Great American Van Lines

Worst company ever!! They never showed! They kept claiming they were coming and after four days and they were still not there, the folks we sold our house to wanted in and we had to get a Penske truck, pack our entire house up ourselves and find someone to drive it across the country. We had small children (younger than 2) and I had to get to MD for my new job. We started packing at 3pm, stopped at 4am and gave up on the rest and had goodwill come take it away.

It started when my wife called to see if they we coming the day they were due. Dispatched claimed the driver was broke down in OK, but the part would come in at 3am, truck would be fixed and then they would be on their way. Who gets parts delivered at 3am? They eventually said the driver was back on the road. Never showed. So day 3 and tons of back and forth with them, lie after lie we asked for the for the divers cell. Whn we called him, he said he was just got dispatched from NY to come pick up our stuff in AZ! Day 4 he gets to AZ thanks to Meth I'm sure and he says the packing crew that was supposed to help him load up the truck is no longer in AZ and he can't load us up. That is the quickest version of our story, but it was truly the worst experience of our lives and beyond upsetting. They are criminals.

This was a great move. The people that came were very quick and also very careful. We had some complications on our end and the move had to be split up but the movers adjusted to the change in plans and did a great job.

Be VERY VERY careful and aware.
The actual movers were great. They worked very hard.
Having said that, the back office low balled me. They sent out a quote for $1600 for 600cf. I had another mover physically come out and say it would be $2500 for 975 cf.
I called back to see how much they would charge for the additional 375 cf. I was told "You've got the whole truck. Don't worry". I called back the next day to say that the quote still said 600cf and could I get one that said 975. Again, I was told "You've got the whole truck. Don't worry". The day they showed, they said I had 1000cf and it would cost $1200 more. I called to protest.
We agreed on another $600, for a fixed rate of $2200. Ultimately that was a very good price, so I did well, but I would have gone with the other mover (who I really liked), if they had been honest.
When I called back again to express my anger at what they had done, I was told that no one can know the actual cf until it is loaded in the truck. #1, I told them there was more. #2, they told me the cf and price before they loaded.
If you make sure you have everything documented EXACTLY, the service is very good, but you need to be sure it is documented or you risk a huge problem the day of the move, when it is too late for options.

Great American Van Line gave me a quote of $1490. What they didn’t tell me was that the estimation is based on $3.8 per cube ft. The boxes are based on 3 cube ft. size. Most boxes and/or furniture are bigger, so the estimation is usually lower than the actual cost. After move out, the total cost was over $2000. They will grossly underestimate the cost to lure you in. Beware!
On the day of the moving, the truck driver was 2 hours late! They never bothered to call me about the delay. During the move out, the truck was double parked, then they moved in front of a bus stop. They warned me that if they get a ticket, I have to pay for it. If the mover parked their truck illegally, YOU will have to pay for the ticket! They asked me to pay for the bridge toll fee or they won’t deliver. You have to pay for the tape rolls ($3 each), which they didn't tell me. Since their storage is in NJ, the truck will have to cross GWB, for which the toll is $80 ($40 each way). They used 20 tapes, for which they charged me $60. In addition, the movers will ask for $50 tips for each mover. They usually come with 3 movers, so that's another $150. You're forced to pay the tips, because if you don't pay, you won't get additional discount. You have to pay all those hidden fees in cash.
They asked for my desired move-in date, and ensured me that the truck will arrive on that day. They were 10 days late. Despite my calling for inquiry on delivery date, they rarely answered the phone, and NEVER returned my voice messages. They never bothered to give me an ETA until the day before. The manager was rude when I called about the ETA. On the day of the delivery, the driver said he could get into the driveway but could not get out, so he force me to pay an extra $350 for shuttle delivery. The manager of my apartment complex said other driver of same size truck got in just fine. After calling the company for alternative solution, they finally told me that I can rent a UHaul truck to pick it up myself, but they will not help me move my stuff to my apartment or assemble my furniture, since after delivery the responsibility is off their hands. They told me today is the only day they would deliver. After today, they have to put my stuff in the storage and I will be charged storage fee, which is quite expensive. I had no choice but to hire another 2 movers from Home Depot to help me move, and I had to assemble my bed and desk by myself. Even worst yet, the next day when I opened the boxes, I found out my favorite lamp was shattered.
In the end, I paid over $2200 for a lot of frustration and backache, all for an initial estimate of $1490. This is by far the worst experience I’ve had. Be prepared to live in hotels just waiting for your items to arrive. You most likely won't know when your items will arrive until the day before. This company has very poor management capability. They lured me in with a good price, then rip me off and completely ignored me, leaving me sleeping in hotels. You will most likely end up spending more money than other moving companies. I highly recommend against Great American Van Line. The above events are described accurately without any falsification or manipulation.
P.S. The owner tried to pay me $100 to remove my review, which I refused. I suspect most of the 5-star reviews are fake. Hire them at your own risk!

I was referred to Great American Van Lines by a friend who highly spoke of their professionalism and I certainly experienced the same. All our questions were promptly answered before booking is confirmed and seriously I cannot think about anything I was unhappy with. Considering all the stress with the house move, last thing you want is to have problems with the moving company and it becomes easy to deal with when you are impressed with the service. The price was very reasonable and the service they provided was highly professional. They did the whole job according to our requirements and there was nothing we can complain about. Everything was arranged as smoothly as possible. Overall a successful move and we would definitely recommend them to my friends and family.