Safeway Moving Systems

I suspect most of the reviews on this company are fake.

They are merely a middle man that find small contractors to move your stuff. We used them for a cross-country move from New York to Washington in May/June, and were appalled by the horrible experience we had. We had used other movers/companies in the past and had never experienced something this bad. Highlights:

- It took them over a month to deliver all of our stuff

- My husband had to change his flight last-minute to accommodate their delivery schedule, even though we told them many times we would be unavailable on that date

- Both the pickup and delivery processes took 6+ hours (we have a two-bedroom apt in both places, not even a house), with the delivery occurred from 8:30pm to 4:30am (yes, overnight).

- Multiple things were broken or damaged, and an entire box with expensive clothing was missing

Here're the details:

1. They demanded 25% deposit one month before our scheduled pickup date, so huge upfront payment when they did nothing yet and makes it difficult to switch mover if you want to back out (another reviewer mentioned they just called the credit card and disputed the charge, which is a good idea)

2. They have a policy of never giving you the actual driver/mover's contact info, so there is no way to contact them directly for delivery/pickup, basically you're at their mercy, and there's nothing you can do if the movers are late etc.

3. We were told on the day of the pickup that the movers would arrive between 10am-12pm, with a call 30 mins ahead of arrival (we reserved the building elevator for this time frame). We got no call until 11:30 from the movers saying they already arrived, after calling the company staff several time and got no definitive response. The movers arrived with a rental truck, not their own truck.

4. For the first 1-2 hours after the movers arrived for pickup, the head person just sits at our table laying out multiple paperwork and on the call (likely with his boss). He wanted us to sign several papers, one of them has the "estimated first available date for delivery". We thought (naturally) this would be the first date that we can accept delivery, so we put down 1.5 week from the pickup date (as we had some travel planned). It was not until two weeks later we were told that they do not load our stuff onto the cross-country truck until after the indicated first date of delivery. Basically all of our goods and furniture were lying on the ground outside somewhere in NJ for 2 weeks when we thought they were on the way to us in Washington.

5. The movers were going to over-charge us for extra weight. My husband who is an attorney pointed out that the contract says no extra charge, after which they dropped it.

6. After two weeks of no updates, we called them and were informed that they had not even load our stuff yet, b/c they would only do that after the "first available date of delivery".

7. After many many futile calls of no definitive update, we were told that our stuff would arrive in the next week. That was the week before we need to travel out of state, so we asked them to make sure to deliver our stuff before that Saturday.

8. No updates for an entire week when we were promised our goods would be delivered. Our flight out-of-state was scheduled on Sat morning. Exactly 10 mins before our flight we got a call from the delivery mover saying they needed to deliver our stuff today (and had to be before Wed but we would be gone for an entire week). With little choice, my husband changed his flight and went back home to wait for the movers.

9. The delivery movers arrived at 8:30pm. They first brought in the wrong stuff, and then had to go back to get the correct stuff. I was not there (thank god), but my husband was basically up all night for the delivery process. It ended around 4:30am.

10. Pictures attached with broken furniture. An entire box is missing.

11. We are still in the process of filing claims with them.

THIS COMPANY SHOULD NOT EXIST.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $9000

We had an absolutely terrible experience with Safeway Moving Systems. First, we paid an extra fee to guarantee pick up on a specific day (June 30). However, after waiting all day long and calling many times without any useful help, they didn’t even show up that day. They did show up the next day, but this was a big inconvenience for us because we told our building management we were going to move out on June 30.

Second, after delivering our items to our new home, we discovered several damaged items. Most notably, the bottom of our coffee table was severely damaged. After attempting an insurance claim, they told us that it wasn’t their fault because the coffee table is too weak. I don’t know how they can break our furniture and then tell us that it’s too weak.

Third, three of our items were missing after delivery. Most notably, a keyboard worth around $600 was missing. Unfortunately, we got no refund and will never see this keyboard again.

Lastly, they didn’t arrive at our new home until July 19 after picking up our items on July 1. They texted us to tell us that they would arrive at our home on July 19 between 9 and 11 AM. However, they did not show up until around 4 PM (5 hours later than they told us). In addition, only one mover came to deliver our items. Since he was by himself, he didn’t finish until almost 9 PM. He also caused minor damage to our piano during the process.

