americanvanlinesofsf.com Reviews 24

This place is trash. The name is a joke; should be America's Last Choice in Moving Services. Brandon the so-called manager should have been fired a long time ago. He won't help you, doesn't care about you or your situation, and won't call you back, ever. After you pay, good luck getting any services you paid for. And when you try to get your money back, well, good luck with that too. They'll make it hell for you to even get a partial refund... when you should be getting a full refund!
No quality, no value, no care, no conscience. They rob innocent people.

TERRIBLE MOVING BROKER — STAY AWAY

I second ALL of the negative reviews here on Trustpilot, they are very similar to what I experienced.

As for the positive reviews: Note how Trustpilot mentions they removed a bunch of fake reviews.

Also note how the few positive reviews are very vague about being "polite" and "on time" and totally lacking in detail.

Compare those to the negative ones which sometimes make you even cry the people's experience was so bad. So bottom line don't trust the Positive reviews.

What happened to me:

They promise you the best and cheapest service. Then they take a cash deposit. Then they basically come back and say, uh you have too much stuff, we have to charge you more. They take another deposit.

At this point, it's too late for you to change and you won't get your deposit back, as numerous people here mentioned.

So after going through all the inventory you are going to ship in detail (with photos) and calculating the exact square footage (and paying more than initially agreed) I still had to pay more on the day of moving.
The movers will tell you that you still don't have enough space, you have to pay more and you still won't be able to ship everything.

The movers (subcontractors) also told me this happens all the time to the extent some people are so surprised they start assaulting the movers.

Suffice it to say I'm surprised I actually got around 75% of my stuff moved for about double the initially agreed price and even on time with only a few things broken (no amends made whatsoever.)
For the broken things, they tell you to submit a claim on MovingClaims NET which has 10 1 Star Reviews on Google Maps (check it out) and is basically a dead end.

So I guess I'm luckier than most people here but PLEASE NEVER USE THOSE GUYS.

I will name and shame Mason Cruz, you sleazy maggot, you told me America First had to take a cash deposit because if they let customers use credit cards, they would sometimes dispute the charge. Little did I know ...

There is another guy called Brandon, very friendly on the phone, but another phony. I hope you can live with your phony selves knowing you are employing fake reviews to defraud customers. Shame on you !

The movers worked quickly and arrived on the scheduled day at the proper time. They had been excellent all day. My previous apartment was packed up and transferred to the new place by the three movers in approximately two hours. America First moving is by far the best mover out there. quite pleased with their great service. I heartily endorse it!

This is the worst moving company ever worked for a couple of moving companies myself and know how the business works( worked for Bekins out of Massachusettes I am a poor man, not a rich man so couldn’t afford the companies I worked for but if I knew this company was like this never would have hired them. Picked up the load on august 29, we were told 3-5 days for deliver it is currently October 17th and no load delivered yet, and now no response from Frank to he one we are in contact with in Deerfield florida representing American first mover. We only got a twin bed and about 20 boxes shipped less than what we informed the company we would be shipping and yet after about 15 medium boxes we ran out of room driver said another 600 and they can take the rest of the load well 600 if we pay by card or 300 if we pay cash so we paid the cash and now no load. Asking all my veteran brothers and sisters to no use this company ever. No one should use this company. I will pay the extra money if I ever move again and hire a real company.

Horrible repeat after me BBB. They booked my job and handed it over to a 1.5 company who has yet to respond after picking my belongings up

DO NOT USE THIS SERVICE. FIRST OF ALL, THEIR PHONE NUMBERS ARE FAKE, YOU CANT EVEN REACH THEM ON PHONE. VICTORIA WILL TAKE ALL YOUR DETAILS AND GIVE AN ESTIMATED DELIVERY OF 3-5 DAYS WHICH IN REALITY IS BEYOND TWO WEEKS. FIRST THEY QUOTE LESS BASED ON THE STUFF YOU WANNA MOVE AND THEN WHEN THE ACTUAL MOVING TRUCK ARRIVES (SECOND PARTY), HE WILL DOUBLE THE RATE YOU ORIGINALLY AGREED FOR. THE GUYS WHO CAME TO PICK MY STUFF UP DINT EVEN HAVE THE PATIENCE TO FILL THE SPACE I PAID FOR. ONE OF THEM WAS SO RUDE, THAT HE DRAGGED THE BOXES OVER THE HARDWOOD FLOOR, CAUSING DAMAGE AND SCRATCHES ALL OVER. THEY STORE YOUR LUGGAGE AT SOME STORAGE UNTIL THEY FIND A DRIVER WHO IS DRIVING TO THE DESTINATION. THE GUYS WHO BROUGHT MY STUFF HOME ARE THIRD PARTY. THEY LOST SOME OF MY STUFF. THEY WANT ALL THE PAYMENTS AHEAD. THEN WHEN YOU CALL REGARDING THE LOST STUFF, THEY SEND YOU A WEBSITE WITH ALL FORMS TO DOWNLOAD AND FILL, BUT NO WHERE CAN YOU SUBMIT THEM. THESE PEOPLE ARE FRAUD. THEIR PHONES DONT EVEN RING. THEY DONT RESPOND TO YOUR EMAILS. DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT USE THIS SERVICE!

