Northern Van Lines

Reviews

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1. S

   Spu

   Source: MoveAdvisor

   6 Aug 2012Paid $2,200

   GOD please help me.

   I used this company to move my stuff on June 30. Intially they said me that within 6 days it will be delivered. Today is August 6. I have not heard anything about my stuff. I'm really really worried. This is first time in life, I have done a move and now that I do not have anything with me in my new apartment. We are very strict vegetarian and right now we cannot cook any food at home as all our stuff has not reached us. Also I have a 2 year old kid, she keeps on asking me daily when would my toys come, it is very hurting to tell her that I'm do not know. It is tough cooking for her at home and also sleeping on the carpet with this little kid is even more difficult. I have left atleast 100 voicemail to all the northern van line number that I have, but no one is giving me call back nor Joshua Wiley who helped me with reservation is letting me know anything about my stuff. I'm really worried and do not know what to do from here. I'm just praying GOD that my stuff comes quick. If anyone knows what I should do in this situation apart form praying please do let me know because it has been more that 37 days now and I'm really worried.

2. J

   Jason

   Source: MoveAdvisor

   30 Jul 2012Paid $2,000

   **do Not Use This Company**.

   All 5 star reviews are fake.  Save yourself a headache.  Do not use.  My story is typical of just about everyone elses story.  No communication, late, additional fees, etc.  DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!!  YOU WILL SORRY IF YOU DO.  EXTRA WARNING: I tried to contact them by going to their website and requesting a quote under another name, phone number, and email address, and I was contacted back  by a guy named Zachary from Alliance Worldwide Van Lines.  I suspect they will probably completely switch.  Alliance Worldwide Van Lines has fake reviews.  They are all 5 stars and are eloquently written.  They are only days apart as well.  It is absurd to believe that company has generated that many 5 star responses in such a short amount of time with not one complaint.  It is very unrealistic.

3. J

   Jeff H.

   Source: MoveAdvisor

   16 Jul 2012Paid $6,178

   Avoid this company at all costs! Deceptive and Unethical!

   Beware of this company.  Avoid at all costs.  They use deceptive sales practices to obtain your business and do not deliver on any of their commitments.  This is by far the worst customer service I have ever experienced.I contracted Northern Van Lines to relocate my goods from KS to MD (~1,100 miles).  After reviewing my full inventory with Josh Willey (salesperson), I was given a quote of $3,265.  My revised costs at the end of this ridiculous ordeal were a little over $6,000!  They intentionally give you a low estimate to obtain your business, fully aware that they will tack on incremental costs along the way.I was told by the two movers (Preston & Enrique) on loading day in KS that my belongings would arrive in MD in "4-5" days.  That was on June 27th.  I did not receive my belongings in MD until July 13th.  So, apparently when they say 4-5 days they really mean 16 days.  I spent an enormous amount of money on hotel reservations in the meantime.  Throughout this large gap in delivery, I was not able to reach ANYONE at Northern Van Lines to get any kind of update on delivery.  Josh Willey will not call you back after he has taken your deposit at the time of the initial quote.  He got your business and screwed you over in the process, and he hides from here on out.  He is such a slimeball.Shelley was another useless Customer Service individual at Northern Van Lines.  After a dozen or so messages left for her, she finally returned my call, only to be absolutely no help whatsoever.  After I expressed my opinion of her company, she hung up on me.The movers - Preston and Enrique.  Preston looks like he is either homeless or was just released from prison.  He lied to me the entire day he was loading (only to learn later).  Enrique is a smooth character and will be evasive and elusive any time you ask him a question.  Both of these guys are NOT to be trusted!  If they show up at your house, request a different crew!When my goods finally arrived in MD there were multiple damaged items.  They are careless with your belongings and will just cram things anywhere to fill up the trailer.  They didn't transport our dirt bike properly so gasoline leaked on our queen size mattress (they punctured the gas line).  They also got that gas on their feet and tracked it onto the carpet of my stairs.  They broke my children's $150 covered wagon.  There were multiple boxes that were either crushed or had large holes or tears in them.  We had several plastic totes that were cracked.  We had several patio chairs and other metal items that have significant scratches on them.  I could continue, but you get the point.  They have no regard for the protection of your goods.  The only reason they wrap some items is so they can charge you more (a ridiculous amount of $) for the wrapping and packing materials.When the driver (Tal) arrived on July 13, he immediately approached me and told me that there would be a "Long Carry" charge because my home was a little too far from the road.  I asked him how much, and he said he needed to call Dispatch (another group you can never get in touch with) to find out how much.  I told him that if it was going to be a significant fee we were going to have problems, especially since we had been waiting so long for our goods.  He smirked and said, "how about $250"?  I told him that was unacceptable, and he literally started to haggle with me, which clearly tells me he was just going to pocket any extra cash I gave him.  I told him we would discuss it at the end of the unload, and he agreed.  After they were finished I showed him all the damage caused by the moving of my goods and told him I wasn't paying ANY extra fees for Long Carry or anything else.  He was annoyed, but he could tell my patience was gone and he didn't push it.  He's just another on a long list of shady characters from Northern Van Lines and their affiliates.I could keep writing (yes, there are actually more negative comments), but my blood pressure is starting to elevate, so I think I'll stop here.  Please spare yourself the headaches and DO NOT hire these delinquents.  You WILL regret it.  DO NOT believe the prices they tell you..it WILL go up.Jeff H.

