Complaint Review: All American Moving & Storage Inc.

Below is a complete record of my interactions with All-American. I can absolutely vouch for the accuracy of everything starting on July 9th. Before that, I didn't realize that it was going to be necessary to cover my back, so it is my reconstructed memory. Don't bother reading the whole thing, just avoid the company. I have interacted with them at EVERY level, and can confidently say that accountability, honesty and directness are simply not part of the company culture. A few of the highlights of my interactions:

1: A week after Angie told me everything was okay with my move (I called to make sure), Mari Salazar told me that I had to pay my $245 storage balance before they could RELEASE MY BELONGINGS (7/9)!

2: I was told the exact same thing two weeks in a row (on Mondays 8/4 and 8/11) "Today it's in Virginia, tomorrow Washington and to you by Wednesday or Thursday".

3: The driver told me that the truck had been in the shop for two weeks WITH MY BELONGINGS IN IT! Angie never told me this.
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5/1/2008

Receive final email confirmation from Rosie Caruso (record)

5/9/2008

Belongings picked up (overcharged somewhat.)

6/28/2008

I send email to Rosie Caruso to see if the move was in order.
Rosie responds, says to contact Angie.
I call Angie. She is away for the weekend, told to call again on Monday (7/1/2008).

7/3/2008

I call Angie. Initially, she cannot find file, and sounds confused. She finds file, wonders aloud why it wasn't processed yet. Then says it should arrive on time. Says nothing of outstanding storage charge, or of a hold on my belongings.

7/7/2008

I return to states. In mail forwarded from my former address, 2 bills for the storage fee (records). No emails or phone calls, nor a mention of a hold on my belongings.

7/9/2008

I call the phone number on storage bills. Speak to Mari Salazar. Mari reduces fee from $510 to $245. I ask the address to send the check to. She recommends credit card so she can remove the hold on my belongings so my things can be shipped. We complete the credit card transaction via fax. This was the first mention of the hold on my belongings.
I call Angie to see when my belongings will be shipped. She says she will call when they leave.

7/14/2008

I haven't heard from anyone.
I call Rosie Caruso. She expresses surprise that my belongings had not yet arrived. She connects me with Angie. Angie tells me that she will call tomorrow (7/15/2008) and tell me when my belongings will leave (probably 7/16/2008).

7/15/2008

No word from Angie.
Several calls to Angie and Rosie Caruso unanswered. Leave message for Rosie Caruso.
Reach Angie, who tells me everything is on schedule. Says she will call tomorrow (7/16/2008) to tell me if it gets on a truck. All is on schedule is inconsistent with her telling me on 7/14/2008 that I would know today whether my things left.

7/16/2008

I do not hear from Angie.
I call Angie several times.
I send email (records) to Rosie Caruso detailing much of the above.
Angie calls me within 5 minutes. She says a truck is in the area, and I should be loaded by Monday (7/21/2008) or Tuesday (7/22/2008) at the latest. Angie says she will call tomorrow (7/17/2008) with specifics.

7/17/2008 7/21/2008

I do not receive a call from Angie or anyone at All American.

7/22/2008

The latest day I would be loaded according to Angie on 7/16.
I call for information. Male voice tells me he has no information on my move, I have to call back next morning (7/23/2008) to talk to Angie.

7/23/2008

I call Rosie Caruso. Remind her that on 7/14/2008 she expressed surprise that my belongings had not yet arrived. Rosie again expresses surprise that, 9 days later, my belongings had not left. She connects me with Angie. Angie says my belongings will load on Saturday (7/26/2008), and that she will call to confirm.

7/26/2008

Receive no phone call. Call at 5pm PST. Male voice answers. I ask for Rosie Caruso. Male voice tells me she is not in. Ask for Angie. I am put on hold. Male voice returns, asks for my name. I am put on hold again. Male voice returns and tells me Angie is not in. Obviously, Angie was in, and didn't want to talk to me.
I send email to Rosie Caruso (records).

