My wife and I were preparing to move from CT to AL, and All Coast Transporters contacted us via a search we had put in online (our mistake, unfortunately). The representative, "Chris," was very well spoken, and after having done a brief overview of several companies, we decided to go with All Coast, as it seemed to have many good "*initial* reviews. HUGE mistake.
Five days before the move, I contacted All Coast to follow up with them about what their plans were. It seemed odd that although I had set up plans with them almost three months prior, they had made no effort to keep in touch with me. I called them up and they said that they had everything ready, but when I pressed for details they did not give it. For instance, when was the truck going to arrive? They said they could not guarantee a specific day or time, but wanted a two-day window with no specific times given. When I asked about who was going to meet me, they said that All Coast has a number of (if I remember the term correctly) "partners" (a.k.a. subcontractors) who help with their moving, and I would get one of them. They could not tell me who the subcontractor was, or who he was affiliated with independently, thus further hampering my ability to get more information that, as a consumer, is important to have.
The questions kept coming. I was told that I would have an entire truck to load with however much I wanted, and I would be charged one flat rate. However, they could not give me a clear determination as to the size of the truck I was to receive, and only did clear this up in an email they sent to me AFTER I made that call. I was told that they would move everything onto the truck, but when I brought this up to them in the call to review the terms that I was told earlier, they said that I may have to "help." And by the way, I would have to included additional shipping supplies as needed (I had everything already packed, but this just did not seem normal), and I may have to pay for shipping "expenses."
The proverbial "nail in the coffin" was when I asked them about payment. They said they wanted me to pay HALF of the balance due (they quoted me 5K- I had already put down a deposit of 1K), or 2.5K, in CASH to the driver when he came. Then they said I could pay the remainer in credit AFTER the move had been completed. I asked why I could not pay it all via credit right now, and they said that the driver needed "money for tolls and road expenses."
I have never heard of a LEGITIMATE company who, when given the opportunity, REFUSES to receive payment in full for an order when it is offered to them.
I finished the conversation and call, and I looked into All Coast Transporters some more, especially via this site (ripoffreport.com). I uncovered that they have a mountain of complaints for bad service and scamming.
I called All Coast Back, and told them I wanted to immediately cancel my move. They pressed why, and I cited "personal reasons." I was very angry that they insisted on keeping the 1K deposit (which for a person in a lower income bracket is very difficult financially, such as myself) because I canceled within five business days of the move. That should have been enough. But there was more.
Instead of leaving the matter, I received a call back from "Andrew" (cited in other posts here on ripoffreport.com), who tried to convince me to stay with All Coast. I told him that my mind was decided and I was not going to change it. It was then that his tone abruptly changed, and HE said (something to the extent of, as I do not remember the exact words) "Well don't believe what the news says about us. The police didn't do anything- we were the ones who got her stuff back."
Now, I knew about this story from ripoffreport.com, but I NEVER mentioned it as a reason for declining their services. (Full story here: http://www.wpbf.com/news/south-florida/Palm-Beach-County-News/South-Florida-woman-s-belongings-found-in-West-Palm-Beach/-/8815578/16215570/-/11ad9uj/-/index.html)
Deeper research only yields more results. Consider that All Coast seems to be owned by an "Aldo DiSorbo," who was under investigation back in 2012 from a Senate Committee on Transportation for fraudulent moving practices, and All Coast is named specifically as being one of his companies engaging in unscrupulous moving practices:
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CHRG-112shrg80612/html/CHRG-112shrg80612.htm
Finally, I received one last call from "Chris," the original person who persuaded me to choose All Coast. He tried to coax me to go back to them, even saying so much as "I hate for you to lose your deposit with us."
What I am saying, is that I lost 1K, but I could have lost a LOT more. This company is engaging in fraudulent, criminal activity, and does not deserve any business.