Tanner Van Lines, Inc.

Review: On July 14, 2014, I contracted with North American Tanner Van Lines to move my belongings out of my home at [redacted] to Tanner Van Lines storage facility on [redacted] At the end of the move-out process, the smaller moving truck being full, I witnessed the crew driver throw 4 hand trucks and some large heavy pieces of lumber up into the air, into the body of the truck, where the heavy items landed on my previously packed furnishings. I contacted Tanner Van Lines sales representative [redacted] and advised him of this occurrence and stated that I was very concerned about how my furniture would arrive in [redacted].

My belongings were taken to the Tanner Van Lines storage facility where they were apparently unpacked, unwrapped and stored until October, 2014. In selecting Tanner, I reasonably relied on the statement of the sales representative, [redacted], regarding the care and security my belongings would receive while in the possession of Tanner Van Lines.

Nevertheless, I did purchase full replacement valuation insurance coverage with no deductible up to $40,000 in value.

On October 16, 2014, I received my belongings via a Tanner Van Lines truck and crew from [redacted] at my new home in [redacted]. Immediately damaged items began to come off the truck and I began photographing these items. Most was furniture (not my packed boxes), and most had crush-type damage including broken frames of iron furniture, bent iron legs, smashed veneers, tops and legs broken completely off, etc.... In short, the damage was exactly what one would expect having witnessed what I witnessed occur, and reported, on July 14th. All of the original protective wrapping that had been placed on my belongings on July 14th had also been removed. Many of the original freight Bill of Lading stickers were missing, and within 24 hours, I determined that very significant items where also missing and notified Tanner Van Lines of such.

On October 20, 2014, I filled an insurance claim with the North American vendor who handles transport damage and loss claims for $3,841. I sent 12 photos with my mailed claim documenting the damages and a separate listing of the missing items.

On October 27, 2014 I received communication and confirmation that my claim was received and being processed. I was advised that my furniture would require further inspection and that a company 123 miles away had been selected to come and inspect. I have never heard from them.

Meanwhile, the claim documents advise me not to fix or mitigate the damage, nor replace the missing items. I am stuck with a mess, albeit completely documented and insured.

The damage caused by Tanner Van Lines cannot be repaired - old furnishings cannot be made whole by repairs, and I can't even do that. Ironically, one of the missing items that belonged to me and is now missing is one of the four hand trucks that were thrown up into the truck on July 14th.

Tanner Van Lines did not move my furniture with the care and security that was promised at the time of my decision to use them for my move. Instead, they willfully vandalized it, leaving me with a cumbersome insurance claim that seems will drag out for quite a while, and a large collection of unusable or missing items. They had the audacity, when advised of the damage on October 16th as the truck was being unloaded, to tell me to have "a nice day".

The public should be warned.Desired Settlement: Repair, restitution and replacement value for the lost and damaged items as soon as a check can be cut.

Business

Response:

We are very disappointed to hear that one of our customers’s had a negative experience with our company. We certainly can understand the disappointment of having some items damaged while in the care of a moving company as it is also a large disappointment to us as well. One of our top priorities is to minimize the risk for any damage on all shipments we service and we take many precautions to try to prevent this from occurring. Customer satisfaction is our number one goal and we take our customer’s feedback very seriously.

If we receive feedback that one of our crew member’s in any way is compromising the quality of service our customer’s deserve and/or not protecting our customer’s goods in a manner in which they are trained, we immediately address that issue with the crew involved. In this case our representative did take notes regarding our customer’s concerns at the time of loading and management was also made aware. These comments were also considered when management ultimately made the decision to terminate this driver who had been with our company for quite some time. It is important to note that anything less than excellent service in the eyes of our customer is considered a failure for us.

Also it is important to note – that despite our customer’s comments - none of their items were unwrapped or unpacked when they came into our storage. However they were unwrapped when they released out of our storage to the interstate shipment since it is industry best practice to check off the inventory numbers and note any exceptions to the condition of the items as they are released – which is another safeguard against loss/damage. The items are then re-wrapped with our line-haul trailer’s thick quilt moving pads for interstate transportation. While we take many precautions, measures, and time to protect furniture, and try to prevent damage from occurring on all of our shipments, unfortunately damage does sometimes occasionally occur in the moving and storage business. Although damage is never expected - the risk of it is higher the more a shipment is handled (such as a shipment tendered into storage and then released and trans-loaded for interstate transportation rather than a door-to-door direct move). Because damage does sometimes occur, there are certain procedures to follow when this happens to resolve the issue. It appears that the customer has gone through the proper procedures to file a claim with the appropriate claims department (North American Van Lines – as we are an interstate agent for NAVL and this shipment was hauled under their Bill of Lading).

