Venture Van Lines LLC

Nightmare on the Venture Express

“Duck. Duck. Shoose”

Over a 13-day period 37 calls/emails were made to Venture Van Lines to set-up delivery. Only five times (14%) were we able to speak with a live person or get an email response. That’s what gets you a D+ rating with the Better Business Bureau (BBB reviews cannot be manipulated.) Checkout their reviews on the BBB website. To me, it reads like the incompetence of a Three Stooges’ shtick.

On two of the five calls we left messages for a return call. The messages from the other three calls went like this:

Keep in mind that after paying them $7,500 we are trying to get our freight delivered.

Call 1(8th day of the nightmare): We relayed preferred dates for delivery.

Call 2 (next day): They advised that a dispatcher will call to schedule delivery.

Call 3 (two days later): They ducked and shooed us away declaring it’s not their responsibility to deliver the freight. Cut to the lovely background music they play while they ignore you.

Surprised? You shouldn’t be. Remember, they are only a shipping coordinator. It’s been my experience that they could not care less about silly little issues like delivering your freight. What about their pledge to help you to resolve the issue with the local hauler, you ask? Bwahahahaha! That’s ripe. So far all we have gotten is that lovely music. It’s so lovely it mesmerized me seemly for an hour the other day.

Will the freight ever be delivered? Has the freight vaporized? Is this just a Three Stooges shtick? Stay tuned for more twists and turns as The Nightmare on the Venture Express careens onward.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $8008

I moved from OH to FL, setup with Ben/Sales, was supposed to be stored close by me so if I needed anything, I could get out of storage, my things are in Chicago, I'm in FL, hows that going to happen?? they were late picking up my things, didn't bring big enough truck, I had to throw alot of my things away since no room on the truck. Was supposed to deliver to me in FL & its been 26 days now waiting for my things to be delivered & I still don't have them. They have other deliveries & pickups to do, I'm told. I text & called them so much, they don't usually respond, if they do it will be delivered in 2-3 days, that day comes & no delivery. Its become very frustrating & no good excuse to keep me waiting. I've had to go buy things that I need that are on the truck. Quoted $3772 and I've paid so far $8788. I would NEVER use them again.

Move size: 3 Bedroom Home Service cost: $8788

Our misadventures with Venture Movers began with a conversation with Alex who guided us through the process and offered an affordable price for the items we needed to transport from Green Bay, WI, on Sept. 9th, to Northampton, MA. We had a good experience with the pick-up of the items in Green Bay. The movers were efficient, courteous, and accommodating, leading us to believe the same would be true at the delivery.

If only… We were given several different delivery dates/times over the course of a week. Ultimately when the truck arrived on a Friday evening, it was getting dark. That was the first obstacle to getting our things moved into the house. The driver, a lovely person, was all alone. This was despite it being clear when the truck was loaded in Green Bay that as many as three people would be needed. The driver made attempts to find help through his company. We called Venture repeatedly for help, that Friday evening and the next day. No one called us back.

The driver had told us that Friday evening that he would sleep in his truck and try again on Saturday to find help. We were not comfortable with that so we offered to put him up in our home. We also started looking for other solutions, reaching out to local movers, but on such short notice none were available.

We also wrote Venture emails to the addresses given in the contract we signed with them. Again, no replies, keeping with a repeated pattern throughout this ordeal. It wasn’t until two days later that we reached Venture, only to be told by Kasey, the company spokesperson, that she hadn’t worked over the weekend, so too bad for us apparently.

Venture essentially did nothing to help resolve this situation. We were able to find a number for the moving company. They did call us back. Before that however we asked two able-bodied neighbors if they would be willing to help. And they did help. Without them, there is no way of knowing how long the move would have taken since no one ever responded to the driver’s requests, or to ours.

After explaining what we had gone through with the moving company, at the point where we had to pay the driver the remainder of our balance or he would not have been able to leave and continue his deliveries, the moving company offered us some compensation. It was less than 8% of the cost but we took it so that the driver could leave. Our plan was to seek additional compensation from Venture.

After that point we dealt with Venture only. Kasey was again the point person. She was beyond unsympathetic, and again, even though she said she would call back in two days with a decision, she did not. We reached out again several days later, and her position was as it had been originally. That being that Venture was not responsible, that their role was only to coordinate the move, and after that all issues were to be taken up with the mover. She in fact told us repeatedly that we should not have given the driver a place to stay, that we essentially inconvenienced ourselves and that was on us, and that we should not have engaged anyone on our own to help unload the truck and bring the items into the house, but should have waited for the driver/moving company to fix the situation. It made no difference that we reminded her that the contract with Venture states that they assure successful delivery. In other words, Venture would not stand by their contract with us refusing to take any responsibility for the significant mistakes that were made with the delivery. See copied text from Venture’s agreement with us below:

• Professional Door-to-Door service.

• Expert advice and guidance throughout the course of your move.

• Reassembly for all items disassembled by the movers on the day of pick-up at destination.

• Loading & unloading of all goods.

Venture basically stated that their role is not to move the items, but to coordinate the process, yet they refused to acknowledge that what happened was due to poor coordination - the failure to send at least two people, the failure to find help for the one person sent, the poor communication throughout and the degree to which we were incredibly inconvenienced. The refusal to take responsibility for these failures is a strong indication of the lackadaisical attitude that contributed to their occurrence. Don’t be fooled into thinking you can negotiate in a reasonable way with this company. Hire someone else.

