Open Road Moving and Storage

Most of my friends and close associates consider me a perfectionist. They will always want to believe that I strive in finding faults in anything, however slight it is. I almost believed that myself were it not for the last relocation I did. Open Road Moving and Storage offered the services and I can confidently admit that the whole thing was flawless. I could not even find anything to quarrel them about. Needless to say, I wondered why I had to supervise them all through the work. From now onwards, I will insist on Open Road Moving and Storage for relocations. I have had some ugly experiences in the past prior to hiring them out. Why should I go back to that when I have a way out? Open Road Moving and Storage is the ideal relocation company for me. After the services they accorded me last month, I have no reason not to pledge my allegiance to them. I will always be their loyal customers because I know they are worth my loyalty.

Move size: 4 Bedroom Home Service cost: $3500

Try them out and it will never be the same. Those were the words of my childhood friend when I went for him to advise me on a choice of Relocation Company. I was supposed to move into a neighbourhood to Oklahoma where he stayed. He told me they were the best crew in town and I had no reason to doubt. In fact, he even arranged for everything and that made me so happy. The relocation was perfectly executed and within a short span of time I was settled in Oklahoma. My childhood friend is the one who told me all about Open Road Moving and Storage. I did not know a single thing about them and yet here I was, hiring them out. My friend kept on giving me reasons to believe in them and I must say it was not in vain. It all turned out to successful in the long run and the process that I had feared would take me sweat and blood turned out to be a fairly easy one. Open Road Moving and Storage crew made the whole thing appear so light and that really inspired me.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $2500

I usually don't post reviews but in this case I felt obligated too. I was so worried to move my items after reading terrible horror stories on the web. Due to the great team at Open Road Moving and Storage those issues were put to rest. From the first time I spoke to Joe on the phone there was nothing but professionalism. I know I could be a hard customer to deal with calling every two seconds but joe was patient with me and helped me through the entire process. I would recommend this company to friends and family.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $2500

I first contacted Open Road in early June for a complicated cross-country move. We had a six week gap between our house in Eugene, OR and an unknown destination in rural southern Maryland. I chose Open Road because they continued to answer questions and flex with my changes. Mike and/or Jim told me that storage for our items during the gap would run about $175 for the month, and it would be prorated for the amount we actually needed, and the first month was free. I did not get this in writing. Our initial quote came to just under $5000, including loading, unloading, disassembly and reassembly. I paid $1268.87 over the phone.

The day before, I got a call from Northwest Relocation, who told me I owed them another $2500 to pay for half. The movers showed up in a dirty, unmarked truck. This was the first time I heard that Open Road was a broker and I was shipping with GTS shipping. GTS told me that I had more items than the initial inventory indicated (which I expected), but it was worse because GTS counted each part of the disassembled furniture as a separate piece, which Open Road had not done. The driver gave me a new quote that included the new items. GTS shipping did not have an accurate total for what I had already paid, so I had to pull my receipts up on my phone and fix their accounting myself to pay half of a new estimate (an additional $672.13). The men who loaded my belongings told me that I could call in a few days and get the actual moving weight for an accurate measurement. GTS did not bring tools for disassembly, so they borrowed mine. After the movers left, I found miscellaneous hardware from our custom-made bunk bed on the floor in a bedroom.

I called Open Road a few days after the pickup to get the actual moving weight. I didn't hear back from anyone. I called again a few days later, and someone told me they would check on it and get back to me. They didn't call me back. I got an email from GTS shipping telling me I needed to pay them $1783.30 to pay for 50% of my move because I had been over the estimate. Every time each person told me I was paying for half. At this point I had no idea where my stuff was. I did not see a shipping inventory or weight ticket, which I had been promised. And because I was no longer working with Open Road Moving and Storage, I had no idea who was legit and who was scamming me. I just kept paying everyone who called.

