Great American Van Lines

1 BIG Advise!! Run away and as fast as you can from this company. They will rob you like no other!! On top a few stuff disappeared, they opened the boxes. It was total mess and the company doesn't want to make responsible for anything. When they got to my apartment to deliver my stuff couldn't enter because the truck was so big so they made me rent a UHAUL and requested another $500 when actually the guard let them in with a truck.. the driver pocked $500 for himself. He wouldn't deliver my stuff, he had hostage my stuff until I paid him $500.. Run away.. Believe me! Horrible experience
All the great comments here I am sure that Jason from the company wrote.

Service cost: $1100

This company provides a binding estimate based on item inventory. Don't believe it! After loading the entire truck and knowing the move had to occur on that date, the foreman Jason held us hostage and demanded double the amount on the estimate. He said it was based on volume not items. When I said I was calling management and would let people know about this he threatened to take everything off the truck then and there. We negotiated him down a little but in the end it cost over $900 more than our contract stated. He had my daughter in a corner having a full blown panic attack because she didn't have the money and he demanded 1/2 up front. This company has done this to people before - it "happens all the time" per Jason's own words. Don't go with them - you will be sorry and they will blackmail you on the day of the move to get more money.

Service cost: $3068

This has been the worst customer experience I can recall. I have two words: Look elsewhere. They will promise you the world to win your business and then belittle you when you attempt to understand why it's been 3 weeks and your stuff hasn't arrived. Moving cross country is stressful enough and if I had to do my cross country move again, it wouldn't involve American Van Lines. Pay very close attention to to the customer service and interpersonal skills of the staff as you'll have to interact with them in the future and the last thing you need is another element of stress.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $3000

Worst moving experience I ever had. They will offer a flat rate and say they won't change it and will charge additional fees when packing. The drivers and dispatch employees are extremely rude, as if you're not paying for this service. It took almost 2 months for me to receive my items and I had to constantly call to get updates because they don't update you on the status of your items. I was missing a box when it arrived and also given someone else's items. They gave me a hard time about driving in my community and taking items up a two story house. The drivers in each state don't communicate so one will promise one thing and the other will say they don't offer that service (i.e. moving large items upstairs). If I could give negative stars I would. I wouldn't recommend this company to my worst enemy. Pay the extra dollars for another moving company.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $950

Hey

Moving with great american van lines was a great time from Sam the foreman to samer the trailer driver we move from hillside NJ to Miami Fl the crow was very good they just did not stop working the all day they just pack our cloth and kitchen and our furniture they load the truck and leave week later david call he say they on the way will call a day before to late you know when we are arriving 3 day later samer the driver call he say will be there tomorrow between 9-11

Next day samer show up with 3 other movers they start to unload the truck all arrive in good condition we just like to say ty to great american van lines for a great move.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $3750

We used a broker IMRG (Interstate Moving and Relocation Group) - They would only talk to us until they got their deposit. Two or three calls to their customer service about Merit Great American were terrible - no assistance at all.

GA van lines showed up and broke furniture loading into their short hall truck. Very unprofessional and disrespectful while loading. Prior to the move we discussed with IMRG and they said they discussed with the mover what pickup date was required to have the delivery date on a specific weekend. Well they were almost a week late (even after several calls to GA after they picked up our furniture.) Very rude, foul language on those calls. as mentioned, calls to IMRG were no help at all.

When the furniture finally did arrive although packed in a TV box with quilts and bubble wrap the LED tv was shattered, almost every piece of (recently refinished - never used) furniture was scratched or scuffed. They really do not care that they are moving YOUR furniture!

Elbin in the New Orleans (South Louisiana) area is a shyster, his company Mirit G A van lines is terrible to deal with.

I did not pick Mirit GA van lines the broker IMRG did. STAY AWAY from Both Mirit GA van lines and IMRG!

As others have stated, the estimate was about half what GA van lines required after they loaded the furniture. WE paid double what the estimate was even though every item was listed on the estimate (confirmed the week before the move). STAY AWAY!

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $4000

Shady practices, $500 more than quoted once the items were on the truck. Poor communication for delivery, delivery people did not wear masks during social distancing period, Had to pay before they unloaded the truck and I am missing an expensive office chair. No one will take responsibility. I was offered to drive 1 hour each way to go get the chair. Customer service is abysmal to say the least. Stay away from this company. Drivers and workers at both ends kept saying it isn't my fault. Driver upon delivery was angry because I refuse to tip until I have all of my items. On the phone I kept being told their records showed it was delivered. I highly doubt I will ever get my chair.