7/28/2008

I call Rosie Caruso at 8 am PST. I am told by female voice that she is not in.
I call at 8:15 am PST, female voice answers. I ask to speak with a manager or someone in charge. Female voice asks what this is referring to. I say I have a move in progress, and need to speak to someone in charge about it. She transfers me. I get a recording, and leave a message to call me back.
I call Rosie Caruso at 9:30 am PST. She has just arrived. I ask her what is going on with my move. She connects me to Angie. Angie tells me my belongings had not left (regret in her voice) because there was not room in the truck. Says there is a truck in Texas, but that there are storms.
I call Rosie Caruso right back. I tell her I am beyond frustrated with the company. She says she understands. She says she will do what she can, and will call me back.
I call Rosie Caruso at 10:30 am PST to ask if I can break my contract and she can release my belongings to another company. She says she is looking into it and she will call me back in 10 minutes.
I make calls to my brother, father and friend to ask for legal advice. My brother says I may be able to sue for incompetence and negligence and ask for restitution including pain and suffering.
I turn off my phone at 11:30 am PST on the plane without having heard from Rosie Caruso.
Arrive in Cincinnati, OH at 6:57 est. Two messages from Angie on my cell phone. She says that my belongings had left on Sunday (7/27/2008). She had confused me with David Olsen, whose belongings were still in the warehouse. Angie says my belongings are scheduled to arrive on Tuesday 8/5/2008 after another delivery to Virginia on Monday 8/4/2008. Angie had previously told me that the cross-country move takes 4 days. Why does it take 8 now? Particularly just after I ask if I can have another company move my belongings.
I call Rosie Caruso at 7:25 EST to confirm the details. I ask directly if my belongings are still in the warehouse. She says no. She says that they left on Sunday (7/27/2008), just like Angie did. I ask why it takes 8 days rather than the 4 that Angie had told me before. She says that there are regulations and they can only drive so many hours per day. I tell her that I want the information for the truck that my belongings are on. I ask for drivers' names, truck number and a mobile phone number. She agrees, and says Angie will email me the information before she leaves for the day.

7/29/2008

I send an email to Rosie Caruso at 3:58 EST informing that I have not heard from Angie regarding the status of my belongings and the truck (records). I request immediate receipt of the information. As of 6:51 pm EST, I have not heard back from Rosie or Angie.

7/30/2008

My girlfriend calls Rosie Caruso to inquire about the truck number, drivers' names, and phone number for the truck that our belongings are on.
I send an email (records) to Rosie Caruso at 1:39 PM EST inquiring why we are not being provided with the information we were promised.
Rosie replies (records) at 1:55 pm EST that Angie claimed to have sent information already.
Angie replies (records) at 1:58 pm EST This is Angie I am writing you to let you know yet again that your items did leave my warehouse this Sunday. Again neglects to provide information about the truck.
I reply (records) that I do not have the information that I requested.
Angie replies (records) that she is not able to give out personal information about the drivers. Why all of a sudden this information is unavailable? Rosie said two days before that it was available.

8/4/2008

I do not receive a phone call from Angie.
I call Rosie and receive no answer.
I call Angie and leave a message (recording) saying that I was told I would receive my belongings tomorrow (8/5/2008) and wanted information.
I leave a message for Rosie Caruso asking for her help in locating my belongings.
I call the 800 number at 8:25 PM EST. Male voice answers. I ask about the status of my move. He asks my name, puts me on hold. Angie answers, and puts me on hold. I tell her that I am recording the conversation, and she refuses. She tells me that the truck is in Virginia, and that I will have my belongings probably by the end of the week. I tell her that on 7/28, she told me that the truck had a delivery in Virginia on 8/4/2008, and it would get to me on 8/5/2008. She says (truthfully) that she never guaranteed a delivery time. I tell her to send me an email with the information that she gave me.
At 8:53 PM EST, I send the following email to Rosie Caruso with the heading update: Rosie; Quite simply, this is absolutely unacceptable. David Owens

8/7/2008

At 3:21 pm EST I email Rosie Caruso to ask for Rani Ullman's contact info (records).
At 3:25 pm EST, she replies with Rani's email address and asks if I have received my things yet (records).
At 3:27 EST I tell her that I have not yet received it (records).
At 3:30 EST she tells me she will look into it (records).
At 3:32 EST I ask if she can deal with me more directly, as I do not want to communicate with Angie (records).
At 4:59 PM EST I email Rani Ullman asking for his intervention/assistance in this matter (records).

