ComplaintsforAmerican Moving & Hauling, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  03/26/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I needed to move quickly from ********* on August 15, 2023 due to illness, I trusted American Movers hoping they would do the same quality job as a move two years ago and had them pack, move, and store my property while my house in ********************* *** was being renovated, completed in late September, 2023. They did extensive damage or lost many smaller items with a value of $5941. They also scratched and damaged multiple pieces of furniture which they have offered to have fixed, though they have not done so at the time of this complaint and the cost is unknown. However, they are now refusing to give me any compensation for the items even though I purchased $40,000 of replacement coverage. In October, they turned this claim over to a third party out of state who assured me they would compensate me fairly. One of American's agents came on October 11,2023 and again on March 11, 2024 to take photographs and inspect damage, He acknowledged the negligence of the moving crew in front of witnesses, though he now informs me he is no longer with the company. American Movers is claiming now they owe me nothing on the smaller objects because they claim the boxes were not damaged and their movers didn't pack the items that were broken, which is untrue. Three packers spent hours and I also have witnesses to this. They claim I didn't unpack boxes from two years ago when I did. They also claim I packed certain items myself, and while I acknowledge a few boxes coming from storage, due to a stroke I was in no condition to pack the items they packed. Further, I gave their third party additional pictures and a list of everything damaged or lost along with auction values of comparable unique items and offered to answer questions. None were asked or to no expert on historic NC, the bulk of damaged pieces, was consulted over months leading me to believe they never intended to compensate me and were/are taking advantage of my disability in not paying a claim. They are a shameful company.

  

  Business response

  03/29/2024

  We have been working diligently with ************ to resolve his claim. We are using a third party to help communicate with him about the damaged pieces. We have a furniture repair company going out to repair the furniture.
  There are many issues with the damaged items ************ is claiming. In the picture(s) items have been wrapped with bubble wrap, we do not use bubble wrap to pack our boxes. We use newsprint that has no print or writing on it. The other boxes are boxes that they purchased and packed before we arrived. The boxes used on the move in August of 2023 will have black writing on them. The boxes that look like those with blue writing would have been packed in a move prior to 2020. Picture 3603 shows a box that is not ours.Picture 3604 shows a box that we would have used prior to 2020, but both boxes in pictures 3603 and 3604 have the same handwriting that are also on the liquor boxes that we did not pack. Picture 3618 shows the liquor boxes and handwriting.Picture 3620 show boxes that arent ours. There is one box in the picture that is ours, but it is from a move prior to 2020. It was not packed by us for the August 2023 move. The tape used is clear, our tape has been brown since 2005. (Pictures 3603 and 3604 were unable to be uploaded due to space.)
  None of his boxes are damaged. Under NC moving guidelines,if we didnt pack the box and there is no visible damage to the box, the damage is a result of the quality of packing, not the move.
  You may choose to pack some or all boxes yourself. However,movers are not liable for any damages to items you pack unless there is external damage to the box and an inspection is done at delivery. (Page 9, Moving 101 Brochure)
  
  We will continue to work with ************ to resolve the damage that we are liable for. The time it takes for our repair company to get to him is out of our control. We hope to have this completed soon. 

