Northern Elite Van Lines

These people are the most dishonest group I have ever had the misfortune to deal with. They are not a moving company but a broker regardless of what they tell you. The girl that takes your quote, Kiersten, comes across as a new employee and pretends to keep asking her manager questions, coming back with a fabulous quote just by asking you what is in your house sight unseen (My mistake there). Jennifer, the shipping person, keeps in touch with you right until your stuff is picked up and then barely answers your calls. When they did come for my items the truck was too small and I had to throw things out or leave them behind, and then to rub salt in the wound, they doubled the price of my move...YES DOUBLED!!! I'm lucky enough to be able to have that money to pay, whereas most who're in the middle of a move don't, and could risk delaying a closing date and losing a house sale; They know they've got you by the throat, and boy to they use that to their advantage. I had at least 6 calls and messages to them with no answer. I did get 30 days free storage which is the only positive thing I can mention about the whole experience. After calling for my delivery date I was ignored twice then finally got in touch with them. They told me my stuff left the night before which was a Wednesday and said 3-4 days before it reached my state, but since I was the last delivery I wouldn't get my stuff till late that week. I got a call that Friday night from the driver saying he would be there Saturday morning at 9am and told me I had to have the balance in CASH or MONEY ORDER.....somehow I feel the IRS may not know about this YET!!! Once they got here all they did was complain about how heavy my furniture was and extorted another $200 out of me for bringing my stuff upstairs even though they were fully aware I was on the 3rd floor since the beginning of the contract, and they threatened to leave my things on the street if I didn't pay. They ended up only bringing about 30% of my things upstairs, and the rest of my stuff had to be put into storage that was paid for on MY dime. At least 10% of the storage boxes were completely smashed and some stereo equipment was broken. Not one of the trucking employees I met in person was an employee...all were contractors. I got a text later that night explaining my furniture would be delivered in 3 days even though it was already in my possession. If I could write words worse than "horrible" and "dishonest" without getting this review flagged, that is the description I would give this company.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $9000

I was really nervous when we first started looking for movers - these guys made the process a lot less stressful. I was really nervous I would get overcharged after hearing stories from my neighbors. Chris answered all of my questions and made me feel at ease. When the guys showed up, they worked very hard and they were very respectful. They packed the truck up tightly and carefully within a few hours and we received our belongings 5 days later in Bradenton. Would recommend and I have also referred them to my neighbors who are moving.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $4000

When prepping for a cross-country move, I did a lot of research into moving options. When I decided to book with this company, it was pitched as a family-like business that gave me direct access to agents who would help answer any questions I had from the initial booking to the arrival of our things. My experience could not be further from that. The company does not value communication or the experience of a customer, and I received more misinformation than accurate details every time I spoke with the customer service team.

The summer is a busy time to move. Because of that, we were given a three-day window when the moving truck might arrive on the front end of the move. I was told we would get confirmation on the business day prior to that three day window, alerting us to when we should expect the truck. That didn’t happen. I called my agent at the company, and he said our schedule was set for the second of the three days, so I booked flights for my family on the third day.

One day before the move was scheduled to take place, I received word that the actual move was happening one day later. I had to scramble to rebook flights and hotels in order to accommodate this change. My agent, Chris, said he didn’t remember communicating the date to me, despite it being written in our text exchange earlier. No one from the company apologized, and instead they doubled down saying that it was within their contract to arrive on any of the three days quoted initially. A fraction of our remaining balance was removed, but it did not even cover the changes to our flights, let alone the emotional toll of rescheduling our first flight with an infant during Covid.

I was told that we would receive news when our things left the East Coast. That didn’t happen. I had to call the customer service hotline multiple times, where I was informed that our things were in a warehouse in New Jersey awaiting shipment. Ten days after our things were packed up in Boston, customer service alerted us that a truck would be leaving with our items on a Friday. On Monday, we called to confirm and check the position of the truck, and we were told that our things had not in fact left yet.

One week after our items finally left, we called to get an update. We were told to expect a final arrival within 4 to 7 days. Three days after receiving that estimate, the new ETA was 5 to 8 days. Every exchange I’ve had with a customer service representative has lacked empathy and remorse. Instead, they continually report their legal right to deliver items within a longer time frame. I’m not disputing this right, but I am thoroughly frustrated with the companies inability to accurately communicate information, and their lack of ownership of miscommunication.

