Big Bens Moving & Storage, Inc

THE WORST SCAMMERS EVER!

RE: BIG BENS MOVING AND STORAGE, INC. 7100 Hayvenhurst Avenue, Unit 325, Van Nuys, CA 91406 800-618-7514; 818-483-8198 My husband and I planned a move from Glen Ellyn, Illinois to Palm Bay, Florida. For months before the move, we discussed and contracted with a moving company – Big Bens Moving and Storage, Inc. (information in the subject line above). Joe C, who was the man we dealt with, understood this was a four-bedroom, three-bath home with a full finished basement and everything was to be packed and moved by Big Bens, at an initial agreed-upon cost of $12,499. We were planning to list the home for sale after the move. We have a contract with Big Bens. Once we did the walk-through on August 22nd, the price was adjusted to $13,924.60 (agreed upon by both parties) and showed everything that was expected to be moved. Initial deposit paid was $1,200.00. On pickup, we owed them $8,907.22, and on delivery the remainder was due of $3,817.38. Credit cards were encouraged. When the moving company got there on Monday, August 24, they told us their credit card machine was broken and they only wanted cash or a check. When we tried to call the company, nobody would answer and nobody would return the calls, ever. They loaded half the truck, and then told us they “miscalculated” and we owed thousands more. They held half of our things hostage on the truck while they tried to extort us for more money. We refused to pay more, so they left with half our things still in Illinois, along with damaged items, and a real mess everywhere. They left our beautiful home in a complete state of destruction...garbage everywhere. They smashed three of our expensive wind-up clocks (we found them on the floor later in pieces) and did not tell us. But it gets better. The trip for us to Florida was hard in itself. We had to hire an RV to get us all down there, so we had contracts with other companies. It wasn’t as if we could just take all our things back off the truck and re-hire everything. We had paid deposits and were stuck and Big Bens knew this. Once we got to Florida, the moving company did not show up for over almost three weeks. We were sitting in an empty house, only communicating with the logistics company (who was one of the only nice people in this entire fiasco). The moving company told us a credit card was OK on delivery, but they preferred cash or a money order. When the movers finally showed up, they told us again this company’s credit card machine wasn’t working either, and they had to have cash. I had to drive to the bank (½ hour each way) while they would not move until I returned with cash. So we got doubly-screwed. We lost points on our credit card (a lot of points) and have absolutely no protection. Fifteen minutes into starting to move our things into our new home, one of the workers dropped something on his foot and demanded to go to the hospital. The other worker t

RUN AWAY

Lies and deceit. This is how you can describe Big Bens. Picked my belongings on June the 15th.Theywere supposed to send a professional packing crew- I paid extra(alot) for this service. What they did was send a contracted crew to pack and load. Wrapped very little of my items- just threw them in a box and taped it up. As one can imagine- very very little survived the 52 day trip. Yes it was 52 days until my load arrived. 3 televisions shipped- all destroyed. All. Lamps smashed, vases broken, dishes and glasses destroyed. Tool box dented in several places. When the door was opened on the trailer, boxes that had torn open in transit fell from the trailer to the blacktop below. Items missing- items delivered that do not belong to me. Had to hire a towing company to unload the truck because the driver had no ramps with him. Just a total nightmare. Stay far, far away from this company. Customer Service is non existent. I’m going to have to sue to get compensation for all my lost, missing and destroyed items. These folks are just pitiful. Very sorry excuse for a moving company

Horrible -- Stay away

Worst business I ever worked with in my life. You will be spammed with the calls before a sale happens and once the sale is done, you are on your own.. You will be surprised with the quoted amount and actual amount.. Horrible experience ... And the worst part -- Delivery... you will have no clue when your goods be delivered.. absolutely no communication.. will get different answers based on the associate on the phone.. one consistent answer would be -- will be notified when the dispatch is ready, other than that no commitment what so ever regarding ETA. Stay away

Absolutely awful company, do not book

This company has an incredibly simple and deceptive strategy: bid low, charge lots. Their communication can best be described as spotty, ineffective, and infrequent. I've moved many times, and worked with many different movers, this company stands out as by bar the worst I've ever worked with. The difference between their quote and their charges were stunning. I had an independent party analyze the size of my load using pictures. The party confirmed that I had been over billed by close to 200 cubic feet (at 8$/cf). I was stunned at how deceptive and straight up disgusting this was. Also, FWIW, you'll never speak to the same person twice. You'll be passed off every time you try and dig into a problem. Each person will be more unfriendly than the next. Once they take your initial deposit Big Bens does not care about you at all.