THEY ARE FRAUDS, DO NOT TRUST THIS COMPANY. THEY USED TO OPERATE AS HOMESAFE TRANSIT LLC AND USED EXPURED DOT LICENSURE AND FAKE ADDRESSES.

A true nightmare of a company. I worked with a salesman who gave me completely incorrect information about the service they provide and what I was paying for. They ask you to sign a contract on the phone with them so they see it go through and can take you to the next step in the process. Everything in the contract did not match up with what he told me, unbeknownst to me. I didn’t find out until 1 week before my move when they called to confirm details. I was left scrambling. They listened back to the recording of my calls with this sales person and agreed he provided flat out wrong information. Fired him, but offered me no compensation. Out of luck. Wouldn’t let me out of my contract despite knowing I was lied to. On top of that, now I’m paying them an extra $900 because they say my stuff takes up more cubic feet than originally accounted for. Despite having 14 fewer boxes and having given the original guy exact measurements of all my furniture. I walked around while on the phone with him with a tape measure in hand. But he input it wrong, and I am out money. This company has not offered me anything to right this wrong. I filed a complaint with the BBB and they had the guts to ask me to go back to the BBB and take it all back. Absolutely not. I was prepared to spend money on a move. It’s expensive, I know. But I do not appreciate being lied to and then told it’s my problem because “no moving company would offer that.” Why would I question things I was specifically told by an employee is part of the deal? Why would I think he’s lying about things I confirmed over and over? I hope they lose business or learn to compensate the customers they lie to.

DO NOT use this company. They are BROKERS and do absolutely nothing for you. I paid them $2000 as a deposit on a move- HUGE MISTAKE! They offer no services.

A broker does Nothing for you!!

Save your hard earned money & hire a long standing reputable company!

First mistake, don't ask for an online quote. The vultures immediately start calling you- that's your first sign.
1. Go to the Better Business Bureau's website and check out the reviews for the moving company you've selected before signing anything.
2. If you get a price on your move without anyone looking at your household goods, RUN.

3. Cash only or credit card upfront.

4. If they want cash, RUN.

5. Don’t be fooled or mislead by the cheaper price& fake reviews!!
They are so nice on the phone, it's disgusting. hope that I can save someone money and anxiety.

The company they ‘brokered’ my move with broke every single piece of my furniture & no recourse cause they are untouchable!

DO NOT DO IT! These people are 100% scam artist crooks! They owe us almost $1800! Refuse to pay even though we honored THEIR contract! There are soooo many people they have screwed over! Please please don’t hire them! You WILL be left high and dry!

DO NOT use this company. They are BROKERS and do absolutely nothing for you. I paid them $1200 as a deposit on a move- HUGE MISTAKE! They offer no services. I don't know how these people sleep at night after ripping off others.
First mistake, don't ask for an online quote. The vultures immediately start calling you- that's your first sign.
1. Go to the Better Business Bureau's website and check out the reviews for the moving company you've selected before signing anything.
2. If you get a price on your move without anyone looking at your household goods, RUN.
3. If the movers want money up front, RUN.
4. If they want cash, RUN.
5. You have a 3 day cancelation period. If they want a percentage to cancel- you're better off canceling.

They are so nice on the phone, it's disgusting. I hope that I can save someone money and anxiety. Moving is stressful enough. America First is America's worst.

Do not hire this company. The positive reviews are fake. Look at them closely. All of the accounts are based in Latin America, which makes no sense for a moving company in the United States. Some of the images are also stock photos.

Michael Geraud, who is the manager of America First Moving, is also the manager of Homesafe Transit. Both are predatory companies. Homesafe is under investigation by the Florida Attorney General's office and has been featured in a WPTV news story highlighting its misdeeds. Geraud was also sentenced to 5 years in prison in 2010 for defrauding people who he tricked into investing in a bogus oil drilling company.

