My background: 12 years military, 6 prior cross country moves, second move involving non-government contracted movers. I chose to hire movers myself vice using those provided by the military in hopes of preserving several nice pieces of furniture/antiques. I received quotes from several other carriers, none of which asked me more than the number/types of rooms I had. Then I spoke with Daniel at Empire. He spent an hour with me on the phone detailing every large item I needed moved and talking through smaller things (books, china, etc) that would need to be packed. He was very nice, professional, and helpful. The quote from Empire came back at $12000, $1500 more than the other quotes I’d received. But given how thorough Daniel had been, I chose to move forward with Empire assuming the others would cost that much when all was said and done anyway. Daniel also told me that the owners were Marines and offered me a large discount for my service. I paid a large down-payment and all went well until the move itself. My house was under contract with a quickly approaching closing date. *Note: All quotes from Empire were sent via a link that was not able to be downloaded and was not accessible afterward. I was provided a window of a few days that the move would take place in and the day prior to that window opening, I received a call from Brittany at Empire. She stated that, after reviewing my estimate from Daniel, the price would need to increase by $2000. I questioned this since I had just informed them they would not be moving a full size couch which was already included in the estimate. She insisted that the price needed to go up to ensure space on the truck. She also told me that they had their best crew lined up for me, but they wouldn’t arrive until a day after my initial move window. I was not pleased so she offered “financial compensation” for the trouble (which I never received). Brittany then informed me that if I didn’t pay the $2000 cash immediately (while she waited on the phone), I would lose my scheduled move entirely. Given the deposit and impending closing date, my only option was to pay the amount and hope movers actually arrived. The movers arrived as promised and walked through the house (during this time, one of them named Tibor who had never served in the military claimed to have given me the discount that Daniel said was from the Marine owners – I don’t know exactly what lie was told but it was clear there were too many for even them to keep track of). They started moving/disassembling furniture and then Tibor informed me that the price was going to increase again. To $18000. I objected, but he warned me that they could leave without moving me and take the money I already paid ($4500 deposit + $2000 increase) or I could accept the $18000 total and let them move me. If I didn’t accept $18000, he was very cautionary that I could end up paying $25K+ for the move. What they did was not illegal because nothing was placed on the truck when this transpired. But I was in a corner (with the money I’d already paid them and the sale of my house) and they knew it. The movers that unloaded my goods in TN were excellent and were shocked at how poorly everything was packed by the “best crew” in MD. Multiple antiques were damaged, books were literally thrown into boxes, and a hole was punched through the top of my china cabinet. All other factors aside, it was the worst move damage-wise I experienced even with all of my military moves included. This is the first time in my life I’ve ever been fooled like this or “taken” for money. It’s embarrassing and sickening and I tried to forget it. But I hope this will serve as a cautionary tale for anyone looking to move. You cannot trust Empire Moving Group. They are not incompetent, they are aggressively manipulative and strive to take as much money as possible. Please do not use this company.