American Van Lines

Good. Everything placed where I needed it

Great - they were very careful with our items and even very fragile items. Were great to work with.

Great, thank you for the smooth move.

I relocated my 87 year old Mom with Parkinson's disease from MA to FL and because I needed to get her things packed and relocated and fly with her all in 2 days-I was expecting a logistical nightmare. The Team was thorough and walked me through how it would play out, reviewed inventory with me a few times, sent me a fair quote and made payment terms easy to do and understand. The 'boots on the ground' team were packing my Mom while I flew in to MA and when I arrived, had her comfortably sitting in her favorite chair watching them. They packed her quickly and asked questions when unsure about anything, they were very sweet to my Mom! I was kept in the loop during transit and was notified as promised in advance when both the pick-up and the delivery would happen. All her possessions arrived just a few days later in FL and were set up in her new home by courteous movers, no drama, nothing broken. Very thankful to American Van Lines for making this way easier than we thought (and probably should) have been. Because of their professionalism from start to finish, I could focus on my Mom and allow her to enjoy a big transition with no worries.

I had a very good experience with using American Van Lines for my move from Michigan to Florida. The movers were efficient and the staff kept me informed as the move progressed.

If you, or anyone you know is considering a move, stay far away from Brian Maguire and American Van Lines. Due to this company's repeated willful negligence, what should have been a simple 3-day local move stretched over 10 days, stranding my family without access to basic necessities for a week. To give you a sense of the absurdity... on Day 1 of the move, they assigned a 3-person crew instead of the contractually promised 5-person crew to pack our home. AND dispatched this crew to the wrong address and city! As a result, the crew arrived at the origin only in the afternoon, and was able to work for only 3 hours. Day 2 wasn’t much better, as the same 3-person crew (instead of 5-person) arrived at 11am, and worked for only 5 hours. Our reserved window at the loading dock was over, while not a single box or furniture piece had left the origin. And they could not come back for another week. Most frustrating about this situation was that their dispatching and “move management” team was completely clueless and wholly unhelpful throughout the ordeal and failed to address the situation in a timely manner, even though the issues were reported in real time, both by us and their moving crew. Brian Maguire, who sold us the move package, was out of office during those two days (no prior notice to us), and did not provide the details of a person covering for him during his absence. Our repeated attempts to get in touch with a decision maker went unanswered. The damages caused by their negligence were substantial. We never received an explanation, apology or compensation for our trouble. The only thing that was offered to us was a $350 payment if we agreed to sign a non-disparagement agreement. The fact that they have someone ready to offer these documents indicates to me that they do this ALL THE TIME! Find a trustworthy and reliable moving company - American Van Lines is not it.

They are a scam. Their contract is designed to rip you off. They will be nice to you until you sign their paperwork and then will just ignore your emails. They will lie to you about dates and times. They will lie about costs too. They are all around a dishonest company and should be avoided. I hope their company fails to save people the trouble.

