International Van Lines

We moved from Kansas to Illinois in July 2024 using International Van Lines, which appeared highly rated on the internet. Our experience with them was a nightmare from beginning to end. The process of estimating costs, even apart from overcharges for materials that we were able to correct in the end, seemed designed to seriously underestimate expenses. Some of this may be attributed to our naivete and inexperience, but, judging from internet reviews, underestimates of 25% are common with the company. The costs of the move would have been tolerable were there a modicum of services provided for them. However, that was not the case. We spent the week before the move frantically trying to contact their customer service representative to clarify the time of the pickup and what we would need to do to be prepared for it. Calls continually went to voice mail and were never returned by the representative. As a result, we learned too late to do anything about it that a cashier's check would be required if there was not to be potentially a week's delay in delivery so that our check could clear. Most important, the move itself was a disaster. As best we could tell, IVL subcontracted with other movers or used questionable affiliates to have the work done. The first group showed up at our home in a rental truck from Enterprise. They apparently unloaded our furniture at a warehouse where others reloaded it at some point. It was eventually delivered in a nondescript truck by movers whose English appeared limited. It is a system that seems designed to encourage poor service and a lack of accountability. The results were problems and damages that went far beyond those ordinarily encountered in moves and, in some cases, that resulted from sheer negligence. For example, the movers disassembled a Danish dining room table, but lost the hardware so it could not be reassembled. They lost the legs to a Danish modern desk that we needed to have a furniture repairman remake. They disassembled a table with a marble top that we thought was indestructible--it wasn't. They snapped another coffee table in half. They also managed to lose three large boxes that were only located and delivered three months later. And they lost a filing cabinet that is apparently still floating around their warehouses somewhere. Claims for damages are handled by an organization called Movingclaims.net. Before dealing with IVL you would be well advised to look up reviews on the internet of the organization at the Better Business Bureau, Reddit, and similar sites. It will give you a good idea of the nature of the organizations you will be dealing with. Suffice it to say, it took three months from the time our meager claim was settled to get a check.