Lawrence Transportation Systems
About us
Lawrence Companies has been in the moving business since 1932. We have grown & diversified. Relocation is still the core business - but we also have: Lawrence Freight - Lawrence Data Management - Lawrence Trailer & Truck Equipment - Lawrence Equipment - Affordable Container Service - Lawrence Relocation. We are a total transportation company - can move or haul about anything. Additional email - [email protected]
Business highlights
Services we offer
Moving & storage facilities.
Amenities
Free Estimates
Yes
Accepted Payment Methods
- CreditCard
| Number of Stars | Image of Distribution | Number of Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 45% | ||
| 9% | ||
| 9% | ||
| 0% | ||
| 36% |
A note on the cost.... I only moved a half hour down the road!
As another poster said, it took a week for them to get a salesperson out to do the "survey". Then another 3 days to give me an estimate. Kind of odd since the salesperson had a tablet with all the software on it and movers I used in the past were able to give me an estimate on site. But the salesperson seemed bright, and while the initial estimate was a little higher than I would have liked, it didn't seem totally unreasonable.
But that is where the romance ends. The salesperson was off on their weight estimate by almost 6,000 lbs! I think it was a "bait and switch" situation....they low ball the original weight to get you to sign and then "get you" with the actual weight. That little error increased the cost by almost $3000.00! Yes, actual weight will not always be the estimated weight, but to be off by that much is incompetent at best. (BTW, nothing was "hidden" up in an attic or shed, etc.)
The next issue I had was that I contracted with them to do "some packing". I only asked them to pack the kitchen and master bedroom. That's 2 rooms out of a 7 room house and two car garage. The sales person said he'd put it at 40% of the total weight for now, and if it was less it could be scaled back later. Well guess what didn't get scaled back??? The actual shipping weight came out to 20,840 lbs. All they packed was 7 wardrobes, 5 dish packs and about 10 misc sized boxes and they didn't even complete the assigned rooms. I had to finish them! There is NO way what they packed constitutes 40% of a 20,000 lb load. Even after I disputed the charges, they still sent me a bill for the full 40%. Guess what is NOT getting paid?
Should I write about the damage? Might as well since you've stayed with me this long. An oak bookcase was literally destroyed. The back panel was split open and the bottom knocked out of the drawer...and I can't find the shelves! Another bookcase has the trim hanging off the front and those shelves are MIA too, (Why did they remove the shelves and what did they do with them???) A wood cabinet has a chunk out of the top and they snapped a door pull off an antique Victrola. Some drinking glasses were broken because they packed them stacked inside each other without paper in-between them. There are a lot more little things like dings and scratches on the furniture. I can't tell you if they'll honor my claim as I haven't filed it yet, but given how they do business I don't think it will go well.
The driver refused to to drive the truck and pick up what was in the garage. Some of the items that were packed never made it. They sent out a claim form and refused to pay it.
They delivered the goods COD we had a money order for the pick up they claim it never made it to the office. They are now taking to to collections.
My question is how does a driver drop goods off and not collect payment. Also send a claim form and not pay on it.
The movers arrived 30 minutes early but they were very nice and professional. They even patiently waited while I continued packing once they arrived. My items were moved on 9/27/13. LaTia Bryant was my Move Coordinator. At the time of the move, I did not have an apartment in Chicago, IL so Brian and LaTia worked with me to delay delivery of my items in Chicago in order to give me time to find an apartment.
I arrived in Chicago, 9/28. Luckily, I found a spacious 3 bedroom apartment Monday, 9/30. I signed a lease 10/1, paid my security deposit and October rent. LaTia and I spoke daily concerning my move and I provided her with the address of my new apartment. The movers arrived 10/8 and even offered to arrange the furniture in the rooms! LaTia has contacted me after the move and I was very thankful for a stress free move. I know when I spoke with Brian and LaTia they promised they would do everything they could to make my move stress free and they delivered!
Thank you Brian, LaTia, and movers for the best move ever! Nothing was broken or damaged!
Janet Clement-Kamara
Our packers were courteous and extremely hard-working. They completed work in less than the time required. The company was willing to work with us to deliver our goods to three different locations--workplace, temporary apartment, and their storage facility. The packing team also unloaded our goods at the workplace and apartment, and all seemed to go well.
