Great American Van Lines

I got a call on the day of my move (Sat) from Nathan stating that their truck has to be repaired in another state (NJ?) and therefore couldn't get to RI on the day the move was scheduled for.  He promised me that the repairs would be complete the following morning and that the truck/movers would be there by 9am on Sunday.  Fast forward to Sun 9am, no truck, no phone call.  9:20, same thing.  So I call Nathan's #, get the run around by the people who answer the phone.  Finally get a call back from someone else saying that there was no way they could move me on Sunday and that I should find another mover! I asked him if he could at least send a mover with a UHAUL truck and he said there were no UHAUL trucks available in the state!!  I almost had a heart attack because I literally had to be out of the apt by 9am on Sunday as the new tenant was moving in that morning.  To make a long story short, Great American Van Lines never came!!  I had to have my parents (who are in their 60s) help me move all my stuff onto the sidewalk.. then I ended up renting a UHAUL for >$100, and abandon quite a few items on the street (with neighbor's help) as we simply did not have the manpower to unload it once we got to the new apt.  Adam, the customer service guy who had been so reassuring and nice prior to moving day, never had the decency to return my phone call when this fiasco happened!
I moved into my new apt by 10pm on Sunday and woke up at 5am the next morning to start my new job. 
Thanks Adam and Nathan from Great American Van Lines for deceiving your customers! .

Service cost: $700

We used Great American Van Lines for our family's move from MA to Ohio this January and everything went so smoothly. The professional staff had all of our furniture wrapped and packed up so well. We were treated with such warm hospitality and the customer service wad truly one of a kind. They arrived on time as planned and were really a pleasure to deal with. We highly recommend this company for everyone who wants a professional crew and reliable people to help with their move. I rate them absolutely AWESOME!

Service cost: $2800

The absolute WORST moving company on the planet! They "lost" 15 boxes, my night stand, OPENED 10 boxes (they arrived with NO TAPE on them), boxes that arrived looked like they had been thrown down flights of stairs, invaluable items broken - family heirlooms, etc., conveniently left our 2 flat screen tv's in NJ and had every excuse in the book as to why they were taking so long, including their truck "broke down" multiple times, making our cross country move 32 days! They rarely contacted me - I had to call everytime they were late to see what was going on! They have NOT responded to my inquiries regarding reimbursement, or locating our lost items. Even our vaccuum (which we had replaced the bag with a brand new one prior to shipment), arrived FULL of someone else's dirt and a grey rug wrapped around the belt that was unable to be salvaged. If you've worked hard for your belongings and care about what happens to them - I advise you STAY AWAY from them! They are thieves!

Service cost: $6000

Never have been so stressed!! This was the worse moving company I have ever used. Initially they rush you and tell you they can pick up your stuff tomorrow if needed.  Once they pick it up the "fixed price quote" they provide you in the beginning changes.They said I didn't describe the boxes right and then they say the distance they need to walk was too much so they added more than 300 dollars to the initial quote and tell you if you don't want to go with them u can call some other moving company and threaten you and tell you  it's your stuff if you want it taken care of. Then the truck driver calls me before he gets on the road and says he will charge me more depending on where he needs to park.  I told them my apartment complex cannot take a 18 wheeler and they bring a 20 wheeler and said it's not their fault no one told them. Communication within the company is horrible. You talk to Nathan one day or David the next and someone else the next day and they give you all different information. Only one person came to drop off the stuff and I had a lot of stuff so it took about four hrs for him to do it.  The driver was Surgay and when he arrived he took the money for the move right at the beginning and refused to move anything without it and then after giving him the cash asked for more cash for the distance. Overall I want to report them to the BBB I've never felt so cheated with a move.  Please don't use them.  Don't want anyone else to go through what I did.

Service cost: $1500

Intially selected Great American due to good reviews on this site. I was VERY WRONG! Salesman promised that the truck would be weighed empty. The driver had no idea that he was supposed to do that. Got an estimate for 2200lbs. When driver arrived they said I had 500 cubic feet and would be charged according to cubic feet and not weight. Spent 45 minutes contacting main office. When manager finally called he offered a "flat rate" instead. He tried very had to convince me that it was a good deal and kept saying "trust me". To top it all off, the driver tried to collect Turnpike tolls from me. Needless to say I cancelled everything and asked for my deposit back. Bottom line is do not trust what the salesman tells or promises you.

