Northern Moving Systems

We had to move our equipment from state to state, and Northern Moving Systems made the task effortless. After comparing companies, we decided on them and couldn’t be happier with our decision to do so. The staff members we interacted with were friendly and answered our questions quickly and efficiently. Come moving time, everything got packed up and hauled out as expected. We were worried some fragile equipment wouldn’t make it through the move, but we didn’t find any issues at the end. We’ll definitely be using them again if we have to relocate again sometime in the future. Excellent service! Can’t complain!

Move size: Commercial Move Service cost: $3250

I was stressing about finding a moving company and after doing some research, I was able to find Northern Moving Systems. I was moving 5 states away I was nervous! Northern Moving Systems was super friendly and efficient with their move and I couldn't be happier. Thankfully nothing was damaged and they unloaded everything, even if my new apartment was on the third floor and the elevator happened to be down that day. Salute to the great team at Northern Moving Systems. I would definitely recommend them for any long haul moves.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $8000

Long story short, my mother went through her house and told them everything she had, they made a checklist, and quoted her for 360 cubic feet.

Come moving day, turns out she needs 1350 cubic feet..

She was told any loose items needed to be put in boxes, she did so. Well, turns out, they didn't account for any of those things in the bid. She had 20 small boxes, but putting things like a lawn mower, yard tools, pillows, etc. took up a hell of a lot of space. I was not present on this conversation. But they did not help her at all. Since this bid occurred. My mother started getting rid of things to hopefully save some money. Over the course of packing. She accumulated a massive amount of boxes, that were completely unaccounted for.

Northern moving systems mislead my mother into believing in something that was just not possible. In hopes of seeking more information and understanding on their policies and typical peaceful conflict resolution approaches. I was passed to a customer service supervisor within 1 minute to be talked down to. It became quickly obvious the only thing he was interested in was externalizing blame for this ridiculous bid, and starting down the route of he said she said nonsense. I didn't record the conversation, but some highlights were.

She had over 100 pieces we only bid 43, it's not our fault she had more!

What!? are we supposed to just know about the mental health of someone on the other end of the phone?

She signed the contract for the number of items, anything beyond that is her fault.

Not only are they unwilling to recognize the drastic bidding error, they would rather bicker with me than attempt to find a resolution we can agree on.

I'm not pretending there is some outcome where you can move 1350 cubic foot of household goods across the country for $2700, or even that the final price of $9100 is particularly unreasonable.

I am here to complain about their completely predatory bidding process, and the blame externalization that takes place after people are put in a desperate situation. People don't sit around in empty homes, they know that. Get them to pay on moving day, when there isn't time to do anything but accept this crushing payment.

My brother could have very well flown down to Texas, rented a truck, and got it done for much much less. But Northern Moving Company pretended a ridiculous price wasn't ridiculous.

This ended up trapping my mother into a $9100 bill.

It's funny, they are pretending it's a courtesy to allow you to say no at the site when they actually show up to get your things. All it did was give my mother a panic attack and render her useless in the situation. No one has the freedom to just replan a cross country move on a whim the day of the move. Especially when being pressured by a team of workers waiting and charging by the hour. (To be clear, condor (the truck company and movers) were actually wonderful and transparent to my mother. They gave her a discount per cubic foot down to $5. They didn't touch anything of hers as soon as they realized this might not work out like she planned.

That's great, I wish she had gone straight to Condor, maybe she wouldn't feel swindled and cornered by a 3rd party scheduler that tricked her into a situation where she had no options.

Move size: 4+ Bedroom Home Service cost: $9100

Once I got a quote from Northern Moving Systems I was already pleased. They made moving for my family and I very easy. They were very professional and they treated my things like precious cargo. All of my moving experiences haven’t been the best in the past but Northern Moving Systems made this a great experience. Nothing was destroyed and they didn’t take any cheese off of my macaroni with their prices. I’ll definitely recommend them to family and friends and use their services again over any other moving company.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $3000

Northern Moving Systems was responsive and professional - something I desperately needed with a cross country, multi-family move. They demonstrated great care in both packing and moving my family's home. There were so many things on my moving checklist and I was able to confidently delegate half of the list to them. The movers were incredibly patient and knowledgeable in keeping my items safe. Cost-effective without sacraficing quality. I will absolutely be recommending them to family and friends.

