Mega Van Lines Review

Residents of Florida often consider Mega Van Lines as their moving service provider. Based in Delray Beach, Mega Van Lines claims to be able to provide anyone moving into a new home with the best movers at the best price in the Sunshine State. But is this moving company the best choice for your needs—and what type of services should you expect for a team of professional movers hired from Mega Van Lines?

We understand firsthand that no one wants to go into the moving process blind. In this article you will learn about Mega Van Lines’:

• Transparency
• Pricing
• Services
• Reputation

We’ve researched dozens of long-distance movers and evaluated their transparency, customer reviews and reputation, pricing and services, and even their industry and legal licensing to help you find and identify the best long-distance movers in the country.  Here’s what we found.

Transparency

Mega Van Lines is very transparent when it comes to the company’s location and regulatory information. Mega Van Lines is registered with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), which is the regulatory body that controls moving companies that operate across the country and perform interstate moves. The company clearly lists its USDOT and MC Numbers, which users can take advantage of to verify that the company is properly licensed.

When we used the FMCSA’s Company Snapshot tool to verify Mega Van Lines’ licensing information, everything lined up. The company’s phone number and address matched its website, which is an excellent sign that a company isn’t attempting to claim that it’s something that it isn’t.

Mega Van Lines can afford to extend this transparency to other areas on its website. Very little information is provided on pricing factors and when users can expect to receive a call back from the company after submitting their personal information. While these factors may be influenced by the fact that the company doesn’t offer moving services itself, Mega Van Lines can easily be more transparent when it comes to its hiring practices and the qualifications that it looks for when it decides which moving companies it partners with. However, Mega Van Lines does offer a 24/7 customer service line that you can use to connect with a representative no matter which time zone you’re located in. 

Cost

Because Mega Van Lines operates as a broker instead of an actual moving company, pricing can be highly variable. In our review, we found that most of the quotes received by previous customers of Mega Van Lines were a bit more affordable when compared to other moving companies operating throughout Florida. Let’s take a look at a few examples of what previous customers say that they paid for a move coordinated through Mega Van Lines’ service.

While many users reported significantly lower rates when compared to other industry estimates for similar moves, other customers reported that the moving companies they worked with offered them an originally lower rate and then switched the price of their move at the last second. The average reported cost for a move with Mega Van Lines was $3,975, while the average cost of a long-distance move within the United States is $4,544.

If you need to cancel your move with Mega Van Lines, you must do so within 72 hours of scheduling your move date. You must notify the company in writing through an email sent to cancellations@megavanlines.com. If you cancel your move after the 72-hour window, you will not receive any of your initial deposit refunded. As some users claim to have paid a down payment of up to 50%, this makes it especially important to be 100% sure of your moving date before you book with Mega Van Lines. Mega Van Lines also charges a 10% cancellation fee on all canceled moves, regardless of whether you make it in the window of time specified or not. If your first scheduled pick-up date is within 14-days of the current date, your deposit is non-refundable.

Keep in mind that if you do cancel your move in time, you will not receive your deposit back in cash. Instead, the company will put your deposit toward a future move at a later date. You must use your deposit within 12 months of your credit being applied to your account. This is an incredibly strict cancellation policy that may encourage some movers with more flexibility to choose a different moving service provider. 

Services 

Mega Van Lines is not a moving company itself. Instead, it operates as a moving broker, which is a company that helps coordinate moving services between a wide range of local moving service providers with which it has relationships. This can result in a wide range of variations between services offered, pricing, and cancellation policies.

Mega Van Lines claims that it can help you with the following types of moves and moving assists.

• Household moving: Household moving can be one of the most stressful experiences in life. Mega Van Lines can help you arrange either a full-service move or a partial service move to make the process a little easier and take some of the heavy lifting off of your shoulders. The specific services included with each household move will vary depending on the type of company you work with and the extra services offered and requested. Most moving companies include loading as a basic service, which can help you avoid common moving injuries like hernias and muscle strains.
• Commercial moving: If you’re a business owner moving into a new location, you may have a large number of fragile computers or other delicate items that you’ll need to take along with you. Mega Van Lines can help to connect with a moving company that specializes in these types of more complicated moving needs.
• Single item moving: If you’re handling most of your own moving on your own, you might still have 1 or 2 items that you can’t move by yourself. For example, if you don’t decide to donate your piano and instead bring it with you, you may have trouble loading the item. Mega Van Lines can help coordinate a move for a single item like a piece of furniture or work of art.
• Storage services: If your move-in and move-out dates don’t exactly line up, you may need to arrange a storage unit to hold onto your things until you arrive. Mega Van Lines can help you locate storage services in your area and book your date.

