Allegheny Valley Transfer Company Inc

Review: We had booked this company to move us. We were just moving across the street. We were told that since we had a piano, there would be 4 movers that would come. Only 3 showed up and we were told someone called off sick. One of the first comments from them was that they had a 13 hour day the following day. They started to move our belongings out of the basement onto the truck. After about 30 minutes it started to rain and they said that it was too slippery to be walking on the grass. They said they would move our first and second floors. After 10 minutes of saying that, they informed us they were leaving because there were not enough guys to help move all of our stuff. Our items that they had already moved onto the truck they said they would either put them back in the basement of the old house or put them in the garage of the new house. We told them that we had to have our stuff out because the people that bought our house were moving in that night. They didn't care. They said they were understaffed. We called the office and talked to [redacted] (who we later found out is the owner). Well, she did absolutely nothing for us and was very unsympathetic of our situation. She said that she could not make them work because they told her it was too slippery. (It rained for 20 minutes and then the sun came out). We tried explaining to her that they could move the first and second floors without ever stepping foot on grass. It was all pavement. Remember, we were literally moving across the street. She did say that maybe she could get someone out the next day--not helpful when the new owners would be there the night before. This is the worst experience we have ever had and the only complaint that we have filed. Stay away from this company. They are rude and uncaring.Desired Settlement: We want nothing from this company. We just want other people to be aware of what happened to us. No one can believe that they would quit on us. They said they would not charge us. What a joke! They didn't do anything for us to be charged.

Business

Response:

Good Afternoon.

I can't tell you how sorry I am that Mr. [redacted] had this experience. Normally, our people provide customers with excellent service and we receive numerous accolaides. Along with the normal paperwork that goes with the driver, we send a survey sheet in which the customer rates the company, their driver, and the crew. Additionally, they are asked how they came to select our company to move them and would they use us again. I am very proud to say that we have a 99% satisfaction ratio and rarely do we have an incident such as this one.

That being said, I have to say that I expected Mr. [redacted] to lodge a complaint and much of what he said, is, unfortunately justified, however, there are some facts that were ommitted. First of all, Mr. [redacted]'s move was scheduled during one of the busiest moving periods. His move was to take place on Aug 23 but he had only contacted our company on Aug 13. When he spoke with our moving consultant, [redacted], he indicated that there were 3-5 rooms that would need to be moved and did not want [redacted] to come to their home to provide them with an estimate. Since this was a reasonably small move, going across the street, we scheduled a date without seeing the residence, as he wanted.

On the day of the move, our driver and crew arrived and it was raining but only rained for an hour or so. Our crew was short one man because one memeber of the team was sick and, because of the time of year, and the fact that we were booked to capacity, we were unable to schedule another man to this crew. I mentioned to the driver that an additional crew member would be sent as people returned from the jobs that they were scheduled that day.

When the driver arrived at the [redacted]'s residence, he did a walk through and immediately phoned me stating that their home was very large and the job could not be completed in one day. They asked if I had anything scheduled for them the following day so that if they began and couldn't finish before evening, they might be able to complete it the following day. Unfortunately, we had made committments to several jobs and we were booked to capacity so there was no way that this could be done.

As for the move being right across the street, the driver said that they couldn't just walk it across the street. The shipment had to be loaded into the truck and driven to the home across the street so this further complicated the situation because it would take more time to load and unload.

I told the driver to remain calm, explain to Mr. [redacted] that, per his request, we had done a phone estimate and, unfortunately, there was much more than what we had planned on moving or we would have scheduled two consecutive days or not taken the move but to tell him that they would do everything that they could to get as much out of the house and into the new residence before dark. The driver became frustrated and said that there was no way to get it all done in one day to which I told him to explain the situation, work diligently and do everything that he could to get as much moved before dark so that most of it would be in the new residence.

The driver refused to do it and, it isn't that I didn't care about the [redacted]s move but I had no one else that was free to send to their residence to move whatever could be done in that one day. People would have returned from other jobs that they were on, but it would have been later in the day and less would have been able to be accomplished.

I am sorry in many ways that the sequence of events unfolded as they did and have done many things to rectify what has, unfortunately happened. First of all, the sales team has been advised that any move that is over three rooms MUST be surveyed in person by them. This enables them to see everything and to be able to give the customer accurate information of how long the move will take and what to reasonably expect. Secondly, the driver who was on this job was fired for his unprofessional attitude and lack of empathy for the customer. One of his crew also resigned (which was a mutual decision).

