Rainier Overseas Movers

I recently completed an overseas move from the USA to Australia in November 2017 and worked with Mark Lawson at the company. Rainer Overseas Movers was part of a team of companies to assist with the varying stages of the international move. I was exceedingly pleased with the level of service and assistance from their team. I always knew what was going on and I knew what to expect to happen next. Moving from San Francisco to Sydney is decently stressful given the amount of changes happening in your life, but this part of the massive move process was thankfully really pleasant. Definitely would recommend them to others.

Left a note on Facebook and BBB as well on behalf of Rainier Overseas Movers because I know how important it is for social proof of a company while people are doing research.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $4000

I'd recently arranged to move my furniture from California to Singapore. The furniture had been kept in storage for several years . Searching for a mover via the internet had been an intimidating experience as each one has their share of horror stories. I finally settled on a few with the least negative reviews and sent out requests for quotation. Doug Wiviott of Reinier responded the next day while I had to wait for a week or 2 for the others. That settled it for me and, of course, it helped that their quotation was reasonable.

The whole process turned out to be relatively easy as Doug was always there to guide and explain every step of the way. I'm happy that there was no additional cost except for a charge when my container was picked for further inspection by the US Customs. The friendly guys from California Relocation Services was on time and swift in packing my stuff for the container. In Singapore, Panther International Movers handled the custom clearance, temporary storage and subsequent moving to my apartment smoothly.

Overall, the whole experience was quite uneventful even though I was bracing myself for surprises. Communication from the companies involved was excellent. I would not hesitate to recommend Rainier.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $5500

We moved from Chicago to Israel this Summer. We checked out different movers, and Rainer was the best priced from Chicago for the amount we wanted to send.
Additionally, the customer service was amazing! Mark was super helpful and responsive, always happy to answer any questions or deal with any concerns. (and easy to get in touch with, unlike some other places we checked out!)

The shipping was professional and efficient. The movers came and packed all our fragiles quickly but securely, and every single thing arrived safe and sound to our apartment in Israel!

We highly recommend Ranier Shippers!

Thanks!

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $1900

I contacted Rainier Movers in June of 2016. I received a quote of 3590.00 from door to port, as I wanted to arrange the move from the port to my home. I had made another move from Chicago to Italy, in 2006-07 with MSC with no problems and an overall cost of about 2,000. I know how it works. At the beginning, all was fine, however, later on finally in September, when I was to load the container (20ft) at my storage unit, I was told that I had 24 hrs and it would not change in price if I had it picked up the same day to save money. Once the container arrived, I was then told I only had 2 hours. The people that were suppose to come to load the container did not come. I had spent days packing and loading on pallets to make sure my things would not be damaged. I kept getting calls and e-mails from Rainier asking when I would be done. But yet, I had arranged the container from 9 am to around 3-4 pm. We finished at around 3pm. I consistently asked about the tracking and was put off for several days. I also gave the name and contact information to them for the people that would be assisting here in Spain. Instead, they forwarded all my personal information to other company and would not explain to me how in the world this other company was given my contact information and logistics. I paid for insurance and asked time after time for the documentation. Not only for the insurance, but for all the documentation. It took several requests to obtain the documents with a semi- break down on the costs, not exact. It was a small one bedroom apartment. Kept asking for information that had already been provided, time and time again. Rainier gave a "guesstimate" of weight of 4,500 lbs. Not possible. Therefore, the weight of the container is paid buy YOU. I sent several e-mails confirming the company here in Spain that would be receiving my container at customs, to no avail, as the documents given still stated NONE GIVEN. It was such a hassle to get anything completed. Plus, Doug was on vacation during this time of transporting my things, from the storage unit to the train, and the documents should Chicago port. No, it was going on a train to NY. Once the demanded payment and the container still had not been officially loaded and I was concerned because I was not being updated. This was for 2 weeks. It took another 2 weeks to demand from them all the documents - they stated if I did not pay, they would have my things held in Spain. Excuse me? I am paying for a service and you are not providing any documentation for the bill of lading, customs and you gave my info to another company without ANY apology or explanation, just saying that that company destroyed my documents. Prior to making the final payment, the sailing date changed. Again, I am asking for all the information. Finally, my container is on its way. Still, have not received all documents. Doug told me that he did not understand what I wanted, but they have been in the business for years and I already made a move from Chicago to Italy and I am well aware of the logistics and costs. He did not break down the costs and gave excuses. It was I, whom had to track my container on a daily basis to make sure all was ok. I never once got any updates, once final payment was made. Seeing the other costs posted, I believe that I was over charged, especially since it was not door to door. I would not recommend this company. Mind you, below it states 1 bedroom home, it was a one bedroom small apartment.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $3590

We moved from Boston, MA to Switzerland in June. We decided to go with Rainier Overseas Movers because their quote was good and they seemed like a reputable company. We are overall very happy with how things went. Rainier had R.C. Mason Movers pack up our stuff and move it out of Boston and had World Freight Relocations deliver in Switzerland. I would recommend all of these companies.

