Allways Moving & Storage Co - Agent for Arpin

It went perfectly!

Allways Moving did a superb job on a difficult assignment. Without details, the move was in middle of domestic dispute with drama and acting out. The packers/movers did their jobs efficiently and without getting thrown by the turmoil. I want to thank Paul Benkert, the owner, as receptive to multiple phone calls and meeting several challenges. The job got done as required. The original estimate was shy of the mark. However, I am very happy with the end result.

My experience with Allways Moving and Storage was stellar from beginning to end! They came to assess my needs the day after my first contact. They quickly gave me a quote -- and it was exactly the amount they charged they were finished. They called me two days before the move to see if I needed any help packing. I just needed help with a large mirror and painting. They came the next day, spent an hour and did an incredible job of packing those two things -- plus left me lots of packing paper for me to finish the job (I don't know what I would have done without it). On the day of the move, they showed up on time, were efficient and careful, and even whistled while they worked, in spite of having to climb a flight of stairs with all my heavy stuff. I am super satisfied. Makes me (almost) want to move again!

Excellent service..., have made several moves over time and this service was excellent.

Very well. Moving is upsetting and these guys made it easy.

They men were very careful and STRONG. They even lifted the piano!  We werent sure if our furniture would go around doorways and through the sliding glass door, but they got eveyrthing in and even had to take some things apart to get them in. They did an EXCELLENT and careful job.

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Two movers showed up at 7:55am (scheduled for 8) and assessed the job.  They were quick, efficient, and careful with our things.  Both movers were incredibly respectful of us, as well as the job to be done.  They packed our 2 bedroom duplex and unpacked into our 3 bedroom house all in under 3 hours.  It was amazing!

First, the three employees arrived earlier than the agreed upon time and sat in our driveway waiting for us to arrive.  We realized later that they charged us for that time.  I will get right to the point of how they did with the large items that were of concern to us.  The refrigerator:  they could not figure out how to get it through the doorway so they carelessly disassembled it, shelves, doors, water connections, etc and after banging it back and forth between the door jambs, causing scrapes and dents while doing so, they finally got it out and loaded.  I'll mention now so I don't forget that they left behind the parts to reassemble the doors.  Had I not seen them and brought them myself, they could not have reassembled the refrigerator at our new location.  Even with my bringing the parts, we later found out, when we had to hire a technician, that they failed to reconnect the water line in the door and they left screws out on the hinges.  They also did not take the time to correctly reassemble the shelves, so the freezer drawer would not close.  We now have water leakage on the floor about once a week, which we never had before.  So far we have spent over $200.00 attempting to correct what they did and it is still not resolved. 

The garden tractor:  they did not know how to get the wheels to free-spin and obviously tried various things.  I saw the difficulty they were having so I showed them the wheel release.  The day after the move, I found that they had turned the key on and left it on, killing the battery.

But the nightmare was the dining room table.  The set is a Henredon, which is a very good make, and in addition to its monetary value, it has sentimental value.  The table has two pedestal bases, each of which has three claw-foot legs.  We specifically asked them to use extra care with the table and even offered to disassemble it into two halves.  They assured us that was not necessary and they put the table into the truck, out of our sight.  When we arrived at our new home and they were unpacking the truck, they informed us they had bad news; the legs had broken on the table.  They said that they had placed our FULL-SIZED couch on TOP of the table and they theorized that when one of the legs broke, it must have shifted back and forth, breaking every single one of the claw feet!  Our table still sits in its destroyed state in our sunroom, which is our entrance, and everyone who visits looks at the table in disbelief, saying that "savages" must have done this.  When the Allways employees left our house they assured us that Allways would take care of the damage they had caused.  The next day, we tried to call the owner of Allways and you guessed it, he would not answer our repeated calls over the course of several days.  It was only after telling an employee on the phone that if the owner did not call us back we were going to file a lawsuit that he finally called.  Bottom line is he offered us $200.00 plus $200 "good customer relations" for a total of only $400.00 towards an attempted repair.  We have had two estimates from professional woodworkers and both informed us that the legs have been so structurally compromised that they can make no guarantee if they attempt to repair it.  They told us that a repaired leg could break again the first time we open the table to put a leaf in.  They also told us that a couch should never, ever have been placed on top of the table.  Keep in mind we are talking about a set that cost over $10,000.00.  So we were left with no other option than to sue him.  The court appearance has been scheduled for May.  When the owner received the notice of the suit and the notice to appear, he called us in an attempt to "resolve this informally."  During this discussion he actually said that if he has to pay for a new table, he "wants the old one and he knows that it has sentimental value." 