  Customer response

  04/12/2024

   I am rejecting this response because: their response continues to be unsatisfactory. This message is the first I have received from Ms. **** the owner, though I have requested to speak to her a number of times. She is still free to do so but this lack of direct contact is hardly indicative of a sincere attempt on her part to resolve this claim. Instead, American Movers has used delaying tactics for months now in a false "process" with a "third party" apparently hoping that I will either give up on my claim or confusing what they packed verses what boxes I have acknowledged were in storage. They also questioned the value of my items confirmed by recent auction prices as another (false) justification for them giving me nothing for obvious damages. None of what Ms. *** wrote was mentioned in September when I was led to believe by her staff that they would settle this damage fairly. Their evidence of selected pictures is overwhelmed by the damage to 13 pieces of furniture (which is impossible for them to deny) and their charges to my employer for a crew of five packing agents on August 14, 2023 for more than half a day, not to mention charging for plenty of boxes and packing materials. To say they didn't pack damaged items or that boxes they provided are outdated ones is untrue. What were they doing for all that time, if not using their own boxes and packing? It's also not true that boxes themselves were not damaged. Not only did they damage items they packed but are guilty of gross negligence in the handling of all my items considering the scale of the damage, more than 30 items beyond furniture, some not even reported. All but one of these were damaged so badly they cannot be repaired; it wasn't damage but destruction. Their estimator was aware that I had many fragile items and apparently did not provide a proper crew for that accordingly. They also failed to inspect any boxes afterward, failing to open any of the boxes they delivered. Their crew that day nearly turned their truck over getting in the driveway and left as soon as possible, not even properly assembling beds and other items. In addition, they did not acknowledge two lost or stolen items, one of which was in an open box. My employer paid them for $40,000 of replacement coverage. which they have not honored though they charged for it. While a furniture repair service has finally been scheduled 7 months after the damage, they still owe me a conservative estimate of $5,682 to replace damaged items, $125 for missing items, and $134 for the one item which can be repaired (and they insisted I not get repaired while they "investigate.") I was also not given disclosure information, nor did I sign for it. Their own employee who took those pictures did not open any of the boxes at the time. He is no longer employed by them according to him but while he was there acknowledged the negligence of that particular crew saying they have been dismissed or reassigned to other groups. American Movers is still liable for their negligence, and I have given them plenty of time and opportunity to settle this claim. I relied on an outstanding move two years prior with a different crew which I was told is no longer there, and their boast of quality service, social ethics and supposedly satisfied customers. They have shown me any of that with this move, and this complaint remains an open matter.
  
  
  

  

  Business response

  05/03/2024

  See attached

  Customer response

  05/06/2024

   I am rejecting this response because: Ms. ***** response involves inaccuracies and outright untruths.

  -American Moving and Hauling, like all moving companies must receive a claim from the customer before we can begin processing the claim.

  This was submitted December 15, 2023 to *********************** via email and the spreadsheet attached was exactly what she asked for. 

  -It is also within our legal rights to use a third-party company to process claims.Focus Moving Solutions handles claims for moving companies all over the nation.

  I followed their instructions and now you are denying that I did. There is a similar complaint about Focus Moving Solutions in a negative review of your business from a year ago and a response where you promised to use a different third party. You've clearly used them for delaying and now denying purposes. An ethical business does not need a third party, this could have and should have been resolved months ago. You have still refused to speak with me, apologize for your company's negligence, and negotiate any fair settlement.

  -It took months to hear back from ************ about the damage,

  Completely false and I have the emails to prove this. i contacted your company immediately. Yes, it took time to open all the boxes because your movers offered no assistance and left everything unorganized which I have pictures of. At the time. I'd recently had a stroke and it took time to open everything which your staff was well aware of and verbally granted me.

  -once we did, he expected us to make the claim for him.

  I did everything ****************** asked, compiling a detailed spreadsheet with replacement values.

  -As a curtsey we tried to help take some pictures, but ultimately this was his task to complete.

  I've got plenty of my own pictures and repeatedly asked if there was anything else I needed to provide but was told by ****************** she had everything she needed.

  -Focus Moving Solutions walked ************ through the claims process.

  Apparently not. Have you ever read Catch-22? No matter what, it appears from this correspondance you were not going to honor your responsibility from the beginning. 

  -The items that ************ said were replacement pieces did not match what was damaged.

  So you did receive the claim you now say you didn't. Some matched, others are unique items with comparable recent auction values. You knew many of my items were antique/historic items and failed to use care or an adequate crew for the task.

  -This slowed the process considerably.

  You slowed the process to make determining what you packed verses what we did more difficult. I know your game; it is called running out the clock.

  -**** at Focus Moving Solutions had a hard time communicating with ************ because his responses were delayed and not always about what she needed from him.

  I have emails that prove this to be completely false. I never failed to communicate quickly on anything she asked for, which was only on one object.

  -**** then asked if we would communicate with him because she wasnt able to make any progress with him and his claim.

  I was never informed of this by her or you. Now she's probably asking for you to respond because I have filed a complaint against her with the Illinois ************************* and will likely be adding some of these details here and all of her correspondence to the complaint.
  
  -The furniture repairs took seven months because we only had the completed claim a couple of months. Then the furniture repair company had about a month wait before they could get his repairs.

  So far, I give credit where credit is due, **************** is an excellent wood repairer with a good reputation from a fellow acquaintance.  He isn't finished but I trust him to do a good job with what he has left to do and understand this takes time. Count this as resolved with my thanks.

