Description of Work: I moved from CA to NY. Extremely disappointed in the overall service of this company. They are not professional and do not respond when you leave messages.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
1.0
value
2.0
professionalism
1.0
responsiveness
1.0
punctuality
1.0
$5,000
george P.
09/2014
5.0
moving companies
 + -1 more
unknown
Description of Work: Ok
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
4.0
Michael B.
09/2013
1.0
moving companies
 + -1 more
Initial contact with the company was fine, set the pickup and delivery dates. When picked up the price was different and was told I would have to pay another 625.00 at delivery. I tried to contact the company many times without any response. They did not respond to my emails or messages. I sent an email to the customer service manager and was finally contacted and was told that they had no recolection of my delivery dates. I was also told I signed the contract and I should of read the entire agreement. I finally gave up on trying to secure a 7 day delivery window and asked that they give me a 48 hour notice before delivery to which they agreed. I was given only 24 hour notice of delivery and then they missed the appointment time and delivered the following day. This company has tthe worst customer service and once you sign the contract forget about trying to have somone return your call.
Description of Work: Move from California to Florida
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
2.0
value
1.0
professionalism
1.0
responsiveness
1.0
punctuality
1.0
$4,600
Tyler H.
09/2013
5.0
moving companies
 + -1 more
Everyone from Lightning did an awesome job. There were no hidden costs and nothing was broken. The crew were careful with everything and stacked things just as directed. It was a very smooth move. I recommend Melissa and LIghtning Van Lines without reservation.
Description of Work: Melissa and the crew helped me move my Campbell apartment into a Santa Cruz storage unit.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
4.0
professionalism
4.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
4.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$500
Michael B.
09/2013
1.0
moving companies
 + -1 more
THIS IS A HORRIBLE COMPANY. DON'T USE THEM. I hired them to pack and move. They did not bring enough packing materials and were clearly not going to finish packing anywhere near on time, so I jumped in and started packing and ended up doing half the packing myself. They did not finish packing until AFTER MIDNIGHT, and while packing, they broke the legs off of 2 pieces of furniture - my desk and a bench - so that they are unusable. At least they agreed to haul them off to the dump. And they haven't even delivered anything yet.
Description of Work: Pack and move from San Francisco to LA.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
1.0
value
2.0
professionalism
2.0
responsiveness
3.0
punctuality
1.0
$2,800
Trudy J.
06/2013
1.0
moving companies
 + -1 more
They quoted me 1 price (and promised it would not be raised); an estimator came out and raised the pricing option by 2,000 dollars. The estimator was rude and therefore I fired them on the spot before using their company.
Description of Work: They were supposed to move my furniture from Antioch, CA to Arlington, TX.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
Dee B.
12/2012
5.0
moving companies
 + -1 more
I am pleased to provide this very very positive review of my recent move with Lighting Van Lines. My move was from Oakland CA to San Leandro CA, and since I never used a moving company before, I was really nervous. It was important to me to have the moving company pack all my things, dishes and all, as I was starting a new job and had no time to go and buy boxes and spend time packing. Almost every company I called said that it would be very expensive to perform this service and that they would charge me for each box I needed.Then I found Lightning Van Lines. What a relief! They were very informative, and then gave me an hourly rate that included all the boxes, packing them up, and (here is the best part) they unpacked everything, put it all away, and removed all the boxes they used.It was absolutely great! I had heard so many horror stories about Moving The guys were really nice and did such a wonderful job, they really saved me so much time and energy. I had no idea that moving would be so easy. To all you workaholics out there (like me!) if you are going to move, call Lightning Van Lines and let them do it all for you, I know you will be super happy.
Description of Work: I moved about 10 miles away from my previous place. I had Lightning Van Lines perform all the packing of my items. (they provided all the boxes too)They packed up everything, wrapped up my furniture, drove it to my new place, brought everything inside, unpacked all the boxes and even took away all the used materials when they were finished.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$1,192
Patricia C.
11/2012
1.0
moving companies
 + -1 more
People loading truck told me tips are expected but I didn't have to pay it but they would make sure my things got there safely. Cost $200 more than I expected. Driver arrived in CT with terrible attitude was rude to me and the maintenance personnel. When I went to the cab of the truck, this guy said he was on the phone and would talk to me when he was ready and not before, He insulted the staff of the building and was mad because he couldn't park his truck exactly where he wanted. They broke furniture (admitted it) and would not pay unless I signed a release that I would not tell anyone what had happened. (Blackmail) I refused and they still have not paid for their damage. These people are horrible and unprofessional. I have proof of these statements so I strongly advise everyone to stay away from them.