So I moved across the country. A week before my month of free storage was up, I got an invoice for NINE HUNDRED DOLLARS to pay for storage for the month of August from some other subcontractor. I called the storage company (Scout Moving) and they told me they wouldn't prorate it unless I was out by "the first couple of days of August." (Remember that Jim had told me "about $175" and that it would be prorated.) I emailed Open Road and did not hear back from them. I finally got Scout Moving to agree to prorate, and I paid $426 for two weeks, which was about four times what I expected. I STILL had not seen a weight ticket, nor a total for my move. I still had no idea where my belongings were being stored.

We rushed the closing date of our house purchase in order to get our stuff out of storage on time. The shipping company (maybe still GTS?) called me and said I would need to have a cashiers' check ready with $2009 in order to receive our delivery. By this point I had paid four different totals to three different companies, and Vicki's voicemail said that $2009 was "half the balance." Was it the remaining half? In no world does all of this add up to half. I have no idea.

When we finally received our delivery, the $2009 was to complete the balance, and brought us to $0 owed. Total: $8233, which was almost double our initial estimate. I was initially planning for about $6000.

And then they began to unload.

I pack VERY well -- the movers loading our boxes in Eugene commented on it -- and almost all of our boxes were crunched, ripped, and mangled. Though we don't seem to be missing anything, many of our boxes had been opened and retaped, particularly ones marked "electronics" or "master bedroom." The Xbox360 was OUTSIDE of the electronics box, floating free in the truck, and was handed to me by the driver. GTS Shipping lost much of the hardware for the bunk beds and part of the hardware for the futon. The delivery company refused to set up the bunk beds because it was "custom furniture," so we found out about the missing hardware the next day when we assembled things ourselves.

Additionally, some of our belongings were damaged. The shippers mangled the fenders on my daughter's antique bicycle and the supports for a storage shelf. One of our tables was no longer wrapped in blankets (it was wrapped initially on packing) and has several new scratches on the wood surface. Two sentimental mugs that were wrapped in bubble wrap were broken. Our freezer is now cycling constantly. Our current total for repairs and replacement is about $350.

Finally, the delivery driver tried to give me many items that didn't belong to me. I actually don't own a vacuum, so I know it was not mine -- but that means that someone else who used this company is missing a vacuum, some wrapping paper, cushions for their couch, and garden tools.

So I estimated too low for the amount of items I shipped, and that influenced our total. But I was also unnerved by the number of times I had to pay some new amount to some new company, with no documentation whatsoever. I was very disappointed that my storage total was shockingly different from my initial quote. And I am still repairing and replacing things that should not have been damaged. Some of these things are not Open Road's fault, but better communication from the broker could go a long way in helping my move feel secure.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $8233

PLEASE BE CAUTIOUS IN DEALING WITH OPEN ROAD MOVING & STORAGE. I have sent them an email and have yet to receive any comment. Like those who gave poor (one Red Star) to Open Road, I share the same experience. I gave them my full trust but I was totally disappointed. The contract was for 50 boxes; we ended up with 4. I expected the wardrobe boxes with hangers. Instead my neckties were scattered at the bottom of the wardrobe boxes (2) our agreement was 4. I haven't looked at my suits which were simply thrown at the bottom of the boxes - I probably will end up having them all dry cleaned. They left a lot of things behind. The agreement was for pounds but I was coerced to agree with cubic feet and said that they will pick up everything. Yeah right. There were lots of things that were not picked up; like a 30" TV set; etc. Please interview at least two or 3 other movers, be cautious and may consider filing with Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) so they can investigate this company's consumer complaints with regards to pricing among other things.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $6500

Biggest scam artists!! Beware. Do not use them. They quoted one price based on what I told them. I had a 5x10 storage unit with 40 boxes, 2 tv’s, a couch and a table. He said to be safe he quoted 69 boxes. The quote was $1599. They’re a middle man. The actual movers showed up and immediately knew the items were over the cubic feet they estimated for. How do you screw that up. I emailed them and their response was that I signed the contract. The contract states that the cost would go up if you add items or it takes more space. We did NOT add anything nor did we have more than we told them. They are the ones who estimated the cubic sq feet and screwed us just to get us to sign the contract. Then they send me an email stating I refused service when the movers already took my stuff and we had to pay more for them to do so. They tried blaming me for the increase when I clearly stated the size of the storage unit more than once. They don’t care about scaming people. They’re nice while trying to get your business. After that, it’s putting the blame on the consumer ??. They estimate the volume not the consumer. They underestimate on purpose!!