If you hire America First, in the absolute best case scenario, they will extort you for much more than your quote and you'll get your things very late. More likely, much of your stuff will go missing in transit, and in some cases, you might lose everything. I have interacted with perhaps over 100 people who have gone through this. Save yourself the trouble.

A Facebook group has even been created for people who have had bad experiences, it's called "Justice for Homesafe Transit Customers."

I hired America First Moving for a move from Austin, TX to Tempe, AZ. They are a broker and not the actual movers who were hired for my move. I want to preface by saying the people at America First were kind; however, I was given wrong information for many important details of my move. First, the gentleman who booked my move, Tommy, said that my belongings would be delivered in 3-5 days. He said my things would be on the road the next day after pick up and that I could give my preferred dates for delivery to the movers. I gave a window of dates that I would be available to receive the delivery of my things to the movers. I then started my drive to Tempe a day early to ensure I'd be at my new place when the movers arrive. The delivery took TWO WEEKS.

I called America First Moving when I learned that my delivery date would be two weeks from the actual movers and shared my concerns with someone named Anna. She was very receptive, noted everything, said she would deliver the feedback, and advocate for me. I also gave her my new availability for receiving delivery since my things were coming later than expected. When a QA person from the actual moving company, Panther Moving and Storage called me, she didn't have any knowledge of my new availability.

Second, I wanted full valuation insurance for my belongings. I asked Tommy about it several times and wanted documentation of it. Tommy said that I could initial for the option of full value insurance when the movers arrived. When the movers arrived, I said that I wanted to sign for full value coverage and the lead of the moving team said that I missed that opportunity and had to initial for it when I booked the move. Tommy said that if I had any issues during my move, I could call him. I called and texted and never got a response. I called America First Moving and spoke with a representative who told me something completely different than what Tommy initially told me.

Another inaccuracy is that Tommy said my things would be picked up in a 26' truck. A long trailer truck came to pick up my things instead. This impacted me when my things arrived from a different moving company that delivered my things in a 42' trailer. Because of the length, the movers couldn't drive closer to my unit and I had to pay a fee because their truck was parked more than 75' away. I wasn't told about this fee until the day of my delivery.

Originally I was quoted $3500 for my move. I spoke with America First's QA person the day before pick up at Austin to go over inventory and the number of boxes that I had. My total ended up being $6200. This was way more than I was anticipating and I understand that initial estimates of boxes on the mover's end (mine) can initially be low. My box count actually was only off by four boxes, however I had more larger boxes than expected. Had I gone with a moving company that did virtual or in-person walkthroughs, I believe my quote would have been accurate. I got a quote from Mayflower that was $300 cheaper with an accurate delivery time and full valuation insurance. I should have gone with them.

2,160 dollars for a deposit, they never showed up to move our stuff. Still trying to recover our deposit. Save yourself time, money, frustration, and heartache. Rent a truck yourself and hire local labor to load it for you. That's what we ended up having to do in the end anyway, I just wish it didn't cost 2,160 dollars to find out.

America first moving is a broker who does nothing other than give you a false binding estimate then pass you on to another real moving company.

When you bring up the massive difference between the quoted price and what is required at pickup they will lie, deflect and ignore you. This company does not provide any service that is worth your money. This company clearly pays for fake reviews to give them a five star rating. Nearly every real review is negative. Stay far away from these people

Edit: Their claims in the reply are false. They never gave me the discount they claim.

After getting off the phone with them they deflected and lied about this discount and told me they will not be working with me to solve this issue because I wrote this review and charged back my card for their overcharging

I was severely misquoted about pricing and time frames. They outsourced to a terrible company that charged me thousands of dollars extra. I was called a derogatory name by the movers. I have broken items and things I had to leave behind. America First told me that it wasn’t their fault because it was the movers not them. All I got in return was an apology.

Better off moving yourself. They promise you everything and quickly take your money. Then they hire low quality moving companies. The price increases 100%. The furniture gets never gets delivered on time or in my case never gets delivered. A very low quality company.

Had a horrible experience with this company. They basically act as a third party to coordinate your move with a local moving company.

The initial conversation with them was very positive and they quoted us a price only slightly above what it would cost for us to move ourselves with a u-haul. After we paid the deposit, the customer service basically went out the window. They had zero communication with the local moving company and couldn’t answer any basic questions regarding our move.

