United Van Lines Reviews

On Day 1, the company called in an additional packer, bringing us to four. On Day 2, only two packers showed up, and the one who didn’t arrive was the person who had the boxes—so we were short both packers and supplies. Again, the company called in another packer, but we were already behind. By the morning of Day 3, the loaders showed up and the house was only half packed. The company called in two additional packers, which I appreciated, but at that point I had different people packing each day—many of whom had not been briefed on what was high value, collectible, or fragile. Items were being thrown into boxes, and the constant turnover was really disconcerting.

The loader was clearly unhappy that the house wasn’t packed and told us he had to be gone by 6:00 PM at the latest. My husband and I started packing soft goods, books, board games—anything non-breakable—just to keep things moving. Even the driver started packing. Fortunately, we had been gathering boxes ahead of time, because the crew did not have enough (since the person with the boxes never returned). That was especially frustrating because we paid $25K for a move from Oklahoma to Florida and still ended up spending a full day packing our own belongings and using our own boxes. We were also charged for boxes that never showed up.

By the end of Day 3, the truck was full and not all of our items fit. The driver left, and we were told another team would come on Day 4 to load the remaining items from the garage and shed. Unfortunately, those items had not been packed. When the Day 4 loaders arrived, they told us, “We are not packers. We do not have packing material. We will just have to do our best.” That resulted in significant damage, including a dozen vintage blow molds that were completely destroyed because they were thrown into a box with no padding. To make matters worse, the second crew marked every single item they moved as scratched/damaged/etc., which I’m concerned will make it difficult or impossible for us to file a claim.

We also have a major issue with collectibles. My husband and son are big Lego collectors. We have many built sets as well as collectible sets still mint in their original boxes. I specifically asked both the surveyor and the packers if they knew how to pack built Lego sets. I was told they do it all the time and there would be no issue. Since the move, we’ve opened boxes where multiple built sets were placed together with no separation and no wrapping. They are broken, and the pieces are mixed together—total nightmare. Even after I raised concerns, they insisted on putting the boxed Lego sets directly on the truck, saying, “We do this all the time, they’ll be fine.” The boxes came out crushed, which greatly decreases their value. They were not placed inside another box or protected in any way.

I have also not yet found my Barbie collection, and I’m honestly worried it was packed the same way and I’m going to run into the same issues. On top of everything else, the second truck arrived four days later than the promised delivery date. I sent a letter to Jody Davis, the Tulsa President of The Armstrong Company (agent for United Van Lines). While she apologized, she essentially said there was nothing they could do beyond having me file claims for damaged items. She also suggested that “next time” I pack the Legos individually in bags—which I would have done if I hadn’t been told repeatedly that this was common and they could handle it.

Before writing any reviews, I wanted to give the company an opportunity to make things right. I understand mistakes can happen—I work in client service too. I asked to be reimbursed for the labor my husband and I had to do and for the boxes we used (especially since we were charged for boxes that did not show up), but they were not willing to accommodate us financially in any way.

At this point, I do not recommend United Van Lines for an interstate move. And if you use a mover that outsources packing, I would think twice about using Armstrong. The two original packers who stayed with us through the end did a good job, but the rotating crews and the second-day loaders caused a lot of damage. Most of what we own is mid-century vintage, and even if a claim is approved, many items will not be easy to repair or replace.

I accepted and signed their documents on 5/21/2026 for a 6/15/2026 move delivering on 06/26/2026 (in 2 weeks). On 6/2/2026, I called them and had them update our pickup date to be 06/08/2026. They happily accepted the new date but did not convey this to their end vendor who still had 06/26/2026 for our delivery date in WA. I had requested that our stuff be delivered to our new place on 06/22/2026 and was given a 06/22 - 06/24 window with a promise that they would try their best to get it delivered on 06/22. Today, 06/17, I called to check in on the delivery date and was informed that the delivery is delayed due to the reason that I had pulled the pickup date a week sooner but the end date was not updated. Not updated by who? You guys obviously, who forgot about this and now I have to bear the consequences.

I have two little kids and we all have had to sleep on the floor in an empty house for 12 days thinking our stuff would be delivered on time on 06/22, only to find out that Sydney and Amber at Admiral Moving and Storage probably never communicated to their end vendor/dispatcher. The moment I got upset about this, the signed contractual agreement was brought up as a defense that according to my contract, the delivery window is 06/22 - 06/24 and since my stuff gets delivered on 06/26, it’s only 2 days late. Does that mean their real date was always 06/24 and never 06/22. So the window is fake, if they calculate from the last day, as no-ones stuff will ever be delivered on day 1 of the window???

