Move America

My suggestion is pretty simple: AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!! This is a service that should be provided to eliminate stress from those who are moving. For many, moving is a VERY difficult and stressful time. My family and I hired these people to do just that. Instead, this was by far the MOST stressful and aggravating part of our move. Our PROFESSIONAL loaders packed our truck with precision and great care. The driver arrived to place a giant piece of cardboard in front of our belongings after which he place ONE strap across the center of it. That’s right… a giant piece of cardboard and one strap was all that was holding our whole life in place in the back of this trailer (NO SPECIAL TOOLS were needed as indicated by their sales pitch here on Unilocal.The driver was also CONTRACTED through Estes Trucking… another lie posted about their business here on Unilocal!). Upon arrival, what left Florida in a nice and professional stack, was a giant pile. As we began to offload the pile, we discovered several personal belongings that were destroyed. When I called Howard Grad (owner) of Move America, he basically told me that it was my loaders fault, even though I had sent him pictures of the PROFESSIONAL load followed by the giant mess that we got upon arrival. We were also charged $ 400 for a same-​day pickup of the trailer in Florida that never happened. Mr. Grad, on every single phone call, tried to make it sound as if we had done things wrong or that I was being dishonest, even though I had paid for the move IN FULL before the move ever began. (BIG mistake!!) There is SO much more that I could share about this horrible experience, the complete lack of customer service, and the rude and condescending attitude of the OWNER of the company, but the bottom line is pretty simple: AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!! TRUST ME, it is worth spending a bit more money to have a nice and pleasant experience.

Be Aware!!!
This company will hold your property hostage and overcharge you in order to release your property. They also had me sign a paper that said I was not going to dispute the charges. Very unethical practice. I had photos to prove that I didn’t use more any extra space in the truck, still they neglected that and insisted on charging me. Read the other reviews as well as the BBB reviews to find more about this company before you get in trouble with them.

WORST COMPANY EVER! BELIEVE THESE BAD REVIEWS. I WISH I WOULD HAVE. As a nurse, military spouse & a wife of a U.S. service man, I deal with a lot of people, companies & business’ daily. Move America was the WORST company that I’ve ever dealt with. Lauren is & was very RUDE to my husband & I. She poised a negative and rude attitude no matter how respectful and nice we were to her. We were quoted a price of $ 1282 FOR 3 LINEAR FT. We had the trailer loaded & even left all of our big things behind. All (FURNITURE, APPLIANCES & BEDS LEFT BEHIND) Due to my husband having to be on his ship & work, we were not able to be there to load our things. My parents loaded our things which was measured at 3 linear ft. The day that DELIVERY was expected I got a call saying we went 3 ft over & needed to PAY $ 427.50 PER FOOT TOTALING AT AN ADDITIONAL $ 1282.50 so now our TOTAL all together is $ 2564.50 I NEVER GOT A NOTICE, EMAIL OR CALL BEFORE MY STUFF GOT HERE SAYING THAT I WENT OVER my footage. The load only consisted of 2 kids bikes, a computer, desk & chair, a t. v, 2 boxes of toys, some family pictures, 2 bins of shoes, 2 kid dollhouses (one big, one small), & a box of dishes. We left everything behind so we wouldn’t have to spend so much. I just really wanted our kids things. My parents re-​did the truck 3 times & the guy that measured it before he left told my parents that it was 3 ft before he left & everything was fine. The CSR at the delivery terminal stated that «Lauren called & told her do not release our things to us until she tells them to» MOVE AMERICA held our things HOSTAGE until we gave them the balance & said we’d be charged $ 50 per day until we pay the balance. My computer, desk & chair is BROKE, my daughter’s dollhouse is BROKE. Some of my kids toys were scattered & broken. My dishes & pictures were scattered all over the truck and BROKEN also. I took PICTURES THAT SHOWS EVERYTHING THAT I JUST STATED is TRUE. I URGE YOU TO NOT ALLOW THIS COMPANY TO MOVE YOUR THINGS. I’ll send ANYONE the pictures that wants to see them. Soon as I figure out how to upload them on here. I PROMISE I WILL! My Husband & I have already told a few military families that are in need of relocation & asked who moved us «THAT WE WERE NOT SATISFIED, THEREFORE I’M NOT REFERRING ANYONE TO THEM» I just wanted to get my things released from them & be completely DONE WITH THEM. I did & came out of way more money but I’m just so glad that I am! THE ONLY REASON ITS RATED ONE STAR IS BECAUSE I COULDN’T POST THE REVIEW WITHOUT SELECTING A STAR :-(I will be contacting the BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU!

