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North American uses Poor third-party insurance claims vendor, November 05, 2014 Reviewer: Terriwalden from Stuart, FL, USA - See all reviews by Terriwalden Price    Picked Up On Time    Deliverd On Time    Accuracy Of Estimate    Customer Service Performance    Condition Of Goods    Knowledgable Staff    0 of 0 people found this review helpful I recently moved from Virginia to Florida. At the time of my move-out in Virginia, I witnessed the No. Am. Tanner Van Lines driver deliberately cause extensive damage to my furniture by throwing 4 hand trucks up into the air into the body of the fully loaded truck, which landed on top of my previously loaded furniture. I had extensive damages, and lost items at the time of delivery. My fully insured claim for $3,841 remains entirely without a plan for resolution. I have been advised, however, that I may not fix or replace anything or my claim may be denied. My furniture was deliberately vandalized by the carrier, Tanner Van Lines, and now I must live with the mess for weeks waiting for North American's third-party claims vendor to honor an entirely documented (12 photos of damages included with claims forms) claim for damaged and lost items. My guess is most people give up and fix and replace their belongings without receiving the entitled damaged/lost items reimbursement. Was this review helpful?   Comments (0) | (Report this)

HEADACHES + EXCUSES = NORTH AMERICAN VAN LINES, July 24, 2012 Reviewer: Pauliwally from Anytown, AT 55555 - See all reviews by Pauliwally Price    Picked Up On Time    Deliverd On Time    Accuracy Of Estimate    Customer Service Performance    Condition Of Goods    Knowledgable Staff    2 of 2 people found this review helpful At the end of the day, North American Van Lines delivered our stuff 3 weeks late. A significant inconvenience to our personal and professional lives, but not the end of the world. The worst part of the move was dealing with the company representatives. Highly unprofessional. Every time we called, North American's representatives gave us the run-around. When we would call to find out about the status of logistics, they would just shrug their shoulders and tell us to call a different company phone number. This happened 8 times. They changed the delivery date at least that many times. "I'm sorry there's nothing I can do" baloney. In short, North American was able to deliver many headaches and excuses, but could not get us our stuff anywhere near the time the promised. The real shame is the guys doing the heavy lifting were fantastic. They even took responsibility to solve the problems that corporate headquarters created. Was this review helpful?   Comments (0) | (Report this)

Super Movers, December 07, 2011 Reviewer: Sean Patleu from Virginia Georgia Price    Picked Up On Time    Deliverd On Time    Accuracy Of Estimate    Customer Service Performance    Condition Of Goods    Knowledgable Staff    0 of 0 people found this review helpful North American van lines of virginia did a very good job with our move. The price was in the ball park with other quotes we had received and the service was second to none. If you are looking for a good mover they will not disapoint. __________________ Was this review helpful?   Comments (0) | (Report this)

Great Move, October 03, 2011 Reviewer: Amber Tally from San Diego New Jersey Price    Picked Up On Time    Deliverd On Time    Accuracy Of Estimate    Customer Service Performance    Condition Of Goods    Knowledgable Staff    0 of 1 people found this review helpful North American Van Lines provided very good service. The men took very good care of our things making sure to wrap them well. This is only the second move we have ever done but we would recommend NAVL to friends __________________ Was this review helpful?   Comments (0) | (Report this)

Over all good service, June 09, 2011 Reviewer: Jason Lind from Washington South Carolina Price    Picked Up On Time    Deliverd On Time    Accuracy Of Estimate    Customer Service Performance    Condition Of Goods    Knowledgable Staff    0 of 0 people found this review helpful We used a North American Agent out of Olympia WA and they did a nice job over all. Only down side was one of our boxes got crushed and a cup got damaged but after reading some of these stories I really can't complain. __________________ Was this review helpful?   Comments (0) | (Report this)

Nice Job, March 01, 2011 Reviewer: Brandon Z from Dallas Baton Rouge Price    Picked Up On Time    Deliverd On Time    Accuracy Of Estimate    Customer Service Performance    Condition Of Goods    Knowledgable Staff    0 of 0 people found this review helpful Just completed a move using North American van lines in Dallas Texas. The move was very smooth and other then the price we had no complaints. __________________ Was this review helpful?   Comments (0) | (Report this)