In the end Venture refused to compensate us from their portion of the fees we paid. They emphasized that we had already been compensated by the moving company, so they had no further responsibility. In fact, Venture stated that it was our fault that we were not more adequately compensated, stating that we should not have accepted the moving company’s offer. But instead paid in full and later worked with Venture to get some compensation. We have no confidence that Venture would have given us any satisfaction, now that we have seen more fully how they operate.

Move size: Partial Move Service cost: $2800

I believe this company needs to be reported to the US Department of Transportation Officer Inspector General to be investigated for fraudulent and unethical business practices relating to the movement of household goods. This move was for a storage unit, and upon pickup of items they tried to charge me for more square footage than the unit itself! They repeatedly increase charges and convince consumers to reserve more space, with the verbal assurance that they will NOT be charged for any unused space. However the entire process is a scam and once they get their money, they do not respond to inquiries for a refund whether by text, phone, or email. They also pacify their customers with promises to get them the information they need, but ultimately leave them without any way or means to submit a claim. I was left without any itemized list of goods despite being promised one. I was never given a formal revised Bill of Lading. And despite providing photographs with measurements and calculations when the truck was HALF full (they charged me for the full truck's cu ft), they ignored my attempts to communicate requesting information on what I needed to do for a refund. For anyone else duped and screwed over by this company please contact the OIG at their hotline hotline@oig.dot.gov They also have a phone hotline 1-800-424-9071 as well as a complaint form at their website. I wish I would have known then what I do now about this process. For anyone considering a move, do your due diligence and go to www.oig.dot.gov to know what red flags to look for when hiring a moving company.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $12000

My quote started out well with Ben (in September), who turned me over to Kasey. After that neither of them was helpful. I had no contact with Ben after my first payment. Kasey would only converse with me via text, even though I asked her to call me. I scheduled a move from AZ to MT of my deceased mother's household goods in October. I explained that I was only there for a few days and I needed the movers there on the dates agreed upon. I was told they would be there. They didn't show up. I tried reaching Kasey to no avail. I finally reached the moving company, set up another date to which they missed again. I finally reached Kasey and asked if they would reimburse me for my change in flight because of their mishandling of everything. She said this could be done. To date, there has been no reimbursement and no contact. They do not explain the moving process at all. They didn't explain that it could be 6 weeks for my goods to show up. I have sent numerous emails and texts with no response. I couldn't get anyone to respond to inquiries about my delivery or anything. This is so unprofessional. I tried reaching out to their info email. They still haven't responded. I would say to anyone thinking of using them, DON'T.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $3766

Venture quoted me a reasonable price to obtain their business. They quote you for a low amount and then at final inventory state you will need to purchase more cubic feet, which I did. Not only did the movers they contracted damage my items, they would not honor the additional space I purchased prior to my move and made me pay them for the "overage". Venture has been extremely unresponsive in providing me info on how to file a claim or the refund I've requested for the additional space purchased and not honored by the movers they contracted. Venture made this the worst move of my life!!!!!

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $2500

This is by far the worst experience I have ever had with movers. They quoted me one price and when the movers showed up the cost had more than doubled. They quote you the lowest rate to rope you in with a deposit, then when accurate cubic feet is measured it comes up to far more than that. Mike, who feeds you lies about having the same access to him as his mama, gets testy when you ask questions and lies about what the movers actually do. He told me the movers would dismount my tv and mount it in my new location. I added the tv onto my move, only to be told by Sam that that wasn't true and that they would reimburse the $200 which never happened and consequently - people stopped answering their google phones - SCAMMERS. Mike also told me that they were not BROKERS and venture van lines had actual movers that packed and moved your things. This was a lie, I was contracted out to Blue Diamond Moving Company who are equally trash, as they damaged my goods in the move and I filed a claim that was never acknowledged- and now they can't be reached. Sam, Mike, Omar y'all are all trash people. For peace of mind please move yourself or go with a reputable company who will not lie to you, cheat you out of money during a critical move, and then disappear.

Move size: 1 Bedroom Home Service cost: $3150

I need to plan a small move to empty out a storage unit. I submitted an estimate request online and spoke to Robert Mathews, who was rude from beginning to end. I get not wanting to be at work, but this guy acted like I had wronged him the minute our call was connected.

I was already a bit suspicious of the company's ability to professionally handle my belongings, then when I asked for an exact estimate, Robert huffed and puffed before putting me on hold. He returned with a number, which I asked to be emailed. He paused and insisted that this was the lowest number I would get from any company, which is all well and good, but I'd like to see a written estimate before committing to paying a company several thousands of dollars. When I explained that I want to compare a series of estimates, I could practically hear him rolling his eyes through the phone as he said, "whatever, it's not like I do this every day, but fine." For someone trying to convince me to spend money on a service he was offering, that was the final nail in the coffin. When I insisted he still email the estimate so I can make a decision soon I also mentioned that his customer service was a bit shocking. He then simply hung up on me.

I am appalled that this is the behavior of a representative for a company trying to convince people to spend lots of money on their service. That was the least professional service call I have ever experienced and makes me never want to use this company for anything. Reading reviews here and across other websites, including Google, it seems that this is standard behavior and matches the disrespect and lack of care that is characteristic of this company's operations.

Move size: Partial Move Service cost: $2000