International Van Lines

Hands down worst customer service I’ve ever experienced. I caught them in a lie about a “broken down truck” which wasn’t the actual case and once this was uncovered they didn’t respond to multiple emails or phones calls while they had all of our belongings on a truck somewhere and wouldn’t provide us any information. Truck was confirmed to arrive Monday and a one sentence email response said they were sorry they have been on the phone but it will be Wednesday or Thursday with no reason why. They rest on the “our contract says things can change and unfortunately they did” yet again no explanation. Just strange in 24 hours delivery shifted 3 days and not one person in customer service will respond and they lie to a paying customer. It is inherently clear they just want your money and hold your belongings hostage so you are put in a bad spot no matter what. They should be respectful they are carrying a full house of an individuals belonging and it is the right thing both legally and ethically to do to keep their customer updated on where their belongings are but instead they ignore multiple emails and phone calls. Our contact Jill B should be taken of out of her role seeing she is far from a customer service employee. Who knows when our stuff will arrive but I assure you if you want to be updated on your belongings, have a company that’s honest with you and reliable then choose someone else. No idea how they are ranked top 3 but their yelp rating is dead on!

Move size: 4+ Bedroom Home Service cost: $25000

I moved from Austin, Texas to Atlanta, GA last month. As you can imagine it was stressful and daunting with COVID and other things going on. Mike J. Did a great job and had patients with us. Their movers provided full packing and there were no surprises. Everything was delivered within 5 days and without damage. I was very very pleased with IVL. I don’t normally leave reviews but felt obligated in this case. I would use them again and suggest them to anyone moving out of state.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $6300

Working with IVL has definitively been the worst moving experience that I have endured. I would LOVE to give zero stars.

Moving across the country is stressful enough (especially with a toddler, during a pandemic, with a husband who is an essential worker, etc etc). Don't add additional stress to your move by hiring this company. You cannot trust what they say (if they happen to pick up the phone), they will bait and switch you on the pricing, and you will spend weeks of your life arguing with them over the semantics of their contract.

I found IVL through numerous sites that named them one of the best moving companies in the country for distance moves. In particular, they were lauded for price transparency. Perfect.

I hired them in early June for a late July move from San Francisco to New York City. I first spoke with [NAME EDIT] (sales guy), who answered all my questions and told me about the service. He was super helpful and nice, asked me to describe in detail what needed to be moved, and sent me a very detailed "binding" quote. I asked him numerous questions about delivery to ensure that our stuff would arrive on time. We were planning to spend 3 weeks with family on the way to NYC, and [NAME EDIT] assured me that should be PLENTY of time for our stuff to arrive. In fact, he said, they would have to put it in storage (free of charge!) because it will likely beat us to New York. To top things off, he gave me his cell phone number and encouraged me to call anytime, for anything. It was a fantastic sales experience, and I was excited to hire such a trustworthy company.. This was the only positive interaction I've had with IVL.

We were scheduled to move out of our SF place on July 11 at 9am ([NAME EDIT] assured me they would be there right at 9am). We had everything ready, sent our toddler to Grandma and Grampa's house for the weekend, and booked the loading dock. On the afternoon of July 10, a customer service rep called to say the movers would arrive between 2-4pm. She laughed when I said we had booked the 9am appointment more than a month prior, and said "Yeah..[NAME EDIT] likes to tell people that." We clearly didn't have a choice in the matter, so agreed.

On July 11, 2pm came, then 3pm, then 4pm.. No movers. We called every phone number we had, and no one answered. Finally, at 5pm, the movers called to say they were delayed (no kidding). They offered to reschedule for the following morning, and promised to arrive at 8am and give us a "significant discount" for the inconvenience. Fine.

On July 12, 8am came, then 9am, then 10am.. No movers. At nearly noon, they finally arrived. The guys who did the packing and loading seemed to do a great job. But after 7-8 hours of packing and getting everything into the loading dock, they told us that we weren't quoted correctly and we needed to sign a contract that we would pay 3x what we were quoted. After another hour, they agreed to weigh the truck and price it by weight. Fine.

