Safeway Moving Systems

The sales pitch was great and misleading. The service provided gradually went downhill from the time the first payment was made. The agent was not available to confirm the date and time of move even 24 hours before the scheduled 48 hour window. It was recommended and suggested that we would not need full-value insurance because it was a small move and they were professionals in this business. Our 75 inch TV was wrapped in blanket and put in cardboard box. It came broken as did a chair and bed frame. We were PROMISED installation/re-fixing of the dismantled furniture - never happened. The driver who did the drop-off was equivalent to all the moving horror stories you hear of. We were threatened and extorted to pay more for even unloading the furniture. The driver turned up without tools - there was never any plan to install/fix the dismantled furniture. Major items of the move were broken. Ultimately it was stupidity on our part for falling for a sales pitch and high ratings.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $6022

As the title states, this company is so far responsible for the single worst removal experience I have had after living in two different countries.

I was in the military in Australia and have lived in 13 houses in 16 years. I have moved at least every 18 months since 2009. I have had movers move me all over Australia and now from Australia to the US.

This one takes the cake, and I have not even got a date to get my stuff delivered yet. No doubt it will be missing, damaged and broken. I am already anticipating another price raise to have my things delivered.

The initial quote was very reasonable, however Ron was very pushy and when I stated that I knew I had over 100 boxes he kept saying "that's a lot" and coerced me in to accepting a quote for only 100. This of course led to an "adjustment" or nearly double the price on moving day. And in the end they left items in the house which needed to be included. Ron told me I would be called two weeks out and then two days prior to pickup to "refine" the details and adjust the quote as required. If I had not asked for the gentleman who text me on the Friday before to call me to adjust it, I doubt I would have had any heads up other than what occurred next on pick up day.

Then the team from Atlas Moving Services who showed up, not Safeway Moving Solutions, asked me if I could take delivery within 7 days. I responded no, I didn't get the keys to my new house until 12 days away. The foreman nodded and wrote that down. That's all that occurred.

Fast forward two weeks and I call to ask for a delivery date, to only be told that it will now be 7 - 21 days from the date I said I could take delivery.

I have now called again today (a week later) and been told "I will check with the agent and call you back in a few minutes" and I am sitting here now nearly 30 minutes later with no call back. The last time I called when I asked if they needed my details to follow up I was met with "that's the beauty of caller ID, I have all of your information. Thanks" in a very unprofessional tone.

10/10 would not recommend this company. Very disappointed with the whole experience, and like I said, I can only assume it's still going to get worse.

Move size: 4+ Bedroom Home Service cost: $24000

Good morning; I'd just like to share my experience working with Safeway Moving Systems briefly. First, my sales Rep Dylan was phenomenal. I mean with everything from the prompt return calls, reasonable quotes, and the expeditious manner in getting crews assembled for our move on very short or even last-minute notice. He was a pleasure working with. Kindest regards! Going forward, I'll use Safeway Moving Systems again for my moving needs and Dylan as my sales rep. Thanks again for everything. You guys truly are the best.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $4610

We were searching for a company to move us from Pasadena to Milwaukee. The first company explained how they pack our stuff on a semi-trailer with other peoples stuff and then deliver in turn. We wanted someone to come to our home, load it, and take it to our next location without the in-between step. So I contacted Safeway who said, Yes we can do a dedicated truck for you and delivery will be timed according to your schedule. We agreed to use them as our moving company and then found out they actually contract with another company, Spartan Van Lines, to do the actual moving. Come to find out later, when the driver called to let us know they were close, they indeed put our stuff on a large semi-trailer with others stuff and was delivering it turn. Exactly what we did not want. We had a lot of damaged and lost stuff that is ultimately Safeways responsibility since they were the overall coordinator of our move. Spartan has not been helpful either as they have not accounted for the lost and damaged goods yet.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $17000

I wrote a 1-star review for Safeway Moving Systems in December 2021, after a horrendous move organized by Safeway and carried out by MMG. See my original review here: https://www.mymovingreviews.com/movers/safeway-moving-systems-8977#225926

This past August 2022 (nearly a *full year* after our move, and my repeated attempts to get a manager from Safeway on the phone to help address our concerns), a representative from Safeway reached out and said they wanted to "investigate" the incident in order to "rectify the situation." I scheduled a date and time to chat with the representative (in the middle of my work day) – she did not call at the time we agreed upon, and when I called Safeway to try to reach her, I was told quite flippantly that she was not even in the office yet and she'd give me a call when she could. What's the point of scheduling a call if you're not even going to be in the office at that time?

