MOVING STAFFERS

We used SML movers, doing business as Moving Staffers, to relocate from New Orleans to Houston -- with disastrous results. The loading muscle we employed on their re​​commendation were no better than amateurs, arriving at our house an hour late, a man short and with no tools whatever. They labored in high heat – but their haphazard loading meant that much of our furniture, including some massive, precious pieces, came off the truck in chunks. Heavy oak legs were sheared off! Boxes marked “Fragile” came off crushed and torn. But most importantly, despite dramatic photos, SML refuses all claims for compensation. They claim it’s our fault by violating the terms of service in that: We did not provide a moving blanket for EVERY piece of furniture (they specify 60 blankets for a 25-foot truck!) and they do not cover moves by freightliners – although in multiple conversations, including one VERY thorough introductory conversation, I explicitly mentioned my arrangements and they continued to work with me. My wife wept as the furniture came off the truck. Despite clear evidence that overpowering shearing forces generated by sloppy loading tore off chunks of furniture, SML retreated behind the technical excuse of too few blankets and the use of a commercial freightliner to blow me off. It’s their cover, pure and simple. Adding insult to grief and thousands of dollars in injury, they offered to kiss me off with $100. Classy. We do not want this to happen ever again – to anybody. Be warned, this is not a stand-up company.

Moving Staffers provided 3 "movers" to assist with loading our PODS in February. We hired them because they were recommended by/affiliated with PODS, and I was told that they had experience with loading PODS so would be the most efficient, etc. The 3 "movers" showed up without any dollies, or any supplies whatsoever to assist them with the move. They would take out one load of stuff, come back inside, and ask us what else to take. ALL of it, we are moving!! They did NOT load the containers efficiently at all, and by the end of the day, we had to literally unpack an entire POD and re pack it ourselves because they didn't fit all of our stuff. (We were able to successfully fit all of our stuff with the help of our lovely neighbors...) They also did not follow basic moving best practices - they put our dining table standing upright and then stacked things on top of it - it has massive scratches all over it. Same with our dresser - and some of the drawers are now falling apart and unusable. All of our other furniture items are scratched/chipped (baby's crib, changing table) or ripped (sectional couch). Don't believe their claim that they are experienced movers - during the loading process, one of the "movers" told us it was his FIRST MOVING JOB. I 100% do not recommend this company - go with someone else!

I originally locked a price for moving $400 less than what was provided to me. I received the price lock email, tried to confirm it and it failed. I replied to the support email and never heard back. A couple of days later I called back in and was told that price was no longer available and I was forced to take a higher price. On the first move, the movers showed up an hour later than their latest available window of time, and the move was timed to avoid the rain scheduled to start in the afternoon. Because the movers were late, it began raining while they were moving, and slowed them down significantly. The move took an extra hour and a half, which cost me an additional $450. I lost nearly $1000 to your company's negligence and non-response to emails, and I will never use you for any services ever again.

Our experience with them was horrible. They were very expensive first of all, but I thought quality comes at expense. However, there were more furniture destroyed, family heirlooms destroyed and it was all based upon the way they packed it in the truck wrong. They put a 150-year old table at the bottom of tons of materials and it crashed it and also the heavy duty tools like a table saw, they put so much weight on top of it that it crashed. There were dozens of ceramics and things destroyed as well. Here in Georgia, they were right on, but in South Carolina, they gave us a window. They said that they would be there between 8 and 12. I asked them if they were aware that it will take them two days to do it and told them why would not they just be here early and do it all in one day. They said that that was the way they do it. So, the punctuality in South Carolina was horrible, but here in Georgia, it was perfect.

They are a nationwide provider, and I used the one in Virginia.  They arrived early, and had me walk them through the house and discuss what I needed.  They spread out and took one room each, and then helped one another carry the big items.  One fellow carried over a dozen heavy boxes out by himself!  I'm handicapped, and cannot lift anything.  I sat down, and they would come to me with questions, if they had them.  Each package was carefully, securely and neatly packed.  The POD was professionally loaded and they used all of the space efficiently.  These gentlemen were so courteous, nice, and helpful.  They bent over backwards to take care of all of my furnishings and knickknacks.  I would hire them again anytime, and you should too!!

Price is right they took longer than I thought they would. A few errors because I had a few things going to South Carolina and some to the storage. For the most part was good and did a good job.

I was referred to Moving Staffers by U-Pack. The crew they hired in Falls Church, VA, for unloading was wonderful. The crew they hired for the Lubbock, TX job was a bunch of kids who worked really hard, but were disorganized and unprofessional. They came in earlier than the agreed upon time, then they had to leave because they didn't have any of the agreed upon (and paid!) packing supplies. Apparently they weren't told they were supposed to pack too. They left behind a bunch of stuff, including a whole shoe organizer with my business shoes-well over 700$ in shoes that Moving Staffers refuses to compensate me for, because apparently they think that the customer is supposed to baby-sit the movers and run after them with everything they forgot (which I had to do quite a bit already). This kind of defeats the point of having packers and movers, doesn't it?
In terms of estimates, they were slightly below the estimate, but once I add up the replacement cost of all the items they lost, it was a pricey move. I do not recommend this company. I also wrote U-Pack explaining that they should not associate themselves with these hacks.

