Official Van Lines

Don't do it. You'd be better off carrying them on your back, they'll get there quicker! They will tell you it will be 10-14 days for delivery and by the time you get your things it will have been 50 days. They will be impossible to get ahold of and when you do they will be vague and stall. When you finally start losing your patience they will get nasty. When they say they'll call you the next day with an update, they won't. When you challenge the contract they'll make up new information. They'll tell you you'll get notice the day before delivery, but you may not.

We were told that Colorado was really far away when we complained that delivery was taking too long. Funny they didn't have problems booking a delivery to Colorado. When we did get notice of delivery it was the same day about 6 hours ahead of time. Delivery took place into the evening. (Note the delivery crew was the only saving grace to our Official Van Lines experience.)

Finally, when you want to believe that a truck with your belongings can break down and sit in Ohio for 2 weeks just to keep some sanity you'll find out that it couldn't have been in Ohio as your EZ pass packed in your boxes tripped the toll 2 weeks after the said the truck broke down.

This company will LIE repeatedly. The truck is broke down in Ohio must be the go to response as they stayed consistent on that one. Don't do it. Take our word for it, not worth the headache. We thought that we made a good choice and we're sure all movers have these stories, but we can with good conscience tell you to go elsewhere.

We have our things now, but we did not receive a discount equitable to the # of business days that it was late for delivery nor equivalent to the amount of items that we had to purchase to make up for a truck taking 35 business days (50 days) that it took for the truck to arrive.

Don't make the same mistake we did.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $3000

The company is a guaranteed headache! Hopefully you are reading this before contracting with them and not after when you are neck deep in problems like myself. They will NOT show up on the contracted date and when you complain they will threaten to leave after you have already missed your desired move date. I have found many persons who has had this experience. Of course only the sales person is pleasant, the other staff members are rude and dismissive. The truck driver will try to shake you down for more money by telling you have to pay for items are not on listed even though you are below the sq footage they quoted for you. I paid for them to crate my 50 inch TV to protect it for the move, they charged me for it but never did it. TV broke and they refuse to pay for cost of the damages. Have to drag them to court now. There were many negative comments on yelp but they keep disappearing. Beware!! Save yourself a headache.

Move size: Studio Service cost: $875

Absolutely the worst people to deal with ever. I have moved many times and this was the worst experience by far. Firstly, I scheduled a move date (you actually have to give them 2 days to show up and they get to pick which one they happen to arrive). I then get a call 3 days before my fist move out/pick up date telling me I have to move up my pick up date to the very next day (2 days before my actual scheduled pick up date) because the truck drivers want to get going. How unprofessional! But I saw ok that just means my stuff will get there faster, so I say fine. Then absolute nightmare to deliver stuff. Firstly, they give you 7-21day window to deliver, like how ridiculously varied is that. I won't get into full details, but basically due to communication error on their end, they unrightfully delayed my delivery by one day and charged me a delay fee, even though someone was there to supervise delivery! Absolute trash! And on top of that all of the furniture which was disassembled for pick up (without even asking me mind you) was not assembled when it was delivered even though "basic assembly and disassembly" is included in the contract. Absolutely the worst people ever, stealing your money. Do NOT BOOK!!

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $4400

Contracted Official Van Lines for a move from DC to Cleveland and I was initially impressed by pricing, customs services, and the men who packed my move. The driver assured me he would call me in the morning for an ETA and had left me with no doubt that I would have my belonging delivered on Saturday afternoon. Never received a phone call, no responses to my calls or texts, and no one answers the phone at the company on the week.The driver finally calls me to tell me his boss told him to drive back to NJ and that he would call me. No one has called me. Never do business with this company!!

Move size: Studio Service cost: $900

This was the worst experience I ever had. Customer service was horrible. They damaged my things; lost some of my things with no attempt to correct the problems. My bill ended up being twice what we agreed upon. I implore you..STAY AWAY!!..THEY ARE NOT WHO THEY PRETEND TO BE!! they held my things hostage until they were paid in full and then didn't even have all of my things. I called for weeks to try to get the remaining things and now I just get the voicemail. I will be filing a claim for my things I didn't receive and broken, scratched up things. I may even have to get my attorney involved. If there was a way to shut them down I would definitely do it. They are predators. Don't do business with them.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $3500

I implore you..stay away. They quoted me $1300 to move my items from Miami to Atlanta. Of course, they waited until they got everything on the truck to tell me that I had to pay $2100 (coercion). I did not have any more items than the items I listed on the inventory list, they are just a SHAM. They are frauds, deceitful, and liars. You cannot contact them after they have your items. It's difficult. Called them everyday for 2 weeks to see when they would be delivering my items. They would never answer and would not call me back. When they finally brought my stuff, two boxes were missing, items were broken, and they damaged the floor.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $2150