The majority of our belongings were stored at their facility. The storage cost apprx. $400/month. Once our home search had continued for 3 months, we determined that continued storage would cost us too much. We researched other storage options and found a climate-controlled storage unit that could house all of our belongings for $98/month. (The Lawrence storage was not climate-controlled.) We paid the company to unload our belongings and pack them into the storage unit. This gave us the opportunity to check furniture for damage and to open the high value item boxes as well. They were once again easy to work with.
We learned during this process that our belongings had been repacked into wooden crates. One of our crates must have been dropped because the boxes were somewhat crushed and larger items were damaged. All of the damage that we found was covered or repaired by the company, and we found how they dealt with this to be reasonable. Of course, it was still upsetting that a number of items were damaged.
A couple of months later we were finally able to unpack everything. After experiencing the damage, repacking, and high prices we went with another moving company for the last of the move. As we unpacked we found damage to a multitude of other items that we were unable to see before. Items that could not stand heat had melted/warped--electronics, plastics. A number of smaller fragile items had broken, and we found other furniture damage that we could not see while furniture was still wrapped. Finding a damaged item per box has become the norm during the unpacking process. Since we had moved our items to a different storage unit and used other movers for the final end of the move, we understood that we could not claim these other damages as we found them.
We are quite certain that the damage mentioned above happened while using Lawrence as we had the climate controlled storage unit and were able to carefully watch our movers from the other compnay for the final portion of the move.
"I have reviewed your letter September 15, 2011, relating to the concerns raised by this customer. Since their shipment was transported in interstate commerce pursuant to an interstate Bill of Lading and United's published tariffs incorporated therein, the entire transaction is governed exclusively by applicable federal law. Lawrence Transportation Systems is a disclosed household goods agent of United, and as such, has no liability separate or apart from that of United. Since theirshipment moved pursuant to United's interstate operating authority, United is responsible for responding to her for any claim filed for damage related to her move under United order number 851-341-0. I am providing a summary of United's position regarding her concerns for your consideration. Their household goods shipment moved from North Carolina to Illinois under United order number 851-341-0. The shipment delivered to them on November 2, 2010. She refers to the coverage for her shipment as "insurance." United does not offer its customers insurance. United assumes responsibility for loss or damage to the household goods we transport based upon the customer's chosen released rate valuation option declared on the Bill of Lading. Valuation is a contractual level of mover liability. By choosing the type of valuation a customer wants for their shipment, the customer is determining how much liability the mover will have in the event of loss or damage to the shipment. Valuation coverage is further explained in the booklet, "Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move" given to them on their Bill of Lading. Review of the documents prepared in conjunction with her shipment indicate the items in question (neon sign and glass table top) were crated at origin. Attached is a copy of the invoice that she signed acknowledging the crating service performed on October 28, 2010. On November 2, 2010, these items were uncrated at her request. I am attaching a copy of the invoice signed by her showing this uncrating service was provided. Van operator Otis Oakes completed the uncrating service. She acknowledges that the movers asked her to inspect everything that was identified as high value prior to leaving her residence on November 2, 2011. The High Value Inventory form (copy attached) completed and signed by her on November 2, 2011 indicates "I acknowledge receipt of the above listed items with exception only as noted on the carrier's descriptive inventory". The Household Goods Descriptive Inventory (copy attached) signed by her on November 2, 2011 indicates no exceptions were noted for any damage to the glass top or neon sign. She signed the Bill of Lading (copy attached) advising "shipment was received in apparent good condition except as noted on inventory and services ordered were performed". In summary, all of the documents referenced above support the fact that United's representative did uncrate the damaged items in question in the presence of the customers, inspected these items and made no notation of any damage at the time the services were provided. We regret that United is unable to accept responsibility for her claim as filed but there is no evidence to support her assertion that the glass table top and neon sign were damaged while in United's possession. We regret that she remains dissatisfied with United's response to her claim. We'd like to let her know that United participates in an arbitration program sponsored by the American Moving and Storage Association (AMSA) and administered by the National Arbitration Forum, an independent third-party not affiliated with AMSA or United."
"Lawrence Transportation has been in the moving business for over 70 years. This happens because we provide a quality service to our customers. Our Van Operators Customer Service score is currently above 91%. We measure our scores thru a 3rd party reporting firm that sends survey's directly to our customers. This score is not what we claim about ourselves, it is what our customers are saying about us. We move approximately 2500-3000 families a year. Moving can be very stressfull and we take great pride in our quality service. Is every move perfect? There is no way for every move to be perfect, however we follow thru till the end. When things seem unrealistic, they usually are."
Licensing
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FAQ
Contact Information
872 Lee Hwy, Roanoke, VA 24019
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