Mayflower Reviews

I generally like to say positive things in reviews so let’s start there. The price you are quoted after your initial assessment is the price you end up paying if you don’t add things after the inventory is set. So, there is no hostage taking of your stuff demanding more payment prior to delivery and that is reassuring. Timelines were set and met so no problem with reliability. Corrigan did communicate pretty well despite the fact that my initial contact left the company shortly after my quote and I got handed off to a senior manager in a corporate office somewhere in New York.

One concerning thing was that much of what I was told about the logistics of the move was incorrect, so I advise getting virtually everything important or not in writing. I was told we had an assigned driver who would arrive with a crew to my home in Chicago in a 53ft moving van, load and drive to California. So, we arranged and secured parking on our street for that but what actually happened was 2 smaller straight trucks arrived which meant that everything was loaded into these 2 trucks then transported to a warehouse somewhere, unloaded and then reloaded onto the moving van that eventually went to California. As you can probably imagine, all of this loading and unloading can lead to problems.

Each Item was numbered and documented, and we were told that upon arrival we would check off these items with the crew. That did not happen, the delivery happened much too quickly to look for the tags and check off things on the inventory sheets. Most things seemed to be in order and only a few items were damaged or broken but we soon realized that several larger items were just missing and later smaller items like shelves from furniture cabinets that had been disassembled for some reason. Included in the missing category were folding tables, office chairs, the shelves and 2 large red Christmas tree storage bags filled with decorations.

We contacted Corrigan about the missing items as we assumed they must have been lost in the warehouse load unload process or left on the truck that had another delivery packed in. Nothing was ever found and we were just advised to file a claim which for the chair and tables is easy but not so easy for the many boxes of vintage keepsake ornaments that were in the storage bags or for the furniture that is now unusable without the shelves. I had expected and could deal with some damage and breakage, but it is harder to understand how large things could just vanish into thin air. I suspected that either way they were misplaced, if they were discovered they would need to be redelivered which could be an issue for the company.

I now wish I had insisted on checking off each item individually which would have kept the crew there much longer or air-tagged these things and would advise others to do that for keepsake items. In closing, as this was my first and last cross-country move, I can’t rate Mayflower/Corrigan/Premier versus any other brand but would say that the move did go fairly well overall despite the mysterious disappearance of some irreplaceable items. You just have to accept what you get and move on.

Day of move we are informed Tim is adding another shipment so now we have to wait 5 days for our possessions. After finally arriving we find a very large scratch on one of our dressers. We are told that was there before the move. Funny it was my dresser and I never saw that deep gouge. We also discovered a badly damaged TV stand but are not even going to claim it because I am sure they will say it was damaged before. On another note it was not even a Mayflower truck it was Allied/Browning

The company also incorrectly purchased a reserved parking spot from the city to park a truck at (a truck they were sticking 4 other movers things into without telling me) and did not think to contact the building to find out if it was needed or not, merely purchased it without asking, costing me several hundred dollars. The third party movers were also baffled right beside me at the questionable antics that they needed to make the reservation. My building had a freight entrance that could meet their truck's size requirements.

The delivery caused the largest concern. We had been given a delivery date, then were notified that the driver needed to have a physical done and the delivery would now be days later. How a dispatcher wouldn’t have that information prior to scheduling a driver is beyond me, but that was the least of the delivery issues. The night before the delivery and the morning of, it rained. Unfortunately, all the items being unloaded from the truck were either damp or soaked. Evidently the trailer roof was not sealed and poured water onto our goods. The next problem was the unload crew.

Mayflower uses local contractors to supply unload crews. Unfortunately, the crew that showed up to unload our goods had significant communication barriers. The crew “lead” could not speak the language three of the four other crew spoke and they could not speak his. I could speak the crew lead’s language but not that of the rest of the crew. The driver was also unable to communicate with the crew. This meant that I had to read each box label and lead the crew member to the room it was supposed to go in. As you might guess, I couldn’t keep up with multiple people unloading, and boxes ended up being put wherever the crew decided was “good”. I had to relocate large numbers of boxes after the crew left. The team lead also disappeared for three hours in the middle of unloading - said he "had to go to the bank". The next problem was damage.