I was then told by Amber in angry defensive tone that I would be eligible for compensation of the additional 2 days of delays. I now have to sleep on the floor or get a hotel for 5 days from Monday, 06/22/2026 - Friday, 06/26/2026. The answer to that was: "We understand your concern and are very sorry but the date will not change and that there is nothing we can do about it."

Does that mean that our stuff has been sitting here in AR for 10-12 days waiting, while we slept on the floor thinking it is enroute for our Monday, 06/22/2026 delivery date? I told Amber that I would be posting reviews about this inconvenience and the lack of commitment and the response was “Go Ahead! That’s FINE”. I will leave it at that but am Highly Disappointed and would NEVER book a move with United Van Lines or their local agency “Admiral Moving and Storage”. I would recommend you book elsewhere as well but seems like this entire industry is super crooked!

To make things worse, several of my expensive (restoration hardware, pottery barn) furniture sets were damaged. When I went to file a claim, the loading inventory marked every single one of my expensive items as damaged: scratched, rubbed, worn, etc., on ALL sides. Therefore, I will be unable to file claims because they are just going to say that it was damaged when they loaded it.

My question is, what about the majority of our stuff that arrived safely without any damage that is still listed on the initial inventory as damaged???? These people are criminals, the corruption starts at the top and works its way all the way down through the hourly wage employees that fill out the forms. AND I STILL HAVE NOT SPOKEN TO A CUSTOMER SERVICE REP! Do not use this company. Literally, use ANYONE else.

Most of my boxes arrived crushed. Wardrobe boxes labeled FRAGILE were collapsed, and most of my vintage glass was shattered. My Pilates Reformer is ruined and they lost parts, but claim I did it! I paid for them to box and move artwork, and it was all damaged from improper packing - they didn’t even protect it with packing material before putting in a regular box. They also lost eight items. Four were accidentally delivered to another customer. The remaining four are still missing, and United refuses to compensate, claiming they “can’t verify they were moved,” despite them being matching pieces to items I received.

Without my knowledge, United transferred my belongings from the original semi into a rented U-Haul, causing additional damage and exposing my shipment. They present themselves as a reputable national mover but farm moves out to third-party vendors and freelance day laborers, with different crews loading and unloading and no accountability.

After months of desperation they finally sent a repair team to address what could be salvaged. However, for items deemed beyond repair by the team, they have either refused coverage outright or offered insultingly low compensation, regardless of documentation, video evidence, or the additional insurance I paid for. Their approach has been consistent: delay, deflect, deny. Now, four months later, I am still chasing missing items, unresolved damage claims, and unanswered emails. They are the absolute worst. Stay away.

I took pictures of everything, furniture even boxes and plastic bins. So glad I did. You better plan to do the same. My bed has a cloth frame that supports the mattress. It was all tore up! My dresser was a small dresser (easy to move around) and they broke the legs off the back side, the top drawer was scratched up. My bike was totally unridable. The frame was bent from furniture and boxes falling on it, the pully system for the brakes was broke, the chain had come off and was damaged, the tires were flat. Many of my dishes were broke even though I had bubble wrapped them and marked the boxes with may dishes as FRAGILE!

I tried contacting UVL several times, sent them the repair estimate of 400.00 for my bike along with pictures of the damage, and still not a word back from them. When the truck came to deliver my belongings It was not the same truck that picked everything up in Arizona. What they did was take it to some warehouse, unload it, someone else with a truck comes, gets it and takes it further down the line and unloads it again.

There is no telling how many times this stuff was loaded and unloaded. I learned this from the guys who delivered my stuff in Michigan. I had to pay another 1021.00 CASH to people I did not even know. I video taped me counting my money out loud to the guy that took the money. I have not bothered to get an estimate on the bed, I figure I can get thread and needle and sew up all the damaged area. The dresser cannot be fixed, patched at best. It would have cost me 3100.00 to rent a u-haul. This company charged me 4700.00 for boxes and a few furniture pieces, which all came damaged. Do not pack anything in plastic bins. They are easily broken by movers. Even the sewing machine cabinet has several cracks in the top of it. I have uploaded several before and after photos