That being said and done still does very little to eliminate the stress that both the [redacted]s were under as a result of the driver walking off the job. Nor does it remove the blemish that this puts on our company's good reputation. At this point, all I can say is that I am very sorry that this happened and have taken the necessary steps to make sure that it never does again. It was the first time that I have had a driver walk off of the job and the only recourse that I had was to fire the driver, which was done when he returned to the office.

Again, I do apologize for the inconvenience that this driver caused but the appropriate action was taken.

Best Regards,

Review: I moved from Pgh to MD using this Co. The home office lacked in customer srvc, the estimator was off by 5K lbs and caused a snowball effect on our move. He sold us on the 'overestimation' with chance of final coming in lower. He was under by 5Klbs and in turn, the movers arrived in a truck too small. W/in 10 min of seeing our house the movers knew they couldn't fit it all in but nothing was done from the office (no call to us, no 2nd truck). The need for 2nd truck resulted in a 2-day pack and I missed the close of our new home, incurred legal costs for a POA, etc. During the 2-day pack, nothing was communicated to me other than getting an estimate $3k HIGHER than originally planned. When calling to question the revised estimate, I was threatened that the movers would unpack the 1st truck and they did not have an arrival date for truck #2... I had to persist and call the company to get the date for second truck. In this process we paid 110% of the first estimate + a 3rd party charge to crate & uncrate our TVs and glass tabletop...which this company then CANCELLED without notification the uncrating. We had to pay COD out of pocket 3 days later after already paying the full amt. The ownership, [redacted] - refused to call me back, lied and demanded I give her my other estimates to compare! She never follwed up w/the 2nd truck and passed off the issue tot he Gnrl Mgr who had to 'clean it up' but in the process sent me a 4th estimate - which nothing aligned and he couldn't explain. They are awful to work with, I would never recommend them to anyone. It was a BAIT AND SWITCH - they knew we were getting a refund from my husbnad's company and took full advantage. Regardless of who pays, people deserve to be treated with respect and clarity. They know nothing of either!Desired Settlement: Would like to see full refund of the $134.42 we double paid for 3rd party crate& uncrate of TVs plus a portion of the overspill, inconvenience of purchasing items that didn't arrive until 12 days after and the hard legal costs incurred from having to get a POA for my closing. Total $850. They have taken absolutely no responsibility or ownership of this issue from day 1 and have been ignorant from the start (with the exception of the moving men, they were wonderful).

Business

Response:

There are two facts that have been conveniently ommitted from the content of this complaint; one is that this was supposed to be a corporate move and, on the day of loading, changed to a COD move, the other is that the [redacted] were supposed to purge a lot of loose items that would have to be packed but since they went on vacation a week before the move, they probably didn't have the time to complete this task.

Let me address why it is important to know whether a move is a Corporate billed move or COD. If a move is being paid by the customer's company, we require a letter of authorization in which the company agrees to cover the costs involved in the move. Since they are agreeing to be responsible for the actual costs involved in moving their employee, the mover will hold "the paper" involved in costs for third party companies who provide services such as crating, servicing appliances, and disassembling certain items that the mover does not handle. Since the third party company is not part of the moving company, we have absolutely no control over their billing (whatever their charges are is what we pass on to the client). Since we are guaranteed by the customers employer that they will stand good for the bill, we then have the third party bill us for these changes and present the total moving charges to the employer on an invoice which shows all services necessary to complete the move.

When we are servicing a COD move (meaning the customer is required to pay upon delivery), we do not hold the note because the customer is responsible for indicating to the third party technicians what they will and will not pay for (we can obtain a quote for them but this is strictly a contract betwwen the individual and the third party company) and they are required to pay for those services upon completion of the work by that company.

Now the [redacted]'s move was always conveyed as a Corporate Move, thus we had agreed to be billed by the third party company to provide a total invoice listing the services provided, to Mr. [redacted]'s company. In fact, we had received a letter of Authorization from their company on Aug 16 (loading day was Aug 21) stating that the company would pay up to a certain amount for their move. Mrs, [redacted] states in her complaint that we knew that she was going to get a refund from her husband's company and took full advantage---this is totally untrue---how would we possibly know that she was going to get a refund? Maybe she is disturbed because they submitted the estimate to her husband's company, who agreed to pay that amount, and they were hoping that the final charges would be less than was estimated, but it didn't. But regardless, when this changed to a COD move, on their moving date. the terms also changed because we no longer can bill for services that we don't do (and can't guarantee payment on).