Service cost: $2000

I booked The Great American VAn Lines movers 3 weeks in advance. They were supposed to come in on Aug4th and we were moving 2 miles from our original place to a house. The company sends in 2 guys and a driver. The guy comes in takes a look and says I can't take this. It will take me more time and walks out of the house. I call the company and no one picks up the phone. The company told me the guys will pick up everything and if it takes more time you pay per additional hour, $90/hr which I was ok with.   The guy doesn't know to talk in English except in bits and pieces. Then he says you have to pay everything in cash, whereas the company told me I can pay with my credit card. When I mention this, he says, in that case you pay me $55 in toll otherwise I wont take anything. I tell him ok go ahead because I am supposed to move out of the Apt that day. I call up my husband and talk to him on the cell about this new situation and he hears me and says I don't want to pack , I am leaving and he leaves.   I have moved 6 times in 10 years and never had a problem with any movers. The trouble we had to go through because we hadn't faced a scenario where a mover comes in and leaves.    Finally in the evening we booked a U-haul and moved the stuff in 3 hours between me and my husband and 3 trips because we had a smaller truck . It still didn't take us more than 3 hours. A moving company which does this day in and day out works so unprofessionally and causes havoc. I do not recommend this company to anyone. The company reps are very nice but don't be fooled since they wont be there to answer your phone calls. You are better off by yourself than have such movers.   I am giving this review so no one else has to go through so much trouble on their moving day.       Great American Van Lines  24 Halladay St  Jersey City NJ 07304      .

Service cost: $350

This moving company was a night mare. The deceived me and overcharge me. The refused to unload my furniture until I signed and give them my credit card. Of course before I signed there were not total amount. Once they finished 9 hrs later, I was charged an additional 3 hrs. so call for "wash the truck, clean and wash the moving blankets." They sent 3 men (1 was a woman, that could not really do much moving). I had to hire 3 men at the end of the moving, because the complex I moved to had a time limit. During this time, the driver stood in the truck for the last two hours. I will never recommend this company to anyone. They don't answer their phones when you call for explanation. I have heard of these types of scams on TV, internet .. etc. trusted a friend for referral and no one wants to be accountable to this. Cause wall damages and some furniture was damaged. Again, had to spent money to fix the walls.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $1382

While Jason and David were very nice, the drivers were arrogant and pushy! Some of my items were broken, dirty and lost! The workers were hard workers but in both cases, the drivers were fighting with the loaders! the price was $1200 more than the quote! I had a very bad experience and would not recommend to anyone! The entire driver loader team was very unprofessional! The driver told me that I was wrong that there were several boxes short! I made notes of every box and item that was unloaded.

Service cost: $3500

DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!  THEY ARE THIEVES. It was the worst moving experience I have ever had. They arrived 3 hours late and never even called to tell me they would be late. The supervisor offered no apology or explanation.  They had a truck that was NOT big enough to fit the items in my storage unit which was included in their quote. Now I have to move my belongings that are in storage.  THEY STOLE MANY ITEMS:  a bag of prescription medicines, several blankets, a cable box,  a portable phone, a wool rug, bathroom shelf, some articles of clothing. The salesman was real nice when he was trying to get my business, but when I called about the horrendous service, he couldn't care less.  Furthermore, even the supervisor could hardly speak English and I had a very difficult time communicating with them.  DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY EVEN THOUGH THEY OFFER THE LOWEST PRICE. And I don't believe for one minute that all of the positive reviews are valid.

Service cost: $2650

I had the misfortune of working with these guys and I will suggest everyone to stay from them. They were friendly unto the point they got the advance for my move. After that they became almost hostile. The three guys who did my move were very unfriendly and were cribbing about everything. They refused to move my couch saying it does not fit through the door and left it in the garage. They broke lots of my furniture as well and I suspect they swindled a few small items that we never found. When I raised it with their adjustor, CSI for claims I got a message that business (Great American Van Lines) will handle my claims directly. They never did. I raised it with them multiple times but in vain. I raised it with Better Business Bureau (complaint# 14657706) to which they responded saying they sent me a check for my damages that I never received. They never even told me the check amount. Obviously, they lied. All these conversations are on BBB.org. And upon following up on BBB they refused to answer anything. I should have checked them up on BBB before hiring them. They possibly have the worst BBB score of D-