I got a call a few hours later from a different Safeway representative, who, to his credit, was respectful and apologetic. He called back a few hours later to say that Safeway would be willing to refund $600 for my troubles – but *only* if I removed my original negative review!

Bottom line: Safeway is not concerned with doing right by their customers. They only care about "protecting their reputation" and their positive reviews on sites like this. Completely immoral business model – screw your customers over and then try to bribe them to keep their mouths shut about the experience.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $8000

What a joke and awful experience. Never told this was a broker and that my furniture would be touched by so many hands, 3 different moving companies and who knows how many storage facilities. Quoted 7200.00 and in the end 9400.00 and that's leaving behind lots of my furniture to make sure I stayed 7200.00...Oliver is a liar, James is a liar and my stuff got smashed, damaged and mishandled. Do not go with Safeway who gives out your valuable furniture to random companies. Ashley movers? who are they? and I don't even know who delivered after 2 weeks. AWFUL Experience

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $9400

Safeway

Whatever you do, DO NOT use this company for your move. Our laundry list of issues is seemingly endless. I will preface this by saying that we have relocated cross-country four times now— this was not our first experience with a long haul move; however, it is by far our worst experience. It started with the movers arriving to our house 3 hours late, to then go through every room of our house for AN HOUR to “make sure” our things would fit on the truck… something my husband did over the phone multiple times, one resulting in us having to upgrade to a larger truck (of course at an additional cost). So now they are four hours behind on loading stuff out of our house and onto the truck, and after a very slow process, at midnight they told us that our stuff will not fit on the truck (after wasting an hour making sure it would fit). So they would need to go drop it off at a warehouse and come back to get the rest of it. They left our remaining items SITTING IN OUR DRIVEWAY while they went to unload, and did not actually complete our move until 3 o’clock in the morning. On top of that, they charged us for moving materials when we were told upon reservation that it was an “all-included” move.

Fast forward to the delivery of our things in a new state— my husband called them 5 separate times and left messages (because of course nobody would pick up the phone) to inform them that our construction date was delayed and we needed to extend storage. Which was an option we were given upon reserving the move with Safeway. They shipped our stuff anyways, my husband received a call saying our stuff was in Florida and they needed a place to unload it or we would be charged a fee. So my husband had to scramble to find storage units, again AT OUR COST, so that they can unload our stuff there. And now we are going to have to PAY AGAIN to have all of our things moved into our home when construction is completed. My husband and I have both called multiple times and IF they answer it’s always “oh you’ll get a callback” which of course never comes. They’re quick to take your money but if anything goes sideways they’ll leave you in the lurch. The “philosophy and core values” they have listed on their website are nothing more than a joke and a ploy to grab your money. Not a single person I’ve worked with at this company has even pretended to live up to those values. As a veteran owned and run business I was hoping for better. They have all the call logs and have admitted they were in the wrong but refused to take responsibility and now are just ducking and dodging us. Bottom line: save yourself the headache and a whole lot of money— rent u-haul pods, pack them yourself and ship them to your new house. That is the only way to move cross country anymore. I will be reporting Safeway with the better business bureau, and consider this review your warning to stay far away.

Move size: 4 Bedroom Home Service cost: $17000

I have moved across the country four times and always move myself. This was the first time I have dealt with a moving service and it was awful. After I did the deposit they were uncommunicative and unresponsive. I had to send multiple emails and call multiple times just to get basic information like delivery date and timeframe. Three pieces of furniture were broken in the move and every box had damage to it. My four small boxes never showed up with the rest of my belongings.