4. M

   Mary K.

   Source: MoveAdvisor

   8 Jul 2012Paid $2,500

   Run Don't Walk Away From Northern Van Lines.

   Northern Van Lines picked up on 05/31/12.  Per contract:  "Legally long distance movers per DOT law have 7-21 business days to deliver cross country."  Last business day to deliver was 06/29/12.  Once Julian got the deposit money he was of no help at all.  Nobody at this company answers their phone.  Shelly told me several times my son's property was being loaded onto a truck in Colorado and would be on its way to Michigan.  Lies.  After many, many, phone calls and email messages, I finally got a number for dispatch, located in Colorado.  I learned dispatch was under the company name MCI. Northern Van Lines is a broker, although they will tell you they are not.  After many, many, many calls to MCI I learned my son's property never even left Washington state.  All his property was sitting in a storage facility.  Basically Northern Van Lines and MCI were paid $1600 to move property 9.65 miles where it sat in a storage facility for a month.  It was a dirty storage unit that anyone can rent.  There were several loads in the same unit.  We were able to retrieve my son's property.  We are now starting over with a reputable moving company.  Emails to both MCI and Northern Van Lines requesting a refund were ignored.  What a surprise. At one time Northern Van Lines had a Eugene OR address listed on their web site.  I contacted the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) to file a complaint.  The response was:  "Please know that this company is not an Oregon company, and its reference to Eugene Oregon has been questioned by ODOT, as the Eugene address previously given is a vacant building.  Northern Van Lines was placed OUT OF SERVICE by the USDOT on 06/01/12 and is still not authorized for interstate transportation."  After I filed this complaint, the Eugene OR address was removed from Northern Van Lines website. I also contacted the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (www.fmsca.dot.gov).  I was told that Northern Van Lines has no authority to operate at all. I am thankful we were able to retrieve my son's belongings.  The local dispatcher for MCI was the only person who told the truth; he couldn't find a driver to take this load to Michigan.  When asked if the property could potentially sit in storage for months, he replied yes.  I wonder when Northern Van Lines or the main MCI dispatch office in Colorado was going to tell us that?  Northern Van Lines doesn't care once it gets your deposit money.  MCI is not much better. No option for zero stars.  Poor is still one star. I hope everyone who has had these horrendous experiences with Northern Van Lines makes formal complaints with DOT and the FMCSA.  That's the only way this company will stop scamming people. .

5. A

   Annie

   Source: MoveAdvisor

   5 Jul 2012Paid $1,650

   Unethical company, do not hire.

   My specific experience with this mover has been hell. The original quote for my move was $1380. After several no-show dates for them to pick up my move, they arrived 6 days late on 12 June. Once they arrived, the drivers claimed that my belongings were at least 500 lbs. heavier than estimated; they refused to show me the actual weight / scale of my total move. So they increased my price to $1650, OK. I used none of their storage services or packing materials. It is now 05 July. The only answered call / returned call I have received from them was from Shelly on 29 June. She told me that she had great news, "The movers will be at your home in 2 days, the drivers will call you 24-48 hours before they arrive. Be sure to have your balance ready in cash or certified check." It is now 6 days later and I have not received a call from Northern Van Lines or their drivers, and they do not answer the phone or return my voicemails. If they ever deliver, I will follow up on this post by sharing the date on which they arrive and the condition in which my belongings arrive. This company screens their calls ("..we are experiencing unusually high call volumes, please leave a message..") and does not return messages. Emails go unanswered. I should not have let this company take my belongings after they failed to show up until 6 days after the scheduled pick-up date. Alas, at that point I was already invested in a $521 deposit, which I knew I would lose if I canceled. I wish I had canceled, eaten the 500 bucks, and either sold all my stuff or rented uhaul.

6. J

   Jean

   Source: MoveAdvisor

   2 Jul 2012Paid $2,400

   This company is a SCAM!!