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $2400

Scam - do not trust or use

Avoid at all costs. The quote I was given to move from NY to CA was $3040 and by the end I paid over $4200. The owner Oren is the worst type of person on the planet. He does not care at all about your experience or how your furniture is handled or how it arrives. At every point among the way he somehow increased the cost of what was written in the contract. First it was that there was no way the quoted cost was going to cover everything I had which is crazy because I ga e them every dimension of every piece they were picking up… they listed my large patio chairs as folding chairs to show me a lower quote number knowing that they’d lock me in and tell me it was more expensive at pick up once I already gave my deposit. I probably had 10 phone calls with Oren who is so disrespectful it boggles my mind. He would talk over me and say “listen, listen” and wow nothing pushed my buttons more. Probably doesn’t respect any of the women in his life. Anyway my furniture arrived eventually, then the movers threatened to drive away with all of my furniture after I told them I wasn’t paying them until they unloaded the furniture. They also tried to add in ANOTHER $200 for a “long carry”. I had to stand in front of the moving truck and cal the cops who spoke to Oren and told them legally that our house did not qualify for the additional “long carry” charge after Oren said it was anything over 75ft. The back of the truck to our door was under 50ft. I paid the movers to start moving my furniture and they ditched all of it outside my house. Didn’t even brining it inside or so any of the unwrapping. They took their few moving blanket and “went for a lunch break” and never came back. On top of this already horrendous experience, they also managed to damage every single item. They caused thousands of dollars in damage to my very nice furniture. I wish I never used them. So disheartened and dissipated. Please save yourself time, anger and regret and use a different mover.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $3040

1. Did not honor the binding contract. 5 hours late and demanded $5,000 more even though there was a binding quote put together with an itemized list and pictures of all furniture 2. Delivered all of our furniture damaged. Have pictures and pictures of how furniture was thrown into delivery truck with minimal protection, tape directly on wood and piled like a junk truck. 3. Refused to respond to their own designated 3rd party insurance carrier 4. NEVER delivered king size mattress, large screen tv and several hundred pounds of weights. There is no recourse for victims of this company. I have filed a criminal complaint and named their CEO as the party responsible since they refused to respond. Be forewarned.

Move size: 4 Bedroom Home Service cost: $8000

My whole life I have tried my best to avoid the hassles of moving. But recently I had to relocate my production company from Manhattan to New Jersey. So when it came to finding a moving company I was of course looking for a reasonable flate rate company that was reliable and professional. I contacted various companies and all seem okay but not exactly what I was looking for or helpful. I am an extremely paranoid person so I had tons of questions for every sales person I spoke to so I understand how some may have become frustrated. But when I contacted Great American Van Lines my representative seemed more than willing to answer all my questions and beyond. I am not lying when I tell you I was constantly calling or emailing them with questions and they attended to me every time unlike some other companies I had spoken to. Now my rate was seriously a flat rate price no hidden fees. I simply provided them with all of my inventory. Another great thing about them was they provide insurance for your items so I didn't have to add more to my plate by doing that on my own. The day of the move they arrived on time and the movers were very professional and polite. But most importantly they handled all my items with care. I had a lot of sensitive and expensive equipment that I simply could not afford to have damaged. That's another area where I was a little paranoid that my equipment might get damaged but I clearly was paranoid over nothing. They delivered all my items to my new apartment in the same condition they picked them up in. I couldn't ask for anything more, they had awesome customer services, great prices, reliable and careful movers! I was truly happy and if me and my company are to ever relocated they will be the ones I call instantly. They made me see that moving isn't such a strenuous hassle when you have the right and that company is Great American Van Lines coast :$1200 job# 602106.

Service cost: $100

My move from Brooklyn New York to Phoenix Arizona was completed today and I feel the need to let anyone and everyone know the type of service I received from my moving company. The name of the company is Great American Van Lines.I am sure anyone that reads this has either heard or experienced the horrible events that often happen with moving companies. I talked to no less than 15 moving companies and had 3 companies come to our Brooklyn home to give a written estimate. While Great American Van Lines was not the cheapest they were not the most expensive either. The professionalism every person my wife and I came in contact with was above and beyond my highest hopes. David the person that wrote the estimate and was my contact person before during and after my move, not only was courteous and knowledgeable but always easy to contact at all hours and days. Rudy the actual person that handled the move at pick up at old house and the delivery at new house was equally as impressive. He worked hard wasted no time and was always respectful. Now for the amazing facts of this move with Great American Van Lines. They arrived at the exact time scheduled, they delivered at the exact time scheduled. Based on the original date scheduled our items arrived in the allotted time expected. The price quoted actually came in slightly higher than was quoted. Believe it or not! Not a single surprise with any aspect of this move. My wife and I could not be happier with Great American Van Lines and especially Dave and Rudy they are the best ! I know the above sounds like a scripted review I assure you it is not. Thank you very much Great American Van Lines you guys are superb.