AVL will gave me a low-ball "Binding Estimate", but on move day, they voided the contract and came up with a NEW price. I was working directly with a sales person for months at AVL (James Coleman) and he instructed me to send him a list of items in the home. I asked him if he was planning to send an estimator to do a walkthrough in the house and he said that "they don't do that". I asked if he wanted photos sent and he said "not necessary". So I sent a list of the big items in the home, mostly furniture , and he said this was sufficient and gave me a quote. He explained that the Binding Estimate is the final price, it would not change with weight or number of boxes. I was locked in. Or so I thought. Moving week arrived and I was given a 3-day window for when I should expect the truck to arrive. It never did. Rita explained that they didn't have a truck and the NEW date is two days from now. Rita also promised a $100 credit per "day late" but of course I was never given that credit. I thought the worst was over but not even close. Moving day arrived and the truck was on time. The moving manager spent two hours walking through the home writing a detailed list of every small item in the home. He said that he was going to send this list to AVL and they would send us a "revised estimate" Liz Edgar called from AVL and had a NEW PRICE due to all the small items they failed to capture during the initial bid. I was NEVER told that they needed this level of detail. So, here we are, already past the escrow date and we absolutely have to be moved today, and Liz gives us a price that is MORE THAN DOUBLE the original "binding estimate". After quite a bit of arguing, Liz stated that "We can honor the original binding contract but we will only move the items listed on that contract. But if you want everything moved, you have to sign the new (double price) contract. Choice is yours." And that's the scam. They had me up against the wall, with really no choice but to accept this new price, which could be anything they want. In my opinion, AVL has very suspect practices. I can't say for sure that AVL planned this all along, or that they never intended to honor the original contract, but that's how it seems to me. James could be incredible incompetent, or just very crafty. He's a sales guy who landed a contract and ended up doubling his sales on moving day. The situation worked out great for James while they emptied out my savings account. I wish there was a law that protected consumers when they are at their most vulnerable. AVL took full advantage of the situation. I could never recommend this company. The entire moving experience was an absolute nightmare and cost us a fortune.

American Van Lines has worked with me to make the move and post-move reasonable and amicable. I appreciate their customer service responsiveness.

Poorly. Almost from the moment of signing a binding estimate, American Van Lines was unable or unwilling to commit to a delivery date. There were constantly changing representatives intervening in the move process and no one from American was accountable for their schedule delays and re-negging on the "binding" estimate. Instead, an outsourced contractor was hired by American to complete our move on condition of extorting payment in advance of the move, 30% more than the original estimate. "Pay or we walk away" should be their brand slogan. Unless you are moving within Florida or you are a big company with a big budget, American does not care about you. You can hire better.

NEVER HIRE AMERICAN VAN LINES -- AND TAKE ALL THE NEGATIVE REVIEWS TO HEART. Yes, I am screaming this at you. Short Version: They never show up and try to keep your money. Long Version: Here's their pattern.. (as revealed by our experience and numerous similar negative reviews on the Internet which I urge you to read). --Excellent communication/sales chatter before you sign the contract and they're very happy to take your 50 percent down payment (in our case about $4,500). --Once you sign the contract, you're assigned a "personal moving coordinator" as your contact who then never responds to your calls or emails. --They give you an initial three-day window but won't take into account your needs for confirming a specific day. For example, in Washington, DC, you can only get city-issued no parking signs for two days, and you have to put them up three days in advance. I kept telling Melisssa, our "personal moving coordinator" this, but she just ignored me. --Prepare to spend hours and hours on the phone with people who keep making promises they can't/won't keep. --Then, THEY NEVER SHOW UP. On the day before my move date (a Friday in August 2022, the last day of their three-day window and the last day my no-parking signs were valid), I called/texted to confirm the pick-up time. No response. On the day of the move, when they didn't show during the arrival window, I called and was told their driver was in an accident the night before and that they wouldn't be showing up that day. I explained that this was the last day the no parking signs were valid and that I had to move that day. When I suggested they get another driver, Melissa, who at least picked up the phone, got huffy and expressed surprise that I thought they could just get another driver, explaining that they were based in Florida -- as if that was relevant in any way (and yet, they signed a contract to move me out of DC). So, after spending hours on the phone, no one ever showed up. They said they'd show up the next day. Since my no parking signs had expired, which they didn't care about, my neighbors very nicely parked their cars in front of my house to keep the parking spaces available for the shuttle truck that would carry my belongings to the larger truck for the cross-country move. --Having officially breached their contract by not picking up my stuff within the three-day window, on Saturday I spent hours on the phone talking to Melissa, a supervisor, and others, who said someone would come that day. Eventually, I got a call from Zeeker, who was a subcontractor and was driving a large truck somewhere between North Carolina and Virginia. Zeeker, who had never been to Washington, DC, and wanted to know if I lived in a "real" neighborhood and if there were any low bridges on the way to my home (not a good sign) said he wanted to skip using the shuttle truck as planned from my home to his truck and just wanted to drive his giant truck to my house -- and that he'd find some guys to do the move when he got into town. While this all sounded pretty dubious to begin with, he eventually called to say he wouldn't be able to make it that day, but could be there the next day (Sunday). At this point, having given American Van Lines a chance to cure their breach, having absolutely no faith that anyone was ever going to show up, and facing a move-out deadline of Monday, I told him not to plan on Sunday. --I called American Van Lines to tell them that they had breached their contract and that I was going to find another mover. Melissa said, "So, you're canceling your contract" (this characterization would allow them to keep our $4,500). I stated, "No, you breached our contract and are forcing me to find a new mover." We went through this about five times, and eventually she said, "We call that canceling your contract." I explained that she could call it whatever she wanted, but they had breached it. She then asked me to hold for a supervisor. I waited a long while on hold then hung up. She eventually called back and seemed quite put out that I had hung up. I asked her to send me confirmation of the contract termination via email. She never did and I never heard from her or American Van Lines again. --We immediately challenged the credit card charge. American Van Lines never responded over the multi-month period they were allowed to offer their side of the story (which would have been interesting to hear, "Uh, yeah, we take people's money and then don't do the job we were hired to do.") We received a full refund from the credit card company on our down payment to the company. --We called Bekins (who had given us an estimate that was higher, but in retrospect...). Bekins office staff and movers were attentive, professional, customer oriented, and actually showed up three days later on time as scheduled, saving our move. CONCLUSION: NEVER EVER, EVER HIRE AMERICAN VAN LINES-- AND TAKE ALL THE NEGATIVE AMERICAN VAN LINES REVIEWS TO HEART.