I can’t recommend this moving company for all of the reasons listed above. Let this be a cautionary tale for others considering using them for future moves.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $5900

I booked this company for my daughter's move from MD to CO (she also left a review below). I spoke to Zach who did a very good sales job. He wasn't too pushy (no used car salesman vibe) and he took the time to walk me through the DOT website to explain what to look for in evaluating companies. He also told me that they offered up to 2 weeks of free storage if we couldn't take delivery on the original delivery date. I explained to Zach that the pickup would have to be in a small truck because we have a steep, very long, narrow shared driveway, and a large truck would not only not be able to turn around, but the liftgate would bottom out when trying to turn on the driveway off of the road. He assured me this would not be a problem. He also referred me to their Yelp reviews which were quite good. Interestingly, I can no longer find them and I suspect they were taken down for being fake.

The initial estimate was just shy of $2600 with the items I knew were going to be shipped. The pickup was to be either on Mon or Tues. When I finally got a confirmation, I was told that now pickup was going to be on Wed between 12 and 4. They ended up showing up at 6:30 with a very large Penske truck, which surprise, surprise, could not get up the driveway. So after about 45 minutes of trying to figure out how to proceed, which included them suggesting that I would have to pay a "long walk" fee, they finally started working. I confirmed they were not going to charge me a "long walk" fee, and I was told that they were going to cover it. In order to not have them at my house until midnight, I agreed to let them use my car to shuttle boxes up and down the driveway. The mover had boxes on my roof rack and sticking out the hatch unsecured. I didn't watch each time he went up and down the drive, so I'm not sure if anything fell off, but I wouldn't be surprised with how the boxes arrived in CO. So when they finally finished, they told me that the cost was now going to be $4555 because it took more square footage than originally planned. Because it was so late and dark, I made the mistake of not checking the truck to see how they packed it. On retrospect, I'm pretty sure they packed it to take more space in order to cover the cost of the "long walk".

My daughter was supposed to get her keys to the apartment on the 23rd, and the delivery was to arrive between 10-2 on the same day. The leasing office called her the night before to say the apartment wasn't going to be ready until the evening of the 23rd or 24th. I thought this wouldn't be an issue, since Zach told me they offered free storage. When I called the driver, he told me that the free storage was only in NJ and that once our stuff was on the way, we would have to take delivery. Of course, Zach did not explain this to me when he sold it. The morning of the 23rd, we went to the leasing office, and they gave us a few options. We could take another slightly larger apartment at the original lower price or wait til about 5:00 for the apartment my daughter and her friend chose. As her friend was on a plane, she didn't want to choose a new apartment unilaterally, so I called Jennifer at Northern Elite to see if they would wait until 5 to make the delivery. All I can say is that woman must spend her entire day dealing with unhappy customers. As I was trying to explain the problems with our pickup and that I thought it was reasonable to ask for flexibility in return on their end, she kept cutting me off.f She would not provide any kind of customer service, and said we would have to pay a $175 per hour holding fee for every hour they would have to wait to make the delivery. So apparently, it's ok to show up 2.5 hours late with the wrong sized truck and have to use the customer's car with no consequence for them, but when the customer needs some flexibility, they nickel and dime you and treat you like garbage. In the end, my daughter took the other apartment because we refused to pay another dime to this scamming company. When they arrived with the delivery, the very first box that they brought in the apartment was literally falling apart as the mover was carrying it. Luckily, nothing was damaged, but it's evident that it was crushed under heavier boxes. The concept of stacking boxes by weight is apparently beyond them. Given the horror stories of other customers, I consider us lucky that it wasn't worse.

Just to note, there is another company called "Northern" that has horrible Yelp reviews that is now defunct. I wonder if this is the same company under a new name, given the similarities in horror stories. Also, I'm sure there will be a 5 star review put up within a couple of days of this review. Make of that what you will, but in my mind, all 5 star reviews must be fake. DO NOT TRUST THIS COMPANY!!!

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $4555

I had a long-distance move scheduled for 9/03 or 9/04 with a binding estimate with these dates. I called about the move yesterday (8/31) and it came up in that (separate) conversation that the moving dates had changed to either 9/02 or 9/05 - two dates that I cannot move. When I asked to be refunded my deposit, Chris said " how are you going to find another mover on such a short notice?"...clearly this is what they were relying on and refused to refund the deposit and when I said I was going to file a dispute with the credit card company to get the deposit back he effectively hung up. They absolutely did not honor the dates agreed upon in the binding contract and now I'm left having to find another mover days before a long distance move. Do not use this company.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $2200

Dealing with Zack at first was refreshing. He comes across as very honest, helps you verify good moving companies from bad, and emphasizes how Northern Elite Van Lines is not a broker. Well, that was a complete and utter lie. My move had been sub-contracted out to a moving company that was unauthorized AND had their insurance revoked. I've filed a complaint about this and it's currently being looked into.

