Review :
A Russian Ripoff!:
Final results: The final costs was more than double the quote, the delivery was much later than was promised and they lost or stole every box that had anything of value in it and offered to pay me $200 in compensation if I would not complain on web or to BBB. If you want to wait up to two months to get your belongings, have anything of value lost and be lied to at every step, then this is the moving company for you!
We investigated multiple options for moving and the quote from Expert Van Lines was less than most and the reviews on most web sites were excellent. Was I mislead! They are actually Meridian International Movers and Express Relocation Systems which have TERRIBLE reviews. I dealt with the salesman Jay, who turned out to be the sleaziest, lying bastard I have ever did business with and he is not even an employee of the company, but a contractor in FL. He was always available till I signed the contract and then totally disappeared. I told him what I had and he underestimated the volume by over 50%, clearly underbidding all other bids in order to get the job. One stipulation I had was that the truck picking up the load would deliver it to Texas. He "guaranteed" that it would and that it would be delivering the belongings from Asheville, NC to Houston TX in 3 to 7 days. I was to later find out that he had arranged for my goods to be taken to Atlanta to be put in storage for 3 to 4 WEEKS while they waited for a family there to get ready to move to Texas and then they would combine our things on a single semi truck, take it to Texas and then off load their things and finally bring my belongings to my home. I initial agreement stated delivery in 7 to 15 days but the actual contract that I had to sign on their tiny cell phone using Adobe sign actually said "Standard Service period is up to a maximum of thirty business weekdays, not including storage time, beginning on the first date indicated as available for delivery" This means that they have over 6 weeks plus whatever time they chose to store your belongings to deliver your goods to your next location!!!! I had to sign this contract AFTER my goods were loaded and never allowed to see this contract till I started complaining that what Jay told me is not what was happening. Called bait and switch. We had to complete a contract and I was informed they only do electronic contracts which I could not read on the driver’s phone and I was not told what the contract said or allowed the time to read it and I could not possibly read it on a phone and then they demanded payment in cash. The driver used Adobe sign and took my first signature and used it to sign all the boxes for me so that I did not actually sign the contract at all. As they were leaving, they told me they were going to Atlanta to put my things in storage. HUH? They were supposed to be taking it to Houston.
I arrived in Houston 3 days later expecting to see the truck as they asked when I wanted it delivered and I said Thursday. When I called, they informed me that that was the first possible day and my things would be delivered in about 5 weeks based on the contract I signed and that they would not give me a copy of the contract. Again, nothing in paper, only electronic and not copied. After fighting with the company and owner for many hours, they agreed to send the goods earlier only after agreeing to pay an additional $1,000 expediency fee, but each promise was broken, communication minimal and I sat in an empty house with minimal clothes, missing medication The salesman, owner and staff in the office are the most disreputable people that exists. If you read their web site and reverse everything they say, you have the truth. They assured me that by paying the extra fee, that the truck would come to Houston with three loads on the truck and I would be the first unloaded. Another lie. Mike the driver was almost impossible to contact and made sure that I was the last to be unloaded at the end of Memorial Day weekend. If you hear these people in the Bellville office talking, then they are lying.
They had estimated my home for 1050 cubic feet and when they were done, it was 2,300 cubic feet!!!! How could it be so different? Read other reviews as this is their typical game.
Because they had to move my goods multiple times, my wardrobe boxes had all the hanging bars bent so that the clothes were all lying on the bottom, totally wrinkled. Wasted the effort and extra money for them because I used big boxes. Many boxes were crushed and busted. When I finally unpacked, I determined that every box that had anything of significant value was missing because I had written on the outside what was inside! All my woodworking tools, worth $thousands, gone! Computer stuff, gone! Kitchen tools, gone! Their answer, I should have insured it, tough! The moving crew told me they are all from Moscow area, including the semi driver. They even tried to give me a dresser that was not mine while not delivering many boxes that were mine. When I tried to make an inventory on delivery, they made sure I could not do it. These are clearly the most unethical people I have ever dealt with in my life.
If you trust this company to move your possessions, you are a total fool!