O'Mara Moving & Storage- North American Van Lines

However, the most impressive part of the move involved our houseplants. We had many (25) large houseplants with some being 5 feet high and taller. They moved all plants in a separate truck. Everything lived though we knew it was our risk. Some movers would not touch them. I would use them again but another move is not going to happen for quite some time.

The final move [100 miles] was $1100 on top of the "Climate Controlled" storage bill of $1728. The piano arrived with obvious gouges and damage to the finish on the case and on the inside of the piano I discovered mouse droppings, mold, mildew and rust on the strings. So, not only was it damaged in the move it was further damaged in the so-called "Climate Controlled" storage facility. The piano was in pristine condition when O'Mara Moving & Storage originally picked it up from a residence in Freeport. Repair costs are in the $10,000 - $20,000 range. O'Mara Moving & Storage refused to take any responsibility for the damage so I filed a small claims case in Freeport, IL [as was required because I signed the contract there] where the limit for small claims cases is $10,000. The Judge found that O'Mara Moving & Storage was negligent and ruled in our favor, with the caveat that the check be written not just to me but also to a repair shop - in other words, rather than the damage award going to me personally, the only way for me to get the $8600 was to have it repaired even though I owned it outright and there was no lien [he didn't want me to get a "windfall"]. The award was not even enough to cover all the costs related to the repair [i.e. additional moving expense] so I would have to spend even more money getting it repaired - this on top of the $3100 total paid to O'Mara Moving & Storage for their incompetent, misleading services, and this doesn't even include legal fees incurred. As I understand it O'Mara Moving & Storage is self-insured and their "insurance" company is York Risk Services in Chicago. York is actually a Third Party Administrator which provides claims & legal services to self-insured companies. It was York's lawyers - Knight, Hoppe, Kurnik & Knight, Ltd. of Rosemont, IL - that we had to deal with in small claims court - neither Michael O'Mara or his son Sean even bothered to show up. Bottom line is, BEWARE OF O'MARA MOVING & STORAGE! They are NOT trustworthy.

The 3 movers did an excellent job. Even though I was a bit stressed out just from the whole moving business, they kept it light and professional. I really appreciated them and would hire them again in a heartbeat (but I really hope I NEVER have to move again!)