I had a nightmare of a move with American Van Lines recently and would very strongly advise not to use them. I have moved a number of times with the job and never had such a horrible experience. It is a money scheme where at every step of the process they increase the price substantially as you are now in their hands, so don't expect to pay what they quoted you. They give you a window for the pick up and delivery but will not commit to a date so you just sit and wait. They then give you one day notice for the actual event. They actually called without prior notice mid morning of Memorial Day to tell me the driver was on his way with the delivery and were upset when I informed deliveries are not allowed in my complex on holidays. When they delvered, there were 3 big items that did not belong to me including a set of golf clubs which I had them take back and am sure were not delivered to their proper owners. The staff was also very unprofessional and all the pieces they "connected" had to be redone by a handyman for extra expense.

Lousy. After accommodating their request to change dates, they cancel on us two days before. After being unable to find a solution, they offer us $250 to not write poor reviews or say anything bad about their awful service. Unethical, poor service, poor responsiveness.

Terrible moving experience and it's not over yet. They still have my property that was supposed to be delivered yesterday 6/16. I'm now told that they DO NOT began looking for a delivery date until the 1st delivery date has come and gone...makes no sense... than im.told that they have 21 days to deliver my property. In the meantime. I am paying rent in an empty loft. I am livid. Never again! #WORSTCOMPANYEVER, #BBBKNOWABOUTTHEM?#THEYWILL

Our move from Virginia to Ark was subcontracted out from American Van Lines to Boost Express Van Lines out of Brooklyn, NY. All were Ukranians many of whom were rude and rushed. Almost every box marked "Fragile' had broken glassware. Even an old butter churn they packed was broken in several pieces. Small pieces of furniture were broken. A rocking chair and a tv console worth several hundred dollars never showed up. Boxes of clothes on hangers were crushed and even plastic tubs were smushed and broken. Heavy boxes were placed on top of light weight items. Our movers drove all day and did not finish unloading until 1 am. Then they were to drive all night to Dallas so their unloading was extremely rushed. The movers did not communicate important information. I rented a uhaul trailer to carry bagged bedding and other lightweight things after the movers arrived to pack and told me I would have to pay for numerous boxes to put all the lightweight bags in. I did not buy additional insurance because I knew American Van Lines had been around a long time and I thought they were a good company. I applied for the standard reimbursement for damaged and lost goods but I refused to accept their payment because it was hush money. I had to agree not to share any negative information about our move with social media or anyone else. I share this in the hopes that others will think twice before they use American Van Lines.

