Braun Moving & Storage

Total nightmare! We made an International move and it took them 13 hours to finish. Our condo was 90% pre packed before they arrived. Every shoe was boxed, clothing was on hangers to go into wardrobe boxes, folded clothing was packed in totes. No appliances, sofas were wrapped and delivered from the upholster on the day of our move, beds were dismantled. We were promised the shipping container would be loaded and sealed at our door and parking arrangements were made in advance. This did not happen, our belongings were loaded in their trucks and taken to their facility where the empty shipping container sat. They were the last people to handle our belongings until the sealed container arrived at our front door in Europe. The container was not opened in customs, just scanned. The company here upon delivery did not unpack our boxes, we did. Much to our dismay we discovered that personal information and valuables were missing. The boxes we had pre packed and sealed were opened and resealed, the now gaps were filled with THEIR packing material. These were restricted items that we could not bring aboard our flight. Now we are without valuable family heirlooms and our personal information is God only knows where. They have constantly ignored correspondence other than to say that the entire packing crew is no longer employed by them, and the customer service rep is also no longer employed there. We cannot even get billing information! We had to pay extra for being overweight yet the container when it arrived here was far from being full. Trying to track your identity is impossible from Europe as most sites are blocked and COVID 19 has made it impossible to travel. Until we can safely get back to the states we can only tell our story to make everyone aware of this business. For now, we will be filing a complaint with the BBB.

DO NOT USE BRAUN! When we first contacted Braun, Tom Lawler came to our home. He sold us on Braun and provided a detailed estimate. We discussed that we had many items stored in boxes and totes. However these were packed for storage, not moving. He assured us the crew would overpack/repack them for safety as needed. We also discussed us packing non fragile items to lower the cost and that Braun would provide used boxes for this at no cost. Since our move was local they suggested and quoted the job for 3 days, pack on one day and move the items in 2 loads on the next two days. This changed to a two day plan at the last minute. We were assured it would not be a problem. The first day a crew of 3 arrived and packed some in the morning and moved it in the afternoon. I was told it was going slower than planned so the next day a crew of 6 arrived. They worked very fast, obviously rushing to pack everything left that morning and move it in the afternoon. When they arrived after a 2 hr lunch I did a walk through the new house to explain where everything went based on where it came from in the other house. With the revised schedule we had the TV installer there that afternoon and I could not watch them closely. .. When they had so many boxes in our MBR (on the first floor) that we could not get to the bed, they unloaded a number of wardrobe boxes and quickly just hung my wife’s clothes in the closet simply taking the hangers from the box to the closet rod. They were in a hurry to finish that day. After they said all was unloaded, I was given paperwork to sign. When I questioned it I was told that is what they moved and it had to signed for them to finish. This was the first time I saw the inventory, it was written very vaguely, with no way reconcile at that time . I was tired after two long days and signed it. I was not given a copy and was told the office would send it. They did not until I requested it 4 wks later, they did however contact me promptly for an additional $560 for extra boxes they claim to have used. After they left and we started unpacking it became obvious that they simply put things in the easiest places. A majority was on the first floor, garage and basement (easy access thru Bilco door next to driveway). Very little of what we wanted upstairs was there. It became obvious why so much wound up in MBR. We found a number of boxes under packed; such as a medium size box with only a TV remote, power cord, and the small tv base; dishpacks were packed with 2/3 packing paper, etc. We found many instances of sloppy packing, items simply taped together, boxes and totes that were stored and should have been packed properly as promised just taken as is, items disassembled and pieces scattered, etc. Yet we were charged $526 for extra boxes needed. I sent my concerns to Elsa with photos. Her advice was to file an insurance claim. Since we had a $500 deductible we waited awhile until we unpacked more items. This move is into our downsized retirement home so allot of items are remaining stored in boxes we did not unpack. However as the cold weather started and my wife looked for her winter clothes, many items could not be found. We decided to file the claim. In the claim we included two totes of winter clothes we definitely recall having that are missing. We did not claim a number of individual items that we still cannot find and only recall when we go to use / wear them. The response to our claim from Robin Bartolli is very disappointing. When we first submitted the claim she ignored my wife’s missing clothes entirely. Then when I wrote back expressing my concerns she addressed several of the items but only gave a very small token portion of the value of the clothes that are missing. We were told that since there was not any exceptions noted at time of delivery,or carrier unpack items at time of delivery they are not liable. Totes were listed as packed by owner and not listed as missing at time delivery. However they made small settlement in good faith. We did not contract for Braun to unpack. When we purchased the insurance prior to the move we understood that we had 6 mos to file a claim and all damage and missing items was covered. The only exception was for damage to items we packed unless the box showed external damage. None of the claim was for items we packed other than the missing tote of clothes. They are hiding behind the fact that I signed the inventory. I was not given the opportunity to look in the truck to confirm all was unloaded. I did take a quick look when the truck was about to leave and there and was a pile of moving blankets, empty wardrobe boxes, and large sheets of corrugated used to slide boxes down the stairs to load all simply tossed in a pile. Could several boxes have been left there? I have since heard that other moving companies have customers verify. I have written to Mr. Philip D Braun on Jan 20,2020 and not received an answer

