Budget Van Lines

My phone won't stop ringing since requesting quotes. Have received 28 calls from all over the country (was only supposed to be matched with four moving companies, which would have been fine) as of the time this review was written; most of which have been spam/scams/hang-ups and have no way of stopping them. Just spoke with someone at Budget Van Lines (who claimed not to know anything about distributing my quote/personal information out to everyone even though I'm pretty sure that is how they make their money as a broker) about removing my number from their list; but since it is already out there, not sure it will do any good. Thanks a lot Budget Van Lines ..

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $5000

4th Google review in my life. This company is horrible. First they don't tell you that they are a broker not an actual moving company so that means any old mover can be assigned to your move with NO responsibility for anything on their part. They charge a non-refundable $532 booking fee so basically they charge you $532 for a dang phone call. Read the fine print because I got screwed out of $532 with NO recourse. They never mentioned in the phone call that this "booking fee" was non-refundable. This is just completely unacceptable and they take advantage of their customers. In this day and age, no one has $532 to throw away. NEVER use this unprofessional, scamming so called company. I will be disputing this with my cc company. I am sooo glad I cancelled before I went through the move. The customer service supervisor Donald straight up told me... "the booking cost is too much and not fair but there is nothing he can do and I should have read the fine print" This so called company is a scam. Most expensive phone call of my life. In this economy... losing $532 for a phone call is not okay.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $4500

When planning my cross country move from Orange County, CA to Huntsvill. AL, I decided to hire Budget, since they are a well known, established company. Initially, I didn't know they were a broker, but that wasn't a problem. The problem is that they hired LD Moving & Storage for my move. Besides being 2 days late picking up my property, there were multiple other issues that Budget did not take any responsibility for hiring a company with less than 2-stars across multiple sites. I can't list all issues I have had, but I moved into my new place on June 18, 2021 and as of July 13, 2021, I still don't have my property and LD Moving has no idea when it will be delivered. I've reached out to Budget multiple times without any assistance provided. Beware and hire another company!!!

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $8000

This company is not an actual moving company- they outsource their moves. Their quotes will be much lower than other companies, and it seems great and professional and above board. But I got a call- the DAY before my cross country move- that the movers had cancelled- leaving me no choice but to pay an additional $800 for the replacement movers if I were to stick with Budget. This seems to be their gig. Everyone I spoke to, from the quote specialist to the one calling the day before my move charging me more were kind and professional- seemingly so very helpful- but this company is so very deceiving when taking your money. I did not trust them to move my things and not charge me yet again more to deliver them. I ended up paying more than twice (for a last minute move-since I had tone out of my apartment) with a reputable company. Do not get scammed like I was. Do not pay a deposit. It's not needed with movers I was told by the more reputable companies.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $2050

Do not. I repeat. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY. They lied about the price. Charging us we'll over $1000.00 more than what they quoted us. There is NO communication between them and their drivers. Only some of our stuff was delivered in the first trip. Then they wanted to charge us because their truck couldn't fit through the gate. They switched trucks and our stuff took up less than half of the original truck which would have fit through the gate. There was absolutely no communication on their end dealing with the second trip to deliver our belongings. All around bad experience.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $3500

This was for an apartment move from GA to NC. We got a budgetary quote of $2270 from Budget Vanlines. Firstly, they came a day later than scheduled. Then the movers revised the quote by adding various charges like extra boxes, extra space, packing materials, flights of stairs, etc. and said the new total is $3125, i.e. $855 extra. None of the extras were valid because the original quote included full packing, etc. with the only exception being 15 boxes instead of 10 boxes. We then learned they are actually contractors that Budget Vanlines hired. The contractors are R&M Transportations. They said this was their estimate and to call Budget Van Lines to resolve it. We had already put down the deposit of $857, so we basically had no choice but to proceed. We called Customer Service multiple times and left messages. They finally returned the call and said they will talk to the actual movers but nothing got resolved. The movers then arrived 2 days later than scheduled. Our couch was not wrapped properly and got stained and the kitchen table was not put back together because they said they had to go to their next job. And finally they had the gall to ask for a tip! This was a terrible experience and I strongly advise not to use Budget Van Lines or R&M Transportation.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $3125

I am leaving a good review as I find most people don't do that.

I booked my move 1 month out for the month of December from SF, CA to Seattle, WA. I was concerned using a broker because I read many bad reviews. I even tried to get a quote with Allied Van Lines but they were unorganized with the inventory list, tried to schedule a virtual tour, slow to respond and never picked up their phone.  With Budget Van Lines, I just went on their website and very easily added inventory. The updating part was a bit harder as I has to call or email, but it was easy enough.

From what I learned, Budget Van Lines is like Uber but for trucks. They hire drivers and then hire local movers. I got third party extra insurance in case the items were lost or stolen but tbh it was necessary and a waste of $1500 since most of our stuff was old junk except for some expensive items. I had to pay a booking fee to Budget Van Lines and put down a deposit get the name of the carrier, Southwest Van Lines. I submitted a very detailed inventory list and was on the phone with the company several times and their customer service was easy to deal with.

I didn't hear anything for a few weeks after the booking. The day before the movers arrived, I received both a call from the broker and carrier to confirm the time. On the day of the move, they both called again to confirm. The carrier arrived within the window provided. They took about 3 hours to load everything. We were charged an extra $2K on top of the quote because of items not on the inventory or carrier packing list, which I thought was fair. It seems the other bad reviews were that people underestimated their own inventory like we did. People have more stuff than they realize.

For tje delivery, the driver was optimistic about the delivery date and said it would be delivered 1.5 days later at 9am. Road conditions were bad as it had just snowed across all states, but we got lucky and the roads were clear when we were driving up. The driver did call us a few times to say he was stuck at chain control but ended up getting through. The delivery came pretty much on time. All of our stuff was delivered in good condition. Some stuff got dinged up a bit but it's expected with a move.. Only 1 small item was missing. Nothing else was damaged. Overall, we were happy everything went smoothly given it was an interstate move.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $10000

So before I even begin, I should've read the reviews of this company before I even dealt with them. I read their contract loud and clear and when I cancel the move due to unexpected events, I was told I will not get the deposit back but will be hold for credit for one year. Let me tell you, I went in there and looked for that because I did not see it first time. And behold, there was not but they directed me to payment terms but I was focus on the cancellation policy "3 days prior but none says credit for one year". Alan then direct me to his manager who sounded like she can not speak English Nancy Moore as the Operation Coordinator. I could smell lies and lies. If I saw anything in there about credit for one year I would have apologized but no I refused to unless I am being corrected otherwise "evidence". None whatsoever. I regretted it doing business with them. I learned my lesson, read reviews before I even talk business. I also am concerned why the company is based in California but have a Nevada address and area code ? Just wondering

Move size: Partial Move Service cost: $1583

What ever you do don't hit the free quote button. This is a broker not a mover. You will be bombarded with calls and texts from the sleeziest third party movers out there. Don't believe the reviews, I think most of them are fake. If you try to do business with any of these third party movers you will regret it. They low ball you on the price to get you to sign the contract, then jack up the price at every step of the move. Service is non existent. Expect your move to take weeks, not days. Run Away, Run Away!

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $12000