I had to change the delivery address after deciding to rent a house different than the original address given, and after confirming they let dispatch know the new address in writing and over the phone, the movers were not communicated to and went to the wrong address. When I called to let them know, the only response I got was that they were sorry and they’d make a note for the manager.

I would not use them again.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $4675

I had the most horrible experience with this broker, my job was sold to Reliant moving, Safeway never contacted us about when the movers we arrive we called over 10x and everyone just kept saying we would get a call back, the movers showed up a day outside of our window and was very nonchalant and short with us, the move increased 4k and Safeway refuse to help us in getting this resolved with the company they sent out, we requested a call from a manager and never received a call, I thought long in hard about writing a review as we have tried to resolve our issues directly with safeway, the have refused to help us in anyway and we were forced to pay overages with no real explanation, I am so disappointed and surprised that the DOT would allow a company to operate so poorly and not take any responsibility in helping their customers, moving with safeway was probably one of the worse life decisions we have made and i want to warn others of this horrendous experience we went through and how much we are forever changed. Please don't ignore the reviews, go with a reputable known company or do it yourself. The worse and i am filing a complaint with the attorney general office.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $8000

This was the absolute worst experience dealing with any company in my 40 years on this earth. The pick up itself was somewhat smooth but it was all downhill after that. About 25% of our load was damaged with items missing as well. Delivery driver charged extra money because he had a park further away than 200 feet from our house then after I agreed to pay the surcharge (had no choice) they move the truck closer to the house and refused to refund the surcharge. The delivery driver showed up alone with no helpers whatsoever and hired non-professional movers locally from a craigslist ad to come and help him move our belongings into the house. items were broken during transport and even moving the items into our home hitting walls and gouging the sheet rock and paint. I was told to file a claim for the damaged and missing items or damage to home which I did.After setting up an account and sending all supporting documentation to the company they completely ghosted me and will not respond. This is not the way to run a business especially for the large amount of money that we spent to move all of our items from Pennsylvania to South Carolina. Do yourself a favor and spend more money to hire a reputable known company to move your belongings so that they arrive complete and intact with no damage. Once again do not use this company to move anything whatsoever you will regret it believe me we do.

Move size: 4 Bedroom Home Service cost: $11000

Easy quote and easy first payment. After that….forget it. Driver only took cash or money order. Initial quote was ~$1100 less than final given on day of pickup. Who has an extra $1100 laying around? Items took 29 days to get from Oregon to NC and delivered. One guy delivered. No help. A mattress set was ruined (wet). Paddle Board gouged (ruined). Kitchen table leg snapped off. Yeti cooler missing. Company refuses to pay me or my daughter for this. Oh, they did offer $200 bucks roughly. I have been working with them for nearly 6 months and I have not received a dime of the $1300 I am asking. That for complete negligence on their part. Not accidental damage mind you. Negligence. The damage and missing items is well beyond anything that could be considered “accidental.” Stay away from these folks. Don’t trust that the company is veteran owned. I did, as a fellow veteran, and it got me this. BTW, I had to give one star just to post this. They deserve 0 stars.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $5000

If I could give zero (or even negative stars), I would.

Safeway Moving is a terrible company that engages in fraudulent and destructive business practices.

They completely ruined my move--they overcharged me (compared to what they quoted), damaged my belongings (thousands of dollars of damage), did not deliver my belongings on the right day, and gave me someone else's belongings. They have done nothing to remedy all of the problems that they caused.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $4000

I was not impressed with this moving company at all.They were not professional and did not keep me informed on the status of my move from NY to Fla. I was given misinformation about the whereabouts of my possessions and my calls went unanswered for days. My stuff was delivered by a U-Haul truck, not the original truck from NY and the driver charged me an additional $400.00 to rent the uhaul! To make matters even worse, my dishes, planters, glassware, picture frames, paintings, expensive furniture all arrived damaged. Family heirlooms were destroyed and their compensation to me was a disgraceful $100.00 I definitely would NOT recommend them to anyone and would positively call another moving service if I had to make another move.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $3500

Safeway has some of the most inept communication I have ever encountered. Despite all of their promises of a stress-free move, I have to say that this process was unnecessarily stressful.