I couldn't have been more pleased. They were on time, speedy and careful.

Braun was fantastic. The estimate and scheduling were easy, pleasant and professional. The movers were fantastic. They moved quickly and carefully- everything was perfect. Plus they were really nice guys to work with. I had an outstanding experience and highly recommend them.

Overall, excellent

It went very well. The movers came on time, where professional, moved everything without causing any damage to either furniture or houses; they treated the furnitures with care; 11 hours and no incidents, this is very impressive given my prior experience with movers. Elsa our coordinator was helpful and pleasant throughout the way, helping us schedule estimates, explained different options and calls to confirm and even checked on us after the move. The only thing I'm not entirely happy about is that the estimate they quoted us only included 8 hours but the work ended up taking 3 extra hours so we had to pay more than expected. But in the end we are still happy with the company and would recommend them.

Excellent

They were truly amazing. They were scheduled to arrive for pick-up between 8 and 9 and showed up promptly at 8 am. They knew it was a big job and they wanted to make sure it didn't take too long. Delivery the next day was scheduled at the same time and they arrived around 8:30. They worked quickly and efficiently. Both days were long, lasting until 3-4 pm, but their energy never faltered. They were courteous and professional at all times. I wasn't looking forward to the move because you hear such horror stories. But this experience was just the opposite. The only reason I gave them a B on price is because they weren't the lowest bid. But I'm happy to pay a little more for such outstanding service.

They were very good and very efficient. They did what they said they were gonna do when they said it. The price was what was quoted. They just did a very nice job.

Delivery was on time. My wife and I directed traffic as one hundred or so pieces (furniture and boxes) were brought it. We examined each piece of furniture as it came in and tried to do a reasonable job of keeping track of all the boxes that came in. Most of the furniture got delivered undamaged. We were shocked to see that our expensive maple dining room table had a damaged leg. The top was wrapped well. The legs on the other hand - those most likely to be damaged - were not. This is their business; they ought to know how to protect a table. We noted this to the delivery agent. I believe he is a Stevens Worldwide employee. He wrote it down and told us that the company would have it fixed. At the end of the day, the agent was anxious to move on to his next delivery (our tractor trailer had contents from three households). We did a quick look around. I confirmed that all the furniture was there and it seemed like all the boxes were there. He asked me to sign for the delivery - that everything was delivered and undamaged. It would have taken a full day to confirm that all the boxed were there and that all the contents in all the boxes were unbroken. I signed it, he drove off and my wife and I dug into the boxes. I reached out to Braun Stevens shortly afterward to complain about the condition of the table. I was told that I had to file a claim form with Stevens Worldwide - essentially, not their problem. I filed the claim. A few weeks later, we were looking to assemble all the electronics and noticed a missing piece, then I remembered that the packers put it in a luggage piece. I looked for that piece and it wasn't delivered. Again, I went Braun. They packed us - not Stevens. Again I was told to file a claim with Stevens. I filled that one out. The first claim response came back. It said and quot;We're sorry your table got damaged but you have a damage deductibleand quot;. Essentially, next time, buy lower deductible insurance. I would accept that answer if the damage was unavoidable. As I stated, movers are hired to individually wrap and protect furniture. It was obvious, when this piece came off the truck, the the legs weren't wrapped properly. That's carelessness. They should know better. The second claim came back with and quot;We're sorry you are missing a bag. We have no idea what happened to that bag. Further, we can find no evidence to back up your claim that something was stored in that bag. Oh, you have a deductible...and quot; I called Stevens in Michigan to address their response and they said they would see if they could locate the bag since, in my mind, there were three answers. it got delivered to one of the other two households or it remained on the truck and went back to the warehouse. Meanwhile, I answered their reply letter in the same way. I got another letter saying they could not locate the bag and the value of the bag was going against my deductible. No mention of the contents. This irks me. How can an item go completely missing ? It's their job to ensure it gets there or be able to tell where it went. Did it fall off the truck ? And to question me on the contents of a bag that they themselves packed for me. Unbelievable. The damaged table was avoidable. The lost bag and it's contents were avoidable. My claims were reasonable. The money loss was not substantial. I just can not believe this company will NOT face up to its responsibilities and make right the damages that were wholly avoidable.

see above

A little up front confusion on price, but they cleared it up very quickly. Moving crew was very quick, polite and everything arrived safely.

