American Van Lines (americanvanlines.com) has a 2.8 out of 5 rating on OK.one, based on 65 user reviews collected here. It is listed under Home Services and its reputation is poor. Opinions are polarized: 44% rate it 4 stars or higher while 49% give 1 star; The business has replied to 6% of negative reviews. Last updated 2026-08-10.
American Van lines damaged my belongings and they are ignoring my calls and emails regarding the damage. The delivery driver shrugged and said sorry. I emailed pictures and still nothing. Do not use this company stay away, they only care about the money you give them, and not about your belongings.
I am extremely disappointed with my experience with American Van Lines. My belongings were scheduled for delivery no later than July 19, 2026, but the delivery was significantly delayed. Throughout the process, I received very little useful information beyond being told that the company was doing all it could because this was its busy season. Although the customer representative and manager were "generally polite" at best, neither provided a meaningful solution or a reliable delivery date for quite some time. I repeatedly called for updates, left messages, and expressed concern about the location and status of nearly all my household belongings. The responses felt repetitive and did not reflect the urgency, accountability, or professionalism I expected from a company entrusted with my possessions. American Van Lines offered a $30-per-day credit for the delay, but that does not make up for the stress, inconvenience, poor communication, and uncertainty I experienced. This was an approximately 600-mile move up the West Coast, not a cross-country shipment and the process was far more difficult than it should have been. I am relieved that I eventually received my belongings, but the overall service experience has been unacceptable. Based on the delays and lack of effective communication, I would not use American Van Lines again and cannot recommend the company to others.
We first contacted AVL on June 9, 2026, to arrange transportation of the contents of two PODS from Connecticut to Texas. During our initial conversation, we clearly explained that the shipment consisted of one large POD and one small POD containing the belongings of four adults from a two-story home, including furniture, appliances, family photographs, personal documents, and numerous boxes. We were quoted $3,861.76 and paid a $2,000 deposit. From the beginning, communication and scheduling were problematic. The contract initially reflected the wrong pickup date, requiring multiple unanswered calls and emails before the error was corrected. AVL later rescheduled the pickup due to claimed truck issues, forcing us to rearrange PODS delivery and coordinate with a family member who was overseeing the move. When movers finally arrived on June 24, they informed us they had only been authorized to transport our washer and dryer. After extensive discussions between the movers and AVL, we learned that our order had been entered incorrectly. We were then required to sign a new contract costing approximately $10,000—more than double the original estimate. The delivery process was equally frustrating. AVL repeatedly changed delivery dates and communicated critical information to our son despite having been instructed to contact us directly. We were not informed until the last moment that payment would require cash or money order, causing significant difficulties on delivery day. When the first shipment arrived, only a fraction of our belongings was delivered. Major items, including our washer, dryer, dining table, television stand, family photographs, personal documents, and portions of our couch, were missing. Over the following weeks, we made numerous calls and emails seeking information. We received conflicting explanations from various AVL representatives, including suggestions that our belongings may have been delivered to another customer, that they were in a warehouse in New Jersey, or that they were on a second truck that had broken down. A second delivery arrived on July 19, but many of the same items remained missing. We also discovered that AVL had repacked some of our belongings without our knowledge or consent, resulting in broken and damaged property, including inherited china and other sentimental items. Despite repeated follow-up efforts, AVL has failed to provide clear answers, accountability, or a timeline for the return of our property. We have been informed that additional pallets of our belongings were located, yet we continue to receive little to no communication regarding their status. At this point, AVL has: • Increased our moving cost from the original quote to approximately $10,000. • Failed to deliver a substantial portion of our belongings. • Damaged numerous items through improper handling and repacking. • Provided inconsistent and contradictory information regarding the location of our property. • Failed to communicate effectively despite repeated attempts to obtain updates. The missing property includes valuable appliances, furniture, personal documents, family photographs, and irreplaceable family heirlooms. The emotional and financial impact of this situation has been substantial.
This should be the last or not an option at all to go with!
Our interstate move with American Van Lines ended with a nearly $4,000 price increase on moving day, presented by a subcontractor we had never heard of and had no choice but to accept. After a two-hour phone walkthrough with their estimator, we signed a binding estimate of $15,578 four days before our move. On moving day, a subcontractor we had never heard of presented a new estimate of $19,571 — nearly $4,000 more. The increase was primarily driven by packing materials their estimator had just reviewed. With a house closing two days away, we had no real choice but to accept. We spent weeks disputing the charge. AVL offered a partial refund contingent on signing a non-disclosure agreement. We declined. Our request for a full refund was refused. A company that promises no surprise charges should not need a non-disclosure agreement to settle a dispute about surprise charges.