All of the people we communicated with via email were:
- quick to respond
- courteous
- helpful
- accommodating.

The people who did the actual moving (Neil Lambert, Roger Muse, Harold Mir, Hugh McLellan in Boston; I didn't catch the European movers' names unfortunately) were:
- punctual
- careful
- fast
- courteous.

Our belongings arrived in about 8 weeks, faster than the 13 weeks they estimated.

I would recommend all three companies and if we move again, and I would hire them again.

PS: For some reason this website forces me to pick a destination country for our move, but Switzerland is not an option.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $6000

When I learned that I would be relocating from the San Francisco Bay Area to Maui, HI, among the many different items that I would need to coordinate (and perhaps one of the hardest) would be the move of our household goods from a 3000 square foot/four bedroom home.

I found Rainier Overseas Movers quite by accident, as I was researching sites designed to help with overseas relocations where shipping via container ships was going to be required. I collected four different bids, and Rainier's was by far the most favorable (nearly 50% less than others I investigated).

From the moment I met the origination agent who would move our goods from our home in California to storage and pack them for transport on the cargo ship, I knew I was making an excellent choice. Highly professional, attuned to my concerns and needs, and very clear in setting expectations, the entire process proceeded exactly according to plan. Every deadline, timeline, and promise for delivery was made and in many cases exceeded. And most importantly, there were no surprises when the bill arrived. It cost exactly what was quoted, and not one penny more.

The communication from Doug Wiviott at Rainier was always rapid, timely and very professional, exceeding my expectations every time. At times, Doug responded before I could even step away from my computer after sending him an email!

One of the most difficult aspects of our move to Maui was effortless, affordable and exceptionally well done. And while I hope that I never need to move back to the Mainland from our new home in Maui, I would only work with Rainier if that was ever needed again. I wouldn't trust my precious possessions with anyone else.

I have recommended Rainier to two other colleagues who are moving to/from Hawaii, and I would keep recommending them over and over. Doug and his team at Rainier made a 2000+ mile move across an ocean as effortless as if I were moving down the street.

So if your life takes you across an ocean for any reason, trust Rainier and their agents implicitly. You absolutely will not be disappointed!

Move size: 4 Bedroom Home Service cost: $20000

The pickup in the US and the packers/movers on this end were fantastic.  They were efficient, polite and courteous. The troubles began before the shipment even arrived in port in Germany. The German transporters began the extortion process early.  Basically extorting over $600 for an alleged "long haul" under the threat of not delivering our goods. Furthermore, they demanded cash payment before the first package was unloaded. Doug, from Ranier, offered absolutely NO help whatsoever even after assuring us this type of treatment wouldn't happen.  Buyer beware. .

Service cost: $9000

Who knew moving internationally could be so painless. Rainier and their partner movers both in the US and Australia were extremely professional and efficient. Our move was last minute and Doug could not have been more accommodating. Our belongings were packed and freighted in a blink of an eye. We were constantly updated of the freights progress and advised of any delays. Doug was extremely punctual in responding to any queries or questions we had. Our goods arrived safe and sound, with minimal if any damage. I would highly recommend Rainier to take care of your move.

Service cost: $6500

I was moving from Pennsylvania to Germany and despite many phone calls and emails my moving goods are now sitting in the UK for more than one month after a transfer time of 93 days.  In addition, I was told at the time of shipping that the weight limit was not strict and I would not exceed anyway. In the end I was charged 1000 USD more than I was originally quoted. The sales person Peter Helgeson is not even bothering to answer my emails any longer.    Avoid this company at all cost, they are not sincere business people.    .

