COLEMAN AMERICAN MOVING INC- Allied Van Lines

Regrettably, I used Coleman/Allied Van Lines for my out-of-state move in June 2022. Overall, the experience was nightmarish and traumatic. More specifically, it was characterized by: 1) a lack of consistent and clear communication from the outset regarding my exact delivery date; 2) a failure to provide timely updates after my "pack, load, and haul" confirmed by David Voyles on June 9th unexpectedly changed into a "pack and load" on June 16th less than a week before my scheduled move; 3) a failure to adhere to the delivery date of June 24th confirmed on June 10th by the moving consultant, David Voyles; 4) damaged leather and handcrafted solid wood furniture along with other items; 5) and a stolen television. This detailed account reflects my dreadful experience using Coleman/Allied Van Lines. It is primarily intended to reveal the unnecessary stress, anxiety, frustration, expense, and devastation I navigated during my move for the reasons I have stated above and explained at length below. Aside from lodging a formal complaint with the Better Business Bureau and/or [*** Link removed ***] filing a moving fraud complaint with FMCSA, or initiating some kind of legal action, I have little recourse other than to expose the many things that went terribly wrong. I know that had I chosen a reputable and ethical mover, my experience would’ve been qualitatively different. I wish I had found the countless negative reviews sooner. Choosing to use Coleman/Allied Van Lines for my move from Tennessee to Ohio was a serious mistake. It was disruptive to my life and detrimental to my physical health and mental well-being. Back in July 2015, I moved out-of-state using Andrews Moving/United Van Lines and the experience was none of these things. I know from my move with Andrews and United that the experience can be uneventful. Red Flag #1 After providing several boxes, many of which were used, and a used roll of packaging tape, DV indicated that he would be able to provide more free boxes during his next trip to Chattanooga. I requested more boxes on April 21st. DV responded the same day stating, “I think I will be in Chattanooga next week. I will let you know when and will take more boxes.” On May 25th, I still had not received the requested boxes and sent a follow up email. The same day, DV wrote, “On my next trip to your area, I will take more cartons for you to pack.” Two weeks later, I had purchased the boxes that I needed. Despite the promise of more boxes, Coleman/Allied Van Lines failed to provide a sufficient number of boxes of any size, and there were no boxes specifically designed for my dishes, wardrobe, et cetera. On June 10th, DV apologized, “Sorry that I didn’t get to your area again to deliver free boxes. With the high gasoline prices, my office is trying to cut costs.” Cutting costs at the shipper’s expense may be permissible, but it isn’t right or reasonable. Red Flag #2 I was notified by Samantha H. on June 1st that the driver would be Julius Lee. However, I was later informed on June 9th by David V. that Tony would be the driver. This discrepancy revealed signs of disorganization early on. It ostensibly laid the groundwork for the absence of a driver during the week my things were scheduled to be delivered and thereafter. Red Flag #3 There are three methods of payment Coleman/Allied Van Lines will accept: wire transfer, credit card, or cashiers check. For the credit card, there is a $129.95 “credit card convenience fee.” There is also an unspecified fee associated with the wire transfer. I opted to go with the check, but the estimate I had been given in the beginning ($6,693.20) required updating if I was to avoid overpaying and then waiting for a refund that would likely be delayed. Following a lengthy email exchange with Samantha H. that began on June 15th, I was eventually told by SH on June 16th that I would receive details regarding the “final cost” before my departure from TN on June 22nd, which would have allowed me to secure a cashiers check from my bank before heading to a state where there were no branches. In short, no updated invoice was provided by Samantha H. and nothing was communicated by David V. on June 16th regarding “the options for an invoice.” The lack of communication and follow through were disheartening and illustrate the mode of operation I found to be typical of Coleman/Allied Van Lines throughout my move. Red Flag #4 David V. left a message on June 16, 2022 indicating that there was as “a bit of a snafu with the driver.” He went on to explain, “Everybody from the top down to Samantha, we’re looking to get another driver. So I don’t think there’s any need to worry, but you will be picked up that day. I’m just trying to get a driver to load direct. Just letting you know, Samantha and I will keep you informed.” In retrospect, I had every need to worry. Even now, it remains unclear why there was not an available pool of drivers on reserve to avoid predicaments such as this. Arguably, this delay was preventable and entirely within the control of Coleman/Allied Van Lines. This approach to shipping particularly during peak season is irresponsible and unprofessional. Moreover, it reveals a cold indifference and the absence of accountability, which does not make for good business practice and reveals greed as the driving force. Red Flag #5 On June 21st, four movers arrive as scheduled between 9-11 AM. They pack and load my things into a truck that appears large enough to hold at least three times my belongings. The movers at the point of origin appear inexperienced and apathetic. Their work was marked by hurriedness and a lack of care. Instead of naturally lifting the mattresses and box springs in order to prevent damage and soiling, the first mattress is pushed on the floor from the bedroom to the living room. None of the mattresses or box springs are covered with protective plastic as they go out the apartment door. When the movers finished loading the truck, they left some trash where the truck was parked and left my apartment littered with tape stuck to the carpets in every room. When it was time to sign the paperwork, I asked the lead, Prince, why he had not taken the time to show me “damages” that he noted on some of my furniture of which I was unaware. He offered an apology that was inadequate. All of my furniture was in very good condition prior to the move with Coleman/Allied Van Lines. Red Flag #6 On Friday, June 24, 2022, one week after I was informed that there was no driver by David V., there was still no direct communication from DV or SH regarding the status of my actual delivery date. There has been ambiguity surrounding the actual delivery date from the beginning. On April 6th, I inquired about the deliver dates, and on April 7th DV wrote, “ Allied dispatch says it’s too early to commit to Delivery dates.   Your move is 2 ½ months away and they say they will revisit the request in mid May. Sorry I can’t give that info now.” On May 25th, I wrote again to “confirm the status of my delivery date for my move next month.” The same day, DV responded, “ The move date is too far out to give you an exact Delivery day now. The exact Load (pickup) day is Tuesday, 6/21/2022.   We will know more as the time gets closer.” The circumnavigation of the facts and lack of reliable information were hallmarks of my experience with Coleman/Allied Van Lines. Red Flag #7 Red Flag #7 On June 27, 2022, I was contacted by Samantha H. In part, she wrote, “We currently do not have a driver on your shipment. The dispatch team are looking diligently everyday to find a driver going the route from TN to OH. Once I have an update on this, I will make sure to send you an email and let you know they are on the way with it.” This news was distressing, to say the least. On July 7th, in response to my email asking when all of my belongings would be delivered, Samantha H. responded in part, “I understand the frustrations with your shipment not being delivered as of yet. I have been looking into your delivery eta every day as I discussed in my previo