STAY AWAY - You might not ever get ...

TLDR: Big Ben’s is not a great moving company. They will extort you out of many thousands of dollars and won’t actually deliver your stuff. I’m lost all hope with Big Ben’s Moving and Storage. It’s been over a month and we still don’t have our stuff. We had planned a move in June of 2020 and chose to use Big Ben’s because they had decent reviews for a moving company. We put trust in them to deliver on their promises to move and deliver our stuff. I feel that they’ve done nothing but let us down - and here’s why. We went over, on the phone, every single item in our house. We knew roughly how much space we needed since we had just moved the month before and knew how big our truck that all of our stuff came in. They wouldn't allow us to tell them we need this many square feet. No - instead they make you list all the items in your house, how many small, med, and large boxes. Fine. That’s fine - but only if they use the correct dimensions for each “small, ”medium,” and “large” box - but it appears they do not use standard box sizes. We agreed on a quote and all was fine until the day the movers showed up. The first thing the foreman said was, “You have more than [the quoted amount of space]. You’ll need to pay us another 2 thousand dollars or else we won’t touch your stuff.” This in itself is a pretty shady tactic, but then on top of it, they charge you $7 per square foot instead of the $4 per square foot if you did it on the phone. Left without any other options we decided to pay via one of their preferred methods - Zeele bank transfer The next few days we were contacted every single day by them asking where their money was. Bank transfers take a few days and it was over the weekend, yet, they still called us every day to see where their money was at. This was another red flag. About a week later, when we had our final destination address, we contacted Big Bens to set up a delivery of our stuff. This was the last week of June, 2020. When we called them they said “we’re busy - call us back when you move in”. Uhh okay? What is going on? We want our stuff when we move in, not have to call back when we move in. Another red flag. We called back the day we moved in. They said “they’ll work on it.” Two weeks go by and we hear nothing from them. Not. A. Word. We call them and ask where our stuff is. They say “they’re working on it” Another week goes by. We call them. “Your stuff is being loaded today, the driver will contact you tomorrow” The next day no one calls. Then a week. Still no calls. We call them and ask “where is our stuff?” They tell us that it, in fact, HADN’T BEEN LOADED! WHY DID YOU TELL US IT WAS LOADED IF IT WASN’T!? I’m at wits end with this company for deceiving us, extorting us for another 50% (a few thousand dollars), and falling short on all of their promises. I don’t even know if we will get our stuff at

I HOPE NO ONE EVER GOES THROUGH THIS!