Further, when [redacted], their relocation consultant and I reviewed the inventory that he originally completed in order to provide them with a weight (and estimate), we found that the furniture was exactly what they had orginally stated that they would be shipping. The difference, which caused an increase in weight, was in the packing that they had done. They ended up shipping more than 126 more cartons than they had originally told [redacted] were going. In speaking with [redacted], we think that they didn't have the time "to weed out" everything that they thought they could do because of the vacation, so it ended up being shipped. This is the only explanation that I can offer for the increase in weight, which caused an increase in the cost.

As for the truck being "too small"---Mrs. [redacted] is incorrect in her assumption that this truck was too small. Had the items that were indicated to [redacted] been all that was shipped, it certainly would have fit on this truck but because of the increase in cartons, an overflow became necessary. Their shipment was supposed to weigh 11,200 pounds so because of the increase in weight, the driver knew that there would be an overflow and asked the [redacted]'s to indicate the items that they would need immediately and things that they didn't need would go on the second truck which would be loaded the following day. Allen, our driver, loaded as much as he could on the first truck and when he saw that there was going to be an overflow, we sent the second truck (which was the following morning). The second shipment was held at our warehouse until after the labor day holiday because all vehicles that are permitted to go Interstate, were in use because of the rush to get people moved before Labor Day, but we did get it to the [redacted] as quickly as we could.

Mrs. [redacted] stated in her complaint letter that I would not return her calls but she also states that I lied and demanded her to give me the other estimates that she had received. Both can't be true....I did speak to Mrs [redacted], who was pressing me for an immediate answer as to when we would be able to deliver it, and I needed to be able to look at our schedule to see when we would have a qualified driver and truck that would be able to do this. Since the New Castle office handled her move and her driver took the overflow to New Castle, I needed to get with the manager there to see the soonest that it would be possible. There was no "cleaning up", we were just trying to provide her with accurate information instead of guessing. As far as the comment that I demanded that she turn over the estimate to me----that is a fabrication. During our conversation, I was trying to acquire information that would tell me why this estimate was off. I asked if they had received other estimates and were the weights similar. The reason for the question is that if the estimated weights were the same, then all three salepeople were given similar information as to what was to be included in the inventory as going. She reluctantly confirmed that the estimates were very close but did not want to disclose this and became defensive but I never demanded that to even see these estimates let alone have them turned over to me.

Regardless, when the New Castle manager contacted Mrs. [redacted], he informed her of the total cost of the move. We charged her credit card for the estimate plus 10% and included the origin third party charges, which unfortunately, it was too late to cancel and reissue as COD (so we were responsible for them as well). The third party company was advised that the destination services were to be COD to the [redacted] (which, had we known that this would be a COD move, all third party costs would have been COD to them. When they discussed the total invoice, Mrs. [redacted] gave our manger in New Castle authorization to process the balance owed on her credit card, which he did.

I am sorry that there was so much confusion on this move which created a domino effect, in that the weight ballooned due to the overage in cartons, so a truck that would hold the amount of volume that was estimated was sent. This increased the cost and required a second truck to be necessary. All factors caused a great deal of stress which was unfortunate but I think that the customer has to be held partially responsible because of this increase. We will not refund the $134.42 for the destination third party services that the [redacted] paid for because we didn't charge them for the destination services. They paid the third party company direct for services rendered at destination and the only third party services that were included in our cost were the origin charges which we were billed for.

Again, the [redacted] were asked to tell their driver which items they could live without so that these items could be part of the overflow truck. The fact that they had to purchase items should not have happend since these were items that they could live without. Since the driver is paid the largest percentage of the move, because he does the physical labor, it is only fair that he be compensated for the work that he has done. Again, I do apologize but honestly don't feel that it was [redacted]'s error. We provided a good driver and crew and did the best that we could to get their shipment to them in a timely manner.

Respectfully,

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

1) Mr. [redacted]'s company agreed to pay a specific amount. When [redacted] came to the house, I clearly said that we had a stipend and that either we would pay direct or the company would pay but we needed the estimate first and foremost prior. We had an allowance. I specifically did not tell Mr. [redacted] what that was because I did not want it to be assumed and the estimate to be equal/greater than that amount.

