ABC Moving & Storage Co

After calling the office, being directed to fill out an online questionnaire, and the having to make a follow up phone call to the office, it is clear that this business does not desire any business.
I was told the quote was high because I did not have a complete list of furnishings. When I indicated I would have less than 50 items, the reply (by a saleswoman who never bothered to give her name), told me my quote would be double. Without even seeing what those less than 50 items were? What if I had 30 lamps to move vs. 10 pianos?
Do NOT waste your time with these slackers! They do not even deserve the one star rating if they cannot bother to book an appointment. My recommendation, try United Van Lines. They are more than happy to assess my situation and Guess who is going to get my $$$$$!!!

They only get 1 star because Unilocal doesn’t allow 0 stars.
MAKE SURE YOU REQUEST A BINDING BID. IT WILL BE MORE EXPENSIVE BUT IT’S WORTH IT!
My use of ABC Moving was the most unsatisfactory consumer experience of my life. I mean that statement in the most literal sense.
BOTTOM LINE:
They bid the project at $ 7,400 and billed us $ 10,300 before our stuff ever left the state (this was a cross-​country move from MO to CA).
The initial bid was so far off that the driver didn’t have enough space for the load so it was split into two loads. The second «overflow» load had to be freighted and didn’t arrive until after a month after pack-​date. Conveniently for them, the freighted shipment is not covered on their delivery policy.
They completely hoodwinked us. Throughout the complaint process they kept insisting they provided me three bids and I CHOSE the lowest one. Absolutely, completely, patently absurd. They gave us one bid… and then went 40% over the bid and billed our credit card without letting me contest the charge or any kind of explanation.
I spent 4 months dealing with Atlas/​ABC trying to get some type of easement or refund to no success. Across the board at every level of the company they were slow to respond and unhelpful. Moving is stressful enough as it is… STAY AWAY from this company.
You are completely at their mercy throughout the process and they know it.

I solely created a Unilocal account to express my dissatisfaction with this company. I am moving to Ohio at the end of June and my father selected this Atlas affiliate to work with. He had requested that they contact me to set up an initial survey. I didn’t receive any phone calls. He called and inquired what happened and was told there was an issue with the «computers». Not a great start but we moved forward. We were told that the move at the end of June would be fine by Kelly and we set up a time to have my condo surveyed.
The day before the survey, I receive a call from Kelly stating that Atlas was no longer scheduling moves for the end of June. I’m thinking, OK, technically we never set a solid date so I understand. Kelly, after speaking with my father, even went as far to search for other moving affiliates associated with Atlas that could possibly take me but turned up empty handed. She suggested a company ship-​smart that upon research had lackluster reviews and a multitude of complaints to the BBB.
So as it was down to the wire and a lot of movers were booked, I was willing to just have my things shipped early. My father had stated that the following week would be best and he was told by ABC that it could be arranged. At this point, Kelly asked me to email her what items I had and that she would send me an estimate. A full business day passed. No Kelly. I called the next day and was told she got in at 9 AM so I left a voice-​mail. I had to call again around lunch time just to speak with her. She said she had «just got in» and «would call me that afternoon with an estimate.»
I’m still waiting for that call.
As someone who has worked in customer service for years and have prided myself in treating people with common courtesy and respect, it baffles me why someone would almost blatantly try to lose business. I never spoke disrespectfully to Kelly and I tried to make it work. I was willing to cancel appointments and miss family events to make this flow smoothly. We’ve now come up with a plan b now for my move but at the expense of lost time and a huge headache.
Update: Kelly called after I wrote this post but at that point, I wasn’t interested.

I’ve heard horror stories about people who moved a significant distance away from home and had problems with their movers. Have you ever seen the movie, «Moving?» with Richard Pryor? Well, here’s a real version for you! Buckle your seat belts, kids, we’re in for a bumpy ride!
My move out west wasn’t a last-​minute ordeal. This was all made official by mid-​November and of course finding a moving company was a top priority. One of my best gal pals relocated to Dallas from St. Louis a few years ago and I asked for a referral. Her father’s company uses ABC Atlas for corporate relocations and they came highly recommended.
They sent out a sales rep to come to my STL apartment and assess the situation. It’s good for them to see how much stuff you really have — one person’s idea of a one bedroom vs. another can vary. Also, California one bedrooms are a lot smaller! Anyhoo, Ellen came to visit and during that time she described the process. Since I’d only lived in IL or MO my entire life, the thought of packing and moving that far away had me a tad anxious. She assured me that the process was simple and that they’d take good care of my things.
Fast forward a few weeks — I’d found an apartment that I liked in South Bay with a lease that began on ¹²⁄₂₈. Before I committed to it, though, I called Ellen to make sure that date wouldn’t be a problem, considering the fact that it was between two major holidays. Her response. «Oh, not at all! We can probably find a driver who wants to be out West around that time.» OK, cool!
The contract was sent over with a pick up date of ¹²⁄₂₂ (right before Christmas) and an estimated delivery date of 12÷28÷10−1÷12÷11. January 12^th made me nervous, so I called Ellen to clarify. She told me, straight up, that they add several weeks of time on the back end just in case of inclement weather or problems with the driver’s vehicle. And she also said, point blank, «We’ll probably be there between the 28^th and right after the New Year.» Fair enough, I could live without a bed or furniture for a few days!
The movers who came to pick up on the 22^nd were great. They helped add the one star on to the overall rating. It did take a long time to load my things, but that’s because they inventory *everything*, which is a good thing. And I was lucky enough to spend Christmas with my family in IL, so I had access to a nice futon for a few days.
So I arrive to San Mateo on the 28^th and give it a few days before calling ABC Atlas to get an ETA on delivery. On January 4^th, Ellen’s assistant Terri calls to tell me that the delivery driver has just left St. Louis! And that I could expect to be «right on schedule» on January 12^th. Oooh, I was mad, but kept my cool. When I asked what was taking so long, she said «Well, it’s the holidays and you have such a small load of things, it’s just going to take a bit longer.» Grrrr!
Not only is January 12^th way too freakin’ long to get my stuff back, I have a flight to catch back to STL that morning. Had I known it would really take this long, I would have driven a U Haul back to Cali after that. At this point, I get in touch with my friend’s Dad to see if he can do anything to help expedite the process. Not sure what he said to Ellen, but after that point, she refused to answer any of my calls or emails. Terri, the assistant, was my only contact.
Thankfully, Terri is much more competent and able talk the driver into making a deliver the afternoon of January 11, the day before my flight. We weren’t 100% sure it would actually happen, though, and I had to have a couple of friends on standby with a house key, just in case.
By some act of God or my incessant phone calls to Terri, the delivery did happen on January 11^th, 20 days after the initial pick up. That’s almost 3 weeks without a bed or major possessions. Inexcusable! The lack of logistical coordination is baffling! The fact that the person who made all of the initial arrangements is now MIA (or has failed to extend an apology!) is extremely frustrating. Ellen should have to sleep on an air mattress on the floor for a few weeks and see how much it sucks! At the very least, they could have offered to let me sleep at a hotel those last few days.
Last night, I got to watch TV on the couch and this morning, I woke up in my own bed. It was magical! I am thankful that the driver did eventually make it here to California and that my cat and I made it here safe and sound several weeks ago, but the lack of communication and overall planning on ABC Atlas’ part is why they’re getting a big, fat two stars from moi.