My American Van Line Moving Experience – The End

I had heard before that moving companies in the US were terrible, and this time I recklessly experienced it for myself during a big move. Even though I was mentally prepared, it still greatly exceeded my expectations.

The first problem I faced was that there's no single dominant moving company in the market, and the credibility of those found online is questionable. Therefore, before choosing a company, I consulted reviews on numerous platforms, although almost every moving company received overwhelmingly negative reviews. I couldn't believe that a 3-star rating was considered high (out of 5) in this industry.

After comprehensive research, I chose American Van Line. I admit there was an element of gambling involved lol, but it seems the gamble failed. This time, I moved from VA to WA, across the United States. Below is my experience and timeline:

• On July 26th, I received a phone call, a brief assessment was conducted, and I was assigned a contact person to handle my assessment.
• 8.8 Because I didn't want to move the entire house's contents this time, only a dozen boxes and some furniture, the other party felt that the items were too few and said that they couldn't proceed if it was less than ,000. So I forced a sum up and finally met their requirements. After repeated back-and-forth communication, we finalized the item list, prices, and pick-up time – September 11 – September 13. Of course, I also paid half of the fee.
• On September 9th, I suddenly received a call informing me that because there weren't enough items, they couldn't provide a truck. The options were either a refund or to use another company they partnered with. —I had a bad feeling about this, but since I was in China at the time and had many things to do, I trusted their partner company.
• On September 13th, our items were picked up. The pick-up experience was quite good; they provided a list, and although we were slightly overweight, they didn't charge us extra. However, a few small items, including the monitor, were missing. They told us the earliest arrival was September 18th, and the latest was October 5th. Although it's a third-party company, American Van Line still assigned me an operator to contact directly.
• On September 18th, I called to inquire about what to do about the missing items (because they were included in the previous cost assessment). The other party replied that they would refund the money, but nothing came of it afterward.
• On September 24th, I called to inquire about the arrival time of my belongings and was told that they had been moved to New York and were waiting to be combined with other people's items for transport. They assured me that it would be no later than October 5th.
• I received an email on October 1st informing me that it would arrive around October 5th and that they would provide me with more details later. I was secretly pleased, but later discovered that it was just an automated email sent based on the shipping time, and there was no confirmation.
• On October 4th, I called to inquire about the specific delivery time and was told that the shipment was still in New York and hadn't started yet. When I asked why, they seemed clueless, saying they would check.
• On October 5th, I called again, and only then did they contact me, informing me that the truck had broken down. They were still clueless, saying they couldn't start transporting until it was repaired. I expressed strong suspicion, and since it was the weekend, I planned to inquire again on Monday.
• 10.7 When I called to inquire about the specific details of the truck damage, I was told that I was not a professional and could not know, but that I would be updated if I had any information. Under my insistence, the other party contacted the other party and said that they were inquiring and would know what happened tomorrow.
• On October 9th, I called again and was told the truck wouldn't be repaired until the middle of next week. They still wouldn't tell me what the problem was, making me strongly suspect that something on the truck could take two weeks to fix. Their evasiveness clearly indicated they were lying.
• On October 11th, I called again and was told there was still no news. I asked if I could report my situation to my manager and get a reply. He replied: Okay.
• On October 15th, I was promised a message on Monday, but I didn't receive one. On Tuesday, I called again and waited a while. He told me it was expected to arrive this week. I asked him how he came to that conclusion, and he said he guessed. Then he told me that he had already involved the manager and would urge the other party, but they couldn't reach them either, although they had left a message.
• October 15th, the end of the day. I finally received a call from them (I haven't received a call from them since the beginning of the moving process). They told me that my things had left the warehouse last Friday and were expected to arrive next weekend. I asked when I could get an estimate and update, and they told me next Monday.
• October 21st. Still couldn't get through by phone. Inquired about updates via email, and was informed that the car was already at Buford WY, so it seems to be on track.
• October 23rd: Still only able to receive emails, informing me that I'm still at WY and that a pickup has been completed.
• On October 24th, after inquiring, I was told that I was already in Idaho and would arrive over the weekend.
• On October 25th, I was informed that I would arrive between 3 PM and 6 PM on Saturday.
• At 1 PM on October 26th, I hadn't received any calls from anyone, so I called to inquire. I was told that it was still 3-6 PM, and it was common for no one to contact me. Don't we need to make an appointment? I asked for direct contact, but they wouldn't provide one.
• I received a text message at 4 PM on October 26th saying I would arrive, but upon arrival I was told I needed to pay in cash before they would move the items. According to the previous contract, the payment should have been directly deposited into my credit card, and that was the case for the previous two payments. Why the sudden cash requirement? Where am I supposed to get so much cash on a weekend? Although the issue was eventually resolved, I was still very uncomfortable. The move went quite well, as shown on the inventory list.
• On October 27th, I checked everything and found that nothing was missing, except for a few damaged items not in the boxes. This was thanks to the packing list and labels used during the packing process. I highly recommend using the same boxes for moving; they're less likely to get lost.
• On October 29th, I surprisingly received a call informing me that the cost of the monitor (which I forgot to mention) could be refunded. They said any delays would require manager approval, and they would send me a letter on Friday. For the remaining damaged items, I need to submit a form, and it will take about 90 days to process (ugh, I guess there's little chance of that happening).
• On November 1st, I inquired about compensation for the delay. The manager said there was still no news. I pointed out that they said Friday, so why haven't I heard anything yet? He wouldn't answer and just told me to wait.
• I called again on November 7th, and received the same reply: "I'll call you when I have news." I told him I was out of the country and wouldn't receive calls, and he said he would email me.
• From November 17th to 22nd, I received several missed calls, probably from them, but there were no emails. Frustrated, I had to call back internationally on the 22nd, where they informed me of a 0 compensation, which was quite unexpected, but I didn't say much more.
• The compensation agreement was signed on November 22, marking the end of the agreement.

I've been in Seattle for a month now, and all I have at home is the bed and mattress I bought here, which is enough to get by. However, I have a lot of documents and clothes with me from moving, and the weather is getting colder, so I'll have to go buy more myself. My impression of American Van Line is that while they have company-level regulations to protect user interests, their service doesn't consider the user's perspective. They just go through the motions, even resorting to deception, which is unbearable, but there's nothing I can do about it.

The final outcome was quite unexpected... hmm

The moving market is quite interesting; the internet industry has never ventured into it.