Budget Van Lines

Recently used Budget Van Lines for a move from Ohio to Florida. I would recommend anyone interested in using this company to be very weary and get EVERY detail in writing. My problems have not come from Budget as much as it has been from the carrier they hired (Precision Moving, Bronx, NY). I caught them trying to scam me on weight, price, etc and had to work very hard to get to higher management within Budget to fix the issue. Finally, I reached John Matthews and he has been a very professional & transparent person to work with in their customer service department. If I recommend Budget Van Lines to anyone, it will be solely based off of John and his efforts to get me a refund and negotiate with Precision Moving. His work has been great and I'm thankful for it. It's sad that a bad carrier can ruin the reputation of a company like Budget Van Lines.

Service cost: $2000

Hi. I highly recommend Budget Vane Lines for Moving. I also recommend John Matthews of Budget for your customer service helper. Now let me tell you I had to move my retired mom from Sacramento, California to Salisbury, North Carolina. Moving my mom was difficult because she didn't want to get rid of anything. I did a online search and found Budget Van Lines and others. I talked with Shantel Dodson of Budget. She was upfront about priceing. Once I had a deal I was given John Matthews for the rest of my moving experience. If I had any questions I would call John Matthews and he would answer them. On move day April 29, 2014. VIP moving and storage showed up to load my moms apartment. The driver Eric and his assistant Will were Incredible. They made a stressful day easier. Eric of VIP does a great job of explaining how the pricing of the move works. If you don't know the move is paid for in 3 parts. Part 1 down payment to Budget. Part 2 to Driver that loads your stuff. Part 3 when the truck shows up for delivery/unloading. Eric and Will were fast and excellent. My mom went over her limit of items. She was supposed to have 54 items. She had 99. We had to pay more but Eric explained everything great. The added money could be paid when the truck would deliver her stuff. Inbetween I talked with John Matthews about the progress of the truck. When truck arrived I was again very pleased with Driver and assistant. I don't remember their names. Sorry guys. You deserve to be mentioned. VIP moving had 2 great Drivers and assistants. Great job Budjet Van Lines. After move was done John Matthews called to check on everything. I would recommend Budget Van Lines and the contracted VIP moving and storage for your move. Moving a PARENT can be HARD. Budgets John Matthews will be a great help to you also. It is nice to know that you can pick up the phone and get the answers you need. Thanks John M.

Service cost: $3977

This company is out to scam you and steal your money. The agent gave me a quote based on my inventory. I told him that I would have to add items as I was not home. He told me not to worry and that he will over estimate everything for me. Needless to say when the movers came they told me that I was under quoted. Instead of paying $4500 I would have to pay $6000. Budget van lines had told me that I had a refundable $1400 if any of the services were not satisfactory. When I told them that I could not pay their mover $6000 they told me that they would have to keep the $1400 deposit. The customer agent named James would not allow me to talk to the agent who took my order nor the manager. He just kept telling me that they are keeping the money and that is it. Avoid this company at all costs.

Service cost: $6000

If it was possible for me give Budget Van Lines a lower rating, I would. We were promised a truck to move out by or on June 1. We were told they were going to call on May 28th. We received no call, so my wife had to call. No truck, so they were going to call the next day. May 29th came and went, with no call taking place. My wife called again on the 30th, to which they told us they still did not have a truck available for our move over the next day or so. They got back to us within a half our to say "HOORAY" we got a truck. Not long after, we got another call stating the truck had "broken down"..I use quotes because a friend of mine in the moving business mentioned that this is what these companies tend to do when they overbook and have no way of getting to you. They say their truck "broke down" to cover the fact that they just wanted to get your money and business in the first place without having to deliver on their side. Anyway, with the truck broken down, they said we would be moved on June 2nd or 3rd. Probably on June 2nd, but possibly June 3rd. We get a call on the 2nd that it will be taking place on June 3rd. They have a truck and will call us in the morning for a pick up time. Low and behold the next day comes and no call. We call around noon, because someone has been waiting at the apartment all day expecting a truck to show up, only to have no truck show up. When I call, they say they were "just about to call me" and that the truck had again "broken down", with no call being made to me, prior to me calling them. This has been an EXTREMELY unprofessional company to deal with. If they somehow find a way to redeem themselves, I will let you know, but that does not seem likely.