Worst experience for moving ever!! From initial pickup- workers came unequiped with tools, I had to drive them twice to hardware store to get correct tool to disassemble bed frame(after their boss asked me to ask people in my neighborhood if they can borrow). Got worse, they did Not deliver to appropriate location, and charged me additional $1000.00. Total cost was over twice they quoted and I still ( 2. 1/2 months later) do NOT have all my furniture. I call the personnel person, he refuses to return my calls . Action against this company appears imminent. Strongly suggest beware, I thought I was talking with a particular company named Beacon , but appears another name on contract Official VanLines- internet obtained.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $4800

Poor service all around, full detail of what happened below but in general they are not careful with items, gave a poor estimate, laid and were not professional.

I was moving for work and we did not have a new home picked out yet so the option of having the items picked and stored for 30 days up was very appealing. I did my research on several companies and selected Official Van Lines mainly cause of their high reviews. What followed was by far the worse moving experience I have ever had. We needed to be out of our apartment on November 30th so this was stressed when selecting OVL, we were told this would not be a problem and we would be called 48 hours in advance to confirm the time of day and go over the final inventory. Since this year Thanksgiving was on the 28th I was not surprised that I had not received a call. After 11 on the 29th I started to get worried so I called and texted my contact. Even after that I still did not hear anything back until after 2. The first thing I was told was they were having issues and needed to push the move off until December 1st or 2nd. I informed them that it could not be moved as I had to be out of the apartment and in NC for work on the 2nd. They said they would work on it and call me back in 30 minutes. 2 hours later they called back and said they had to move the date back to December 1st. This back and forth went on over 3 more calls and it was not until I told them that I was going to cancel the move and figure something else out did they say they could get there on the 30th. I was told at that time the movers would be there between 12 and 2. Needless to say the day of the move I was called early and was told that it would be 4 before they could be on site. After the conversation went back and forth they said they could get to the apartment between 2 and 3 and it was a small move so they should be able to finish before 5. Once the movers showed up (at 2:40) they brought out the paperwork to be signed. At this point I was told they would not start with anything until all the paperwork was signed. I was fine with this, assuming it to be the contract and releases but it was very odd, first when the guy wanted to have me sign for both options for insurance coverage even when the paperwork said to select one of the options. I brought this up to him and he said okay and then wanted me to sign in both spots again. After a little more debate he said we could go back to that one. The other signature that was odd was the one for the review of how the movers did, I told him this was something that needed to be finished after the move was completed and he stated "we are not moving anything until you sign everything" To drive this home, I have to be out of the apartment that day, it is Saturday at almost 4 so I do not have many options. They then take almost 4 hours to load everything up in the apartment took items out of packages and charged me for additional boxes, charged me for a bed bag (that should have been in the estimate), and charged 150 to crate an entertainment center that was not worth $100. Thirty minutes before they finished the guy came to me and said they were at 350 cuft and there was probably going to be an additional 100 cuft. When they finished this number jumped up to 600 cuft. For back story I originally requested to get a quote for 500 cuft in order to compare bids apples to apples and that was reduced after we went through the inventory with Art from OVL. If the Original quote had remained it would have save me $200 on this move.

Getting my stuff scheduled to be delivered was also a pain. I called in several time before they were able to schedule the delivery. The guy then showed up with out help and placed an ad on craig's list. Helper showed up and actually was very helpful. He also used a metal dolly to move boxes in and when I told him not to cause he was going to scratch the floor he responded saying he did not and I should say please. He then did it when I was not around and scratched the floor. The night ended with him and his helper in a yelling match about pay in my backyard.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $2800

At first, they were great. Art in sales assured us of all our concerns and made it sound like we were making the right choice. We had looked at many different options when moving cross country from LA to STL. We chose Official Van Lines because they seemed to have better customer service. We should have gone with someone else, but the cost was a concern.

When the movers arrived after not giving any follow up since booking, it was a different story. They rushed us and when we kept trying to tell them to pack more stuff they kept giving us the eye roll like we had too much stuff. Art in sales said they were taking every precaution during covid but all of the movers that showed up didn't have masks nor were they cautious about it in the slightest. They packed things we didn't want them to pack and when we asked if they could get it back to us within 30 min of leaving the location they were nowhere to found.

Then when it came time to deliver our stuff to the new location it was just as chaotic and disorganized. We were traveling by car back to STL from LA and we had not heard from the movers since they left LA. We assumed because they said we could store items for up top 30 days before it arrived that it wouldn't be a problem, our bad. We received a call at 6 PM on a Friday from a different person with broken english saying he would arrive the next day at 6 AM and if no one was there we would have to wait another 2 weeks for our stuff and they would charge us $200 more. We were still 8 hours away from our destination and had to rush to meet them the next day. When the truck arrived our stuff was squashed into the semi and didn't look like they took much care in with our items. After 2 guys unloaded the truck in about 4 hours they demanded payment immediately.

