Complaint Review: Protected Vanlines

1. This is the condensed version of a very bad experience that is currently ongoing. I called PVL in May to set up my move. At the time we did not have a secure transfer date. The person I was working with, somebody named Tim, was very helpful, got me a good price and said we could move the date if we needed to.

2. July rolled around and still no secure date. I notified Tim who moved it out to September, just in case. The good experience ended right there.

3. In July I ended up with a move date. I emailed Tim and called him and left a message. In fact, I left several messages. Nobody ever got back to me. I kept calling his number until one day, all of a sudden, his "supervisor" Duane answered the phone. He informed me that Tim had up and quit. At this point we were a week away from the transfer. I told him what had happened, he forwarded me to somebody else who, in turn, forwarded me to somebody else. In the end I had to pay an expedite fee (which I was fine with) because things needed to be picked up on July 29th. I was told that everything was ok and to expect the movers on the 29th between 8 and 6. That's not what happened.

4. The 29th arrived and no movers. I called to discover that nobody had moved the date on the computer as they said they did and dispatch had me moving in September. I was then sent to a very nice guy named Mickey who DID go above and beyond to find us a truck. I was able to push things to August 1st, even though I had to pay another month's rent so Mickey could secure us a definite pick up. In the midst of this I had to talk to some guy in dispatch named Gary (who I just found out is the owner) who accused me of lying (which I DID NOT appreciate) about the date switching and that 'he had it on tape that I told Marissa to switch the date to September' which was NOT true. There was some mix ups with the contracts where I accidentally signed the wrong one but given that I'd been speaking to the customer service person when the final date was updated they should have caught it when it crossed their screen which they did not and neither did I. Gary took it upon himself to lecture me on what a horrible person I was. Can't say that I appreciated that much either.

5. The 1st rolls around. No movers. Tried calling PVL dispatch numerous times. Nobody answers the phone. Somebody claiming to be from the movers finally calls and says they'll be there by 12:30. 12:30, nobody. I had to call PVL incessantly before finally getting Duane and demanding to speak to somebody who could help. I was sent to Victoria. Bear in mind this was ONE WEEK AGO from today. Now I had to leave Florida, I had to be in Oregon by Friday the 5th for my new job. I couldn't wait another day and by that time the moving company was saying it would be around 5 before they got there. Then, around 2:30, they informed Victoria that they wouldn't be there until the next day. SO - our neighbor, an elderly lady, was nice enough to keep our key to let the movers in the next day. The moving company told Victoria that they would be there for pick up by noon.

6. By Tuesday at TWO EST, we were half-way across the country on the way to Oregon when our neighbor calls, wanting to know where the movers were. This prompted an incessant barrage of calls to the Protective offices where nobody could be bothered to answer, and Victoria's number suddenly didn't go to her desk anymore, the number ended up going to some guy's phone! Victoria finally calls me, I tell her what's happening with the phone numbers, she too thought that was odd (supposedly), and said she would call the moving company. I let her know that we had tried all the numbers that we had been given for the company and either they were disconnected, nobody answered or the guy that DID answer didn't speak English.

7. Our neighbor and Victoria keep calling with updates until the movers finally arrived - at 7:30pm. (So much for not working after 6 according to dispatch). The time of arrival changed over 5 times during the afternoon and into the evening.  It should also be pointed out that I was not alone when all of these phone calls took place - I had the phone on speaker and my 24 year old daughter was right there listening.

8. But back to the movers...One of the movers couldn't speak English and the other mover, who barely spoke English, proceeded to harass our neighbor, demanding more money than was allotted and threatening to 'dump the stuff in Miami' if she didn't pay them. Our neighbor is a gutsy woman who wasn't taking their crap - she showed them the money order and told them they'd get the money order and that was IT and they wouldn't get it until the truck was loaded. They then proceeded to take FOUR hours to load the truck. There was  no reason for this to take four hours. There was ONE room of boxes and totes, one sofa, one bedroom set and a box spring and mattress. Everything was sealed and wrapped appropriately well in advance. It shouldn't have taken them more than 2 hours. They also bitched the entire time about "dumping all this crap in Miami".  They then refused to give the neighbor a receipt for the pick up and left!

8. SO it's now Weds. morning, we're over in Wyoming and Victoria calls to see if the movers ever showed up. She's not happy when I tell her what happened. She states she will call the company and see what the ETA will be given they obviously messed up the pick up. Victoria calls back to inform us that the company states the ETA will be Tuesday, August 9th.  Now, I understand that the move is across country and the contract even gives them ten days but the company DID say they'd be delivering on the 9th. (Which I did not believe but, well, one can always hope...) Victoria and I discussed the attitude of the movers and agreed that this particular company doesn't look good for PVL.

9. On Friday of that week I called Victoria and actually managed to get her - she said she would double check with the company and that she would work with us until our belongings were delivered. (My husband's ashes, along with his flag and purple heart are packed in all of this so this is more than just some 'stuff' being carted across country.). The company again told her that the ETA was for Tuesday, August 9.

10. Monday, August 8th I called Victoria to check in and the number was back to going to some guy.

11.Today, Tuesday, August 9th, I called again, again with the guy. So I call Duane. He says he's going to put my file on somebody named "Melissa's" desk. She would call me. She never called. SO I called Duane back. He transferred me to a Melissa who wasn't who I needed to talk to, she sent me to some guy who was totally rude who, in turn, sent me to Stephanie...Stephanie informed me that Victoria NO LONGER WORKS THERE. She then tried the line on me that "well, it's clear across the country and it can take up to 15 to 24 days".  I told her that I understood that but THIS is what has happened in the past week and I was told TWICE that the ETA was today, the 9th. I want an update regarding where my belongings are. Stephanie tells me that she'll give me her direct number and that I will work with her until this is resolved, that I don't need to talk to the moving company, I hired PVL, they'll talk to the movers. She was going to call them and call me right back. That was at 12:30 pm PST, it's now 2:00 PST and she hung up without giving me her direct number. (I couldn't call the movers even if I wanted to, all numbers we were given for them have either been disconnected or somebody who doesn't speak English answers and hangs up.)

I know and understand how complicated this sort of business is but there is no excuse for any of this. I'd demand a refund but something tells me I'd never get it - anymore than I'm going to get my belongings. At this point I doubt I'm going to be getting said belongings, everything I own - my children's pictures and baby books, my late husband's effects, my daughters' belongings, my awards for years in publishing - our entire life is pretty much on a truck driven by two guys who barely speak English and harassed an old woman before threatening to toss said belongings into the Atlantic.

I thought that working with PVL was going to be a good experience when this all started, I stand corrected and will be looking into legal recourse at this point because nobody within the PVL business structure can seem to 1.stay employed there, 2. tell the truth when they are employed there, 3. cannot or will not answer the phone (they know who's calling, our numbers show up on their caller ID, how else could Duane and Mickey call me back when I didn't even leave a message?) and 4. after all this I wouldn't recommend this company to anybody. If I could give them a negative score, I would, they owe ME stars at this point. Trust and believe, if PVL doesn't see to it that this situation ends on a satisfactory note this review will go beyond the internet and into a court room fully backed by all the witnesses who've supported my daughter and I while we've been forced to put up with this unbelievable nonsense.