Description of Work: Moved me from Orange County California to CT
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
3.0
value
3.0
professionalism
1.0
responsiveness
2.0
punctuality
4.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$4,065
Cheryl L.
11/2012
5.0
moving companies
 + -1 more
It gives me great pleasure to say that I am so happily satisfied with the experience I had with Lightning Van Lines. When my son was transferred across the country, there were so many things that I needed to take care of for him because he was so busy with work, and choosing a moving company was one of the major things. There were many choices and each company took a very different approach to presenting themselves. After several presentations and quotes, it started to become clear to me which companies were reputable and which were not. At this point, my decision came down to service, and of course, price. I finalized my list to three companies, one very large, one medium, and on small one. I was looking for a company that could provide all the features of a cross country move, and still give my move the attention I felt it required. This helped me eliminate the large company - no service- their office wasn't even open on the weekend to speak to someone. It was then between the medium group and the small guy, now this is really where it became clear to me who to choose. I felt that, even though both of these companies had great service as far as being available to me, the small one really didn't have the resources to facilitate a type of move like mine. I am so glad I made the choice that I did, Lightning Van Lines expertly provided me with professional services, and they were always there when I called them (even at 7pm on a Friday night). If you ever need to move, I strongly recommend Lightning Van Lines, you will be happy with your decision, I know my son and I am.
Description of Work: Relocated contents of a three bedroom home from California to New York. The movers packed my fragile items Stored my items for two weeks free of charge Brought everything in my son's new house, assembled the items and put them where he wanted them. Very smooth and seamless operation.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$7,100
Megan T.
01/2012
3.0
moving companies
 + -1 more
Most of my items arrived in good condition. One item had legs that were not removed and now three of them are shattered. Another item was lost and getting reimbursed for it was very difficult.
Description of Work: Lightning Van Lines moved items from my parent's home in CA to my new home in WA.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
3.0
value
3.0
professionalism
4.0
responsiveness
3.0
punctuality
4.0
Christina J.
12/2011
5.0
moving companies
 + -1 more
I reviewed Angie's list for moving companies and their ratings. Lightning Van Lines had a "B" rating. I then went to an on-line "group"site where numerous moving companies can send customers an initial estimate along with a form to itemize more exactly who is to be moved. Lightning Van Lines responded along with many others but Lightning was persistent in a good way. The company's rep was patient - my first move - with all the info. The date for the pick up was met - the crew was great; the lead guy handled all the paperwork well. The delivery crew was also great and kept in touch with me re: delivery date and also time. Awkward entrance to development for a semi, but the driver was expert at geting in tight places. Both the pick and delivery crews worked fast. No damage to anything.
Description of Work: Received estimate and explanation of possible increases/decreases in cost for moving personal goods from San Francisco, CA to Cap Cod, MA. Crew arrived on time to pick up furniture and boxes. Also included task to pack art work. Delivered same across country within the agreed-upon time with no additional charges or damage.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$1,400
Tanya K.
08/2011
2.0
moving companies
 + -1 more
I was disapointed with this service. While the movers were attempting to unpack, they only sent 3 workers - which was not enough to adequately do the job. They also gave me boxes of items that were not mine. I paid to have a whole truck for myself, which obviously did not occur. I called the main office and they acknowledged that they did not send enough workers to unload. I would not recommend using this company.
Description of Work: We used them to move from California to Texas.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
3.0
value
3.0
professionalism
3.0
responsiveness
2.0
punctuality
4.0
$20,000
Emily D.
07/2010
4.0
moving companies
 + -1 more
I had a horrible experience with them. They were disorganized for the move. They told me I had a cash discount, they never said they had a credit card penalty. I spoke to them about this and they did give me penalty fee back. Read the fine print. The office staff was not friendly overall. The staff that packed and delivered were good though.
Description of Work: I hired them for my interstate moving from LA to NM.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
4.0
value
4.0
professionalism
3.0
responsiveness
4.0
punctuality
4.0
$2,172
Jon G.
