Midwestern Van Lines

DO NOT USE THIS MOVING COMPANY. They use deceptive business practices, contract out to other companies to perform your actual move who are not employees of the company (I doubt they even screen them), and have HORRIBLE customer service once they get their deposit. This is the WORST experience I have EVER had with a moving company.

I will say my moving experience with this company started out decent but has since been awful. I was careful to compare quotes and they were the best value for my move from Minnesota to Pennsylvania especially because it qualified as a “piggyback move,” which meant we would be the last smaller pickup on a truck already headed in our direction, or so we thought.

The salesperson took the time to answer all of my questions stemming from concerns from my research on how to select moving companies from the internet. One was regarding moving companies not offering an in-home estimate before the move and when I asked repeatedly for them to provide their own in-home estimate ahead of time, this was never provided. Instead, he just used another company's in-home estimate to adjust mine. Another concern was companies hiring out contractors who are not employees of the company to perform the actual move. However, I was assured that since they had a location in Minnesota and Pennsylvania, the people doing my move would be employees of the company with a Midwestern truck and they do not contract out.

When we got closer to the move window (Sunday, June 10th-Tuesday, June 12th), I did not hear anything about the actual date until Friday, June 8th and was just told in a voicemail they would be there Monday, June 11th. We had no idea what time frame. I contacted people all weekend to try to get a sense of what time that Monday they would be coming, and we packed mindlessly on Sunday not knowing if they would come first thing in the morning or in the evening. I did not hear back until Monday morning from the salesperson who just said it was strange they didn't give a time frame and he said he would contact me back. He never did. Finally, I heard from dispatch late morning and when I said I was irritated because I did not know what time they were coming, he just said he left a message and that no one works over the weekend, and was rude and rushing me off the phone. He then stated the person doing the move got held up late at a move Sunday night and they wouldn't be coming until the next day, Tuesday. We were given a time frame of noon to 2pm. I was contacted late Monday night by the mover who had just flown in from Atlanta to confirm the time. I hurried home from a prior commitment that morning to make sure I’d be home in time and it got to be past 2:30pm. I contacted the mover and he asked if we were ready for them. I irritably answered that we’d been ready for quite some time and he said he’d be there in 1-1.5 hours because he was not provided with a truck or supplies when he came in to town and had to pick these things up. He ended up using 5 total people including himself to perform the move to get it done quicker and sent the first 3 people ahead of him who were in a Penske rental truck. They began to pack the stuff but couldn’t load it until the person in charge arrived, which was well after 6pm. NONE of these 5 people were Midwestern employees. The person in charge was clearly contracted out and had been flown in from Atlanta. He was wearing a shirt with the name of his local moving company in Atlanta and had rounded people he knew from Miami to help. He said Midwestern contacted him the Friday before begging him to take this move because there was already a truck in Minnesota but those movers had been on the road for 30+ days straight with no breaks. When he and the other workers arrived in Minnesota, they were not provided with a truck or packing supplies and he was emailed the Midwestern logo so he could print it out to put on a shirt to make it appear as if he was a Midwestern employee. Throughout the pickup, they were extremely unprofessional. The person in charge of the move constantly swore at the other movers, made multiple phone calls where he yelled and swore at the people he was on the phone with, emphasized throughout the move that they were hoping for a tip (which is illegal), and joked about how other customers are “too trusting” because they leave their valuables like expensive jewelry and credit cards lying around, pretty much insinuating that they take advantage of this. The movers even ended up in an altercation with one of my neighbors, which I did not see but apparently it was the neighbor’s fault. At the end of the move, there was of course more than $750 added to the total cost because I had “more stuff than was documented” (something that would not have been such an issue had they provided an in-home estimate close to my date). They also nickel and dime you. For example, I got charged for the number of rolls of tape they use! TAPE! Extra $70! On top of that, he kept asking me if I could pay the remaining balance in cash and tip in cash because Midwestern did not provide him with enough money for the things he needed to purchase (e.g., rental truck and packing supplies), he had to cancel another move, and is low on cash and needs it to get through the next few days until he can get funds from the company. Extremely unprofessional and not my problem. My husband refused to give them cash saying we don’t have cash lying around like that and he acted irritated about that. They did not leave my apartment until 10pm and then I received a text early morning the next day with a bunch of attached pictures with my paperwork because they had taken all of the copies of my paperwork including inventory and bill of lading so I have none of my paperwork.

