United Nation Van Lines

Deceit is built into every element of this company, get you hooked with a low estimate, get a securinty deposit of thousands, get a truck too small for the load, get into your house with crew and boxes and announce that the estimate must be recalculated. This for us increased the cost from about 12k to about 20k. We could take it or leave it, too late for getting the deposit back. This is a mid stream hostage situation. Too committed to timing to start over. Contract is binding on client, but has a list of spaces for the mover to add more costs after getting posession of your stuff, which is illegal. Never on time, said about 7 days to move us, took the max of 17 days, which had us camping out for 2 weeks in a house without furniture. Showed up half a day late on move day. Never on time, very hard to get on the phone, some abusive on the phone,, never call back. Lied about costs of mid stream recalculation saying it was same per unit as the original, but they added a surcharge for everyghing beyond the original estimate, which was their intentional underestimate. They owe us thousands in refund due to this. They broke fine china by putting it flat in the bottom of boxes and putting heavy objects on top, crushing various china platters and cups. They broke plates, platters, glass in the china cabinet and framed pictures, cups, glasses, a clock, the Tiffany lamp, most floor lamps sprung from the base and wobbly, a wall clock, a padded antique rocking chair which they abandonded and did not move, and bent a frying pan, to name a few. We have about 100 pictures of damage which i will try to attach to a subsequent post. The consumer affair web site is a fraud, and that is what led us to this horrible company. They dumped clothes into the wardrobe boxes without hangers, packing suits and good clothes into a mashed mass, and on occasion mixed other stuff in the clothes. They lost the key to the china cabinet, broke some of the glass in that cabinet, and broke the leaded glass Tiffany lampshade, the most valuable object we had, by pressing the edges hard down across a metal pipelike base without padding. Their liablility for a $300 lampshade is $0.60 per pound, so if this weighed 5 pounds and they paid you wou,ld get $3. I paid $175 in the contract for the upright piano which they then refused to move so i eveintually paid them $200 more cash on site to get them to move it. They lease trucks and hire contractors for the work. One individual, who i think was an employee, vandalized our stuff by intentionally packing it to break. This was often by putting large china platters in the bottom of a box and piling pots on top with no padding. They bent a fryng pan. The contract employees usually did a good job, but the prevailing outcome of this move was horrible due to the initial deceit of the first sales contract, and the malign and hostile behaviour or the first supervisor (loading) to set so much of our stuff up for destruction. Stay away from these people, do not believe a word they say, and do not rely on Consumer Affairs as an honest reporter.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $18521

A very careful and experienced team of movers. My huge collection of fragile and breakable glassware was my biggest concern and they handled it with aplomb. Really impressed by the quality of the packing material as well as the way that all the items were packed, complete with waterproofing and impact resistance (bubble wrap inside and outside the boxes). For the amount of effort that they had to put in, the job was done reasonably fast and I think the cost was just right. I would hire this company again. (We were moving from Texas to California).

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $6200

I collect antiques and that makes moving a nightmare. I have pretty much been forced to move because of a real estate deal and had to find a very good moving company to handle the transportation for me. I literally spent 6 weeks comparing companies, calling them, and reading reviews. It wasn’t a waste of time because it led me to United Nation Van Lines. They were so wonderful, so absolutely professional that I almost have no words. They actually sent some specialist down with their quote assessor to make sure I got the best service possible. The move was flawless. You have my thanks.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $6300

An efficient and professional moving crew managed by a very capable manager, and supported by excellent customer service staff. That is United Nation Van Lines in a nutshell. I recommend using them for any move because I have used them to shift my office to new premises, change homes, and even move things into storage. Each time, I get nothing but perfection. I have never had a reason to complain about their efficiency, speed, courtesy, safety, or price. Okay, re-reading that I know it seems like I’m some sort of fanboy but it is just my honest experience so I’m not going to change it. United Nation Van Lines is the best!