06/2010
5.0
moving companies
 + -1 more
W moved from a large one bedroom apartment in San Francisco to a house in the Oakland hills. We had many significant pieces of solid wood furniture that required tender care. The crew from Lightning Van Lines were just SUPER awesome. My husband who rarely approves of anyone actually applauded them for their efficiency! I had originally submitted my request through http://move.com which routed my request to multiple moving companies. Vincent from LVL responded within 15 mins of my submission. He followed it up with a phone call. He was knowledgeable, courteous and professional. They had a great website for me to submit an inventory of my "stuff". Vincent was helpful in assessing how much time it would take and agreed to giving me a "not to exceed" quotation. While speaking with another moving company, they went on the offensive and told me that I shouldn't go with LVL because they would fail to show up on day of move and that they break things. Alarmed, I forwarded the email to Vincent. Vincent reassured me that they have high quality staff and does not subcontract. He would be my personal contact if anything should go wrong. He also sent me testimonies from recent customers, which helped comforted me. The day of the move was incredible. 30 min before the expected time, both Vincent as well as the truck driver called me to inform me that they would arrive within 30 mins. 5 mins before the expected time, the truck and crew was downstairs. The team worked like a well oiled machine, as one guy wrapped furniture in blankets the other two moved pieces down the hallway, into the elevator and out to the truck. Within 2 hours, the truck was packed and we headed out meeting them at the house. At the house, I watched as the team hoisted pieces up, over the wall, through an upstairs balcony aninto the masterbedroom with incredible ease. Every piece was handled with care and grace. They even took the time to help us adjust our incredibly heavy solid wood king sized bed to be just right. Seriously, these guys were awesome. Mind you, for the move to be so efficient, we had done our own prep work as well. We were very through and detailed with our inventory list. We were also packed and ready before they arrived. Even though they had wardrobe boxes free for our use, we only made use of it to pack a tall floor lamp. I believe to have a positive moving experience, one have to be willing to put in the effort to be fully packed and ready. If you're still packing your kitchen when the movers arrive, you shouldn't be upset that the move takes longer than quoted.
Description of Work: Moved heavy solid wood furniture, 30 bins of heavy books and kitchen stuff from a large one bedroom apartment in an OLD and tall building in San Francisco (with elevator) to Oakland Hills home.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$600
Kamil P.
04/2010
1.0
moving companies
 + -1 more
This company is unprofessional and incompetent at best. They damaged the hardwood floor at the point of origin. They only revealed the true price and conditions of the move when they showed up to do the move, and it was too late for me to do anything about it. The estimate was off by at least factor of 2. They won't pay to fix damage they did to the floor. I was provided an estimate over the phone, and told, that given the contents of the house I was living in, the work would require 3 men and a truck, and that the job would take 7 hours (85$/hour). The move date was the day before I had to turn the keys to the house over to the landlord. When the team showed up, the foreman told me, I had to agree to a maximum price for the move, and sign various papers. This maximum price was in the range of 14 hours, plus materials. I was over a barrel so I agreed and signed. The actual job took closer to 16 hours. The movers scratched the hardwood floor at the point of origin. They only put down carpets after I pointed out to them that they were scratching the floor. They did not know how to move a HE washing machine (I had to tell them that stabilizers had to be put in) and would have damaged it during the move, if I had not instructed them what to do. They did not have enough room in the truck for all of our belongings, and I had to help them move to speed up the moving process. At this juncture, the claim that I have made against their insurance, to to have the floor at the point of origin fixed, has been denied because: 1. the foreman did not take the proper action on the day of the move. A notation was supposed to have been made on the move paper work, and was not, despite the fact that I had pointed out to him that the floor was being scratched. 2. one of the forms I signed under duress (I had to turn over the keys the next day and I didn't have any options at that point) indemnifies them against that damage. The total cost to me of this fiasco has been: $85 deposit for movers + $1456 bill from movers day of + $500 deposit held back by my former landlord to cover damage done to his floor.
Description of Work: I hired lightning van lines to move my household belongings from a house I rented to one I had purchased.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
1.0
value
1.0
professionalism
1.0
responsiveness
3.0
punctuality
4.0
$2,041
WALTER D.