At booking, I didn't yet have my apartment rented. I told Tina, & she said, “No problem. If that’s the case when you move, we can store things in our warehouse for 30 days free.” She also said to expect my belongings to arrive 5-14 days from my pickup date, & the team at pickup would be able to give a more narrow timeframe within that. I asked the team at pickup, & they said they had no clue how long it would take, but the delivery window doesn’t start until my things are loaded on the truck to their destination. Imagine my surprise when I get a call the day after my things are picked up saying that my belongings could take as long as 30 days, & they haven’t loaded for transport. I acknowledge the contract states that legally they've 30 days, but I was assured of a much shorter timeframe by Tina, Andrew, and multiple other Safeway employees. To make matters worse, when I heard this from the transport representative, I immediately tried to call the Safeway customer support line for clarification. I tried to call for 3 days before I finally got someone on the line, & they just repeated that they legally had 30 days & had no explanation for the difference in what I was told & what the contract said.

I was also told multiple times that I would receive a call when the mover was 24 hours out, another call 1 hour out, & a call as they were approaching. Whenever I spoke to representatives confirming my details, I told them that my complex’s rules required that moving trucks be off the premises by 6:00 PM. So imagine my surprise when at 12:00 PM, I get a text from a random number that said “I have your things on a truck…Can I deliver to you around 5:00 or 6:00 today.” When I explained that that time didn’t work & that I was working the rest of the week, I received a call from a different representative saying that if I couldn’t have my things delivered the next day, I would be paying $750 for re-delivery on the weekend. I spoke to someone else who said that if I wanted to use the 30 days of free storage, I needed to say that at the time that my things were loaded onto the truck. After taking time from work for a total of SEVEN calls with Safeway, I finally found a bit of resolution.

If you book, KEEP TRACK OF YOUR ESTIMATE. Get everything in writing. I had a “discount” at the beginning for early booking. Every time I spoke to someone throughout the process, I was given the price without the discount & had to correct them. If they can’t keep track of a discount that’s documented on every estimate & bill of lading, it doesn’t inspire confidence that they keep track of your belongings & other information.

I was told that moving blankets were included in the price. Andrew also mentioned on the phone the day before my move that he would throw in two free wardrobe boxes for any miscellaneous items. The information about the free wardrobe boxes was not conveyed to the pick-up team; they did their best and only charged $4 (the minimum charge) for the wardrobe box that was used, but that’s not the same as free. Safeway also neglected to say that the team at pick-up would charge me nearly $160 for the tape used to secure those blankets around my furniture. I brought this up to Safeway on 7/2/23, and I was told a member of the billing department would be contacting me to “make this right.” I have yet to hear from the billing department despite calling multiple times and emailing to remind them of this. I called again today, 7/23/23, & I am no closer to getting this resolved.

Additionally, don’t bother using their online tracking link. It takes up to 3 days to receive an update, & the only update I received was that my belongings were waiting to be loaded. This was especially interesting considering I had been told 48 hours prior that my belongings had in fact been loaded.

When I received that last-minute text trying to deliver my belongings, the text also said “I rented a smaller truck. I just need you to pay $100 toward it.” I had confirmed with my complex that large moving trucks can enter my apartment, & when I finally spoke to a Safeway supervisor that evening, she said “don’t worry about the shuttle fee.” Thankfully I had that in writing, because they tried to charge me $350 for the shuttle, & I had to call Safeway again six times (& leave messages each time) before somebody picked up the phone. They still tried to charge me the shuttle fee, but they finally located where it was put in writing that I would not be paying a shuttle fee.

I never got the email for submitting damage claims. Two employees have said they'd email it to me after making patronizing remarks about it being my email server's fault. Every other email from them goes through just fine, & I still can't submit damage claims. Will never use them again.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $3617

I hope this review can help someone else from using Safeway Moving Inc unless their model is suitable for their long distance move.

When researching companies, I came upon Safeway Moving Inc's claim to have stress free moving with military precision. Upon contacting the company, I spoke with Edward in sales who handled my estimate. Throughout the process he was kind and went over all of our items including our golf cart.

