Golden Valley Van Lines

Reviews

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1. E

   Erin S.

   Source: MoveAdvisor · Portland, OR to Libertyville, IL

   14 Sep 20203-bedroomPaid $9,800

   Total scam - Do not use these people.

   1) Dave - was rude, was a snake oil sales man, seemed to disappear as soon as the "deposit" was made, seemed to faked illness as part of the scam. NOTE: For interstate moves, any good company is not supposed to take a deposit. They can ask for local charges if they are storing it before shipping, but you should not pay until the goods are delivered to the final destination. 2) Christine - Easily one of the worst human beings to her core that exist on this earth. She will beat you down and then expect you to apologize to her. She has the customer service that makes the DMV look like the Waldorf Astoria. 3) Overpricing - my price went from 4500 from OR to IL, to almost 10K. They hold your god hostage and refuse to deliver if you do not pay them these "extra charges". They add random charges. 4) Careless workers - They crew that loaded was okay, but did not fill out the paperwork very carefully. The goods came in three shipments, and they broke about 40% of what was shipped, including priceless Christmas ornaments from my family that I will never get back. Bottom line - these people are unethical scum that will take you for all you are worth. Any good review are people that are either friends of theirs, or people they paid. Unless you know a good B size company from work of mouth or networking, stick with the big guys: Allied, Atlas, Mayflower, United, North American and Bekins. Always ask if they are a broker, and ask for their DOT certification.

2. K

   Ken W.

   Source: MoveAdvisor · Colorado Springs, CO

   27 Sep 20191-bedroomPaid $3,700

   Seriously Bad - STAY AWAY!

   As others have shared, if I could rate zero, that would be my rating! Charges more than double their estimate, delivery 3 days beyond the "absolutely latest delivery date" and sales & customer service that seemed like it was a hassle for me to understand what was going on with our delivery! In two simple words - STAY AWAY from these guys! Also, look at the Department of Transportation for the REAL number of claims with them! Their License has been suspended periodically!! Their sales person Aaron committed to an "absolute" delivery on a weekend (as my daughter was starting her job on a Monday), but nope, not until late Wednesday. And they had 30 days advance notice to schedule the mere 1000 mile delivery (they held her items in storage for 30 days)! Finally, as I've tried to settle this reasonably, not only has the story changed numerous times ('yes, we overcharged you by 73 cubic feet" .. "actually I was wrong.. in fact we under charged you!") Finally, the best was when I was informed that I do not have the right to take them to Small Claims due to their contract and some regulations! Seriously? These people wont own up to their poor service!! STAY AWAY!!

3. C

   Chris S.

   Source: MoveAdvisor · Everett, WA

   10 Sep 20194+ bedroomPaid $12,000

   Golden Valley Van Lines is Terrible.

   My moving experience with Golden Valley Van Lines was bad enough that it actually made the Seattle evening news. You can view the clip below. It would take a lot of space to cover everything that they did so I'll let the clip do most of the talking but the bottom line is that they will lie to you and say whatever they need to get you to hire them and they won't follow through with any of it. They prey on people who have never used a professional moving company before. Their moving consultant, Aaron Petrolia lied to me repeatedly and used social engineering techniques to try and gain my trust. They give you a low bid and once they have your stuff, they jack up the price and hold your stuff hostage to force you to pay. The reporter from KOMO TV News researched them and said that the government has actually shut them down but they are still operating using shady practices. They have their contract written in such a way as to absolve them from any liability for anything. If you have the money for a lengthy legal battle, you will most likely eventually win a judgement against them but they will just declare bankruptcy and then just begin operating under a different name. It looks as if this has happened before so it's not worth the effort. I asked for a partial refund and they laughed at me. I'm not getting any money back from this but I'm making it my mission to warn others away from this horrible, dishonest company. Also, their BBB rating means absolutely nothing as it is based on their level of responsiveness to inquiries from the BBB, not on actually fixing issues or resolving complaints. I have gone through all of their Google reviews and they appear to be fictitious and paid for by the company unless you really believe all the people who are based in foreign countries who wrote them came here just to use their services and then returned to their home country. Of the US based people who wrote reviews, if you look over their other reviews, they have written several for other moving companies as well and based on the dates are apparently moving every two months and hiring different companies to perform the move despite how happy they claim to have been with Golden Valley Van Lines in their review of their moving experience with them. https://komonews.com/news/consumer/how-to-steer-clear-of-rogue-movers-who-hold-your-property-hostage-for-higher-payment?fbclid=IwAR1dcAl7jCJCe-xCv3wWoyhO8Fej2lHu7VPGyf.

