Reliable Van & Storage Co. Inc.

What we believe was said was that a single point of contactat Reliable Van and Storage would be assigned to the shipper, and responsiblefor setting everything up. All the materials and the packing was done by us atReliable. We would never promise one agent to be responsible at the time of the survey,because we just don’t have that information so soon. We handle the vastmajority of our shipments covering 48 states. However, during the peak seasonit gets more and more difficult. Our salesmen made some mistakes due to his inexperience,but we feel some items were added due to the difference in the piece count,hence the signed change order form. The original amount had 178 items and endedup with 325. It is frowned upon for a driver to blame the crew for poorpacking, but it’s often done so the driver can get better quality scores. By nomeans are we saying we couldn’t have done a better job, but your claim is underreview with Allied, and we are getting it expedited. We apologize again for thestress and inconvenience this may have caused you and we will try and get this resolved as quickly as possible.

We are truly sorry for your unhappiness with your move. We have mailed out your check today for our responsibility. You should receive it very soon. The rest of your claim will be settled with the Van line and is in the process now. They will be taking care of the rest.

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
While I DO agree that I OK'd the excess inventory, and while I DO agree that the demeanor of the packing team was professional, courteous, and helpful, I cannot say that these items excuse the shambles of poor behavior, poor execution, and poor practice that this move was.Your salesman promised me that a Reliable staff member would be in charge of the actual move from packing to driving and unpacking, that no third party would be used and that my materials would be under the direct supervision of one team leader at all times.  This was clearly untrue because there were at least three parties involved in the move, and the loading team told me quite clearly that Reliable does not execute cross country moves on their own and will always broker out the moves.Your estimator also spent an hour in my house, taking inventory.  No items were hidden during that time, no items were added to the move and yet his estimate was 20% short.  This is an unacceptable margin of error, and an amature one as well.  In no industry is 20% excusable as a margin of error, and traditionally in quoting someone, 10% is the greatest permissible margin of error with any discrepancy between the 10% overage of the quote to be taken as a loss by the estimating party.The packing team was kind, helpful, and friendly.  They still didn't pack well, as I discovered.  Upon receiving my goods (finally.  in a third shipment) the DRIVER told me that certain items were not well packed, that broken things were due insufficient packaging and protection, and that my materials had been handled poorly.  I specifically schedules certain items to be packed by Allied professionals-- mirrors, printers, electronics, fragile, antique bookcases and sentimental framed items.  Almost half of what Allied/Reliable movers packed, broke in transit.  HALF.And yet none of this addresses: the late shipment; the multiple shipments; the missing items; the sloppy fashion in which my good were unloaded; the garbage left behind by your crew; the fact that the unloading crew did not bring any of their own tools and so had to use mine; the boxes the crew DROPPED in the middle of my floors and left, seemingly for dead or garbage pick up; the fact that furniture was left unassembled in piles around my house, shelving unit pieces scattered across floors and co-mingled with other bits of other furniture, couches left upturned in the middle of the hallway; the boxes clearly marked FRAGILE stacked under boxes marked HEAVY; the strap marks that cut half way through boxes marked FRAGILE or GLASS; the massive sway in my entertainment center because too many items were loaded on top of it during shipping; and a million other insults of sloppy work and broken goods.This move was a shambles, and a systemic failure for which not a single person has taken responsibility, or found any meaningful method of restitution.  AND I STILL DONT HAVE ALL OF MY STUFF.Awating your reply,
[redacted]

Again, we apologize for your unhappiness with your move. We are working diligently on getting your claim settled. We will be in touch with you regarding the rest of the claims process.

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
The company has failed to adequately and specifically address my prior points and isntead notes vague policies and supposedly industry standard practices. Of all of the items we listed as damaged, there was 100% agreement with the individual that was sent to assess damage and make repairs. Accordingly, there is no reason to believe that other claims are false. As previously stated regarding missing items, the homeowner has no way of knowing that all items are actually in the boxes during the delivery check; the delivery check only serves to demonstrate that the aggregate has been delivered. It is only possible to as for individual missing items during unpack. The company does not individually tag every single item in a move, so the delivery check is an inadequate means to assess for individual items.The damaged wireless storage unit was presented and the carrier disclaims liability due to no obvious external damage. Again, they fail to address the fact that the item was improperly packed, which led to the unit malfunctioning. The item was wrapped in a few pieces of paper and put into a box with a number of items, which is clearly inappropriate.
Regards,
[redacted]

