ASTRO OF NEW ENGLAND LLC

I found this company to be very unprofessional in all areas. I had furniture that was damaged, treadmill left in the rain in the driveway, leather being scrapped on concrete, bureau drawers not individually wrapped, just stacked in a large box together. A shelving unit was dropped in my stairwell where now I have to paint he whole room to repair it. I have called the company and asked to speak to the owner and I have not received a call back yet. They left things that needed to be taken to the new house and took things that needed to be left. I had to physically take 2 stone bird baths myself to the house. I would not recommend this company at all. Also one of the workers wreaked of pot so bad.

Received a contract for 3 hours of moving and 1 hour of travel time. Contract was not explained, just sent via email by Lynn Lamendola. A reasonable person reading this contract would think that you were paying for a total of 4 hours of services, 3 at the moving locations and 1 to travel between them. Nowhere in the contract does it say the travel time is "empty travel time." When move was complete, in 3.25 hours, I was told that I owe extra because they went over the quoted price. When I questioned it, I was put on the phone with Elisa Ko Olson, their office staff. At this time, I was explained that travel time should be listed as empty travel time. The woman I spoke with apologized and stated that she would review the issue with Lynn. She still stated that I owed the overage even though it was their fault. Then the owner comes on the phone. Apparently the person who wrote my contract was his daughter so he did not even consider viewing the situation from my point of view. He was extremely aggressive and was in no way a customer advocate. He ended the phone call by yelling at me and telling me to pay what I think I should pay. Then he hung up the phone. As much as I appreciated the two movers themselves (who did a wonderful job), I can, in no way, recommend this company to anybody.

Everything went according to plan. We were very happy with the results.

Better than we could have imagined. GREAT CREW! Respectful, courteous, responsive, careful, and professional.

The move went well. The team arrived early and moved the furniture in the estimated amount of time.

Guys were punctual and professional , there was visible damage to 2 pieces of furniture after move , its been close to 2 months since move and damage claim and there has been limited response and still no resolution last communication the company sent me back to the guy/ employee who is responsible for the damage for answers regarding my claim So in nutshell I'm unhappy with the company and the move

Did not go well. Although the guys doing the move were very nice and accommodating, there were a number of things that got scratched or marked up. This didn't bother me but they failed to bring wardrobe boxes that were promised and the packing box for the clock was the wrong size and couldn't be used. Sadly, the glass in the clock was broken. They tried to fix the problem by offering to get a "new" piece of glass to complete the repair, This would not work with the age, size and style of the remaining glass pieces. I did receive a call from their office the Monday morning after my move, but they were not calling to help me with my damages. They somehow made a mistake on their calculations and have now come back for an additional $100 after breaking the clock. I realize that things happen during a move, but felt like I was deceived in their ability to take care of me and handle the job in the first place. I am very disappointed with the company. I hired them to take some of the time and worry off my shoulders so that I could focus on getting moved in. Now I'm spending hours trying to find someone that can do this unique repair and get me back to pre-loss condition.

Could not have gone better. Lynne, the owner's daughter, came over to do the estimate. She was punctual, friendly and totally on top of things. She was also present when the truck was packed and made sure everything was done perfectly. (We were already in Provincetown for the closing on our property.) Lynne even put our second car back in the driveway (our request) after everything was loaded. In Provincetown, the crew, who were polite and considerate, arrived on time and got everything into the apartment without any problem. This is a company intent on being the best and they are. Would hire them again for any moving- or storage-related needs we might have.

Astro was very responsive and professional. Christine came to do a full house review to determine an approximate amount of time and cost for the move. She also gave very helpful tips for packing and provided a comprehensive spreadsheet of all our items to be moved, and the cost if we wanted Astro to pack it up instead of doing it ourselves. The day before the move, we were given a short window of time that the movers would arrive, and the team arrived at the very beginning of that time. From the start, Dick and his team were professional, careful with our belongings, and did the job in less time than they estimated, which provided us with a refund. The team also will come back to pick up your empty boxes. We would move with them again.

Terrible. I will never use National again, and I will tell everyone I know to never use them. This was a horrible experience, beginning with the crew that showed up an hour late in Providence. The guy in charge left his young nephew and a friend by themselves to pack and load the truck alone all day. When they took furniture apart they didn't make any effort to keep any of the parts together. They haphazardly tossed screws and nuts into drawers. They made a huge hole in a wall, and I have yet to get my deposit back from my landlord. When the crew chief came back 5 hours later, he lied and told me the hole was already there, and tried to kick the plaster under it away while I was watching him. They knocked the corner off of one of my dressers and said nothing, I found it at the other end (that's where the hole came from, I am sure). In Tennessee it was just as bad, if not worse. The crew could not find parts or figure out how things went together. They had to scour drawers and inside furniture for parts. When they put my bed together, they told me one part clearly did not belong to my bed and returned it to the truck, and when they were done they had a handful of extra nuts and bolts. That night, my bed collapsed under me while I was sleeping. They had assembled it incorrectly, left pieces out and just tossed the mattress on top. I had to replace the missing part and put it together myself. I tipped this crew generously, bought them lunch and gave them a couple of tables I would not be using. They thanked me by stealing one of my TVs when they left. For all this National overcharged me, 1000 more than what I was quoted, and it took three weeks to get the money credited back to my credit card.

