International Van Lines

I’ve used IVL several time and have had good experiences in the past. My recent move was marge larger and further so I was very nervous about the process. My sales rep Justin was great! He was easy to work with and had great communication. The move was from Florida to Texas which took about a weeks time. I received all of my goods with no issues or damages. I was very pleased with the whole experience and since have referred them to friends. Moving suck and finding a good mover is essential to a good outcome. Shout out to the folks at IVL!

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $7500

Our move was contracted by International Van Lines, but they subcontracted the move to American Knights Moving, which we were informed the day before the move. IVL disparages moving brokers on their web site, but they appear to commonly broker all their moves.

When AKM called they informed us that the total move should take place in one day. Previous discussion with IVL had indicated one day to pack and the next day to move, which is how we had based our hotel arrangements. In feedback to IVL, they said that they may allow the move to extend over to the second day.

First day of move – AKM reviewed the house contents to be moved, and increased the cost by 10%. In discussion by phone with the movers’ supervisor, he said that the initial estimate was only good to +/- 30%, while the in-person estimate was 100% accurate. AKM movers also stated that they could not pack any food or liquids, contrary to a specific previous discussion with IVL about these items. In reviewing this with IVL, they stood by the inventory assessment by AKM, but agreed to reduce the increase by 10%, or 1% of the original estimate. They said they would direct AKM to take food and (nonhazardous) liquids.

When we asked IVL, we were assured that the movers were “professionals” and knew how to pack several antique clocks. On the first day the movers were about to place an antique wall clock in a box, only with paper wrapping, without stabilizing or removing the weights inside. When we questioned them about this, they stopped packing and held off till the next day, leaving us to address the packing. Second day of move - about 1:00 PM the movers came to us and stated that we needed to prioritize what we wanted to move, because it would not all fit in the truck. When asked when they would return for the rest, they said that the contract was for the one truck and they would not be back. They did not offer any alternative, nor did they try to check for other arrangements. Upon discussing this with their supervisor by phone, he told us that they would fill the truck and then go, leaving us to try to make other arrangements. This is despite the fact that they had performed a “100% accurate” assessment of the total load the day before, and that they had originally said the move would take place in one day. After calling and leaving desperate messages with the only two contacts we had at IVL, we contacted someone at the main customer service number. After many anxious minutes while the movers were getting ready to leave, the person was able to confirm that IVL had contacted AKM to discuss arrangements. At the same time the movers were contacted and were waiting at the truck for resolution, for about 45 minutes. Eventually the movers said, at first, it was agreed they would drop their truckload in Richmond, 5 hours away, then return at 5 AM the next day for the remainder. Then they modified this and specified that they would arrive between 4 and 5 AM, and call 30 minutes in advance, and if we were not there when they arrived, they would leave immediately. On the third day, AKM arrived about 6:30 AM. At this point many items became contentious, and they did not want to take items that had been reviewed for the “100% accurate” inventory:

• Rugs – 2’ x 5’

• Cables and remote for TV

• Items they had overlooked and not previously packed in the Master Bath and a kitchen drawer –

they accused us of adding these in afterwards. These were all thrown in a large box together, with no packing or separation.

• Similarly, in laundry room, many miscellaneous items were just dumped in a box.

• Executive desk (36 x 72”) and hutch – said that it could not be moved without damage, and that typically a third party is hired to separate. However, we assisted in the separation so the move could proceed. Desk was completely disassembled to move down stairs.

Delivery

Items which had been disassembled did not have the hardware available to reassemble. AKM said that we needed to continue to search for the missing hardware before they could do anything about restoring:

Kitchen table – never found the hardware. Purchased additional fasteners.

Executive desk – Upon further unpacking, 3 weeks later most of the screws and dowels were found sealed inside of one of the empty rolls of tape, at the bottom of one of the boxes into which many items were dumped on the third day of moving. In the meantime these pieces of desk (8) and table (5) were laying on the floor in the house. A month later a different crew from AKM finally returned to reassemble. Much of the desk had been damaged during the disassembly and reassembly, and did not fit together as before. With the number of damaged assembly locations, it could be subject to collapse at any time.

Many damaged pieces of furniture were discovered during the unpacking, as well as some items, such as electronics, which were “missing”. Only 2 of the 5 clocks survived in working order, with some antiques irreparable.