4. W

   William G.

   Source: MoveAdvisor · Albany, OR to Temple, TX

   7 Aug 20193-bedroomPaid $6,076

   Poor quality of service overall, plus many damaged items.

   Find another company. Much of my grandmothers furniture is damaged or destroyed, boxes crushed and the contents damaged. Items were dropped and damaged in front of me as they were unloading the truck despite asking them to be more carful. The company has not done anything but tell me I need to go through the claims process despite being told someone would contact me personally due to the magnitude of the situation. They charged us for crating a piano that we did not have. Overall experience is terrible and if you are looking for a company that will be careless with your belongings, over charge you at the same time and then not do anything to make it right but offer you pennies through the claims process then Golden Valley Van Lines is for you! But I would look elsewhere as this company has proven it is not interested providing even mediocre customer service. We are still going through things piece by piece. Everything from poorly packed items that broke in a box, boxes were not kept upright and were rolled in some cases off the truck (I saw them do it and asked them to stop), smashed boxes, damaged/destroyed furniture, the way they loaded everything into the storage unit by throwing boxes to the back of it (I have not gone through them since I cannot get to them yet), careless handling, and I even have a picture of the fuel cap on the truck was carelessly left off while they were driving across the country. I say again, find another company. Do not overpay for a company not interested in making things right with their customers.

5. J

   Jen B.

   Source: MoveAdvisor · Tacoma, WA to Colorado Springs, CO

   30 Jun 20191-bedroomPaid $4,900

   1800 to 4900 and violated the contract MULTIPLE times & dmged house.

   If you want to get scammed, choose this company. So this is going to be lengthy, but PLEASE read this before you pick them, because I am going to be taking them to court. They quoted us $1800 for our move from Tacoma to Colorado springs. The receptionists were very nice on the phone, and the guys packing did a good job. BUT when they loaded up the truck, it went from 1800 to them needing $3700 more once they got to Colorado. The guys said, that's just an estimate, but we wouldn't have to pay even close to that much. Ok, fine. So we say you can't deliver before June 14th, because that's when we get our house. So the day of the 12th I get done with work I have several voicemails on my phone from a man with very poor english about how he is going to be there the 13th. I have to be at my house between 9-12 or its 200$ an hour for waiting, and that I HAVE to pay cash. He screams at me on the phone when I said I was told to pay credit card, and calls me an fing liar! Call the company, they say they will call him. He gets ticked off, doesn't show up til 1345 and he didn't unpack anything or put it back together like was in the contract. And they were supposed to have two men to unload, turns out the driver (from Uzbekistan) called up a local guy he found on craigslist to help him unload and that guy did all the heavy lifting. They didn't take any of the blankets off, or unpacking tape, didn't put anything back together, they damaged the wall, the craigslist guy dropped the coffee table on my toe as we were moving, and I had the cops on standby because the Uzbek guy was swearing up a storm and saying how much [EDIT] all this was. Thecompany has said they are going to refund me, and the last few times I've called they haven't answered or returned my calls. More to follow..but DO NOT USE THEM!!

6. T

   Tamara H.

   Source: MoveAdvisor · Milton, FL

   21 May 20191-bedroomPaid $4,500

   Liars, Thieves, Scammers.