This company reports they do not subcontract out their work and use their own vans/drivers. Turns out, not true. Its been over a month and we just learned that this whole time the point of contact has had no idea where our stuff is and wasn't even accurate about what route it would take. We continue to have no idea when our stuff will arrive. We are being charged 3x the quote and this company is sketchy. They don't like to put information in writing so you can actually make informed decisions. Their discount rate is $30/day allegedly for each day past the contractually obligated delivery date. That pales in comparison to the cost of their mismanagement and poor service. Do not use this company. We hope to receive our items. That they are all present. And there is minimal damage. We expect damage because we didn't realize they would take over a month to even know where our belongings are and some items are not intended to be stored for weeks in a hot van.
I rarely write online reviews, and I honestly can’t remember ever writing a negative one before this. However, after this experience, I feel obligated to warn others. My family moved from a 4+ bedroom home in New Jersey to North Carolina. I’ve been through several major moves over the past 25 years, and this was by far the worst. I compared multiple movers and narrowed my choice to American Van Lines and Allied Van Lines. I ultimately selected American because they repeatedly emphasized that they used their own trucks and crews rather than a franchise network. They specifically contrasted themselves with Allied’s model and assured me my move would be handled by one dedicated truck with experienced personnel. Because I was concerned about the proposed truck size, I even requested a second video inventory where I measured furniture on camera and stressed the importance of properly transporting our baby grand piano. I was repeatedly assured everything would fit and that they had extensive piano-moving experience. As moving day approached, they sent me a revised contract at a higher price, blaming a system error before eventually honoring the original agreement. Then, just days before the move, I learned American Van Lines had outsourced my move to Shields Movers without ever disclosing that this would happen. I specifically chose American because they represented that they would use their own crews. Concerned, I rented my own 16-foot truck before the move and transported a substantial amount of our belongings myself. Even after reducing the inventory, the outsourced crew arrived understaffed, lacked proper piano-moving equipment, initially refused to load the truck the first evening, and returned the next morning, causing me to miss almost all of my son’s high school graduation. Despite moving far fewer items than originally estimated, they claimed the truck was full and left a significant amount of furniture and boxes behind. I had to locate and rent another truck at the last minute, load it myself, and drive it overnight to North Carolina. Delivery was no better. I spent much of the day helping unload because the crew lacked both experience and basic equipment. They didn’t even bring a hand truck. The most alarming issue involved our approximately 600-pound baby grand piano. The crew clearly didn’t know how to move or reassemble it. They installed one of the legs incorrectly, leaving the piano unstable and creating a serious safety hazard for my family. I ultimately had to purchase a jack and figure out how to safely lift and reinstall the leg myself before someone got hurt. They also damaged our sectional sofa and improperly assembled our beds, including leaving one with unsecured slats hidden beneath the mattress. When I contacted American Van Lines afterward, I was promised that someone from customer escalations would contact me. No one ever did. What disappoints me most is the difference between what was promised and what was delivered. I chose American Van Lines because they represented that they would use their own experienced crews and equipment. Instead, the move was outsourced to an unprepared third party, resulting in unnecessary stress, damaged furniture, missed family milestones, and avoidable safety risks. I cannot recommend American Van Lines based on my experience.
If there was a.way to rate with no stars, I would. I researched moving companies intensively and found American had the least. So chose American. Only to find out after the horrible move experience, they offered $100 but you had to give up free speech. If anything was said negatively on social media, reviews, radio or tv they could sue you. When the $100 was refused, they came back with $400. Said I’d take it but was not signing disclaimer away free speech. They went quiet. We lost tens of thousands of dollars of stuff. We were told things were never farmed out but an “unusual” circumstance came up and they farmed us out.the movers who showed up said they’d need a second day. They showed up at 11am! Half the day was gone. I said no as hotel reservations had been made. Oh you don’t need to be here and the nightmare while there and while gone began. These movers helped themselves to unopened things that were bought for new location- caneras and such. They were told everything goes. They left a husky ladder that was in the list because the mice coordinate store asked if it went and I said yes. Then extra insurance purchased wouldn’t cover it because I have pictures it was left there by neighbors. New owners said it wasn’t left but there were tons of inspections and work done. No one claimed responsibility and insurance said it wasn’t covered because it wasn’t moved. American said the movers said they’d been told it stays. Liars and thieves. Delivery was 4pm-8pm the night before Thanksgiving. It was very dark. The sane guys. I said how do I know I’ve got all the boxes? You guys had no numbers in the boxes that ran by me before you delivered. He said the trucks are empty. It had been in storage. Grandmothers dishes, all clad stainless steel fish gone, and many other items- gone! I asked where the tools were and big trash can. Ma”am, we’ve delivered it all. How do I know that? Sign that we delivered what we had. It was signed then American threw in my face that I signed all had been delivered. Say what? Trusting the company and its agents??? It was worst moving experience ever! Move with anyone but American.