Absolutely the same as the previous reviews. I have never felt so helpless in my life. My story is exactly the same as the others here.... Planned a move for July 14th from North Jersey to Las Vegas, Nevada. Looked at the on line "reviews" (bought I'm sure) and put my trust in this company. Same as the other reviewers, I went over EVERYTHING with a ruler in my hand while on the phone with the salesman. He quotes me and emails me a BINDING agreement, I pay deposit with credit card all is good or so I thought. The BS all starts when they were a day late to pick up my belongings with ZERO in between communication from them and show up in a Ryder Rental truck and the guy starts sizing up my stuff. I new rite away things were going to get rough. WITHOUT ANY measuring device he tells me its more cubic feet then discussed and would be more money. We argue (negotiate) for nearly an hour. Of course with my back against the wall and a plane to catch I pay more to keep everything on schedule. BTW, I got the same 4-21 days nonsense for aprx delivery time. I tell them on numerous different phone calls that building I am moving into is a hi-rise with specific move in rules. Deliveries on Saturdays are by appointment only UNTIL 4PM and NO Sunday deliveries. I arrive at my new address in Las Vegas July 18 Ok, Saturday July 25 I get a call, your stuff is on the way.... you mean you picked up on the 15th and NOW its on the way? Ok as long as it's coming. Here we go... Saturday August 1, I receive a call "reminding me" I have a balance, I know that, fine, where is my stuff? "We have not assigned a driver yet".... wait, what?? she tells me my stuff is still NJ warehouse. 4:20 SAME DAY driver calls me, he is half hour away. (remember, no Sat deliveries after 4pm) No progress emails prior, phone calls ect. I tell him about building rules he says "oh, no one told me" He couldn't care less and tells me he has to call company and he will call me back. Never did. OK I figure he will come Monday so I call his cell Monday 8-3 he tells me he dropped my stuff off at a storage facility in Vegas but wont tell me anymore. I have emailed every person that I spoke with through out this move, called all 10 different phone numbers connected to this company and NO ONE I MEAN NO ONE has emailed back or shown any empathy toward my plight. Same as the others here, "Dispatch will call you back" etc. So its Tuesday August 4 I have no idea nor do they it seems where my stuff is except the driver and he isn't talking either. What I am going to do is attempt to contact a news station near where this company has its address and see if perhaps they can help and expose this company so other good people do not loose there belongings or have to go through this terrible experience that isn't even over yet or maybe it is and I never see my stuff again. Just don't know.

Horrible Company!

I did so much research to choose a moving company by making sure they had good reviews and running background checks. I ended up choosing big bens because of the "good" reviews and I even compromised paying more than other companies we were quoted. I would give 0 stars if possible. I had a horrible experience with Big Ben's Moving and Storge. I booked my move a few months earlier and we gave the dimensions to all of the furniture to the sales representative over the phone. He told us most likely we would get our stuff in 5 days. On the day they were coming to pick up my items, I was told that the movers would come between a 4-hour window. They were four hours late AFTER the suggested window of time. I also had added a stop prior to this and when I called they were confused and said that they didn't have another stop even though I was sent the new contract with the stop in it. After they packed all our stuff they said the amount of space we had compared to how much we were quoted was $700 extra!!!!!!!!!!!!! $700! We had to pay way more than what we were quoted because the sales rep miscalculated my move so much... I just took the hit from that figuring it would be okay because I would get my items on time. I was so wrong. After a week, I still had not heard from them. I would call, "customer service" they just tell me the same thing about how they do not have any updates because dispatch had not said anything. I had already passed the "estimated delivery time of 4-21 days" and I still did not receive any updates except that my stuff was sitting in a storage unit in a different state. My move was 1600 miles which is on the lower end of the range they gave me (1501-3300 miles) so it was ridiculous that it took so long. After three weeks I finally got my stuff. Other than taking such a long time to get my items, they completely damaged one of my filing cabinets and I ended up having to fix it with tape. Big Ben's Moving and Storage is a horrible moving company. Do not use!!!

Do not recommend

This has probably been the worst experience I have had dealing with a company. I specifically asked the salesperson "when do I need to give you my stuff in order to ensure an on time delivery?" and I agreed to sending my things earlier than I had planned. They picked my stuff up on 6/21, three weeks ago. Delivery date was 7/6. I didn't hear anything from them and called on 7/7. They had no idea where my stuff was and were not giving me any additional information. I was told I would get a call within 1-3 days. I waited. I called again on 7/9, was told they were going to reach out to the dispatch and give me a call back in 1 hour. False, never received a call. Called again today (7/10), was told they would reach back out to the dispatch. Was also told they tried to call me the day before (but the person on the phone was unable to tell me what they were calling me about...). All false, I have had my phone on me at all times and no voicemails were left. They said they would call me back later in the day. I told them I would call back in 2 hours, since they tend to not keep their word. Called, same story. I said I would give them 2 more hours to let me know where my stuff is, which honestly shouldn’t be that difficult. Called, same story. I was told they were going to make a call and I was then left on hold for 20-30 minutes while they waited for the clock to run. At 5pm, which is when they close, I was transferred to the dispatch voicemail. At this point, after multiple calls, I still have absolutely no idea where my things are located. I am furious and I will not be doing business with this company ever again.