The team from ASTRO, starting with the sales rep Christine, to Matt and his entire crew did an amazing job.  We moved from a larger colonial to a smaller single floor home.   We contracted Astro to come in pack us up and then unpack us at the other end. It was a large job and  it went off with out a hitch.   Matt's team did a great job packing EVERYTHING.   Not a scratch, crack, or ding on the other end.    I would recommend them 100%.   Thanks to the whole Astro TEAM for making the move a little less harrowing!  When you do not have to worry about all your stuff.. it makes a big difference.   
Thanks again to Matt and his crew, and Christine for a professional and quality job.
Dick and Val Huggins

unknown

It went well right from the start. The young lady answering the phone was very polite. Bob (the regional sales manager) came out and took a look at the building and all that had to be moved, he was willing to work with us on the date as we didn't have a lot of time. From there we spoke to the owner Chuck, very nice guy and again willing to work with us. The day of the move the movers arrived on time and assessed all that had to be moved. They got right to work. They bubble wrapped the keys on the keyboard which help us out tremendously, we didn't have to remove them off the hooks. They were careful moving the heavy safes and even the fragile window signs. Everything arrived in good condition. The movers had great personalities and were willing to help in anyway possible. Thank you Rene, Matt & Julien you got us moved in a timely manner and everything was moved professionally without incident.

Bill and his crew (Liam, Anthony, and Jerry) did a great job.  Anthony and Jerry especially worked really **** ** a very hot, sunny day, moving a lot of heavy pieces, always, with a cheerful, can-do attitude.  Some of the pieces were really heavy and awkward, and some were fragile, but no furniture was damaged.  There was a streak of paint left on the floor when a piece of furniture was dragged, but Bill was able to clean it up right away--no permanent damage.  One of the couches got a little dirty in a few places in transit, but nothing major.  All in all, a very positive experience on what could have been a very stressful day.

unknown

In all fairness reviews for moving companies should really be specifically addressed about a) the driver, who is really the key contact in any move, and b) the packers.  As for all major Moving Companies - ASTRO only worked out the financial deal, and then subcontracted to available truckers or other moving companies - here NATIONAL VAN LINES. 
ASTRO was not the cheapest offer but we felt going with a "local" company would give us more peace of mind
.
I did not mark a total "F" for this move  since the driver did really try hard to make it work. But here are the issues we encountered:
- The driver showed up 3 days early which put a lot of stress on our move.  He had his own schedule as priority and just wanted to get home asap.  Which lead to him getting "back-up packers" for a week-end job instead of sticking to the original Monday schedule. 
- The packers apparently were pulled from ATLAS VAN LINES, and they were probably the worst we've had during any of our cross-country and international moves.  They showed up on Saturday morning and left at 1pm.  The driver had to work by himself the rest of the day packing.   On day 2 - Sunday - they lost their patience and packed the garage items by merely throwing them in boxes.  Again they left early afternoon - way before the job was done. 
- The truck did not have enough space.  Many items from the garage & shed were still in the driveway when the truck was full. Thankfully I had rented a U-Haul trailer for items my husband and I wanted to transport ourselves.  That trailer had to be packed to the rim to fit in everything that was left in the driveway.  
- The Unloading crew was more motivated and actually stayed until late night for unloading and to get the master bed assembled. 
- Several items broke including a table leg. Since we just moved we have not yet had the time to deal with the insurance. 
Both my husband and I have moved many times - Europe to US, East Coast - West Coast, West to East Coast, and several local moves.  All in all we would rate this move one of the most stressful ones.

They were one of the cheaper ones out there. 

unknown

Perfection. Quickly and carefully.

unknown

unknown

They showed up on time and they were accurate with their quote. I think they did a good job and they were friendly.  I would recommend them to a friend.

The only problem was there was a little delay in getting my stuff. They didn't break anything and did a very good job otherwise. They were very professional and the extra services were fantastic.I would definitely recommend them.

The estimator for Astro visited the house on 1/26/15.  At that point it hadn't snowed too much.  She was very professional and thorough.  I showed her the basement, the grill outside, and all of the rooms inside including the finished attic storage.  The destination house is in the city, so it's tight getting to, and parking at.  I asked her to go visit the destination to make sure that there would be no problems with the truck.  I received the estimate, which seemed fair, higher than some, lower than others.  With the estimate, the estimator indicated that the truck would have no problems at the destination.  Also, I received instructions to contact the police department to find out if I needed no-parking signs at either locations.  I contacted the police and got no-parking signs for the origin location.  I didn't get signs for the destination because I assumed the truck could park on the sidewalk and be out of the way of traffic.  I did ask for the dimensions of the truck, to be sure.   







Then winter began and it snowed a lot.  We cleared the sidewalk in front of the destination house every time it snowed.  At the origin house we cleared the snow so the truck could park in front of the house.  The road was wide enough so traffic could get around the truck in the area we blocked off with the no-parking signs.    