In summary, I would not recommend Safeway Moving Systems to anybody under any circumstances. It was an absolutely terrible experience from start to finish.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $5100

My gosh I have never had such a terrible moving experience. We moved from CT to FL and paid a fortune for this "company" to move us. Not only did it take over a month to receive our items, most of the items were missing/damaged when they arrived. We had a lot of things, including over 100 boxes. At least 4 boxes never arrived along with 2 large ladders. At least 1/2 of our furniture was ruined from water damage (apparently the truck has a leak) and neglect. The paperwork we were provided was so difficult to follow, it was impossible to claim everything with the movers when it arrived. Having over 100 boxes, it was difficult to realize that at least 4 were missing at the time. When we put in a claim, most items were denied because we didn't mention it at the moment of arrival. Again, really difficult to notice boxes missing until you start to unpack boxes and its been over a month since you last saw your items!. Although we provided pictures of everything, most were still denied. I never thought so much of our stuff would go missing and be so damaged from one move, and then of course to not have them cover us for the damage and especially loss was really upsetting. Attached are just 2 pictures of the type of damage done. Most of our things arrived in this state or was completely wet from some sort of leak in the truck. The water destroyed many mementos, including our wedding album, which of course they also will not cover. Just a terrible company! They don't care about their clients at all. Please do not use this company!

Move size: 4 Bedroom Home Service cost: $14000

They are grossly under estimating quotes. I was told and I quote, "the good news is, you'll never pay a dime over this quote". The day the moving company showed up they instantly said I would need more truck space than quoted. To the tune of an extra $1,811.95. I had to cough that up in twenty four hours before they would unload the truck at my destination. There was not one item loaded on that truck that was not on the inventory list. When I addressed this with the moving companies dispatch they replied, "oh this happens all the time with Safeway" If you are dealing with Joseph...Don't believe a word he says. He also told me that if I wanted to cancel my contract and receive my deposit back, I would need to submit another companies signed contract. I reached out to Joseph regarding this and he would not admit to saying this. He said I never said that. He was also the person responsible for the quote. He lied twice. They tell you lies and it will cost you immensely.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $14002

It is really sad that someone who served our country owns this deceptive company (speaking as a proud aunt of a US Airman). Firstly, be mindful that this is a broker, and they contract jobs out to the lowest bidder. SAFEWAY IS NOT THE MOVING COMPANY, so in the end, when it was time to make things right, they have a scapegoat.

The salesperson Will, promised us "his first born" (everything will run smoothly), until we signed the contract. Then it was very difficult to get a hold of him. We walked through every room in the house with Will virtually. Somehow when the movers showed up the day of the move, they stated we had over twice the amount than was communicated. Regardless of weight or cubic feet, scrupulous companies can "game the system."

On the day of the move, May 8, and two days before we needed to be out of the home, Vango Van Lines arrived and insisted we pay 75% over what Safeway had quoted.

Numerous calls to Safeway went unanswered and we were forced to pay cash in order to have Vango pack and move our goods as we needed to vacate the house that weekend and Safeway did not answer any of our calls that weekend.

Julian, the supposed Customer Service Manager, was rude - e.g., spoke over me when I was talking; condescending; and threatened to deliver our goods when he KNEW we were not there to receive them. He, by far, worsened this experience for my family and me.

Ultimately the movers packed near empty boxes and hung short baby closes in large, adult wardrobe boxes to take up increased cubic feet resulting in additional charges. Additionally, they committed to moving our goods safely and we had over $4000 of moving damage/loss when our goods were ultimately delivered on July 28, following nearly two weeks of them reporting that they did not know the whereabouts of our goods. Then, they refused to cooperate with the insurance company, so we were only reimbursed for a fraction of the loss.

This is just the tip of the iceberg of our experience with Safeway; I could go on. We have moved internationally and cross-country with several other companies and this is THE WORST experience I've ever had. Word to the wise, NEVER use SAFEWAY MOVING SYSTEMS. Beware of using any brokers, period, to move you. Deal with companies that handle it from beginning to end and offer insurance to back their promises. If SAFWEAY had integrity, as they claim, this would not have been an issue, but when they had to stand by their word, they just pointed to the company to whom they farmed out the job (when they would answer my phone call).

The communications (emails) received during my initial contact with Safeway indicated that they are based in Chicago, however, here are addresses, IDOT and MC numbers associated with the company with whom I dealt. There are several Safeway moving companies out there and often companies will make slight changes, name tweaks, DOT numbers, addresses, etc. to run away from poor reviews/BBB records.

• USDOT: 3756000

• MC: 1335229

• Address: 300 SE 2ND St Suite 600 Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301

• https://safewaymovingsystem.com/

• 844-728-6899

• US DOT: 3166589

MC: 114982

• https://safewaymovinginc.com

• Address: 5217 NW 33rd Ave, 33309 Fort Lauderdale, FL

(844) 728-6899

Address: 180 N La Salle St Ste 3700 Chicago, IL 60601-2809

BBB says they are not in business but it’s the same name, phone number as the company listed in Florida at two different addresses.

https://www.bbb.org/us/il/chicago/profile/relocation-services/safeway-moving-system-llc-0654-90020399

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $14000

I used Safeway Moving in May 2023 for a long distance move, and that was one of the worst experience I have had in years. At pickup, the driver and I had the same list of items to be moved, but tells me I would need more space and wanted to charge more than the contract price ,I outright disagreed, he called the office then told me that he would take only what fits in the number of assigned boxes, which I agreed , only to end up using less boxes. He also marked one of my items broken at pick up which was untrue, gladly I took a picture just before the item was moved.