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
The inventory and check sheet that was signed is flawed for several reasons:
1) It addresses only whether the boxes and large/inventoried items have been delivered.
2) It does not address whether or not all of the items are actually in the boxes. Accordingly, the items may have been misplaced or discarded by the crew during the packing process (i.e. they may never have been moved at all).
3) Inadequate time is given for the homeowner to actually perform a self-inventory; it is akin to demanding a signature under duress. We were under the impression that any items that were missing or damaged could be claimed through the insurance process as we began unpacking. Clearly this system is rigged to discourage and prevent claims regarding missing items, as we are allowed 9 months from move to make claims but only minutes post-delivery to note missing items from an entire household.
I maintain that the items noted in my prior correspondence with both the company and the Revdex.com are missing.
I further maintain that it is unsafe and unreasonable to ask anyone to store broken glass in any way, shape, form or container in their homes. I am appalled that the company would ask anyone to store broken glass due to the fact that it creates an obvious health and safety hazard.
Finally, I believe that the damage to the [redacted] is not exempted as claimed due to transportation conditions. The item would not have suffered the damage that it did had it been packaged properly. It was simply wrapped with a half dozen sheets of paper and thrown into a larger box. Bubble wrap and a separate box would have adequately protected the item and prevented its destruction.
Regards,
[redacted]

First we would like apologize for any unhappiness you had with your move, but
8.5pt; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">the inventories and check off sheet are witnessed by his signature acknowledging that all items were in fact received at delivery as a check off was done and the customer did not take any exceptions to any missing  items. As you know items of mechanical/electronic nature are excluded from carrier coverage as outlined on the reverse side of the Bill of Lading which is the contract with the carrier. Due to inherent vice, we are not responsible. Items of this nature have internal components that may loosened during transport which is from jostling in the van which is caused from road conditions which we have no control over and for these reasons is not included in carrier liability. The upfront paperwork advises the customer, as well as the claim form, to keep any and all items that are to be claimed as the claim will be voided for any item that is not available. Certainly Mr. [redacted] could have put the small items in a small carton up and away in his home until the claim was processed.

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
The inventory and check sheet that was signed is flawed for several reasons:1) It addresses only whether the boxes and large/inventoried items have been delivered.2) It does not address whether or not all of the items are actually in the boxes. Accordingly, the items may have been misplaced or discarded by the crew during the packing process (i.e. they may never have been moved at all).3) Inadequate time is given for the homeowner to actually perform a self-inventory; it is akin to demanding a signature under duress. We were under the impression that any items that were missing or damaged could be claimed through the insurance process as we began unpacking. Clearly this system is rigged to discourage and prevent claims regarding missing items, as we are allowed 9 months from move to make claims but only minutes post-delivery to note missing items from an entire household.I maintain that the items noted in my prior correspondence with both the company and the Revdex.com are missing.I further maintain that it is unsafe and unreasonable to ask anyone to store broken glass in any way, shape, form or container in their homes. I am appalled that the company would ask anyone to store broken glass due to the fact that it creates an obvious health and safety hazard.Finally, I believe that the damage to the [redacted] is not exempted as claimed due to transportation conditions. The item would not have suffered the damage that it did had it been packaged properly. It was simply wrapped with a half dozen sheets of paper and thrown into a larger box. Bubble wrap and a separate box would have adequately protected the item and prevented its destruction.
Regards,
[redacted]

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:1. It was dark when the crew finished unloading at storage unit and NOBODY could have seen the damage2. I did mention, several times, how fast the crew was moving in and out of the storage unit3. I did not discover the damage until late October, because I had not been to storage unit since the night of the move until late October. Nobody was in that storage unit - I was only one with a key, so nobody went in there and damaged the refrigerator.  Not surprisingly, I have since found a number of other items with damage, but clearly there is no point in filing a claim when dealing with a company like Reliable (quite a paradoxical name, to be sure).4. The company knew items were going to storage unit - they charged me extra for that - yet nobody made it clear that I had to note damage that night, in the dark, or give up my right to file a claim within the 9 month window. There was absolutely no reason then to purchase the insurance that [redacted] so strongly urged me to purchase.  Just additional revenue for Reliable.5. This company has not shown one ounce of good faith effort in resolving this, despite multiple issues throughout the process, all of which have been documented in emails. It is Reliable's word against mine, and sadly, I have learned the hard way that I made an extremely poor decision in selecting this company for my move. 
Regards,
[redacted]