  -We packed some items for this move.

  You packed most items for this move. Five crew were billed for half a day and all the boxes you used are on the invoice.

  I acknowledged that there were some of these. Ny mother values my objects, they were packed correctly. If anything was damaged from these, I am not aware of it.

  -Because we did not pack these boxes and there is no visible damage to the box, we are not liable for the damage to the items in the box.

  This gives you the perfect excuse not to take any responsibility for the clear negligence of your packing and moving crew.

  -This comes from the Moving 101 Brochure, page nine, in the Packing Day section. ************ is familiar with our style of moving because we didnt open boxes at the completion of the last move. So, we have no reason to open them on this move either because there was no visible damage to the boxes.

  I didn't open boxes immediately because I physically could not and trusted I didn't need to. My last move was a perfect move. I asked for the same crew but I was informed that crew is gone. You'll find no complaint from then and I trusted your firm to deliver the same quality again. It is why I recommended you to others and trusted only you to move me again. That trust has been entirely damaged, not only did your packers and movers destroy 30+ smaller objects but scratched/damaged ********************************** stole two. Sounds like gross negligence to me and you've done everything you can to avoid responsibility.

  -We asked for the pictures of the boxes that each damaged item was in.

  No you didn't. You sent your manager out and said you had what you needed.

  -The pictures that were supplied do not show damaged boxes. ************ did get Full Protection however, because we didnt pack the boxes and they werent damaged, full protection will not apply.

  You did pack boxes that were damaged and know you did.

  -There were several attachments with the original estimate that included the Moving 101 Brochure. I have the signed paperwork from the day of each move. I also have a breakdown of the boxes that we packed for this move.

  *****I have no memory of signing anything August 15, nor do two people who were with me all day, nor does my mother remember signing anything in September. Our signatures and initials look nothing like the documents you claim we signed. In case you want to blame my stroke for that, I have a copy of a check to someone with my signature the same week. It does not match.
  
  -We will reimburse ************ for the missing ladder. The amount claimed is $50.00. We will send a check for this once ************ has signed and return the claim synopsis to Focus Moving Solutions.

  Again, proof that you've certainly seen this claim. But there is also a missing office chair valued at $75, $125 total owed for those. And I have already submitted a synopsis, which you seem to be aware of.

  -With the check for the ladder, we have satisfied our legal obligations. 

  Thats your opinion on the legal obligation: My property was handled negligently, neither I (and two witnesses who were by my side and will testify they didn't see me sign anything), nor my mother remember signing anything in August or September and the initials and signatures very obviously look nothing like ours, and now you are claiming I didn't communicate when I have a stack of emails that are dated which say otherwise--these matters have not been satisfied. Nonetheless. I'd like to come to a settlement, avoid court, and be done with filing complaints. My offer to talk (civilly) still stands. That is up to you.

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  06/23/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  The company damaged my property during a move and at this time they have not been able to provide adequate fixes to all of the damage done. The primary item in question is my daughters crib from ******* ***** There was an attempt to have it repaired, but the work done was subpar. When I requested a replacement part ordered I was told they needed an order #, SKU # and the phone number used to order the crib from ******* ***** I do not have this information and was told by AMH “…If you do not have a paper receipt or emailed one, maybe you should be able to call and give them your information or the credit card information you used to purchase the item. This is as far as we can go without this information.” When I called ******* **** I was told this information is not required and they can get a parts order request submitted. Following up with AMH with this information I was told “…Since you spoke with them and received a more favorable response, you're more than welcome to order the specific part, and we would be more than happy to reimburse you once the invoice is sent over...” I would like the company to take responsibility for the damages they have done and work with the company the crib came from to have a replacement part ordered. I should not have to spend my time on something they should be responsible for fixing There are other items damages, the floor in our old house, missing nut to a bed frame and damaged hutch door, but those tentatively have repair dates. If not resolved I will add additional notes to this case.

  

  Business response

  08/28/2023

  Thank you, *******.

   

  Response- Repairs and product delivery takes time. All issues with Mr. ****** have been remedied. 

