University Moving & Storage

I was assigned third party mover, University Moving and Storage by North American Van Lines on 12/8/22. I met with Blake Bruns who assured me that my move would be treated as if I were family. I requested packing services for garage items only. On 12/27/22, 7 movers from University arrived with no truck and no packing supplies. They proceeded to repack items inside that I had ready to be loaded and then told me that they needed to pack items inside my master bedroom drawers. They left after 4 hours and came back 12/28/22 with a truck and loaded all contents from my home. On 12/28/22, I told driver Nick that my house in Wilmington was ready for the items at that time but he said that he had already scheduled another job so 1/9/23 became the agreed upon move in date. On 1/6/23, Jacob Black of University contacted me that Nick was not able to deliver until 1/10/23. I complied with the delay because I needed my furniture after waiting that long. On 1/10/23 Nick arrived with 4 movers from Wilmington. Immediately the movers from Wilmington began telling me that they could return the next day to finish the job. The move became chaotic as boxes kept coming in before furniture. The driver Nick was not present in the house until 6PM at which time he said that everything needed to be off the truck because he was leaving. He told me that he was going to leave items on the driveway. Key pieces of furniture were slammed into the garage. I refused to sign the inventory sheets that Nick shoved at me because the move was not complete. He stormed out taking the inventory lists with him. He left with no beds or tables assembled and the house in complete disarray. I couldn’t find lamps or bulbs. I tried to get in touch with my move coordinator Jacob Black but he did not pick up and did not return my message. Two of the Wilmington movers came back 1/11/23 and told me that they expected to be paid by me to finish the job. I had them call Nick who screamed at them that the moving coordinator Jacob Black had already called me three times that morning. Blatant lie because the Wilmington movers were sitting with me near my phone. I called Nick then who said “Not my problem” and he hung up. I called my moving coordinator Jacob Black again who had me speak to the operations manager Robert Shofstall. I FaceTimed him the condition of my home. He did arrange for 3 movers to assemble items but not until 1/14/23. I had to continue staying at a hotel due to the condition that the home was left in. On 1/15/23 I was able to finally locate and open a University packed box from my master bedroom drawers. It contained my jewelry box with several high value items gone. I contacted the company immediately and Robert Shofstall told me that he would meet with Nick and find out what had gone wrong with the move. He asked me which movers I suspected were involved with the theft and he gave me his own opinion. I did not hear anything for a week and contacted him again. He deflected during this conversation and told me that Nick had said that I had asked for the delayed delivery and he himself was not responsible for the theft because he was operations only. He told me to file a claim with North American as they were responsible for claims. That was the last communication from him. He quit responding to emails or calls. North American denied my claim and told me that I needed to file a police report (which I had done the first day). Victoria Gaskill of North American told me that I would have to address the stolen items with University. North American Melissa Frey also denied my Late Delivery claim saying that I had requested the late delivery, which I did not. This is the worst move that I have ever had and the worst customer service that I have ever experienced. I would never recommend this company to anyone. They hire LIARS AND THIEVES. They definitely do not treat you like family and I would never trust them with a safe move period.