Absolutely Horrible Experience — Avoid American Van Lines I would strongly warn anyone considering using American Van Lines: do not make the same mistake I did. From the very beginning, the experience was a disaster. I was given a three-day pickup window, but they did not show up until the fourth day. When they finally arrived, they were supposed to be there around 9 AM but didn’t arrive until 5 PM. After arriving, the crew spent nearly two hours taking pictures and then pressured me into signing a new contract for an additional $2,000. I was told that if I did not agree, they would simply leave. This happened after I had already spent a month and a half planning my move and had no realistic option to start over. The problems continued during the actual pickup. The drivers refused to move their truck for neighbors, which escalated to the point where police were called. One of the movers was arrested due to an outstanding warrant. His friend, who was not an actual employee of the company, and his girlfriend were left behind to finish packing my belongings. Because it was already 10 PM and the situation had become chaotic, I had to leave in a rush. When I left, items were still being packed, and furniture was left behind. At no point did I receive an apology, explanation, or proactive update from American Van Lines. I had to call multiple times every day just to get basic information. Eventually, my assigned move coordinator was fired, and I was not even notified — I only found out after calling myself. The delivery was just as bad. My belongings arrived after the contracted delivery date. For three straight days after the deadline, I was repeatedly told, “they will be there today.” Nearly three weeks after pickup, my furniture finally arrived — damaged, scratched, broken, and with items missing. I estimate the damage and loss to be well over $3,000. After everything that happened, the company still had the audacity to call and email me asking how “great” my move was. This company needs serious investigation. The lack of communication, professionalism, accountability, and care for customers’ belongings was unacceptable. I would never recommend American Van Lines to anyone.
One of the WORST "interstate moving" companies there is! They promised a pick up of our goods on 6/8/2026. They didn't show up until 6/12 5 days late at 2pm in the afternoon and then had to come back on the 13th They had subcontracted the work out to a Russian crew who showed no concern or interest in doing a good job. I had scheduled services, closing and an Airbnb biased on their schedule provided, which they failed to meet for 5 days. This "crew' put out goods in storage instead of as promised by 3 separate salespeople "on an American Van lines truck". They took two days to load their truck, which was a U Haul truck. Then they tried to charge us over $4000 for storage! Simply because they did not have a truck. Mind you we had contracted service on May 11th and prepaid for it. We had packed everything but maybe 10 boxes that required special packaging (pictures and blanket wraps for furniture. The subcontractor kept on trying to get more money from us while our stuff was being loaded, despite our contract. We provided a storage unit 20'x40' free 1st month and $150 per month afterward. Certainly not a $2000 cost! We called and left over 12 VM's with 12 different contacts at American but I had to get ahold of the COO to get any call backs later that afternoon as we looked for an ETA on delivery. So far they are telling us that the delivery will be in July sometime. Really a terrible company. They do not call back. They do not answer questions. Sales will lie to you without regard. They will use subcontractors despite telling you they won't. They hold your furniture and belongings and miss agreed timelines routinely. They will cost you money by missing agreed upon deadlines. I'm surprised that the NHL and Military uses them at all! I certainly would not want to be associated with such a terrible service company who uses subcontractors, can't provide ETA's and doesn't answer the phones. In good conscience, I will NEVER recommend this shoddy run company to anyone.
Unfortunately I must also share a similar story that others with poor ratings have shared. My furniture was picked up from our location on June 26th. I was originally given a window for delivery between July 1-3. It has now been two weeks and our furniture is still sitting with a 3rd party delivery service and has not moved. I was told American Vanlines did not use 3rd party movers which is a lie. I still have no delivery date and the move coordinator has been dismissive and rude. It is costing our family hundreds of dollars to function without our items. I would NEVER use this company again.
They mislead the process. They contracted out the entire move to a 3rd party vendor. So they stayed on as the liason but were slow to respond to any of my inquiries if they responded at all. The move coordinated never did a final "walk through" to finalize the cost estimate or answer any of my questions. So when the 3rd party vendor showed up to move me, we had to adjust how I packed, what I packed which increased my cost by $3000. They also changed the date that my belongings were to arrive. Only to delay that date by 2 days. It was a horrible experience with this company and specifically the move coordinators and supervisors. They did not care about me at all. Zero customer service.