   Please Please..do yourself a favor..DO NOT USE THESE SO CALLED MOVERS!! They lie, take your money and treat your things like yesterdays trash!  Everything I owned was either stolen, dammaged or totally broken!  They tell you it only cost 1500 then at the end, it ends up costing you 2400.00.  If you value your things find another mover, these people just want your money and your TV.  Yes they stole my Flat screen TV. .

7. E

   Erin

   Source: MoveAdvisor

   25 Jun 2012Paid $1,640

   Liars, Crooks, do not return calls.

   I made a deposit with this company to move our things from UT to TX, after I was stupid enough to fall for their cries of "prices could go up due to fuel costs, lock in your quote now!".  I regret this wholly.  We ended up changing our mind and using a rental truck for our move instead, so we could tow our second car.  It has been more than 6 weeks and we have not gotten our deposit back because this company is dishonest, and will steal your money and never return calls. Julian, the representative I spoke with, was very kind & helpful at first, and sounded very knowledgeable.  He verbally told me that if I didn't sign the contract, I could get my deposit back if we changed our mind.  When I called to let him know we had to cancel, he said it was no problem, we'd get refund in 7-10 business days.  2 weeks, no refund. I called again, he apologized and said it looked like the cancellation didn't go through (hmmm that must've been why on the day of our move, a guy called at 10:30 pm asking when they should come the next day..when we had already packed up & were on our way! Good thing we didn't use them, or we would'nt have moved on time!).  Julian said in 7-10 business days, our credit card would be refunded.  2 more weeks, no refund, and since that time till now no on at Northen Van Lines has returned my calls.  I have called Julian and the main line that is on their website, but only get answering machine.  Has anyone else reached a person at their main number?  I am wondering if this is a real company at all, or did I fall for a scam?   To add to the lies, Julian told me they were BBB rated A , and emails from him show the BBB logo & that rating, but when you look them up they have not rating on BBB!!  I really wish I hadn't' been in a rush to get this move organized, and had looked into them more before even making a deposit.

8. K

   Kerrie

   Source: MoveAdvisor

   22 Jun 2012Paid $2,800

   Don't Use These People.

   Started out fine with a good quote and friendly experience recieving quote.  Once the down payment was paid everything was CRAP.  Communication was terrible, not returning calls. Came three days late to pick up stuff.  I am still waiting for my stuff to be delivered they are now 5 days late and no one can tell me when it will arrive or where it is.  The sales guy over my account will not return phone calls.  This has been a terrible experience and I am still waiting for my stuff to be delivered.  Plus they are wanting to charge me over $1000 over what I was quoted.  I will not be paying anything else to them.   GO WITH SOMEONE ELSE!!

9. S

   Sangeetha

   Source: MoveAdvisor

   15 Jun 2012Paid $4,300

   Worst Moving Company.

   WORST EXPERIENCE EVER ! Liars and Absolutely unethical company ! You are better off going to another company even if they charge you a thousand dollars more, because with Northern Van Lines, you will end up paying at least that much after they give you their "estimate" and do all the smooth talking. Once the sales person gets your deposit, you are on your own. Chris, my point of contact offered me free storage for 30 days. ( I have proof of the offer ). But then, after all my things were on their truck, they charged me $250 for storage ! The driver will not deliver your stuff until you pay whatever ridiculous amount they demand, and the different departments (dispatch, customer service etc.) will just bounce you around. Once they have your deposit, they will not return your calls or respond to your emails. All our furniture was broken beyond repair and eventually this move has cost us way more than what we would have had to pay through any other company. Another word of warning. They will mark all your costly items "PBO ( Packed by owner )" in your inventory sheet. This means that they are not liable for any damage to those items ! They packed our LCD TV, but marked it "PBO" on the inventory sheet ! Absolutely unethical and disgusting customer service. I read the mixed reviews on other websites about this company and was stupid enough to believe Chris - a real smooth talking salesman, but don't believe a word he says. In hindsight, I now believe that the reviews in yelp are a 100% TRUE. This is the worst moving company ever.

10. B

    Brian

    Source: MoveAdvisor

    31 May 2012Paid $4,800

    Unethical company, will rip you off.

    Original quote was 2500, now it is 4800 for the same service. The second they get your stuff picked up they will not return your calls and know that you have to pay the ridiculous price to get your things back. They will say that they will include a shuttle truck, then another person will charge you for it. They will say you only pay per pound for what is moved and refund the difference if it is less but they won't. Ignore the fake posted reviews that are positive. Do they really look like real people? The negative reviews are the real ones. They WILL hose you. It is not worth the risk.