DO NOT MOVE THIS WAY. AVOID AVOID AVOID.
Note: The federal agency that oversees interstate moves is the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), with the Department of Transportation. Their address i
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Note: The federal agency that oversees interstate moves is the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), with the Department of Transportation. Their address is 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC, 20590, and their contact information is listed at www.fmcsa.dot.gov . If you’re dealing with these people, there’s a strong possibility you’re going to need that information. Also, Googling attorneys that have dealt with AmeriSafe before will give you a few Florida lawyers with experience with them. AmeriSafe doesn’t have the most stellar legal record. I asked “Frank” to make the situation right many times. He kept blowing off that responsibility. The damage claims process doesn’t account for what these people put me through.
This move was supposed to be a treat to myself to not have to do the heavy work myself. Instead, it was the worst move of my life.
First off all, and not to bury the lede, the legally relevant complaint.: Space Y movers asked me to sign blank Inventory and Bill of Lading forms. It was late in the day, there was a language issue, and they were saying they needed to get to their next appointment. I took pictures of the forms after I signed them. The metadata on those pictures will show the exact time on Saturday afternoon/evening, as well as the location at my former apartment in Henderson. I believe the personal injury attorneys call this a “hostage move.” I had no choice but to sign. They were loaded up, and per the terms of their contract, if you refuse anything during the loadout, your deposit is forfeit.
My possessions were picked up in Las Vegas by Space Y Movers on 4/18. They were delivered to the Portland area on Friday, 5/8 by an entirely different mover (who was assigned by AmeriSafe).There’s no telling when Space Y would have decided to give my things back. I received texts from other, unknown numbers offering to pick my things up and deliver them.
I had never heard of Space Y movers before they arrived on 4/18/26. My contract was with AmeriSafe.
Their contracts are not written to protect all parties. They are written to protect them. Keep that in mind; they do not seem to care about protecting the consumer.
I am 55 years old. I’ve lived in more than 20 places over the course of my life. This was, BY FAR, the worst move I have ever had. Do not use “Consumer Affairs” to find a moving company. They are not a consumer protection agency. They are a mortgage broker marketplace site. AmeriSafe is not a moving company; they are a mortgage broker. After taking my deposit, they sold my move to Space Y moving. While they were loading my possessions, I researched them. I would not have booked that company myself. I have no doubts that the reports of possessions stored in Los Angeles and moves that take longer than they should are absolutely accurate, regardless of what blame Space Y tries to shift to the consumer.
DO NOT MOVE THIS WAY. THIS INDUSTRY IS DECEPTIVE AND PREDATORY. Hire a couple guys at each end to load/unload a U-Haul, and drive it yourself.
The Space Y dispatcher quoted the load for an 8 a.m. - 12 p.m. window. I’m on a very delicate moving schedule, so this rocketed my anxiety through the roof already.
They showed up at 1:30, after delaying twice and showing up at the back gate (which is closed) rather than the front gate (which is open until 5 p.m. on Saturdays). They were driving a mid-sized U-Haul. I’ve never seen a moving company that didn’t have their own truck.
They listed the time of work starting as 1:25. They did not begin work for 15+ minutes after that.
A friend who once ran a moving company said my move was the best prepped they’d ever seen (I have video of the apartment before loading began, with the truck outside). They thought it should take 2 1/2 hours to load, tops. These guys said about 4.
They said they were going to charge me $50 to pack the television - for which I provided the original box, and had to explain to them how to pack. They wanted extra money to pack the recliner and the animator’s desk, both of which were included in the moving estimate.
Crew leader says he was unaware that their dispatcher quoted me an 8am-12pm window. I showed him the dispatcher’s text, to which he replied “I didn’t get that message.”
Movers attempted to renegotiate the terms of the contract. I had disclosed that I lived on the second floor, and was told “Yes. Ten steps are included.” There are SIXTEEN steps from ground to second floor… so they charged extra. They claimed my move would require extra space charges when they’re not using the truck efficiently, I disclosed everything I was moving, and even moved LESS THINGS than were on the contract. I took pictures.
