Lightning Van Lines

Moving from SF to NY I used Lightning Van lines. End result: I wish I had not. I'm not sure if there are any good movers, just don't use these guys So for those of you who are shopping around let me give you some pointers. 1. All the quotes you get from all the movers are estimates only. Always get them to come and look at you stuff and give a fixed price based on their observation. It's not a quote its a BS estimate. I contacted no fewer that 10 places and had estimates ranging from 2000lbs to 4000lbs based on my unchanging list. In the end I had 5800lbs!! 2. Assuming you cannot get a fixed not to exceed price, the negotiation is on the weight per pound. Their are two negotiations. 1. The price on the estimate. 2. The price for anything over the estimate. Nothing else really matters other than the price per pound. 3. Packing. Negotiate everything regarding the packaging up front, again any estimate you get will likely be less than you need, as such negotiate both prices for both what you think you need. Negotiate price per box, price for tape, verify any charge for rented blankets etc. You can get a broad discount but make sure it is also for any overages. 4.Payment. Norm seems to be 2% cash discount. 5% credit card surcharge. The game is the discount only applies on the pickup not the delivery. In other words if you pay 100% cash up front at pickup you get a 2% discount. If you pay 100% cash 50% on pick up and 50% on delivery you only get the discount on the pickup. the 5% cc fee applies no matter what. I am sure that cash delivery discount is negotiateable The good: Pickup on-time, delivery on-time (about 3 weeks door to door). The bad. 1. I negotiated the price per pound and packing materials (including free tape) but them when we went over (we used twice as much packing as they estimated) everything bounced to full price. The additional weight was also at the higher price.What can you do at 5pm on a Saturday with all your stuff in a truck? 2. Delivery payment: My assumption: I pay in full when they finish. In reality they demanded payment when they arrived. When I told them that I was not sure if I was going to pay cash or credit - and wanted to pay at the end, because if there were any problems I wanted my credit card company to help me. Upon informing them of my "scheme" I was told that because I was clearly trying to scam them that Credit card was no longer an option for me. So a had to pay cash or they would leave. Once again, you take a day of work, you have limited time frame (as you do in some buildings in NY) what do you do. 3. They delivered 243 items the same number that were picked up, however with all the moving from truck to truck across the country some of the labels they put on each item fell of, and were lost, some fell of and were put on other boxes (meaning some had two and some had none). It was notuntil unpacking that I discovered one box was not mine. I contacted Cindy from Lightning, she was great, really nice and we found the owner. A day later I fedexed itThis means I was one box short -I worked out it was a kitchen box weighing about 60 lbs. My box never turned up. 4. Other damage: During the move in the movers and I discovered that the packers in SF had put a picture frame with sharp hooks agains a wooden headboard. The headboard was badly scratched. 5. "insurance" To claim for these items I was told the 0.60/lb policy was to be used. OK fair enough, if I wanted more I should have insured it for more. However when you read the fine print. 1. You must jump through serious hoops proving all items lost (it would have taken me hours to prove the kitchen stuff 2. Any damaged items now belong to them. I would have received about $50 for my losses, it would have taken me several hours AND my bed legally would belong to them Even though I was assured "they would never take my bed". I never did claim more

If anyone of you are looking for a moving company then you can surely hire this company. I have already taken their service and felt that they can also be helpful for you. You may have and online estimate as well as in-home estimate. I opted for the in-home estimate because they are more reliable and correct. This may help you save unnecessary quarrels as well as hidden charges. As my move went well with Lightning Van Lines, so I recommend you as well to get a quote from them, if you are moving. more

this was one of my most organized move. actually i was supposed to move long ago , but due to some family issue it got delayed. the delay was for a good reason because otherwise i might have moved with some other bad moving company. as there was ample time to get things ready, Lightning vanlines made good use of it. every little thing was taken care of. from start to finish i had a fully planned and organized move, even the price was just right for me. more

though it was a long distance move, but the price i paid was just right for me. the in-home estimate system is one of the best thing, sparing your self from overcharges. they saw everything that i was carrying with me and suggested me accordingly. it was a full move so everything was supervised by lightning van lines. there wasn't any miss. my move went well. more

I move from California to to Oregon. The quote was $2675 and this is exactly what I paid. All I can say is they are honest, professional and friendly guys. Very pleased with your services, and will recommend you to all my friends. Thanks again. more