Move size: Studio Service cost: $2000

I set up a move through a broker. They gave me an original estimate for the move from MA to NM, then adjusted once I had a better idea of what all was moving with a set price of $4 a cubic foot with a 9% fuel surcharge. The second estimate was for 994 cubic feet approximately just over $4000. They forwarded the move to Mirit Great American who arrived at 1:30 when they were supposed to arrive between 8 and 10 am. in a Penske 26' rental moving truck. They said they were picking it up to take to off load into a semi trailer at their warehouse in New Jersey. The foreman kept saying that I was going to be way over my estimate, though I was pretty sure I was going to be close or less based on the space the items took up in my own place and had eliminated a number of big items. After loading the truck, the foreman claimed that I was way over, and my new quote was well over $10,000. We asked how he

Figured the cubic feet, and he said that he took the height of the truck (12'7") by 8.5' wide and 26' depth. We pointed out

That is not the cubic feet of the truck box, and that they had the front two feet in the box already loaded before mine. He

Called his boss, Oren from Merit Great American, who yelled at me and told me I did not know what I was talking about.

He insisted that the truck held 1800 cubic feet, I said that did not measure up with the actual size of the truck based on

Measurements. He insisted and said I could always unload the truck, but we would not get back our down payment back that I had already paid, which was more than 2/3 of the total estimated price. I expected I only had about $2000 at most left to pay if that. After their "new calculations" of how much cubic feet my stuff took in the truck, I was told I still had to pay $4752. The owner/partner insisted that I had 1150 cubic feet in the truck because he was subtracting from 1800 the 8 ft at the back of the box and a foot from the front. He only accepted the 8 ft at the back because I was showing him on face-time the measurement from my stuff to the edge of the box. He insisted the box was 8.5 feet tall and wide when it was just over 8 feet with my tape measure. We have pictures of the truck before they loaded my belongings. After they left, I looked up Penske's website and their 26' only holds up to 1700 cubic feet. the box is listed at 25 ft 11 inches by 8 feet 1 inch by 8 feet 1 inch. We contacted the broker who said they would ask for the paperwork

And a re-assessment of the cubic feet. We also let them know that the movers scratched the hardware floor of the

Apartment and would need the insurance information. The broker got back to us because he was told by the partners at Merit that they had already resolved the problem with us. Did not happen. He called them again, and Nathan

From Great American called. He was less rude and did not use profanity that Oren did. He said that he would have a reassessment done and asked us to send two bids for insurance for the floor. The bids were completed and forwarded to Nathan via text as he asked. We have not heard back from him or Oren yet in regards to the scratched floor.

When the movers arrived in NM, they unloaded 900 cubic feet of space from their trailer. We have pictures of the before and after unloading that clearly show the cubic feet markings in their trailer. After being prompted by the broker to talk with us, Oren called, yelled at me and whomever he was talking to in the background with excessive profanity. He refused to admit there had been an error in calculation. He continued to insist the Penske truck carried 1800 cubic. He insisted that he moved 1250 cubic feet from the Penske truck to his warehouse and that he "ate" the extra. He said he pays the foreman and men by the cubic feet not the mile so either they lied to him or I was lying to him. After he got the pictures from me showing 900 cubic feet delivered he has not responded to my inquiry and request for a refund. He said he would send me pictures of his paperwork and a video of him measuring the Penske truck, and has not done so yet. It has been a week since we talked. The difference is over $2800 based on the set price, surcharge and "materials charge"

The movers at pickup took numerous smoking breaks and demanded a tip. They were at my apartment for 6 hours, Even though everything had been packed as I had been directed by the broker.

The movers at drop-off were very nice, worked hard and fast (2 1/2 hours), though their federal mandated time was running out so they had to leave before all items were reassembled or put in the house or garage. They struggled because the trailer was loaded poorly, by someone else. causing potential falls in the trailer as well as having no ramps to unload. There was some damage to boxes (not due to the delivery guys) with multiple holes punched in or crushed, as well as dents and scratches as well as broken items.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $6957