the trucks which only held 4000 cubic foot, when they knew we had 4053 they couldn’t fit all the boxes on the trucks. So they up charged us and put the wardrobe boxes with my gowns, husbands suits and most of our good clothes along with the mattresses strapped to the back of the trucks with rain coming. The belongings were to be transferred to a 53’ truck but Pauline changed her mind so she didn’t have to refund us empty space and could charge us more because they didn’t send the proper trucks. Upon delivery my good dining room table had a chunk out of the corner of the table. This had been the worst moving experience ever. I’ve moved by moving companies 3 times now and would never ever ever recommend Best American Movers. They should actually be named Worst American Movers!!!! They claim your satisfaction is their priority. It’s not. Pauline refused to make sure we were satisfied with the services we received. She refused to make their errors right.

6. S

   Samer A.

   Source: MoveAdvisor · Chicago, IL to New York, NY

   28 Dec 20221-bedroomPaid $5,500

   Unprofessional, Rude, No Accountability

   This company did so many things wrong I cannot sum it up within the character limit. They damaged my furniture and lost boxes and refused to pay me for those. They also did not finish loading the truck and left without several of my things. Upon unloading, they did not have a parking permit and required me to watch their truck outside in the cold. Then they left without finishing unloading my things and assembling my furniture. I filed a claim, which took 3 months to resolve, and got a $75 offer for all of that. I spent over $5500 on the move and had to replace my furniture with my own money after they damaged my furniture and lost my boxes.

7. K

   Kaela C.

   Source: MoveAdvisor · Clearwater, FL

   3 Aug 20223-bedroomPaid $7,435

   DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY

   Please do not believe the fake 5 star reviews this company has on Google. They were the absolute worst company I have ever used. I moved from Colorado to Florida and my terrible experience began the moment the movers showed up, hours late, to my home. They walked in the door and immediately doubled my cost. Our belongings were handled poorly from the very beginning. We were given 30 days free storage but I began receiving texts immediately, demanding where they could deliver because they had other deliveries in my area. I decided to get a storage unit so I could stop the incessant texts. I was forced the change storage facilities 3 times as they hire inexperienced drivers that couldn't drive into the very accessible facilities. They threatened to keep our belongings, attempted to charge us $1000 more on top of the already doubled price and ignored my calls as to where our belongings were. After securing a third storage unit, I was able to see the extensive damage to our things. Boxes marked fragile were crushed, furniture damaged and there was water damage and mold on nearly every box due to a large hole in the roof of their trailer. They attempted to force me to sign documents stating my belongings were delivered in good condition before they would unload. The delivery drivers were rude and were throwing our things into the storage unit to get the job done. They are highly unprofessional and should be put out of business. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!

8. K

   Kelly B.

   Source: MoveAdvisor · Roanoke, VA to Lakeland, FL

   30 May 20224-bedroomPaid $8,655

   Horrible experience

   Did not arrive when promised. Did not bring 2 trucks as promised. After packing, said we had more stuff than we said so at 2am, the movers tore up the original contract and forced us to sign a new contract under duress for an additional $4,000 (a 46% increase from the original contract). Movers didn’t arrive when promised - not even close. Still holding our belongings hostage and trying to force us to pay. I contacted the Better Business Bureau. The movers lied on their response (a fraudulent act) so the BBB closed the case saying the movers did their due diligence. One truck has finally arrived today (5/30…pick up was 5/8) and most of the furniture has damage. Not sure when the second truck is coming - they say 2 days but who knows. And still trying to charge us more…more than the actual trucks could hold! May be a federal complaint in our future based on attorney’s recommendation.

9. R

   Rand G.