This was the worst moving experience of my life. DO NOT USE! AVL has been a nightmare from the start. They pay for reviews, and I have evidence of them paying to remove bad reviews. TRUST ME! I will take the time to explain my entire story and provide evidence of their scam to anyone who wants to use them. First they showed great customer service (calling many times, answering the phone and emails) and offer a binding quote WITHOUT a visual appraisal. We asked, they said it was not needed and we went through our entire home and boxes. They assured us that going through the rooms, and describing the furniture will be accurate. They then asked for 50% deposit which was $2500. During our initial discussions, we indicated that we ABSOLUTELY COULD accommodate an 18 wheeler; however, they still added in a shuttle charged of over 1k. It was a hidden fee and never explained to us. They called (one day before) to confirm the day and time (prior to they had a 3 day window) and arrived on moving day with a smaller truck than agreed upon based on the estimate. We have a 2800 sq. 4 bedroom house, and they brought a very small truck. Not only was the truck a Ryder rented truck, it was half full with someone else's belongings. To make matters worse, it wasn't AVL, it was 2 men from a different company called Quality Relocation. They subcontracted us out to a company that has terrible reviews. We never would have agreed to hire this company!! AVL confirms on their website they do not subcontract. WHY WOULD WE PAY A DEPOSIT TO A COMPANY THAT DID NOT DO THE MOVE? WHY WOULD WE OWE THEM MONEY? When we asked for another truck, American van lines said they could not help, we needed to go through this random third party; meanwhile they still have our deposit. The individual from the third party indicated we could not get another truck for another 4 days. We had to rent a storage space In Boston for the remaining items left at the house that did not fit on the small / half filled truck they arrived in. We asked AVL for a hold on our items (for one week) being delivered and although they said they could accommodate they did not (probably because they subcontracted us out a completely different company.) We got a call saying our items would be delivered to South Carolina within 48 hours and it would cost an additional $4300 for the delivery. They insisted we pay the day before it arrived. This was never agreed upon. So now we had to hire another storage facility until we were able to arrive. We had to scramble to find one on a weekend since they were delivering on a Sunday. How could we be in two places at once? They were delivering our first truck in SC on Sunday morning, and picking up our second truck of items in Boston as the same time and on the same day (Sunday morning.) The $4300 price for the first truck did NOT include the second truck. We tried to contact American Van Lines multiple times by email and phone with no answer or response. We have evidence and proof that they did not answer our calls or email in which we literally asked "are we being scammed?" At this point we have paid AVL $2500 of the binding contract estimate, as well as $4300 to the third party who threatened to charge us 1k a DAY if we did not pay immediately. We have two small kids and I'm pregnant and we had no choice. When we finally got our belongings out of storage, we saw that they lost our bedframe, several other items and damaged our furniture. They handed over the weight ticket over a week after repeated requests and the ticket is from 2 very different locations - and was the weight of the ENTIRE truck (with other people's belongings.) It had no truck number, or lading number. They stated that our items weighed 7600lbs ON ONE TRUCK but we fit everything onto a small UHAUL truck we had to rent to take our stuff from the storage facility in SC to our new home. They insisted we had far more boxes and items than agreed upon but this was clearly part of the scam. They tagged random pillows, a shoebox. Quality Relocations picks up the second half of our stuff on Sept 27th (4 days after the original pick up date) again in an unmarked RYDER truck and we did not get our belongings until October 19th. We called AVL several times and they kept telling us to call back, there was a problem with the truck and the delivery, and they cannot locate the truck. Finally, we spoke to someone who said the items were "in Maryland." We offered to go get them ourselves (again we have 2 small children and had none of our stuff.) They refused to help us, compensate us or give us answers. They kept saying it was our fault for having more stuff than we said we had, and that it was a "ripple" affect. When the second truck arrived, almost 3 weeks later, Quality Relocation demanded $3500 MORE. So now, a quote of $4800 has turned into $10,200. DO NOT USE!!!!!!!!!!!!