Allied/ Coleman Movers. I do NOT recommend Allied Coleman, dealing with them has been extremely stressful and resulted in some of my precious belongings being damaged. Being a retired Naval officer, I have moved 14 times in my 30 career. Most moves have gone seamlessly, even the overseas ones. That all ended with this most recent move from SC to FL. Our initial contact with Allied was quite pleasant with a reasonable quote and the promise of personal, hands on service and a pledge to be there throughout the move. Little did we realize that this pledge was to be at a distance… and not always accessible. The pack-out was scheduled and a team of three came to pack out a three bedroom house with garage in one day. They were subcontracted by Allied and started work at 10 in the morning to begin their work. They worked all day and as the evening approached, they were less careful and when we asked about certain things not being packed, they indicated that the loaders would do it the next day and that they would leave packing material to make that happen. The next morning when the driver and the two loaders arrived, the first thing they did was to complain that the packers had neither packed everything they should have and the packing they did was inadequate. I have never seen loaders move so slow and be so inefficient in their loading. Once again, the driver also complained about the loaders. By the middle of the afternoon, it became evident that not all our belongings would fit on the truck and an overflow load was scheduled for pickup. Our contact person at Allied who pledged to be with us throughout this move was of little help and finally found someone to come later to pick up the rest of the load. The person who picked up the overflow saw it as an inconvenience to come and pick up the rest of my things and treated them so… (the most damage came from this partial shipment). On the last possible day to deliver the household goods, the driver arrived with a new team to bring the load into the house. Once again, the driver complained about the previous loaders as the new team was taking things off the truck and as a result, we could see evident damage which we recorded. A few days later the overflow arrived, delivered by a different driver than the one who picked up in SC. These goods had been transferred to his truck as he was making a delivery to our area of FL. He complained about the previous driver and noted damages even before he picked up some of the items. The result was that over $7000 in damages and allied covering $2700 of that. They damaged a painting and my Henkel Harris table as well as numerous other items. They also lost a Tunisian rug which they did not reimburse me with. Needless to say, it was a mess. Everyone is a subcontractor and everyone complained about the inadequacies of the other. Allied’s coordination and help was minimal and insufficient. There are better and more efficient moving companies.

