We moved from CA to MA in summer 2006 and had a full 28-foot trailer. Unfortunately, we learned the hard way, why ABF is so inexpensive. With a few family heirlooms destroyed and >$3500 of damage that we have to swallow I would never use them again.

I realize there are always some moves that are destroyed and no company can guarantee against it, so I focus to point out why you are more likely to have unpleasant experiences with ABF than with others.

Upon arrival we realized that the trailer had a 3 foot long crack in the roof and several holes in the floor. On the 14 day cross country move, this led to water damage to the point where we had an inch of fungus in all colors on and in our mattresses. A whole lot of furniture was swollen and busted and the complete wardrobe of my wife was discolored and stinking to the point where you had to throw it away.

This happens ... but the specific problem with ABF is the following:

1) Somewhere in the fine-print they limit their liability for their own negligence to 10 cents per pound or you have to buy (expensive) insurance. On a full 4 bedroom household move that translates to a limit of $1250 for the complete move!!!

2) If you see them on the road, take a good look at their equipment. I have never seen any trailer that was looking less than battered. Combined with the above it gives you a hint on their business model:

They seem to buy cheap run-down equipment and limit their liability for any problems with that equipment. If I would have had the nerves I would have taken an appropriate lawyer to proof that this is not negligence but gross negligence or their basic business model ... but I was so sick of this unpleasant experience, I paid my money and let things rest. One general problem is that you are usually quite busy with other things right after a move ...

I want to be fair and mention that they were "generous" enough to give me $1250 for the weight of the complete trailer not just the destroyed stuff (on a $5000 damage).

Additionally, I have to say that their operational people (at the depots) are very friendly and great to deal with. They sincerely shared our feeling of being screwed and did whatever they could do ... but the headquarters handle the claims. They extended the time we loaded and unloaded w/o any extra payments and were rather flexible in general.

In light of this, I don't want to swell on the fact that they promised to have the trailer at our house at 8 am and finally managed to get it there at 11:30 pm.

So if you still want to go with them, here is my advice:
- take additional insurance
- check the equipment very carefully
- pack priceless items with drastic equipment failures in mind
- don't hire anybody to help loading for the day they promise to put the trailer in front of your house

Please note, that I did NOT complain about damage due to bad packing on our side (which also happened) and/or limited liability for collectors items (which is inherent to all movers). But do yourself a favor and quickly estimate the value of your move. You will see that you reach the $1250 already with two mattresses and a few high end wardrobe articles ... nothing fancy.

In response to the feedback, here are brief impressions about the topics I did not cover:

- I researched them over the internet and closed the contract over the internet and at the very last step over the phone. They were pleasant to deal with, flexible and patient ... but they did not specifically point out the 10 cent limit

- Since it is a self-packed moving scheme, there is no other pick-up than putting a trailer in front of your house. As mentioned before, they were 15 hours late but left it in front of my house longer than contracted to make up for it. Since I had a day of wiggle room, this worked out for me

- Overall, they are pleasant to deal with, but the loss of significant goods / money is kind of dominating my overall rating. I'd preferred to be treated lousy but get all my stuff (or money to replace it)


Recommended: No

Punctuality: Showed up late
Lost Goods: Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 6000