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $7050

We hired United Nation Van Lines only because they were the fastest to get back to us at a time when we were desperate to move so my husband would be eligible for a promotion. It’s really fortunate that we got what we found to be one of the best companies in the moving business. Their prices may not be the lowest but they are certainly very far below the brand-name ones, too. However, I would say that the value for money we got was much better with United Nation Van Lines than with any other company we have hired. An easy recommend and even easier 5 stars.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $8460

When choosing a company to handle my cross-country move (Los Angeles, CA to Alexandria, VA), I chose to go with United Van Lines. They provided the lowest bid, seemed to have positive reviews, and the moving rep was extremely communicative and helpful.

Prior to the move, I signed a binding NOT-TO-EXCEED contract for the move. According to this document, the total cost of the move (divided amongst three payments) was to be $9281.00. But after picking up my belongings, the company contacted me to inform me that my bill had risen over $3000 to a new total of $12,482. I asked why, as I had not authorized this amount, and I was told that a billing specialist would contact me.


To this day, despite multiple calls, texts, and phone messages, no billing specialist has ever returned my call.

I opted to pay this exorbitant total (otherwise, my belongings were basically being held for ransom). When the delivery people arrived at my new house, they were completely unprofessional and untrustworthy. One kept asking me the price of various belongings, while another gave me a speech about how Covid was a “fake news story” and vaccinations are for idiots. My fiancé and I felt incredibly unsafe.

On top of this, the movers did a terrible job— they dented our front door, put huge gouges in the walls, and lacked the strength to carry a couch upstairs (we wound up having to hire a separate moving company to finish the job). In addition, two televisions were broken in the move, and several pieces of art turned up missing.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $12482

This is a ‘thank you review’ of sorts, which United Nation Van Lines totally deserves apart from the 5 stars their hard work has earned them. We were moving my 4-bedroom home in Tennessee into a similar 4-bedroom house in Maryland. We hired United Nation Van Lines because they have proven themselves the only ones capable of reliably handling such a large job. There is never a question of unpacking to find your things broken with these guys. Not only do they load and unload with utmost care, they also pack items with a lot of attention. Their punctuality is also a major plus point for me. I have always recommended them to friends and family, and you should give them a try, too.

Move size: 4 Bedroom Home Service cost: $13600

Our moving experience with United Nation Van Lines was very smooth and cordial. The movers worked almost like machines, not wasting any time in chatting and hanging around. No surprises that they completed the move on time and did a great job of it. It also helps that the men are genuinely great people who respect their customers and want to do a good job. If more companies were like this, movers wouldn’t have such a bad reputation. I had hired them to move my 3-bedroom house from Denver, CO to Illinois.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $9050

Don't be bamboozled. These guys are a joke. I am convinced that the reviews you are seeing online are all done internally and are fake. They have maybe a total of 3/4 workers that take calls and book deals. Richie, Lisa, and one more warehouse manager.

The process: They hire crews for each part of your job. Packing, loading, unloading, delivery, and finally unloading your stuff. The ONLY part they will take responsibility for is... Nothing. It's actually brilliant. Why? Because they have built a system where they can point to any other 3rd party and say it's their fault. Therefore, you are stuck holding the short end of the stick WHEN (not if!) anything happens. You are forced to take it up with the 3rd party responsible. And let me tell you... that's nearly impossible as you don't know who they are or what company they have (if any).

It took our stuff almost a 30 days post pick-up to make it to our house. It should have been sooner, but one of the 3rd party drivers picked up the WRONG stuff and brought it to our house. When I called United Nation they said it was not their issue and that it was the driver's fault. Well, I couldn't take it up with this particular driver as he had someone else's stuff and he just left to deliver it to the correct location. SO... we waited an additional 10 days to get our correct stuff.

I was told by United Nation that I would receive a call to make things right at the very end of my move... I have YET to receive a call and it has now been 14 days since our stuff was dropped off.

We were ultimately charged $4K more than what we were quoted.

My calls were screened by United Nation and I never ONCE received a call back from them even though I was told numerous times that I would receive a call back. The only way you will get anything done and get any information is IF YOU continually call and IF they decide to answer your call(s).

When I called to ask about the manager or owner... I was told he was too busy.

Ultimately, a terrible experience. Again, they have built a system where it will NEVER be their fault and it will leave you with short end of the stick. Do not use them. You will regret it. Don't be tempted to use them because of the "low" price they quote you. It will NOT end that way. Proceed with caution.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $14000