13 Aug 2015 · MoveAdvisor
1.0 out of 51.0
We just used New Life Van Lines to move our 1-bdrm apartment of stuff from Los Angeles to El Paso and our experience was AWFUL. We selected this company because they had glowing reviews on Yelp, but now we are skeptical of those reviews. And we just discovered that FIVE COMPLAINTS were filed against this company with the BBB in the past 12 months. We booked with Rose in mid June, who said that any company with a cheaper quote was trying to scam us. We scheduled to have the movers come the morning on July 31st, the day we needed to drive 9 hours to Tucson. The estimate/contract listed the move time as 9AM. On July 30th, I get a phone call from a different person that the movers would be coming between 10 and 11am. I said that we needed them to come earlier. She said she'd "let them know."Next day, by 11am: We have heard nothing.11:20: I call the company. We get a busy signal or answering machine for ten minutes. Finally get Rose on the phone. She says she'll call the dispatcher. 11:40: Call from the movers. Nick says they hit traffic. When I express frustration he rudely says, "We had another job!" and they'll be there within a half hour. 1:11: I call Nick. He says they will be there in 15 minutes. 1:52: I call the main office. Rose answers, acts shocked that the movers haven't arrived. 1:57: Call from Nick. He says it will be 15 minutes. I say that he said that last time and we are worried about getting on the road. He says defensively that he had to get gas. 2:15: They finally arrive! No apology for showing up late and repeatedly misleading us about their arrival time. The 3 movers demonstrated care with certain items, but other times were completely careless. At one point I was standing out front and saw them drop a box about 8 ft as they were lifting it onto the truck. No one apologized or acted concerned. Their system for numbering and labeling boxes was haphazard and sketchy. They also seemed not to be in a hurry. At 3:30, they said "two more hours max," but did not finish until 6:45. At times it seemed like they weren't doing anything. Between 5 and 6, there were only a few things left in the apartment (e.g., a chair, a bed) and they didn't take one thing out. At one point, my frustrated husband started carrying things to the truck himself. We did not get on the road until 7. We had to book a new hotel in Phoenix and cancel the one in Tucson. Again, no apologies. When I asked if we could get a discount for the lateness, Nick muttered dismissively that he couldn't control traffic. The thing is, I understand that movers are sometimes late. What I can't stand is the utter lack of customer service. When you don't show up when you originally said you would, at the Very Least, you should apologize. At least pretend you are sorry to have greatly inconvenienced people who are paying you a lot of money for a service.The total ($3,578) was almost $1,000 more than the original quote (about $2,600). But Nick was taking off the 5% discount we were promised when we reserved with the company based on the original quote, (meaning, of course, that the discount was less than 5% of the total cost). He changed it only after my husband spent 10 minutes arguing with him about math. Two days later, after we arrived in El Paso hours later than planned and almost too late to get the keys to our new place, my husband calls to speak to the manager about a discount given the horrible customer service. He is told to call Nick. Nick says that it just took longer to pack up our stuff and we don't deserve a discount. My husband insisted and Nick said he'd call us back. He didn't. My husband called back hours later and Nick again said he'd call us back. We never received that call. In terms of delivery: They lost my husband's $350 (very sentimental) guitar and an office chair. Our sofa table had scratches all over it. The movers put it in a box with no protection. The corners of our expensive kitchen table are nicked as if they've been banged on the ground. The foot/screw went missing from the bottom of an expensive shelving unit that is now uneven. Boxes labeled "fragile" were totally smashed. Remarkably, nothing broke, but that's only b/c my husband and I wrapped all our dishware in blankets and sheets. I need to replace our printer because despite labels saying "This side up!" (as per the recommendation in the user manual), it was delivered upside down. We are going to file a claim for the missing items and damages, but we don't trust New Van Lines to reimburse given their blatant disregard for their costumers. We should never have paid cash without ful, safe delivery of all our things. And no one should ever have to waste time filing a claim while going through the stressful process of moving long distance! Last, we got charged by cubic ft, and have since read that legitimate companies weigh your stuff. (Then they can prove all of it was delivered). We also found this useful article: http://www.today.com/id/29972260/ns/today-money/t/how-avoid-being-scammed-movers/#.Vcw_xYuaT8F. Turns out, New Van Lines is NOT reputable! Do not use this company!
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