2) When Mr. [redacted] came out to review the house, the only subject for debate was the TV & Glass table crating. We asked for this to be line item on the estimate as we did not know how much the full move would be. Regardless of a vacation... we would NEVER wean out over 5,000 lbs of additional items. That is absurd and a weak attempt for an explanation. Again within 10 min of the movers arriving they knew the truck would not hold the contents of our home.

3) Mr. [redacted]'s company tried to read thru the estimate when it was recieved. The 2 original documents previously attached never matched - The company called to get clarity prior to the move but they did not get a clear answer either, despite Mr. [redacted] alerting Mr. [redacted] that we did in fact want the 3rd party services for the tvs/tabletop. It was at that point, the company asked us to pay out of pocket and get reimbursed because Allegheny Valley Transfer could not provide 1 document that matched and was clear on the final cost.

4) Communication was awful! We did not recieve the initial paperwork to sign off until 3-4 days prior to the move. Mr. [redacted] NEVER explained the differences between a company pay vs private pay. Nor did he ever offer alternative contracts (binding vs nonbinding). We were told on Fri 9/23 that she would make sure the 3rd party was sent... she did not explain the situation and said they were still being sent. We as customer had to call the following day and was told by the 3rd party that it was cancelled and had to pay COD. No one from Alleg Valley/Apollo called to inform us of this change -- despite us having to pay twice as our credit card was already charged on Fri 8/23 for 110% of the shipment (including the 3rd party services). ALSO, I had to call again on Mon 9/26 at 10:30am after being promised that I would recieve a call first thing with a final delivery date of the 2nd truck. I was passed off to the New Castle (Apollo) office who managed the situation thru final delivery. And yes, she did demand to know what other estimators provided. It did not and would not change the situation at hand - which was that Mr. [redacted] caused this snowball and Alleg Valley Transfer as a company never once attempted to work with me as a customer, never called to explain the situation nore was proactive about remediating it. I had to call and get answers. I don't care who pays for a move. This is someone's life on a truck. Even if this was free, I'd have the same issues. I don't just chalk it up to a company pay. No one person/company should be given the run around like we did.

5) Payment - I was told several times that the 110% of original estimate was charged and that I would receive a bill (which I could dispute) for the balance. The day of the 2nd delivery 9/3 - 11 days later, my credit card was charged the balance... which again never matched what was send to me on Fri 8/23. Regardless of the weight estimate, I had to request a line itemed bill - which the 3rd party charges were conveniently different than originally estimated. The company that was paying for this move was unable to clear the payment because the estimates were all different. When I called to get clarity even the mgr of the New Castle location needed to dig further. When I sent the paperwork to Allied Corporate - even they can't understand the various charges. They've had it for 2+ weeks and are still sifting thru the paperwork.

All in all - this office never explained any details, was not at all customer friendly in any regard outside of the gentlemen that actually packed and delivered the truck, and frankly gave me the run around. I will never recommend this company to anyone and will do my best to inform several sites ([redacted], [redacted], [redacted], Revdex.com, etc) about this company's lack of communication, respect and customer service.

Regards,

Review: I moved on July 29. I hired Allegheny Valley Transfer Company. I purchased the full price insurance policy the company offered. The moving men broke into pieces several items. The company is giving me trouble about my reimbursement. The company want receipts for every item. When moving I was the only person there who was there as the mover brought in my furniture. The men had took things all over the house. The men stated that if I would inspect everypiece of furniture throughly during delivery I would be charged as the men sat and waited for me. My complaint is that purchaser beware of the insurance one purchases for a hefty amount. The company still gives the client a very difficult time in retreiving any monetary means for the furniture broken by the company.Desired Settlement: I would like a full reburiment for my things damaged. The men brought my washer in without me knowing, it as well was dented and marked.

Business

Response:

The following is our response to ID# [redacted]:

'I purchased the full price insurance

policy the company offered'

Ms. [redacted] purchased valuation in the

amount of $59,700.00 for Full

Replacement coverage based on a minimum requirement of $6.00 per pound

(estimated weight - 9950 lbs.). She

indicated on the returned Statement of Claim form that the actual cash value of

her shipment was $75,000.00.

'The moving men broke into pieces

several items'

There were notations made on the

delivery paperwork of a broken lamp, scratched headboard, nicked dresser (2nd

BR), scratched dresser (mbr), and a nicked armoire.

'The company is giving me trouble

about my reimbursement.'

Statement of Claim was returned

claiming damage to a Floor lamp, Oriental Hand Painted Governor Winthrop Desk,

High Lacquer Mahogany Dresser, Washing Machine, and Metal Shelving.

