Avoid this moving company at all costs. In the summer of 2019, we moved from Whitesboro, NY (near…read moreSyracuse) to Miami, FL. Since we had previous bad experiences with moving companies we did a lot of research before agreeing to use Greater Syracuse Moving and Storage, a company affiliated with North American Van Lines. We knew choosing a national company meant paying more, but due to the distance of the move, we wanted to be safe. Wow, were we wrong and were we greatly deceived.
At first, when we met with the Relocation Sales Consultant, Ron Bruce, we were quite optimistic. He understood we had bad experiences in the past with other companies and guaranteed us that everything would go well. It is what he didn't tell us that, in retrospect, led to many of our issues. We agreed to a nearly $10,000 move and signed a contract. One piece of advice - these contracts are utterly useless. You have almost no rights and no control. They in no way are a legitimate contract. Buyer beware!!!
The loading of our stuff in Whitesboro went quite well and the actual movers were quite professional. They arrived on time, treated everything with care, and were polite, respectful, and worked very hard on a hot day. The only concern we had was that the driver who picked up our stuff let us know he would not be the driver to deliver our items to us in Miami. He still set they would meet the delivery window time, but it would be a different driver. Though this seemed unusual to us - never in our previous moves did one driver pick-up and one driver deliver - but since everything went well so far we trusted them. Lesson learned: no matter how wonderful the actual movers are, NEVER trust a moving company. One hand is not working in tandem with the other hand.
Then the disaster began. As we drove down to Miami we waited about five days since our items had been picked up from a call from Greater Syracuse Moving telling us the actual day of delivery. We finally called and they said they did not know yet and to call back after the weekend. This was a dance for a number of days and then they finally provided us with the date ... BUT ... only 2/3 of our stuff was going to be delivered. This made absolutely no sense to us. In numerous calls and emails to Ron Bruce and Move Coordinator, Melissa Scherzi, we learned that when our stuff arrived after being picked up at our previous home in New York if was moved off the truck and into storage. Then it was moved to a new truck that would be taking it down to Miami, but they ran out of room on that truck. SO THEY LEFT 1/3 OF OUR ITEMS BEHIND.
Did they call us to let us know this, not a chance! They were never forthcoming with information, and in fact, I do not believe they ever initiated a phone call to us. In addition to learning we would not receive all of our stuff on the same day, we learned they did not know when the other 1/3 of our items would ever be delivered. They said they would let us know when they knew, but it would be past the delivery window we agreed upon when we signed the contract. Again, the contract means nothing. You have no rights, even though they provide you with a nice brochure telling you what your rights are supposedly.
The first 2/3 of our stuff arrives. The movers were good and they worked hard. But a number of items were damaged. Many of our boxes were damaged and most of the wardrobes had caved in sides or the top. Clearly, our items were not treated with care. They had let us know that the items left behind in Syracuse were "not important" as they included mostly out-door furniture. Not true. Our beds were missing. Our dining room table was missing. Important boxes were missing. And important electronic items were missing.
We still had no information on when the rest of our stuff would arrive. Finally, after repeated calls and emails we learned that a new truck had been assigned and would delivery our remaining stuff on July 4th - holiday. Plans had to be canceled. More importantly, since it was a holiday our pets couldn't be placed in boarding so we had to secure them in a bedroom all day when the movers were here. Not at all an ideal situation.
So we finally had our stuff but numerous items were damaged - the dining room table, a bookshelf, 2 dressers, and a chair. This doesn't include the damaged boxes and wardrobes. Despite insurances over the phone and through email that we would be able to make claims for the late arrival and damages, in the end, we received $252 for damages and $0 for 1/3 of our stuff being delayed by more than a week. $252 refund on a nearly $10,000 moves is absolutely absurd. But as I said before, we had no recourse. So I turn to the Internet to share these facts so that future families do not have to deal with this corrupt and incompetent company.
Lessons learned: The contract is meaningless. The delivery window means nothing. They will not treat your stuff with care. They will keep you in the dark as much as possible.