Service cost: $3500

Rainiers was excellent from start to finish. I contacted them with less than a week to having to pack up an entire house and move it internationally. Within a couple of days they had someone out to survey my belongings and provide a quote. The crew that came to pack up arrived almost exactly on time. There were 4 men. All were dressed smartly, were clean and extremely polite and professional. They packed everything in the house, down to each and every single saucer and plate. They had advised us at estimate time that the large glass top for our dining table could either be crated (at an additional cost) or they could try to put it between mattresses - we opted for the latter to save cost.
Our shipment was taken directly to the port and we were amazed, having been quoted 5-6 weeks, when we were contacted less than a month later to be told that it was already at the port in Scotland.
The shipping container was brought directly to our new house and another 4 men came over to unload. Again they were all smartly dressed and very professional. It was incredible how quickly they managed to unload a totally packed 20' shipping container. They then unpacked everything that we wanted unpacked. We didn't have them do absolutely everything as we were still a bit shell shocked at getting all our stuff and didn't know exactly where to put everything but they were extremely helpful. They carried everything up our newly painted stairs without a single mark to the walls.
Having moved our entire house, the ONLY thing broken, was a single plate.
I would thoroughly recommend Rainiers. They were really fantastic and the move cost less than their competitors.

Service cost: $8500

We used Rainier for a Door-to-door move of all of our belongings from North Carolina to Dublin-Ireland. This involved some extra steps with delivery, crossloading etc. from our existing storage location, and all related customs paperwork and interaction. With all the horror stories out there about the US moving industry we were extremely worried about this process and took a great deal of time to review and verify our mover candidates. I have to say we struck gold with Rainier, they were extremely professional, efficient, communicate and competitively priced - characteristics echoed in their agents both in the US and Ireland. Everything arrived in great condition without any extra stress or paperwork hitches. Highly recommended and I would definitely use them again if need be.

Service cost: $6560

I have to say that we really appreciated all the work the Rainier team did organizing the various moving teams and then the storage for us.  Our move from Denmark to Texas was definitely less stressful for us with Rainier coordinating everything.   The pack team in Aarhus and the delivery team in El Paso were both great, polite, on time and introduced themselves right at the beginning.  They put down lots of carpets/blankets to protect the wood floors during packing and the white carpets at delivery.  The delivery team helped unwrap all the big stuff and even came back to pick up all the boxes once we were done unpacking (I thought that wasn't included, so that they did it was really nice).   Rainier had been recommended to us by some friends that had used their services before and we will definitely pass along the recommendation if we can.

Service cost: $12000

It has taken me a while to post on my Rainier experience - but it was superb. We were moving from the US to Israel - quite a move with quite a bit of stuff. Mark was prompt with his answers to questions and made the process incredibly painless. In fact, I got into a little bit of a billing issue with one of the later subcontractors on my move, but Mark backed me up all the way and pestered the other party until everything was resolved to my satisfaction. It was annoying for him, I'm sure, but effective. Oh, and almost everything arrived in tip-top shape and he helped with the insurance on the two small items ($300 out of $70k) that didn't.

Service cost: $8500

I recently moved from Seattle, Washington to St Thomas in the USVI (not Puerto Rico, but the USVI wasn't an option in the review form!). Dave Wiviott was wonderful and not only answered all my questions, but was very patient with me and my nervousness. The subcontractors that packed my stuff in Seattle were great, friendly and professional, and did a terrific job. I had absolutely NO breakage. The crew on the St Thomas end also did a stellar job. They delivered and unpacked what was needed, put everything back together again and hauled away the mounds of packing papers. I would not hesitate to recommend Dave and Rainier Overseas Movers to anyone. Thanks guys!!

Service cost: $8000

We recently moved from MA to Germany and used Rainier to coordinate that move. From start to finish, Rainier performed excellently, organizing local partners for packing and pickup, shipping, customs and delivery. Everything went smoothly, nothing was damaged and the goods arrived within a reasonable margin of the estimated time. I strongly recommend Rainier Overseas Movers, especially since Doug provides near-instantaneous feedback to all questions and is always highly professional.

Service cost: $6590

We set up everything with Doug for a move to Chile and a couple of weeks before the packing/loading date, I was offered a job in Oxford, U.K. We decided that we should, instead, take this chance and move to England. Doug had to re-arrange everything because, , the 'ship going to the UK is not the same as the one going to Chile' :) and he did all these last minutes changes, always with extreme professionalism and in a good mood. The packing day came, and Don and his workers were fantastic. They packed the house in a couple of hours, they were professional and very pleasant to deal with. After this, more changes, we had to storage our goods, because we also had to pack an office a couple of months later, and then would have to ship all together. Again, excellent service, everything went to storage smoothly (charging us only a small fee) and, again, a couple of months later, Don and his workers were excellent when packing our office. Finally, everything left the US and we were so surprised to see that less than one month later our goods arrived to the UK! On this end, they took excellent care of the paperwork with customs and the delivery was great, in perfect condition, the guys unpacked everything, placed the furniture and cleaned it all. Another very good surprise was too see that the house and office boxes had been marked by your man with different colors, so we knew exactly what was for the house and what was for the office. This was so good. All in all, we were very fortunate to find Doug and his company and I can't recommend him enough, you will not find a better moving company anywhere.

