The Velvet Touch Moving & Storage

I went to their website and saw they were accredited by the BBB and various other consumer organizations, which I found out later was false. They used people off the street and did not have a dolly. Eight to ten pieces of my artwork vanished after the move. When I went to their facility, the lady in charge told me my belongings that they put in storage for me was safe because she put it "by her desk." It was a nightmare. It cost me 2000 for me to have my art stolen and move a mile and a half.

I'm so angry about the abysmal service I received from this company given the amount of money I paid them, it's actually difficult to write this review.  But I want other people who might consider hiring this bottom rung mover to be able to avoid the experience I had.
We were planning a move from the Upper West Side to San Francisco, and we were moving pieces of furniture, artwork and carpets that we had chosen very carefully and paid great amounts of money for.  I'm talking about things you wait years to come up at auction and then pay very high prices for because of their rarity and condition.  Obviously, no ordinary mover would do in this circumstance, so I spent some time calling around to come up with the best mover I could find, without regard to price.  Long story short, I hired Velvet Touch.
Once everything was unloaded on the west coast, our appraisers calculated we had  sustained over $25,000 worth of damage.  Some of the damage was caused by Velvet Touch, and some by the (even worse) outfit they subcontracted the cross-country move to.  Examples: 1) A George Nakashima cabinet, in mint condition, which we purchased from the original owner, was wrapped in a wet blanket.  By the time it reached us, the finish was destroyed.  If you collect furniture, you know the important difference between a piece with a restored finish and one with a perfect, original finish.  2) A large monoprint tryptich was also wrapped in a wet blank.  It arrived completely covered in mold.  3) A brand new, perfect condition grand piano with a high gloss finish was recorded on the inventory as "scratched, dented, having abrasions...", but all this was done using tiny little codes that we never noticed.  Until part of arrived with a bashed in corner, and they were able to refer back to the inventory list to say it was already damaged.  They literally recorded every leg, the piano lid, the bench, the foot pedals, and the piano itself as being damaged.  A sleazy way to get out of being responsible for damage, if in fact it happens, which it did.  4) Our entire record collection never arrived, nor was it recorded, so they can avoid responsibility for that.  5) Our large Poltrona Frau armchairs were dragged, eroding the feet.  6) Numerous pieces of veneer were missing from various mid-century cabinets due to improper packing.  On and on.  
So now, fast-forward to today, more than two months after our things were delivered and we notified Velvet Touch about the damage.  I won't go through the numerous evasion and obfuscation tactics one by one, but suffice it to say these people will point the finger at anyone else, including US, to avoid any responsibility for all the damage they caused.  If I had paid the normal $3,000-$5,000 cross-country move cost for a household of our small size, maybe I could understand having to eat some of the damage.  But for over $13,000, no.
The cross-country mover they subcontracted to was even worse.  The nightmare began when they insisted, against our advice, to pull a too-large truck into our narrow driveway, snapping tree limbs and damaging one tree to the point I had to have it removed ($800).  Then, putting things on their sides that we asked to remain upright, ripping moving blankets off things so fast they snapped veneer....it was heartbreaking to watch all our precious things get treated like junk from Ikea.  And then Velvet Touch has the gaul to tell me that I chose these people!  I had never even heard of them -- until, of course, I looked their reviews up on Yelp.  You guessed it.  Just as bad as Velvet Touch.  I can only imagine that this other company pays a kickback to Velvet Touch, because there is no way their crude service could ever cost what we paid.
So, after Kimon (the owner of Velvet Touch) tried to convince me on the phone that he was going to "take care of us," I harbored some hope.  Turns out, what he meant was that he did not intend to have anything to do with our claim, and he was going to dump all the responsibility onto the other mover he sub-contracted to.  Naturally, the other mover only wants to pay 30 cents a pound for damage.  Well, when you have something lightweight and valuable that sustains thousands of dollars of damage, the $6 they pay to fix it doesn't really have much consequence, does it?  
So, if you are looking for a moving company that talks a good game and then turns completely away from their responsibility when they cause tens of thousands of dollars worth of damage to your possessions, I heartily recommend you hire Velvet Touch.  Improper packing, poor storage conditions, subcontracting to movers who are even lower quality than they, you can get all of this, all while paying astronomical sums of money for the privilege.  And after they lay waste to your truly rare and special things, they'll make you work like a dog to get a check for a paltry few hundred dollar settlement.
Do yourself a favor; hire anyone but these low-lives.

Velvet Touch picked up and delivered furniture to me after I completed my renovation. They did a lot of deliveries because I was buying individual pieces from different stores. They had the staffing and trucks to deliver sometimes only one piece at a time. I liked their flexibility and they did a good job. I spent a lot of time researching movers, and I would use them again when I'm ready to move my old furniture out of my apartment.

He told me if I could him so leeway he could give me a better price, but really wasn't that much better. They picked up my furniture on April 9, and weeks later the move is still not completed. They said the worse case senario was April 20. It came a day later 2:30 in the afternoon. They lied to me in regards to how many men would be moving my things. There was only 1 man who was moving my belongings. Typically 2 men come. I actually had to help him move my things. The mover found a person in the lobby of a hotel to help move my things to help. I was told only their personnel would be moving me. A few of my things were missing. The owner gets on the phone says it is my responsibility to find my things. I feel they should know where my furniture pieces. My futon had no arm rest. My lamp is broken because I broke something while doing his job. I was ordered to sign the paperwork. They said the next time we are in Florida we would come back to assemble. Owner told me if I didn't there would be a $500 fine for the mover. I had to call security to ensure they had left. The owner hung up on me while we were on the phone.

They showed up on time, were very pleasant to deal with and didn't break anything. What l had to move would easily fit into a panel truck (which I had specifically told the estimator.) I warned them that my driveway upstate was VERY steep, with a small-turn around. They showed up at my apartment with a GIANT moving van. They had to pack everything and then go to their warehouse and move it into a smaller truck which was STILL to big to get up my driveway. They finally had to transfer everything into the back of my Prius to get up the driveway. Also, when the move was over, the drivers asked for a gratuity, which I thought was odd. So, here's my advice: use this company, as the service and the price were very good. But be VERY specific about special needs and keep repeating these needs EVERY time you talk to them. Also, inquire ahead-of-time if you are going to be asked for a gratuity and decide if this is ok for you.

They were easy to get a hold of to come and do the work. It was raining, so they waited a till the rain stopped and then came out. They moved the furniture from one apartment to the other and packaged some furniture and put it in the storage. They were careful and nothing got ruined in the rain. They were professional, responsive and punctual. The price was reasonable.

I really like this moving company. They are clean and they are very careful with my things. That makes me feel rather good about using their services. They came highly recommended on the Franklin Pages. I would encourage others to use them.