Alliance Moving Services and All-Star Moving Destroyed Furniture, Pressured Contract Signing, Refusal to Reassemble, Ignorant and Degrading Customer Service New Jersey

I recently relocated for work from Pittsburgh Pennsylvania to El Paso Texas and after receiving several estimates I chose Alliance Moving Services as my brokerage firm and they in turn send All-Star Moving Company to move my furniture.\ 

What follows is the story of the lies, ignorance, pressure, and incompetence that I dealt with during my move.

I was given 3 estimates by people that visited my home to evaluate my furniture all coming in between $2250 and $2400. Over the phone I was given a similar estimate by Alliance moving services, but offered a military and AAA discount which brought the total to $1500. Due to the discounts this was the company that I chose for my move as all estimates were in the same ballpark figure and I was reassured that "their estimating system is the very best and over estimates everything" to ensure that the "not to exceed" estimate is accurate and I would not pay a penny more.

All-Star moving showed up at my house at 11:30 p.m. the night before I was scheduled to leave and drive across the country to my new job. I was informed when they arrived that they would be charging me over $3000 for my move as the furniture was going to take up more space than allotted in my contract. While I met the weight requirements, which was the only thing mentioned to me when setting up this move, my furniture was deemed large and more costly.

My neighbor, a police officer, had several questions the next day as to why movers were making noise and moving furniture at 1 a.m.

The moving company refused to touch my things and informed me that if I did not sign the new contract agreeing to pay more money I would lose my deposit of $500 and they would not move any of my furniture. They would then leave and I would have no options. With my mother crying in the room next to me because of the stress this was placing on her I had no choice but to sign the contract to ensure that I would not lose my money and that I would have my possessions in El Paso.

I was charged over $3000 for a move that was given a not-to-exceed estimate of $1500. I was told when setting up the move that I would have my furniture on Monday December 9th as that is when I needed it and that is when I was moving into my new apartment.

I was told on the spot to not expect my furniture any earlier than Wednesday December 11th, and that it could take up to 21 business days to deliver. Again, I was never informed of this. Just as I was never informed of any space requirements in a contract, only that the estimating tools were top of the line and took everything into consideration.

My furniture did not arrive until Friday December 13th. Two days after I had started work, and after I had spent another $300-$500 in clothes to work in, food to eat, and other things needed around the apartment that were otherwise being held hostage at this point.

The movers informed me when they came to my door that they could not fit their truck up the road enough to get to my door. The leasing agent from my apartment came outside to inform them that trucks of their size and larger drive through all the time. They informed me it would cost more money if I wanted to have my furniture delivered to my door. After refusing to pay more money due to their inability to drive their own vehicle, the driver looked confused and disoriented, I was forced to carry my furniture myself from their truck to my apartment.

They spoke with their manager while i was moving boxes and agreed to carry the larger furniture, dresser/bed, to my door as they had the dolleys to do so and I was moving things on foot.

After I moved 75% of the items myself from the truck to my apartment, a distance of nearly a quarter mile, they then informed me that the screws for my furniture had been stripped and they could not reassemble my bed, but not to worry they spoke with their manager and they agreed to send a handy-man in the area to reassemble the bed.

I was given two papers to sign as a receipt for receiving the furniture with no explanation of what they were, and the movers then left, leaving a mountain of trash outside my apartment.

When I called Alliance and All-Star moving to receive an explanation I was met with hostility and ignorance. I was talked down to, yelled at, and told that it was "my problem now" because I signed the contract; which again was done under duress at midnight the night before I was supposed to move.

The moving company then informed me they would not be sending someone to reassemble the bed as I had "not paid for the long distance carry" and they were no longer responsible for the damage to my furniture and broken china that was incrued during travel; I am also missing multiple pieces of clothing. I was informed that the movers did not indicate any damage to furniture in their report so the broken dishes, chipped furniture, missing clothes, and other possessions that I am currently missing are now "my problem".

I have never had such an unbelievably horrible experience in my life and it almost cost me my new job as I was over 4 hours late my second of work because I had to wait for the movers to deliver furniture that they otherwise didn't.

I am missing possessions and have damage to my furniture. I have disassembled furniture that they will not touch and they are not willing to speak with me on the phone anymore.

Do not use these services from either Alliance or All-Star moving. It is a rip-off and cost me more than twice what I was estimated. I have damage to things I can not replace, and I have disassembled things that I am told I will need to pay for out of my own pocket to have reassembled because I turned down the option to pay over $250 more dollars to have the furniture shuttled a quarter mile because the truck driver was unable to operate his vehicle.

If anyone can help me regain some of my money or receive justice I am open and willing to talk at any point.