University Moving and Storage — Local services in Farmington Hills

State to State Moving? BUYER BEWARE! If I could give University Moving and Storage /North American Van Lines agent zero stars I would! My experience was so much more stressful, chaotic and utterly disappointing due to University Moving and Storage [UMS/NAVL] ‘agent’ delegation, disorganization, and lack of follow-though/follow-up. In a word, it was HORRIBLE! I needed to move an entire household (including a piano) and vehicle. I selected University Moving and Storage/North American Van Lines agent [UMS/NAVL] based on their reputation and positive reviews. Once the actual logistical planning started taking place I immediately regretted my decision. The ‘moving coordinator’ was disorganized and did very little to keep me informed of logistical dates/times. Although UMS/NAVL were informed on the specific information regarding items being moved during the intake/quoting process, I continually received random calls/texts from what I learned were UMS/NAVL ‘agents’ requesting specific information as well as coordination of dates/times – which UMS/NAVL had not yet shared with me. I also learned that UMS/NAVL ‘agents’ were third parties/contractors. Every aspect of the actual moving (minus the ‘coordination’) was performed by a third party contracting company/delegate! The very piece of mind I thought I was paying for was completely absent!!! Definitely NOT what I was sold!!! Examples: • Items for the move were housed in climate-controlled [non-smoking] storage facility. The moving truck contractor and local moving contracting company left the facility entry [vehicle] door opened the ENTIRE day and blocked the drive-thru passage for all other customers. All the while, the truck driver smoked a cigar throughout the day. When the storage facility owner asked them to consolidate their ‘working area’ to allow other customers to pass through the facility, to stop smoking and shut the vehicle entry door (due to the climate control environment customers were paying for), I was told by the facility manager that the crew was belligerent and refused to comply. This resulted in several irate calls from the storage manager telling me to ‘fix the problem’ immediately. Definitely NOT what I was sold!!! • My vehicle (corvette) move was to take place in covered transport, only to learn at the last minute that because the transport driver was running late, a towing company had been called (and called me directly) to pick up the car. A towing company!!!! Despite UMS/NAVL assurance (and per contract covered transport), I was informed that the car needed to moved via local towing company to an outside ‘holding lot’ until the transport driver arrived the next day. I was not informed of the car’s arrival date, until one morning I received a call from a transport driver that he was outside my house with the car. Good thing I happened to be home! Upon the actual delivery to the new location, I learned that the car transport required four separate companies/contractors. Definitely NOT what I was sold!!! • Upon arrival in the new location, a local moving crew arrived (about an hour before the truck). I only knew that because there were four guys hanging out in a car and on the lawn in front of my house. When the truck arrived, the driver asked me to take care of the box/inventory list and then at some point apparently borrowed the local mover’s car and took off several hours! I was now independently in charge of coordinating the acceptance, visual inspection and direction for each item location. Just me vs. four guys brining in five boxes at a time in quick succession. Within an hour a chaotic disorganized environment was created AND that I was left with! Definitely NOT what...

5 stars for movers at both ends and management team. 2 stars for move coordinator We used University Movers who are part of American VanLines for our interstate move. The salesperson came twice to our residence to give and fine tune the estimate. We were also provided with a move coordinator. We felt very comfortable with all these upfront arrangements. On the day of the move, the movers who were supposed to come in American Van lines semi-truck at 10 am, did not show up. Yes, the weather was bad. The coordinator did not proactively communicate with us. We had to call/msg many times and he kept saying they were coming. Finally at noon, we almost gave up as we had a flight to catch the next day and didn't see how they could complete the move. Suddenly after noon we had 3 guys show up in unmarked small track saying that they were picking up the load to take it to a warehouse. We were not comfortable with this. We escalated saying we are cancelling this move and looking for someone else. At that point the senior management person called us and assured us that these movers are legit, and they will ensure our move is smooth from this point onwards. After some discussions we felt more comfortable with this senior manager and expressed that the track will not fit all our load. The 3 guys quickly started working. They were very efficient and continuously worked till late in the evening. The load did not fit. The senior manager was constantly in touch with us. He said he will personally come the following day morning and complete the move before we leave for the airport. Because of his assurance, we felt more comfortable. Next day he came personally and completed the rest of the load. The elliptical workout equipment was not able to be moved without disassembling, he had a 3rd part vendor come to do this at their expense. We appreciated it. All the load was kept in the warehouse for 4-5 days before it reached our new home. We were kept in constant communication by the senior manager on the delivery date and ensured that all the loads will come as planned. The driver came with 2 other guys to unload into the new home. He was extremely efficient and did an amazing job of unloading everything as planned, setting up all the furniture and put the boxes in the right room as we had labelled. After the initial hiccup, everything went much smoother. Movers at both ends were extremely professional and knowledgeable. Plus the senior management team ensured all went well. There were no major issues with the load, we had a few broken items for which we have filed for claims. Also, the weight was little less than what was estimated and we are expecting some refund on this like they said it would happen. They are a good moving company but could have communicated better at the beginning to reduce customers’ anxiety and stress. I am also expecting the claims to be processed plus refunded for the less weight. I am not sure how this will work and if they will keep to their side of the bargain. The movers at both ends were extremely professional, deserve 5 stars, similarly the management team – Tony and Kevin showed true leadership and was on top of everything once they got involved, called us often, communicated by email and messages. We truly...

5/5 for the local moving crew, 3/5 for the coordination.

I had some issues with the coordination of my move. At around 6pm the night before my move, my move coordinator called me to say that the truck driver had run into some issues on the road and wouldn’t be able to make it to my load date the next day. This late in the process, of course, I had absolutely no flexibility and had to be out that day. It felt like my coordinator was trying to pressure me into moving my date, but I held firm. Then I couldn’t reach him or anyone at all until the next morning, meaning I had a very anxious night. But to the coordinator’s credit, he did figure it out the next day and I was able to move out as planned.

There were also issues on the delivery. I’d gone over several times with the coordinators that I was driving cross-country and didn’t want to beat the truck, so they agreed not to deliver before a certain date. This information was written in all caps on all my moving documents. However, mid-road trip, my coordinator called me to tell me they planned to deliver two days BEFORE that. I basically said this one’s on you, figure it out (and showed the emails where the earliest delivery date was clear), and again to his credit, he did, and I got my items as planned.

There was also a bit of confusion with pricing. I thought there was a possibility that I could get a lower price if I had fewer things than estimated but that turned out to be a lie, and to my surprise at the destination, unpacking was included. The price did remain at the original quote.

The moving crews on both ends were excellent, and I suspect it’s largely their flexibility that made my move possible as planned. My packing crew came on short notice and were pleasant and efficient. I was full of anxiety before my crew arrived, and they set me at ease very quickly. They packed up all of my items very quickly and thoughtfully, had the presence of mind to ask questions if something was confusing, and communicated respectfully with me and with each other. I’ve unpacked nearly all of my things and so far, everything has arrived in great condition.

Overall, I’d recommend this service for a cross-country move like mine. Just be sure to be very proactive about checking in with your...