Brandon P.

Service cost: $1700

I spoke with Russell who booked my move and gave him a VERY detailed inventory list. I signed the contract and list stating the inventory was accurate. He called again a few weeks later and asked if the inventory had changed. I added one small rug and he said that was fine because he added some extra into the estimate just in case. He was VERY confident that my items would not exceed his estimate and reassured me of this. He sent over an updated inventory and it was completely different than the original I had given him. He apologized and said he had gotten two contracts mixed up. Later he sent me the accurate one that I signed again. Upon pick up, the men were 3 hours late, very rude, and complained about everything. They charged me $100 for tape as well and told me it would be 14 days for delivery. I was initially told 3-7 days from Russell. He also told me he would send me the total due at delivery after he went to the weigh station. I shockingly got a message that my weight was 140% higher than the estimate EVEN THOUGH my inventory list was 100% accurate and I even had a few less boxes. My total originally due at delivery was $490 and he told me I was to pay $1231. I can understand a small margin of error because their estimate may vary slightly. But they were not even close. They failed to do their job at Budget Van Lines. Their responsibility as a company is to provide their customers with a good faith estimate and be the liaison between the customer and the moving van company. They failed to take any ownership in this situation and told me that once they book the moving company, they are void of any responsibility. Basically, I paid them to call a moving company. I could have done that myself with less hassle than using them. They low-balled my estimate to get my business, ripped me off, then wiped their hands clean and failed to take responsibility. We have attempted to speak with them to resolve the issue several times and even spoke to the customer service manager. He was not only hard to get ahold of, but he was VERY rude and YELLED at us. Those actions are not good business practice and if this is how they treat their customers they should be shut down. .

Service cost: $2500

My experience with Budget Vanlines was one of the worst that I have had. They sub-contracted with Sky Vanlines who actually moved my furniture. I expected some damages, but they not only damaged my furniture, but there were missing boxes and they charged me $300.00 more than quoted. I am a woman and Ben at Sky Vanline was extremely rude and condescending when I called them. They even delivered my daughters dresser to another customer and they had it delivered 2 days later. It was a nightmare now there is problems with my claim. PLEASE DO NOT USE BUDGET OR SKY VANLINES.

Service cost: $3400

They showed up 2 days early for pickup blamed me. lost my shipment across the country. Refuse to return my phone calls, refuse to let me talk to a supervisor. Had to report them to the Better Business Bureau. They called me up and harassed me after that. Said they gave me a $200 refund in months past. Said it was a credit on my credit card, credit card company confirmed no such credit. talk to budget Van Line about the credit transaction, they told me that was my problem and the man Nate I was dealing with told me he was advised not to speak to me again requested management, he refused.

Service cost: $1800

We booked a move for a 1-bedroom apartment from Searcy, AR to Reno, NV including loaders and unloaders. We booked the service and paid our deposit in early November. We chose the 3-day pickup window to be December 17 – 19. On December 15, we received a call, which we assumed would be notification of the delivery date for the trailer. Rather, it was Budget informing us that they couldn’t find someone to pick up our load and that they didn’t think they could get someone there anytime that week. We were shocked that they would do something so unprofessional, especially when we had booked the move well in advance. I would never use or recommend Budget Van Lines!!

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $1725

I moved from VA to NV and decided to used Budget Van Lines. This is my first time to contact a moving company bcoz I have never moved this far. I spoked with agent Ryan and told him all the stuff I needed to move and he said I would only need 4 feet of space. Ryan explained to me that the truck will come to my apartment and I have 3 business days to load my stuff and 3 business days to unload. The truck came and Budget carrier was Estes SureMove. This carrier was so reliable bcoz they came on time and left on time. The agent said that it will take 6-8 business days to arrive in NV. The Budget customer service agent Dolores McBride was the most helpful person bcoz not only she explained the details on how to load my stuff, she even sent me pictures on how to properly measure the space i'm using. Thank you so much Dolores. Another Budget customer service agent Nate Kenny was also helpful in making the shedule so I can unload my stuff from the truck. The truck arrived in 7 business days. All my stuff came without any damage and I was so pleased. I will definitely recommend Budget Van Lines if you're thinking of moving.