Throughout all of this, I called the cell phone number that Mike Jacobs had given me, and no one answered. No one in the office answered their phones or responded to emails. We felt like we were being held hostage, with all our belongings on their truck and NO ONE telling us what was happening.

Finally, we get a new quote, based on weight. We agreed that it was fair - about 1.6x what we were quoted, with clear math to back it up. We are thinking now that we can just get our stuff delivered and move on from this.

Wrong!

We are now 3 days out from our move-in date (the one that [NAME EDIT] had said would be "no problem" because our truck would "likely beat you to NYC") and were just informed that our stuff has not even left the west coast. Once again, no one is answering their phones and no one is giving us any information. We have reached out to the complaints department, customer service, TO THE CEO, and literally every other phone number or email that we can find. No one seems to care. Frankly, I think this is a daily experience with this company's customers, and they do not care because they are still cashing checks.

I don't expect any of our stuff will arrive this week, let alone this month. Don't make the same mistake that we did. Do not hire this company.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $3000

This is the first time in my 42 years of life that I have ever written a review.. but I have gone through such a terrible experience with this company that cost us thousands that I wanted to take a minute to share this in hopes of helping another family avoid the same scenario I have been in. I did my research before moving from TX to CO. I did calls with 5 of the "top moving companies" and landed on this one based on the estimate and the delivery time. The estimate was based on going room to room through the house and the delivery was based on mileage. I have now been in CO for 2 weeks.. not only has the moving truck not left Texas (which I was originally told it would be here a week ago) but no one will tell me when it is coming. So I'm stuck paying a fortune for hotel rooms with no end in sight. Similarly, my original estimate and my final inventory was the difference of 30 boxes (which I realize is a decent amount) - but the sales guy apparently didn't ask enough questions about furniture sizing because there was no furniture that wasn't accounted for but my estimate went from $8,700 to just under $15,000 (told the night before the move). While the people here are friendly, the accuracy, the "sale", is so unbelievably inaccurate it is actually shocking. I advise you to NOT use this company (International Van Lines/American Knights Moving) unless time and money are not an object for you. Again, I'm not one to leave reviews (this is my first), but in all my years I've never had a worse experience with a company.

Move size: 4+ Bedroom Home Service cost: $15000

This company has horrible customer service. They will lie to you on the phone and tell you it will only take 3-7 days for your stuff to arrive. They will also lie about what day your stuff is being picked up and make you wait for 8 hours before they return any form of communication to tell you when delivery will actually be. They will then place your items in storage, and wait for the last possible moment before they deliver them. If you ask them for updates about when your stuff is arriving, they will ignore phone calls, emails, etc. They know that they have all the power and that there are no "guaranteed" delivery dates. So technically they could legally wait 6 months or 3 years to deliver your things and you would have no way to get them back. DO NOT TRUST THIS COMPANY EVER.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $3000

By far the worst moving company i've ever used in Twenty years. I move every three years and decided to use IVL for my cross country move and I really wish I didn't

This company is unethical with a serious lack of customer service. once you give them your deposit your S.O.L. the account manager will not return any calls. everything is through text messages. They price your move one way and then after loading you up they ask for another 1500 for a 2 bedroom apartment. I'm paying 7,300 for this move, treated horribly and cannot get an update on when my stuff will arrive. Even though they had it for a week. I cannot even make my payment as they promised even though I have written proof that they agreed to it. You only get run arounds if you do get ahold of someone. They don't update notes in your file so you have to keep having to relay the same info over and over.

Moving is stressful, especially for going cross country. I would highly recommend you stay away from IVL since they have no respect for there customers and only look to rip you off.

My move isn't even complete and I have no confidence this company can complete it without finding more ways to rack up costs.