I didn't end up choosing Braun because it had the highest price of the companies that I contacted.

The estimator arrived at the time promised. Using an electronic inventor tablet and associated printer, he was able to inventory every item in the move and provide us a list immediately. The estimator was professionally dressed and worked diligently. The crew arrived on time with 4 trucks ready to work. A tour was given of the house and belongings, to the entire crew. Everyone seemed to remember each of the points made. When we had questions or concerns the crew leader was eager to listen and responsive. Each of the team members worked well together, so much so, that my wife and I commented on it several times and complemented them and the company for there competence, work ethic, and overall good work. We requested, at the front end, all the appropriate evidence of licensing, insurance and DOT documentation, which was provided during the estimation process. The delivery of the household belongings involved the same crew, who again showed professionalism and dedication, with good cheer. When case goods did not appear to navigate well withing the house, they showed experience with the materials and were able to disassemble and reassemble the furniture as needed.

The closing date on our new home was moved to a later date at the last minute which made our moving plans change. Although it was only a week before Christmas and we were moving from CT to PA, Robin (our moving coordinator?) diligently worked to accomodate the change in our scheule. She was incredibly professional and patient with us and our situation even though their schedule was completely booked. The driver (Hershel) was very competent and strove to make sure all our furniture and household items were well taken care of. He and his crew took the time to pack and pad everything well and took every request that we made seriously. The entire crew was polite and respectful of us, our belongings and our home. In PA, Braun has hired a new crew to unload the truck and they too worked very hard to conplete the job quickly. They were also very professional, polite and respectfu. I really liked that they put cardboard down over every hardwood floor in our new home and even padded the bannisters so nothing would get scratched. They even helped us move a piece of built-in furniture that was already in the new house. Overall we felt that they did an exceptional job!

Their service was fine. Everything worked out well. They were very professional and courteous.

The sales person assigned to provide an estimate sold me on the service Braun would provide. The office manager assigned to me was abrupt and did not explain the forms I was supposed to sign or the process very well. She also hedged on the price, which of course was more than the original quote. On the day of the move, the movers showed up with no wardrobe boxes, when the move order indicated that I needed 7 of them. The movers had to wrap my clothes and silk draperies in brown wrapping paper. The movers themselves were prompt, fast, and friendly. (Their hands were a bit dirty to be handling clothes and draperies, but overall they went above and beyond.) I moved in the summer, and the van with all of my belongings sat in the sun over a weekend, so I worried about my artwork and other goods being damaged by the heat. My primary complaint about this company is with Robin, the office manager, and the sales person.

Considering we moved 400 miles away to a different state, things went extremely well. The movers were very efficient and incredibly hard-working. They appreciated the fact that we had labeled and numbered our boxes so well. When we arrived in our new town several of the same workers drove up to unpack us which was very nice. The two young men they hired to help locally were also very efficient and polite. They were done so quickly we were amazed. Even though it had rained for a few days these men didn't track any mud onto my carpets and every bit of scrap was cleaned up perfectly. It was a great job!

THEY EXECUTED THEIR SERVICES WITH PRECISION AND CARE. THEY WERE CLEAN AND NEAT. THEY WERE VERY CAREFUL DURING THE PACKING AND MOVING OF MY BELONGINGS. THEIR PROMPTNESS WAS GREAT.

THEY WERE TERRIFIC. THEY DELIVERED ABSOLUTELY AS PROMISED. THEY ANSWERED OUR HUNDREDS OF QUESTIONS BEFORE THE MOVE, AND WE HAD LOTS OF THEM. THEY HAD 2 DIFFERENT CREWS, ONE THAT MOVED US OUT OF THE OLD HOUSE AND ANOTHER THAT MOVED US INTO THE NEW HOUSE A DAY LATER. THEY STORED OUR STUFF OVERNIGHT. THEY WERE VERY PROFESSIONAL. NOTHING GOT BROKEN, SCRATCHED OR LOST. THEY MADE THAT PART OF MOVING AS PAINLESS AS POSSIBLE.