United Van Lines Review (2023)

United Van Lines was founded in 1933 and has been providing premium full-service moving experiences to customers across the United States ever since. As a flagship member of the UniGroup corporation, United and Mayflower Moving combine to form one of the largest single-moving networks in the industry. If you book a move with United, you’ll be afforded an easy booking process through their online tools and customer care throughout your move. Read on to learn more about the benefits of a move with United, including:

• The services United Van Lines offers
• The cost factors for a UVL move
• What past clients think of their UVL moving experiences

Our United Van Lines Review

United Van Lines is a leading option for a range of moving needs. From the time when you get a quote through the end of the booking process and beyond, positive moving experiences feature excellent customer service. UVL offers 24/7 satellite tracking for all moves, and service lines are open during typical business hours, with limited availability on Saturdays.

United provides everything from local and long-distance moves to car shipping, debris pickup, and cleaning services. This is designed to ensure an easy transition into your new home. Some past clients have run into issues when booking with this mover. Negative experiences report a lack of communication during later stages of the moving process, which is the most stressful point of any move.

However, any full-service moving company with as expansive a reach as United will have reports of this. Your exact experience will hinge on the quality of the exact United local agent that you book with. Be sure to look into reviews of your local UVL affiliate and be up-front during the quote process. If you do these things, then your move should go well.

How Much Does United Van Lines Cost?

United’s nationwide reach makes it difficult to nail down exact costs. Average pricing will vary from region to region, but you should keep a few factors in mind when you move anywhere. 

These include:

• Shipping weight and move distance: These two factors are used in tandem to calculate your long-distance moving cost. It would be best to ask about the weigh-in process for moving trucks during any moving quote you get.
• Add-on services: Add-ons, such as packing, custom crating, car shipping, debris removal, and other such services, will substantially increase your costs. Full-service packing for a two-bedroom home can sometimes double moving costs, so you would do well to handle such tasks on your own.

Here, we’ve included some average pricing figures for moves. These have been taken from moving companies across the country for moves of all sizes. Use these averages to calculate your own pricing.

	1 BR	2 BR	3 BR	4 BR
Local	$1,200	$1,500	$2,000	$2,750
250 mi	$2,750	$3,800	$5,100	$6,000
500 mi	$3,100	$4,100	$6,000	$6,700
1000 mi	$3,500	$4,500	$6,400	$8,400
2000 mi	$4,300	$4,900	$6,800	$9,000
2500 mi	$4,800	$5,100	$7,100	$10,000
3000 mi	$5,100	$6,000	$8,750	$11,250

Other Fees

Many people confuse added fees and “hidden fees.” You should note that any estimate given with shipment weight in mind is subject to change after your moving truck has been weighed following loading.

What Services Does United Offer?

United Van Lines provides a suite of moving services, including the following:

Local Moving

UVL affiliates are able to provide excellent assistance on moves of 50 miles or less from each of their 500 locations across the U.S. Such moves are billed at hourly rates, with potential minimum charges built into any estimate.

Long-Distance and International Moves

United’s long-distance and international moving services include moves to 46 states. As a part of this, UVL will work with all clients who require this to ensure that federal and international regulations are followed. This will include any associated paperwork and customs compliance and licensing.

Auto Transport

If your move involves transporting a family vehicle across the country, then United is able to help. Depending on where your move may take you, United may contract this out to another shipper. Either way, your move coordinator will be there to help with all of the details.

Military Moves

Whether you’re employed by the military or the U.S. government, United carries the licensing with the GSA to assist with all of your relocation needs.

Commercial Moves

United Van Lines offers full-service corporate move packages, which include specialized packing, moving, short and long-term storage, and more. If you’re looking to move your business or office to another location, then United should be high on your list of preferred movers.

Small Move Service

UVL’s SnapMoves program is tailored to assist clients with smaller residences. Whether you’re moving a one to three-bedroom apartment, or shipping family heirlooms to relatives across the country, this could be the right fit. All SnapMoves include full value coverage, any add-ons you may need, and the option to schedule priority pickup and delivery.