Bait and Switch and Lies about ...

Lie #1 : Called to get a quote, their sales person Chris's first word out of his mouth was, "have you heard of all the horror stories with moving". I told him yes I am familiar and I do not want my furniture and boxes shipped in a 18 wheeler and brokers using freight companies to ship. He assured me that the people that pick up the furniture will be the ones that deliver it in a 26 feet box truck. Lie #2: Chris told me that the delivery ETA would be about 4-5 days and that is the average. It has been 1.5 weeks so far and still no furniture. Lie #3: Movers came and informed me that I have 350 additional sq ft of items. I live in a 1100 sq ft apartment, how can I have 1000 sq ft of furniture and boxes? The probably meant cubed ft but considering that they quoted me for 648 and I provided measurements for each item and I sold some furniture, this made no sense. But I had no time to look for another mover so I ended up paying the addition $2500. Lie#4: Movers told me that it is going into a warehouse where my items will be packed into an 18 wheeler. Informed them that this was not what sale told me and it is also not what is stated on your website. They said that is how they do the move. Lie#5: Movers assured me that the I had SO much stuff that the 18 wheeler is able to fit only 2 households and that is why the additional cost is high. I found out that the 18 wheeler made at least 3 additional stops when talking to the driver. Lie#6: Movers assured me that my items will not sit in a warehouse, that it will get on the 18 wheeler that same night and be transported the next morning. My area would be the first stop on the route so I should get my items in 3-4 days. After speaking to the driver of the semi, they didn't leave until 3 days later and my items were sitting in a warehouse. Lie#7 Movers told me that they will make sure my items get packed into the semi that night and promise that I will get my stuff in 4-5 days so to make sure to tip them well. Hey demanded 15% of the total move stating that this is standard. Obviously, they took the tip and didn't deliver on any of their promises. Lie#8: movers said I was quoted for 65 items (boxes and furniture) and that I was at 100+ items. First of all it is because they kept adding boxes for random items like a curtain rod. They would very loosely add items to boxes increasing the count even when I had packed everything. When looking inside the truck we were NO WHERE near 1000 cubed ft. Lie#9 Semi driver said he has 1 stop and he we will be next. I called 3 days later and he said he had 2 additional stops he needs to make. Not Professional - 2 movers showed up to move my furniture to their truck. One of them was on the phone from the time they arrived to the time they left. It took them 5.5 hours to load their truck. Which impacted my move greatly. Custome

Not recommended - wish we used someone ...

We could not be more disappointed with our experience with Big Ben's Moving and storage. Because of apparent (fake?)high ratings on websites,we went with them. First,the sale was a hard sale,with 2 people taking turn calling us several days to sign contract even though we told them we were taking several bids from other movers and would contact them shortly. The salesmen marked our stuff way less,all the area rugs were marked small even though I corrected them,for example,and I told them to correct some other items but they said it was not a problem. BB's said they estimated about 60 boxes,while another (American Van) said the same description of stuff would be about 90 boxes. I ended up telling them to put down 80 boxes. BB's gave us a high 8000+ estimate but even gave a small "discount" for AARP membership. A day after deposit payment,another person from company emailed me and said they needed photo of my credit card and DL identification. Never had such a request like that in the US in my life. Told him I was not comfortable doing that because it would make company liable if my data were stolen. Told him to FaceTime me if he wished,but then he never did. Salesman told me we were scheduled for Tues 8 am. Monday I haven't heard from anyone so I called,and was told they were not coming until Thursday. So things wouldn't be so bad if we knew earlier,but we told landlord we would be out by Tuesday night,my husband had car being picked up Wednesday in a different location 5 hours away. We protested,they said someone would show up Wed. Movers came Wed but with a way too small truck (Ryder rental truck). Even though everyone swore up and down they work for BBs and not contracted,it was obvious they were. The guys demanded more money for the move,we negotiated just to get going,and ended up 3000 more than the quoted. We made the check to someone else not Big Bens. Movers had to load furniture,unload them at warehouse locally,came back for the rest. Meanwhile we had to go on our way,not really sure when the furniture would be loaded to go to final destination. The furniture arrived one week later,the following Thursday. By this time they essentially have gone through 2 sets of loading/unloading/loading again/unloading at destination (at least,who knows,may be more?). This move had the most damage that we have ever experienced ( Broken TV,broken base to dining table,split wood seam on an arm chair,finials broken off secretary). These movers again were contracted and we had to pay them cash. During the move,I emailed several times to Pauline at Big Bens but she never answered my emails. She would call twice to tell me when the dispatchers were scheduled to come,and the last time I emailed her and Mitch about the damages,I have not heard from anyone from the company. In retrospect,American Van Lines would have been a better choice.