When the movers arrived, the price went up almost $2000.00 from what was quoted. As I spoke to the local guys, the told me that this was a problem they ran into everyday and that third parties like America First basically just try to sell your contract as quickly as possible and then stop providing service.

It’s the local companies that determine the price not America first. We felt duped and essentially paid double the amount we would have paid otherwise.

Buyer beware

AVOID!!! Do not use this company. I specifically asked for packing services, for my glassware and books, was told "sure we do that, you don't have to lift a finger". When the foreman of the team got a hold of me to verify, he said that packing was news to him, gave me attitude up the yin-yang. I called and cancelled, as well as emailed who I was told to email, and said I had a different company lined up. America First called me and asked how much I would be spending on this other company and I told them it wasn't their business. They are gaslighting me, asking me if I'm sure I didn't ask about packing from a different company. I asked all the companies I talked to about packing. America First, even after my cancel email and phone call, still sent a team on the day of the move, which I denied access. Now they are gaslighting me that they sent 2 teams to my door to do the move and I refused service. I just want my $752 back. But because of the timetables (too late after set-up, too close to move day) it is unlikely I will get a cent back. They are also saying I never sent the email. "Hypothetically, if you sent it..." Apparently I didn't send it to the correct email address, but I did send it to whom I was told. AVOID!!! Do not use!

This review will not be removed until the safe delivery of my possessions and reimbursement of all damages by American 1st Moving and AMB have been completed.

*FYI that they just had my review removed from mymoving.com and other mover-owned review sites! Literally like the mafia!

DO NOT RECOMMEND! American Van Lines (American Van Lines of SF LLC) changed their name to America First Moving, probably due to bad Yelp & Google reviews. I made the mistake of using them based on 5-star Google Reviews (probably not all legit). Check their real Yelp reviews: American Van Lines of SF (pompano beach)...

They got their $$$ and then dumped me to AMB, a company that is listed on fmcsa.dot.gov as "out of service" due to refusal for audit...

All kinds of mismanagement and miscommunication on America First’s end with AMB. They really don’t care who they send your stuff with because they just want to collect their thousands.

All other “brokers” who get paid 50% upfront still manage the move for you… with America 1st, I have had to communicate with ten people within their company and AMB.

Provided an extremely detailed Googledoc with boxes measured and additional just in case to Jason for the quote. He mentioned he showed everyone in the office because it was so detailed. I had him verify several times on delivery windows by July 8/9th, which is why I signed the contract with America 1st. Only now am I told that AMB, who had to reroute and come three days later, that my original delivery window no longer applies.

None of my other cross-country moves have ever dumped move tracking and communications onto me as well as lied about delivery windows.

Accommodated Jim to not have to do QA on Father’s Day, but then he didn’t have time that Monday but said my Googledoc and texted photos were sufficient. He was aware of the floor mirror and small side table and console were metal frame (2 mirror top and 2 glass pieces). Never was I told that I'd have to pay more out of pocket by him or Jason. I had to clarify that I sent him photos from another movers quote platform so he could gauge how my texted photos of my furniture were actually smaller, and lighter. He had the actual dimensions and links in the Googledoc though. That said, I had to end up paying additional out of pocket for wrapping of my furniture, with my own materials! America 1st and AMB need to figure out who failed in not bringing tools and materials to wrap my furniture. I didn’t have any changes to the furniture except that I removed/left behind a glass console. My standing desk was damaged because of an attempt to yank off a leg without removing all of the screws…

AMB said they didn’t know that have the materials for these furniture pieces… Does America 1st follow up with AMB to ensure pickups run smoothly? They didn’t for me. I actually didn’t know AMB was the “carrier” until Jim told me on the phone as well as from the two women who called me from AMB to confirm incorrect move dates and then move delays. Frustrating when both America 1st and AMB are surprised that I’m upset when everything has been so disorganized.

Jim B provided me "John Snow’s" number, but the dude never called back. He had a completely rude customer service woman who didn’t even identify who she was and then refused when I mentioned that Jason, Jim, and John had information she could get. So I explained and then she complained that she "already spent 25 minutes on the phone with me and can’t spend this much time with one customer." She told me that AMB has 21 days from my earliest delivery availability date, which is not what Jason verified with on the phone. Verbal and email verifications are the same as contracts. As I understand, it should be from the pickup date, and they and AMB messed up the pickup dates… She says they need to listen to the call recording. Why be condescending when I’ve just explained that the move has already been disorganized and a huge inconvenience for me to have to manage?

I am hoping that they will put their best foot forward to ensure that the rest of my move and the claims process is a smooth one....