11/2009
3.0
moving companies
 + -1 more
They came in and picked up all of her belongings and moved it to Minneapolis. We were not very happy with the experience because they came in to move the furniture and raised the price from $2000 to $3400 that same day. My 84-year old aunt was so confused by them that she didn't know what to do so she ok'd it. I was not there, but I hired them and dealt with them quite a bit over the phone. I will absolutely not be using them again.
Description of Work: Lightning Van Lines Inc helped move my aunt to Minneapolis.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
3.0
value
3.0
professionalism
3.0
responsiveness
4.0
punctuality
2.0
$3,000
Wolfgang P.
06/2009
5.0
moving companies
 + -1 more
We were very satisfied with their performance.
Description of Work: They moved our house from San Fransico to Bellingham WA.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
4.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$6,000
Kristina S.
06/2009
4.0
moving companies
 + -1 more
I was a little frustrated at one point because I thought our things would be here sooner than they were. Aside from that, they were ok. The guys tried really hard.
Description of Work: They moved us from Oakland to Portland.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
4.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
4.0
punctuality
3.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$2,200
vincent B.
02/2009
5.0
moving companies
 + -1 more
I recently relocated my family and I from the Bay Area to NY (for a new job). I thought about doing this move with a rent-a-truck, but figured I would call some moving companies to save myself the time and hassle. I am glad I did. After a ton of research (checking BBB etc.) I called a few places. Some were real shady asking me if they wanted me to "pad" the quote if I would be reimbursed for the move, to some who said it would be anywhere from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand. When I called Lightning, they seemed real honest and upfront, explaining the entire process to me. They sent someone to my home, gave me a written guarantee and I could not have been happier.
Description of Work: I did a lot of research evaluating Moving companies before I actually chose one, I even had some come to my home and do a walk through type estimate. The differences were dramatic! Many companies gave me quotes on the phone, which varied by thousands of dollars. When I called Lightning, the price they gave on the phone was about mid range compared to others, but they recommended a walk through so I would receive a fixed price and not just an estimate. When the gentleman got there, he was on time and neatly dressed. After only about 20 minutes he clearly explained the pricing and all costs upfront (this I really liked, straight to the point no BS). The price they guaranteed was fair. On the day of the move they showed up in a company moving truck, the guys were in uniform and real polite. They went straight to work and were careful with my stuff. They told me it would take about 10 days to get to NY and everything arrived in only 8 days and it was all in good shape. I would say that if I do move again I would use them and not have the worry I did prior to this move. I even recommended them to my father in law who is moving to Oregon next month.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
4.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$2,200
Dror Z.
05/2008
5.0
moving companies
 + -1 more
Surprisingly well. I hired them to move me from California to North Carolina, and asked them to hold my things for a few weeks in storage. After all the horror stories I had heard I was dreading the move, and was really stressed out about it. When I called Lightning they sent a representative to give me an estimate. He was very thorough, looked at all the things I wanted to move, and gave me many helpful tips to save time and money. They were not the cheapest price, but I felt comfortable choosing them. The guys came on time, they were friendly and professional. They got done quickly, and took my things to their storage. Delivery was done in the time they promised, and the whole experience was really smooth. The charges were exactly what the guy estimated, and there were no surprises. This company made me feel like they really cared about me and my things. I would definitely use them again!
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Service Categories
Moving Companies,
Storage
FAQ
Lightning Van Lines Inc is currently rated 3.5 overall out of 5.
Sunday: 8:30 AM - 3:00 PM
Monday: 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday: 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday: 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday: 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday: 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday: 8:30 AM - 3:00 PM
Lightning Van Lines Inc accepts the following forms of payment: American Express,Discover,MasterCard,Visa
Yes, Lightning Van Lines Inc offers free project estimates.
No, Lightning Van Lines Inc does not offer eco-friendly accreditations.
No, Lightning Van Lines Inc does not offer a senior discount.
No, Lightning Van Lines Inc does not offer emergency services.
No, Lightning Van Lines Inc does not offer warranties.
Lightning Van Lines Inc offers the following services: Planning, packing, moving, storing & unpacking for homes, apartments, offices, corporations & large businesses, move supervision, masonite boards to protect floors &/or carpets, tagging and marking of all items, handling of all office electronics &/or high-tech machinery, disassembly & reassembly of employee work stations 7 cubicles, phone system removal & re-installation, computer DE-installation & re-installation & computer rental.