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
The amount they are settling for is not satisfactory.  The boxes and furniture were not misdelivered to another floor.  They were left in an open hallway on another floor of the building.  We had to retrieve the heavy boxes and furniture items, including a steel bench, large arm chair, lamps and ottoman.  Movers had no idea where our belongings were.  If these items were not found, which was possible, they would have been liable for thousands of dollars to replace these items.  Settling for $300 is too minimal to compensate for what occurred.  We did 1/4 of the move ourselves and feel entitled to at least $1000 of the $6000 we paid for the move.  Response from COO regarding this claim were insensitive and dismissive: $300 or nothing.  Claims regarding broken items and damaged floors are still outstanding.
Regards,
[redacted]

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because: I expected your...

company to properly package and store my bed - you did neither and I demand a fair settlement - I will be filing with the Attorney Generals Office. This is no way to treat a customer that spent over $8,000 with your company.
Regards,
[redacted]

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:The company continues to deny responsibility for contractual assurances, and continues to deflect blame on subcontractors and other businesses, none of which are in a contractual relationship with me. In the end, I was charged an extra 40% on top of a guaranteed price because Reliable did not adhere to what they promised in the contract, and that money was collected using quasi-extortionist methods, namely by threating to not return my belongings to me otherwise. These are unacceptable, borderline fraudulent business practices.
Regards,
[redacted]

We apologize for any unhappiness you had with your move. You signed for the .60$ valuation (see attached) which is why you only got $294 dollars reimbursement, that was all the coverage you agreed to.

We are in the process of settling the claims for the items that were damaged and for the floors. Claim forms have been sent to the shipper last Thursday, March 24th and we have not received them back yet.
Unfortunately, our crew did make a mistake and deliver 12 boxes and 3 small pieces of...

furniture to the same apartment, one floor below in the shippers building. We did agree to compensate the shipper $300 in order to gather his goods from the 18th floor and bring them to the shippers floor.We feel confident we should be able to settle the claim for the damaged goods and the floors once  we receive the claims forms back.

We are never happy when we hear about a customer who hasdamages after a move. However in this circumstance, even though valuation (ECP)was taken, the item which is being claimed as being damaged was delivered to aself storage facility where the customer did not note the damage at time...

ofdelivery. Every customer is given “your rights and responsibilities” brochurewhere it indicates that the customer is responsible for inspecting items asthey are being delivered. Being the item was delivered to self storage ourresponsibility for any damages to any item ends being we are not sure whattakes place after the item has been delivered.  At no time was there mention to the crew chief that the crew was rushing to deliverthe goods. We have a very solid process in place where the move coordinatorreaches out to the customer multiple times a day to check the progress. If therewas mention of the crew rushing or performing inadequate services thecoordinator would have been informed and action would have taken place.

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because: I expected your company to...

properly package and store my bed - you did neither and I demand a fair settlement - I will be filing with the Attorney Generals Office. This is no way to treat a customer that spent over $8,000 with your company.
Regards,
[redacted]

Review: Reliable Van & Storage Company was the company responsible for moving my household items as part of a corporate funded move from Liverpool, NY to Penfield, NY (~80 miles) on June 9th and 10th. After the move was completed, I noticed that there was some minor damage on a few of the items that were moved and I was also missing a number of items. I contacted Reliable and was told to submit a claim, which I did. My claims totaled ~$600 for the missing items and damaged items. After approximately 30 days, I was told that my claim was denied.

They gave two reasons for denying the claim:

1. I didn't report the damaged items to the moving crew before they left after unloading the truck. This seems unreasonable to me, as everything was in boxes or wrapped up. It would be nearly impossible to go through everything in the two minutes that I had between them finishing unloading and them leaving.

2. They said it was my responsibility to make sure that nothing was left behind at my old house. This is very reasonable, but unfortunately the truck that the crew bought was not large enough (because of an inadequate pre-move household goods survey), so it required them to make an extra trip to the house to finish packing. They finished a day after the scheduled move (June 9th/10th) on June 11th. I had someone at the house on the 9th and 10th but had to work on the 11th and was not able to arrange to have someone at the house on the 11th because of the short notice in the change of schedule. I closed on the house the evening of the 11th, so I never had an opportunity to go back to the house to make sure that everything was actually packed. My assumption is that the missing items were left at the house. Based on the items I am missing, it appears as though they forgot to finish packing my laundry room and my utility room.Desired Settlement: I would like Reliable to share in the responsibilities of the missing items and at least partially approve my claim for missing and damaged items (50%-100% of the $600). Although it is true that I wasn't present to sign off on the shipment when they finished packing, it was due to their error in scheduling.

Business

Response:

It is part of our quality management program to provide

paperwork to all of our customers asking them to complete a thorough inspection

of the home before the departure of the crew in order to make sure there were

no damages during the move and that all items have been removed.