Move size: Partial Move Service cost: $2366

Open Road Moving and Storage refused to furnish me with weight tickets, so I had to weigh my own goods. The weight they billed me for exceeded the actual weight by more than 1,000 pounds. They also charged item specific fees after their initial quote, even though I disclosed these items when making the initial quote. Further, they lost a box and damaged a couch, washing machine, dryer, weight bench, box spring and grill. My experience with these movers was so poor, I filed a complaint with the USDOT, claim number 100116139 if you want to verify.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $4391

Open road movers is a third party moving company. They give you a price and then the third party shows up and charges you double. Once I moved my stuff from NY to Miami flat rate moving company told me they needed to rent another truck for 350. They charged me for 700 cubic feet when my stuff was only 200 cubic feet. They rented a u haul for $19.99 but charged me $350. The owner that had my furniture and money began to get nasty and didn't have time to discuss the price . He said read the contract . If your in the moving business you should know what kinds of trucks fit and don't fit. I am contacting the BBB and the CEO of both companies . A 1500.00 cost 3000, more than the furniture is worth. I am calling Howard on your side and would never recommend a company that is not transparent and steals from consumers. I have pictures of the van and all the invoices . I am going to do my best this company is listed everywhere for customer fraud.

Move size: Partial Move Service cost: $3000

Consumers beware of this company's bad business practices. I wish I had researched all of their online reviews written by real customers like myself, rather than focusing on their overall website rating which has been generated by their web team. This is a company that has only been in business 3 months. Initially, I was contacted by the company's owner after filling out a generic moving questionnaire online. I was given a 'binding estimate' on a move from Oklahoma City to Tampa, FL. I was assured my furniture would be picked up on June 4th and delivered on June 10th. Two full weeks later we still have not received ANY of our personal belongings nor can anyone can tell us where it is or when to expect delivery. Anthony who identified himself as the owner, never once told us "Open Road Moving" acts strictly as a broker and is not licensed to transport household goods even though their webpage says they are a moving company with their own trucks. Instead they farm out your move to a 3rd party mover. When this 3rd party mover, in our case, "Top Rate Moving" arrived to pick up our belongings, the driver immediately required us to pay an additional $535 in cash. We had no idea who this company was and being they had arrived at 5:30pm, we could not reach anyone at Open Road Moving. Our contract stated that we had a 'binding, not to exceed estimate" which was now being increased 25% by the driver. I explained to the driver that I did not have access to get cash at this late hour and that all I had was $240 of which he agreed to accept. To date, we were required to pay "Open Road Moving" 75% of our estimate up front. "Open Road Moving" never returns our calls, answers our emails or assist us in dealing with the 3rd party mover that they themselves contracted. We call both companies regularly to check on a delivery date and after being put on hold for countless minutes, are eventually told to call back next week. The only information we have been given is our furniture is in storage somewhere in Illinois. After reading customer reviews of "Top Rate Movers", discovering they have 28 violations and have been revoked from the Better Business Bureau, we determined it was in our best interest to go the expense of hiring a reputable 'national moving company' to pick up our goods in Illinois. We have been told that as long as we pay our bill in full, they will release our belongings to American Van Lines. However, they will not give the address or location of the storage facility and when a representative from American Van Lines called to schedule the pick up, they too were told to call back next week. "Open Road Moving" has thus far cost us an additional $2000 in expenses, 3 additional weeks of time and inconvenience and ultimately legal fees. And still we have no answers or furniture!

Move size: Studio Service cost: $2125