He also way way low-balled my estimate, and when the movers showed up, they added another extra $1k onto the charge. It was really deceptive. I would never have gone with this company had I known, but by the time they showed up on the day I needed to go, it was too late. They also charge $75 for every extra stair after the 12th step and every "step" beyond 75 feet from truck to the end destination, which is wild.

Basically: unless you're moving a house full of stuff, it'll save you a lot of grief and cost to move your stuff yourself (or use a POD service) and avoid having to deal with a landscape of movers who seem shady at best. Or, if you have the money for it, go for a big, well established company like Mayflower.

And never trust their initial estimate which is designed to low-ball you into choosing them, unless you absolute know how many boxes you have, their exact sizes, and all your furniture pieces, and can calculate how many cubic sq feet you'll need. Also grill them about any extra potential feels and costs so they won't surprise you with a bunch of nasty additional charges when you are at their mercy.

But most important of all, absolutely stay away from this company.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $3500

Relocated for the second time in two years and I’m sure I finally found the right moving company. Using this company for my second relocation I can now appreciate the moving business. The customer service was excellent and beyond what I expected. The movers came to my house and made sure my belongings were packaged well and taken care of. Moved out of my house with a couple of hours with no headache for once.

At delivery I received my shipment in great condition. Overall I have no complains and I am thankful for finding this company.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $3600

I arranged for a long distance move from NY to FL. The sales person I initially spoke to, Kirsten, was wonderful and she assured me everything would be taken care of in a professional manner, as I had been scammed just 2 days earlier by another company. I got a call 1 day before my scheduled pick up date stating that I couldn't have my stuff picked up because of a surprise DOT inspection. I was promised by Jenn, the customer service agent, that I would receive a call back in 2 days to confirm a new pick up date. I informed Jenn repeatedly that I had to leave NY in 2 days to arrive to FL in time for my job. She assured me that they would 100% pick up my things within a week from our call. After calling Jenn back MULTIPLE times, because she never called me, I was given a new date for a week and a half later. Not ideal, but I agreed because I was already IN FLORIDA with an infant. The day of my pick up, I got an email from the "owner" stating that they don't service the area and couldn't pick up my things. Completely unprofessional and ridiculous, as they should have known this 3 weeks ago when I booked. I was promised a refund from the deposit I put down on the day I booked. It is now 3 weeks after being promised a refund and I have yet to receive it. I call and email on a regular basis. Kirsten is no longer friendly and only answers my calls when I call restricted. She speaks over me and puts blame on everyone else. Jenn never answers the phone or calls back. I spoke to a Maria who placed blame on the owner. The owner won't email me back. This company is a complete joke. I would never recommend and I highly suggest everyone stays far away. They claim to be family run and have a welcoming demeanor at first, but I can assure you that is all a show to scam you out of your money. By far the worst company and people I've ever encountered. They will be excited to hear from my lawyer.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $2800

Do NOT, I repeat, DO NOT use this company. I wouldnt recommend they move your trash. Whatever they quote will be double the price and they will handle your items with absolute no care whatsoever. Oh, and don't expect all your items to make it to their destination. Do you think they will care? Not one bit. In fact, Jennifer will be annoyed if you call wanting to know where it is.

We received a quote from Chris who should be criminally charged for fraud. We told him we had a 3 bedroom household with 2 living room sets and a dining room set in 1800 Sq ft. We received what we thought was a reasonable quote based on other companies and was just slightly cheaper. When he said the size truck that would be needed I immediately said that it would not be big enough but he assured me it was. Moving day came and went as they didn't show the day I was told they would. Jennifer was rude and gave me short, nasty responses. When they showed a day later they brought too small of a truck. They were going to come back the next day, which was our settlement day! They ended up having another crew come with another trailer to pack the remainder of the house and didn't finish until midnight. They did such a poor job packing some of our things, which we had included in our quote and they were jamming things carelessly on to the truck. Fast forward to delivery day. As they are taking items off the truck, we keep finding more and more damaged items. My dining table has scratches all over it, big gouges in cabinets, a brand new wood shelf was broken, metal tool boxes dented and the locks broken, just to name a few items. Of course this doesn't include items that never made it to our new house such as our new Weber natural gas grill! How does one lose a big 4 burner grill? We called the office and again spoke with Jennifer who was going to "look" for it in the warehouse. Days later, we had to call again because she never called back. She tells us it's not in the warehouse. So where did it go? Who knows. Maybe one of them decided they liked it or maybe they gifted it to another customer. All I know is, we have never seen it again. Do you think they were even remotely concerned? Not one bit. Oh, I also forgot to mention that because Chris did not calculate correctly, the quote we were given DOUBLED. Yes, doubled because we had to pay an "overage" rate. How convenient for them. We were quoted $7500 and then had to pay another $7500 before they would deliver all the damage they caused. And, for a real kick, we paid double to move items that never showed up. I can not stress enough, DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!!