What you are quoted is not what they will charge when they pick up, or when they drop off. They will either find or make up excuses to gouge you for more money. This move was quoted at $2900. It cost me more than $4000.
They charged me 5% fee for using a credit card. They said “Cash is better. Zelle is better.” Who keeps $1000 on hand to pay for a contracted moving fee?
Watched one of them struggle to close the case to my power drill. Not sure why he’d opened it.
They were going to attempt to take the dining room table out the door and down the stairs without taking the leaves out. I had to explain to them how to take the leaves out so they could get it through the door. One of them told me they’d both been movers for about a year and a half.
The one who struggled with the power drill also spent a lot of time answering texts and phone calls. This is why the load out took 4 hours instead of 2 ½.
Bed, TV and Recliner were literally the last things they loaded. I’ve never seen a mover not load the large items first, then work around them with the rest of the load. The fact that they held my possessions in storage for several weeks makes this make more sense. They weren’t loading to move. They were loading to store.
The power drill guy told me I didn’t need to worry about how they were packing the truck, that they were doing what was comfortable for them - because I had already paid for the estimate and wouldn’t be charged any more. (I had discovered that Laura, the dispatcher, didn’t work for AmeriSafe. I had sent her a photo of the truck - I suspect she forwarded it.)
They left items behind that were supposed to be moved. I had to take these items in my car, causing me to adjust what I was and wasn’t taking, as my car was already carrying a full load.
As the absence of my possessions carried on, I began consistently contacting AmeriSafe. They had someone contact me who claimed to be “Frank,” the CEO of the company. I had a conversation with him on the phone in late April, but most of our communication was, at my insistence, via text. In those communications he admits that the delay in delivery is unacceptable, and that they are responsible for those damages. After the loadout, however, he shirks all responsibility, and directs me to a damage claims procedure that the customer is incapable of completing.
My possessions arrived on Friday, 5/8 . In the intervening time, I had to sleep on the floor, and did not have chairs other than the folding variety. As a 6’5” man weighing just shy of 300 lbs., this was physically torturous for me. I have no doubts that Space Y made a conscious decision to punish me for the anxiety I exhibited during the load out, anxiety that was triggered by their crew being five hours late for the loadout.
The unload arrived after 7 p.m. on a Friday. The unload was cut short by the fact that security asked them to leave the premises around 11:30 p.m.. This left me with some moving to do that I had not anticipated.
Dan, the crew head during the unload, had me sign the Inventory and Bill of Lading before they unloaded. I was not given copies.
I was charged $1800 at the unload. This was approximately double the quote. Again, “hostage move.
The shelves to my TV stand were missing. I was told they had been broken (they’re glass). My sound bar was missing. I had attached the bar to the shelves with velcro dots. I suspect the two events were related. This is the point where “Frank” responded to texts opting out of the situation, shirking the responsibility he claimed he was going to take, and telling me to deal with Customer Service. The first email address he provided bounced. Wasn’t a real address. This is also the point where “Frank” told me that Space Y denied having had me sign blank forms. Not sure how I’d have pictures of blank, signed forms otherwise.
The unload included half a dozen banker’s boxes that did not belong to me. After examining the contents of one of them, I brought it to Dan’s attention that they weren’t mine. If you graduated from a Community College in Central Oklahoma, used Space Y Moving and don’t have your diploma, get in touch with Dan.
I am still discovering small things I don’t have. I don’t have any Inventory list or Bill of Lading from the move itself, documents that are required to be reimbursed in any way.
I’ll be filing this document with the FMCSA, posting it to Yelp, Google, and Facebook, and using it to contact lawyers who have dealt with AmeriSafe and/or Space Y before. Hell, I might even email it to John Oliver. Last Week Tonight loves these kind of stories. I’ll do anything and everything I can to let people know what my experience was with this deceptive and predatory industry.
DO NOT MOVE THIS WAY. AVOID AVOID AVOID.
Move size: Apartment Move
Service cost:
$4100
