Armstrong Relocation

It appeared that the packing and loading went fine until the truck arrived at it's final destination. Due to one mover being in a hurry, a box was dropped coming off the truck that included a glass hurricane item, it was shattered. A large flower pot was moved and half of it was broken. Furniture damage such as scratches to wall unit and hutch, dents and scratches to the refrigerator, broken wine glasses because they were left in the box without being wrapped in paper. Silk flower arrangements were damaged because of not wrapping or placing heavier items on top and one was totally dismantled. Wardrobe boxes were not used properly, clothing just thrown in the box, not hung up on the bar. Additional items were chipped and broken but no pictures are provided.

This is the worst delivery side of a move I have ever experienced!  The United Van Lines driver was good but the two people that showed up 1/2 hour late were obviously not wanting to be here.  They were not uniformed.  They were rude, yelling out numbers simultaneously at me, while I checked them off on the bingo sheets and I had two different colors of stickers to deal with. There was no way I could keep up with it and they knew it but didn't care they just kept yelling at me and wouldn't stop when I asked them to give me a break!  They were even yelling out the wrong numbers at times!   They kept asking me where I wanted things to go (yes at the same time they were calling off numbers) when most every box was clearly labeled by the United Van Lines packers in Minneapolis (which were excellent).  They put two dents in the wall in the study.  I was told that all furniture that had to be taken apart to be moved would be put together by them......they did not do so.  The two desk drawers in my roll top desk that they did put in will now NOT OPEN, which I am filing a claim for.  One of them asked to use the bathroom.....when I went in later to unpack some things the toilet seat was dirty and there was water all over the floor!  They put very heavy boxes on top of very light ones (which are indicated with x"s on each side.)  As I said, this was the most horrible experience I have ever had with a moving company which is really too bad because everything went so professionally and smoothly in Minneapolis.  I have a feeling that Armstrong must hire people right off the street for deliveries without any training, uniforms or common courtesy.  Clearly there was no professionalism except from the driver and I believe he was from the  Minnesota affiliate.  Armstrong might want to take some notes from the Minneapolis United Van Lines affiliate.  I couldn't wait for that day to be over, it was terrible!  I would never book a move with Armstrong Relocation and I regret that the company in Minneapolis did so.

They did a brilliant job.  It was a very smooth move an we are very happy with the outcome.  I will refer them to my friends and family.

Overall, it was uneventful.  All services were performed on time.  Two packers worked 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. steadily with very minimal breaks and finished job in one day as promised.  Art craters came during day to crate high-value art, and it came through unscathed, as did piano and rugs.  Goods were loaded onto truck on Wednesday in Houston and arrived in Pittsburgh 5 days later on Monday. Overall, I was well satisfied with the service provided.  The only problem, which was ultimately addressed, was moving a large enfilade and mirror from the second floor to the ground floor garage for later sale.  There was not good communication among the several entities involved in executing a moving job: The Surveyor, the Agent (Armstrong), and the Transporter (United).  I communicated to the Surveyor (who bids the job), the Agent (Armstrong), and the Transporter's (United's) driver that the enfilade and mirror were to be moved downstairs but, on loading day, the Transporter's driver claimed it was not part of Transporter's responsibility.  I had to be nasty with the Transporter's driver and the Agent's representative in order to get the pieces moved downstairs.  At the end of the day, they worked something out, as long as I would release them from liability if the pieces were damaged while moving downstairs.  I did (they weren't high value), and they moved them down.  This was the only unpleasantness in an otherwise very good experience.  It could have been avoided if I had made sure the moving-downstairs order was expressly written down as part of the bid and part of the contract the Surveyor presented to me (it had been agreed in e-mail)..

The actual move went extremely well.  The workers were prompt, very professional, and completed the move in less time that was estimated.  Nothing was broken or damaged in the move.  Armstrong was very accomodating in the manner in which the move was performed.  For instance, I had 2 companies estimate the move for me.  Both said it would take 2 days, and both wanted to load everthing on day one, then store my shipment in their warehouse location over night, then unload on day 2.  I requested that they instead do a partial load and unload on each of the two days, and not store anything over night.  Armstrong willing did this, while the other company would not.  Armstrong also provided me in advance of the move a large number of unsed boxes for free, delivered to my home.  They did neglect to tell me that I would only get one free delivery of boxes to my home.  When I called about needing some additional boxes, they did deliver a second batch for no charge, but I had to go pick up a small number of boxes in a third batch.  I just wish the sales rep had told me that from the beginning.  Armstrong also quoted a max price for the move based on total manhours, and told me I would get a prorata refund if it took fewer hours.  It did, and they did send a refund check to me, but I believe they underpaid me by about $100.  Armstrong has not returned my calls on this matter so I see it as still unresolved. 

Mr. Pat Skelly handled the move from Houston to the Palm Springs area initially. He was very polite, informative, and helpful. He was accommodating when I needed to change appointment times. Everything he said was accurate. This company packed and moved me on the same day. They came exactly in the morning when they said they would and started packing. It was quick and efficient. You could tell these people were quite experienced in what they were doing. The moving truck called me when they were about an hour and a half away and were there at the house right about when they said they would. They loaded the truck nonstop and were done in about a couple of hours. Everyone was friendly, polite, and hardworking. My goods were delivered in a timely manner. The unloading went fine with the movers asking me where I would like things to go. Nothing was damaged or lost. It was the best and easiest moving experience I have ever had.

Fairly good overall. I sometimes had trouble getting the Armstrong sales rep to respond promptly. Packing was good quality, although many boxes were inaccurately or inadequately labeled. This has led to frustration during unpacking because I'm having a hard time finding key items.

Everything went great. They were prompt, courteous and cautious with our very nice furniture. I went over the floor plan we desired and instructed Alfonso and Tom what order I wanted everything done. The price may seem high but they have a 5 hour minimum and you get what you pay for... these are great movers. I have a lot of experience with movers and I must say I will definitely call Armstrong again. Lastly, I spoke with the VP of the company around 5:30 pm Thursday and told him I needed the quote that evening if possible; he did this allowing me to have my boss review the papers for the movers and returned to Armstrong on Friday for the move that Saturday. Their office personnel are great too!

My husband's employer paid for the move- I think $9000 +/-. And I treated the crew well. I tipped the crew a total of $600 and fed them all! The move crew in Houston damaged the 3 most expensive pieces of furniture that I own: a Kindel dining table & sideboard and a Baker bed were all gouged right down to the wood. The Kindel pieces are made to order, handmade and hand-finished pieces. I did not see the damage on 2 pieces until 2 weeks later, so only reported the dining table to Armstrong. Armstrong offered to have a furniture repair person of their choosing make repairs--no thanks. I'll hire a qualified furniture restorer and pay for it myself. While unpacking, we discovered a wardrobe box was missing with my husbands 2 fine leather jackets. In unpacking I found some of the packing was really poorly done. My silk drapes were not folded--rather wadded up and stuffed in a box. Our bed was not re-assembled correctly, consequently the center support under the mattress has split.

Armstrong Relocation did a good job when they helped us move from Tennessee to Texas. When you move that far you're always going to have some accidents, but nothing major was broken and nothing was missing. They made sure to put everything where we wanted it in the house. The only problem I had with them was their pricing, which was pretty high.

THE WORKERS, TIM AND WILL, WERE VERY POLITE AND HARD WORKERS. THEY HANDLE EVERYTHING WITH CARE.