A friend did a lot of research for me to find the most cost efficient way of moving my belongings from IL to TX. Move America had the best price, short of renting a truck and driving it myself. There were a few glitches which were easily cleared up regarding the initial delivery of the truck, but they did manage to deliver the night I needed it, even though I had only given them 2 days notice. The truck arrived about 90 minutes late, which did cause me to lose 2 of my helpers, but knowing Chicago traffic I was not terribly upset.
When the truck was picked up, they measured from the end of the truck to my dividing wall, and said that I had used 6 feet. I had measured 5 feet myself, and was very careful not to cross that line, even if that meant not taking certain things with me or putting them into my own vehicle. I called the company, letting them know that I absolutely was not going to pay for that extra foot, as no one had told me that their wall would count in my space. They were extremely nice and they did make an accommodation. I paid for 5 feet, just as I had intended to.
The e-​mails I received as I awaited my delivery were confusing, and resulted in me having to make several phone calls over several days, attempting to arrange for delivery. Ultimately, a delivery was made on a Friday. This caused some problem, as I am currently living in an apartment complex and there was no easy way to accommodate a 28 foot trailer being left in the complex for the weekend. Move America’s contracted drivers do not work on the weekend. The driver was extremely patient and kind, and he actively worked with me to find a solution to the problem. We wound up parking the trailer across several open spaces, which will likely anger the other residents since there are not enough parking spaces here to begin with. I mention this only because it was an angle that I had not thought of when I arranged to use Move America. I do recommend this service if you are moving from house to house, but if an apartment complex is involved you may get stuck with an insurmountable problem! Be sure you know where you will park a 28 foot trailer!

Please click on my profile to see Part One of my review. Below is Part Two.
Part Two — 2^nd trailer delivery to my Father’s garage.
I received a phone call around 2:00 pm from the dispatch terminal. They could deliver my trailer early if I wanted. I was excited and told them yes, the dispatcher said around 2 hours drive time to my father’s house and they should arrive around 4:30 pm. I decided to get there early around 4:00 and I arrived at the same time as the driver. They made it early in only 1 ½ hours. The driver expertly backed the trailer into my father’s driveway and said he would wait for me to unload and then would take the trailer away instead of leaving it overnight in the driveway or on the street in my father’s residential neighborhood. I really appreciated that service.
The driver opened the back door of the trailer, showed me the security seal was still intact and let me examine it also. He removed the tag and the bulkhead. I then unloaded the trailer into my father’s garage with the help of my family. The drive said that he could wait 1 ½ hours or more if needed. We finished unloading the trailer in 1 hour. All of my belongings were just as I had packed them and were in great shape, they did not shift very much at all during transit. I was pleasantly surprised.
After we emptied the trailer, the driver asked me to sign some paperwork and then he hooked up the empty trailer and drove away. He was very polite and courteous during the entire process.
So far, I would rate Move America very high and would definitely use them again in the future.
I will post a final update around June 5^th, when my 1^st, fully loaded, trailer arrives.
Oh yeah, I also received a phone call later that evening from Lauren, with Move America, she called after work hours from her personal cell phone to make sure everyone went smoothly. I was very impressed.

It’s a racket! They are holding my stuff hostage until I give them an additional $ 400! They called on delivery day to say we had gone over (we measured ten times to save $, even sold stuff off to knock off five feet.)and we wont get our belongings until we pay up. After seeing this companies reviews and bad reputation, I’m contacting some friends at the local news station, who love to expose crooks. They know you need your stuff, this company is run by thugs and crooked hillbillies.

One star for trying but my move with them started out with a problem about my $ 75 dollar discount for booking with them within a specific time period stated in their contract. When I inquired about that. Howard said I had an old contract and they weren’t offering the discount any longer. Okay you’re smart you get it but those that don’t we (MoveAmerica and I) signed a contract binding us to it. They are responsible for picking the «right» contract. I upheld my end but they did not. I was not given the discount stated in my contract. I did correct all the errors in their «old» contract. I did get a thanks but no discount. The move through Old Dominion went fine other than the 28 footer that was parked on my street and neighbors complained. I used 4X6X6 or thereabouts of space not much. The break down was when my load arrived in Irvine. Old Dominion failed to get my load to me on time. In addition when the driver got there in the pouring rain. There was not a lift, a ramp or a dolly to take the load off! And you have one «free» hour to unload or the billing runs like a taxi. I was by myself and the truck is a commercial truck, the bed is high off the ground so it backs into a dock. I had to pay the driver $ 30 bucks to shove my things to the edge so I could pull it off! My flat screen SHARP TV was damaged. I didn’t see that the red tag was not broken before my load was shoved to the edge. I was very angry! I was also standing at an outside storage unit getting soaked. With a ramp I paid for and the dolly I could have unloaded faster but as it was I did it within the hour. That truck was released to do another job. They got their money and I got screwed. John at the Irvine hub is the scheduler– jerk! He sent the truck to the wrong location. Then sent the driver without the ramp or dolly for my unload. Maybe because I asked him to give me a range of time for delivery. So I could be at the storage unit not waiting indefinitely. He seemed mad about that request so was it pays backs? I need to move the rest of my household from the bay area and it won’t be a replay of this company. I thought to take it to court but not worth the negative energy and time. If they had given me my discount as agreed to in the contract what Old Dominion would be getting the bad wrap for delivery and MocveAmerica 4 stars or 5, but both companies failed to honor the agreement. Bad business sense, I would’ve paid the $ 75 owed and gotten a good customer. This way they loose more than $ 75 in more bad reviews.

