Northern Van Lines

This company was late picking up my furniture in Oregon and we were supposed to have received it in Florida on September 24th, but now it is October 9th and we have yet to see our stuff.  They have claimed it is on the road or it still might be in storage in Oregon.  They can't seem to find it and when pressured all the customer support folks do is blame their dispatch.  They will not call back when they say they will and they ignore voice messages.  They don't seem to care about their customers.  I am convinced that when their lips are moving they are lying.  I will update this if I ever get my furniture, but if you are considering a move, don't use these folks.  Their customer support guy "Brad" even told me he wouldn't use his company after the issues we've had with them.  I am about ready to file a theft report.

Service cost: $11496

BEWARE!! I received an initial quote of $1500 for a one room apartment. The movers showed up 2 hours late (after I called several times) and started to increase the price to $2600 based on a new ‘weight’ estimate and after they INSISTED on wrapping my sofa and dining chairs for an additional $200. After several delivery delays and numerous excuses, Northern Van Lines (USDOT-1147457 MC-418133 CID#; 4051123) delivered my furniture 2 weeks later than the 3 to 5 day promise date.  ALL of my living room, bedroom and dining room furniture was damaged beyond repair.  Included in the extensive damage to all of my furniture, are several large pieces of furniture and small boxed items that are missing.    In addition to my missing items, other boxed items that belong to other customers have surfaced in this mess. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!!

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Update on 5/10/12
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(2/20/2012) I received an initial quote of $1500 for a one room apartment. (2/27/2012)The movers showed up 2 hours late (after I called several times) and started to increase the price to $2600 based on a new 'weight' estimate and after they INSISTED on wrapping my sofa and dining chairs for an additional $200. After several delivery delays and numerous excuses, Northern Van Lines (USDOT-1147457 MC-418133 CID#; 4051123) delivered my furniture 2 weeks later than the 3 to 5 day promise date. (3/11/2012) ALL of my living room, bedroom and dining room furniture was damaged beyond repair. Included in the extensive damage to all of my furniture, are several large pieces of furniture and small boxed items that are missing(dvd player, stereo system, bed frame, bookcase and media counsel). In addition to my missing items, other boxed items that belong to other customers have surfaced in this mess. I found the owner of the belongings and return them personally. (05/09/2012): Still have not received an apology nor any money from Northern Van Lines. My claim is still "in process" nearly two months after I filed. I have no dining room chairs to sit on, my bed frame, bookcase & media counsel are still missing. Amy (Northern Van Lines rep) calls and offers me a refund of $500 (out of the $2700 moving cost) to remove my negative comments. They should offer the $500 refund for my troubles!

Service cost: $2700

My experience began with northern van lines rep, Chris.  He gave me a quote, was patient and professional when I called him several times to change the amount of boxes I was moving and requoted me the estimate, explaining that it might change up or down once the actual weight was determined. Chris sent me a group of "Ninja" movers with team lead, Tim.  My family and I were delighted they were so friendly, professional and hardworking.  They moved like a smooth well-oiled "Ninja" machine from beginning to end.  They first came to our home to pick up the first batch of things, and took great pains to be sure they didn't track mud into our house -- welcome to Oregon it was raining!  Then they followed me to our storage building to pick up the other half.  In both instances, they wrapped everything in blankets and taped up so tightly, nothing would happen to damage anything. I have to admit, I was very nervous first about how to find a good, reputable moving company, then thought how do I trust this person/people when I truly don't know anything except what's written about them and if they would honor what they told me, would my things even arrive?? Would they tell me upon delivery it would be hundreds of dollars more than I knew?? However, again, it was a delightful, yes, delightful experience as much as a move across the country could be!  :)   the quote Chris gave me was right on target!That made my day because I was still worried about that part of the process.Thank you, Chris, Tim and northern van lines for taking such good care of my family!  I will definitely recommend other families to you!   Yours, joy Kovacs.