   

   

  Amy 

  Sent from my iPhone

• Initial Complaint

  04/05/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I booked this company for April 1st . I was told one thing and the opposite showed up. I was told 3 movers but it was really 2 and all three were terrible. I waisted 90 minutes being explained why my dishes were broken and unneeded comments and aggressive behavior from the beginning to the end of the move. The movers stacked about 10 boxes of glass/ be careful and put them on a dolly. Of course, some things broke due to not carrying the glass items. I said you are being too rough with my stuff and the movers were mad and said oh we can leave. How are you mad at me and you broke my stuff in an aggressive manner in front of my daughter. I paid 822.00 and had to deal with stress due to the unprofessional behavior of this company. The lead mover never said when the time started and then came back over 30 minutes later always finding conversation so he didn't have to work ! It was a pure nightmare dealing with this company. The company website states: SERVICE INCLUDES Dis-assemble and reassembly of furniture.Free disconnection and re-connection of appliances.Free pad wrapping, stretch wrapping provided for additional fees.All equipment included in quote: truck, pads, dollies, ratches, tools, etc.Packing and Unpacking. Large items NONE OF THIS WAS DONE! I WAS TOLD THEY WERE NOT WRAPPING ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING ELSE COST ! The movers then took lunch and went somewhere so how do I know anything wasn't taken. I feel they were truly scam artist . The person on the phone had a totally different personality than the people who arrive. They didn't come to work and told me they were only there to lift the heavy items. I told the mover, you mean whats heavy to me . They left one chair to my kitchen table and my bar stool . The movers were speaking about their life and what was going on and not moving items. I was told they didn't wrap anything free so I ended up paying 400 more dollars to get all my items removed ! This company is a scam!

  

  Business response

  04/18/2022

  Hi Neal, 

  Wanted to respond to the above referenced complaint. 

  The customer was provided an over the phone estimate and her actual cost came in under her estimate. There were a couple of problems, the first was the customer was not prepared for her move. She was not finished packing and told the guys to slow down in order to give her time, secondly, she wasn't packed properly, you could hear glass clanking around when we were moving the boxes. The last issue, and the major one was that she and our crew leader did not get along. He apparently did not treat her with the respect that she expected. We called the very next day to try and rectify the situation, but she was not willing to have anything satisfy her. I would be willing to refund her $300 for the move. 

  Please let me know anything else regarding the outcome

  Thanks, 

  Amy 

  American Moving and Hauling Inc

  535 E Clemmonsville Rd Suite D

  Winston-Salem, NC 27107

  336-765-3499

  Customer response

  04/18/2022

   I am rejecting this response because:
  Was not the truth  period and I was ready for my move but the movers weren't ready to move or work period. They were told a 3 bedroom to a 3 bedroom and only brought a truck for a 2 Bedroom . I was told 3 movers and only 2 movers were actually  half way working. I didn't tell them to slow down I asked why would you put glass on top of glass and go down a flight of stairs and  slamming the dishes that had be careful glass . The movers wanted to come in  and not listen to what I had to say and start doing what they wanted to do and not even explain  anything period.  How do you leave the stools and the chair to my kitchen table . The movers were  having conversations walking together talking slacking the entire time . The movers didn't want to work period! The movers were aggressive and I felt if my complexion was different I would have been treated with respect .  They were lying ! The movers weren't even dress to work ! They had nothing on their backs to support a heavy move  and dress in jeans . They did not have professional movers  period.  I was told one thing but  given another and the lack of professionalism was  from the start because I was questioning them on why he was stacking glass on top of glass and after that that's when the dishes broke . I said it in advance but  it happen after I made the comment so the mover paid no attention to what I said as a customer period! The 3rd movers sat in the truck 90% of the time so it wasn't 3 movers it was 2 .  This company is a fraud and  tells consumers one thing and does another depending on your race . I looked at the reviews and it seems from the reviews   the color of your complexion may guarantee a good experience or horrible one. Those  guys didn't come to work period and once they viewed they had to work it was a problem. Disrespectful  and aggressive and if another man would have been there I promise you the behavior would have been different. Took pure advantage of women consumers with their attitudes, and aggressive behavior and didn't do what was asked of them  period  while breaking things that could have been avoided by listening  tot he consumer.  They weren't the type of staff that  listen to their paying customer ! Came up in your home like they were Dictators.  They called me a few days later not the next day  and didn't want to listen and put me on hold and never came back to the phone when they were confronted about the reality of their company  versus on what they look like on paper . This company PREYS ON WOMEN  PERIOD! 
  

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