As I mentioned, the Mayflower packers only wrapped from the top down on furniture. This allowed the bottom 2-4 inches of any item to remain exposed. That exposure lead to significant nicks and scrapes. Additionally, either due to the packing in the trailer or handling during storage, at least one dresser back had been punctured by something approximately the diameter of a soda can. Offloading took a very unfortunate turn when the crew dropped our piano off the trailer ramp from a height of about 3.5 feet. This broke the soundboard in multiple places, effectively destroying the piano. As the crew was reassembling the dining room table, they lost one of the “feet”. Instead of stopping to look for it, they dragged the table across the floor into position and gouged a 3/8 inch rut into the wood floor. Last came the settlement process for damage.

The settlement process was excruciating in length and results. I can offer some warnings to anyone moving:

• Video items before they are packed. This will enable you to validate damage.

• Read everything before signing. When items are loaded, be aware of the item condition being listed by the company – and if you don’t agree with it, have it changed.

In conclusion, I would like to recommend Mayflower but my experience says that I cannot.

If you thought dealing with Healthcare was bad, hopefully, you don't have a claim and deal with Claims Team 1. When we were going to update our claims, that portion of the website (claims) was out for over 3 weeks. We had someone from corporate call us and apologize and when you tell them of the issues, they tell you they have no control over claims?? Then, Why did they bother to call? An apology doesn't resolve the issue with claims or getting back in a timely matter. All they do is push it to different people (more delay) and take weeks to respond, if at all. Please note, Mayflower is also part of United. I would challenge their CEO, Kevin A. Krakora, to address the inefficiencies in their people, process and technology. I am still waiting 2 weeks now, after I got an initial response that my claim was "almost done", and we will get back to you by the "end of the week" ... yeah, right!

Finally, let me share some things you need to ensure you are ready to move:

1) Driver does inventory, make sure there are pictures and labeled correctly. You may find the driver labels your items with scratches, or some damage , when there is none. The picture validates that!

2) If you ask for climate control for storage, make sure it is spelled out in the invoice as they don't DO THAT. You need to make sure it is ITEMIZED on the invoice.

3) Sometimes the driver will claim they cannot get the Semi-truck in the neighborhood (when they can). Instead, they offload it to smaller (U-Haul) trucks. This additional movement opens you up to damages! Drivers get extra-pay for this!

4) Find out exactly where they are storing your goods. The facility may not be up to standards (dirty, no climate control, etc.).

5) Finally, if you do have to file a claim. Get estimates of fixing (replacing) the items. They will send an inspector our ( 2-3 weeks) and will just offer you a lump sum. Don't take it as you may find, for example, cleaning the upholstery, does not come out! You need full replacement value; but, it would be TOO LATE, because you took their lump sum. Do your due diligence.

6) Stay persistent. They will deny, delay and lie! I cannot tell you how many times I was told, we will call, or get back by the end of the week!

Original Review: We had used Mayflower and United for previous moves with little no incidents. However, this last moved had stains on upholstery, furniture scratches and breaks, dirty beds, poorly packed clothing, etc. Filing a claim has turned out to be a nightmare. They tell not to do anything, while they drag it out and low-ball repairing or fixing anything. What is unfortunate is that we paid extra for FULL-VALUE replacement ( which turned out to be a scam).

One thing we learn was that drivers have a slush fund to gain money for themselves when they claim they cannot get the Semi-Truck into your neighborhood. Instead, they will go to a U-Haul, transfer you items from the Semi to the U-haul ( probably multi-times) and deliver it. This is usually not necessary and it causes potential damage ( more moving) and exhaust the workers. However, the driver gets to get extra pay for this. Shows they don't really care about the contents or you. Mayflower/United should STOP this practice!

The second point, if the salesperson indicates/hints your items will be placed in climate control facilities. Make them prove it. As we discovered, your items are in a warehouse, control by what the OUTSIDE temperature happen to be ( NO Temperature control). If you are able to get a hold of anyone from claims, they will tell you 7 days, etc. only to not get any feedback. You will find that you have to PULL constantly as they share (PUSH) no information. 2 1/2 months later ... we are still pulling. You might as well get ready for arbitration because they aren't going to respond. You actually need a class action lawsuit to clean this mess up. Unfortunately, we have another move ... and we cannot recommend Mayflower/United. If you do use them, hopefully, claims are not needed! Order Number: **.