Complaint Review: Long Distance Van Lines - Columbia Maryland

Moving with Long Distance Van Lines of either Columbia MD or Davie FL was a nightmare from the beginning to the bitter end. In the bid / comparison phase, they low-balled us on estimates, ran down the competition, and used very high pressure sales tactics. I went with them in spite of my misgivings because the price was cheap and they claimed to have 5-star ratings (shame on me for not reading the real reviews). To give you an idea, Mayflower came to my house and gave a binding estimate of $11,000. Long Distance did not come to my house and used Mayflower's estimate of weight and space to give a price of $9,000.

In the loading phase, the first bad sign was two smaller rented trucks showing up (Long Distance doesn't own their own trucks). Five Russian speaking loaders loaded all day, and - surprise, surprise - they filled the two trucks and had a lot more furniture to go. It seems they were going to have to bring a THIRD truck hopefully the next day. NOT at THEIR expense, but at MINE. Now, the cost was going to be $14,750 and they wanted half of that RIGHT AWAY. I don't believe the packing was efficient and space well used. After all, what motivation do they have to use two trucks when they can charge you for three?

In the shipping phase, things got VERY bad. Mind you, we were moving 400 miles, 3 states away. We arrived at our new empty home and waited for our furniture (AND clothes!). Our driver had PROMISED us that he was coming straight to our home with no additional loads (no room for it anyway) and NO STORAGE. After all, he said, could they afford to load and unload our stuff TWICE? And haste paid for them because they rented their trucks. Long story short, TWO WEEKS later, no furniture. MULTIPLE calls to what is called "Customer Service." They couldn't even tell me where my furniture WAS. The salesman INSISTED they would get it there BEFORE two weeks because it was "in the contract." The NEXT THIRD week was TORTURE. I read the fine print (PLEASE read it!) and discovered that they had "THIRTY DAYS" and told Jay the salesman (I could hardly ever get customer service) and he insisted, No, it was two weeks (while I was looking at the contract and reading 14 days). I let it go hoping that they THOUGHT it was 14 days. But they were counting 14 "BUSINESS" days so weekends and the holiday didn't count! Thus my furniture finally came THREE WEEKS to the day later exactly 14 BUSINESS days later so they didn't have to pay the - get this - $30 a day fee. Oh, that $30 would "kill" them on my $15,000 move!

Now the delivery phase was where the REAL suffering kicked in. I talked to the driver. Discovered he was on vacation. AND that the furniture had been in storage, loaded and unloaded TWICE (and of course twice as damaged!). I was quite angry but trying to be nice as I wanted my furniture handled well. He wanted me to sign the RECEIPT that all my furniture was there and in good condition BEFORE they UNLOADED!!! Of course I refused. DO NOT DO THIS! The shipment was NOT in "good condition." The boxes were crushed (I would like to  attach pictures - PLEASE look at the pics on my other reviews like consumeraffiars of boxes marked "FRAGILE" that are absolutely demolished and re-taped up like mummies). One clueless Russian loader came in with one of my wardrobe boxes (CLEARLY marked "This side up") on a dolly UPSIDE-DOWN. If you don't know, wardrobe boxes contain a bar on which you hang up clothes. Needless to say, all of my suits were wrinkled and in need of dry cleaning. Boxes were NOT put where they were labelled - if the TOP box on a load on a dolly said "Attic," the Russian loader put all five or six boxes up there. I carried boxes to their proper room for at least a week. What made me MOST angry was a damaged WET box of books clearly marked for the library hidden upside down in my daughter's bedroom closet. Clearly trying to hide the damage until after the receipt had been signed and they had left.

The same kind of deception was used to cover a huge CHIP on the desktop covered with a box. Oh, yes, furniture was DAMAGED. Glass broken out of the dining room hutch - both sides. Crushed corners on my wife's bedroom dresser. Scratches on dressers and bookshelves. Worst of all, my wife's favorite piece - our one-piece olive made-in-Italy $3000 table had a leg broken off. How did I discover it? I walked on the truck to see a worker feverishly trying to SCREW it back together! Would they have told me about it? Not according to the deception described above. My wife was in tears. Her three favorite pieces were all damaged. Not to worry, said the driver. He was taking pictures of the damage (I believe just to make me feel good - because the company never got them) as was I. He said the carrier's insurance would pay for all repairs. The nightmare was over, right?

No, on to the damage reimbursement phase. They want you to jump through hoops. I had to supply original receipts (you have that for everything in your home?), and three estimates (I pay for the estimate charge - $75) all notarized. It took me over a month to get it all done. And the ultimate insult came yesterday with their "resolution" (so they called it). They took the lowest bid on each piece and cut it IN HALF and then HALVED it AGAIN and offered - if we would sign a release (so that they could be done with us and we couldn't sue) - a check for ONE QUARTER of the few damages we filed for. Don't SIGN that release! Don't know how the arbitration or lawsuit will settle out, but I'm tired of waiting for real "resolution" to give the review and WARN potential customers: STAY AWAY from Long Distance Van Lines! RUN the other way! I know they say “you get what you pay for.” NOT with Long Distance Van Lines!