Move size: 4+ Bedroom Home Service cost: $3900

I recently moved to a new state to start college and Northern Moving Systems was very helpful! I heard good things about them in the past and wanted to try them out. I was not disappointed! They were very nice and their prices were very reasonable. I had quite a few items to move out, and it was a hot couple of days, but they never complained and the move was successful. They also suggested to maybe use storage, which I didn't end up needing in the end, but I really appreciated the offer. I would highly recommend them.

Move size: Studio Service cost: $5000

Northern Moving Systems helped make my move from Idaho to Texas extraordinary. They were extremely professional and did everything they said they would. They showed up on time and really took the hassle out of having to move my whole life from one place to another. If I ever need to move again I will definitely be giving Northern Moving Systems a call. They were extremely reasonably priced compared to their competitors and I really can’t say enough how great they were. Thank you for being amazing!

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $3000

When I called northern moving systems they were very professional with me and it was a stress free process. They made an out of state moving experience really wonderful. I would really recommend using their services. I’m very satisfied that all my belongings were insured and safe while they were moving everything out. Their prices were very responsible, they gave me a free estimate and the payment process was very painless. They are a really reliable company I will most definitely use again and recommend to all my friends and family.

Move size: 4 Bedroom Home Service cost: $5000

We have moved several time over the years without issue. This was a terrible experience. The sales guy Mike spoke to us about their white glove service, quoted a good price to us and we agreed. He looked at our house in our real estate listing and went through each room with him. He said he had quoted moves for a number of years and felt good about the quote. Half way through the move, Mike called us back demanding we pay an additional $10K or they would stop moving now. We agreed, by the time we got to Florida, the move price was upped another $9K. When we finally received our stuff, there was no bill of lading, at least a quarter of our items were missing. Our items were broken, damaged and dirty! It was so bad that the guys who picked it up and delivered to us took pictures and also thought we had been overcharged for storage. Before you hire s company, go to the better business bureau and read the complaints and reviews.

Move size: 4 Bedroom Home Service cost: $25000

Do not use this company. They are not movers. They do not own moving trucks nor do they employ any moving men. This is only a website. I paid them over $5000 to move my one bedroom loft less than two miles. They did over $20,000 in damage and stole over $20,000 in silver. My insurance covered the damages but not the theft. I was awarded a judgement in a St. Louis small claims court for $5000 for the theft but they will not pay. The men they sent to my home were not professional movers.

They have absolutely no integrity. M.J.Wright

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $5050

TLDR:

Move from San Francisco Bay Area to Chicago. Loaded our stuff on 4/26. We were told our goods will get there around May 10th at the latest by Norther. Received our goods on 6/4. Surprise and hidden costs along the way when it’s really too late to do anything. Quote includes no liability insurance. They damaged many large item and many smaller items due to poor handling, loading, and storing. They ruined our new walls and floors while moving in (see attached pics). We’ve hired a lawyer. That should say it all. They tried to prevent us from writing a review by offering us $600, but we declined so we could warn others. AVOID THIS COMPANY LIKE THE PLAGUE. See PDF for email correspondence. Feel free to contact me for more details/questions.

Company with deceptive business practices and untrustworthy consultants, with an abysmal customer service team. Do not trust them with your life's possessions. You will most likely not see it for weeks, nor have the insurance on it, AND still be paying an equivalent amount of money that you would've otherwise paid a more trustworthy company. AND be treated like garbage by both Northern and whatever horrible 2-star BBB rated moving company they decide to contract.