Fast forward to delivery. I indicated a first available date of delivery of June 16th, anticipating, especially since this was a piggy back move, that I would have my stuff before I started my new job on Monday, July 2nd. I used the track my move feature on the internet and as of June 28th (16 days after my stuff was picked up), it indicated that my belongings were still awaiting to be loaded on the first available truck. I then get a call on Monday, July 9th in the middle of the day while I’m at work from dispatch stating my things were in transit, it would be 2 to 7 days, and the driver will call me 24 hours before. I was also told my balance was over $300 more than it actually was. Turns out they did not account for the additional money I had paid on pickup after the final estimate was given. He asked if I had any questions and I noted I’m at work but would like a direct line to reach him and he rudely kept trying to rush me off the phone and ask why I needed a direct line. I said to ask any other questions I have and I’m at work right now and can’t have a conversation. He told me to just call the general moving company number and didn’t care when I told him that I’ve called that number before, it always goes to voicemail, and I don’t get a call back. I contacted customer service later that day stating my bill is more than it should be and I unleashed all of my complaints with the delay in delivery and the unprofessionalism of the movers that were contracted out. She stated I would be contacted by billing with the breakdown of my bill, that she would contact upper management to see what can be done about my experience, that she would call dispatch to get an estimate of the exact day the delivery people would be there, and that she would call me back the following day. The next morning (Tues, July 9th), I get a call stating that he is with “the moving company” and will be there this afternoon to deliver my stuff. I explained I was contacted yesterday and was told 2 to 7 business days and that I would receive 24 hour notice and he noted that when he received a call to do the move, it sounded rushed and he was getting it out of storage. I explained I’m at work, just started a new job, and won’t be off until 4pm. He stated he would be there around 5pm. I also get an email from billing with the correct balance I still owe. Interesting that the day after I complained, now all of a sudden my balance does account for the additional money I already paid and now someone is delivering my stuff that day. When it gets to almost 6pm, I call back and it goes to voicemail. He calls back to let me know he was doing another job but he’s 3 ½ hours from my location and should be there between 10 and 12 and asked if this is okay? I clarified that he was asking if they could come between 10pm and midnight and he said yes, but you have a small move and we promise to get it done quickly. When I said I do not feel comfortable with that because it’s late, I have work in the morning, and I live on a very busy street in the city so there likely won’t even be parking and there are people walking up and down the street, he begged me to let him do it this evening because it has to be done today. Mind you, today is the 16th business day (the estimated time for a move of my distance is 4-16 business days per the contract) and he keeps on pushing it has to be done today. When I continued to emphasize I wasn’t okay with them getting there that late, he said he could deliver first thing in the morning around 7am. He also told me the balance had to be paid in cash even though my contract clearly states cash or a USPS postal order and I plan to do a postal order because I do not have cash and don’t anyone affiliated with the company at this point. He begged for at least half of my balance to be in cash because he needs the cash to pay for diesel, etc. Sound familiar? Same tune that pickup movers were singing. I asked him if he was an employee of the company or if he is contracted out and had multiple questions about what is happening and why it needs to be done today. He stated they are a company that is contracted to do the move and couldn’t answer any of my questions because he just does delivery. I am livid. This is beyond unprofessional asking if my stuff can be delivered at 11pm at night, stating he has to deliver today, and trying to ask me to do cash instead of a postal order because he needs the money.

I guess we’ll see what happens when they actually deliver my stuff but based on my conversation with the people delivering, this review won’t get any better. RUN from this company and choose another one. I would rather have done it myself.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $3000

Final bill was almost double the estimate. I gave an exact box count and measurements on furniture. I even moved and sold some items. Right in the Email I was told the cost would go down. They showed up 2.5 days late which causes closing on our home to be delayed. They sent the wrong sized truck and only the driver and two loaders and they showed up at 5PM and looked worn out and smelled. They did not move me, but kept my deposit, which is now in dispute with the credit card company. They don’t respond to phone calls, Emails and do not return messages. I’m filing a complaint with the Missouri Attorney General and the Better Business Bureau. I would not recommend doing business with this company. I post this in hopes of savings others all the headaches associated with them.

