American Van Lines East Company movers tried to increase our locked in quote; left yard art behind; lost items; unloader stole two valuable watches; driver used day laborers he picked up off the street in Fort Worth,TX to unload the van; unloaders wanted to leave with boxes still in front yard/garage/dining room and not carry up stairs; no empathy or satisfaction offered when reported back to company the next day. Tampa Florida

We exercised what we considered was due diligence in selecting this company to move us from Florida to Texas having procured several bids from several different moving companies. We chose American Van Lines East after having been given the "impression" they were in fact American Van Lines. They weren't the lowest nor highest of bidders.
I should preface this report by saying we have made two other long distance moves in the past decade-plus and have not had any of the traumatic experiences with either that we did with American Van Lines East - sadly we didn't go back to one of those other companies this time. When the crew arrived the crew chief walked through the house and immediately stated that the cost for the move was going to be more than we were quoted - perhaps as much as $1600 more. We stated that "we had a locked in quote and we didn't have to move today so we weren't paying a dime more than we'd been quoted by a woman who stated she was the owner of the company". There were several phone calls going back and forth by the crew chief to someone and by my husband to Cain who had been our contact throughout. Eventually, the crew chief agreed to our original locked in quote and proceeded with the packing. At one point during the day one of the crew, who was in a room alone with my husband, stated that it gave him pleasure to see us stand up to the crew chief - that "they do this every time and a lot of people in your age group will just give in and pay the extra being demanded".
With each of the two previous moves the packers came on one day to pack, then the van was loaded the NEXT day and left for the road the following day. American Van Lines East had the workers do the entire process in ONE day! They were there 13 and one-half hours. We had some yard art that I personally took one of the workers out to show it to stating that this needed to be brought inside or to the truck during daylight or they wouldn't be able to see it after nightfall. It was left. I will say that the workers worked very hard, but we didn't realize till we were unpacking how unorganized their packing had actually been - we found bathroom items with kitchen items with living room items all in the same box! None of the boxes were labeled with anything other than their stickers that were supposed to be itemized on the manifest list- but then how could they be since they were a conglomeration of rooms?
The moving van was scheduled to arrive the day before us. It arrived a day and a half AFTER us in Fort Worth and at 4 o'clock in the afternoon! We were kept busy telling each unloader what room to take each piece of furniture to. Around 10:30pm that night the crew chief/driver announced that they were done. There were boxes stacked in the garage, in the dining room AND in the front yard! I said "Do I look like I can carry these boxes to where they go?" (I should insert I weigh 86lbs and am on disability). My husband, myself, and two of our sons argued with the crew about COMPLETING the job they'd been paid (IN ADVANCE) to do. We got the inventory to see if that would help determine where each box went and all it listed was "box, box, box,....etc." They relented and we all started opening boxes and rapidly saying which room the box should go to.
We didn't realize till the next morning, but two expensive watches had been stolen during this unloading time. One was a gold watch I'd gotten for my husband 31 years ago for our first wedding anniversary in Fiji and the second was a diamond watch my husband had just months before got for me. These two watches were NOT left out in the open, someone had to search for them while upstairs and while we were otherwise occupied assisting other unloaders. We do know precisely when and where the watches were last which was the night before the unloaders arrived.
When my husband phoned the driver that next day to report the theft it was then we found out these unloaders didn't even work for American Van Lines East - they were day laborers the driver picked up off the street in Dallas before coming to unload our van; although we had verified and re-verified that all involved with our move would be long-term employess of American Van Lines East.
We have since contacted American Van Lines East in writing and leaving voice messages to get our issues resolved and to receive those items and the boxes that never arrived without any returned calls or satisfaction in any form.
We intend to pursue this matter via every means available to us to at the very least assure no other consumers will be subjected to dealing with American Van Lines East in the future. We will be filing complaints as high as to the Governor of Florida and all governing bodies.

Kay and Goff
Fort Worth, Texas
U.S.A.