Suburban Solutions Moving & Transport, LLC

Be VERY careful with this company They attempt to buy their ratings on the review sites, and have extremely unethical practices Our terrible moving experience is detailed below, but just recently, years after the move, the owner contacted us telling us he was disappointed in our review and asking what he could do to make up for the poor experience Mind you, during the year following the move, he would not return one email or phone call Now that the ratings slipped, he emailed the following: "If you take down your reviews I will refund 1/of the desired renumeration (sic) after a day window If you take down the reviews and replace them with a 5-star review I will refund all of the requested money if the review sticks on the Yelp sponsored page (meaning NOT shuffled to the hidden reviews) and is not altered for 30days." Since he had not kept to his word many times during our move, as noted below, we suggested that he make the appropriate remuneration first, and we would then cite how he did the right thing in updated reviews, he did not respond Finally, after multiple attempts to reach him, he simply emailed, "I just can't afford that I was hoping for a more affordable solution" If this was not an affordable solution, what was he thinking in offering it? Clearly he never had any intention of holding up his end of the compensation He simply wanted to trick us into taking down our reviewWe have moved numerous times and this was hands down the very worst experience we ever had We have had furniture damaged in the past and the movers have always dealt with us in a forthright manner We understand in a move damage can occur However, in the case of Suburban Solutions, not only was there significant damage that was the result of quite inadequate loading (they did not bring enough furniture pads and even started raiding our own personal blankets and bubble-wrap when they ran out), but they also flat out lied to usAt the loading, we expressed several times concerns for the handling of our furniture because we noticed that it was not being wrapped very well, and some things were not being wrapped at allEach time, we were assured that it was just fine, well-loaded, and not to worry, even when we reminded them that this was being moved across the countryOnce the truck pulled away, we did not receive any of the communication from the driver that had been promised to us by the owners of the company When we became concerned that we had not heard from the driver, the owner, Brian, informed us that the driver had lost his cell phone, but that he would be contacting us very soon We did not hear from him or anyone else from the company until 2:30am the night before the delivery He gave us an estimate of a delivery time the next day, and we never heard from him again until 1/hours after he was supposed to arrive There are certainly pay phones at many locations and a delay of this kind should certainly have merited a phone callBefore the days of cell phones movers still communicated with their clientsWhen the driver finally did arrive he apologized, but he was all alone We had been told by both owners (Chris and Brian) that we would have two additional movers to help unload the truck that would be contracted through a local moving company However, rather than hire additional help, the driver insisted that he could do it himself Mind you, we had large antique pieces of furniture and very expensive and heavy outdoor patio furniture, and there was no dolly or hand-cart As a result, my brother had to provide a dolly and help with some of the unloading In addition, my brother had to provide the tools and make the repair to a leg of a large antique secretary that was broken off during the move This was in part possibly due to the fact that the items that were secured when the truck left Alexandria were now loose in the back of the truck when it arrivedAs the truck was being unloaded, we saw severe damage to the outdoor furniture and the larger antique pieces (mind you, we would later find a lot more damage that was hidden by the driver...) We contacted the owner, Brian, who said he was devastated that these pieces were not better protected, and the driver said that, as project manager, he takes full responsibility for the damage He said we had to pay in full for the move, or the driver could not leave the premises, but that he would hold the check until we were able to fully assess the damages and come to an amicable resolution BUT Here's where the story gets even worse: Brian cashed our check while we were still working on resolution AND once he cashed the check, he refused to talk to us any further and simply directed us via email to the insurance company And if you think dealing with a mover is bad, try dealing with an insurance company! THEN, we found a variety of additional damage that the driver hid during the unload For example, he broke the leg off of the outdoor table, and propped the table up on one of the chairs so it was not readily visible To make matters worse, presumably so we would not find the damage while he was still there, the driver discarded the broken leg, thus making the cast aluminum table impossible to repair - and since the table is no longer manufactured, the entire set of very expensive matching furniture ($17,worth) would no longer match even if it was able to be repaired Other broken and scarred items were hidden among the boxes, the walls were damaged behind the boxes that were piled up, and several custom cushions for the furniture, that we believe he used to pad the furniture - because he did not bring enough moving blankets -- were completely missing, again, rendering a matched set completely unusableNeedless to say, without additional insurance, we lost a considerable amount of money in this move We also lost trust in the word of this company Utterly disappointing and unnecessary, and could have been prevented if they had only overseen their employees and kept their word

Be VERY careful with this company. They attempt to buy their ratings on the review sites, and have extremely unethical practices. Our terrible moving experience is detailed below, but just recently, 2 years after the move, the owner contacted us telling us he was disappointed in our review and asking what he could do to make up for the poor experience. Mind you, during the year following the move, he would not return one email or phone call. Now that the ratings slipped, he emailed the following:
"If you take down your reviews I will refund 1/2 of the desired renumeration (sic) after a 30 day window. If you take down the reviews and replace them with a 5-star review I will refund all of the requested money if the review sticks on the Yelp sponsored page (meaning NOT shuffled to the hidden reviews) and is not altered for 30days." Since he had not kept to his word many times during our move, as noted below, we suggested that he make the appropriate remuneration first, and we would then cite how he did the right thing in updated reviews, he did not respond. Finally, after multiple attempts to reach him, he simply emailed, "I just can't afford that. I was hoping for a more affordable solution". If this was not an affordable solution, what was he thinking in offering it? Clearly he never had any intention of holding up his end of the compensation. He simply wanted to trick us into taking down our review.
