A “Rogue” Moving Company.
Adam Porcella
Submitted this review about
Classic Van lines
Review made Live: 6/19/2015 4:08:00 PM
On Classic Van Line’s own website they warn again “rogue” (dishonest, fraudulent and unaccredited) moving companies. Ironically, classic Van Lines’ own description of a rogue moving company fits them quite well. The website lists a number of “red flags” to identify rogue moving companies. They include the following:
- “The mover doesn’t offer or agree to an onsite inspection of your household goods and gives an estimate over the telephone or Internet — sightunseen. These estimates often sound toogoodtobetrue. They usually are.”
When my wife and I contacted Classic Van Lines in May of 2015, they neither offered, nor agreed to do an on-sight assessment of our household goods. They gave us a very low (compared to other moving companies) estimate, which they later doubled (more about that below).
- “The moving company demands cash or a large deposit before the move.”
Classic Van Lines demanded a large deposit before the move – over 50% of the total bill.
- “The mover doesn’t provide you with a copy of ‘Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move,’ a booklet movers are required by Federal regulations to supply to their customers in the planning stages of interstate moves.
Classic Van lines provided a link to a “Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move,” website, but they did not supply us with a copy of the booklet.
- “When you call the mover, the telephone is answered with a generic ‘Movers’ or ‘Moving company,’ rather than the company’s name.”
I called classic Van Lines a dozen times and they never answered with their company name. Most times the only answer I got was a generic “hello?” It was incredibly unnerving and unprofessional. Not to mention the fact that I was put on hold almost every time I called. Twice I was left on hold for over half an hour.
"On moving day, a rental truck arrives rather than a company owned or marked fleet truck."
Please note that this company is a broker (though they never mentioned this to us). Moving brokers are sales teams that book your move and sell it to an actual moving company. - See more at: http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/protect-your-move/how-to/faqs#What makes a move an interstate move? I don’t even know the name of the “company” that actually moved our stuff in. The truck did not have the name of the company on it, and the driver was not wearing a uniform. I have no idea who he was.
On their website, Classic Van Lines also makes several suggestions that I wish we had followed (like the above list, these recommendations are originally from the legitimate website: http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/protect-your-move). Here are few we wish we had followed:
- “Make sure the mover is registered with the proper authority and insured. For moves from one State to another, a U.S. DOT number is required by FMCSA. You can doublecheck a mover’s registration on www.protectyourmove.gov. For moves within a State, requirements vary. Check with your State, county or local consumer affairs agency or your State attorney general.”
Classic Van lines is not accredited by the BBB Code of Business Practices and has received a D- rating from the Better Business Bureau for the incredibly poor service that their business provides.
- “Check the mover’s complaint history. Contact your local Better Business Bureau and consumer protection agencies.”
Classic Van Lines has had numerous complaints filed against them with the Better Business Bureau, including a number that are currently “unresolved.”
- “Remember your priorities when choosing a mover. If you hire a mover based solely on the cheapest price, you may be sacrificing other things that are actually more important, such as getting your possessions moved and delivered on time. And remember, movers are required by law to deliver your goods for no more than ten percent above the price of a nonbinding estimate. This is known as the 110 percent rule.”
Classic Van Lines originally gave us an estimate of $3645.00. However, after we gave them a $1181.00 deposit, they raised their estimate to $7,000.00 - almost twice the original estimate. I was able to negotiate them down to $5,000.00. Still, that’s almost a $1,000 over the “110 percent rule.” I have documentation from Classic Van Lines to prove these numbers. Though I didn’t realize it at the time, it’s pretty clear to me that Classic Van Lines broke the law by charging us as much as they did.
Considering all of the above, there’s no doubt in my mind that Classic Van Lines is a rogue moving company masquerading as a legitimate business.
To make matters worse, and to add insult to injury, our belongings arrived in a horrible state. When the driver opened the truck we found most of our belongings strewn about in haphazard piles (we took plenty of pictures as proof). Several pieces of furniture were damages beyond repair and we are still uncovering the extant of the damage. Before he left the driver pressured me into signing a liability waiver stating that I had received all of our belongings in satisfactory condition. Needless to say, I refused to sign.
I feel like an idiot for being duped by this “company.” Don’t make the same mistake I did.