The company sales person was nice until we paid the deposit. Then the estimate they gave us was based on a verbal description of the amount we had to move. He promised we’d be able to call back and give an updated inventory but NO ONE would call us back. They arrived a day late then made us sign an estimate that was more than $4000 higher than the initial. Total bait and switch. They didn’t give us a single list of items they wouldn’t move. So hundreds of dollars of materials that we bought new in bulk prior they just left behind. They promised they’d have the new truck weight available for us within 2 days of packing all our things. It took almost 2 weeks for us to finally get that information. The people who arrived 2 weeks later were nice enough but once they said they unloaded everything we asked where the couch was, our one of a kind brand new $3000 couch. They had no idea there was supposed to be a couch but admitted that at least 4 other items on our list they left behind (across the country) ON PURPOSE. They switched trucks and put our stuff into a shared truck. Our stuff was last and it all didn’t fit. He wasn’t going to tell us until we asked about the sofa. After calling the claims department the lady ensured she’d call us back at least 3 different times and never did. Finally she said they’d found the sofa and other things in their warehouse but they have no idea when they could bring it to us because “it’s not like everyday they drive from Florida to Washington...” It’s been weeks since they dropped off and almost a month since they packed our things. Moving is so stressful and they’ve made it such a painful experience. Stay away from this company!!!!!

Professional, friendly and always helpful.

We had an awful experience. We have moved several times before and never understood why moving was so miserable until this experience. They sent too small of a truck so they had to send another truck the next day. Since my husband couldn’t be at two places at once and he had to receive the items at our new condo, multiple things that were not supposed to be moved were moved. We then had to pay for storage at American Van Lines which was a mess until we sorted everything out. We paid American Van Lines for two moves because the truck was too small for one. It’s an effective strategy. Underquote and then charge for a second move. The company is completely unreachable. We have been trying to get the invoice on the second day of moving for a month. We have left more messages than I can count. We had such a bad experience that we hired another moving company to go to American Van Lines storage and pick up our things and take them back to our old house. Awful company. I would move My whole house myself before I used this company again.

I am very pleased with the team at AVL. They were very responsive, and followed up well throughout the whole process. Both Dawn and Helen were wonderful on the front end, and our driver, Ricky Martin was amazing. All of my things were delivered into an awaiting storage locker and organized into the space as requested, after a cross-country shipment. I cannot review on the condition of things, as I haven't unpacked, yet. However, I feel pretty comfortable about the way things were handled overall. I highly recommend AVL.

The move went very well. The crew was excellent, especially the lead guy. They did exactly what I wanted...packed, moved, and unloaded our stuff all in a matter of 3.5 days.

We used American van lines to move from Ohio to Georgia. Our moving coordinator Helen V, was amazing. She was very helpful,a professional and continuously kept us up to date on our move. We had 3 movers, they were great, fast and on time. We would definitely recommend them

Such a great experience! I moved from NY to Louisiana. I was so nervous since this was my first interstate move! My first contact was Joe and he helped me step by step. I was made to feel so at ease and whenever I had a question, he responded quickly. He was professional and amicable! Rebecca was my contact person with the movers! She was always in touch and followed up daily! The movers arrived on time and were professional, courteous and the estimated price stayed the same! I had read such horror stories online that this could change! It didn’t! As I stated, Rebecca stayed in touch daily! The furniture was delivered within a week and everything was in tact!! I highly recommend this company! Rebecca also followed up after the delivery to make sure all went well!!