In a conversation with Ms. [redacted] it

was explained that some of the damage (ex. washer ) was not notated at the time

of delivery. She indicated that she

didn't notate anything that it was the driver that made the notations. We are in agreement as it is the driver's

handwriting, but she had signed off with

her signature to the notations.

In conversation with the driver, he

took numerous pictures. The damage to

the washer and dresser were pre-existing, he took pictures and also had brought

the damage to the attention of Ms. [redacted] at the time of loading.

'The company want receipts for every

item'

We have not asked for receipts on

every item. We have asked for a receipt

or some sort of supporting documentation for the floor lamp. Ms. [redacted] had indicated on the Statement of

Claim that it was purchased in 2006 at a cost of $650.00 and the claimed amount

is $650.00. In conversation, Ms. [redacted]

indicated that she paid $400.00 for the lamp.

The local inspection/repair company

that was sent to Ms. [redacted] home, researched and was unable to find anything

to determine the value for the lamp.

There are no markings or manufacturer information on the lamp.

' When moving I was the only person

there who was there as the mover brought in my furniture. The men had took

things all over the house. The men stated that if I would inspect everypiece of

furniture throughly during delivery I would be charged as the men sat and

waited for me.'

The men are going to be taking

'things all over the house' . They will

being putting kitchen items in the kitchen, living room items in the living

room, and so forth. Local moves are done

on an hourly basis - the customer does pay for the time that the men are on the

job.

The driver stated that Ms. [redacted]

was the only person present at the time of loading, but that she did have another

person present with her at the time of unloading. He was not sure of the relationship of the

female to Ms. [redacted], but there was a second person present.

There were 3 men (the driver & two laborers) on Ms. [redacted]'s

move. The driver stated that one (1)

laborer pretty much brought in boxes only and that he and the other laborer

brought in the furniture.

Ms. [redacted] received a copy of

'Information for Shippers' (signed as

being received 7/21 1:16pm)

On the Information for Shippers under

PROOF OF DAMAGE/RECEIPT - .... Before signing, be sure all damage and any lost

articles are noted on the receipt or inventory.

If the driver will not make such notation, make them yourself before

signing.

In addition; at the time of the move, we have an additional

form that is used along with the Bill of Lading - under DAMAGE AND/OR LOST ARTICLES: Do not sign any delivery paperwork before

delivery is completed. When you sign the

delivery receipt, you accept your goods in apparent good condition, except as

noted on the receipt. This section is

highlighted in yellow. Ms. [redacted] signed the form and signed each comment area.

We have the inspection & estimate

from West Interior Services , Inc. and are waiting for documentation from Ms.

[redacted] for the floor lamp. Ms. [redacted]

faxed a copy of a receipt 10/16/14. The

receipt was not legible. Ms. [redacted] was

called and asked to mail a copy. She

said that she'd bring a copy on Saturday, 10/18/14. She was advised that we are open until

12noon.

Once we have all the necessary

information, we will review all documents for her move and determine our course

of action.

Copies of paperwork related to Ms. [redacted] is attached.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

Review: they were an hour late; their driver walked off the job; informed that tractor trailer could fit in our driveway (we told the owner Mary that it could not) she charged us extra for shuttle and then refunded extra charge back to us after numerous calls to her regarding her judgement error. Her driver of the tractor trailer was furious that tractor trailer could not fit and told us that he has no communication with Mary it all goes through dispatcher? We had movers here at 9:30 am--the bulk of moving did not start until after 1 pm. My husband and I had not only pay a moving company but do/help the crew finish the job by 9pm for our closing in the am (and new owner walk through) my husband and I and my sister n law moved boxes for 6 hours. My husband never stopped for 6 hours. We called Mary about all the problems and she never returned a phone call until 3:30 pm and basically did not care what her crew did or how aggressive her crew leader/truck driver was. It was a nightmare.

Our stuff went storage and she never informed us that it would not be covered with insurance at the time prior to the actual move (discussed with with Mary prior to the actual moving day). Our stuff 48+ items were broken and most furniture was scratched. We called Mary and her response is we are not liable. The owner of the storage unit was shocked how mary's company loaded our furniture and boxes into storage. They hired a local crew to load from tractor trailer to storage units and the truck driver/superviser went to sleep in his truck and never supervised anything. My husband repeatedly told the local hired crew to not stack boxes that are have on fragile stuff. Their response was "I am packing it like it was my stuff." numerous broken serving dishes, statues, glasses, dishes., candlesticks. The owner of storage units could not believe much broken items we had.