I was very dissatisfied at this point and demanded to talk to his manager, but of course, there was no one available. I pressed further that I wouldn't pay until someone spoke with me about my grievances. After about 45 min they finally had someone for me to talk to, and I voiced my concerns he agreed that my concerns were valid and I requested a reduction in cost for my time and trouble and he said he didn't have the authority to and would email his superior. I asked for his superior's number and he said he didn't have one, and that his company is very very big and they don't have a phone for each person, only generic numbers to there departments. I pressed further for some resolution but soon realized I was trapped and my only way to get the rest of my stuff that the movers had stopped unloading was to pay them.

The whole situation was a big headache, and not as simple as they described. I feel they take advantage of there customers and hold their possessions hostage. I have moved many times before and think if you have any other option you should choose them, as this company doesn't care about you, your stuff, or anything but money. I would never recommend them to anyone. I really don't know how they have more than an average of 1 star.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $2500

I have moved several times across the country, Official Van Lines was the worst of the worst of all movers I have used. Don't contract with them. My move was a little different in that my belongings would be stored for 2 years. So it is just now that I have unpacked and find all that is missing (and broken) . The damage claims are still outstanding form June 2018. The driver and the one contact at the office for the move said to sign the inventory form and then submit damage claims. I knew some items were damaged or missing and I wrote Damage pending on each page before signing the inventory sheets. The driver was pushing for signature because he wanted to get on the road. So I did what he suggested and the company representative described as the damage resolution process. BIG MISTAKE.

As it turned out the partner in crime who settles (or doesn't settle claims) said because I signed the inventory without a full inventory of damage missing items, there would basically be no compensation. The damaged items were things the company packed- not that I packed. Items were dropped from the top of the van rather than being passed down (yes this is documented)- I was over charged for space- (yes this is also documented).

This whole process is like dealing with the mob. DO NOT contract with them. Other than the damage the movers caused, the missing items are extensive. Since nothing was unpacked at the time of the move because the items went to storage and there were three sets of numbers to check from a variety of inventory forms, items were missed, an antique rocking chair, and night stand to the bedroom set-- neither can be replaced. Two commercial storage bins containing household items are also missing- let alone the damage that is documented with photos.

Once you sign the contract believe me there is NO customer service, NO one to answer questions or schedule anything. I even had to pay for the crew to unload the furniture- or I would not have gotten my belongings. OVL probably broke or stole the 12 piece complete set of Lenox china. They probably got a fair amount of money from selling the china. Official Van Lines most likely stole and sold the other items. DO NOT contract with them. From looking at the reviews, they also selectively publish reviews. I doubt this one will ever see the light of day but I wish someone had warned me like I am trying to warn others- DO NOT contract with a company that apparently is run like the mob. Anything that benefits the company is enforced, any rights or duties owed to the customer are ignored.

Move size: 4+ Bedroom Home Service cost: $10000

It has taken my wife and I almost a year to write this review given how terrible and frustrating it is to tell our experience with this company. It is by far the worst experience I have ever had with an organization. Long story short, we arranged to have our goods delivered on 1/24/2020 from Syracuse NY to Salt Lake City. We provided a pickup date and asked if that would work and the salesperson said it would not be a problem, there were plenty of trucks. The company showed up 4 days late to pick up our goods, which we already knew would make the approved drop off time impossible. They promised to get the goods delivered within a week and it was only later we found out from dispatch that trucks rarely go out west and there were none scheduled for several weeks. We tried to contact our salesperson who ghosted us the entire time. We finally received our goods in March.

Before receiving our goods my wife and I received notifications that old credit cards we forgot in a box had been stolen and used in the surrounding area of the warehouse. The credit cards were in a lockbox, hidden in the comforter in a cardboard box. The lockbox was broken when we received it and the contents thrown around the inside of the cardboard box. The company denied any of their workers would do this but later acknowledged the restaurants where the cards were used were frequented by their staff. The moving company was nice enough to compensate us $300 for the inconvenience of our stolen cards. This was all before our goods had arrived.

