Ernest Moving & Storage

I was moving out of a Jersey apartment to a house just a town over also in New Jersey. I contacted Ernest moving & Storage, I believe I initially talked to Justin. He sounded decent and nice. We scheduled for someone to come out two weeks prior who quoted $1400 for the move. Three movers came in at 11a, one of them being Andrew M.on moving date. They were one hour late but that was no deal breaker. As they were wrapping the items, Andrew walked up to us and said that the price went up an additional $1300 because it will take them 8 hrs. What??? A total of $2700 for an apartment with 2 regular size bedrooms, a small bedroom with a twin size bed and a room where the living, dining and the kitchen are all in one. I was not happy but we only had 2 days to vacate the apartment so we agreed to pay (Price change #2). The movers were very slow and unprofessional. They were taken frequent breaks together, going downstairs to smoke, to rest and joke. We bought pizzas and drinks to share with them. It was 10:09p when they wrapped up.I was tired but relieved that we were finally going to the new place and unload. Then Andrew informed me that they will have to delay unloading the truck until 11a the next day. I was not happy, I asked about my belongings. He said they will be safe in the lot. I was upset, disappointed, exhausted and concerned but I had no choice. I informed them that the delay had nothing to do with us and that we will not pay any additional funds. Andrew assured me that it was not my fault therefore we would not be charged. He then strangely asked for a tip. We ended up spending the night at a hotel since Everything was in the truck. The next day upon arrival, Andrew informed me that it will take them an extra 6hrs to unload the truck and that would cost us and additional $900 (Price change #3). When we refused, he threatened to take the loaded truck back to the lot and keep it until we pay. He became aggressive! My husband decided to pay to put an end to the madness. However, Andrew requested the $900 in CASH instead of Zelle. My husband sent the funds via Zelle. The confirmation receipt came through but Andrew stated that he did not receive the money and still demanded cash. He said he was leaving and proceeded to walk toward the truck. My daughter was standing in the driveway next to the truck, he ordered for her to move and got close to her. That is when I called the police. It was frightening! The police officer came and after verifying with my bank that all 3 payments requested were received, he ordered for them to unload the truck. STAY AWAY from Ernest Moving & Storage, I have the police report to confirm that they are shady!!!

Buyer, beware! Do NOT use this company, especially, if moving to Boston as it comes with a guaranteed shuttle fee that pops up after the company has your belongings. In the end, I paid more than double my initial quote. I hand measured everything the night before pick-up - 520 cubic feet for a simple 1 BR move. However, I was advised to increase my initial quote to 667 cubic feet just in case. When I hesitated, I was reassured that I could not be charged for space not used (ugh please learn from my mistake and don't fall for this trick). On the day of the move, when I asked the foreman to have my estimate adjusted for space not used, he said I’d get a call the next day for an adjustment since my items were going to storage for a week (storage was supposed to be included, so that didn’t make sense to me either). He insisted that he could not adjust quotes, though the day before I was told that he could. I asked for certain furniture to be packed a certain way to conserve space, but he waved me away and said not to worry - he implied the estimate would be brought down. Red flag, red flag, red flag! I never got a call. I reached the customer service manager, Steve. He said based on how my items stacked, my items took up over 800 cubic ft so I was lucky I wasn't charged more. A 1 BR NYC apartment for a single person takes over 800 cubic ft?? I don't think so... I had rid a lot of my stuff too. Then, the company called the day before my move-in to inform me of a $500 fee for a shuttle. Steve said that all Boston moves require a shuttle because their large truck won't fit in Boston by law. Funny that was never mentioned before. Funny that I've moved within Boston multiple times and never had a problem. Another employee informed me that the driver had been by and didn't think he could bring a large truck to the front of the apartment. I explained that my building has a loading dock made for massive trucks. I sent photos of the loading dock, but then I was told the street was too narrow. I live on a 5-lane road with unloading trucks using the lane closest to my building all the time... My friend had her car picked up by a car-carrier truck in front of my building without issue. When the movers showed up over 6 hours late (NO ONE kept me informed of delays, and at this point, Steve threatened to charge me $5k if I tried to contact again; so terrified, I stopped contacting), the driver had no idea there was a loading dock, and the movers admitted that any-sized truck could’ve fit there. So why was I charged $500 for a smaller truck? Turns out they were using this rented truck to pick up another move in Boston after my drop off. Maybe the truck didn't fit in front of their apartment, and I was the one to pay for the rental fee... The most horrifying thing to me about this move was my experience with the customer service manager, Steve. He should be fired. He belittled my educational background and mocked my ability to read contracts. When I revealed that I was doing this move alone and was stressed, being a healthcare worker AND not wanting to exacerbate a personal medical situation, he said if I contacted him again he would charge me an additional $5k before returning my belongings. Nice guy.

Ernest Moving and Storage is basically a couple of bullies, a few inexperienced labourers, and a scam front end. The full story of what happened to me an my stuff is probably worth a movie, but I will point out the obvious. First some warnings and preliminary comments. 1- They arrive at your place with no bill of lading and in a rented truck, and several hours late. There is no sign of insurance on any paper work they give you, and that will become necessary, believe me! 2- Their customer service number, whether the 800 number or the "local' number, is actually a scam. Just dial zero to connect to a customer service, and all you get is "this number is not in service" and boom, hang up! You will get a text message via a bot that basically answers one of the four questions they allow you to ask with a standard answer. 3- Their "customer service lead" (named Steve), will call you from a number that is actually a mask, which means if you dial it back, it will say "this number is not in service". Again, no way of contacting any customer service. Now, this is what specifically happened to me: 1- I signed up for their service via "Purple Heart Moving" which is a brokerage (they are also another scam, but at least they answer their phone). So, I had no choice in who undertakes my actual move. Ernest is basically the local 'handlers'. 2- Their process of arriving, timing, and non-existent customer service is a long story. In short, they were late, arrived in a rental Penske truck, were aggressive and threatened me to leave if I don't let them pick up my stuff, and were TERRIBLE in handling the packing. 3- Their customer service was rude, threatening, and in fact, shouted at me that they find it offensive that I am asking them for ID and company information (no uniforms or marked truck. Exactly what "beware of scam' sites warn you about!). 4- The next three weeks after pick up, were spend in anxiety of whether I will see my stuff again. All calls to Customer service were unanswered. Purple Heart would also just provide standard, off-the-screen information. 5- My stuff arrived, 24 hours AFTER the truck driver called and said he will be there in one hour!!! 6- Fortunately, the driver was an independent trucker. He told me that yes indeed, they seem like a scam. That they have no warehouse and operate out of a storage facility, that they were unprofessional, and that he also felt uncomfortable. 7- Now: the BIGGEST issue: they have damaged three pieces of furniture, broken my desk, and LOST my antique shelf! The shelf was never loaded into the truck in NJ! So, they forgot to load it on the truck altogether. 8- NO amount of telephone calls, whether to Ernest or to Purple Heart, have resulted in anything. Emails are unanswered. Even the BOT messaging system is quiet. Purple Heart's promise that they will get back to me has gone unanswered. It's three weeks and no a SINGLE action has been taken. AVOID THEM LIKE PLAGUE!

Professional, courteous, honest, dependable and much less expensive than other flat rate options. Payment is easy and can use a credit card. Thank you for making this as seamless as possible.

These movers are friendly, efficient and flexible! They handled a difficult move in small NYC streets with absolutely zero complaints. Highly recommended!