TOPS, February 09, 2011 Reviewer: MIDWESTCHICK from CALI IOWA Price    Picked Up On Time    Deliverd On Time    Accuracy Of Estimate    Customer Service Performance    Condition Of Goods    Knowledgable Staff    0 of 0 people found this review helpful We recently moved our two-person household from Fresno, CA, to Iowa. From start to finish our experience was A-1. We had previously moved ourselves with a rental truck...we're getting too old to do that. We got two estimates. Valley North American gave us the low bid. The estimator did not try to hard-sell, simply estimated our load and gave us a price. The driver, a Mr. Balazs, owned his own truck, a spotless and well-maintained machine. His pride of ownership showed in everything he did. He packed well, told us when he would show up on our doorstep, called us 24 hours prior to delivery to verify, and unloaded and placed everything in the house. No breakage. No hassle. No problems. Our weight went over the estimate...no extra charge. Balazs missed one small box from the kitchen during the unload and called us the next day to let us know he would UPS it to us. The box arrived soon after. I would recommend Valley North American and I would definitely recommend Balazs to anyone asking. Our experience was just simply tops __________________ Was this review helpful?   Comments (0) | (Report this)

Best Service, January 26, 2011 Reviewer: Frank Guillen from NJ FL Price    Picked Up On Time    Deliverd On Time    Accuracy Of Estimate    Customer Service Performance    Condition Of Goods    Knowledgable Staff    0 of 0 people found this review helpful Our office uses North American Van lines for all our moves. The service is second to none and we can always count on a professional crew. __________________ Was this review helpful?   Comments (0) | (Report this)

North American Van Lines Was Great, November 08, 2010 Reviewer: Nathan Hochstead from Georgia Arizona Price    Picked Up On Time    Deliverd On Time    Accuracy Of Estimate    Customer Service Performance    Condition Of Goods    Knowledgable Staff    2 of 3 people found this review helpful Great move each time. I have used North American van lines a few times and each move has been better then the previous. I got many moving quotes that were cheaper but after reading all the moving reviews I figured a few more dollars was better then an ulcer. __________________ Was this review helpful?   Comments (0) | (Report this)