What about insurance, you ask?  The day of the move the employees told us that there was standard coverage included which was sufficient for what we had to move.  However, there is a clause in the contract, required by the U.S. and NYS Departments of Transportation, that allows the homeowner to reduce the mover's liability by accepting 30 cents per pound for an item that is broken.  So for example, if the table weighs 150 pounds, you receive $45.00.  A $2000.00 television weighing 30 pounds would have a maximum of $9 coverage.  The Department of Transportation also requires the HOMEOWNER, if they want to accept this waiver, to write in THEIR OWN HANDWRITING, the words 30 cents per pound.  This is to acknowledge that the homeowner is aware.  Needless to say, we would NEVER sign off on that type of waiver.  No reasonably intelligent person would do so.  But at the end of the move, after the employees left and we were again reviewing the contract because of the damage they had done, we found that one of the employees actually wrote in 30 cents per pound, without our knowledge.  We are taking appropriate action on that matter as well.

Bottom line, they did thousands of dollars of damage and they will not stand up and do the right thing. 

So BEWARE.....you might think the price is reasonable, so did we, but it will cost you plenty in the long, and short, run. 

I wish I could post photos of the extensive, irresponsible damage they caused to our table.  If you are not already convinced, that would do it.

From the initial estimate to the final move-in everything was easy.   Mike gave us a worst-case estimate, and then the actual move came in under (based on weight when crossing the state line).  The crew was extremely professional and very agreeable when we requested some additional items to be moved on the actual day.  We moved the entire contents of a large 3 bedroom house with dining room, and one item (a table leg) got broken.  They showed us right away when they unloaded it, and told us to choose any repair shop, get an estimate, and they would reimburse. (I haven't done it yet.)  They provided large blankets so nothing got scratched.
We have steps going into and out of both houses, and the piano was no problem for them at all.  They seemed extremely experienced with pianos and knew exactly how to handle it.
Would not hesitate to hire them again.

Think we paid Manhattan pricing for a not so professional move. Not their fault but....

Overall, while the moving men did a good job, the sales and management team were a huge dissapointment.  I feel deceived by their sales tactics, and wish I had gone with the other company, who was probably more honest and accurate with their estimate.

Everything went very well. They came through perfectly. They are great guys!

Overall they were exceptional.  Whether it was the initial contact and estimate for the job or the actual work. There were absolutely no problems.  The crews were exceptional in their work, handling of the furniture, and their care of the furniture moving it out and in.  The furniture was in excellent condition on  return after 4 weeks.   A  very meticulous and professional job.

They came and gave me an estimate which was very reasonable.  The moving van cam on the day it was supposed to come and they did a very efficient job of moving our stuff to the new house.

We have had good luck with Allways moving..  Their charges depend on the weight and volume.  They moved the entire contents of our farm to our current location.  They were very attentive, and careful.  They never broke a thing, and they did a really good job!

Fast and smooth

I was very pleased with Arpin Van Lines but I wasn't very pleased with the local company they are affiliated with (Allways Moving).  This locally owned affiliate has some problems.  It took a long time to get it straightened out when we were overcharged for some stuff and things didn't go as well as we wanted it to from the locally company stand point but the Arpin people themselves were really good. I would recommend Arpin without any problems.  Allways Moving eventually solved the bulk of our problems but I couldn't recommend them. What I recommend if anybody wanted to move use Arpin that they don't use a local subsidiary. I found out after the case I could have called Arpin directly and have them do the entire move and bypass the local company totally which i didn't realize at the time.

They called to confirm the day before.  They were punctual and professional.  They took care of the piano, and were very careful of the other items in my home.  I have used them in the past to move into my house, and would not hesitate to use them again.  I was very pleased overall.  I haven't moved a piano before, but I felt the price was a little on the expensive side.