   **Update: 4 months of requesting delivery, and I was finally told I would have to go get myself from a storage unit and now pay $4800. All the boxes were stacked on my tv, which was shattered. Half of items were missing. They claim they lost a pallet and would search. It was NEVER found and my pool cues were stolen from a bundle that did arrive. The boxes marked "FRAGILE" were tossed in pile and items were broken. They finally promised a refund of $480, and gave insurance claim information. No one called back. After months of hounding, they sent check for $240 that bounced. They reissued, and it went through. The remaining $240 check bounced. As it turns out, they've been investigated many times and their solution is to change name slightly: "Golden Van Lines, Inc." becomes "Golden Van Lines, Inc" or "Golden Van Lines Inc". It has been going on for years and they create fake positive reviews for BBB and online sites.** Initially I sent out my information for quotes and this SEEMED the best. I measured all items and there was no surprise for furniture. I was quoted $1400 for my furniture and 20-30 boxes. I added 20 boxes and it became $3400. To my satisfaction, that has still not been explained. And I called for 2 weeks upon upon rechecking my destinatination before I spoke with a previous contact. They then cancelled pickup and I had to deal with very unhappy landlord who thought I'd be out 3 days earlier. To date: I still do not have a scheduled move-in, and the only reason I'm "supppsed" to get one is because I kept calling and my texts were ignored. Weeks later and I still do not have a date for a moving company that costs MORE than the rest. I really am willing to pay to make this the last time I deal with them. We are now 3 weeks out from. When I first left a message. I spoke to dispatch/manager last week, and 8 days later have no ETA. Make you're own judements--and believe me, they'll lie and defend. It still makes no sense for all furniture with 20-30 boxes to Florida to be $1400, and add NO furniture and 20 boxes to become $3400. I still cannot get my furniture an I've been calling for a month. NEVER! Use this company!! Best of their customer service is to discredit the client instead of fixing. I already know the fun stuff they'll say. But facts are: I want my furniture, and I'm really doubting it shall ever occur.

7. S

   Sara W.

   Source: MoveAdvisor

   18 Apr 20192-bedroomPaid $1,900

   Absolutely Terrible.

   Absolute worst moving service I have ever used. Not only were they no shows multiple times, but our boxes arrived wet and smashed, the movers were putting boxes marked "fragile" at the bottom of stacks of boxes marked "books/heavy", one mover kicked our rug and a box off the truck. They lost a variety of things, including half our daughter's bed and a new XBOX, which magically disappeared from the top of a box. It was actually insane how terrible they were, and the lack of accountability from the owner was deplorable. We had water and dirt inside of our well wrapped boxes. DO NOT USE!

8. T

   Terri

   Source: MoveAdvisor · Parker, CO to Indian Trail, NC

   1 Feb 20191-bedroomPaid $12,000

   Do Not Use This Company.

   First of all, my price went from $5300 to $12000, after they loaded a small truck to take to a warehouse to wait for more loads. I was told that my furniture would be at my new house sooner. It took 2 weeks, luckily we had a place to stay without having to spend money on a hotel. They have broken so much of our stuff, I am very upset that my expensive collection had about 30 pieces broken and had to throw away about 4 because they could not be repaired. They turned boxes upside down that said TOP and did not even read fragile, maybe they don't know what that means. No one stayed in touch with us to let us know anything, we had to keep calling to find out where our furniture was. This is the worst company ever. I am sure that I wont be compensated for the breakage or anything else . Do not use this company!

9. J

   Johannes S.

   Source: MoveAdvisor · Salem, OR to Washington, DC

   26 Jan 20191-bedroomPaid $3,200

   Same experience as Katie, Krishna and the others had.

