updated experience with First American Van Lines?

[guest]

Has anyone had any recent experience with First American? USDot: 872667, MC 382319 Brooklyn, NY
I've looked over the threads from 03 & 04 and am looking for any updated info that anyone can provide.
I've been to the BBB & FMCSA sites and am hoping that a live person can tell me about their experience.

[MusicMom]

Are you looking for a mover to hire, or are you already involved in a move with them?

They appear to be OK at first glance, but a few things bother me.

1. They have a high Driver's out of service rating, including a ticket involving alcohol.

2. They are legally named First American Moving & Storage, but their trucks and website say First American Van Lines.

3. They've offered quotes by the Cubic Foot, which is a big no-no.

I would say they would be OK to get an estimate from, as long as the estimate is based on weight (see what kind they give you first), and it is based on an employee coming to your house to view your items. Any other way should lead them right into the "thank you" bin.

[Guest]

Thanks MusicMom for the info.

We're looking at them as an option. We're moving from Brooklyn to New Haven. They came to do the estimate and actually gave us a price based on straight time (hours). We have a small 1 bedroom apt. w/not much stuff. Unfortunately, it's heavy/bulky stuff-otherwise, we'd do this ourselves.

Your point #1, is that viewable to the general public? Did the info provide the date of the ticket or age of the driver? Does it show why the drivers are out of service?

[MusicMom]

It is viewable to the public, if you can follow this:

Go to www.safersys.org and find their snapshot, either by their DOT number or thier name. Once you get their DOT report popping up, click on the "Safestat Results link in the blus box at the top right of the page. Click the blue button at the bottom of the next window. On their Safestat page, click Driver at the top left.

From here, you can either view their speciic Moving Violation information at the right, or you can use the scroll menu under Summary Event Data (I always choose "OOS Inspections with OOS Violations") and see the specifics (it's the one at the bottom that scares me). You can do the same with Vehicle. Always check Safety, also, to see if they've ever had a fine for a critical violation.

[Diane]

If you're considering a mover like First American that charges by the hour, you might want to also get a quote from All Star Moving in Brooklyn (reviews and contact info in the Epinion article linked to below). All Star has performed well for almost a dozen people who reported back to us, while First American doesn't yet have a track record here. All Star has NEVER not shown up for a scheduled move and it's possible that its quote would be comparable to First American's.
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Diane
Check out domestic companies on this thread. Click here for a detailed, authoritative article on international moving.

[Guest]

i contacted first american van lines for my move from long island to pensacola florida. The must have called me everyday for the past week, asking me if i was still interested in moving. They treated me as if they never spoke to me the prior days, even though the same woman called.

I didn't like the fact that they said that it would take 7 -10 days for my things to make it to florida. All of the other companies i contacted said 3 -5 days.

Their price was based on cubic feet, $3.25 per cu ft.

[MusicMom]

Cubic Feet estimates are illegal now.

And I would not necessarily trust a window of 3-5 days, either. What companies promised you that?