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $15000

Guys show up 3 hours late. Say they can't fit, when clearly they can the driver was just being lazy, and probably not experienced enough to drive a big truck. Plus it was raining, so come on. Then he started threatening to leave my stuff on the side of road. So I had to go and rent a uhaul and move the furniture in by myself. Horrible, just horrible company. Never again. Why would you even threaten someone like that. Put my stuff on the floor and leave. Who does that?

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $2000

This is a company to avoid and extremely dishonest!!! All the negative reviews are true and even understated! Please run!! I am currently preparing a research package on this company that details who they are, my experiences, and the experiences of other people. I will be back to attach it. I will make sure I share it broadly to potential clients and file with the necessary authorities. Run!!! You don’t deserve the mental and physical anguish for your hard earned money!!

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $3000

This was the worst moving experience I have ever had. My stuff came over 3 weeks late (horrific communication) and the boxes were mostly broken. My boyfriend and I had 3 boxes missing - hard to file a claim if you can't prove you lost something (take pictures of everything you are dealing with Crooks). Also, we were charged over $1k more at arrival due to all sorts of "hidden fees." The customer service is TERRIBLE!!!!!!! Please do yourself a favor and RUN AWAY find someone else!!!! I wish I could give negative stars.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $5500

The guys that did the moving on pick up were great, the guys dropping off failed to provide information of arrival after delivering 4 days later than the date on contract, even after promising to call me to give me more exact time, only called the night before and after I had called office. After my furniture was picked up I was told they did not know when my truck was leaving New Jersey for Florida just sit tight and we will let you know but by law we can take an extra ten days. Tough luck was the attitude, imagine Fedex with that attitude they would not last very long in business.

My credit card was charged without my authorization over $2100 more than the contract ( in case my check did not go through was the excuse they gave)

After sending over copy of cancelled check from my bank nearly a week later no credit has been issued. Not acceptable

As of writing this review no refund has been issued

I would be very reluctant to do business with this company nor would recommend them to others

Move size: 4 Bedroom Home Service cost: $11150

My overall experience with the brokerage was negative. They quoted us for the move and then when the movers arrived, they stated that they could not move our belonging for the quote that we received and that we would be charged an additional 2,000 dollars if we want to move most of our belongings. We ended up having to leave behind some of our furniture and many of our kitchen items because the cost of moving them would have been greater than buying them again new. To make matters worse, the day before we were to accept delivery of our items the moving company called and stated that they would not be able to pull into our apartment complex and that we would need to rent a smaller truck to deliver the items costing an additional 700 dollars and that there was no way to get around this cost. We were very frustrated because we asked multiple times if delivery was going to be an issue to which we were told "no" repeatedly. We even googled the location with the broker who assured us again that delivery of our belonging would not be an issue. We feel that we were gauged at both ends of our move and for these reasons we are seeking compensation. On our contact it clearly states that the move is "door to door" which is misleading. If we had known this in advance, we never would have agreed to the contract. These moving companies are very deceptive and do not have the customers interest in mind when doing business. There clearly needs to be more overusing in the moving business in general. We are writing this complaint to make sure that these predatory practices do not continue. Furthermore, customer service was not helpful inn removing any of the problems that we encounter and would repeatedly say "unfortunately there is nothing that we can do". I would never recommend that anyone no matter their situation do business with this company. Save your money and peace of mind and look elsewhere.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $6000

I would give Northern Elite negative 5 stars if possible. Please do not use this company. I moved from NYC to TX. I was quoted one price then charged almost $1K more than what I was quoted. When my belongings finally arrived I was infuriated. Some of my belongings were missing/stolen. the rest of my belongings arrived damaged. My complaints were ignored at first. When I was finally able to reach a Northern employee they had the most unprofessional, nastiest attitude and of course they said there was nothing they can do about it. Customer service is at a all time low with this company. I have filed a lawsuit against them. This is by far the most unsatisfied I've ever been with a service I paid my hard earned money for. I'm sure any positive reviews for this company was written by their own staff. Again, please do not use this company.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $3500