Move size: Studio Service cost: $1236

We contracted with Budget Van Lines in January 2018 to move some household goods from Maryland to Oklahoma. Vikki at Budget made it clear that they would subcontract the job, and also explained that the cost would be determined by weight. She told us the movers would weigh their truck and then weigh it again after loading. We sent Vikki a list of the goods, and she gave us an estimate of the weight. She explained the estimate was high, and that we would get a refund if the actual weight turned out to be less than the estimate.
Based on this advice we packed the load, mostly boxes of clothing and household goods, in a lot of boxes, keeping the box weights low, to facilitate easy handling. A local moving company, contracted by Puma, arrived on January 17 to load the goods. The driver assured me they had just weighed the truck. After loading the goods the driver and helpers commented that the boxes were light and load was light, and we would likely get a refund. The driver also assured us they were going to weigh the truck again on their way back to Laurel MD where the load would be transferred to a large truck. They had me sign a sheaf of papers, without explaining any of it. I asked for copies and they said they would be sent to us.
Between the 17th and the 25th I called Puma Van Lines twice to ask about the load weight. Both times I was told the person I needed to speak with was busy, but would call me back soon. To date they have never done so. We told the person receiving the goods in Oklahoma to be sure to check the load upon arrival, and to be sure to get the load weight from the driver. When she asked for it the driver told her he did not have the weight, and he told her the charge was based on cubic footage, not weight. And of course the amount we were charged was the maximum weight estimate from Vikki at Budget, no refund, or even discussion of one.
Quite obviously, this whole thing was a scam. I spoke with Kelsie at Budget, who told me that I must have signed a paper changing the load from weight-based to cubic footage. Since I never was told what I was signing, nor received the paper copies, I cannot confirm this. Kelsie at Budget told me she would check with Puma about the switch in computing the charge, and call me back. She never has done so, and it has been more than 2 weeks now.
There probably is no legal recourse to the well-played scam by Puma and abetted by Budget. All that I can do now is tell our experiences to everyone we know, and to never contract with either company again. Vikki at Budget touted their reputation for honesty and had me look on-line for verification. That may be true, as far as it goes, but they didn’t support us when we told them about how this scam was played out by Puma. “We just contract with them” I was told, and there was nothing they could do about. If you are considering contracting with either company, we urge you to exercise extreme caution. While their behavior may be technically legal, it is most definitely unethical and a scam.

Move size: Partial Move Service cost: $2361

On a whim, I decided to try Budget Van Lines. I input my information based on a promise of an immediate quote. As they say, if the service is free, then I'm the product, so I reasonably expected them to re-sell my information. Here is the catch - after giving them my information, the immediate quote may as well have been zero to infinity. Then, predictably, the first of many calls and text messages starting hitting my phone. Each company wanted detailed information, and each request an on-site visit by an estimator. Ask yourself - are you going to let some random company load up the contents of your house, and just drive off? Obviously not - you are going to have to vet each of these companies - check reviews, reputation, BBB, etc. I could easily spend time on Google finding these small movers, vetting them, and soliciting quotes for 2-3 of them. I don't need a broker selling leads for $3 to every mover in the country. Waste of time for me, and a waste of money for their clients (the movers). Avoid these people, just do your own search.

Move size: 4+ Bedroom Home Service cost: $111

All the things you will read in the reviews here are true:
They are a broker- they do NOT have control over the truck holding your life's possessions.

Everything will go well at first-bc the folks in the Las Vegas office are pretty good- we got great service from Shirleen & help from Dolores.