Service cost: $2400

The original moving company I retained had truck problems, so they called Great American to complete the job. Moving the content of a studio apartment , I was quoted $1200, but when Great American arrived they said my items were too large, too much square footage and the price literally almost doubled and that was a deal because they threw in the packing for free. Originally my items were suppose to arrive in less than a week, so I was told, although I never received any phone calls or updates regarding my things as days passed. The funny thing is, when the initial credit card number I gave them did not go through, I heard from them multiple times that day via phone and email. After resolving that issue all communication stopped until Initiated contact days later for an update at which time I was told no information was available at the time and I would be called the next day. Of course I never was called, so I reached out again at which time the person who answered rudely commented " don't you read your email it can take 14 days" I replied " I never received any such email, the only numerous emails I ever received was about a new credit card number." Amazing how well they knew how to communicate so elequently then! A few more choice words were given about my disgust with their deceptive business practices and the lack of professionalism. I was then called by David who informed me that my items would not even be loaded on to the truck until the sixth day after the initial pick up. I asked could he keep me informed, he said that he would, but I never heard anything from him. The day after my items were supposed to be loaded on the truck, I called again and was told the truck was on the road and I would be called the following day to be given the phone number of the driver,who also had to make pickups in MD and SC. Of course I never received a phone call and now ironically my phone calls are not being answered or returned by the company. It's been 10 days now! I will keep you informed regarding any further developments in this case so that you can make the call for yourself. There has to be some standard for accountability.

Service cost: $2337

This is absolutely NOT a fake response from a competitor. EVERYTHING I TYPE IS TRUE--no contact, missing boxes, and so much damage that I should’ve just re-bought everything after I moved from Philly (burbs) to Chicago (burbs). If you want proof e-mail me at trtbdj@hotmail.com and I will send you pictures of ALL the damages! One of the mover’s felt the need to ask if I was a Christian, then started telling me that he’s from Nazareth—the same place Jesus is from. I’m like, “OKAY? Who cares? Stop wasting my time and do what you’re being paid to do”. He started asking me about a tip before he even moved anything…stating that he and his workers work hard (once again…”AND?”). He actually tried to negotiate a tip. Like seriously? They left tape and pieces of ripped boxes everywhere inside and outside my apt and I had to clean up after them. That was when they picked my items up. Delivery was a complete disaster. They used another company to deliver my things to my new apartment—a couple of Polish guys that were extremely lazy!! They moved my stuff in late—after I told them no moving is allowed in my new complex after 9pm—they showed up around 8:15, didn’t assemble most of my furniture, and said they would be back the next day to finish, but they never did. How the heck did these people lose the feet/bottoms to my couch and loveseat is a head scratcher! I had to call the furniture company to order replacements. I can go on and on, but this place is a joke, the insurance company they use is also a joke and there is no way they got all this positive feedback. NONE WHATSOEVER. Just like they claimed their “competitor” typed this review…I know for a fact they are typing all the positive ones. A decent company doesn’t have time to go tit-for-tat online regarding issues like this…get real! Definitely crooks. I ONLY used them because I had to relocate for a new job and had to do so ASAP and the moving company I used in the past was not available at such short notice. I REPEAT DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY! If I wasn't at work I would post pics..

Service cost: $3500

Poor communication, dishonest estimate, unprofessional staff, demanding extra money in cash.
When the representative first gave us a quote, it was at 900. When the movers showed up to pick up my sutff the price doubled to 1600. Later when the movers delivered my stuff to my new home, the movers demanded extra $300 in cash. 
It took me several times to get a hold of the representative to confirm the date and time of the pick-up. When he did answer, he was rude and completely uninterested in helping me. Eventually the day before the move the person said that the movers will be there between 9am-12pm. When we called them again around 12pm on the day of the move, they said that they had been experiencing some schedule conflict and would arrive at 6PM. By the time we left the house, it was close to 8PM.
The only thing good I would say about the experience was that the movers who picked up our stuff were prompt and curteous.
 