Move size: 4+ Bedroom Home Service cost: $20000

Recently (April-current day 2014) used "University Moving & Storage" based out of Farmington Hills, MI as our moving company. We had a horrible experience when you look at the "big picture". They forgot two of our couches and my piano! On the day of our move they unloaded the trucks and realized our two couches and my piano had been left back at the warehouse (after we needed to store our items for 3 months). The company brought our pieces over the following day and another 4 hours of delivery ensued. There was damage to our walls attempting to get some larger peices into our house. Also we had several damaged items: tv, armoire, vase, patio umbrella, and they lost our ladder. It was never found. Our move, though within the state was very costly due to requiring storage. So we didn't purchase extra insurance for moving, we signed a regular standard contract as most would. BE AWARE..if you have damage, signing a standard contract agrees to the company only reimbursing you .50 cents per pound of weight on the damaged item.  This works out to be $70 to replace our TV! $90 to replace an armoire that cost us $900.00 we were given $10.00 to buy a new ladder that they lost. It has been an utter mess. But..we signed the small print and that is our fault. However, being utterly disrespcted by their employees and customer service is not our fault. I have been more than patient with this company. I was rudely spoken to by one of the drivers that proceeded to spit as he approached my front door and also flick out the butt of his cigarette as he walked up my path. (Just not professional behaviour). Sue Maiden of claims was also very rude to us on the phone once we had questions about the claim. She basically told us she was too busy to explain the claim and that if she spent time explaining every claim to each customer that she would never get her work done. She said the paperwork was in the mail and in 10-12 days we could read about the claim. I then proceeded to call and try and speak to someone 'higher up' in the chain. I thus spoke with Howard the Development Manager and though he listened to our issues with said employees and claims disputes he said he would look into it and call me back. A week later I called him, as I hadn't heard anything and he said he needed more time. 4 business days later I called him again and got VM. Later that day I got a call from a Matt Adams who explained Howard passed the compaint on to him. I tried to tell my story (for the 5th time) of why I am needing to file a complaint and through my story he told me to "just get to the point".  While explaining the disrespect of a few of their employees and neglect on our account he told me that he would handle it and fire Sue Maiden this afternoon. He was very sarcastic about his response and said that if that is the outcome I am looking for, then he would fire her today. When I told Matt that his tone and response was not taking me seriously and wasting my time..he proceeded to tell me that "I have bigger issues than the move" and hung up on me. So my complaints regarding unprofessional and rude treatment from an employee were basically disregarded and not addressed. I didn't even get to discuss the damaged and lost items of our claim, as Matt hung up on our phone conversation. I have since put a call into the CEO of the company, Elise Benedict, and (not surprised!) my calls have not been returned. If you are looking to move, I highly advise you to AVOID this company. After reading reviews it sounds as though if the move goes well..then everything is fine. But if you have any disputes or questions about your move, damaged items, lost items..they bounce you around from person to person on the phone. They are able to get away with unprofessional customer service and don't know how to handle a simple customer complaint.  A simple, we will look into this and follow up further would have sufficed. A few of our damaged items were not recorded down on the final copies of our paperwork at the end of a long day of moving..example: damaged patio umbrella cover/shredded and lost the centre cap from our patio table..and they will not replace them as they weren't written down on the list/contract. Even though we had reported it to the driver and by phone to the office that very moving day. This company forgot some of our furniture, spoke to us very unprofessionally on several occasions, lost a peice of our furniture/ladder, rarely returned our phone calls within a week and then finally to be hung up on today by a representative after he told me that I had issues!!  It is so wrong on so many levels and I can't do anything about it but try to get the word out about our joke of an experience with this company and to avoid them at all costs. They cannot be relied on to do the right thing. Think twice before hiring them. And if you're reading this..make sure to pass this experience along so that others will not suffer the stress, disrespect, frustration that we have.

Service cost: $9000

My move was so great that I didn't even think about writing a review online until I saw all the negative and damaging articles out there about these companies. As a business owner myself, it is a shame that one only tells his friends about a good experience, but wants to tell the whole world about his experience. My encouragement for everyone would be to do your homework and get on the same page and the professionals in terms of the rules and regulations of your move. That's what I did with University Moving (North American Van Lines)in Indianapolis and my move was great. My rep was great, got my weight and packing accurate, and the number only changed by $12 when it was done. My movers were on time for the load and unload. AND, the person responsible for keeping me informed did her job. I rarely had questions because they were so on top of it. University gave me a great experience and plenty of bang for my buck.

Service cost: $4850

I wish that I found this website and read the reviews before hiring this company. If I could give zero stars I would! We packed all our belongings and put them in a storage unit. The company came out to the unit to do an inventory to give us an estimate. At no time did the person giving us the estimate tell us there would be a problem because we packed ourselves. They proceeded to give us an estimate that turned out to be completely wrong so they charged us $1000 more. Also they sold us insurance for everything even the furniture that was covered in blankets never telling us if they chipped or cracked anything they wouldn't be responsible. When we unpacked we found our armoire doors out of wack due to the mover moving the piece on its end. They claimed it wan't level but as the picture I've attached shows it was. Also they chipped up our bedroom furniture and dining chairs. Of course when we made the claim they said sorry not covered because it could have been like that before. We tried to go higher in the company but like others have said the customer service is terrible all the way to the top. I've moved several other times before and never had such a disreputable company which wouldn't stand behind the damages they did. Do yourself a favor and find a better more honest company!

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $6800

I had a bad experience with University Moving & Storage (UMS) during an intrastate move from west Michigan to northern Michigan in August 2018. The issues relate to furniture and condo damages caused by a poor move-in crew for which UMS refuses to compensate me.