My wife and I were moving to a new home and realized very quickly that we needed a mover to move us from our former home to our new home.  At first , we were looking at smaller moving companies so we could save some money.  However, given that we needed two smaller trucks to move our belongings and potentially a one day hold to deal with the final walk thru and closings, we decided we needed mid - larger company.  We called Allways Moving and Storage to see if they could meet our specific needs.  Mike Wood came out and went through our home and came up with an estimate that was very fair.  The estimate was within a range based on how well we packed and how organized we were with our belongings.  They were also able to accommodate a two day hold should we need it.  Based on the initial estimate we decided to go with Allways.
We were having some issues with scheduling the closings due to delays with the mortgage company.  Simply put, the staff, including Jen, Jason, and everyone there we spoke with were great in helping us schedule the move.  We probably scheduled and rescheduled about 4 times while waiting for our mortgage company to give us the "all clear to close" .  When we finally set up our closings, they were able to accommodate us by moving us out of our old place on Monday and moving us into our new place on Wednesday.  
The move out of our old home was fantastic.  The guys came at 8:45am and went straight to work.  They were able to figure out how to pack everything in the truck and protect all our furniture so that it would not get damaged.  The movers were professional, experienced, and seemed to just enjoy working together.  While they moved us out, my wife and I were able to clean the place for the final walkthrough.  They completed the move in about 5.5 hours which was well below what was estimated.  They also didn't damage any of our belongings or the house which we were very happy about.  We asked Allways to hold our stuff on the trucks until Wednesday.
The move into our new home had some minor issues, but nothing of major significance.  Due to the 100 degree heat that day, one of the moving trucks broke down 3/4 of a mile from our home.  However, had they not told us, we probably would not have even known.  Due to this, the moving crew was short one person to deal with the issue, but again, we would not have known had they not told us.  In any event, the move in was great as well.  They took great care in putting our furniture, boxes, etc in the places where we designated and gave us some suggestions about what pieces were going to work where.  They also took the time to take doors off to ensure our house and furniture would not get damaged.  The move in took about 8 hours due to the crew being one short and the oppressive heat that day ( And despite the 100 degree heat, the crew worked tirelessly to get the job done and did not complain once about the oppressive heat).  When it was time to settle the bill, the invoice was explained to us item by item.  They did adjust the bill down for the crew being short one person and for the truck issue.  What surprised my wife and I was that the move came in UNDER what was originally estimated by about 15%.  This was in part due to the packing my wife and I did, but this is the first time I can remember where a company charged for the work they actually performed and not what was estimated.   Needless to say, this greatly impressed us.    
Overall, we were very happy with Allways Moving and Storage.  From the office staff to the movers, they are a professional, experienced company.  They made what was a very stressful experience a lot easier for us.  We would definitely use them again in the future and would highly recommend them to anyone needing a moving company.  Thanks Allways for making one of the most important parts of our home buying experience much easier!

We were very happy with the move, they worked steadily and acted professionally.  Actually come in under estimte.

This is the second time we've used Allways and they've been fantastic each time.  We moved from a pretty full three bedroom apartment into a house.

Their three man crew showed up on time and were very easy to work with.  We were moving from an apartment complex, so they had to maneuver the truck around a parking lot.  They were able to align the truck in two different spots during the load-up so that they could do their work without inconveniencing neighbors.  Removing all of our stuff from the apartment (about 70 boxes, a full-size couch, two loveseats, etc.) and packing the truck took about four and a half hours.  They took two five minute breaks on a hot, sunny day.

They stopped for a bite before showing up at the new home and didn't charge us for that time.  When they arrived, they took a quick look around the 90 year old house and got to work.  The front double-door of the house opens so that one door still blocks half the stairway to the second floor.  They got a heavy loveseat, two beds, etc. up to a back room on the second floor navigating the very difficult entrance and stairway which curves at the top and has a low ceiling, with another immediate turn into the master bedroom and office.  The other couch and loveseat went into the living room through very narrow doorways.  We didn't know how they were going to get the full size couch in there, but they somehow did it.  We gave them a round of applause once they'd managed it.  The unload took about three hours.

None of our possessions were damaged.  Several mirrors and pieces of glass were wrapped well and delivered safely.  They caused no damage to the apartment or the house.  Each guy in the crew was very friendly.  They all had excellent attitudes and they obviously worked well together.  Communication between them and us was easy and comprehensive.

We would definitely use Allways Moving again, though we hope we won't need to.