Since the NAVL claims department is the claim handler and the claims experts they could probably better explain the complete claims process and the average time table to reach full and final settlement - however we have been in communication with them. They notified us of the few missing items by sending us a tracer request for these items. We were actually still in the process of tracing for these items when we received this Revdex.com message. The tracer request was initiated with us 10/28 – one day after they received the claim - and the customer filed this complaint with the Revdex.com 10/31) We have located the customer’s hand truck (which we believe the crew mistook for one of ours as it is the same style hand trucks as the ones we use) and we notified NAVL (SIRVA) claims of this. This shipment is covered under full replacement valuation as the customer stated and the claims department will settle the claim based on their selected and agreed upon coverage.

Obviously, there is a procedure when a full replacement claim is processed by any claim’s adjuster and one of the steps is to send out an independent furniture repair firm to determine whether the customer’s items can be repaired, the cost of such repairs and/or the replacement value of the furniture. This is done to substantiate the claim and so the claim can be settled correctly and in accordance with the customer’s selected valuation coverage. As should be expected - the claims process does take some time to gather all of the information needed to properly settle the claim and to do it justice. We believe that this complaint was submitted by the customer very pre-maturely since the claims department has not even been given a reasonable amount of time to process and settle the claim (i.e. only three business days from the date of this complaint). The customer’s Revdex.com resolution /desired settlement is what the claims department is working on this very moment – and we have no reason to believe that one of the largest household goods [redacted] in the world (North American Van Lines) would settle this claim in any other manner other than in accordance with Federal regulations via the customer’s selected valuation coverage, and do so in manner that is timely. Our reputation is very important to us and we would respectfully ask that this complaint be rescinded until the claims department is at least given the opportunity and time needed to resolve the issue.

Respectfully,

Consumer

Response:

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

As of 8pm on November 7th, I have not received any missing items from Tanner Van Lines, nor have I received any communication regarding any time frame or specifics for the return of missing items. Therefore, the missing items in my claim remain entirely missing and my claim for their loss is entirely unresolved.

Tanner Van Lines did not terminate the driver involved with the incident that I witnessed and reported in July. [redacted] advised that a subsequent complaint was filed by a separate customer in October and that "they needed to do something about this."

The damaged items in my claim were photographed by me as they were unloaded on October 16th, and these same photos were submitted with my claim as supporting documentation. As of yesterday, I was contacted by an independent claims company to perform an physical inspection of the photographed items, however, we were unable to schedule a time for this physical inspection as of this writing, and therefore no resolution has occurred with regard to the damaged items.

In summary, my claim for $3,841 remains entirely open and unresolved.

Regards,

Business

Response:

We are disappointed that our customer feels their complaint is unresolved even as the claims department is currently and actively working to settle this matter. We would politely ask they allow the time needed to properly process and settle their claim as they are entitled. The claims department and/or the claims adjuster is accessible to our customers via phone or email if they have any questions, need to check the status of their claim, or would like a time frame for settlement. Since it appears our customer would like a time frame for claim settlement but hasn’t reached out to them for this information – we happily contacted them to gather this information. We were told that on average the entire claims process takes 30-45 days total to gather all of the needed information and settle a Full Replacement claim. They also mentioned that a FRV claim cannot be settled until the furniture inspection is completed. A furniture inspection must be completed so that any damage, and/or the repair/replacement cost can substantiated. The timeliness of this is largely dependent on the claimant’s availability to allow the repair firm inspector to schedule and complete the inspection. While photos are helpful, we hope our customer understands the need for the items to be physically inspected so the damage can be accurately assessed. In regards to the missing items – the tracer request has been completed and the claims department will certainly address this issue with the claimant. We cannot specifically speak on their behalf as they are a separate company, but I’m sure they are working on determining what the most efficient resolution would be. For the record, we would also like to state that we can positively say that the driver in question (that the customer references) was definitely terminated and our customer’s comments were considered (proof of termination can be provided to the Revdex.com if necessary). In closing, we again send our sincerest apologies to our customer that their move was not without incident. As a reputable company we must have procedures and processes in place to resolve these types of issues. We sincerely regret that our customer has filed this complaint prior to giving the claims department adequate time to settle this claim according to standard claims procedure. We would respectfully ask that our customer be mindful that the claims process does take time in order to handle the claim with detail. We would greatly appreciate their patience and cooperation during this time so that we may resolve the issue and come to their desired resolution.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the latest response made by Tanner Van Lines in reference to complaint ID [redacted] for $3841 in lost and damaged belongings, which are insured at full replacement value.

I have determined that Tanner Van Line's response is not an accurate reflection of the facts as I know them, nor in any way does Tanner Van Line's response resolve my complaint.

For your reference, correct details of the status of my claim and complaint appear below.