I hired UMS for $4,356.59, which included a $715 fee for “extra care protection” to cover damages at replacement cost up to $65,000 with $0 deductible. I specifically asked for and was promised experienced, professional movers at both ends of the move. Although the move-out crew in west Michigan was excellent, the move-in crew in north Michigan was neither professional nor experienced.
• Wardrobe boxes were placed upside down.
• Crew members slid boxes off their backs, causing them to land hard on their corners.
• Heavy book boxes were placed on large, light weight boxes.
• The crew didn’t know how to maneuver pieces around 90 degree turns, ramming multiple pieces of furniture against oncoming walls and/or corners.
• No care was taken to set furniture down carefully on the driveway or inside the condo.
• One broken piece of my entertainment center was wrapped in a moving blanket and left between two stacks of boxes.
• Throughout the move-in, crew members yelled and swore at each other.
• One crew member refused to take breaks and wanted to quit before the job was finished.
• Another crew member staggered under the weight of furniture and boxes.
• My condo was left with marks and gouges on walls, trim and ceilings.
• My freshly cleaned carpeting was soiled.

I relayed my dissatisfaction to the driver during the Saturday move-in and to my moving coordinator on Monday, the first business day after move–in.

I submitted a written claim for all damages within the allotted timeline.

UMS reimbursed me for only the cleaning of 2 soiled upholstered pieces ($195) and a computer desk ($279.99) that was so badly damaged that the driver took it with him to dispose of. UMS refuses to cover any other furniture damage. In addition, UMS refuses to cover ANY damage to walls, trim and carpet.

The reason given for denial was that damages “were not noted on the inventories at the time of delivery”. BTW, the two soiled upholstered pieces were NOT listed on the inventory sheets. Later, UMS said that a damage report indicated “pre-existing damage to many of the pieces.” I was not permitted to see that report. I completely refute that any of the damage claimed was pre-existing.

I reported my experience to Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division (CVED) Regulatory & Credentialing Section of the Michigan State Police that oversees intrastate moves. January 2019, CVED said, “UMS was reminded that the Motor Carrier Act 254, PA 178 of 2015 allows 3 months for a shipper to make a claim. We requested that the claim be reviewed according to the regulations of the Motor Carrier Act.” It is now mid-April 2019 and UMS has not responded to that request despite CVED’s follow-up emails and phone calls.

I have now filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and the Attorney General.

I interacted responsibly and patiently with UMS over the past 9 months. I communicated with UMS in a timely and professional manner. I did my best to follow procedures. I submitted my claim well within UMS’s deadline. I asked questions. I kept things moving forward by periodically checking in with UMS. I allowed ample time for UMS to respond before submitting complaints and reviews to public forums.

I am seeking the following: (1) replacement cost of the broken Ethan Allen entertainment center piece, (2) the cost to repair scratches and marks on furniture, (3) financial consideration for devaluation of damaged furniture with deep gouges, dents and scratches beyond inconspicuous repair, (4) the cost to repair of condo wall and trim damages, (5) the cost to clean carpeting, and (6) reimbursement of the $150 cost to have my treadmill brought inside.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $4356

I moved in January, 2013 from Michigan to Colorado. My things arrived damaged. One item in particular was ruined. This is a Sligh leather top desk, a family heirloom, my mother's desk.  Upon arrival in Denver, the driver immediately admitted that they had dropped the desk while transferring  trucks in Detroit.  I filed a claim and they sent someone out to repair the desk, even though it was apparant from the damage that it could not be repaired. The repair filed his report in which he stated that the damage was "due to atmospheric conditions".  Two things wrong with this, the driver had admitted dropping the desk and damage of this magnitude could not be a result of "atmospheric conditions".  I had to go through a process of submitting photos and finally NA Van Lines agreed that the desk had been damaged in the move.  They sent the same guy out to "fix" it.  He glued and vised. It took four Satruday morning for them to piece the desk back together. Last week I moved again, this time just across town. The men that I had to help me just moved the desk an inch and it crumbled.  So what the repairman had done was allow me 2 years to look at the desk, because I never really moved it during that time, then see it go to the dump due to the recklessness of University Moving North American Van Lines. I would never use the NA again. I have moved several times and only when I have used NA have I had broken pieces. in my recent moved I have found other things that were damaged in this move as well.  Their carelessness continues to plague me.

