American Van LinesReviews of americanvanlines.com

We hired American Van Lines on short notice after our POD plan fell through. They provided a fair initial quote of about $12,000 and assured us they could meet our timeline. We also paid an additional $2,000 for a guaranteed two-day pickup window instead of the standard three-day option. The pickup was handled by a subcontractor, City Movers. The crew arrived later in the morning and, despite the extensive pre-packing we had already completed, the process took much longer than expected. My wife and I ended up helping throughout the day, including making trips to the truck and assisting with logistics. Without our help, they likely would have been there well into the night (they left ~7pma). The crew itself seemed reasonably organized, but once they saw the amount of furniture in person, we were informed the shipment would cost roughly $7,000 more than originally quoted, bringing the total to just under $20,000. After pickup, our belongings were unloaded into a warehouse in Maryland, where they remained for a full week before beginning the cross-country journey. During this time, our primary point of contact changed multiple times, which created confusion. Our final coordinator was helpful when we could reach her, but communication was inconsistent and often required us to proactively seek updates. In several cases, we received more information from a supervisor than from our assigned coordinator. We often knew where our shipment was because of our AirTags, not because of updates from the moving company. Our belongings were picked up on July 13 and delivered on July 30. The delivery driver contacted us the day before and was easy to coordinate with. When I asked whether a moving crew would be assisting at delivery, I was told it would only be the driver and one additional person. Given the size of our shipment, this was concerning. They arrived around 2:30 PM, and once again, my wife and I spent the entire afternoon helping unload. The crew worked hard, but with only two movers, there simply wasn't enough manpower. They left around 7:30 PM, and without our assistance they would have had to return the following day. Furthermore, we opted out of having them unpack our boxes, which saved many hours. The biggest issue occurred during delivery. The inventory paperwork provided by City Movers was essentially unusable. While every item had a numbered tag, the inventory sheets did not contain matching number ranges or adequate references. Neither we nor the delivery team could reliably determine whether specific items had arrived. To make matters worse, some listed items, such as an air compressor, had been packed inside boxes, forcing us to open numerous boxes simply to verify the inventory. In the end, we still have no confidence that everything was delivered because there was no practical way to reconcile the shipment against the inventory. We experienced some minor damage, which we expected given that we've completed multiple military cross-country moves over the years. However, this was by far the most disorganized move we've experienced. While the pickup and delivery crews generally worked hard and were professional, poor communication, changing contacts, inadequate staffing, and a fundamentally flawed inventory process significantly detracted from the overall experience. Ultimately, the level of service we received was not commensurate with the amount we paid. And with how much we helped, we may as well could have just done everything ourselves.

The moving crew was great, explained everything and also very careful with everything.

Jules did a fantastic job with all packing and moving.

Very late delivery. Shipment was over a week beyond the promised delivery window. Customer service was lacking in empathy and quite unhelpful. The actual pickup and delivery was contracted out to a different company which was not what I expected. Finally the company offered me a $30 per day discount for each day the delivery was late. First that was an exceptionally low amount to offer for extreme inconvenience. This was an insult and the way the representative offered, it was like she was doing me a favor. I would have preferred to have my delivery delivered during the specified time frame. I expected more from this company.

Jac and Rico were very professional and quick. They came to our house and packed everything carefully and they loaded everything. Highly recommend them for any moves.

Extremely Disappointing Experience with American Van Lines Our experience with American Van Lines was, unfortunately, one of the worst service experiences we have encountered. What should have been a professionally coordinated interstate move became an ordeal involving poor planning, inadequate resources, unexpected expenses, lost time, and significant inconvenience to our family. We provided American Van Lines with information regarding the belongings that needed to be moved so they could properly plan the job. Despite this, when the moving crew arrived, they came with a 26-foot truck that was clearly inadequate for the move, along with insufficient materials and resources to properly complete the job. The first attempt essentially failed. We had taken time away from work and made arrangements around the scheduled move, only to find ourselves dealing with a situation that should have been anticipated and prevented by a professional moving company. When another crew subsequently attempted to complete the move, they worked extremely late, yet a significant amount of our property was still left behind. We were ultimately faced with having to make additional arrangements and trips ourselves to retrieve belongings that American Van Lines had been contracted to move. Beyond the poor execution of the move itself, we incurred substantial additional expenses and losses, including: Approximately $1,000 in additional packing/material-related charges Multiple days away from work. Additional fuel and travel expenses. Wear and tear on our personal vehicles Additional trips to retrieve belongings that were left behind Disruption to previously scheduled plans associated with our relocation Considerable time spent calling, communicating, documenting problems, and attempting to obtain a reasonable resolution Perhaps most frustrating was the amount of personal effort required simply to get the move completed. When you hire a national moving company, particularly for a significant interstate relocation, you reasonably expect the company to properly evaluate the move, provide adequate equipment and manpower, transport the belongings entrusted to it, and take responsibility when things go seriously wrong. We documented our concerns and provided American Van Lines with an opportunity to address the situation. After everything we experienced and the expenses we incurred, we were offered only $1,000 in reimbursement. We declined that offer because, in our view, it does not come close to adequately addressing the financial impact, lost time, inconvenience, and disruption caused by this experience. We have requested $5,000 in reimbursement as what we believe is a much more reasonable resolution considering the totality of what occurred. I do not write a review like this lightly. Problems can happen in any business, and what often distinguishes a good company is how it responds when something goes wrong. In our case, however, the problems were substantial, repeated, costly, and extraordinarily frustrating. Based upon our experience, I cannot recommend American Van Lines. Anyone considering using them for a major move should ask detailed questions about who will actually perform the move, truck capacity, staffing, packing requirements, additional charges, what happens if everything does not fit, and how claims and service failures are handled before paying a substantial deposit or committing to the move. We sincerely hope American Van Lines ultimately chooses to resolve our situation appropriately. Until then, this review reflects our experience and the significant financial and personal impact this move has had on us.

We have moved several times and understand what a professional moving service should provide\. Based on that experience, we had clear expectations for our move with American Van Lines\. **Expectations:** We expected proper planning based on the full inventory we provided, an appropriately sized truck, sufficient packing supplies, and clear, responsive communication throughout the process\. **Issues Encountered:** Despite weeks of preparation and providing a complete inventory, the movers arrived with a truck that was too small and insufficient supplies\. The entire day was lost due to poor preparation and frustrating, nearly non\-existent communication with supervisors\. After the initial failure, the move was rescheduled and we were assured the issues had been corrected\. However, the same problem occurred again—the truck was still too small to complete the job\. Due to continued poor communication and the lack of resolution after two attempts, we were ultimately forced to complete the move ourselves\. This included a 7\-hour drive to rent a U\-Haul at our own expense\. **Resolution:** No effective resolution was provided by American Van Lines, and we had to independently finish the move at significant personal cost and inconvenience\. This experience was extremely disappointing, and we strongly recommend avoiding American Van Lines\.

This should be the last or not an option at all to go with!