I was told the pick up window was three days: 7/27-7/29. When discussing delivery of my items he stated that legally all moving companies have 30 days to deliver, but they usually take 3-5 days and definitely not longer than 14 days. We thought great and booked our move.

Moving day, Thursday 7/27, came and Alexander and his team arrived. They packed our belongings nicely and organized the truck. At the end of the day our move cost was about $2000 more than the estimate, but we were prepared for that since it is hard to know the total number of boxes and cubic feet you will have. Alexander reported he thought our belongings would be at our destination Sunday or Monday.

Monday comes with no word about our delivery.

We find out that Safeway Moving Inc has 30 BUSINESS DAYS to deliver our items and that our entire household including our golf cart is in a warehouse waiting to be loaded onto a truck.

In the sales process we were NEVER told our belongings would be stored in a warehouse. I saw on the website they offered 30 days of free storage. BEWARE the storage is not OPTIONAL. Also, any time frame is in BUSINESS DAYS - this does not include holidays or weekends.

When you call and talk to dispatch or customer service, I have encountered many representatives that are unkind and frustrated with my calls, which leads me to become even more frustrated with the situation. I have had a representative tell me to stop calling that dispatch will contact you.

Dispatch never calls. A delivery estimate is never given. I find it hard to believe that a large company does not have a logistics team. How do they not know where their trucks are at in the country to provide somewhat of an estimation? I have been told we are on the schedule. Are we 2nd on the list? 10th?

I understand that there are DOT rules and regulations, but the fact I cannot be given any estimate (even a week out) is ridiculous.

I believe Safeway Moving Inc's sales practices are deceptive. DO NOT TRUST THE SALES DEPARTMENT.

If you are able to wait for your belongings for weeks, then this company will work well for you as they did take their time packing our items and I believe they packed them in a nice manner. However, if you need your belongings ASAP due to starting a new job - prepare accordingly or find another company.

If I knew this was Safeway's model and Edward was up front with me, I would have declined the estimate and went with another company. Simply, because that schedule did not work with my family.

We are now at our new location without a bed, clothing, kitchen items, etc. We are starting new jobs and do not have our dress clothing.

I hope that this review brings light to how Safeway actually operates. If you want a door to door quick move THIS IS NOT THE COMPANY FOR YOU.

I would be happy to speak with a manager in the sales department to discuss my experience and prevent this from happening to another family.

Move size: 4+ Bedroom Home Service cost: $16000

I contacted the company to move from NJ to Florida. I placed a deposit of $1300 and upon discovering the horrible reviews, I cancelled the next day. They had not charged me yet but said their was no way to stop the charge and informed me I would receive a refund in 5-7 business days. It has been 10 business days and I have not received a refund. They claim there are limits to their systems and how quickly they can refund, but they were able to accept full payment for the deposit instantaneously. I am very concerned whether I will ever receive my refund.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $3900

Safeway Moving Inc. is a scam, and it all starts with their name, which has different iterations and overlaps with many other moving and relocation companies. On their website, it's "Safeway Moving" but you'll also find them listed as "Safeway Moving Inc", here on Yelp as "Safeway Relocation Services" and also as "Safeway Moving Systems" and I'm sure there are others. To be clear, this company is located at NW 33rd Avenue in Ft Lauderdale, and I was their client, job number Y6012702. The goal of all this name confusion is to keep them another step removed from accountability.

I could write pages about how awful and unethical this company is; as their reviews across all platforms attest, they're not a traditional mover but a moving brokerage that contracts out all the different parts and pieces of the move to small, rinky dink businesses that you, the customer, have no ability to choose, or vet, or affect in any way. How this is legal is still a mystery to me as the temporarily bubbly and conscientious sales rep (in my case Celeste Devito, 773-596-9036 is her direct line) fails to mention any of it.