No More U-Hauling For ME!!!!!!, August 06, 2010 Reviewer: BANG ZOOM from Anytown, AT 55555 Price    Picked Up On Time    Deliverd On Time    Accuracy Of Estimate    Customer Service Performance    Condition Of Goods    Knowledgable Staff    6 of 6 people found this review helpful My husband is in sales and had the "opportunity" to move to another state with a higher volume territory. He took the position and we moved. Since we had only been in Boise, ID, for one year, you can imagine I was not thrilled to be moving so soon, especially since we have teenage children. One condition I put on hubby was that I was not going to pack anything and wanted to have professional movers. Now, all the sales agents and managers are independent contractors so there really is not any sort of "company" funding for a move. Our State manager agreed to give us several thousand dollars to help pay for the move. The amount was basically enough to cover a U-Haul move, so we decided to splurge and we obtained quotes from professional movers. Here's my experience...and why I'll never move any other way!! GETTING QUOTES If you ever move with a professional moving company, make sure to get at least three quotes and make sure the quotes are from a company that comes out to your home rather than over the phone. I could not believe the amount of variance between quotes. I called three companies for quotes: North American Van Lines, Atlas (the company our corporation uses to move State managers), and Allied Van Lines. Both Atlas and Allied quoted us over $9,000 for a full-pack move. They also did not guarantee any price, which means if the estimator did not estimate correctly we might have had to come up with extra money before the driver would unload our items. North American Van Lines was the lowest quote and they provided us with a "Guaranteed Not To Exceed" price as well. The quote was about $1,500 less than the other two moving companies. Based on the fact that we were paying for some of the move, we decided to go with North American. Our estimator was very friendly and efficient. She came out to my house, took all the information quickly and provided me with a written quote the next day. Once we decided to hire them, she was our "relocation consultant" and was with us the entire move making sure everything went well. She is now helping us deal with one minor issue that occured once we got to Phoenix. PACKING DAY What a great day!! I had actually packed quite a few things...about half the house prior to the packers arriving. They were pleasantly surprised. I did leave all the icky, breakable stuff to their expertise. I did not pack anything in the kitchen, garage, clothes, kid's rooms, electronics, etc. I was able to save some money by packing up all the non-breakable items, so I did. One item to note on the insurance that comes with your move. If you pack the item and it breaks, it is not covered by the insurance, so make sure to let them pack anything you feel you might not be able to pack well. Our packers were AWESOME! There was a group of three guys and they were busy beavers. They had my whole house packed up in less than one day. They probably could have done even more, but they sort of spread out their day with a leisurely lunch and several breaks. They were very careful with the items and labeled all the boxes properly. I am still unpacking; however, not one single item has been broken or damaged in this move. I am thoroughly impressed with my packers. The only down-side is I have TONS AND TONS of packing paper to get rid of now, but that's ok with me. All my precious items are intact and as beautiful as ever. LOADING DAYS The packers came on a Friday, so the truck, driver, and loaders came on Monday and Tuesday. We originally scheduled them to come on Tuesday, but due to time constraints, our consultant asked if we could do a two-day load. The way the loading and unloading is handled is the driver is the "supervisor" of the loaders/unloaders. Ted, our driver, was FABULOUS!!! He came through the house and took a visual inventory of what we had, then came up with a plan for the loaders. He told them what to do and they did it with skill and ease...and some heavy breathing with the heavy items from upstairs. They had entire downstairs loaded by about 3:00 p.m. Monday. They decided to complete the upstairs on Tuesday, which was done by about 1:00 p.m. Away Ted went with our stuff. He was going to be to our place in Phoenix, Monday morning and would call us on Sunday. As promised, he called on Sunday to get specific directions and said he would see us Monday morning! UNLOADING DAY Ted arrived bright and early Monday as promised. He had two unloaders with him and they began the unloading process. I was very surprised at the detail this company provided inventory-wise. When the items were loaded, every single box or item was stickered with an inventory tag and listed on a sheet. When they unloaded the truck, I was in charge of checking off each number to make sure it arrived. They unloaded the truck by about 3:00 p.m. with only a few issues. There are a couple dings in our stairwell, which we will need to get repaired and we also believe there was a theft of two Ipods from the teenagers' rooms. We are working with our consultant on those issues, and it should not be an problem, as we did have insurance purchased. Other than those two minor issues, the move was PERFECT!! IN MY HUMBLE OPINION I would NEVER move by myself again! We have used the U-Haul method about seven times prior to this move and it is just SOOOOO stressful and a big pain!! Even though the price of this move was $7200, it was WELL WORTH IT!! I had relatively little stress and did not have to pack anything I did not want to. My husband did not have a sore back from lifting 2800 square feet of boxes and furniture, and we did not have to impose on friends and family to help us! It was all done for us! I would recommend professional moving to ANYONE!!! __________________ Was this review helpful?   Comments (0) | (Report this)

Good Movers, July 12, 2010 Reviewer: D. Thompson from North Carolina Georgia Price    Picked Up On Time    Deliverd On Time    Accuracy Of Estimate    Customer Service Performance    Condition Of Goods    Knowledgable Staff    0 of 0 people found this review helpful We have moved 4 times in the past so we have had some experience. Our North American agent was superb in every way; they protected our floors and wrapped our furniture extremely well. __________________ Was this review helpful?   Comments (0) | (Report this)

These Guys Are Great, July 11, 2010 Reviewer: Todd .O from Bowling Green KY Price    Picked Up On Time    Deliverd On Time    Accuracy Of Estimate    Customer Service Performance    Condition Of Goods    Knowledgable Staff    0 of 0 people found this review helpful This company moved our family to BG and they were great, They treated our belongings like they were there's , and told us what time they would be there and what time they would be dropping off our furniture.they were right on time. Nothing got broke and we were so happy. __________________ Was this review helpful?   Comments (0) | (Report this)