Service cost: $8900

Very good job on both ends - EU and USA, this is my second time using them. No problems both times. Just the cost almost doubled. Took about 30 days for a 20ft container from Czech Rep. to GA. Door to door. No customs issues. First I used them 9 years ago and now again going back. Still the same result. Communicated through e-mail, kept me informed. They arranged all the required paperwork plus gave me some options whom to hire for the load/unload overseas. Recommended, would use them again. Not cheap, but worth it.

Service cost: $7000

The move of our household goods was all we could have hoped for.     Rainier's estimate was the highest of three but online reviews suggested we were vulnerable to bait and switch with the cheapest and the second had mixed reviews. Rainier had excellent reviews.  But the clincher was the  fact of Rainier's local representation for Massachusetts in Bob Lane from Gentle Giant and the long experience he had with the men in his team. It was a no brainer.  The service exceeded our expectations.  Not a single thing broken or damaged.  The politeness of the crew and the care in their packing was very reassuring.  Our only concern was regarding the time it would take to arrive - but Boston to Brisbane is one of the longest trips for a boat on the planet.  We were told approximately 10 weeks to Brisbane, but it was first sent to Sydney, and in the end it took 13, so given the uncertainties in ship travel - that was pretty good.  I have a sister-in-law who waited 6 months for a container from Grand Rapids, Michigan to Adelaide in South Australia.    Chess Moving in Brisbane  matched the service of Gentle Giant - two good men who were polite and diligent - assisting us to rebuild the larger dismantled furniture items.  They arrived on time and job complete before lunch time.  So frankly we are very happy we chose Rainier through Bob Lane.  .

Service cost: $10900

To be honest, I'm trying to think of something negative but the truth is that everything went like clockwork and we couldn't ask for more. The local packers and loaders in North Carolina were amazing, hard-working, very diligent and although we weren't convinced everything was going to fit into the 20ft container, they did manage it.. just! The delivery from Norfolk, VA to Limassol, Cyprus was exactly as scheduled (I didn't realise there are now many apps which will track ships progress and locations which is useful). The delivery/unloading agents here were also excellent and although we still have a few boxes to go, everything is in great condition due in no small part to the diligence of the packers. Communication throughout with Doug and Rick at Ranier as well as the contacts either end was quick and easy. Although not the cheapest, they also weren't the most expensive so all in all, it was a five star experience.

Service cost: $8000

We recently completed our move from Boston to Brisbane, Australia using Rainier Overseas. Before selecting Rainier, we did a tremendous amount of research, from reviews to quotes, looking for the right balance between price and service. We were impressed with Rainier's reviews. And while there were other companies with slightly cheaper quotes, we felt like Mark Lawson was being straight with us-- something the others lacked. Mark's quote was from door-to-door, while others would do door-to-port, or exclude various costs from their quotes, etc. From the moment we made the selection, Mark was very quick to respond to any questions, always professional and helpful. Our shipment took one week longer to arrive than projected, but certainly within the range Mark had provided. There were no surprise fees, and they honored the quotes we discussed. From a service standpoint, the moving crews on both ends were excellent. They carefully packed all of our furniture, glassware, etc. and we were pleased that nothing was damaged upon delivery. There is no question that if I were to do everything over again, I would select Rainier again. Very impressed!

Service cost: $8500

A huge thank you to Mark Lawson and his team for making my move back to the UK a smooth and efficient event. I was completely supported by Mark who kept me informed and updated on a regular basis. The team (Mayflower) who packed my belongings were completely trustworthy and took great care of my special items. They arrived on time and worked hard throughout checking in with me as needed. Once the shipment was in the UK, I was notified and able to arrange a mutually agreeable delivery date following customs clearance. The delivery team (Britannia) again worked very hard taking special care of fragile items and reassembling my bed, they effortlessly managed the few items of furniture and bulky boxes while retaining a good sense of humour on an unusually very hot day. I fully recommend Rainier to anyone who is planning an international move.

Service cost: $5110