Service cost: $2000

My specific experience with this mover has been hell. The original quote for my move was $1380. After several no-show dates for them to pick up my move, they arrived 6 days late on 12 June. Once they arrived, the drivers claimed that my belongings were at least 500 lbs. heavier than estimated; they refused to show me the actual weight / scale of my total move. So they increased my price to $1650, OK. I used none of their storage services or packing materials. It is now 05 July. The only answered call / returned call I have received from them was from Shelly on 29 June. She told me that she had great news, "The movers will be at your home in 2 days, the drivers will call you 24-48 hours before they arrive. Be sure to have your balance ready in cash or certified check." It is now 6 days later and I have not received a call from Northern Van Lines or their drivers, and they do not answer the phone or return my voicemails. If they ever deliver, I will follow up on this post by sharing the date on which they arrive and the condition in which my belongings arrive.
This company screens their calls ("..we are experiencing unusually high call volumes, please leave a message..") and does not return messages.
Emails go unanswered.
I should not have let this company take my belongings after they failed to show up until 6 days after the scheduled pick-up date. Alas, at that point I was already invested in a $521 deposit, which I knew I would lose if I canceled. I wish I had canceled, eaten the 500 bucks, and either sold all my stuff or rented uhaul.

Service cost: $1650

Northern Van Lines picked up on 05/31/12.  Per contract:  "Legally long distance movers per DOT law have 7-21 business days to deliver cross country."  Last business day to deliver was 06/29/12.  Once Julian got the deposit money he was of no help at all.  Nobody at this company answers their phone.  Shelly told me several times my son's property was being loaded onto a truck in Colorado and would be on its way to Michigan.  Lies.  After many, many, phone calls and email messages, I finally got a number for dispatch, located in Colorado.  I learned dispatch was under the company name MCI. Northern Van Lines is a broker, although they will tell you they are not.  After many, many, many calls to MCI I learned my son's property never even left Washington state.  All his property was sitting in a storage facility.  Basically Northern Van Lines and MCI were paid $1600 to move property 9.65 miles where it sat in a storage facility for a month.  It was a dirty storage unit that anyone can rent.  There were several loads in the same unit.  We were able to retrieve my son's property.  We are now starting over with a reputable moving company.  Emails to both MCI and Northern Van Lines requesting a refund were ignored.  What a surprise. At one time Northern Van Lines had a Eugene OR address listed on their web site.  I contacted the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) to file a complaint.  The response was:  "Please know that this company is not an Oregon company, and its reference to Eugene Oregon has been questioned by ODOT, as the Eugene address previously given is a vacant building.  Northern Van Lines was placed OUT OF SERVICE by the USDOT on 06/01/12 and is still not authorized for interstate transportation."  After I filed this complaint, the Eugene OR address was removed from Northern Van Lines website. I also contacted the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (www.fmsca.dot.gov).  I was told that Northern Van Lines has no authority to operate at all. I am thankful we were able to retrieve my son's belongings.  The local dispatcher for MCI was the only person who told the truth; he couldn't find a driver to take this load to Michigan.  When asked if the property could potentially sit in storage for months, he replied yes.  I wonder when Northern Van Lines or the main MCI dispatch office in Colorado was going to tell us that?  Northern Van Lines doesn't care once it gets your deposit money.  MCI is not much better. No option for zero stars.  Poor is still one star. I hope everyone who has had these horrendous experiences with Northern Van Lines makes formal complaints with DOT and the FMCSA.  That's the only way this company will stop scamming people. .