North American, July 08, 2010 Reviewer: Niles Timlin from Texas Texas Price    Picked Up On Time    Deliverd On Time    Accuracy Of Estimate    Customer Service Performance    Condition Of Goods    Knowledgable Staff    0 of 0 people found this review helpful We have used North American 3 times in the last 8 years and each & every time they have performed wonderfully. We moved intrastate in Texas each time and they are a first class outfit. __________________ Was this review helpful?   Comments (0) | (Report this)

An outstanding moving experience, July 01, 2010 Reviewer: Ftsanel from GA MASS Price    Picked Up On Time    Deliverd On Time    Accuracy Of Estimate    Customer Service Performance    Condition Of Goods    Knowledgable Staff    1 of 1 people found this review helpful The best move in my life started with Terry Cason, CMC, National Account Manager, who was polite, knowledgeable, explained everything in detail and followed the move from start to finish, coordinator par excellence. The key to the moving process was Travis Jones, the Driver. He made the entire experience of moving from Atlanta, GA to Norwood, MA a dream - superb truck packer, organizer, excellent to work with, couldn't do enough to ensure our comfort. The company he works for is A-1 Freeman Moving Group (the Atlanta agency for North American Van Lines). The crews at both ends were more than competent - they listened, they cared about our things, they were neat and smooth - no wasted time or motion. We had almost seven tons of stuff. Move out, from a ranch with a 270' long carry took less than six hours. Move in, to a two level townhome, with everything in the correct room, and correctly placed (bookcases neatly arranged along the walls and book boxes in the middle of the study - with a little path so we could easily unpack and store) took under five hours. Boxes were stacked with the labels out so we could read contents easily; heavy boxes were placed under light boxes so nothing was crushed; everything one might possibly hope for occurred. A dream of a move from start to finish - and, before I forget, the estimate was a not-to-exceed one. The actual invoice was 10% less than the estimate. Can you believe it? Perfect! __________________ Was this review helpful?   Comments (0) | (Report this)

outstanding moving experience, June 07, 2010 Reviewer: Ftsanel's from Anytown, AT 55555 Price    Picked Up On Time    Deliverd On Time    Accuracy Of Estimate    Customer Service Performance    Condition Of Goods    Knowledgable Staff    0 of 0 people found this review helpful The best move in my life started with Terry Cason, CMC, National Account Manager, who was polite, knowledgeable, explained everything in detail and followed the move from start to finish, coordinator par excellence. The key to the moving process was Travis Jones, the Driver. He made the entire experience of moving from Atlanta, GA to Norwood, MA a dream - superb truck packer, organizer, excellent to work with, couldn't do enough to ensure our comfort. The company he works for is A-1 Freeman Moving Group (the Atlanta agency for North American Van Lines). The crews at both ends were more than competent - they listened, they cared about our things, they were neat and smooth - no wasted time or motion. We had almost seven tons of stuff. Move out, from a ranch with a 270' long carry took less than six hours. Move in, to a two level townhome, with everything in the correct room, and correctly placed (bookcases neatly arranged along the walls and book boxes in the middle of the study - with a little path so we could easily unpack and store) took under five hours. Boxes were stacked with the labels out so we could read contents easily; heavy boxes were placed under light boxes so nothing was crushed; everything one might possibly hope for occurred. A dream of a move from start to finish - and, before I forget, the estimate was a not-to-exceed one. The actual invoice was 10% less than the estimate. Can you believe it? Perfect! __________________ Was this review helpful?   Comments (0) | (Report this)

