Neighbors Moving and Storage BBB RATING C-. READ ME BEFORE HIRING, Internet

Hands down the absolute most ABYSIMAL move that I have ever experienced.  While i have moved at least 6 times in the past 12 years most of that has been local.  I have only had to hire one other cross country move and it went so smooth that I had lulled myself into a false sense of security regarding moving companies.  I thought they would all do as fantastic of a job as the cross country move that I did just two years ago.   I did not know that brokers such as Neighbors Moving and Storage even existed.  THESE PEOPLE ARE BROKERS!!  NOT MOVERS!  It is imperative that those of you reading this understand what that means as these people prey on those, like me, who were not aware of this fact and they, MOST CERTAINLY WILL NOT TELL YOU. 

I do blame myself for not doing a better job of researching this company before hiring them but, like most of you, I was under a time crunch and had too many things to try to accomplish in too short a time.  I paid the price for that. After reading the pages and pages of similar stories on this site and on five other sites about this company, all similar to my story, I have decided not to bore you with the sordid details of this move.  Issues such as crushed boxes resulting in broken items, FIVE (5) COMPLETELY DIFFERENT delivery windows that resulted in my delivery taking 26 entire days to arrive, damaged marble topped bedroom furniture (can you imagine the kind of abuse that it takes to break MARBLE corners off of furniture??!!), etc., etc,. etc.   Instead, I want to tell you the things that you need to know about brokers so that you are aware of how they operate.

1 - GET 5 QUOTES IN 5 MINUTES Websites - if you are like me you want to make the most efficient use of your time and energy when faced with a daunting cross county move.  I thought it efficient to navigate to a mover site in which I enter my "From" and "To" zip codes and have quotes sent to me.  What I now know is that these sites are monitored by BROKERS.  So, if you use a site like that beware.  You are being contacted by brokers! 

2 - Brokers, like Neighbors Moving and Storage, will get you to sign in whatever way they can.  As an example, I had negotiated NO STAIR CHARGES in my contract with Neighbors Moving and Storage.  The actual movers, however, didn't care what I had negotiated with Neighbors Moving and Storage.  (Read more about that below.) In addition, they will not tell you that they are a broker and that they are adding a fee for their "services".  NOWHERE in my "contract" with Neighbors Moving and Storage did I see the words "Broker Fee".  I only found this out when the ACTUAL MOVERS arrived at pickup and my balance did not match the balance that had been provided to me from Neighbors Moving and Storage.  That was because of the $395 that they took to do nothing more than take my inventory, take my deposit, and hire a moving company that was BORDERLINE FRAUDULENT.  That's it.  That's all they do. You can hire an actual mover yourself and THEY will take your inventory for you; and do a MUCH BETTER job of estimating your cost! 

3 - THE CONTRACT YOU SIGN WITH NEIGHBORS MOVING AND STORAGE BECOMES NULL AND VOID WHEN THE MOVERS ARRIVE AT PICK UP and shove a new one in your face.  This is the most important item on this list!!!!!  Whatever terms and conditions that you agree to when Neighbors Moving and Storage takes your money are SUPERCEDED by the actual moving company to whom they sell your load.  If you negotiate things like no stairs, such as I did, that "agreement" holds absolutely no water to the mover.  YOU WILL NOT BE PROVIDED WITH ANY OF THIS INFORMATION by Neighbors Moving and Storage.  By the time that your pickup date arrives and they movers are there to load you find this out the hard way, as I did, and you will have absolutely no other option at that point but to sign. 

4 - You have no control over the company to whom they sell your load AND NEITHER DO THEY.  They sold my load to a company called "Unique Van Lines".  OMG - I am not even going to get into the issues that ensued with this mover as I will be writing a separate review on them.  This review is strictly about Neighbors Moving and Storage and what you need to know about brokers. Listed above are the 4 things that you need to know before hiring this company.  PLEASE PLEASE DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND HIRE AN ACTUAL MOVER!!  I'm convinced that the only reason that this company continues to exist is because they prey on those, like me, who do not know that brokers even exist nor how they work.  Do not become another one of their victims!!!  USE SOMEONE ELSE!!!