Move size: 4 Bedroom Home Service cost: $13431

I’ve moved a few times and it always seems to be a stressful situation. I chose IVL because of their reputation for providing a good service. I was in a time crunch and needed a fast pickup. They made it happen. They showed up on the agreed date and packed all of our stuff with precision. I would also like to thank Alex, my sales rep. He did an amazing job dealing with my million questions and getting my move set up. I was very pleased with the move. They were on time, did a great job and all of my stuff was delivered with no damage or missing items.

I have used movers in the past and I have to say that IVL has been the best so far. Make sure you request a virtual tour and speak with the right people there. It’s good to know that there are still good moving companies out there and they have my business for life.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $7000

International Van Lines handled my move from New York to Miami back in early Jan of 2023. I did not have a chance to leave any feedback, but I'm happy to because it was a job well done. They sold me on a specific service, including quicker transit time, full packing, and shipping two cars. They got the job done on time and without incident. I have hired moving companies in the past and had a few good and bad experiences. My case with IVL was great! They did everything they claimed they would and even went above and beyond. They provided excellent customer service and were always quick to pick up the phone and answer all my questions. I don't plan on moving anytime in the near future, but if I do, I would hire IVL again. Also, I would like to give a huge shout-out to Daisja, Sean, and Jason, who were all very pleasant to deal with and made me feel comfortable.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $8000

I thought International Van Lines did great with my move, hence the excellent star rating. The cost was good, communication great and the move itself went according to the plan. My sales agent, Veronica, was awesome, and she showed that she cared, unlike other moving companies that were pushing me for money. We received everything with nothing missing or damaged, minus a scratch on one of my dining chairs. They did reach out to fix the problem, but honestly, I did not want to deal with it. All in all, they did a great job, and we had a good experience, so I would plan on using them again.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $7500

Hired to move me from Philly to South Florida, and it was an absolute nightmare.

Instead of moving my stuff to the proper address, they dumped everything in a warehouse somewhere for almost two months. Apparently, it wasn’t climate-controlled:

o My rug had a huge moisture stain (picture)

o And there were hideous yellow stains on my entertainment center (picture)

It gets worse – they also can’t pack or move things properly.

They broke my mirror by basically packing glass in tissue paper (picture)

They broke my TV – the Best Buy repair team said it was not fixable because somebody put something heavy on the screen and broke it. These people are supposed to be professional movers, and they literally put something so heavy on top of a TV screen that they broke it (picture).

So, in a nutshell – I hired these guys to pack and transport my things professionally, and they disrespected my possessions.

Thousands of dollars in damage and an apathetic response when I contacted them.

Do not hire these guys to move your stuff. They broke and ruined so many of my things that the damages cost more than the move.

Avoid at all costs!!!! It’s not cheaper if they break your stuff!

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $5137

I hired IVL to move my mother across country. The sales person was on top of his game and very receptive to calls, texts and emails. The estimate was provided by doing a video of each room and announcing which items in each room would ship along with my estimate of how many boxes I would be self packing. The inventory changed many times but when we had a final list the price of the move was estimated and the date I needed those items at the new location was picked. Never was I told we won't make your date until after the bill of lading was signed..then I was told it could be 2-21 business days later. The movers showed up a day after promised. Surprised me that they were packing onto a truck and moving the load to another city to go on another truck. They also increased my cubic feet by 100 and charged for additional packaging that brought my new price, and out of pocket that day, up another $1000. They did a great job packing but during all of this I could not get a single call back or text from anyone who HAD been so reachable one day earlier. They left with our load on that Friday and my mother left to drive across country the next day. Then nothing. No word from anyone. A few days later when I finally got the one good employee to answer, they hadn't even left the trucking ccompany.I was told to be patient that dispatch had a lead on our load and would contact me. They NEVER did. A few days later on a Saturday night a driver calls to tell us he has our load and will be delivering the next day...a SSunday..to a retirement community with locked gates. Surprise. The company/ dispatch still hasn't even contacted us that our load has left. The driver showed up Sunday at 2pm (not the 8am he had said) did a great job unloading our move but surprise...he couldn't park close enough to the building so another $300 in cash was required. About the time they are unloading the move I got a text from some new person at IVL letting me know we'd be hearing soon from dispatch. Ha. Never heard another word from the company. Everything arrived in good condition but my angst during that week was sky high...one contact would have been so helpful. Had our money. Quit communicating.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $6300