My contract included a guaranteed delivery date of July 3rd at the latest. Today is July 6th, and I still have no idea where my belongings are or when they'll arrive. During the seven-day delivery window, I made more than 40 phone calls and managed to reach a live person only three times. Each time I was told they needed to check with their coordination team and would call me back later that day with an update. Not a single callback ever happened. At this point, the missed delivery date is only part of the problem. The complete lack of communication is far worse. They don't answer their phones, they don't return voicemails, and they provide no proactive updates whatsoever. Because of their failure to deliver as promised, I continue to pay for a hotel and take additional time off work, adding unnecessary expense and stress every day. This company was very responsive when it came time to collect payment. Once they had my money, customer service effectively disappeared. If this review allowed zero stars, that would be my rating. I would strongly advise anyone considering this mover to look elsewhere. A guaranteed delivery date means nothing if the company ignores its customers, misses deadlines, and refuses to communicate when things go wrong. Missed deadline. No callbacks. No accountability. Absolutely unacceptable.
If I could give it Negative 5, I would !! The worst moving company. They subcontracted me, damaged and lost several belongings, were disrespectful on day of the move, took forever on the claims (They have 120 days, so they take their time) and are likely going to deny most of my claim- as it was packed by the owner, and I didn't mention it in the middle of a terrible move. And get this- they expect property damage and scuffs on the wall as part of the move. If a piece of furniture is damaged, they only offer a "fair market value"- ie a comparable piece on marketplace or ebay, even if it doesn't match the rest of your furniture. A total night mare. Never again!
Complete lack of coordination! Specified heavy pieces, yet only two people came and could get 3 pieces on the truck without significant physical effort by me added. They only brought 1 dolly cart when they even said if they knew they would’ve brought 2 dolly carts or a lift truck. They didn’t meet the load date causing me to miss a days work. I emphasized to the original booking agent about the heavy pieces and one needed to go to the second floor. When they came to deliver, they refused to take it to the 2nd floor because they felt it was unsafe without the proper equipment that they didn’t have. They told me to contact my dispatcher coordinator to get a 3rd party mover for me to get it to the 2nd floor. Four different phone calls across a week for follow up ended the same way that they would talk to a supervisor and get back to me…Never did! Not one of the 4 times! Horrible care for the customer, horrible communication/ coordination, disrespect and completely unprofessional “ghosting” of a customer. Despite that I asked to talk this through for an alternative resolution for just the 1 piece to the 2nd floor, I was ghosted again! They got their money for the move and don’t care at all about their service!
Customer service was absolutely terrible. I moved 14 times and their service was by far the worst. They promised me a delivery date before I hired them and then changed it multiple times to dates that were unacceptable. I had to escalate things multiple times to finally get resolution. It was a horrible experience.
American Van Lines = Broken Promises, Poor Communication, and No Accountability American Van Lines added 100% more stress to an already difficult cross-country move. As a retired military veteran who trusted them based on numerous military PCS moves during my active-duty career, this has been the worst moving experience of my life. What I did not fully appreciate when booking this move was that American Van Lines appears to operate as a brokerage carrier for non-military moves, relying on third-party movers and contractors. When problems arose, this arrangement seemed to create confusion, poor communication, and a lack of accountability. No one appeared willing or able to take ownership of my move. Timeline of Events February 24, 2026 – Contacted American Van Lines for a quote to move from NC to Washington. During the sales process, I repeatedly heard explanations about “PCS season” and tariffs affecting rates. March 9, 2026 – Signed the contract, paid the deposit, and scheduled pickup for May 4. Payment processing was fast and efficient, and the company never missed an opportunity to remind me what I owed. I intentionally booked months in advance to avoid peak PCS season. Unfortunately, “PCS season” later became the explanation for nearly every problem that followed. May 4, 2026 – Movers Never Showed Up The scheduled pickup date arrived. No movers. No phone call. No email. No explanation. After spending more than three hours calling American Van Lines and being transferred between multiple departments, I finally learned that the local moving company had canceled at the last minute. Neither the local mover nor American Van Lines informed me. May 5, 2026 – Pickup was rescheduled for May 7. May 7, 2026 – Property Finally Picked Up Because of the delay, I had already relocated to Washington and was forced to execute a Power of Attorney so my mother and sister could oversee the pickup. The pickup was eventually completed. Then the Communication Stopped. As I waited for delivery, emails went unanswered, phone calls produced conflicting information, and no proactive updates were provided. June 22, 2026 – Still No Delivery More than 45 days after pickup, I still do not have my household goods. On June 22 alone, I spoke with four different representatives. One claimed my shipment was in Colorado. Another stated it had never left North Carolina. After more than six weeks, American Van Lines still cannot tell me where my belongings are, when they will arrive, or provide any meaningful accountability. What I did receive was another reminder that it is “PCS season.” Final Thoughts This was not an inexpensive move. As a retired veteran living on a budget, it represented a significant financial investment. American Van Lines had plenty of time to discuss tariffs and collect payment. They did not have time to communicate with a paying customer whose entire household effectively disappeared into their system. I still do not know exactly where my belongings are. I still do not know when they will arrive. I still do not have answers. What I do have is the most frustrating, stressful, and disappointing moving experience of my life. American Van Lines has completely lost my trust, and I cannot recommend them to anyone.
