from South Carolina to Ohio
R. Page
Submitted this review about
American Van Lines
Review made Live: 6/14/2011 11:29:00 AM
I hired American Van Lines to move my 83 year old mother from South Carolina back to Ohio. I picked them because I thought they were reputable. The salesman and I went over all the items in her home in detail by room over the telephone. He sent me an estimate of $2100 for the move, which was supposed to be high. I told him I would take off 2 days, April 11th and 12th for the move and I wanted them to come on Monday, April 11th. I got to the pick-up address on Sunday afternoon, the day before. I was supposed to get a phone call 24 hours ahead of time. I did not. I had given the salesman my cell phone number and told them to call my cell because that was the only phone I would have available.
I received no call on Sunday or Monday morning. At 9 am I called AVL (American Van Lines). I was told they would call me back. I received no call back. I called every 2 hours until I finally got an answer in the late afternoon around 4pm that they would be there on Tuesday between 8am and 12 noon. I was at the pick-up location at 8 am on Tuesday and waited until 12 noon. Nobody showed up and I received no phone call. I called AVL at noon and was told they should be there that afternoon around 2 pm. The packers showed up at 3 pm. AVL did not show up, but a local Charlotte company that they subbed out the job to, call Brown Van Lines/Sawyer EZ Move/Relo Van Lines (they had 3 names). The driver told me that he estimated the job to be $3900. That was $1800 more that the quote from the salesman at AVL. The packers that came did not have enough boxes to pack everything. They did have lots of pads that were pretty dirty. Fortunately, there were some empty boxes in the closets we used. None of the lamps were put in boxes because there were none. They were all wrapped in pads. I also had to go behind the packers and check to make sure they got everything. They had missed the medicine cabinet in the guest bathroom and they left towels under the sink in the master bathroom. They did not wrap the furniture in plastic, just dirty moving pads.
A man from Sawyer/Brown Van Lines called me while the truck was on its way and told me I would have to give the drivers $600 before they start packing. We had already paid AVL $900 and were told by the AVL salesman that we would pay the balance when the items get delivered to the new address in Ohio.
During the 2 days of making phone calls to AVL, I tried to call the salesman for help; all he did was transfer me to their customer service department.
Sawyers/Brown Van Lines did not give me any paperwork when they left. I called them and was told that the inventory papers usually go to the receiving party at the destination. So I had no proof that they even picked up my mother’s items, no proof of how many boxes were packed.
I was called on 4/21/11by Brown Van Lines and told the furniture would be delivered on Friday, 4/22. My brother in Ohio was called by Sawyer EZ Move and was told furniture would be delivery on Saturday 4/23. Then Sawyer called my brother back and told him it would be delivered on Easter Sunday 4/24. He told them that they could not deliver on Easter, so they finally delivered the furniture on Monday 4/25/11 in Ohio. Many items were missing, the love seat upholstery had a hole in it, and the wood vanity was damaged.
My mother overpaid the driver by $289.87 because she had a certified bank check already made out. She was to be refunded the overpayment in 2 weeks. On 6/13 we called Sawyer EZ Move because no check had been received for overpayment and we were told they would mail on 6/14/11. Actual amount paid for the move was $931 down payment, additional $606 at time of pickup, certified bank check for $1389, less overpayment to come of $289.00, leaves actual amount paid of $2637.00.
I filed a claim with American Van Lines on May 6, 2011 for all the items that were missing and damaged (10 items). According to the contract signed, AVL pays .60 per pound per item for any damage or replacement.
They sent a letter dated May 23rd stating they will pay my mother $72.00 for all the damaged and missing items, $80.00 for loveseat and $24.00 for vanity, and nothing for all other items missing. This is unacceptable.