Add-Ons

UVL also provides excellent add-on services. Again, these can inflate your price but will offer far more convenience. They include:

• Packing and unpacking
• Debris removal
• Home cleaning services
• Tech or media center installation/ breakdown
• Short and long-term storage

Service Area & Availability

United Van Lines operates throughout 46 U.S. states. Its home base in Missouri is just one of more than 500 nationwide locations. From there, it provides local and long-distance moving services. If you’re located in any of the following states, a United location may be easy to access:

How To Schedule With United Van Lines

You should contact your local United Van Lines representative in order to schedule a quote. This mover does provide instant quotes online, but they are not legally binding. You should aim for an in-person or visual estimate. You can do this by filling out a form on United’s homepage with your contact information, and a representative will contact you to shore up details. Aim to have these estimates scheduled for about six weeks ahead of your moving date.

Booking with and vetting different moving companies can be a nerve-wracking process. All movers must carry certain licensing and insurance policies, which you should double-check before signing any moving contract. These include:

• FMCSA Registration: Federal registration is needed for any interstate moving. This will include USDOT and MC numbers, which must be displayed on all moving trucks and written estimates. You can look up a mover’s registration status through this link.
• State Registration: Most states will have their own independent regulating bodies for movers. If you end up booking a move with a local moving company based in a single state, it may be worth looking into this. Such requirements could include anything from registration with a governing body to a simple business license.
• Proper Insurance: Movers have to carry multiple forms of insurance to operate. Aside from workers’ compensation coverage, you’ll be provided with released liability coverage. This reimburses you at a rate of $0.60 per pound per item in the event of loss or damage to your goods.

All of the best moving companies also provide options for full valuation coverage. This will cost you a certain extra amount per $100 of coverage but may be worth the higher price tag if your move includes antiques or valuables.

United Van Lines Customer Reviews

Customer reviews are a vital resource that you’ll need to consult before booking with any mover. Like many movers with a national presence, United Van Lines brokers out moves to different local movers in each state. Along with this broker ability, the local agents this mover employs for many of its moves will each have reviews that are independent of the company as a whole. When going over reviews, you should look into the following:

• Customer service
• Service offerings
• Worker quality and conduct
• Pricing accuracy

Shelly’s UVL moving experience went about as well as could be expected:

“I just used United Van Lines with my move from Las Vegas to western N.Y. From the first person (Mike) the rep who took an in-home inventory, to the liaison Jody and the driver and men who loaded and unloaded my belongings, I am very pleased with their service. I used another line going west that was terrible, so I didn’t know what to expect. They provided me with recycled moving boxes, helped me save money, and called periodically to see how things were going and to let me know times of arrival and expected road time and arrival in N.Y. The time frames were almost exactly as they promised, with my furniture arriving only one day after I did. 

The men worked hard and had a sense of humor. I have only positive remarks for United Van Lines/AAction Movers. There are a few items that broke in transit. I’ve yet to file the claim, but she assured me I have nine months to file. I like that they prepare a binding contract and do not take any money until the truck shows up at the new residence. The other line took the money out of my account before they even left town, adding another $400 without even letting me know. United let me know upfront what the binding amount would be and just notified me that I would be receiving a credit check because my weight was less than anticipated. Good service and honest people. It was a very positive experience. They have returned my faith in service-oriented businesses.”

Maria’s move down the East Coast with a United Van Lines local agent went just as smoothly as she could have hoped:

“I was hesitant and frankly nervous about having movers pack, transport, and unload our stuff. Several friends shared horror stories about missing or damaged goods when hiring movers. I’m relieved to say our move occurred without a hitch! Not least because of Kuba, a first-class wizard at coordinating and packing everything and a master driver. He has a sharp eye and made sure his team was careful with our items from the second he came through the door, which gave me a great sense of relief. I appreciated how communicative and punctual he was. Despite some challenges with my building’s freight elevator, which caused a 45 min + delay, Kuba maintained a professional and cool attitude. All around a fantastic experience. I only wish I could take Kuba and his team with me every time we move.”