The owner, Mary said she represents [redacted] Moving Company, however her paperwork is not registered with [redacted] Moving company.Desired Settlement: Everything that Mary told us from the beginning was not true. Her bid was 6500.00 she charged us 9700.00.

Her driver would not unload our stuff and a money order was written for the full amount of 9700.00. Meanwhile the contract say we were only obligated to pay estimated cost at time of delivery and the rest due could be paid within 15 days. After numerous calls to her she gave us 1300.00 for her error of stating a tractor trailer would fit in our driveway. She never refunded us or adjusted bill for the chaos that ensued with her driver walking off job and pushing our times off. We stayed up until 3 am to clean up and get ready for walk through with new owner in am. My husband and I worked for 6 hours loading boxes because the crew would not have gotten the job done on time. It was a nightmare.

She refused to compensate us for any broken dishes or items.

Business

Response:

[redacted]'s mother, [redacted], had phoned to ask me to come to her home to do an estimate for her move to [redacted]. While I was finishing her survey, [redacted] dropped by and was introduced to me. She explained that she also would be moving and wondered if I had time to do a survey for her move. It was late afternoon, but I responded that I would be happy to do this. [redacted] took me through her home quickly and we did an inventory of what she felt would be moving. There were a couple of places (the attic in the ceiling and a couple of outside rooms in the rear of the house) that were inaccessible. I asked her to give me an educated guess as to what they would move from these areas, explaining that her move, unlike her mother's was an intrastate move, which meant that the final cost would be based on the ACTUAL weight that was shipped and actual services rendered so it would be better to estimate high rather than provide a low estimate since she would be paying based on ACTUAL weight shipped. She said that she understood that they would be paying based on the actual weight. She didn't remember how much was in these areas but did her best to give me an idea. There were significantly more items shipped than what we had listed on the inventory so the weight increased which caused the cost to increaseHer home was adjacent to her mother's home but access to it was on another street. Her mother's home clearly required a shuttle because it was uphill and windy. [redacted]'s driveway seemed more level and I felt that a tractor trailer would be able to get up her driveway or at the very least, park on the street in front of her home. My mistake was that I should have driven around to the driveway to make sure that the road was accessible but I assumed that it wouldn't be a problem. I was wrong. The driver who was assigned to move them had a tractor trailer with low belly boxes. This made it so that he couldn't make it up the driveway without bottoming out. He tried to park on the street and was told by the police that he had to move. The driver had to rent a small truck and shuttle all of [redacted]'s belongings to the tractor trailer so he explained that there would be a shuttle charge.With this information, they started to argue and continued bickering throughout the move. One of their disputes involved the packing. [redacted] told me that in order to save money, they would do all of their own packing. When the driver arrived, she had lamps with attached lamp shades and expected him to take them as they were. She stated that I had told her that they would do this. That was absolutely untrue! I mentioned that EVERYTHING had to be in boxes for the driver to take it. The driver told her that he knew that this is not something that I would say and it infuriated her. I truly think that they were overwhelmed with the amount of packing and couldn't get it done. After this, [redacted] ordered the driver off of her property and phoned our office to say that she didn't want him on her property. The driver then stayed in the trailer and loaded her shipment as it was brought down in the shuttle trucks. He did not sleep in the truck nor did he leave her residence of his own accord.It is unfortunate that there was a huge personality conflict between the two of them which made the move more stressful than it needed to be. I think the conflict stemmed from the fact that her belongings needed to be shuttled and normally this is an additional cost.[redacted] stated that the driver said that he hasn't spoken to me in months. The driver isn't supposed to speak with me, he reports to his dispatcher who is hired to supervise the men, which is why the dispatcher attempted to handle this situation. After the driver loaded her shipment, I was off for a few days but, when I returned, I phoned [redacted], who complained about being charged for the shuttle and the additional weight. I acknowledged my responsibility in not checking out her street and told her that I would send a refund of $1,300 (the cost of the shuttle) to her. Meanwhile, we paid the driver to do the shuttle. She inquired about the additional weight and I told her that both weights were obtained from a certified weight scale, not affiliated with our company, and I had explained that if her shipment weighed more, she would be paying for the ACTUAL weight.A couple of weeks ago, I received a call from [redacted]'s husband who stated that they had several items broken and wanted to file a claim. As I have already mentioned, they packed their own belongings. When she told me that they planned to do this, I told her that, if they did this, these boxes would be marked PBO (packed by owner/contents unknown) and, if there was damage, the movers would not be responsible unless the outside of the boxes were damaged and they noted it on delivery. She seemed to understand but was trying to save money.Additionally, they sold their home without having another place to move into so they were going to store their belongings in a warehouse that was owned by someone her husband knew or worked with. During my visit to their residence, I told [redacted] that, if she did this, they needed to be present at delivery and would need to check everything off and indicate on the inventories if there was anything damaged. When a customer delivers into self storage, the mover's liability ends simply because the customer can move things around numerous times in an attempt to access things that they need while in storage. Also, we were not the company that delivered their belongings out of storage. If they had done what I told them to do, which is to check all of the furniture over at delivery, and noted it on the inventories, their valuation would have covered it. Since they didn't note any damage and their belongings was delivered by another party, we are not responsible for any damage. The fact that PBO's and shipments delivered into self storage are not covered, is not our company's rule, this pertains to EVERY moving company. Had we packed the breakables, we would have been responsible because it is our job to make sure that items are packed properly to prevent damage. Additionally, if this shipment was placed in an Allied facility, we would have been responsible because no one else would have touched their furniture.The driver tried to accommodate them by paying for additional labor at destination because [redacted] did not want him involved. However, with the additional labor, there should have been no reason that her husband had to work other than him wanting to get them out of there and get it over with. I asked the driver why he would stack boxes when he was asked not to. He said that they had rented a unit which was too small to accommodate their belongings and the movers were trying to fit it all in so that they wouldn't have to rent another unit. As it was, there was an overflow so they needed to rent another unit anyway.Everyone got off to a bad start and I don't think that there was a recovery. The driver that was assigned to this shipment is knowledgeable and has worked for several major movers but his PR skills weren't at their best. He has a low claims ratio and knows how to protect the customers belongings but is rather gruff in how he addresses people. Because of this, he is no longer employed by our company.We tried to be fair in assuming responsibility for the additional cost of the shuttle but I cannot refund money for the weight that was shipped. How the cost was calculated was explained at the time of the estimate and there were significantly more items than she had indicated were going.If you have any questions regarding this, please feel free to contact me.Best Regards,Mary

