United Van Lines - an Excellent Experience
Written: Aug 01 '09 (Updated Aug 08 '09)
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Pros: Price and service.
Cons: A broken champagne glass? Nothing really.
The Bottom Line: United Van Lines met or exceeded our expectations in all respects.
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| vplite's Full Review: United Van Lines |
Update 7/7/2009
United Van Lines issued us a refund of $81.20 because the weight of the load was overestimated!
In July 2009 my wife and I moved from St. Louis, Missouri to Las Vegas, Nevada. I had read many horror stories about poor experiences with moving companies, so I carefully researched the movers and options available to us. A check with online reviews and the Better Business Bureau in St. Louis showed that 2 related locally based movers, A-Mrazek and Fry Wagner both affiliated with United Van Lines, had A ratings.
We had decided that we would do most of the packing ourselves, which turned out to be a lot of work but we feel was a good decision as well as a substantial money saver. We had a moving sale shortly before our move with the help of a professional (my sister) which almost completely cleaned out our old home. We only moved 3 major pieces of furniture and no appliances. I did carefully pack 3 computer systems.
In retrospect and after pricing the cost and quality of new furniture, I wish we had moved our 32 year old, solid oak bedroom set and dinette set. The pieces were a little dated, but would have furnished our guest bedroom nicely. I was afraid of damage during the move, but after seeing how carefully the United driver (Brian Stucker) wrapped and handled our stuff, I’m sure it would have been OK.
I called our local United Van Lines agent as well as a heavily advertised service, ABF U-Pack Moving (pods) for quotes. The United Vans Lines Agent sent a very professional young man to our home who examined the items we were moving, and printed out United’s “Straight Talk Price Assurance Estimate” on the spot. The ABF agent, who was based in Arkansas, quoted a price over the phone, based on my description of what we were moving, which was somewhat higher than United’s.
We decided not to pay $300 for the extra insurance, feeling we had done a good job packing, opting for only the $.60 per pound minimum liability required by the ICC. This was a good money saving decision.
We decided on United, based on their reputation, price, and their willingness to furnish us with unlimited packing materials; boxes, paper padding, and tape, at no additional cost. We only had to make several trips to United’s closest warehouse, which was 12 miles from our home.
The United driver arrived at our home in Saint Louis with one helper right on time, on Tuesday, July 14, saying he hoped to make delivery in Las Vegas the following Sunday, July 19, if that was acceptable. He did arrive at our home in Vegas on Sunday morning, with two helpers. Brian kept in phone contact with us prior to both the pickup and delivery, and there were no surprises.
The delivery on the 19th was a nice bonus, since United had given us a window on delivery between July 20 and July 30.
I have to take issue with another reviewer who complained because he was not able to take delivery when scheduled, and incurred extra expense. The potential for extra charges is clearly stated in the contract, and I’m sure it is an additional cost for United to have to offload items, then reload and deliver them.
On both ends of the moves all personnel wore clothing identifying them as United Van Lines workers, and they were polite and very careful with our belongings. They put down heavy cloth floor covering to walk on each occasion. They were especially helpful on the offloading, moving a number of items into the rooms we requested.
Our stuff arrived in virtually perfect condition. One champagne glass was broken and a small tray bent, but in 4500 lbs of stuff that is nothing.
Packing up and moving over half way across the country is very stressful, but we are thankful our experience with United Van Lines was not an additional stressor. They did everything they said they would and more, at the price quoted.
Recommended:
Yes
Punctuality: Showed up on time
Ease of Filing Claim: N/A
Lost Goods: No
Amount Paid (US$): $2500
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Epinions.com ID:
vplite
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Location: Las Vegas, NV
Reviews written: 23
Trusted by: 17 members
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