It would be nice if IVL could do at least one thing they promised when they recieved my business but have serious doubts.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $7300

Consumer beware. I paid over 10,000 for a small move (meaning only 2 bedrooms , 1 couch, chair and boxes so not a larger move). The quoted priced changed the day they loaded my items on the truck by 2000.00 yes I said 2000.00, they then charged a shuttle fee of over 1100.00 because they claim 18 wheeler couldn't get into my neighborhood even though the day they moved my items an 18 wheeler parked right next to their moving truck. They also lost around 6 boxes all kitchen boxes and my items were combined with other clients belongings during a pandemic. Please do your research and don't let the big name fool you. Route 66 movers was by far the best move that I have ever had and I have moved a lot. Please do not use IVL for anything. I also shipped a care withe them and that too was a nightmare. Do your research check with BBB and other consumer review areas and go with a smaller company that is reputable and actually cares about the client. Good luck with your move! Again never use IVL!!

Vehicle: suv mercedes Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $12000

My move from California to Florida has been booked for over a month. On Friday, I received an email confirmation stating that the movers would arrive the following day between 10-2. I paid the city to block off street parking in front of my building to accommodate this. I arranged for my toddler and dog to be watched. Movers no-call-no-showed. I had to track down the local company IVL contracted and contact them because nobody from IVL would answer a phone. They say IVL booked the move for the NEXT day. I have a 6 day drive ahead of me with hotels booked along the way. Lost that money for the first night. IVL calls me at 5:15 saying something about a truck getting towed, my move will happen tomorrow. Official arrival window is now 1-3, but “is it okay if they arrive and get started early? 11 or 12?”

Guess what happened the next day. No movers, no update calls, all the numbers I have go straight to voicemail. I’m in actual legal jeopardy now because I have to be out of my apartment; there is a new tenant moving in in 2 days.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $3800

We hired them to move from Michigan to California. We were provided minimal detail leading up to the day, when we were met with 2 men with a budget rental truck and a paper contract for us to fill out while they packed our stuff. When we finally received contact from the driver, days after we were told and with none of the requested contacts from the company, we were informed that they had our items on a full sized semi truck, and asked if they could park it at our new home. When we advised there was no space for such a large vehicle, we were suddenly told it would be another $800 for them to "shuttle" or items, which involved another rental truck. None of the provided paperwork mentioned such a charge, and they took most of the paperwork back after delivery, without providing us with our own copies. After delivery we noticed items were missing, and had been advised to contact the representative we had worked with previously. But after nearly two months and multiple calls to different people in the company we've had no contact, no explanation, nothing. I would recommend staying as far from this company as possible.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $8035

We hired IVL for our move from OH to NJ in July ‘20. It was a complete nightmare. I have listed my experience in detail below in various areas. Hoping it will help others to absolutely NOT hire them.

1. Firstly they tie up with another moving company American knights. This was never told to us at the time of estimate and paying the deposit. Only on the day of our move, we got to know about another company involved. This was painful coz we had to coordinate with 2 companies now for our move and issues and they both were passing the ball around and none of them taking responsibility.

2. Actual cost double the initial Estimate – They charged us almost double the initial estimate cost. The estimate quoted to us by IVL was incorrect and completely off mark.

On the day of loading of our stuff, once all the stuff was loaded They told us the amount of our move will be almost double the estimate. We were completely shocked. On highlighting the issue to IVL, we were given a cold reply from Account manager saying that they can unload the stuff if we don’t agree with the price. After pursuing with her and asking to speak to a senior manager we were connected with the Compliance manager. We were on the call with her for almost 2 hours. The issue was trying to coordinate between American knights and IVL for the increase in cost. IVL didn’t give us logical explanation to the increase in cost. IVL asked us to pay the higher amount on the condition that next week they will review the documents from American knights and provide a reconciliation of the increase in cost. And if the cost is unreasonable they will refund the extra charge to us. After all our stuff being loaded, and being on phone for 2-3 hours we were left with no option but to trust them and pay the higher amount.