The packing team arrived on time on the scheduled day and after a quick tour of the house, got right to work.  The team consisted of Kevin, the driver, Steve, and I can't remember the name of the third guy.  They worked all day.  We bought them lunch.  Happy movers are good movers, right?  Maybe.  During the lunch break we asked Kevin to visit the destination house so that they could make sure the truck wouldn't have any problems.  After coming back, they said there wouldn't be any problems.  No caveats, nothing else.  While packing they pointed out dishes that had been chipped for years.  We acknowledged that.  They pointed out an apparent split in the legs of a dining room table, those have existed since we got it.  There was a little arguing between the workers.  They seemed to work in different rooms after that, and that seemed to work.  At the end of the day, mostly everything was packed.  They left the TV out so we could watch it at night before they packed it up the next day.  They left a box for the bedding so we could sleep in the bed.  Since we packed on a Friday and moved on a Saturday, if we wanted to pay by credit card, we had to pay on Friday.  The packing team used more boxes than the estimate (which was not binding) so we had to pay a little extra for that.  







Basically, the same team arrived the next morning, with the addition of a fourth worker later in the day, at the scheduled time, and got right to work packing up the last remaining items and loading the truck.  Again, we bought the team lunch.  Happy movers are good movers, right?  They continued to load the truck for a couple of hours after lunch.  Once the truck was full, it was time to move.  However, a bike, the grill, and an angled shelf didn't fit into the truck.  I told the movers we would move these last items.  It's a good thing this wasn't the last day we could get into the house. 







We drive to the destination house.  No truck.  We wait.  Eventually we see the truck.  They make their way to the turn onto our street.  This is where the truck gets stuck for about an hour.  Remember when we asked the estimator, and then asked Kevin to make sure that the truck wouldn't have any problems?  Remember when they both said there would be no problems?  Well, now there is a problem.  After an hour, they were able to find the owner of a car, parked legally, on the street to move so they can make the turn.  This is the final turn onto our street, not to be confused with our responsibility of having a place to park the truck in front of the house.  It's starting to snow.  The truck parks in the street.  Cars can't get around.  I though that the truck would park on the sidewalk, that's not the plan.  We'll see how it goes.  They set up and get things moving into the house.  There is a little complaining.  Yes, it's snowing, yes, it's been a long day.  I understand.  It's still snowing.  I'm clearing snow and trying to put salt on the truck ramp so the movers don't slip and get injured.  The police arrive.  They say we need to stop, or get the truck out of the road so that cars can get by.  They were very nice and professional.  Reluctantly, Kevin moves the truck onto the sidewalk.  I clear the snow that the city missed in order for there to be enough room for cars to get by.  The police drove by later to check things out and didn't stop, so we were good.  At about 8:00 PM, the truck is empty.  We tipped them.  Part of me wishes that I had waited.  However, part of me realizes that this was a tough day; it was snowing and it was a long day.  I appreciate that they did so much work.







Before they leave, we have to pay the extra hours that it took to make the move.  I ask about the hour that they were stuck at the corner.  Kevin says I have to talk to the office and get that worked out.  I understand that.  We noted damage to a coffee table and another item.







Time to start unpacking.  This is when we find damaged items.  The lid of a chest freezer was dented, now the lid doesn't close properly.  A bookshelf from Ikea has a hole in the back piece.  There is a broken bowl.  There was damage to a dresser drawer runner.  A desk drawer was broken.  Time to start the claims process.  







I emailed the moving company to ask about the hour that the truck was stuck.  The owner, Chuck, told me that it was my responsibility to ensure that the city streets leading to my new house were wide enough for the truck to navigate.  For instance, if I lived on a dirt road, I would be responsible for access issues.  If I lived on a dirt road, I would know to ask if the truck was able to drive down the dirt road, or if they needed to get a smaller truck.  They said that Kevin told us on the packing day that the truck would be fine as long as a the road was clear at the turn, and no cars were parked.  This did not happen.  If this had happened, we would have gone and gotten more no-parking signs and made sure that they were up.  We're not truck drivers.  We made sure the area in front of both houses was adequately clear and usable for a 40 foot by 9 foot truck to park and have cars get by.  They have also said that Kevin, at his expense, brought an extra worker on the moving day, and that expense that they didn't charge me for adequately covers the hour that the truck was stuck.  Kevin made that decision.  I don't think I should be responsible for the hour that the truck couldn't negotiate a turn. I did my due diligence by asking the movers whose profession includes driving a 40x9-foot truck. 







Well, the claims process is just about over.  If you are reading this I urge you to document the condition of all of your possessions that are to be moved prior to the move so there will be no question if it was damaged in the move.  We have a chest freezer w

The estimate was accurate and the team was fantastic. They accommodated every request and the moving team arrived early and stayed until the job was complete. The Astro team never stopped working, and they moved 500lb objects up icy slpoes with ease. It was great spending the day with them and I quickly realized there was no way I could move everything myself. From the quotation process to the set up of the new house, the Astro team never cut corners and delivered on their promise. I personally could not have imagined a better experience. Worth every penny!