Thanks so much guys, you are beyond ...

Henceforth, every time I need to move, I will be calling Big Ben’s. Absolutely amazing are the words I can use to describe my moving experience with them. They are excellent planners so everything was already planned out before the move began, and they are experts at execution. This is why my move went as smoothly as it did. Thanks so much guys, you are beyond awesome!

Brilliant and perfect job guys!!!

Brilliant job guys, you definitely deserve an award for being the best movers in the state. The crew from Big Ben’s was personable, well groomed, and extremely efficient at executing the move perfectly. Nothing went wrong, and I have no complaints at all as to any aspect of the move. Keep it up guys!

Great movers,very satisfied

Hiring Big Ben’s was definitely the right decision on my part. I have dealt with numerous rogue moving companies, and I was not looking forward to repeating those horrendous experiences with this move. Luckily, I didn’t have to because these guys were beyond amazing. All the people I interacted with were transparent and honest. The contract was easy to read and understand, and my rights as well as expectations were well outlined and protected in this document. Nothing went missing, and everything just fell into place. Thank you so much, guys!

Everything was done and it was good

Hiring this moving company was a pretty good call on my part. This was the least stressful move I have ever experienced, and I loved how everything went according to plan and was executed perfectly by these guys. Each detail was handled professionally, and I couldn’t be happier. Thanks guys!

Absolutely incredible job!!!

I have nothing but praise for Big Ben’s, they did an absolutely incredible job having my stuff moved all the way to Colorado from Texas. I have done one other long distance move before this, and that was a nightmare compared to the level of service that these guys have given me this time round. Absolutely great to work with, and I would not mind working with them once more.

recommend them reliable moving ...

Moving with Big Ben’s was the highlight of my brief moving career. They were brilliant in every aspect especially when it came to the small details pertaining to the relocation. Everything was brilliant from start to finish, and I cannot recommend them enough to anyone who is looking for a reliable moving company.

Customer service was fantastic!

Customer service was fantastic. Every issue I had was resolved quickly and she made sure I understood all of the details of our contract. The crew was at my place on time, they handled my items professionally, and with the utmost of care. I had no problem at all with their communication, speed, and efficiency. Brilliant and keep it up!

Quick Move and Lovely Experience!!

Our move went by much quicker than we had anticipated. Everything was done according to our expectations and we loved every bit of our move. The crew was super professional with not only how they handled our stuff, but also how they communicated with us. It was a lovely experience, and everyone should seriously consider hiring Big Ben’s for their next move.

Exact Moving Service!!

From start to finish my move was absolutely seamless, and that is all thanks to the Big Ben’s crew. They spared no effort to ensure that my move went as pleasantly as possible. Both the customer care and moving crews were very responsive. The crew was fast and efficient, and every item was handled according to my exact specifications. Thank you!

Affordable rate and Awesome!!!!

Moving with Big Ben’s was an absolute breeze! I wish I had known about them earlier, but, I’m glad I had the opportunity to experience what professional moving actually is. They did an amazing job at such an affordable rate. The price didn’t change one bit through out the move, and I ended up paying pretty much what they had quoted as the estimate. Awesome!