8/8/2008

At 2:02 PM EST, I email Rosie Caruso asking if she had found anything out about my belongings (records).
At 3:07 PM EST, I email Rani Ullman telling him that I am suspicious that something has happened to my belongings, and that if this is the case I want to know about it (records).

8/11/2008

At 3:25 PM EST I call Rosie Caruso to ask what has happened to my things. She puts me on hold and connects me with Angie (in spite of my request on 8/8/2008 to not deal with Angie anymore.) Angie says my belongings are in Virginia, tomorrow will be in Washington DC, and then will come to me. I mention that this is exactly what she told me a week earlier (see 8/4/2008). She denies this, saying that she told me that my things were on the way to Virginia on 8/4/2008 (blatant lie). I tell her that she refused to have her voice recorded on 8/4/2008, which is the only reason I do not have a record of what she said. She says that it doesn't make any sense for her to have told me such, as it had just left California. I remind her that I have records that she claimed my things left 15 days ago on 7/27/2008. She says this is true. I abandon the attempt to reason with her.
At 3:31 PM EST I call Rosie Caruso and tell her Angie is lying to me, in the manner above. She says that Angie is NOT lying to me, and there is no way for Angie to know where my things are once they are on the East Coast. I ask her point blank, and she says nothing has happened to my belongings.
At 3:34 PM EST I receive a phone call from Uzi, the All-American driver, telling me that he is in Chicago. He apologizes for the delay, he says the truck has been in the shop for two weeks. He says he is on the way to Virginia (note inconsistency with Angie). I bring this up, and he says Angie is NOT lying, he told her he would be in Virginia by now. He says after Virginia, he will be in Washington DC and he will get to me on Thursday morning (8/14/2008) or Wednesday evening (8/13/2008). (How did this pick up another delivery in Chicago? In the shop for two weeks without telling me? I think it is established that she lied to me about when my things left).

8/13/2008
Phone call from Uzi at 6pm. Says he will arrive tomorrow (8/14/2008), between 8am and noon.

8/14/2008
Phone call from Uzi at about noon. He is at the intersection 100 yards from the entrance of my house. He says that he has been driving around the area for 20 minutes, and that there is no way he can get a 53 foot trailer to my street. He says that I will have to hire day laborers. He says that I have to hire a minimum of 3 for $15/hr and a minimum of 4 hours of work each. This amounts to $180, in addition to the $150 to take my belongings up two flights of stairs. (There are 53 foot trailers on my street on a daily basis, at the school, directly across the street from my apartment. I told this to Uzi, but he denied that it was possible, that they must be shorter. The next day, there were 53 foot trailers on my street. I was aware of the $150 charge for stairs, but this $180 was a complete surprise.)
At 1:30, the day laborers that Uzi called for had not arrived (I had already paid him the $330 in cash). He saw two boys with moving tshirts on, and offered to pay them $10/hr each to help him move my belongings in for me. He calls the service and cancels his order for service. I confront Uzi about the fact that I paid him $330 for a service that he was about to pay two kids $10/hr to do. He says 'so what', he is providing me with a service, and keeps saying 'that is the least I am allowed to charge, call Angie and ask her.' I agree to let him hire the boys. (What choice did I have, he has all of my belongings.)
The boys do a great job of moving my belongings in. I ask them how much Uzi has agreed to pay them, and they say that he is paying them $60 each (more than the $10/hr I had expected). We check off all of the boxes, and they are all there. The last item to be moved in was our couch. It is fairly long, and difficult to get into my thin entryway. They try for about 1 minute, and Uzi tells the boys 'let's go. They're going to deal with it themselves.' The boys wanted to stay and try for a little while longer, but Uzi threatened that they wouldn't get paid if they didn't go downstairs with him immediately. Uzi says 'I've been in this business for 17 years. 999 to one, that couch is not going to fit in that door.' After they leave, my 110-lb girlfriend and I moved it into the apartment ourselves in a matter of 10 minutes.

Dave
Haverford, Pennsylvania
U.S.A.

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