When we finally received our furniture, we noticed a box was missing, others had been opened and re-taped, furniture was broke, and several goods had been stolen. This included a PS4, Amazon Alexa, Digital Camera, souvenir money from abroad. We contacted the company in March and asked repeatedly to speak with the owners and other managers. The owner was apparently out of town in April, during Covid, at a conference and never returned our calls from March to August. The customer service lady made excuses, said he should call, and generally misled us while we tried to solve our problem. We filed a police report for the stolen goods but the investigation stalled with Covid. Every time we asked for arbitration information outlined in the contract they claimed not to know or will call back. We finally filed for arbitration in August and the Arbitrator said they could not rule on our dispute given it is a criminal case and the police would best be able to handle. At this point we stopped trying to find a resolution and just accepted how terrible and corrupt the company is. This company is terrible and the way they operate is atrocious. Do yourself a favor and never contact them.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $2300

After going over my inventory list in great detailwithAlex I was quoted a price, on the day of pickup the driver doubled the price claiming that it was “ vintage” furniture and was bigger than modern furniture. I had no choice to go with them as escrow was closing and the items had to be moved. When they delivered my furniture , the mirror to an antique dresser was missing. After 4 months and numerous phone conversations with Julie andEmma and all of their lies of “ they found my mirror but the glass was broke, they were sending it to a company to fix it and then they sent it to another company because it wasn’t fixed correctly”to then being told by Valorie that there isn’t a Julie that works there, I finally told them that my patience had ran out and if my mirror wasn’t delivered within 10 days I would file in small claims. Well, one week later my mirror ( frame only) was delivered and not only was the mirror itself missing but the frame is broken beyond repair. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!!! I would give them a negative star rating if it was available

Move size: Partial Move Service cost: $2850

I had worked with a couple of relocation companies in the past, so it wasn't a new experience hiring out Official Van Lines. What was new were the services accorded. The experience was a whole new one with lots of diligences and professionalism incorporated. All my properties were handled with uttermost care. I was so happy in the end when everything was over. The relocation from South Carolina to Alabama had taken a considerably shorter time than I anticipated. It was all awesome. If there is one thing I will forever be grateful of, it is coming across Official Van Lines. My experience with them as a relocation company was truly inspirational. They cleared all the doubts I had about them by executing a perfect and commendable job. I was left with smiles all over after my properties had been safely moved from South Carolina to Alabama. The charges were also cost effective. What more could I do but smile and be grateful?

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $1200

I am writing this to see if my true and accurate review goes on their site. They more than doubled the estimate. They were a week late in picking up my stuff - never notifiying me until the day they were supposed to be picking up stuff.
their " professional drivers" told us they slept over night in a parking lot a few miles from my house- but were still hours later than they told me that morning. They came and completed job in flip-flops, left after 2 hours for a 3 hour lunch - and then refused to send me a copy of their papers, supposed to be showing me what and why they were charging me almost triple the cost.
they do not answer phone calls and when you finally get someone to call you back they give excuses and more lies about what's going on.
Saturday night, over 40 days after they picked up my belongs, they texted me to say they were coming the next morning. When I texted back immediately saying I was out of town - I was told " its too late - call office on monday and figure it out".
sunday at 5pm I got a call from truck driver saying he was an hour away, he didn't understand that I was out of town and had told the women who text me, he said he drove from Florida and he was on his way.
he continued to call me 7 more times, yelling at me in spanish. I texted the woman from office again and she said " its too late - we will charge you another $500 for redelivery - she couldn't help me further - just " call the office monday.
Monday I called the office and was told this " Your stuff is in a local storage place, you need to pay us another $1500 - once it clears the bank we will send you address of the storage warehouse so you can go pick it up yourself"
I am contacting local police, the attorney general and a lawyer..
this is beyond my worst nightmare..
40 days + and none of my belongs are delivered - will never be delivered and this nightmare continues.. I will update when this nightmare is over - I have emails, texts to comfirm all is 100% factual.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $3000

Tony was the crew leader for us today. He called at 8 an to let us know their arrival time. The guy's loaded up or storage unit quickly, effectively, and carefully. They were so pleasant to work with. When we got to our new house the guy's worked hard to make sure our stuff was in the correct room and damage free. These guys we're friendly, efficient, and careful. They also had a friendly attitude all morning. We cannot recommend them highly enough. We will use them again for all it moving needs.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $5800

They came a day late for pickup, after promising me 3 times they would be there on time. I was told I could pick my delivery day. I chose the 12th. They had a move scheduled to California and Nevada was on the way with only 1 stop in Texas. Lie.

Didn’t give me a copy of my contract.. left abruptly after packing. They still won’t provide my contract. The contract did say no more than 21 (business days). Now they say there is no guarantee.Itcould be an indefinite amount of time, but I would receive a discount if late. They keep putting me off with lie after lie. Admitted it could even be months before I get it.

They moved my stuff from Tampa to Miami where it sits. I paid almost $3000 and they want more to have another co pick it up. For moves across the country they wait until it is profitable. I feel like my stuff is being held hostage.

I’ve been staying in Airbnb racking up charges waiting since the 12th when they originally promised delivery. It’s now the 23rd. They won’t even tell me how much ransom I have to pay to hire another co. to come get it

You’re at their mercy and they have none.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $5000