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Coleman American Moving Service of Montgomery, AL and their national partner, Allied Van Lines, are at the least, incompetent companies - especially the management personnel I worked with for my last move. Otherwise they are likely fraudulent in their business practices. They charged me for services that I didn't agree to. They broke a good deal of my household goods while in their storage facility, and 'lost' (likely stole) boxes containing several thousand dollars of CDs and software DVDs. This is the problem in identifying what's in the box. They even 'lost' my ten-foot step ladder. How can any of this happen if it was all stored together? When delivery came, boxes marked 'glass - extremely fragile', were treated as nothing special, broken glass everywhere. After the delivery, when trying to reconcile the issues, these companies wouldn't cover most of the breakage or 'lost' items even though I had purchased additional insurance from them. Their management made little effort to work with me on schedule of delivery or in addressing the many problems that occurred. Their attitude towards finding my missing goods was extremely lackadaisical, basically saying 'well, we tried to find your goods but couldn't, so that's pretty much it'. I have no evidence that shows any effort was made. I thought to sue them, but dealing with moving companies after the fact can be drawn out and expensive, and I had already lost so much money with this move. Bottom line: When planning a move, you can't do any worse than to hire these two companies!

So so.

The movers came, their group included someone they apparently picked up along the way.

They packed everything well. The move was accomplished O.K., but they damaged some of the furniture, and some items were missing when we began to unpack.

Coleman American Movers moved my furniture and boxes that I had packed from a third floor apartment to a local storage unit. On the morning of the move, they called me to let me know they were in route and what time I should expect them. Both Johnny and Sam were very polite and friendly when they arrived.

They covered my door frame with quilts on each side so the door frame would not get damaged. They also wrapped all the wood furniture in quilts, protecting it well. Floor protectors were rolled out as well so that the carpet would not get dirty during the move.

They delivered everything to the storage unit and took great care to ensure everything was well protected. They even left the furniture wrapped in the protective quilts for no extra charge. That will definitely come in handy when I get ready to move the furniture out of the storage unit to my new residence.

The only thing I found a little disconcerting was the fact the hand cart loaded with dishes was bounced down three flights of stairs. I packed everything really well but wasn't expecting to have breakable things jostled to that extent. It will be a while before I'm able to get to the boxes and inspect the condition of the dishes.

After I left the storage unit, it occurred to me that my washer and dryer were not among the items in the storage unit. I called and Johnny and Sam immediately returned to get them without one complaint.

The movers were professional and the price was competitive for a local move. The charge was $85 an hour, which was cheaper than renting a truck and hiring moving help. I would definitely recommend this company.

They were great, friendly, and there was minimal damage that they are paying us back for. I would recommend.