It’s been 2 months for our Move now, and we are still waiting for that reconciliation for higher cost. We didn’t get any refund / adjustment in price.

3. No covid safety procedures - When asked about COVID procedures / impact during estimate process, we were told from IVL that company will be taking adequate safety procedures like wearing masks & gloves. However, none of the packers were wearing masks or gloves. This is so unsafe and highly unacceptable.

4. Poor Quality of packing, assembly, Re-assembly – Majority of the boxes were not labelled by the packers at all. This made it really challenging for us to identify the areas where they belonged to. There were multiple kitchen items which were broken and few items never came. They also misplaced the nails for the dining table due to which it could not be assembled. It was so risky the way they used some odd tools which they had and assembled it somehow. But it’s so shaky! Also, they just left the master mattress on the floor after assembling the bed. Just because I didn’t check the master bedroom, they just left without putting it on the bed.

4. Delay in receiving our stuff and lack of communication - Firstly, there was confusion on when the truck will arrive in Ohio for loading. I was communicated 2 dates by 2 different individuals until they spoke and came back with the correct date. This happened in the evening the day before the initial date of truck arrival.

Secondly, once the truck left from OH, there was nil communication from IVL on the estimate arrival of stuff. When I called on the expected delivery date, there was no clarity and no effort on the part of IVL to provide any clarity. Moreover, they just included American knights moving contacts to give an update. I had hired IVL and not American knights moving and expected updates from IVL. After a point it was me interacting with American knights with IVL nowhere in the picture. We were initially told from

American knights said that our stuff will reach in 3-4 days and it took almost 21 days!! But IVL didn’t take any responsibility and they said legally our stuff can take about 21 business days. This was horrible as we had to make arrangements for staying in a vacant house without any household items.

Move size: 4 Bedroom Home Service cost: $11000

I have had a nightmarish experience with International Van Lines.

On August 10, 2020, I contracted an international "door to door" move of all my family's belongings from California to Ecuador. Our property was loaded onto a shipping container by the moving company on September 10. As of December 15, 2020 we have not received our shipment, and IVL does not have an estimated delivery date and we received a fine from customs because IVL abandoned our importation process.

We have hired a lawyer and investigator and uncovered multiple errors during the importation and shipping process that have caused more than 70 days of delays and fees to third parties of over $150 per day. We have incurred more than $15000 in storage fees to date and will likely incur an additional $10000 in expenses to recover our property. International Van Lines has consistently obfuscated their errors including when they violated their agent's policies ordering the container shipped before receiving approval from their agents an Ecuadorian Customs, thus causing tens of thousands of dollars in additional damages to me, the customer.

Vehicle: Volkswagen Tiguan Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $25000

Made the move so much more stressful than it should have been. Charged over double what the quote was (booked through International Van Lines but they contract it out to a 3rd party who was terrible and rude) but once they have your non refundable deposit you are stuck with them and screwed. Had 3 pieces of large furniture broken and many small items broken as well as missing items. We also received 6 large boxes of someone else's stuff. Have not rec'd any insurance settlement and what they are supposed to pay was a joke anyway. To top it off they were extremely rude and threatening. Do yourself a favor and skip this company and a lot of headaches!

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $8000

I was willing to pay more for what I hoped would be a stress-free experience. Arthur, my point person, promised a smooth process. In the end, the movers broke 23 items, with a value of $3000. IVL wanted to refund only $200. The payment was a mess. And it took over 8 weeks to get a final invoice, and 4 weeks for the refund process to begin. I was told that I would have support throughout the process yet Arthur disappeared after the first payment went through. I have moved many times in my adult life. I understand that moving is stressful and that there may be a few items broken. This was just a pure disaster on all levels. It's too bad as the individuals at IVL generally seemed to be nice people. However, nice did not translate into a good or worthwhile experience in this case.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $6400

IVL contracted with a local company, YRC to pick up my packages as I was moving to Europe. I had to leave my apartment on a Sunday, and the move was scheduled Friday.