I was so upset and stressed out when my items were delivered, that I lost my voice for three days, couldn't even think properly when I saw the conditions of my items. Not only that, while the truck was being unloaded, I checked off the boxes on the inventory list and at the end a number of items were missing, so the driver and I checked the truck and I was appalled to see how some of the missing items were stored. Unfortunately, after spending much time searching the truck we were only able to recover two dining chairs and a TV set, four of my boxes are still missing,. I spent hours on the phone trying to get information, and is still waiting. My items were to be delivered on June 8tth, and was told I was the last of the delivery with the truck after making a stop in Ohio before me.Truck never showed up, no one called to let me know what happened, and when I called for information, didn’t get much of anything. I finally had a delivery on 6/28.Only the driver was on the truck, two young men also showed up and told me they were there to help, and later, when the driver was leaving they said they would stay to reassembly my furniture for a fee of $25 an hour for each of them. Of course nothing could have been put together because of missing parts.

I couldn't believe the damage that was done to my items. My TV stand is totally destroyed, four of the legs are broken off from the base and some of the attachment for the glass shelves are missing, my chest of drawers has a gigantic hole on the top with lots of debris in the first drawer, one book shelf has two drawers slanting to one side with missing and broken attachments, the other one came with all shelves piled up on the bottom one because the side attachments are missing, a couple of the dining chairs have torn seats, my dining table has not been reassembled because of missing parts, my couch has all it's legs missing, my dresser and night stand have several chips, and because of missing parts the mirror has not been reassembled to the dresser, and one drawer does not close properly. My bed frame has been put together with the center support missing, it's now leaning against a wall, because of missing screws.

My dealing with customer service regarding the missing boxes did not help in anyway. Some were pleasant, others were rude and I still have no idea where my boxes are. I even called the broker I dealt with in the beginning , who was pleasant at that time, but has not returned a call email or text.

I thought using Safeway Moving was a great company because they are veteran associated and they support a charity which for me is a wonderful thing., also the persons I dealt with seem so caring but

after getting my items and reaching out for help, I was appalled that I was totally ignored. I have spent hours on the phone with customer service and got nowhere. Then I was told to file a claim, my question was how can I file a claim when I don’t know what items were in the missing boxes, because Safeway did the packing and the boxes I received did not indicate which room items were in the boxes. That would have helped, I now can only remember things that are missing when I need to use them but don’t have them., also how can I list the items that were not reassembled because of missing parts.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $4141

Went to them in good faith, they are a broker and do not protect you with movers at all. Movers over charged me and Safeway moving in writing said I did not owe it but customer service never called me back and will not pay my claims, 4 of my items we destroyed and Safeway will not help at all. Company treated me awful through claims process. This was after my move was over 10 days late, they are not a trustworthy company, employees could not be more patronizing and insincere. I am owed thousands.

Move size: Studio Service cost: $4500

Dishonest and deceptive. We hired them for our move from Nebraska to California. Representative Ritchie assured me Safeway would handle my move, not a third party. He went as far as to have me look up their DOT number on the FMCSA website that listed them as a Carrier, not a Broker. That was a lie. A third party picked up our belongings, broke over $3K worth of our furniture, and raised the price an additional $2100 from what we were originally quoted. No one has ever offered us anything for our broken furniture.

We took Safeway to small claims court and the Judge was VERY familiar with them as unhappy clients take them to court frequently. Although the judge was very sympathetic towards us, unfortunately since they are a carrier, they fall under federal law and can not be held accountable for their actions in small claims court.

Hiring Safeway to move our stuff from Nebraska to California cost $7900 with an additional $3200 in broken furniture, and $310 in small claims court filing fees. I tell as many people as possible to do your research! I found Safeway on a moving company comparison website where they were highly rated. I believe it was all a scam. They have very low reviews on BBB and other review sites.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $7900

Our shipment arrived over 30 days after our first available delivery date (FADD), which was a tremendous hardship for the entire family. We were told multiple times before signing the contract that we could expect delivery 3-10 days after the FADD, and it wasn’t until I read the fine print on the Bill of Lading that I saw Safeway reserves the right to hold delivery until 30 business days after the FADD.

In the meantime I called the customer service department at least a dozen times to get a status update and never got any useful information at all—just that our belongings appeared to be in transit (which usually meant between various warehouses) and that someone from dispatch would call me back within 24 hours to offer more specific information. No one ever called me back. After a while I began to wonder whether they actually even still had our stuff!

It would have been nice to have been given some truthful information instead of just being repeatedly put off. As it was, my 90 year old mother had to find alternative accommodations for a month. It caused all of us a lot of frustration and anxiety.

Though the workers who picked up and delivered our belongings were very friendly, efficient and careful I could not recommend this company to anyone. Extremely disappointing.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $13000