We have moved numerous times and this was hands down the very worst experience we ever had. We have had furniture damaged in the past and the movers have always dealt with us in a forthright manner. We understand in a move damage can occur. However, in the case of Suburban Solutions, not only was there significant damage that was the result of quite inadequate loading (they did not bring enough furniture pads and even started raiding our own personal blankets and bubble-wrap when they ran out), but they also flat out lied to us.
At the loading, we expressed several times concerns for the handling of our furniture because we noticed that it was not being wrapped very well, and some things were not being wrapped at all. Each time, we were assured that it was just fine, well-loaded, and not to worry, even when we reminded them that this was being moved across the country.
Once the truck pulled away, we did not receive any of the communication from the driver that had been promised to us by the owners of the company. When we became concerned that we had not heard from the driver, the owner, Brian, informed us that the driver had lost his cell phone, but that he would be contacting us very soon. We did not hear from him or anyone else from the company until 2:30am the night before the delivery. He gave us an estimate of a delivery time the next day, and we never heard from him again until 2 1/2 hours after he was supposed to arrive. There are certainly pay phones at many locations and a delay of this kind should certainly have merited a phone call. Before the days of cell phones movers still communicated with their clients. When the driver finally did arrive he apologized, but he was all alone. We had been told by both owners (Chris and Brian) that we would have two additional movers to help unload the truck that would be contracted through a local moving company. However, rather than hire additional help, the driver insisted that he could do it himself. Mind you, we had large antique pieces of furniture and very expensive and heavy outdoor patio furniture, and there was no dolly or hand-cart. As a result, my brother had to provide a dolly and help with some of the unloading. In addition, my brother had to provide the tools and make the repair to a leg of a large antique secretary that was broken off during the move. This was in part possibly due to the fact that the items that were secured when the truck left Alexandria were now loose in the back of the truck when it arrived.
As the truck was being unloaded, we saw severe damage to the outdoor furniture and the larger antique pieces (mind you, we would later find a lot more damage that was hidden by the driver...). We contacted the owner, Brian, who said he was devastated that these pieces were not better protected, and the driver said that, as project manager, he takes full responsibility for the damage. He said we had to pay in full for the move, or the driver could not leave the premises, but that he would hold the check until we were able to fully assess the damages and come to an amicable resolution. BUT Here's where the story gets even worse: Brian cashed our check while we were still working on resolution AND once he cashed the check, he refused to talk to us any further and simply directed us via email to the insurance company. And if you think dealing with a mover is bad, try dealing with an insurance company! THEN, we found a variety of additional damage that the driver hid during the unload. For example, he broke the leg off of the outdoor table, and propped the table up on one of the chairs so it was not readily visible. To make matters worse, presumably so we would not find the damage while he was still there, the driver discarded the broken leg, thus making the cast aluminum table impossible to repair - and since the table is no longer manufactured, the entire set of very expensive matching furniture ($17,000 worth) would no longer match even if it was able to be repaired. Other broken and scarred items were hidden among the boxes, the walls were damaged behind the boxes that were piled up, and several custom cushions for the furniture, that we believe he used to pad the furniture - because he did not bring enough moving blankets -- were completely missing, again, rendering a matched set completely unusable.
Needless to say, without additional insurance, we lost a considerable amount of money in this move. We also lost trust in the word of this company. Utterly disappointing and unnecessary, and could have been prevented if they had only overseen their employees and kept their word.