Specific Details:

1. Incredibly deceptive consultants - they will low ball your estimate to get you through the door. Our consultant Dean refused to do an in-person tour or even a video tour. They put the onus on you to report every single item you have, so they can claim ignorance and raise your price at the last minute (our estimate went from $6000 to almost $14k). Your quote DOES NOT include liability protection.

2. Northern isn’t really a moving company, they’re just middlemen who contract it to a 3rd party company. We got Moveon Moving (BBB rating 2.7 out of 5) - a company who showed up with the full liability protection crossed off even though the federal law requires them to offer it; they showed up 2 hours late to do a full service pack/load of a 2000 feet home with a garage that is supposed to take 2 days to pack/load. Thank goodness we had time and had already packed 90% of goods. Instead of packing on Friday 4/23 and loading on Saturday 4/24, they packed/loaded Friday and Saturday and had to come back Monday to take the rest with a different truck.

3. After the experience with the loaders, reached out to Northern with detailed list of issues and they refused to respond. They finally got a lawyer who offered us $600 as compensation, but we had to sign a disclosure saying we weren't going to write any negative reviews. This is probably why this company has much better ratings than it should. We told them thanks but no thanks.

4. Then the fun started: our goods sat in a warehouse until END OF MAY. We lived in an empty house with a 10-month old, meaning no crib or baby gear. In late May, they finally gave us a delivery date of 6/4 . They tell us they have to charge us extra $1200 for a shuttle. We asked about the shuttle before loading, and both the Northern rep and the MoveOn said that they looked at our address on GPS and it looks like our complex should accommodate a shuttle. We emailed them when we learned this. MoveOn first said it’s their policy that big trucks don’t go in the city and then they quickly changed their story when we asked why we weren't told of this BEFORE. Now the story became oh, it’s because your complex doesn’t allow it. Our total cost went from an estimated 6k to nearly $14,000.

5. Day of the move: the driver parks about 20-30 minutes away from our residence to load a smaller truck. They driver told us he’s the only one from MoveOn, the rest of the team was hired from a Facebook group. Basically, amateurs and not professional movers – and it showed. They gouged our wall badly, put some large dings by the stairs. The wood floor was damaged due to not using any protection. They get the first load unloaded, then drive 40 minute round trip with a new load.At approximately 8pm, driver tells us that he and the hired helpers had to leave. Driver had to drive back with a different load the next day. So we learned the real reason for the shuttle: so the big rig could get loaded with a new load while our stuff got unloaded at the same time! Again, realize that this was a full service move – meaning they were suppose to unload, move boxes/furniture into the correct room, and unpack boxes if we requested. None of that happened.

6. We are exploring legal options to recover our money.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $14000

This was a disaster Northern subcontracted move three times failed to deliver all house hold goods did not give me promised refunds Dudu not deliver all goods forgot to take some items just left them at old house I am still missing some very personal items. I have contacted Northern on many occasions but to no avail. Still missing items and promised refunds talked to their chief resolution manager Dave Lee. He refuses to call me back. I am disabled and need th promised refunds

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $13165

During quarantine, I was very nervous about moving to different neighborhoods in Chicago, but Northern Moving Systems took away all my worries and hesitations. Even though the website is a little outdated, I can assure you that the quality and service are top tier, and more reasonable than the “minimalist” moving services. The movers showed up within the arrival time frame and were able to park where it would be easiest to move out. I had already staged and labeled everything before the moved, but they were quick and careful with all of my furniture. They took spark my couch and folded it up for an easier move and made sure to have any and all parts. They drove to the my new rental and brought in all the furniture with care and efficiency. They even places it in the spots I wanted them too in different rooms so I wouldn’t have to push it around by myself later. I trusted them with it all to run a quick errand while they were moving my things in. They were very kind and safe, especially during the quarantine and I couldn’t be happier with how the move went. I will refer the movers to any and everyone, no matter how big or small the move!!

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $6594