However- they cannot tell you when the truck will ARRIVE because they have limited contact with the truck. Here in OR, we actually talked to the terminal where they told us, yes, they had our stuff, 10 miles from us, and had drivers but needed the OK from Virginia Virginia told us they needed the OK from NV. Where ever the "delivery rep" was calling us from called us Friday night and said it would be Tues. Which was a bummer bc OUR MOVERS were scheduled for Monday.
And could not reschedule. SO we had to rely on last minute, extra expensive, bad, movers.
Thanks Budget. Never again.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $2300

The representative I first dealt with was very personable and friendly. After my things were picked up by the movers they hired, I could not get the same person on the phone again, nor would he answer my email requests. I was promised my furniture would be wrapped and padded. That was not the case. Only two pieces were wrapped and I had to pay an extra $75 for that service. All my other wooden pieces were damaged, scratched and gouged badly. Both of my electric fans were broken. I have yet to receive the certified weight slips, either. I highly doubt the weight for which I was charged and no one at the moving company or Budget Van Lines cares. I feel I was mislead and disrespected once my money was all paid. Next time I move, I'll either sell or burn whatever I can't transport myself. That will save me the aggravation and cost of using a mover.

Move size: Partial Move Service cost: $2138

This company bills itself as a moving company, but in reality they do nothing for their money. It was all left to us. We made arrangements with the carrier when our stuff sat for 14 days. We spoke with the driver to find you where it was. Shampal Lang, the customer service rep. Never initiated a single call to us, not one. Every effort was by us. So do not be fooled into thinking these people are anything other than a scam. If you get a call fro Shampal at 702-472-8931 hang up an call a real moving company, anyone is better, ANYONE.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $4000

PLEASE READ AND CONSIDER IF YOU'RE THINKING OF USING BUDGET VAN LINES: As I was considering a move a few months back, I read all of the negative and positive reviews and felt as though I could safely take a chance on Budget. I was completely wrong, and don't want any of you to make the same mistake.

From sales, to scheduling, to pickup, all was well. After that, there has been nothing but deceit, misinformation & silence. As I write this review, I've been without my belongings for FORTY DAYS, with zero updates of when my items will reach me in Texas. Budget is the broker, and not the mover- which they will continue to remind you again and again. Basically what this means is that they take your money, but ultimately have no purpose in your move. They won't advocate on your behalf, update you on your possessions, tell you the truth, higher quality movers, etc.

I was dazzled by the price, and did not consider the glaring reality of how incredibly costly it is to live in an empty home for 40+ days. Please, move along and look for another MOVER. Don't get a broker and make the same mistake I did.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $2500

Completely deceitful, incompetetent and unprofessional. Budget is merely an agent who farms out the work to independent contractors allowing Budget to DISCLAIM responsibiltiy for anything and everything. The movers arrived late, but, more importantly changed the original estimate (provided by Budget over the phone) from $3800 to $7800 (more than double), although the inventory list matched completely (the actual number of boxes and items of furniture etc. was what was stated over the phone; there were no additional items as a basis for any increase, much less more than double).  To top it off, the movers did not have a truck of sufficient size to take all the items and their resolution was to get a second truck and keep 1/2 the load is storage until they could come back and get it. All day efforts with customer service proved worthless with representatives that were impossible to get a hold off and then would read scripted company policies over the phone and provide zero actual assistance. All they want is their deposit, so they kept trying to tell me this was a "cancellation" despite admitting they were unable to provide a satisfactory size truck for the move. The claim is now pending. STRONGLY DO NOT RECOMMEND, but, do what you want.  .

Service cost: $7800

Deception is the name of the game.  I was not told the whole truth.  It was a matter of withholding information.  Another moving company tried to convince me not to use this company, but I didn't listen.  Big mistake!! the movers used more tape than can be imagined and put in on the wood finishes!  One box of dishes arrived in tiny pieces.  They took my belongings to Chicago and then put it on another truck.  I'm not sure how many times they were moved.  Yuk! moving Central is still trying to say I owe another $800.  I have a a receipt that says I am paid in full. Do not believe anything they say!!