   Source: MoveAdvisor · Oakland, CA to Rhinebeck, NY

   21 Oct 20212-bedroomPaid $7,000

   Check BBB Complaints

   I contracted with Best American Movers on June 19th, 2021 for a cross-country move from CA to NY scheduled for July 21, 2021. The salesperson, Stacy was very pleasant and provided the average time for deliveries of this move duration. She also let me know that the cubic feet charged for was well in excess of the items on my detailed list, so no worries about upcharges. Then, things went downhill, and quickly. Yay, moving day! Not so much. The inexperienced driver hit the restaurant across the street, and nearly took out the side of the loading dock. Then, I’m informed that the cubic feet charged for isn’t going to cut it = upcharge. Note: I had sold 2 large pieces in the meantime, so… HMMM? I paid the upcharge, no more incidents, a sigh of relief. Off to NY I go- fast forward to August 4th. I call Best American Movers to set up delivery. Anytime is fine to deliver- oh, what is a good day for you? How about the 10th, gives me all weekend to unpack. Note: I later found out that the delivery day REQUESTED starts a 30-day contractual clock, not the first day you can accept the delivery- this is important. I spent the next month, yes, month trying to figure out if they even had my household goods. Calls went unanswered, emails, texts- not gonna happen. Pauline, who is the only person I was ever permitted to speak with, had a conflicting, ever-changing line of half-to-non-truths to report when she could be bothered to check. Then I dig deeper into reviews and BBB complaints about this company- I recommend you do, there’s a lot to see. Finally, delivery day- September 25th. Yup, more than 2 months after pickup, and more than 45 days after asking for delivery. But wait, there’s more! The driver showed up with 1 helper. Not the crew that was supposed to move me in “white glove service”, right Stacy? Of course, I had to hand over the balance (over 2k) before I even knew if my stuff was actually on that truck. It was, at least some of it. Half of my bed was missing- but fear not! The driver offers me the box springs for his next customer, whose belongings were also on the truck. He said “It’s fine, I’ll just tell her we lost it”- wow, I nearly lost it myself. 2 boxes of very carefully packed family heirlooms were not just broken but pulverized. 4 of the 5 wardrobe boxes were upside down, 2 were open. Many of the inventory stickers were missing, oddly, there were also lots of duplicates- how does that happen? There were several other items missing, broken, and unaccounted for, but you get the gist. I call Pauline, who says take pictures, asks me to send her a list of the items, and replacement cost for the big stuff. So I click, write, research, email. No response- I’m shocked (not really). So I reach out and am told “since there is more than 3 items, you have to file a claim with our 3rd party service”. Wait- didn’t you ask me to do all this work finding replacement value for all this stuff? I contact the 3rd party service, Movingclaims.net. Go ahead, look ‘em up they have dozens of BBB complaints and have been accused of being a scam that doesn’t actually do much but obstruct the claim process. I can tell you, they are the opposite of helpful. I email Pauline and let her know that I will begin writing and posting my reviews- (backed by email, text, and phone records). I’m told if I do, it will “hurt my case.” Really, lady? If you want to be schmoozed by a really nice, but dishonest salesperson, and then have the worst moving experience imaginable, please use Best American Movers. The 6 weeks on an airbed in an empty house will be a bonus. Otherwise, please, please do lots of research, visit the BBB and choose more carefully than I did. Your bed, breakables, and sanity are worth the effort.

10. B

    Bryan R.

    Source: MoveAdvisor · Chesapeake, VA to Anderson, SC

    20 Oct 20214-bedroomPaid $10,000

    Terrible dishonest company

    Look at how many 1 star reviews they have!!! I believe their good reviews are fake. These guys are absolute thieves. First, I called the company to get a quote. I honestly don’t remember who I talked to, but I walked throughout my entire house giving an explanation of everything that needed to be moved. With my 2800 square foot house, I was quoted for 1450 cubic square feet and was told it would be roughly 5k. I didn’t know any better and thought this was a great deal. The movers showed up on time which was nice. They loaded most of my belongings onto the first truck. I was told that I was under quoted and that they would need to come back the next day the get everything else. Again, not a big deal. They show up the next day and loaded the rest of my belongings onto the truck. That’s when I was told the price had doubled. Somehow we went from 1450 cubic square feet to 2500. The guy in charge put a contract in front of me showing the additional charges, resulting in the final price being over 10k. It clearly stated in the contract that any price changes would be notified prior to loading the truck. When I brought this up, the guy just looked at me and said, “do you want me to unload the truck? Because, we will just leave it in the driveway.” I felt like I didn’t have a choice and signed the contract. Because of my situation, I took them up on the “free” 30 days of storage. It’s actually why I went with them in the first place. Well, I went beyond the 30 days due to real estate contracts falling through. Not their fault. But I was shocked to learn that the price after the 30 days was .50 per cubic square foot. Yes, I paid $1250 a month for them to store my stuff. Moving on. I called Pauline (remember that name) on multiple occasions to inform her of my situation. She’s the “customer service” rep. I use that term extremely loosely. At first, she was great, until they had my money. Then she was MIA. I called multiple times and left at least 6 messages trying to inform her of the new address. No response. Finally, I called the sales team. I told them I wanted to speak to Pauline’s manager. I was promptly connected with Pauline. Go figure. I told her I didn’t want to talk to her, and that I was waiting to talk to her supervisor. She told me she doesn’t have a supervisor and I had to speak with her. Well, let’s just say things got loud. She eventually transferred me to Todd, one of their sales reps. I got my delivery address updated and the movers showed up a couple days late. The team that showed up was fantastic. But during their offload, I noticed the truck had markings on the ceiling indicating the cubic square footage utilized. The truck was a 2000 cubic square foot truck. Knowing that all of my belongings where delivered, I texted Todd and asked if I had another truck coming to account for the additional 500 cubic square feet. He said he was check for me. Eventually I gave up the game, and told him I know I have all of my belongings, and wanted to know why I was over charged. He told me that the truck that delivered to me was out, but once it was back they wanted to measure the “attic” above to cab to see if that accounted for the additional sq ft. A week went by, and nothing. Another week and nothing. Finally, I get word on the third week that they measures the attic and it was 250 cubic square feet. So, they were going to refund me for 250 cubic square feet. In order to do so, I needed to signed and have notarized a “settlement contract”. At first glance everything seemed to be in order. Until I read the fine print. Basically, I would be signing my right away to ever sue them in any form or fashion, now, or in the future. I wouldn’t be able to leave a bad review on social media or really any media platform. And that the “settlement” must remain confidential between myself and them. Also, if you want to sue them, you have to do it through FL. Sketchy as they are based out of MD. Obviously I haven’t signed the settlement. Also, per the contract, if you sue them you must pay their legal fee’s .stay away from this company.