Move size: 4 Bedroom Home Service cost: $13000

Worse company to deal with and I wish I would have read the reviews here first before arranging my move with this company. The sales lady Brooke convinced me that they are best in class and that they will help me to move with no issues..blablabla. The pick up was fine, the guys show up on time, but then the disaster started. I told them that I need to have my stuff by a certain date, because I am going on vacation and Brooke convinced me that this would not be a problem. Of course they did not deliver and no one was in contact me. After my vacation I start to contact the company, wrote emails, left several voice messages, my several calls did only get answered on day 4. They could not give me a delivery window at all and said always "you need to wait till a driver is assigned".
After 5.5 weeks my furniture finally got delivered. The guys again were very nice.
But also be careful: they are charging for every little thing extra AFTER the offer. I ended up paying 750 $ more than they offered me.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $4500

DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!!
I have moved 13 times in my life. This was the worst experience by 10 fold. The cost started at $4500, then went to $6200, when they arrived At 6:30 at night, the cost was $11,200.
The driver was arrogant and condescending. They finally finished at 3:30 in the morning. We have called to talk to the, "senior moving consultant," and our calls go to voice mail. And guess what, he NEVER calls back. The same is true with e-mail. We have called customer service, this to goes to voice mail and again no one calls back. We were told our furniture would be delivered in 3 to 7 business days. That was a lie! I am filing a report with the BBB, and more importantly, the Attorney General. I suggest all others who have been swindled by this Company to do the same.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $11200

DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY! The sales staff will pressure you to put in a down payment and quote you a really good rate, but then do the whole bait and switch thing. I was quoted for 500 cubic feet at $2,516 with 21 items, 66 pieces with 25 boxes. When the movers came they charged me for 900 cubic feet at $4,797. I did have 5 additional items to add including a dog igloo, bike, garbage can, end table, and a broom. I knew I would have to pay a little more, but $2,000 more is ridiculous. Also, I only ended up having 10 boxes and not 25 boxes but was still charged for them. Also, they charge you for all the tape they use wrapping all the furniture and they charge additional for going up and down the stairs. Lastly, if your belongings have to move to another truck during the move it will be charged an additional handling fee! This company is a joke and should not be in business! I've tried calling my salesman and he won't return my calls. What happened to being honest and fair, all of us are people trying to make a living and get by. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $4797

I want to provide warning to future consumers that this company is a nightmare to work with. I have used other movers twice before this and had good experiences, but this company for my move from MN to SC has been a nightmare. I received a quote from Sam Stone (Senior moving consultant) and he initially called back when I had questions UNTIL after the pick up date and then the problems started.
1. The price on my quote increased on the date of pick up when the movers showed up saying that the amount of stuff I had was higher than expected and I had to pay extra. I had already paid the deposit and there were really no good options on the day of the move to cancel these movers because they would not refund deposit and I had booked my travel to my new place.
2. After they picked up my goods on June 23rd, I was available to receive my belongings on June 25th. The initial estimate when I paid the deposit stated it may take up to 16 Business days for a move (since it was 1200 miles). Today is July 20th and it has been 20 business days (total 28 days) since they picked up my shipment and they have not even given a delivery date yet!!
3. I have called customer service and they have been completely unhelpful and say they cannot provide an expected delivery date since "driver is not yet assigned for my shipment yet"! There is no accountable person in this company. The sales rep Sam Stone has been unreachable since they picked up my goods. I have already paid 2/3rd the price and have no idea when my items will reach me.
4. They send you to a website "movingclaims.net" which has "track my shipment" option and I have requested a tracking update 6 times in the last 3 weeks and have received NO response and this is supposed to be the claims company for Midwestern, which is a joke since they are equally unresponsive.

I am still waiting for my items to be delivered and not sure what problems they will create during that time!

I advise any potential customers to be wary and even if you pay a few hundred dollars more, please use a reputable national moving company and avoid headaches since your final price will invariably increase from the quote and you will have to deals with all these issues.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $2900

Initially, these guys seemed great. The sales representative, Mark Lawrence, was very nice, accomodating, and worked hard to get us a great "deal".
Fast forward to moving day:
- Our digital camera and a firearm "went missing" while the movers were there. The firearm was separated in a pile of stuff that wasn't going on the truck, and the movers were clearly instructed that nothing in that pile was going with them, and that they should not touch anything in that pile. (For the record, the firearm was in an unmarked case, not just laying out in the open.) The camera was sitting on a shelf next to a pair of binoculars that didn't disappear. When I asked the movers about it, they first said they hadn't seen them, and then said that "maybe we packed them," even though they had not packed any of the boxes (I had packed and taped all of the boxes previously).
- Our estimated cost more than doubled from around $4,000 to $9,700. The contract said that they should given us a new estimate if we were going to go over the allotted space. The movers had not given us a new estimate verbally or in writing before they loaded, but they did hear my husband say he expected it would be an extra $600 or so, and they did not disagree with that. When they had finished loading the truck and finally told us the new expected cost, it was after 10pm. We asked if we could take out some of the boxes or furniture we didn't really need, and they said if they unloaded anything it would take until 6am AND we'd be charged an unloading fee.
- I've left multiple voicemails and emailed, and on the rare occasion I get to speak to someone, they just keep telling me that a "supervisor" will call me back within 24-48 hours. This has been going on for 3 days already. When I spoke to a customer service agent this morning, she told me that ALL of the supervisors were "at lunch."
- There are now gouges, scratches, and scuffs all over my walls where they were apparently playing bumper cars with my furniture. I'm worried about how it will all look when (if?) we ever get it delivered.
This is before I even know how long it's going to take to get my stuff back or what shape it'll be in by the time it does arrive. At this point, I would honestly rather have sold or donated everything we own than deal with this company ever again. Shoot, I would rather buy a moving van, pack it full of our stuff, push it the 2500 miles to our destination, and then light it on fire than deal with these guys again. If I had a time machine and could only make one trip, I would have to think long and hard to decide between going back to assassinate Hitler, or going back to warn myself not to ever contact this company. If you're thinking of using them to move, save yourself some stress and money, and go with LITERALLY any other company. This has been an awful experience so far; if they offer ANY redeeming qualities as it goes on, I will absolutely update this review, but I don't have high hopes.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $9700