The staff, Teressa and Emily were exceptionally courteous and responsive! They rearranged my dates when asked and put me on a smaller van which I was the only pick-up. Great! They delivered the next morning, as promised. My belongings were placed in my apartment in the rooms that I requested. One concern that I have is in the way the price and procedure is presented and carried out by the sales/corporate office. That concern and misunderstanding effected the first three ratings. The customer service staff was excellent!!!

Don’t believe the biased high ratings for American Van Lines (AVL) seen online. AVL buys people’s silence if not 100% satisfied. To accept their “settlement offer”, you sign a contract saying you won’t say anything negative about the company. AVL caused over $8000 worth of damage to our belongings (not counting damage done to either house) for which they offered a settlement of $1483. The movers’ attitude was great. Whenever I tried to help box items or carry items to the truck, AVL repeatedly informed me that I paid them to do the work and I shouldn’t be doing anything. But one worker clogged our toilet. Rather than saying anything about it, he closed the door. I found the mess 2 DAYS later. I had to purchase another plunger to unclog the toilet. Also, items were not packed carefully (e.g., 1 sheet of paper between 2 glass pie pans). I was expecting an 18-wheeler to carry our belongings like we had before. AVL showed up with a small truck, realized not everything was going to fit, and rented a trailer to pull behind the truck. AVL strapped my grill, wagon, & plow to the outside of the trailer (they wouldn’t fit inside). I rented a trailer to carry what AVL couldn’t fit. Our belongings were emptied into AVL’s storage unit, then reloaded when we were ready for delivery. The day we closed on the house, AVL called to make arrangements; dispatch gave me a delivery window of 2:00-4:00pm. I told them that we wouldn’t be closing until after 1:00. AVL arrived at the house at 11:00am. The driver chewed me out because I wasn’t there to take delivery and if I wasn’t there by 2:00, he was going to charge me a waiting fee. I arrived at 1:45. AVL wasn’t there, and didn’t return until after 4:00. I told my wife what happened. She posted a bad review on Google. Within 2 hours, Theresa (caseworker) called me and said if we removed the post, AVL would give me $200. The post was removed, but I never saw the $200. She told us we had 90 days to file damage and loss claims. Just a few weeks ago (way too late to add to the claim), I discovered that my 2 sets of handcuffs & keys were stolen. I repeatedly told them to take extra care of some items due to their sentimental or intrinsic value. Several were damaged. Not expecting that much damage, I foolishly signed Option 2 of the contract, which waves full replacement cost. It allows for replacement cost of $0.60/pound of that item. AVL’s settlement offer for some items was $508. Because the damage to the house was not noted in the log when the movers were here, AVL only allowed $725 as a “courtesy allowance” because I had pictures. There was a long list of other items that AVL did not offer fair settlement because their damage or loss was not listed on the bill of laden. As the homeowner, apparently it’s my responsibility to assess loss or damage to EVERYTHING as it’s unloaded. I guess I was supposed to go through every box while the truck was being unloaded to check for damage, but had 90 days to submit the paperwork? There was a 5-man team unloading items and entering the house through 2 entrances, some boxes and items were left in the garage. I could not keep track of everything. AVL used a $200 rain barrel as a packing vessel. It was filled with tools, then a chain was taken out of a tool box and thrown on top of the tools. The weight and sharp angles wore a hole in bottom, which wasn’t discover until I emptied it. A wood cabinet was destroyed. AVL put it in the garage and buried it with boxes so that I couldn’t see it. Out of “good faith and customer service”, AVL offered a settlement of $250 for the items damaged or lost that were not listed on the bill of laden because of the photos. As per their agreement, AVL had 120 days to respond to that claim. After 121 days I called them. For me to accept their pitiful offer of $1483, I must promise that I “will not, directly or indirectly, make any negative or disparaging statements”. I would rather be out the $1483 and inform others of our experience.