Review: We hired this company to move us a little less than 30 miles. The movers worked a total of 6 hours and vanished for 2 hours in between leaving our old residence and arriving at our new one. Due to this, we were charged for 8 1/2 hours (because of the 1 hour mandatory travel time listed in the contract). They said it was perfectly reasonable that they took over two hours to drive less than 30 miles, even though there were possibly a total of 3 red lights and a few stop signs. Then they claimed they were stuck in traffic, although my husband left at the exact same time and arrived at our new place in about 30 minutes and he said there was no traffic at the time. I called them repeatedly and sent numerous emails. A [redacted] finally responds to me and tells me to feel free to seek legal action, but that we will lose. This company is disreputable and will do nothing to remedy the situation. I wish I would have looked at this site before I chose them. I could have saved myself a lot of aggravation. Do yourself a favor and steer clear!Desired Settlement: I would like refund for the time the movers were most likely sitting in a restaurant eating a long lunch on our dime.

Business

Response:

To Whom It May Concern,

I have included three exhibits; one is an email dated Monday, May 12, 2014. I have circled the portion of the email that the salesperson, [redacted] sent to Mr. & Mrs. [redacted] which explains clearly how the move is calculated. It clearly states that the working time begins when the crew arrives at their residence and ends when the last piece of furniture is delivered to the new residence. On top of this "working time" is added a flat one hour travel time and a fuel surcharge, which together totals the amount due.

Our driver and crew loaded the [redacted] belongings from the Uptown region of Pittsburgh, started driving towards Irwin (which was the destination address), briefly stopped to pick up a sandwich at [redacted] and ate it on the way (for which they deducted one half hour) and then delivered their belongings. Picking up the sandwiches took no more than one half hour and it is over 21 miles driving distance, through traffic to [redacted]. I know that Mrs. [redacted] states that it only took her husband one half hour but he was in a car and knows the area. These men had to rely on GPS and a straight truck should not drive as fast as a car, simply because of safety. Believe me, if they could have gotten done sooner, they would rather be done with the job than to work an extra hour. Aside from this, there are more than just 3 red lights and a few stop signs in any 20+ mile distance.