My wife and I would like to thank you and Lightning Van Lines Moving for another successful move. As with our previous experience with Lightning Van Lines, we were pleased with your services this time also. Jorge and his team did a very good job of packing and unpacking our goods. They stayed until the furniture and boxes at the new location was to our satisfaction. We appreciated your service and will continue to recommend Lightning Van Lines Moving to our friends. more

In March of this year, we used Lightning Van Lines company for a second time to move us into a new facility and we are very pleased to say that, once again, the service was excellent! Based on our prior experience with the company we came directly to Lightning Van Lines this time instead of seeking out other moving companies to compare pricing and service. Steve came out and gave us an estimate, and as always he was very pleasant and professional and when we had to push back our move date, he was extremely accommodating. Once we were finally ready to move we were able to schedule a crew very quickly and original estimate still stood. On moving day, the crew arrived promptly, was very efficient and thorough, and even helped us to take apart shelving and furniture. Our foreman, Jorge was incredibly helpful and professional; consistently checking in with us to unsure things were running smoothly. The rest of the crew, all worked diligently and careful, moving so fast that we were packed and ready to go well within 2 hours! Upon arriving at our new facility, the crew again moved very quickly and cautiously so as not damage any furniture and make sure everything was arranged as per our instruction. All of these gentlemen deserve reward and praise for their hard work. At the end of the day, the move had taken approximately 7 hours and our total amount came well below the estimate! Our encounters with Lightning Van Lines have been nothing short of wonderful and we would not only highly recommend Lightning Van Lines to our friends and business associates but would not hesitate to use the company again in the future. We thank you all for your fantastic service and your on going efforts to make one of the most hectic and stressful thing in the world (moving) as easy and hassle free as possible. Thank you! Sincerely, Jordan Thompson Executive Administrator Bath and Body, Inc. more

Lightning Van Lines moved us from our home in Marin to Saratoga in April of this year. The efficiency of both the estimate and the communication from Richard was very impressive and the movers did an excellent job from being on time, to being productive and efficient with very little damage or issues. Richard has been cooperative in following up subsequent to the move and handling our questions. My realtor recommended your group and Richard specifically because of the successful move that you had handled for him last summer. We will also be happy to recommend Richard and Lightning Van Lines to others and I am available as a strong reference should any future customer request that from you. Thank you for a professional and efficient job well done. I wish I knew about Lightning Van Lines sooner. more

I wanted to thank you for assisting me with my move; the best way I know how. Online; for everyone to see. I wanted to let you know that I was extremely impressed and grateful for the movers from your company; they were well mannered, cared about my possessions, were prompt and worked hard. I had a very bad moving g experience a few years back and thought I might never use this service again, duty our company made it a much easier and nicer experience. I will definitely recommend your company to all my friends and family. Sincerely, Ronald R. Robinson Pros: Pros: very professional moving crew more

I am writing this letter to serve as a recommendation for you and your movers' excellent service in completing our move. You and your entire staff of movers were very cooperative and helpful. Please do not hesitate to provide my name as a referral to your moving company. Thank you very much for your quality service. If you have any questions, please contact me. Cons: None more

Thank you for the professional service we received from your company and employees. The 3 young man that arrived to pack our home were friendly and quick to go about their business preparing, packing, rapping and loading all our belongings think Lightning Van Lines is one of the best moving companies in ca and I would not consider any other company to move me. I appreciate the honesty and professionalism. You did a great job. Thank you. more

In short, it was fantastic. The relocation consultant was courteous and professional, and explained everything. The movers were fast, efficient, and did this move in less time than we would have estimated in our wildest dreams. All that, and at a price that we considered to be a bargain!!! We will surely use Lightning Van Lines again. more

I would like to tell everyone: LIGHTNING VAN LINES is the best moving company in San Francisco area. I had moved so many times before in this city, and it was a hellish experience each time. This time when I moved I've chosen LIGHTNING, and it was the best thing I've done with moving. They give you a price, based on your detailed info and needs, they have the best salesmen, the nicest movers, and the job is done before you even have time to stress about it. Have some peace of mind when you move chose LIGHTNING. more