Moved from NY to Florida. This was a horrible and stressful experience from the day they picked up our things. It took 21 days for our things to be delivered, even though when we signed with them we were assured that it would be much less time. During all that time, there was no communication from them unless we tried to call them (not easy to get someone). They never gave a good reason for the delay either, except to blame it on subcontractors they use. We had to stay in hotels for two weeks. And towards the end they even tried to shift some blame on us! Very unprofessional all around, including add on charges which seemed excessive. Only reason I did not give one star is because we FINALLY did get our stuff. Recent Update: the company has offered to compensate us for the service issues we experienced.
Last year our family was going to be moving from UT to ND in June of 2025. I called over a month in advance to secure a delivery spot and was quoted a fair price I was willing to pay. That team was great to work with, however it got worse after that. They gave me the phone number of my "agent" who I could get ahold of. As the delivery got closer I had questions. I called the agent number many times and never found someone at that line. I had to call a different number to look up my delivery. As it got closer, the people at that number confirmed that a driver was coming within the window specified which was very important because we were driving cross country to secure our apartment on a specific date while driving with a baby and a dog and a cat and the person helping us out had a paid flight that she had to catch coming home. We never had someone call ahead to inform us that a driver indeed was coming, but after many calls, we waited for our delivery window. The first day arrived, we called and we requested to know approximately when a driver would be coming. On the very last day of our window out of anxiety we called asking when were they coming? The person on the phone informed us that the delivery was getting delayed because the driver was no where even near us. The soonest he could come was the following weekend, a week away, which is when we were already supposed to be in a different state physically. There was zero notification of delay and zero effort to apologize for such poor communication and service. We unfortunately were stressed out of our minds because we had to cancel our delivery and find another moving service to move us urgently which ended up costing us more than double what we had been quoted initially. It just felt largely inconsiderate of the financial and emotional strain their poor teamwork ended up costing us. I would never recommend them to anyone looking for something reliable.
I contracted with American Van Lines to move my belongings from Durham NC to Ocala FL in August 2025. I will admit that I did not read the contract closely. I did require storage for a week which was very expensive. Communication was not their strong point once they had your belongings and first payment. When belongings were delivered, several of the items that were taken apart were not put back together. Customer service pointed out that per the contract this was not required. I found shelving unit parts strewn around my new house/garage with the boxes. I will either have to pay someone to put them together or figure it out myself. I am not sure if I have everything. When they were taken apart I was told that they would put them back together. I also was missing at least one box and likely two as I unpacked. I did not find things that I know I packed, not expensive items but kitchen items that I used for baking and cooking. A few things were broken, nothing major but annoying. They were one of the better offers but customer service was lacking. The date of delivery I was given a time range to expect the movers. They were over 3 hours late and I received no calls regarding this. I was told that the driver would call with an update and time of delivery. Never happened. I did call customer service and they called the driver for an update. Then they wanted the final payment. They said the driver was in front of our house and they would not deliver until they received payment. I looked out the window and there was no one in front of my house. Not the most honest people. Turns out they were at a gas station nearby. I tried to keep track of the boxes while being unloaded but there were 5 of them and they were not keeping track of what was delivered. The manifest I was given when loading at first home was illegible, not sure how they knew what was picked up. They were in a hurry because they had a long drive back and they were late arriving. They were not familiar with putting some things together so my husband had to assist. My husband had to take the two beds apart because he found extra screws that they did not attach to the beds. They took videos when dismantling some of the things. Obviously they did not have the videos. They did offer me money but I had to sign a document that I would not speak of the issues upon receipt of the money. I am not selling my freedom of speech.
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