Stay away from Moving Staffers. They contract with local movers, but if something goes wrong, which can certainly happen with moving companies, Moving Staffers doesn't stand behind their services. We had an issue with local movers and Moving Staffers did not even listen to my account of the details and had the worst customer service. Keep your decisions to hire movers at the local level yourself and research moving companies that will stand behind their services and keep promises they make to their customers.

I had nylon rope, moving blankets and offered to go buy more blankets if needed. I stressed quality over time concerns. Two men loaded furniture I had already wrapped which I watched. I assumed they were professionals and then went into the house to pack more boxes. They loaded the trailer and didn't wrap subsequent furniture - new french door refigerator scratched and dented everywhere, bicycle on top  of cherry bed frame, antique table at bottom of trailer with boxes piled on top now in pieces(I had cautioned them and had a sign on table - fragile,, put on top), heavy wrought iron chaise lounges on top of fragile boxes. All boxes were marked with contents and FRAGILE. My wooden chairs and sofa frame are scratched and gouged.
A new handgun was stolen. It has been reported to the Loveland, CO police department. I found the empty case in a cedar chest when I unloaded here in LA. Subsequent information is that the two movers who came to my home had criminal records and one was in jail a few weeks ago.
I have contacted all companies involved and none will take responsibility.

This was my first time using this program and I literally could not be happier. I found them through my alumni website and they had them listed as an approved company that you can hire movers through. I needed 2  people to unload on a Sunday and was making the request the week before. I was worried I would not be able to find anyone or that they would be extremely costly. They found me AMAZING movers in my area; who worked very fast and efficient and were done unloading a whole POD in 3 hours.
That include unloading all the heavy furniture and putting it where I wanted in my house. I was amazed! I also loved that they had a contract to sign (digitally) so we were protected in the deal as well as them. You hear a lot about moving companies who pull scams or overcharge after everything is over and having a contract made me feel much more protected in the process from the very start. I am very pleased with their service and would definitely recommend them for anyone in the future.

It was a disaster from start to finish. I wasn't there but had sent a representative, who gave my instructions.
Not only were the instructions not followed, the following things were done by Moving Staffers team lead, Frank. (Frank had a NJ area code by the way.):
--Conscripted the children of my ex-roommates to unpack my packed things and remove liquids. I was not asked if these kids could go through my things! I have medical issues and no desire to have my friends know all about them. I was not told to prepare by removing liquids.
--Threw things into boxes without heed for what they were, and how they were protected. Several antiques and worse, family heirlooms were shattered. I am heartbroken...
--Loaded the truck improperly, causing a massive avalanche during the drive by a professional moving trucker. The load collapsed, crushing items, breaking furniture, and causing items in boxes to break.
--Did not use all the space in the truck, so my bookkcases were left behind. They could have been in the truck with boxes of books in them. This might have prevented the box avalanche. Common sense!
--Used pieces of my antique art collection as padding between furniture, destroying old drawings.
--Lied and said my silk screen press wouldn't fit in the truck, even though it eventually fit in easy, at 5' wide to the truck's 8'. I had to argue with the team lead to get him to load it, by phone. I had told the phone agent about this heavy machine in advance, by the way.
--Were supposed to bring 37 boxes. Ran out after using 10 book boxes they brought. Started using old busted up boxes of mine, which fell apart in the avalanche. Sent my friend to store to buy more boxes. She didn't buy enough.
--My DVD player was found lose and shattered in the truck. No clue why.
--Packed cleaning solvents (liquids) which crushed and leaked, despite trying to remove all liquids.
--Stuffed and packed my clothing (which was on hangers) into tiny boxes. Everything is wrinked and must be ironed at huge time or expense. They used the garment boxes for random things, and stuffed them too tightly to believe...because they didn't bring enough boxes.
--Spent 10 hours, three men. That is 30 man hours. So was I really supposed to owe $80/man hour for this level of service?
I foolishly paid in advance, thinking this was a white glove service. Instead I got a troop of incompetents who conscripted children into poking through all my belongings. I am just heartbroken at the waste of money, broken things, and dishonesty.
I have complained and asked for a full refund but am getting the run around.

When they packed everything, they did not load items properly. They were late and tried to overcharge us. My real estate agent argued with them on that as well. They did not wrap anything and they  just put everything on top of everything and had no order to the packing. This was a move from Tuscan to Sarasota. When the items arrived in Sarasota, the different company that unloaded the items could not believe that Moving Staffers had packed the items and furniture that way. Lamp shades were damaged and some of the furniture was scratched as well. I wrote to them when I got back and sent numerous emails and asked what they were going to do to fix the issues. I asked for partial refund and they never responded. They sent a survey later on their service and I let them know what had happened and did not hear anything back. The unloading was fantastic in Sarasota but the loading was terrible initially. I would consider using different locations in the future and would have to be careful on the loading contractor in the future.