With A-1 Freeman - No Problem, June 06, 2010 Reviewer: Irwand's from Texas Price    Picked Up On Time    Deliverd On Time    Accuracy Of Estimate    Customer Service Performance    Condition Of Goods    Knowledgable Staff    0 of 0 people found this review helpful We moved from Austin, Tx to Lubbock, Tx last Summer 2009 with A-1 Freeman, a North American Van Line agent in Austin. Everything went really well. The movers we met were very nice and quite personable. We packed everything ourselves. So we hired them mainly to move the boxes. We almost did not use North American However, everything went great. They picked up all our stuff on time, and delivered on time. Nothing was broken nor missing. We were really happy with their services. We also got some free used-boxes from A-1 Freeman for our own packing, so it was pretty good. Furthermore, their price was quite competitive. We did look into renting a truck and hire separate movers to move the boxes in-and-out of the truck. But after doing a comparison, we went with the full moving service from A-1 Freeman. Their price is more expensive, but it saved us some trouble from doing the move ourselves, and it was worth it. We did have some miscommunication over the real weight of all our stuff, since we were positive that the real weight was lower than what they have estimated. But this was straightened out during delivery. Something else I found out was that apparently the drivers and the movers are actually from A-1 Freeman, not from North American Van Lines corporation. So it seems that the agent you use determines whether you would have good experience or not. My company also uses A-1 Freeman for some move jobs in the past, and they are also pretty happy with A-1 Freeman. __________________ Was this review helpful?   Comments (0) | (Report this)

Great Teams, May 17, 2010 Reviewer: THRIFTY MOM from Anytown, AT 55555 Price    Picked Up On Time    Deliverd On Time    Accuracy Of Estimate    Customer Service Performance    Condition Of Goods    Knowledgable Staff    0 of 0 people found this review helpful After contacting four moving companies for estimates, I moved onto interviewing the companies in hopes of finding someone who would be competent and keep my precious possession safe. Money also came into focus, as the company who had transferred my husband to Denver,Colorado, only allowed us 5000.00 to move there. We were to discover it was no-where near enough. The estimates in weight of our household goods ranged from 10,000 pounds to 15,000 pounds of furniture and belongings. Three bedrooms, kitchen, garage, office, living room and a full pantry. The price estimates ranged from $4,800 to 5,600 dollars. That did NOT include packing us out. That was loading packed items onto the truck, driving from Los Angeles to Denver, and unloading the items off the truck. After two companies failed to show up for appointments, they were taken off my list of possible movers. North American showed up and did a great job they where fantastic and the price was right. __________________ Was this review helpful?   Comments (0) | (Report this)