Molly’s Albany, New York move with another United affiliate saved her from a common moving nightmare: last-minute cancelations. Here’s what she had to say:

“Schaap saved the day! My movers canceled the day before my move. I called about 30 places before I called Schaap, and none were able to help. When I called Schaap, Jackie answered the phone and was super nice. He assured me he would do everything he could to find me movers for the next day. Within minutes he was able to confirm they’d take the job and sent me over a contract with a very reasonable price. The three movers who came the next day(Frank, Tim, and…ack, sorry, I can’t remember the third guy’s name!) worked incredibly hard, were really professional and friendly, and got the job done extremely efficiently. This was a big move—3 bedrooms, a garage, and a basement—and they really pulled it out on a day that was humid and then even rained! I would highly recommend using this company and will use them for all future moves. Thanks, guys!”

All large-scale movers will have their share of negative reviews. As good as United can be, they are not exempt from this. This is evidenced by the following cross-country move:

“We used United Van Lines to move from N.J. to C.A. They were great while pursuing our business: gave me great quotes, were awesome with follow-ups, etc. Once they got our business, it all went downhill. They claimed that we needed an extra container ($1,000+ extra). When the guys unloaded our stuff, I saw that the extra container wasn’t even half full. United also used contract movers to load our stuff. Upon delivery at the final destination, we had several damaged pieces of furniture, and our big screen T.V. box was wide open. The remote was missing, and the T.V. was damaged. United is refusing to compensate for this. Also, once they got my money, all communication stopped. I had to email my move coordinator several times to get a delivery time. She did not reach out to me at all.

Stay away from this moving company. They talk a good talk but don’t deliver on their word.”

The Good

United Van Lines provides much of the quality that you’d expect from a top nationwide mover. You’ll be afforded access to shipment tracking, full-value protection options, and premium services when you book with them. You will not be required to pay a deposit to book all of this. A high overall rating with Better Business Bureau and strong customer reviews in many locations make them a great choice for most moving needs.

The Bad

United Van Lines operates through local agents and partner carriers. Many of these are independently owned and operated. As such, they will each have their own independent sets of customer reviews. Many negative reviews report subpar customer service, which includes a lack of communication after booking, poor estimates on price, and similar complaints.

House Method Rating Methodology

At House Method, our primary goals are to be a reliable source of information and to be totally transparent to our readers. With that in mind, we’ve developed the following formula to render objective ratings – on a scale of 10 points – for the moving companies we review.

• Transparency (3.0): Communication and being fully straightforward regarding company policies and licensing are incredibly important. A given mover’s willingness to display these, to supply quick quotes, and to provide clearly-worded moving contracts all factor into the three points within this single rating criteria.
• Cost (2.5): A mover’s cost relative to industry averages, as well as accessibility to cost data play a role in the customer experience as much as anything else. We know that being sure of what you’re paying – and being confident that you’re not overpaying – will ultimately make for a positive move. We’ve weighted cost factors accordingly in our ratings.
• Customer Service (2.0): Establishing an easy line of contact with your movers during the booking process or during the move itself is a huge asset for any moving client. The stress of moving, in general, can be greatly eased by knowing you can talk to a licensed professional whenever you need to, which is why we’ve listed this as a key rating category. This is where customer reviews come into play; since the majority of complaints stem from poor customer service, feedback from BBB, Yelp, Google, and other review platforms factor into this criteria.
• Services Offered (1.5): This rates lower on our priority list than many would think, simply due to the fact that many movers provide a similar line of services. However, breadth of service offerings does still vary to a degree.
• Customization Options (1.0): Having the autonomy to fully customize your move should rate highly on any moving checklist. Here, we’ve taken moving package customization ability, as well as pricing for more involved add-ons. Steep pricing for such services can provide something of a soft barrier for clients looking to add to their move, and we’ve taken this into consideration.

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