Complaint Review: Virgin Van Lines - Van Nuys California

I contacted this company, among many others, for a long distance move, of my entire household  - a lifetime of my worldly goods PLUS all the machinery and supplies necessary to run my business. After looking at online REVIEW sites (not complaint sites, my mistake) they seemed in line with the prices of all the other companies and they were the most insistent about calling (following up) so I signed the contract with them and at that point things went down hill.

August 10, 2013 - On the day of the move, they did NOT show up in the PROMISED (verbally on the phone by the agent, Mary) 18 wheel truck citing they could not get it down the street. Indeed they could, we live on a large wide street at the end of a cul de sac. After being disgusting and appalled by their nasty ghetto graffit Budget trucks they showed up in and refusing to load my belongings on them and have them transported to their "main facility" and re-packed on the large truck, they went away and came back with a PLAN.

The main driver, "Dino", said "We will pack all your belongings into these two trucks and these two trucks will drive your belongings to Florida and they will never leave these trucks. You can photograph what they look like in the truck and it will look just like that when these two trucks arrive at your house in Florida."  All this detained my entire move for two days, not to mention - ALL my belongings did NOT fit in the two smaller trucks and I had to throw away on the spot (with lots of tears) some items I had had a long time, and beg a friend to let me store the rest in their garage short term until I can figure out how to get them shipped to me.

The original estimate of shipping was $5600, the end cost was almost $13,000!!!!!!!!! It required over an hour of 'haggling' with Dino, the main driver/packer to make him sit down at the kitchen table and show us step by step how he was getting the amount he was getting and make him remove his manufactured numbers and enter the actual ones on the paperwork!

Yes, all the red flags were there at this point, but what was I to do when all my belongings were on their truck and I was already two days late on a dead line to move/drive cross country? 

Yesterday, August 21, having heard nothing from them and desperately needing my business supplies so I can begin setting up my workshop and get back to business, I phoned and was appalled when Michelle, the office assistant who has no professional manners on the phone, told me my stuff was going to be "put on the big truck" and would probably leave NEXT WEEK. No No No! That is absolutely NOT what I agreed to and what I was precisely told! My machinery will be broken and stolen and all my supplies pilfered through, etc. This cannot happen! Plus, my son and I are living out of one suitcase and the contents of our car. We are sleeping on inflatable mattresses with three days of clothing to our names. My business is shut down and I have about $500 to my name at this point because they charged so much for the move and because the cross country trip took so much money in gas and hotels.

A phone call to Danny, the dispatcher, proved fruitless as he has less brain capacity than my cat and approximately the vocabulary and intellect of her, as well. He lied, back tracked, blamed me for this, said I was lying, said his employee could not promise such things, said all kinds of things but never answered the question of WHEN will my belongings be HERE? And of course he said NUTING will be bwoken, or stwolen, that nevuh happen wif my company evuh. Yeah....right, Danny.

I am livid and I am not going to tolerate these activites. Unfortunately, I am also 3000 miles away!

I have selected an email account specifically to unite the victims of Virgin Van Lines and I am forming a Facebook page today for us, our stories and to put this company out of business.  Please search for victims of Virgin Van lines and join!