GREAT CORPORATE MOVE, May 09, 2010 Reviewer: Emuelle1's from Anytown, AT 55555 Price    Picked Up On Time    Deliverd On Time    Accuracy Of Estimate    Customer Service Performance    Condition Of Goods    Knowledgable Staff    0 of 0 people found this review helpful Several years ago, I separated from the Navy and decided to stay in San Diego. I actually planned to spend the rest of my life there. At the time though, the job market was tight for ex- Navy technicians, and I was offered a job in New Jersey that I couldn't beat in San Diego. My new employer authorized a relocation package, then sent my information to another office, which contacted me. I gave them some more information, and my next call came from North American Van lines. The estimator came to my apartment to look at my things. At the time, I shared a two bedroom apartment with a friend and his fiancé. I didn't have many things at all, just a waterbed, computer desk, and clothes, books, and junk that you pick up along the way. The estimator brought a hand held computer, which he punched information into. My employer authorized me 1000 pounds, which I guess I was far under. I got another call from North American soon after, telling me that my pickup would be at eight in the morning the day before I was set to leave. That was close, but it would work. I had already gotten an apartment set up in New Jersey, so I had a delivery address. Were they ever on time! About seven thirty that morning I went over to a neighbor's apartment. He was having donuts and coffee for his brother, and invited me over. He was also going to take my bird, which I wasn't going to move across country. Right at eight, I heard a large truck engine. I rushed back to my apartment. Since my last few days had been busy, I didn't have time to pack at all. My old ship had just come back from a deployment, and a lot of my friends wanted to get together with me before I moved away for good. I had a lot of good bye parties in my honor. The movers told me not to worry "It's better for you if we pack it, since it's insured that way". No problem. I had already taken everything that was going with me back to my bedroom, so I told them to pack the stuff in the bedroom, except for the pile in the corner, which was going in the car with me. They got done pretty quick. I don't think they were there until ten. They packed everything. When they left, I was wondering where I left a bag of trash that I had while I was cleaning. (I unpacked two bags of trash in New Jersey). Just as the moving van pulled away, my apartment complex in New Jersey called. They told me that the unit I rented had a tenant with trouble moving out, but they had another unit they could put me in. It had a ceiling fan. No problem. I called North American again to change my delivery address. They said no problem. I made the 2700 mile drive in three and a half days. I'm a road warrior! When I got to my apartment and got settled in, I called North American again. They told me my drop off would be at ten in the morning and gave me the date. I wish I could have been earlier, because by then my back hurt from sleeping on the floor and sitting against the wall. The day of the delivery, I got off work and was home by ten. Sure enough, the truck was already there looking for a place to park. Sadly, that was the first and ONLY delivery or service call or anything that I've had on time since I've been in New Jersey. The driver and his helper off loaded the truck while I held the clipboard and checked off the boxes and items that came in. Then I signed the paperwork, and they went on their way. Over the next several months, North American kept sending me claims forms. I had trouble with that, because all of my meager belongings made it in one piece, and I got everything except two coffee cups and the power cord for my scanner. I don't think that was ten dollars worth. I personally was very happy with the service that I got from North American. I think my company has some kind of agreement with them, which could explain why. That move went really smooth, everyone was friendly and helpful to me, and all my things made it. I would like to say though, that recently after I got married and my wife and I sold a condo that I bought, we went looking for online quotes for moving companies. It was five weeks between selling the condo and closing on our house, and we needed a professional moving and storage company. Out of all the quotes we solicited, North American was the slowest to get back to us. In fact, they didn't call back from our online request until after we'd contracted another moving company. I wish they had called sooner, because our experience with that company wasn't pleasant, but that's another story. __________________ Was this review helpful?   Comments (0) | (Report this)

TRUE PROFESSIONALS, April 29, 2010 Reviewer: Bakkermikejr's from Anytown, AT 55555 Price    Picked Up On Time    Deliverd On Time    Accuracy Of Estimate    Customer Service Performance    Condition Of Goods    Knowledgable Staff    1 of 1 people found this review helpful First off, I read ALL of the reviews on this site for North American, and was very worried about our move initially. But after this experience, I would recommend KINGS NORTH AMERICAN VAN LINES to anyone! We moved from Wichita, Kansas to Artesia, New Mexico in January of 2010. Our inst The packers arrived the day before the movers, and they were very polite and courteous. They packed with amazing efficiency, and were very careful with our belongings. They packed our stuff into very sturdy boxes, and took extra care to make sure none of our things were broken. They did a great job... Movers: The movers were the best part of our move by far. There were 2 father/son teams, and another gentleman who loaded and moved our belongings. First off, they came in and protected our floors, walls, and even put down carpet protector throughout most of the home. Once they were finished protecting the home, the loading of our stuff took place in an orderly fashion for sure. __________________ Was this review helpful?   Comments (0) | (Report this)

North American, March 04, 2010 Reviewer: Gina. Z from Anytown, AT 55555 Price    Picked Up On Time    Deliverd On Time    Accuracy Of Estimate    Customer Service Performance    Condition Of Goods    Knowledgable Staff    1 of 1 people found this review helpful If you have the means North American although pricy performs fabulously. You get what you pay for! __________________ Was this review helpful?   Comments (0) | (Report this)