Service cost: $10000

Warning. They are horrible.  It was a nightmare.  They hired another company to move me.  They sent R&L who loaded it up and then demanded another $900.  They were supposed to store my furniture in AZ but lost it in KS for a month.  Then a 3rd company delivered the furniture.  They tried giving me someone elses vacuum cleaner and lost my tool box. Then charged me more money.  Most of my furniture was busted upon arrival.  At pic-up the driver listed everything as damaged when it was new and listed it as packed by me so as not to be covered by insurance.  I got the SHAFT!

Service cost: $3675

If you don't care what time your furniture get there or what will cost in the end. DO NOT USE BUDGET VAN LINES..
I received a estimate from Alan for $1497.30, movers showed up and said their biinding estimate would be $1998.40 because of weight.  Two days later I get a call that because of weight it will cost $2288.32.  What happened to BINDING Estimate..  They lie.  I needed my son's funniture to be there by the 16th, oh that should not be a problem, OMG.  Today I was told it could be as late as April 5th.  My son will be paying rent for an unlivable apartment.  They will not pay for hotel.
"SERIOUSLY PEOPLE DON'T DO IT!!"  YOU'LL BE SO SORRY.

Service cost: $1497

They follow-up on me repeatedly until they had my money and then I  never heard from them. I contacted them the two days before the scheduled pick-up window and was advised they would pick-up the next day outside the window, Then changed it to the next day (Wed) 1-4 sat in my house and called at 3:45 - was advised by Alex they would be there shortly, 20 minutes later I was advised the van had mechanical problems and it would be Friday no time. I asked to speak to a supervisor and one finally got on (10 minute hold) who said she would get back to me - never did. Next day it should be first thing 8-11 on Friday, at 11 I called Alex who said there was an error and thye would be right there but give them form 12-4, at 4 I called Alex ( really rude person) who said I would get a new time but he did not know it. I held another 14 minutes to get a supervisor who said it would be today but he did not know when. Heck I may never get picked up - lied to 4 times and still sitting waiting for them - UGLY and PAINFULLY not worth the lower price.

Service cost: $1200

Agent Jason told me I would be reimbursed the $300 deposit if I signed the online contract and needed to cancel. I signed it and set up the move but we had to cancel it the same day as plans changed. We were told that the $300 was nonrefundable and we had to email just to cancel-you cannot cancel by phone., but after 2 weeks of non reachable phone calls to them, they said they would refund $150 if I signed another contract to not bad mouth them ever and that includes my future generations!so they stole my $300!  NEVER use this company!!

Service cost: $2000

First of all, everything seemed just fine, a good price of around $800 for a move of about 600lbs of stuff, which is a very small load in relative. We chose to use these movers because of the price, and did not want to drive in dangerous wintery conditions. We were moving from OR to WI, and had some very expensive things to be moved, including electronics, sound equipment, and over $2500 worth of radio controlled aircraft including a large scale aerobatic plane, packed in a crate sturdy enough for a 150-200lb person to sit on.
The first truck was very well packed, with the crate in a safe place, nothing heavy on top of it, and all appeared well. We were then contacted and told the first truck broke down, and our items were placed on a second truck. The first truck was relatively small whereas the second one was as big as they get, and packed with stuff.
Marius's (the dispatcher) communication was OK, however somewhat rude and prompt. They arrived in WI when they said they would, however as soon as the doors of the truck opened, we knew it was trouble. It was packed TERRIBLY, items thrown on top of each other carelessly, and everything imaginable including SOFAS and heavy furniture was thrown (not packed, THROWN) on top of the crate, which, of course, was smashed in on the top, causing massive damage to the $400 wings of the large airplane, destroying the smaller competition airplanes, and damaging several of the surrounding electronic goods. The movers were carelessly throwing boxes out of the truck, letting them smash against the ground, full of expensive and fragile items.

DO NOT use this company. The wings were not insured well, $400 value, however it was 60 cents a pound of insurance, and since they're built light, that's absolutely no good at all. When we tried to explain the damages, the company was rude and arrogant, providing no human-like characteristics and no help. TERRIBLE company.

Service cost: $800