The second document that I've included shows that Mr. [redacted] stated that the job was completed and nothing was damaged. No where did he indicate that he felt that they were being charged unfairly. No where did they dispute the time until after the move. As far as responding to their calls and emails. I have several pages of emails that I could forward to you where we had an ongoing discussion about their move.

Lastly, I am including a response that I sent to Mrs. [redacted]. We had tried to explain over and over to her how she was charged. She seemed to think that the hour travel time was to cover going from one residence to the next but I had tried to explain that this is not the travel time, it is still considered working time because officially they are still working on her job and that travel time is to cover them getting from our warehouse to the first residence and, after the move is done, from the new residence back to our warehouse. Truthfully, the travel time did not compensate them for the amount of time that it took them to get to the job and back. If you reasonably calculate the driving time, you will see what I mean. It certainly was more than an hour, despite the fact that they were only charged one hour.

Only when she stubbornly refused to understand what we ere trying to explain and threatened to see an attorney did I state in my email that she should do what she feels is best and if she did she would loose. I have signed documentation that verifies everything that I've said and all of the email exchanges.

I am very sorry that she is dissatisfied, but the crew did not take advantage of her and they deserve to be compensated for the time that they put into this job.

If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact me.

Best Regards,

[redacted]Allegheny Valley Transfer Co, Allied Van Lines

Consumer

Response:

Review: I called in March to get an estimate from this company in regards to our future move in July. I called early so I could get a good deal. The first appointment was made. The day of the appointment was rainy, but nothing to cause a car not to be able to get to the appointment. My appointment was canceled due to weather. The agent said it wasn't an emergency because my move wasn't until July. Only I had waited and taken time off to have him come. I rescheduled and they came out soon after that. I got the estimate and waited a month to make my decision as I had two other estimates. I then called and said I would like to go with their company for my move in July. I told them that I wanted to move on July 12th, but I still didn't know the address the move would go to. I did know the city, but we were still looking for a home. They said that wouldn't be a problem and to call when I knew the address. We found a home in June and I called to give the rest of the details. At this point I was told that the agent needed to call me back because he had to look over my file. I asked if their was a problem. He said there had been a price increase. What? That is why I went with them so early. He said he would call back that afternoon and he seemed to act like he had made a big mistake. He didn't get back to me when he said. Instead I waited a day worrying about what he would say. He called back and said that the price would need to be increased because it was now June. The whole reason for me getting the estimate so early was to lock in a good rate. I now am three weeks to my move and stuck going with a different company and starting the process all over. I could have continued with [redacted] at their higher price, but I don't trust them anymore. I am very disappointed. This has caused me anguish and I don't appreciate the dishonesty of this company. The specialists name was [redacted]. I would advise not contacting this company or agent for a move.Desired Settlement: We tried several times to call the parent company [redacted] and during normal business hours did not get through. We have yet to hear back from them.

Business

Response:

To whom it may concern,

I want to apologize that Mr. [redacted], our relocation specialist, had to postpone his initial appointment with Ms. [redacted] but, during the storm, a tree fell across his driveway, blocking his garage so he was unable to make the appointment until it was removed. He did, however, call to explain that he wouldn't be able to make it and asked to set up another appointment.

I am also sorry that there was a price increase which caused the cost of the move to escalate but we have no control over these factors. As you are aware, whenever an estimate is given, that price can change if too much time lapses between when the estimate is given and when the customer finally decides who they are moving with. This fact is the same for ANY moving company. It is not that Mr. [redacted] was trying to deceive Ms [redacted], but when the prices change, we must increase the estimate. Estimates are generally only good for 30 days and usually we will honor the price quote, even after 30 days, as long as the prices have not gone up.

It has been a long established fact that in the summer months the pricing goes up. Again, this fact applies to all movers. This customer had already been given a significant discount and when the prices increased, we had to increase the estimated cost but at least she was informed before the move was set up so that she could make an informed choice as to whether she wanted to go with our company or if she wanted to select another company. I don't think that Mr. [redacted] or anyone from our company was dishonest, it's a fact that increases do occur, when you have waited to make a decision, and when they do, you end up paying more. A prime example is when you call to get a price for an airline ticket---today's price may be totally different from a price that you obtain tomorrow. There are no guarantees that the price will be the same.

Again, we apologize for the increase but really had no control over when increases are made.

Best Regards,