Absolutely Wonderful Service!!!!

The best part of my move was that it lasted just two days. That was absolutely unbelievable to me. I have never had a move go so incredibly well, and incredibly fast. The crew from Big Ben’s also handled all the packing, unpacking, assembly, and re-assembly of my stuff. Wonderful service!

Guaranteed moving service

I have had to deal with several rogue moving companies in the past, and moving has always been a source of stress and strain for me as a result. But, finally I can say I have found a moving company that I can trust. The crew from Big Ben’s went above and beyond to guarantee a successful move. I could not be any happier with how things turned out. Thanks guys!

Brilliant Moving Service!!

I am looking forward to hiring this great team of movers for all of my future moves. They were brilliant from the beginning. Well groomed, personable, and professional. Packed up and loaded everything in less than five hours. It took them three days to get my things to the other side. Everything within schedule, and I could not be happier!

Respectable moving company!

Moving used to be hell before I found out about these guys. Now, it’s an absolute pleasure because I finally found a moving company that respects me, my time, money, and most importantly, my belongings. Everything was delivered safely and on time. I have absolutely no regrets about hiring these guys, and I will definitely hire them again.

Highly recommend this company

I would highly recommend this company to anyone who is tired of being taken advantage of by rogue moving companies. The guys at Big Ben’s are absolutely professional, and keeping their customers happy is their ultimate goal. That was my experience with them, and I will definitely hire them again in the near future.

Pretty

My move was smooth sailing all the way through, thanks to these awesome moving company, Big Ben’s. They did everything right, and I am amazed at how quickly they were able to complete my move. Plus, they were super affordable, and I ended up paying pretty much what the estimate said in the beginning of the project.

Affordable and excellent care

These guys were superbly helpful during our move; I actually didn’t expect it to go this well, but, it did, and I’m so happy about that. The price remained affordable, nobody tried to hike the price, and the crew took excellent care of my belongings. Thanks!

Very responsible and careful moving ...

This is the best moving company in the entire state as far as I’m concerned because they did an absolutely amazing job on my move. Each crew member was very responsible and careful with all of my things. The owner himself was very reasonable and easy to talk to. The project was also very affordable.

Perfect Relocation Service Company!

My realtor suggested that I hire these guys for a move upstate. She was right; these guys are absolutely top grade when it comes to relocation services. I love how seamless communication was between the crew and I even when they were in transit with my household things. Delivery was done on time, and everything else including the price was perfect.

Really good care of my move

Moving with these guys was such a breeze. They came early, had all the packing materials needed and were able to start the job immediately. They didn’t drag themselves in order to increase the number of hours they would be paid. They also took really good care of my things.

Super Efficient, and fast moving ...

Totally recommend hiring this company for any type of relocation services that you might require. These guys make the whole moving thing so much simpler. Ben is an absolute doll, he’s flexible, and prioritizes keeping his clients happy. The crew is also impressively fast, honest, and diligent.

It was truly a pleasure!

Breathing a huge sigh of relief because my move is over, and it went smoothly. That is all thanks to Big Ben’s, and the amazing crew it sent over to handle my move. They were quick, but careful enough not to break anything, or bang up the furniture, or scratch the floors or the walls. They also managed to deliver my things on time. It was truly a pleasure!

Conscientious moving service!

Thank you Big Ben’s; you guys made my move absolutely easy. The crew that actually handled my move was punctual, despite the fact that the move was so short notice. They handled everything including packing my things correctly and loading them. All of my things got to their destination in great condition.

Experienced Amazing Moving Services!

I have experienced amazing moving services from these guys, and I would highly recommend them to anyone who’s looking for a reliable moving company. They are great at communicating, very personable and polite. The crew was very professional, and executed my move perfectly. Awesome job!

Absolutely amazing moving in the state!

You guys are absolutely amazing! Thank you for that awesome job with my move, it actually went better than I expected. The rate was exceptionally affordable, and everyone in the crew was personable, efficient and thoroughly knowledgeable on how to handle my things.