The independent Claims Adjuster that was selected by North American Van Lines ([redacted]) did inspect the belongings in my claim that are not lost/missing on November 13th at 3pm.

At the conclusion of his inspection, I asked him what the time-table was for response to my claim with Tanner Van Lines/North American.

[redacted], the claims adjuster selected by North American, advised me that his report would take about 1 1/2 to 2 weeks to get to the claims representative associated with North American, and that I could expect to wait another 2 1/2 to 3 weeks after that to hear back from them.

In total, I have at least another 30 days to await a response (not resolution) to my claim for lost and damaged items.

Regards,

Consumer

Response:

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

[Provide details of why you are not satisfied with this resolution.]

Regards,

The customer contacted the Revdex.com and said that this is still on going and the business has not addressed a single issue since this complaint has been filed.

Business

Response:

We will first provide an update with what has transpired since our last Revdex.com communication – The claims department has been in ongoing communication with the claimant according to email records and we are also happy to report that several of the few missing items mentioned previously were located and delivered to the customer 12/5/14 which can be confirmed via [redacted] tracking number [redacted]. It took a few days for the claims adjuster to confirm delivery of these items and adjust/remove these items from the claim (since they were no longer missing). We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused but our hope is that our customer is pleased that these items were located and returned. We also reached out directly to our customer's claim adjuster to check the status of her claim. The adjuster informed us that the settlement letter (which explains the details of the settlement) was mailed out on 12/15/14. She also mentioned the accounting department sent the settlement check separately. All items determined by an independent furniture inspector to be new transit related damage/loss (and/or carrier liability), were settled based on the customer's selected valuation coverage (Full replacement protection) and in accordance to all applicable cargo claim guidelines/regulations. We previously reported that we were informed by the claims department that the average time to process a claim was 30-45days. Our customers claim was processed in 49 days (i.e. from the time that the claim was received by the claims department, to the time the settlement was mailed out). We regret that our customer's claim took a few days longer than average, but sometimes claims do take a little longer to adjudicate correctly – especially since every claim has different variables involved.Despite the most recent statement made by our customer - we feel we have addressed every issue brought up since this complaint was originally filed. We also feel that we have worked diligently to facilitate and accommodate the desired settlement of the complainant – which we ensured from the beginning would be done all along - after the proper time was given to the claims department to process/settle the claim. We feel that we’ve worked hard throughout the entire move process to remain a valued service provider to our customer and have continued afterwards to try to salvage the relationship. We are troubled by this complaint and all the other misleading posts/reviews made online made by this customer - especially the multiple ones made in other people’s names via newly created website accounts. We are disappointed that our customer was not satisfied with our service but we have met all our contractual obligations, exercised extreme good faith in trying to address any and all concerns, and have maintained our integrity the entire time. We wish our customer the very best and regret they have expressed concern with a service they received from our company. Respectfully, Tanner Van Lines, Inc.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by Tanner Van Lines in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that the statements contained within their response have not as of 12/19 at 8:30pm occurred, and therefore, not resolved my complaint.

Subsequent to my latest phone conversation with Revdex.com personnel (who reached out to me), and without any prior communication from Tanner Van Lines or their claims vendor, I did receive a box from Tanner Van lines that contained my comforter set and 2 patio cushions. These items were valued on my claim at $427 (#323 comforter) and $212 for 4 patio cushions(#332). Forgiving the loss of 2 patio cushions (I had 4 and now have 2), the remaining amount of my claim for $3,946 would now be $3,307.To date, I have not received any itemized statement of claim valuation, nor have I received any check for compensation for my remaining losses and damage. Further, no one has ever contacted me to confirm what was contained in the box just received from Tanner Van Lines, nor confirmed what the outstanding lost and damaged items are. Based on Tanner Van Lines communication, this claim was closed without any communication or coordination with the customer.Most importantly, the alleged paperwork "mailed from claims on 12/15" has NOT been received, and the alleged check "sent separately from accounting" has NOT been received.So the clock, sadly, is still ticking on this claim.

Regards,

We were assigned this company by the government do our military move this past week. Movers showed up 6 hours late first day. Refused to show up the second day. We called and complained numerous times. Management couldn't get a hold of the drivers. The third day, movers showed up 3 hours late and ended up taking 17 hours to finish the job (12pm-5am)!!! Movers were completely inconsiderate and unapologetic. We were told by the guys that because they had issues w/management they were refusing to work. They would rather make their customers suffer than do their job! If I could negative 5 stars I would! The worst service I have ever received in my life. My husband and I felt very disrespected.

Oh, and another thing we discovered after they finished moving our stuff in today...one of the movers left a small bag of a suspicious white substance on the floor! Good thing my kids didn't pick it up!