So so so worth the money!, February 23, 2010 Reviewer: Sprint from Anytown, AT 55555 Price    Picked Up On Time    Deliverd On Time    Accuracy Of Estimate    Customer Service Performance    Condition Of Goods    Knowledgable Staff    0 of 0 people found this review helpful Prior to this move, my only moving experiences were (a) Uhaul and (b) the movie "Moving" starring Richard Pryor. So, I was a little nervous, but figured there was no way I was moving three adults, three cars, five cats, a horse-dog and an infant AND all of our furniture 1,200 miles. I'm a grown-up now, darn it, no UHaul for me. When we listed our home, we immediately got buried in postcards from companies wanting our business. I picked out a few postcards I liked -- real scientific -- and thought I'd call them for quotes. Someone at church mentioned a local company and I looked and it was one of the postcards I pulled out. The Estimate I ended up calling two places for quotes. One was really pushing back against me, unhappy about having to schedule an estimator outside of work hours, unhappy about the short window in which we had to work and on and on and on. But not NAVL. We were moving from Los Angeles to Seattle. So we worked with Andy's Transfer and Storage in Glendale, California. They sent out a guy who showed up on a Saturday morning and walked through the entire house with me. There was a few items we weren't sure if we were taking or not, so we had them included so that if anything, the price might be lower than the estimate. Now, I had no clue how moving companies did their estimate and I was skeptical that they were just going to give me a number and I'd have no way to quantify it. Not so. When the estimator, Jim, arrived, he sat down and explained to us all about how the moving process works. Then he pulled out a handheld barcode scanner and a laminated sheet just covered with barcodes. Each time he'd enter a new room, he'd scan something indicating the room. Then for each thing we looked at, he had another barcode for that. The process went very quickly, although he explained that estimates were harder with sealed boxes because he it was more guessing about the contents, especially if the boxes weren't labelled well. After we had walked through the entire house, he went back to his briefcase, pulled out a little printer, plugged in the barcode reader and it spit out 12 sheets of what was essentially an inventory of our house, an estimate of the weight and volume of our contents and the estimated price, right there in black and white. While it was printing I asked him "So, do you ever hear back on how close you were on your estimates?" Silly question. I work in computers, I should have assumed that this industry is no different than any other. He said he gets his statistics every month and he nearly always tracks within 10% of his estimate. (Before the truck arrives at your house it's weighed and as soon as it gets on the road it's weighed again - and you are welcome to follow the truck and verify the weights. I declined, trusting them.) The estimator was such a nice guy and made it seem so simple and straightforward that I told him he had a deal and cancelled the other scheduled estimate. I figured if they were that much trouble just to get them to agree to come out so I could consider giving them a huge sum of money, that maybe they probably wouldn't be competitive. One of the things he reminded us of is that some items cost more to ship than they cost to buy, like flour and rice and stuff like that. So as we prepared for the move, we tried to be ruthless in our sorting, repeating the mantra over and over again "Do we really want to pay to move this?" Our cost in the end? $145 over the estimate. The Load Right on time, day of, the gigantic moving truck rolled up. There were three guys, the driver, a mover and a second mover. Typically there are two guys, but the driver has the option of hiring day laborers out of his own pocket so he brought along a third guy to make the job go even quicker. They came through and looked at everything we wanted moved and then pulled out these rolls of colored numbered stickers. Every box, every item (rake, shovel, etc.) got its own sticker. As they went, they made a list so that they'd know what each sticker went with. There were several items I was unsure what to deal with, like a mirror and some computer monitors. The driver/mover said that he was very confident that he could wrap them in blankets and get them there in one piece. (He did.) He said the company wanted him to sell lots of boxes but he didn't think that was all that customer-friendly. Bulky stuff like the dining room table was disassembled. All the pieces used to hold it together were sealed in a plastic bag and affixed to the object they came from. They loaded and loaded and loaded, like they were playing some weird 3D game of Tetris where all of our belongings were the game pieces. The boxes were not always placed right-side up, if it the fit better another way. Which is why they recommend packing very carefully, or better yet, letting them do all the packing. (Which we could not afford to even ask for an estimate on.) And why the prohibit liquid products. (Truth be told, we still packed some because it would have cost more to replace them. Fortunately we double hefty-bagged them and put them in a garbage can inside a box. And then the truck rolled away with a two day window of when it might arrive on the other end, the day after our expected arrival or the day after that. (We left a day after the truck.) They have some advanced system that figures out the best way to maximize the truck and the space on it. After the truck left our place it went to some place south of L.A. and picked up someone else's belongings The Move I don't really know anything about the move itself. But during our travel, we got a call from the local moving company back in Glendale. Linda, the very nice customer service rep. who helped us through the process was calling to say that our credit card had been declined. We found out that we had a daily limit because it was a checkcard. We were able to get an increase, but it still wasn't enough to cover it. They were happy to spread the payment out over a few days. When the movers arrive at the destination, they will tell you how much it really weighed and if you owe anymore. If you owe anymore, you have to 10% of the additional amount owed on the spot and you have 60 days to pay the remainder. We didn't have the cash and they wouldn't take a check so the driver called Linda and she put that on the card, too and we were all good. The Unload On the unload, it was just Dave the driver and Mark Anthony the loader. They didn't have a third guy and they spent a lot of time complaining about the guy who helped them the first time. They quickly unloaded everything, asking along the way where we wanted everything and putting it all precisely where we asked for it. They reassembled everything and were very careful on the new hardwood floors and new carpeting. Not everything came through completely unscathed. The microwave had some light superficial scratches in the plastic on the front. Some boxes were a little crunched. The ones most likely to be crunched were the ones from my mother-in-law, older boxes many of which were not well packed or sealed. Also two small fiberboard bookcases, but they said when they packed them that they didn't travel well. What Was Lacking I would have liked to have had more information on what to expect on move day. We tried to pack to the best of our ability, but we didn't know what to do about large items we couldn't find boxes for. We scoured the website trying to learn more about the self-pack option but there really wasn't much information. Recommended: Yes __________________ Was this review helpful?   Comments (0) | (Report this)