Service cost: $2500

Beware of this company.  Avoid at all costs.  They use deceptive sales practices to obtain your business and do not deliver on any of their commitments.  This is by far the worst customer service I have ever experienced.I contracted Northern Van Lines to relocate my goods from KS to MD (~1,100 miles).  After reviewing my full inventory with Josh Willey (salesperson), I was given a quote of $3,265.  My revised costs at the end of this ridiculous ordeal were a little over $6,000!  They intentionally give you a low estimate to obtain your business, fully aware that they will tack on incremental costs along the way.I was told by the two movers (Preston & Enrique) on loading day in KS that my belongings would arrive in MD in "4-5" days.  That was on June 27th.  I did not receive my belongings in MD until July 13th.  So, apparently when they say 4-5 days they really mean 16 days.  I spent an enormous amount of money on hotel reservations in the meantime.  Throughout this large gap in delivery, I was not able to reach ANYONE at Northern Van Lines to get any kind of update on delivery.  Josh Willey will not call you back after he has taken your deposit at the time of the initial quote.  He got your business and screwed you over in the process, and he hides from here on out.  He is such a slimeball.Shelley was another useless Customer Service individual at Northern Van Lines.  After a dozen or so messages left for her, she finally returned my call, only to be absolutely no help whatsoever.  After I expressed my opinion of her company, she hung up on me.The movers - Preston and Enrique.  Preston looks like he is either homeless or was just released from prison.  He lied to me the entire day he was loading (only to learn later).  Enrique is a smooth character and will be evasive and elusive any time you ask him a question.  Both of these guys are NOT to be trusted!  If they show up at your house, request a different crew!When my goods finally arrived in MD there were multiple damaged items.  They are careless with your belongings and will just cram things anywhere to fill up the trailer.  They didn't transport our dirt bike properly so gasoline leaked on our queen size mattress (they punctured the gas line).  They also got that gas on their feet and tracked it onto the carpet of my stairs.  They broke my children's $150 covered wagon.  There were multiple boxes that were either crushed or had large holes or tears in them.  We had several plastic totes that were cracked.  We had several patio chairs and other metal items that have significant scratches on them.  I could continue, but you get the point.  They have no regard for the protection of your goods.  The only reason they wrap some items is so they can charge you more (a ridiculous amount of $) for the wrapping and packing materials.When the driver (Tal) arrived on July 13, he immediately approached me and told me that there would be a "Long Carry" charge because my home was a little too far from the road.  I asked him how much, and he said he needed to call Dispatch (another group you can never get in touch with) to find out how much.  I told him that if it was going to be a significant fee we were going to have problems, especially since we had been waiting so long for our goods.  He smirked and said, "how about $250"?  I told him that was unacceptable, and he literally started to haggle with me, which clearly tells me he was just going to pocket any extra cash I gave him.  I told him we would discuss it at the end of the unload, and he agreed.  After they were finished I showed him all the damage caused by the moving of my goods and told him I wasn't paying ANY extra fees for Long Carry or anything else.  He was annoyed, but he could tell my patience was gone and he didn't push it.  He's just another on a long list of shady characters from Northern Van Lines and their affiliates.I could keep writing (yes, there are actually more negative comments), but my blood pressure is starting to elevate, so I think I'll stop here.  Please spare yourself the headaches and DO NOT hire these delinquents.  You WILL regret it.  DO NOT believe the prices they tell you..it WILL go up.Jeff H.

Service cost: $6178

All 5 star reviews are fake.  Save yourself a headache.  Do not use.  My story is typical of just about everyone elses story.  No communication, late, additional fees, etc.  DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!!  YOU WILL SORRY IF YOU DO.  EXTRA WARNING: I tried to contact them by going to their website and requesting a quote under another name, phone number, and email address, and I was contacted back  by a guy named Zachary from Alliance Worldwide Van Lines.  I suspect they will probably completely switch.  Alliance Worldwide Van Lines has fake reviews.  They are all 5 stars and are eloquently written.  They are only days apart as well.  It is absurd to believe that company has generated that many 5 star responses in such a short amount of time with not one complaint.  It is very unrealistic.

Service cost: $2000

I used this company to move my stuff on June 30. Intially they said me that within 6 days it will be delivered. Today is August 6. I have not heard anything about my stuff. I'm really really worried. This is first time in life, I have done a move and now that I do not have anything with me in my new apartment. We are very strict vegetarian and right now we cannot cook any food at home as all our stuff has not reached us. Also I have a 2 year old kid, she keeps on asking me daily when would my toys come, it is very hurting to tell her that I'm do not know. It is tough cooking for her at home and also sleeping on the carpet with this little kid is even more difficult. I have left atleast 100 voicemail to all the northern van line number that I have, but no one is giving me call back nor Joshua Wiley who helped me with reservation is letting me know anything about my stuff. I'm really worried and do not know what to do from here. I'm just praying GOD that my stuff comes quick. If anyone knows what I should do in this situation apart form praying please do let me know because it has been more that 37 days now and I'm really worried.

Service cost: $2200

I received an estimate for this move that was not only provided very quickly but was also the lowest based on an exact shipment of home furnishings at a very specific weight.  Although my inability to provide a pick up address at the time of my order resulted in some confusion, one call the office netted an immediate response  by a supervisor, corrected the problems and got my move back on track. I have moved with professional movers in the past and they never go completely smoothe but I have never received such a fast response to get problems resolved and everything back on track. The company represenative was not only courteous and professional but responded directly and truthfully about what had caused the problems and resolved them within a matter of 15 minutes.  When the driver arrived I found him to be courteous and professional.  The workers were clean and professional and handled my property with care.  This company gets a 5 star rating for their customer service, as far as I am concerned.  Kudos.

Service cost: $2400