If you are moving from a house to a house and have a lot of flexibility with scheduling, you might have a better experience than we did with this company. If you are on a tight schedule, or you are moving out of/​into an apartment complex (i.e., where multiple threads of coordination are required), I suggest you go the U-​Haul route instead. Some of the reasons we were not pleased with our experience:
1. Virtually none of the timeframes we were provided actually worked out. Truck/​driver arrived later than promised (with no phone calls to let us know).
2. They promised to keep in touch with us throughout the move. They did not. First, they said they were texting the number provided, which turned out to be a home phone unable to receive texts. Once they were provided with the correct cellphone number, we never received any texts. Ever.
3. Only after the truck was en route were we informed that the distribution point in our receiving city was «notorious for not cooperating with scheduling and delivery». This would have been good information to have since we were coordinating strong people to help us unload the truck. Had we contracted for movers to unload the truck, we would have been out over an additional $ 1000 to pay them for the time they would have been sitting around waiting for the truck to arrive.
4. The estimate they gave was not consistent with reality. This could be due to a communication error on our part but given all the other inconsistencies in their business practices, I don’t think that’s the case.
5. Because we used twice as much space as estimated, we anticipated there would be an additional charge. We contacted them to settle the bill and was told — by two different people — «our system shows you paid in full». We were then sent an email that we owed more money AFTER they submitted the payment to the card. The charge hit the bank before we received the email.
Again, if you have a lot of flexibility and have able-​bodied people at both ends of the trip that can hang around and wait until the truck arrives, you’ll do just fine. If you have any constraints on you at either or both ends of the trip, you’re blood pressure and stress level will be better off doing the whole thing U-​Haul. The only consistent thing about this company was that they were inconsistent.

The truck arrived early on the load day. The company provided a faulty lock after spending all day loading. The Old Dominion guys told me to just hammer it. It took almost 4 hours. When we got it locked. Then I get a bill from move america way beyond my quote for 10 feet. I complained and nothing happened. Very frustrated. Th truck was delivered to my new home on time as well. I am pretty unhappy with the cost being almost $ 800 more than quoted with no explanation. Use ABF instead it costs more but they stay true to their word. What a joke!

These people are the worst. I totally agree with other reviewers, I recently used them to move my stuff and I receive an unauthorized charge on my credit card couple of weeks later. I even had really bad experience during the delivered off the trailer. The customer service is the worst, I have ever experienced. DONT EVER USE THEM. Its better to go with more reputable ones, even though they quote higher, because you will eventually end up paying the same or even more. I regret for using these people.

I am sitting here, the night before my move is scheduled, wondering what the hell has happened to me. The trailer that Move America promised would be here is not. When I called, I was notified that my move was cancelled due to overbooking. A move I scheduled back in March! When were you going to tell me, Move America? I have never witnessed this level of incompetence in my life. Here’s what this is costing me. Two days pay for the time my husband took off to do the move.
$ 400. to pay the movers in the morning… for not doing a thing.
$ 125. to the Travel Lodge for our moving accomodations, since it is too late to cancel.
$ 200. to the dog kennel… again, because it is too late to cance our reservation.
$ 2400.00 that I paid to Move America and has not been reimbursed.
Because of all these expenses, and the fact that my money it tied up, I now cannot pay another company to move me.
I called three days ago to confirm, and was assured everything was on track. Now you tell me that you contacted me to cancel weeks ago? You showed NO remorse, not even attempted to make this right. Liars and thieves. STAY AWAY! IGNORE THE «GOOD» REVIEWS OR YOU WILL BE SCREWED!!!

We used MoveAmerica to move across the country. I did my research by reading the Unilocal reviews, customer testimonials, and Better Business Bureau rating before choosing MoveAmerica. Everything sounded great, and I thought I made the right choice. At first it went smoothly, with some minor mishaps in scheduling the arrival and pick-​up of the trailer. I had to alter my schedule, nearly missing graduation, to accommodate the pick-​up time. We measured the space according to the instructions and packed it up. Before sending off the trailer, the driver and I measured the area used; it was in accordance with the allowed space. However, a few days later, I was sent a bill stating I owed $ 700 for going over 3 feet of space. I would understand that I could be charged for going over a foot of space, but 3 feet?! It’s not rocket science to measure something! Not only did they falsely advertise being accommodating to my schedule, but the fact that I was not even present at this quoted measurement further reinforces the dishonesty of this company. I was also told I would be notified of where the truck would be on a daily basis to «put my mind at ease.» Unfortunately they left out the part that I had to continually call in and ask, only to have a definite answer after 4 days of sending off the trailer. Anyway, I digress, back to what pushed me over the edge. I felt trapped in having to pay the $ 700 in order to retrieve my belongings or otherwise pay an additional $ 50 per day while it is in storage as I tried to resolve the issue. I opened this Unilocal account to warn others before using this service. I have moved across country and internationally several times in the past and know that moving can be a pain, but MoveAmerica made it unnecessarily tooth wrenching.

We contacted several shipping companies to have some household goods (boxes) shipped from Naples FL to San Diego CA and most estimates provided were $ 1200 + and this includes the post office. We found Howard at
and the estimate was $ 600. To sum it up, Howard did as promised delivered our boxes as scheduled intact without any hassles. Thanks Howard.