   My bill ended up being $1,022 higher than the $2,248 stated in the "Binding Moving Estimate" I received. That's almost 50% more - pretty hefty. After the move from Oregon to DC was done, I looked at the paperwork again, because of some damage to my furniture. It raised some serious questions. I thought the price increase wasn't justified, so I sent Golden Valley Van Line emails with the questions I had. I sent an email on December 12, 2018. I then tried again on January 5 and again on January 19, 2019. I never received an answer. By now I feel scammed. I wasn't in Oregon when Golden Valley picked up my stuff at a friend's house. At the time of pickup the company representative claimed that it was much more than what I had estimated. He charged me $672 more. It was a take it or leave it kind of deal with my friend wanting my stuff out of her garage, and I wasn't there, so I agreed. When my stuff arrived, I did the math and found out that it was just 9 cubic feet more - kind of a steep surcharge. At arrival I was told that the large truck couldn't park in front of my house, so I would have to pay $350 for a shuttle. The surcharge for such a shuttle is in the contract. What's not in the contract is that the "shuttle" seemed to have been the main transporter. There was no large 18-wheeler outside the city, as the company representative had told me the day before and then again that day. The van and trailer combination that did arrive with my furniture had another client's furniture in it, and the guys told me they were in a hurry to deliver it to another city that day. So, to sum it up: Pros: It started outas one of the lowest priced offers (but of course it didn't stay that way). The furniture was well packaged with thick blankets all around. The guys delivering it were pretty careful and handled everything well. Cons: One rail on my bed was damaged and my washer apparently dropped at one point. I feel cheated out of $1,022. Communication was terrible. The last three emails being ignored was not the first time communications with "Christine S." completely dropped (there is no last name on any of the paperwork - interesting - I mean, social media is different, but there is no last name in ANY of her communications, not even the contract or receipt). When I tried to arrange delivery, I didn't hear from her for weeks and then only got phony excuses. When I complained about the surcharge for the van because the 18-wheeler couldn't get to my house, I was told that I was being "difficult" to work with. Same kind of take-it-or-leave-it deal, only this time with my stuff in the company's possession. At delivery the company representative immediately threatened to leave if I wouldn't sign the papers and handed over the money first thing. When I asked for a receipt from him he refused and didn't even want to tell me his full name (same deal as with Christine S., remember?). Long story short, this California branch of Golden Valley Van Line is NOT a trustworthy partner I would ever recommend for your move.

10. K

    Katie

    Source: MoveAdvisor · Reno, NV to Virginia Beach, VA

    1 Oct 20183-bedroomPaid $7,900

    Worst experience I have ever had moving.

    My quoted price increased drastically at least twice. The woman I talked to on the phone, who said she was the general manager of Golden Valley Van Lines, was not helpful and rude. She would not listen to my concerns about the escalated pricing and instead responded to pretty much everything with “pay with a US Postal Money order,” no matter what my question or concern was. The unload driver called me on a Friday to let me know he’d be there on Sunday around 3pm. He called Sunday morning around 10 to let me know he’d be there in about 30 minutes. Since it was much earlier than I anticipated, I rushed to drop off my dog at a dog sitter’s and to find an ATM….because, of course, there was another charge for stairs that could only be paid in cash. (The contract I signed said a flight was 10 stairs, but I was charged as if a flight was 7) The driver called again, about 20 minutes later, to let me know it would not be until three. The movers showed up, and asked how much stuff I had. I said I believed it was approximately 1200 cubic feet. This statement was met with an “Oh dear, that’s a lot of stuff.” As they started prepping to unload, someone from my neighborhood came and asked the driver about the wires/cables they’d hit on the way into the neighborhood, and why the driver hit them, stopped, and then kept going. The driver said it was because he didn’t know what to do, and that he “was going to tell me.” They proceeded to have a verbal exchange for nearly 30 minutes. My stuff started filtering in the house, and it was abysmal. Nothing was laid down to protect the carpet. My boxes where in awful shape, with many of my items damaged beyond repair. Plates and bowls were shattered, the movers dropped a glass TV stand in the driveway, and they proceeded to get upset when I told them I did not have a broom to clean it. (The broom was one of many lost items) They were also reluctant to move larger items upstairs. The contract I signed, and the services I paid A LOT of money for include “full service white glove door to door moving experience” and “all standard furniture reassembled room by room at destination.” My bed is un-assembled. To be fair, they also broke it while moving it, so they could not assemble it. The furniture is not where I asked it to go, with some still in my garage, along with most of the other boxes. I have items still wrapped in blankets and plastic haphazardly all over my house. This constitutes a breach of contract. I am missing a lot of items. I emailed the company as requested with a list of the missing items, and was told to give them "up to a week." It has been a week, and I have heard nothing. I'm stuck, not sure if I should move on replacing those things, or keep waiting. I also received a file cabinet that was not mine full of articles that were not mine. I can only wonder who has all the items I am missing.. Horrible experience from start to finish, interspersed with some of the WORST customer service I’ve ever experienced.