While I was satisfied with the people that came to do the actual work at our hous, I was very pleased with the I was extremely displeased with my post move service.  As I'm sureeveryone is aware, moving is a very stressful time and not everything can be corrected on the day of a move.  That said, I originally signed up for a basic service (limited hours included) and subsequently upgraded the service to included unlimited hours and some additional care around the packing and moving of furniture, pictures, etc.

Unfortunately, the people who came to our house were not informed that they needed to bring padded paper and other materials to cover what was needed and we ended up having to use supplies that we had around the house from previous moves to finish the job.  Additionally, while great care was taken and I have no issue with the fact that an accident occurred, the movers did let a treadmill slip which put a hole in our wall that we had to pay to have fixed (as we were selling our house, it had to be done quickly as well).  I never reported this incident because I did not want it coming out of the movers pockets.  That said, I paid for an upgraded service that I only partially received and when I received another invoice from Moving Staffers for an additional ~$500 for 10 mirror boxes, 2 wardrobe boxes and 1 TV box I was stunned at the cost.  This is almost $40/box.  If the prices had been disclosed to me during the move, I would have run out to the U-Haul place to by some heavy duty boxes for $10/box.

I called to request a partial refund due to the fact that I did not receive the full benefit of the upgraded service, the pricing for boxes was ridiculous, and I had to pay to have my wall fixed.  I was told that because I didn't call the day of the move that I would not get any money back, regardless of what happened. I absolutely feel like I there was a bit of bait and switch going on with the pricing.  Moving Staffers lures one in with good rates for basic moving labor, to get a more reasonable service in terms of hours and service one has to pay up a bit (which is totally fine) but when the upgraded service is not communicated to the people in the field properly and they don't show up with all the materials they need, Moving Staffers will only consider refunds on the day of a move (apparently).  They charge 4X the amount for boxes then one could buy at a storage facility or U-Haul place and they don't disclose that during the move.

Finally, I think the policy around needing to report everything on the day of the move is ludicrous, people have their lives packed up, no access to computers to check things on-line, limited phone availability, limited time because they are coordinating and answering questions and when a move finishes late at night, who are you supposed to call?  I didn't even get the invoice for the boxes until 2 weeks later, how was I supposed to call the day of the move for that?  In sum, while the people who came to do the actual work were very nice, accommodating and professional about their job.  I would never use Moving Staffers again because I feel cheated.

This was a terrible move.  We have moved several times in the past thirty four years.  My husband physically can not load a trailer and neither can I.   We relied on this company to move our belongings cross the country in a safe manner as they advertised and did not get anything close to that kind of service.  They took our $785 in advance and provided us with subpar service both with the loading staff and with their customer service.  Now, we are looking at about $3000. in damages and repairs to our appliances and furniture.  I have no problem with ABF who supplied the trailer, they were prompted,courteous and their customer service was great.  However, if they continue to use Moving Staffers as their loaders, I will not use either company in the future.
My recommendation is to never use Moving staffers for your moving needs.  They are terrible.

Very poor customer service and service at the local level.

The loading seemed to go well. The guys worked fast and hard. We were under the assumption that they were using pads and blankets. They did not. Furniture arrived damaged and broken. Both the mover and Moving Staffers refuse to own any of the blame because we did not purchase added insurance. If we had, we could file a claim for 60¢ on the pound. A mere pittance compared to what it will cost to repair wood furniture with the veneer shaved off. Moving Staffers is just terrible a terrible company. They don't deserve to be in business.
Do your homework. Don't EVER work with Moving Staffers or any of their affiliates.

Terrible...the summary above identifies salient facts.  Their contention is if you opt for a "lesser insurance" contract, you are out of luck with them.  More money would not have meant better service since the contract they have offers no redress for the consumer.  This is a predatory, profiteering company.  I have spoken to Carolyn and Nicole who expressed sympathy at the extent of damage but made little to no effort to make it right.  The bottom line is the company provided nowhere near the level of service they advertise on ABF's UPack site.  Since my wife is pregnant, she was unable to help me load the truck.  A reasonable expectation of service was clearly violated in that the truck was loaded so incompetently that the extent of damage was severe.  This has been an extremely disappointing service experience.  The Colorado Springs crew's incompetence caused our household goods to receive an indeterminate amount of damage.  The only way this could be made right is for ABF and Moving Staffers to pay for any and all repairs, and replace destroyed items.

Moving Staffers came recommended by PODS.  They guys who packed it did a great job but they showed up three hours late and they never called.  The person in the office was kind of dismissive as well.  The price was reasonable and I would consider using them again.

They were excellent! They were on time and very efficient. I would recommend them to anyone.