What Celeste failed to mention is that the only part Safeway plays in your move is taking the reservation, preparing the inventory, and facilitating payment; once things begin to go to sh*t, they're "new number, who dis?" Here are some other kind of important things Celeste Devito failed to mention to me about my move:

1. Sub-contractors.

Safeway doesn't move you, sub contractors do. In my case, it was Logistics Union Inc, and DEL PRO, with possibly a 3rd I couldn't identify. When your are inevitably not given adequate answers or information because "dispatch" and "operations" has these answers, that means one of these sub contractors.

2. "I have a route for you."

This is what you're going to hear during the first phone call with Safeway, and they tell you this to confirm the reservation and first payment; it's a total lie. Instead, they schedule a pick up and then your stuff sits in a warehouse until they can find a driver and/or pack the truck full enough.

3. Dates, delays and the fine print about "business days."

Of course my stuff arrived late- pickup was 8/14, first available to deliver was 9/1 and my stuff arrived on 10/3. For delay reimbursement, they only count "business days" and there is competing information between the "delivery no later than ___" on the long distance form (that gets filled in at the end of pickup) and the fine print on the back of the interstate bill of lading that specifies "21 business days." The information contradicts itself, and the company delivering your stuff will do everything in its power to not have to take anything off the final bill.

4. Delivery cash.

Like most scams, all the subs push you to pay in cash. To secure the reservation and get your first payment, they'll happily take a credit card, but at every additional stage it gets more and more difficult to pay this way. By the time your stuff finally arrives, they only take cash, a "postal money order" (huh??) or cashier's check. They reluctantly agreed to accept a Zelle payment but that was largely a factor of how badly they had bungled my move up until this point.

Needless to say, OF COURSE YOU SHOULDN'T USE SAFEWAY! More than that, companies like this shouldn't be legal; they're vultures circling a crowded and confusing scene looking for areas of vulnerability to exploit. It really sucks.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $8474

I hired Safeway for a move, which included packing up a 6,000 sq ft house, in early March 2023 from Santa Fe NM to Philadelphia PA. I chose Safeway due to its good recommendations and a desire to support service members. Arranging the move was fine; the follow thru was not. The van arrived very late so packers couldn't work, there weren't sufficient boxes or packing materials (they had to buy out the stock of boxes and paper at the nearest UHaul center), packers had to stay an extra day, items were put in boxes without packing materials, the van left without a roomful of packed boxes, mover had to return several days later to pick them up and pack up 6 additional boxes of items that had not been packed. During this time I called the contact number I had been given repeatedly and received no response. Upon delivery & after unloading I was told many of the boxes had no numbers so I needed to sign off as "whatever was in the van was mine". Upon unloading I discovered extensive breakage (several thousand dollars), however since I had good moves prior I had opted value by pound and received a claim settlement of less than $100. I've moved about a dozen times over 50 years in my prior corporate career, never experienced such incompetence. I would sue the company but since I would have to do so by contract in Florida I will just leave this review.

Move size: 4 Bedroom Home Service cost: $23000

My move took them 6 weeks. It was a continual list of delays such as waiting for drivers to return, waiting to fill up the truck with other shipments, going to other states not even close to the delivery state, 4 days to load my shipment onto the delivery truck and on and on. No acknowledgment of how disruptive this was, while my apartment sat empty for 6 weeks. They will not pay for lodging which is in their contract. Never use this company. I would imagine most of the positive reviews are fake and produced by their company. Go somewhere else, even if you have to pay more.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $5200

Salesman underbid my job and gave me my first “guaranteed“price. He Promised to be there every step of the way but disappeared, even not returning my phone calls . Final call from dispatch gave me my “guaranteed “ 2nd price, a significant increase. Pick up truck gave me my 3rd”guaranteed “ price, yes, another increase. I’mnow 2 price increases into the process. Pick up/Packer also gave me a not-thinly veiled threat that they had my stuff and would hold it hostage until I paid what they wanted.Customer Service people were great and could see my frustrations with communication but weren’t able to help much (Management sucks!) Delivery crew was great. However they didn’t have the hiding spot for the feet for my entertainment center. A little “Easter Egg” left by the movers. Now I have to find a handyman to attach the feet. NEVER AGAIN! I have a job number. I can prove that I am an unhappy customer.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $7800