Since our customer signed off on this paperwork stating

no damages or anything left behind his claim had been denied.

However, we subsequently discussed with our customer the

circumstances and made a business decision to provide a financial reimbursement

which our customer found satisfactory. The customer emailed us that they would

contact the Revdex.com to withdraw their complaint.

Consumer

Response:

[redacted]

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

Regards,

Review: 1) Reliable Van & Storage, an agent of Allied Van Lines, first sold me services based on the promise of a single-party relocation service-- One team of relocation professionals would pack, load, ship and unload my household relocation. This was not true and the job was brokered to no less than three separate sub-contractors.

2) The original estimate was almost 25% below actual project cost

3) The shipment was four days later than promised by contract, and the first shipment was only 80% of relocated materials, with the remaining 20% to be delivered at an undisclosed date. Less than 24 hours notice was provided for the remaining two shipments over the following three weeks. Have still not yet received 10 boxes of household goods.

4) Household good were unloaded recklessly, with boxes marked "Fragile" stacked under boxes marked "Heavy;" furniture left unpacked but disassembled in a pile in the middle of the floor; refusal to fulfill contracted work of furniture placement and reassembly.

5) Boxes had clearly been crushed during transportation; strap marks cut nearly 50% through boxes, crushing and breaking contents within.

6) Items packed by relocation professionals (Reliable/Allied employees) at origin location, such as outdoor appliances, mirrors, printers, lamps, bookshelves, entertainment centers, large photo frames, etc destroyed during relocation because of poor packaging and insufficient protection.Desired Settlement: Refund cost of damaged items at replacement value, including antique and handcrafted item values. Remove approximated cost from sum total of relocation services invoice. Refund cost of missing items (books and kitchen/household small appliances).

Business

Response:

We are very sorry that the move did not go as planned. The reason the move ended up costing a little more than expected was because the day our estimator went to the residence the shipper and him spoke about shipping 178 items. When the driver came to load the shipment, after looking at the house hold goods, thought the estimate was incorrect. It ended up being 325 items and the shipper agreed. She also filled out and signed our paper working saying the crew was careful, fast, very professional, and she would recommend them to family and friends. As for the claim, it is being processed by Allied Van Lines and we will monitor the process to conclusion.

Consumer

Response:

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because:

While I DO agree that I OK'd the excess inventory, and while I DO agree that the demeanor of the packing team was professional, courteous, and helpful, I cannot say that these items excuse the shambles of poor behavior, poor execution, and poor practice that this move was.Your salesman promised me that a Reliable staff member would be in charge of the actual move from packing to driving and unpacking, that no third party would be used and that my materials would be under the direct supervision of one team leader at all times. This was clearly untrue because there were at least three parties involved in the move, and the loading team told me quite clearly that Reliable does not execute cross country moves on their own and will always broker out the moves.Your estimator also spent an hour in my house, taking inventory. No items were hidden during that time, no items were added to the move and yet his estimate was 20% short. This is an unacceptable margin of error, and an amature one as well. In no industry is 20% excusable as a margin of error, and traditionally in quoting someone, 10% is the greatest permissible margin of error with any discrepancy between the 10% overage of the quote to be taken as a loss by the estimating party.The packing team was kind, helpful, and friendly. They still didn't pack well, as I discovered. Upon receiving my goods (finally. in a third shipment) the DRIVER told me that certain items were not well packed, that broken things were due insufficient packaging and protection, and that my materials had been handled poorly. I specifically schedules certain items to be packed by Allied professionals-- mirrors, printers, electronics, fragile, antique bookcases and sentimental framed items. Almost half of what Allied/Reliable movers packed, broke in transit. HALF.And yet none of this addresses: the late shipment; the multiple shipments; the missing items; the sloppy fashion in which my good were unloaded; the garbage left behind by your crew; the fact that the unloading crew did not bring any of their own tools and so had to use mine; the boxes the crew DROPPED in the middle of my floors and left, seemingly for dead or garbage pick up; the fact that furniture was left unassembled in piles around my house, shelving unit pieces scattered across floors and co-mingled with other bits of other furniture, couches left upturned in the middle of the hallway; the boxes clearly marked FRAGILE stacked under boxes marked HEAVY; the strap marks that cut half way through boxes marked FRAGILE or GLASS; the massive sway in my entertainment center because too many items were loaded on top of it during shipping; and a million other insults of sloppy work and broken goods.This move was a shambles, and a systemic failure for which not a single person has taken responsibility, or found any meaningful method of restitution. AND I STILL DONT HAVE ALL OF MY STUFF.Awating your reply,