When Friday rolls around, the shipper pushes the pickup window multiple times. On my final call to dispatch, it turns out the driver marked the pickup as complete and left for the day. YRC apparently does not do business over the weekend, dispatch had left, so I was left with a bunch of boxes that had to be moved by Sunday, but couldn't be moved until Monday. I immediately rescheduled for Monday.

When I attempted to call the rep handling my account, I called his office and personal line, and I also called IVLs customer service line. I received no answer, nor return call, in spite of leaving messages about my plight.

On Monday, YRC once again pushed the date to Tuesday, when they finally picked it up 4 full days late.

I took this to IVL and requested some compensation. They denied any responsibility, since all they had done was scheduled it - how could they have done anything wrong?! Their policy is not to provide any compensation for unforeseen delays. Just the foreseen delays, I guess.

I went back and forth about this with them, until they strong armed me, saying that I could either pay, or pick up or have some other shipper pick up my stuff from its locations 1000 miles away from its original location, and 10000 miles away from me.

So, since I paid full price for a discount rate service, I bring this to you - If you need to move internationally, look elsewhere.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $1800

I recently used IVL to relocate from St. Louis to Boston. Their quotation was higher than others but since my company was reimbursing me the cost, I decided to use a higher rated company. The whole experience has not been positive after I paid the 25% deposit. My moving rep was slow to respond to questions and to my request for estimate updates. The subcontractors who came to actually perform the work did not do a good job. Many broken items after we unpacked and at times items were just jammed into the box. The auto carrier was a nightmare as well. Didn't show up on the date as promised so I had to leave my car with my friend. And then the car was delivered 2 days ahead the earliest delivery date (since we haven't arrived yet). This was a stressful experience and not worth the money we had paid for this service. I would NOT recommend IVL to anyone who is looking to move across the country.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $11100

I wish I could give this company 0 stars. My experience was a nightmare. I was quoted one price based on the amount and size of my items and then charged another (double!!!!) when the movers actually showed up.

One group of movers yelled at me upon arrival to the drop-off storage location and said he "refused to do the job" based on the location of the storage unit. Multiple items were also destroyed during the move.

Calls and emails went ignored by IVL for WEEKS even after being told a refund decision (in my favor) would be made quickly. I was then told to contact the carrier even though I had only ever spoken to people at IVL.

This was an absolute disaster from start to finish and I cannot emphasize enough that you should avoid this company at all costs.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $9800

NEGATIVE STARS!!!! Worst experience with a moving company that we have ever had. READ all the poor reviews: I can attest that the reviewers are speaking honestly about their experience with IVL, because that was our experience as well. Once we signed the contract, we could not get a hold of ANYONE via phone or e-mail. They would not respond. They hired a sub-contractor to do the move, and it cost us $7,000 more than what was quoted. Pieces of furniture were destroyed in the move (a chair, and coffee table), and others seriously damaged - the worst being a quarter sized chunk of wood being gouged out of the top of my formal dining room table (mahogany) , dents, scratches and chips to master bedroom furniture (also mahogany), and the top of my dryer looks like someone danced on it, it's so dented. We were told that we could expect delivery on our items in a three day window, but the contracted moving service stated that they had 30 days to deliver our things so they could not guarantee the delivery window that IVL gave us. Fortunately we did get our things delivered only two days after the window of delivery we were originally given. I would NEVER recommend IVL - EVER!!!! The ONLY positive experience was with my car which we had them transport from Colorado to Alabama. We were able to communicate with that division by phone (they would actually pick up instead of the calls going to voice mail - or call back in a timely manner), and everything went smoothly. Overall, I highly suggest you go with another moving company as IVL was not worth the money they charged or the stress we incurred.

Move size: 4 Bedroom Home Service cost: $19000