Beltman Group, January 16, 2010 Reviewer: Ben D from Kansas Colorado Price    Picked Up On Time    Deliverd On Time    Accuracy Of Estimate    Customer Service Performance    Condition Of Goods    Knowledgable Staff    0 of 0 people found this review helpful If anyone is looking for a reputable mover out of Kansas Beltmann has just completed our 3rd move and as always it went perfect. They are a North American agent with a great reputation. I know they have like 9 locations through out the country and they all come with high grades on service. __________________ Was this review helpful?   Comments (0) | (Report this)

NORTH BAY MOVING & STORAGE, February 07, 2010 Reviewer: Lee from Anytown, AT 55555 Price    Picked Up On Time    Deliverd On Time    Accuracy Of Estimate    Customer Service Performance    Condition Of Goods    Knowledgable Staff    0 of 0 people found this review helpful I USED NORTHBAY MOVING FOR A LOCAL MOVE WITH FULL PACKING. NOT ONLY WERE THEY EXPERIENCED AND PROFESSIONAL BUT A PLEASURE TO WORK WITH. THE MOVE CAME IN UNDER THE ESTIMATE...THAT'S A FIRST. THE CREW HAD A GREAT RAPPORT AND WORKED WELL AS A TEAM. I HAVE MOVED ALOT AND THIS IS THE BEST MOVE EVER. __________________ Was this review helpful?   Comments (0) | (Report this)

FLORIDA MOVING SYSTEMS, February 03, 2010 Reviewer: TROY C from FL NY Price    Picked Up On Time    Deliverd On Time    Accuracy Of Estimate    Customer Service Performance    Condition Of Goods    Knowledgable Staff    0 of 0 people found this review helpful I used this local FL agent for North American van lines Florida moving systems and I could not be happier. The crew and truck where clean and the fellows that took part in the move where pros. __________________ Was this review helpful?   Comments (0) | (Report this)

Can't Go Wrong, January 13, 2010 Reviewer: A Rating from Anytown, AT 55555 Price    Picked Up On Time    Deliverd On Time    Accuracy Of Estimate    Customer Service Performance    Condition Of Goods    Knowledgable Staff    0 of 0 people found this review helpful North American is a top notch major van lines. I have used their services multiple times and have not been disapointed with their service. North American is also owned by Allied and Global Van Lines. __________________ Was this review helpful?   Comments (0) | (Report this)