Business

Response:

What we believe was said was that a single point of contactat Reliable Van and Storage would be assigned to the shipper, and responsiblefor setting everything up. All the materials and the packing was done by us atReliable. We would never promise one agent to be responsible at the time of the survey,because we just don’t have that information so soon. We handle the vastmajority of our shipments covering 48 states. However, during the peak seasonit gets more and more difficult. Our salesmen made some mistakes due to his inexperience,but we feel some items were added due to the difference in the piece count,hence the signed change order form. The original amount had 178 items and endedup with 325. It is frowned upon for a driver to blame the crew for poorpacking, but it’s often done so the driver can get better quality scores. By nomeans are we saying we couldn’t have done a better job, but your claim is underreview with Allied, and we are getting it expedited. We apologize again for thestress and inconvenience this may have caused you and we will try and get this resolved as quickly as possible.

Review: Used Reliable for move from NJ to [redacted] Salesman urged me to purchase insurance - default coverage only 60 cents per pound. Purchased their "ECP" (Extra Care Protection) insurance - value $125,000, with a $0 deductible - cost $1,001. At time of the move, they knew there would be 2 stops - one at storage unit & one at my current home (I was charged for the additional stop), both in same town in [redacted] When they finished unloading at storage unit, it was dark & there are no lights there. Didn't go to storage unit - no need to - until late Oct to look for one item. At that time, noticed refrigerator had a large scratch on the side, down to bare metal. Contacted Reliable & they instructed me to file a claim, which I did on 11/7/14. Had purchased the refrigerator in Sep 2010 ($656.99) and because it was still in brand-new condition, with not a single mark on it, I paid to move it to use in the new house. The replacement cost of current comparable model is $944.47. After a month went by & I heard nothing, I emailed them to find out when I could expect to hear from them regarding my claim. They said they denied the claim since the item was in a storage unit and I could have gone in & out and damaged the refrigerator myself. You have 9 months to file claim, presumably to give you time to discover damage as you unpack & inspect items. Had refrigerator gone directly to my new house, to which I'd obviously have access, I would be going in & out and, by their logic, have the opportunity to damage the refrigerator myself. They stated they also checked with the driver & he confirmed there had been no damage. It would have been impossible to see damage in the dark, not to mention that they were moving so fast & recklessly, they weren't looking at anything! Now they're saying I had to note damage the night of the move, in the dark - yet you have 9 months to file claims, presumably to give you time to discover damage as you unpack and inspect items.Desired Settlement: Honor the claim for damage Reliable Van & Storage caused to my refrigerator and send a check for replacement cost ($944.47).

[Subsequently discovered damage to additional items, but have not filed claims since they will deny for same reasons provided on this claim.]

Business

Response:

We are never happy when we hear about a customer who hasdamages after a move. However in this circumstance, even though valuation (ECP)was taken, the item which is being claimed as being damaged was delivered to aself storage facility where the customer did not note the damage at time ofdelivery. Every customer is given “your rights and responsibilities” brochurewhere it indicates that the customer is responsible for inspecting items asthey are being delivered. Being the item was delivered to self storage ourresponsibility for any damages to any item ends being we are not sure whattakes place after the item has been delivered. At no time was there mention to the crew chief that the crew was rushing to deliverthe goods. We have a very solid process in place where the move coordinatorreaches out to the customer multiple times a day to check the progress. If therewas mention of the crew rushing or performing inadequate services thecoordinator would have been informed and action would have taken place.

Consumer

Response:

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because:1. It was dark when the crew finished unloading at storage unit and NOBODY could have seen the damage2. I did mention, several times, how fast the crew was moving in and out of the storage unit3. I did not discover the damage until late October, because I had not been to storage unit since the night of the move until late October. Nobody was in that storage unit - I was only one with a key, so nobody went in there and damaged the refrigerator. Not surprisingly, I have since found a number of other items with damage, but clearly there is no point in filing a claim when dealing with a company like Reliable (quite a paradoxical name, to be sure).4. The company knew items were going to storage unit - they charged me extra for that - yet nobody made it clear that I had to note damage that night, in the dark, or give up my right to file a claim within the 9 month window. There was absolutely no reason then to purchase the insurance that [redacted] so strongly urged me to purchase. Just additional revenue for Reliable.5. This company has not shown one ounce of good faith effort in resolving this, despite multiple issues throughout the process, all of which have been documented in emails. It is Reliable's word against mine, and sadly, I have learned the hard way that I made an extremely poor decision in selecting this company for my move.

Regards,