I paid $4k for "white glove" service with this company and not only did the movers drop two boxes in front of me when loading (which clearly and largely had FRAGILE written all over them), they "professionally" wrapped our flat screen TV which we paid extra to have done and it arrived split in two. They literally managed to split the entire (very thin!) flat screen open! our bed frame was damaged on one side and a piece was broken off on the end. One of the boxes they dropped was full of shattered glass from a picture that had been well wrapped. The drivers that delivered the stuff cringed when they saw the TV and bed frame and heard the shattered glass and said "i would take pictures of that". They also left without notifying my husband. They did not deliver the furniture to the room and re-assemble it like they were supposed to, nor did they leave paperwork. Since I could not afford the extra $1k for insurance to cover this "professional white glove service", I get nothing for the flat screen TV they broke. I will now have to pay out another $1k to replace it. I reached out to the company when this all happened and they sent me a link to a Claims department which has taken 3 months to even process my claim and for what? I may get back $100. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!!

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $4000

So glad that I actually did NOT use this company for my move. The coordinator I spoke with was nice enough so I felt alright. I got a lower quote from some other company. Midwestern initially said they would price-match, but they conveniently found a way to tell me that the other company wasn't 'legitimate enough', but they would at least lower their initial estimate a bit. Whatever, that's fine. I decide to go ahead and place a deposit on the move (about $1000). Big mistake!

I do a little more research and find a different company I would rather go with. I let Midwestern know and they start their song and dance as expected, but I let them know that I've made up my mind and it is what it is. The coordinator is obviously disappointed that she isn't going to receive her commission, but reluctantly accepts and let's me know that whatever department that handles the exits will be contacting me. OK, fine. I expected this as well - final tactics to keep my business.

Unfortunately the guy that ended up calling me is officially on my top ten for least professional people I've had to deal with. Immediately starts off the conversation by telling me that they're not refunding my deposit because it is too late, they need at least 7 business days before the move, and also says I have a binding agreement online. How do I have an agreement online when I gave my CC info over the phone and never signed their credit card authorization form (this is probably the crux of their scam)? Dude says it doesn't matter, it was an agreement because my IP address was logged, and then begins to rattle of my IP address like I'm some kind of idiot and any of that actually matters. I asked him what that actually matters since I never signed the authorization form! He said it still doesn't matter, but if I have decided to do business with a "real" company with "real" DOT numbers then maybe they will price match with them (he's talking to me like I'm seriously stupid). I reminded him that today is 7/26 and my move isn't until 8/31, and that is much longer time than 7 days and he IMMEDIATELY backpedals. I think he was thinking my move was on 7/31, so it didn't matter what he said or how he treated me because they already got at least some of my money. He says he'll issue a refund for my deposit and I'll see it within 4-6 business days (we'll see if that actually happens, if not we are in for a fun ride) and then attempts to hang up the phone. I hear him on the other end curse a bit, so I let him know that he must have forgotten how to operate a phone and is still on the line and I don't appreciate how he was trying to hardball me. He hangs up.

Guys - if your moving company doesn't know how to use a phone OR a calendar, steer clear. Seriously, find a different company than Midwestern.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $2700

Still haven't received items. Do not use this company. Please file complaints to get them shut down. If you feel you have been a victim of fraud by a moving company, moving broker or auto transporter, you can file a complaint with the FMCSA with our online complaint tool or by calling 1-888-DOT-SAFT (1-888-368-7238) between the hours of 8:00 am and 8:00 pm Monday through Friday Eastern Time. Your complaint may trigger a Federal enforcement investigation against the mover.

File a Complaint.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $3000