Service cost: $3500

I am another extremely disappointed/displeased customer of this company, which was founded in Ann Arbor by two women when I first lived there. The company has apparently grown way out of proportion and beyond being watched over.
The estimator had to reschedule our appointment because of an error on his part. When he arrived, he was drenched in some fragrance that smelled up my house for days, while it was being shown. He overestimated the need for wardrobe boxes, which I clearly pointed out to him during the estimate. The packers used the extra boxes to just throw stuff into when packing. The estimator also did not give the scheduler all the pertinent information, so there was a huge misunderstanding about what was to happen with my belongings - going into storage, not being transported until I found a house.
A decision was made to send only two men to pack AND load on the same day. I had done quite a bit of packing myself, but there was enough left to do that two men were clearly not enough to accomplish the task. Not only was the "lead" of the team extremely hard to deal with, but it was the worst packing job that I have experienced. Things were packed inappropriately, which resulted in much damage and breakage of irreplaceable items. A step stool was completely lost. They drove off without my couch, which was on the lower level. Fortunately I discovered it before they got too far away.
While the items were in storage, I made an offer on a house and thought that I had a closing date, so notified the scheduler. Because of a bad inspection I could not go forward with that purchase, but found another house in short order and came up with a new closing date. I was told that because I had changed the date I would have to pay an additional $1000.00 dollars, even though I had a BINDING estimate, which is against the law.
The delivery crew were very wonderful and were, as I was, appalled as we unpacked the wardrobe boxes, not to mention things that should have been in boxes and were not, so were damaged. However, instead of calling me for directions, the crew decided that they could not get the large van to my house, rented a smaller truck and, so, had to handle my things two more times.
There is a now a crevice in the side of an oak dresser that has thrown off the entire dresser, so that the drawers are unusable. When I tried to file a claim, the form on the web site did not work. I called and the woman I spoke with emailed me a different form. It, too, did not work. I emailed her to let her know and did not hear back. Apparently the BBB will not help with any of this, so this is the only forum available to let people know to not use this company. It used to be good and won many awards, but I, personally, had the most awful experience with them. I am a seasoned mover, including going cross country and having things in storage. I have never had such a bad experience.

Service cost: $8400

I moved cross country for a new job and the relocation company selected University Movers. University gave us an estimate for packing and loading time frames. Then changed it at the last minute. Packing ended up taking a full day longer than anticipated, resulting in me and my family sleeping on the floor of a half packed up house. The packers were late arriving each day. University delayed the delivery of our stuff to the new house and blamed the relo company. My property arrived damaged. Boxes crushed. Furniture broken. China packed under small appliances. Parts taken off furniture/appliances and lost. They even opened boxes of fragile items I packed and threw books into the boxes, damaging the items. Clothing was just thrown into wardrobe boxes, not hung up on roads. Bottles of liquid soap were thrown into boxes on top of food. I was told by University's QA department "things happened during a move". I am now dealing with nearly $10,000 in damaged property. Pure incompetence. DO NOT USE UNIVERSITY MOVERS.

Move size: 4 Bedroom Home Service cost: $10000

We had to use this company because of my husband's job. They sub-subcontracted another company to arrange the pickup of our belongs in Germany. During the assessment the man provided us with no specific instructions, but we has packed everything ourselves already because we could not have packing paid for, and showed him the packed boxes. He said nothing about this being a problem. I had however arranged to pay separately for professional packing for two sets of fine china and crystal, one set being an antique. I knew something was wrong with this company the day the movers showed up (45 min late without notice). First of all they said they needed to open and inspect every box for batteries, though we had not been told this before, and I had at this point I had spent a month packing almost 40 boxes very carefully. Finally after a long discussion I showed them the two boxes with electronics with batteries, but had to carefully unpack and repack them myself seeing how carelessly they handled things. They then started to "pack" my china. I heard plates banging together, and went to investigate and found them pilling my dishes unwrapped into boxes, which would not have survived an international move without breaking. I had to yell at them to stop and get the manager to come to my apartment. I told him I had paid separately for professional china packing, and was not going to accept my dishes arriving broken. He finally agreed to actually provide the service I had paid for, but they could only show up a week later. I had already left the country at this point, but my husband was still there to supervise, I can only imagine the disaster this would have been had we had to move immediately. I contacted University Moving and told them I was uncomfortable trusting my life's belongings with this company, and they did absolutely nothing, other than ask about our payment for the china packing! Finally our belongings arrive 2 months later, and a half a dozen of our boxes were opened by the moving company. It is at least obvious which boxes were opened because they resealed them with tape with their company logo, but now I have to try to deal with the fact my boxes were illegally opened, and see what has been stolen or damaged. I have done an international move of the same scale before without a single problem. The company charged less than half of what University mover's did, did not open a single one of my boxes, and provided professional packing china without an argument. This company just used subcontracts on both ends, under no circumstances should they be trusted.

Service cost: $7000