 
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Service cost: $2000

I have moved more than 15 times and dealt with many moving companies (several in this site).  Some were satisfactory, some were horrible.  Never have I had the inclination to write a review in the past, but THIS team, with noteworthy mention of Amel that led the team that moved us did such an outstanding Job that I would do a terrible injustice if I did not praise their out standing service. Here is how the story went, I had several estimate from companies with good reviews…the prices were in the same ball park some but some companies that gave a shorter time but higher hourly rate and the others gave longer time but lower hourly rates. I chose this company because the time estimate appeared to be in line with my experience.  At first I was a little concerned about them not showing up on time (read some reviews about that).  Here is what I got:  Amel’s team showed up ON TIME, worked non-stop to move, dissemble, and assemble everything making sure that the furniture and building was well taken care of.  NOT a single scratch nick or damage.  So to me the best way to describe this team’s work -  FAST, CAREFUL, PROFESSIONAL.  I will definitely use them again, and recommend all the readers to do so also.  .

Service cost: $795

I am a retired Air Force veteran of 21 years and have moved many times in my life. Great American's recent move of my household goods from Hartford CT to Miami was the worst I have ever seen. After showing up an hour late, without sufficient paper to properly wrap our goods, they took nearly 5 hours to pack a 1 bedroom apartment. 3/4 of the way through the move, we spotted one of the crew packing glassware and quality pots and pans without ANY paper at all. When I told the foreman about the problem, he said he'd take care of it. When we spotted another problem, they assured us they had used "enough" wrapping..Sure enough, after receiving our goods, we found numerous items cracked, dented and broken (glassware, lamps, computer, etc). Unfortunately, I trusted their reputation and my memory of all the PROFESSIONAL moving companies I dealt with while in the Air Force and did not buy the additional insurance. Their basic insurance is nearly worthless ($0.60 per pound per item). The final cost was also well above the estimate. The only thing I can say, is that we will surely never use your company again and we will tell anyone we know to do the same.

Service cost: $2817

This move was exceptionally easy. I packed and they picked up! It was as easy as that..no issues with weight, all done by the number of boxes. The amount quoted was the amount due, no hidden charges. The move was stored for 30 days free and when I needed the delivery I just called. All questions were answered when I called, giving me great satisfaction. The service was professional, reliable and the gentlemen I worked with were all honest and considerate. If I need to move again I will certainly use this company and I will recommend Great American Van Lines to others.

Service cost: $954

DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY! I moved from MA to CO this summer and have never been so taken advantage of!  The movers who picked up my stuff put it in the truck and then informed me the price was going to be over twice as much as the quote, despite the fact the amount of items had not changed.  They then inisted that I needed to pay them $600 out of pocket that wouldn't be reported to the company because, I quote, "If you make me happy, I'll make you happy".  I was terrifed that, being a single female and alone, they would damage my stuff or something terrible would happen.  I then informed the company of this behaviour and they promised a refund and then never spoke with me again.  I have been dealing with this for months and still can't get a resolution.  NEVER NEVER NEVER TRUST THEIR QUOTES OR THEIR PEOPLE.  They are crooks.

Service cost: $3700

I moved on 7/22 /2011 with Great American Van Lines and this was worst experience of my life.I booked the move for 9 -10 AM morning,The screwed my full day and they came by 6 PM in evening,When I called the guys were not giving proper update and the guy on phone told me it happened if u want u can book some other movers we can if we r late meand we are late for 300 dollars move we can not send other truck if scheduled truck is having some issue.They even did not communicated to me about the delay when ever I called they told truck is on the way.We are having a 10 month old Baby with baby it was horrible to manage with the delay and my all other plans delayed because of moving delay. I read the reviews on this site only 1 review was bad all other were good I think all good reviews are by company employees only the bad one is the only correct review,Please please do not move with Great American Van Lines.

Service cost: $325

Nathan at Great American Van Lines is great. Prompt response to my emails and phone calls. And handled my last minute changes no problem. You deal with one person the whole time and that was reassuring. I didn't have any item lost, I will use Great American Van Lines for my future moves. I'm a big fan of giving credit due when customer service is excellent--and Great American Van Lines customer service is top notch. I found a couple places that would ship for slightly cheaper--but you get what you pay for, which is a big consideration when you are talking about all your possessions. And, frankly, some of the other moving companies didn't 'feel' right--I know that is very subjective, but it does come down to trust. I highly recommend Nathan and his crew at Great American Van Lines.

Service cost: $1200