My husband and I recently moved from Los Angeles to Washington to be near our grandkids. I have tendonitis in my hand and my husband is in need of a new hip. Yes, what a pair. We needed young strong guys to help us pack up and move. I registered with www.moving. They had several companies come out and give us quotes. After all the hoopla and too high of promises I chose to go with Lightning Van Lines because they seemed honest and didn’t promise the world. Nancy told it like it was when she came to our home to give us a visual estimate. On the day of the move three young strong men came and quickly packed up our home of 42 years. I thought it would take days but they arrived early in the morning and were done just before dinner. They even packed some of my most precious belongings in our trailer. Lightning has free storage for one month so we spent the next two weeks traveling in our home on wheels up the coast visiting friends and making new ones. When we knew our arrival date in Spokane, we gave them a call. Our worldly possessions arrived just a few days after we closed on our new house. I recommend Lightning Van Lines to anyone who is moving. more

I recently moved from Oakland to Portland. I had many companies come to my home to estimate what my move would cost. Although most prices were around the same price, only the guy from Lightning took the time to explain the differences in the quotes I received, he made sure everything was included and even came back a second time to make sure the number of boxes I had was accurate. I really appreciate the extra time he took, and it really made all the difference to me. If I ever move again, they are the only ones who I would consider. And you should too! Pros: Full explaination more

My Husband got a promotion at work the only thing was it was in Texas & I was in the beginning of my third trimester. We needed to move fast; we were stressed we had to decided whether to put the house up for sale in this market or to rent it out. My husband’s company had a furnished rental house for us to stay in until we got settled and found a permanent home. We chose Lightning Van Lines to pack & move us to Texas. My husband was busy at work and I was instructed by my doctor to take it easy. The packers/movers came in and quickly got to work. They were very friendly and made me feel more at ease. They itemized everything and were extra careful with my wedding china. They built boxes for my TV’s and very expensive bed. The price was good and because I had a salesperson come to my house look at what I was moving he was able to give me a firm price and it did not change. LVL also had one month’s free storage which was very helpful. We Fed-Ex’d what we needed right away in Texas and began our journey. We found a house within the first month but closing took forever. When we were ready we made an appt with Lightning to have our things brought to us. They store things in CA so it took a week for our things to get to Texas but when it did; it arrived in perfect condition and all I had to do was point and the movers put my furniture where I wanted it. The house was ready just in time to welcome our bouncing baby boy. I recommend Lightning Van Lines to you. more

I'm writing about my wonderful moving experience with Lightning Van Lines. One thing I liked about this company is their rating in BBB and in-home estimate service. I called them for in-home estimate and they were here on time. I was delighted to see their in-home estimate process, which made me feel that they were the most reliable and honest moving company in this planet. I contracted them. They were very careful while handling all my items and made sure they don't damage my walls and floor. They did not loose a single item during the transit. Additionally they were the ones to call me and give the moving updates instead of myself calling them. more

I just moved last weekend and I used Lightning Van Lines and I have to say they were the best and most experienced moving company I have ever used. They were on time, efficient, careful, friendly and quick. Everything you could possibly want in a moving company. They really took the stress out of moving. I highly recommend them to anyone!!!! more

This company moved me recently to my new home in Los Angeles. They were not the cheapest price, but i've had my share of bad moves so I figured i'd try these guys. The movers were the hardest working moving crew i have ever seen. They didn't stop once during loading until the truck was full top to bottom. The foreman was incredibly friendly and good natured. They were obviously very experienced, I watched them wrapping and handling some of my larger more fragile items and they didn't miss a step. They made it look easy, which is a feat since you don't hire movers if it's easy. I really enjoyed talking to the customer service person, they were friendly and knowledgeable about my requirements and they carry a very large insurance policy which allowed them into my highrise building. The operations personnel were also very knowledgable and professional. Overall this was an excellent move with professional and caring movers. Highly recommended !!! Pros: MOST PROFESSIONAL MOVERS Cons: MID RANGE PRICES more

7 moving companies contacted me and after online investigation, discovered 3 of them to be really great to move with. I further narrowed my search depending on experience and years of establishment. After comparing the 3 companies then picked Lightning Van Lines. they came to my house and packed the stuff and did not raise their quote. The delivery took 4 days and everything was just as they were. Would recommend Lightning Van Lines. more