I initially had gotten a quote from Nationwide Trucking. The people were very friendly and responsive. Then I was outsourced to Northern Elite and upon pickup, my quote had nearly doubled. Then it was next to impossible to get in touch with anyone at either “business.” I so wish I would have looked at the reviews before signing the contract, but in the end, my belongings made it to their destination. Be smarter than me and hire a legitimate company. You’ll honestly be paying the same.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $5500

Beware of Northern Elite Van Line moving company! Terrible Service and Unethical Practices

I recently hired Northern Elite Van Line moving company for my move, and it was an absolute nightmare. Let me break down the issues I encountered:

Overcharging Based on Estimate, Not Actual Space Size: Despite providing a letter from my storage company confirming the square footage of my rental space, Northern Elite Van Line moving company insisted on charging me double based on their initial estimate. They claimed that because I signed the estimate, I had to pay regardless of the actual storage space size. This is unacceptable and deceptive.

Blocking the Street and Verbally Abusing Neighbors: When the movers arrived, they complained about cars passing by and intentionally backed up the moving truck to block the entire entrance to the street. Neighbors were unable to enter or exit, and when confronted, the driver responded with profanity and aggression. This behavior is completely unprofessional and disrespectful.

Damaged Furniture and Lack of Accountability: To top it off, the movers broke my headboard during the move. When I asked what we should do about it, one of them callously replied, “You buy a new one.” No accountability, no remorse—just a dismissive attitude.

Conclusion: I strongly advise against using Northern Elite Van Line moving company. Their unethical practices, unprofessional behavior, and lack of accountability make them a terrible choice for anyone seeking a stress-free move. Also Jennifer in the office was an absolute nightmare to deal with. As she was VERY rude and unprofessional and that's only when you could actually get a response from her. Save yourself the headache and look elsewhere.

Move size: Partial Move Service cost: $6238

Upon delivery day, the driver must have called me to let me know that he was running late at least three or four times. And this was after he called me every other day weeks prior saying the delivery would be postponed. I understood there was a window and not everything is going to be exactly on the dot but I reserved a storage unit and they canceled on me several times and then raised my rate because the delivery kept changing. My scheduled delivery was January 28 and I received my things February 23-that’s a big window. Back to the delivery driver-his excuse for being late was that his partner fell off the truck and broke his leg and that is why he showed up alone with a young boy, probably his son, who didn’t even look old enough to be working age. When my things were originally picked up, they had a crew of maybe five or six people and they were pretty efficient and worked very quickly. This man now was by himself and had to move my things alone so I asked him where the rest of the crew was and he again told me that his partner fell off the truck and broke his leg. He then complained over and over again about how my unit was on the second floor when there was an elevator and I also explained when I booked everything. He had me assisting him with moving things and holding doors open. I mean why did I pay a moving company if I was to be put to work? He asked me several times if anyone was meeting me which I should have had someone with me, but I did not. He asked me many times if I had a boyfriend. He then hustled me for an extra $150 and made me go to the bank and get it or else he was going to drive away with my things. At this point I just wanted my stuff so I paid him. He also tried to get an additional 150 out of me claiming the entrance was not within the correct footage which is completely wrong. I was there earlier with the manager of the unit and we measured and also they have moves with 18 wheelers and big, moving companies every single day and there’s never an issue he was just trying to hustle me. He kept complaining and complaining the entire time about how long the move was going to take him, and that he had other things to do. Meanwhile, there was no one else’s stuff on the truck. I seem to have been the last stop. He packed the elevator with my belongings and asked me to step inside the elevator with him I said no thank you I can wait for the next elevator and he kept saying why are you scared? What do you think I’m gonna do to you? By the way, it was about four hours of his sexual comments and abuse. Upon noticing that a few items were damaged, he told me to write down on the slip what was damaged and to text the person who set up the delivery. When it came time to sign the papers, he went back in the truck and moved it in front of the security camera. This is where the manager came out and asked me if I was OK because he wanted to know why he needed to move the truck. I stood purposefully in front of the main entrance and said let’s sign the paperwork here he said no come with me. He started walking away where the truck was blocking the camera. At that point, I said no we’re signing over here. I don’t know what he was up to or what he was intending, but it was really disgusting how I was treated and if I was there with someone else, I highly doubt he would’ve acted that way.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $6000