I do not recommend this company
Tracey Williams
Submitted this review about
Allegiant Van Lines
Review made Live: 5/7/2013 7:56:00 PM
I would not recommend this moving company. I used this company to move from Arizona to Indiana in February 2013. I feel I was overcharged and my furniture was scratched and damaged so I paid too much to move furniture I need to replace anyway.
Dealing with the company at first was stress-free but when I started dealing to the local movers, things started getting complicated. The movers were set to come pickup my things on Sunday. They called me Friday night and said they needed to come on Saturday. Since I was packing myself this was a problem since I was not ready plus this also caused me to have to get an extra hotel room for Saturday night. My sister and I stayed up most of the night in a panic to finish up. Saturday, they said they would be there at 9 am and it was noon before they got there. The guys were very polite and professional however I was shocked at the prices of all of the extras. The tape and wrapping and extra boxes (that ended up being half full) that were needed after the fact raised the price by $165. I accept that this might be the case with any moving company but it feels like nickel and diming. Why is a box $25? If there are requirements for the way things need to be packed why wasn’t I told this beforehand? The guys did a good job putting the items in the truck. The problem came when it came time to do the paperwork. I was quoted at 600 cu ft. The head mover told me I had the option of paying by cubic feet or by weight. He then told me, several times, that cubic feet would be better because he did not feel that I had even the 600 cu ft quoted and it would be less than the quote. Plus if I went by weight I would have to follow him to the weigh station and it was 60 miles away and would be a hassle for everyone. After him telling me this five times I finally told him that I would go by cubic feet. Once they finished loading the truck I was actually 800 cu ft and it was $1000 more than the quote. I was living in a 900 sq ft house. Everything I owned had previously fit into a 700 sq ft apartment before I sold all of my big items for the move. I have books, clothes and kitchen items and not much else. No couch, no dining room set – other than a bed and a recliner, most my stuff were boxes. I feel I was strongly pressured to go by cubic feet. In hindsight I should have paid more attention to the truck because I do not believe I had 800 cu ft of belongings. I moved my belongings into a storage unit that is 1800 sq ft and is not even a third of the way full.
My items arrived two or three weeks later. The driver was to call me before he got here but he called me when he was sitting at what he thought was the correct address and was actually four blocks down. The driver only had one helper with him who did not speak English. He had me call around to try to find helpers however since I just moved here, I do not know anyone to help and anyone I did know was at work. So the driver and the one helper started unloading the truck. The driver asked me what they charged me and after I told him he said “oh, they overcharged you about $1000 because there really isn’t that much here”. He told me “that is what they do…pressure you to go one way so they can make more money off of you.” He then helps the helper unload the truck but he complains to me for every single box that he isn’t supposed to be doing this and that he has pins in his knees. I had asked the boxed be stacked a certain way so I could access them but since the helper couldn’t speak English I could not get him to understand this. I finally gave up and decided I would move it all myself later. The driver then comments on what I have written on every single box I have. Asking me about my towels or my kitchen items until I felt very violated. He didn’t actually go through my stuff but I felt like he had. When they removed my $200 office chair from the truck, it was broken. I had 3 bookshelves that are completely scratched and my large book shelf is broken and will not hold the weight of books anymore. Most of my wooden furniture is scratched or chipped in some way. Several of my pieces are from Wal-mart and are pressed particle board so they are not covered in the warranty so I cannot file a claim on it. My TV was fine. My computer monitor was fine. I found one broken mug but from what I can tell my dishes are fine. However I find it hard to accept that every piece of my wooden furniture is damaged. Two items will need to be replaced. While they were unloading the truck, in the middle of my items was a full three piece sectional sofa, a chair and a bench that were not even mine. I do not know when these were mixed in with my stuff but I question if I was charged for those pieces, if they put someone’s items in with mine it would have been just as easy to mix my items in with someone else’s and If they had already delivered this person’s items, these pieces are now lost. I did not find these movers to be professional in any sense of the word and although the helper was a very hard worker, the lack of communication was a huge problem.
I immediately called the moving company once they left and spoke to my representative Alicia. When I talked to her the first time she was fairly helpful however when I spoke to her the second time she said was much less helpful and now she does not answer my emails. I am tired of fighting them on this so I am letting it go. I am looking for a job and a place to live and although I could use the $1000 they might have over charged me, I do not have the time or energy to continue to fight them on it.
I would not recommend this company. I understand it is necessary for a moving company to contract out the work in another state however they are responsible for the actions of the movers they contract out to. I am very dissatisfied with the results of this move.