Before you schedule your move, you’ll want to claim a free quote from Mega Van Lines. You can begin the quote process by submitting your contact information online at megavanlines.com.  

Mega Van Lines accepts payments via credit card, Zelle, check, Venmo and CashApp. This is a good sign, as many moving scams require that customers pay in cash because they have no recourse when filing a complaint when paid in cash. Cash payments are also significantly more difficult for state authorities to recover if they attempt to hold your things hostage without additional payment.

Reputation 

According to a report by the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Mega Van Lines has been operating for just 1 year. While a long-standing position in the community isn’t a surefire guarantee that a company will provide you with stellar service, a lack of experience may indicate that a company is not as well-equipped as other service providers.

Mega Van Lines is not accredited with the Better Business Bureau, which indicates that the business has not applied for and met the standards that the independent review site has set for the company’s most reliable companies in each industry. However, the BBB has assigned an “F” letter grade to Mega Van Lines. Like a long-standing relationship in your local community, a high grade from the BBB is not a guarantee of the business’s quality. However, the BBB does say that a low grade (an F is the lowest possible grade assigned) may be an indicator of the following problems within the business.

• High history of complaints: One of the main factors that are taken into consideration when the BBB assigns ratings is the business’s history of complaints. Businesses that have a long history of unanswered complaints made with the BBB have lower ratings, while companies that proactively respond to complaints made with the BBB typically receive higher ratings.
• Abuse of the BBB name: Businesses receive a lower rating if they have been found to be misrepresenting their BBB grade on other websites. This includes a business claiming that it is accredited by the BBB when it actually is not.
• The amount of time that the business has been operating: When it comes to moving scammers, being new to the industry is a major red flag. Moving scammers need to change their location and name frequently because it’s more difficult to lure in new victims after previous victims have come forward. Businesses that have been operating for only a short amount of time are graded less favorably by the BBB.
• Government actions known to have been taken against the business: Businesses that have had prior government actions taken against them (for infractions like failure to register with the correct regulatory bodies) receive a lower BBB grade than businesses that have no history of negative government action.
• Volume of unanswered complaints: Every type of business can cause a customer to have a negative experience—what matters is that the business takes the feedback offered into account and responds accordingly. Companies that receive a high volume of complaints and don’t respond to them are graded more negatively when compared to companies that frequently respond to customer complaints and work to make things right.

According to BBB records, Mega Van Lines has received a whopping 191 complaints in the single year that it’s been in business. Of these complaints, the company has failed to respond to 72 complaints made against it, and 32 complaints made against the business have not been resolved in a way that the customer found to be satisfactory. This may indicate that Mega Van Lines is in need of a total rehaul of its customer service department and more organization in the manner that it responds to complaints.

Our personal experience with Mega Van Lines’ customer service team was equally as disappointing. Though the company claims to be available online for 24/7 customer service, we were not able to claim a binding or non-binding quote over the phone as the website claims. Though this is normal (most legitimate moving companies will need to weigh your shipment before offering a moving quote) it can be frustrating due to misleading information on the company’s website. We also requested a personalized quote online via email. As of the date of publication, we have not received a response or follow-up from Mega Van Lines—even to tell us that they are unable to offer an estimate online. In the future, we would love to see Mega Van Lines take steps to create a more streamlined customer service experience.

Reputation for Value

Though there are many more bad reviews for Mega Van Lines than good reviews, one common factor that positive reviews mentioned is that the company’s prices seem to be lower than competing full-service moving professionals.

I was worried at first when I called because I was giving such short notice on a move. However I was assured that I was going to be taken care of – and they did not disappoint. The price was GREAT. The staff who took my move over the phone was a joy to speak with. I am shocked to say nothing went wrong! — Edward J., MyMovingReviews.com, 5-star rating, 01/30/2020.

From my first call with them to booking I was [pleased] with not only the patience of the representative, but the finance department as well. After my reservation with Mega Van Lines, I was well informed, confident, and at ease about this last minute cross-country move I was making. I expected SOME type of hidden fee but there were NONE! Emphasis on no hidden charges upon delivery. — Rosemary G., MyMovingReviews.com, 5-star rating, 01/30/2020.

However, other reviewers claimed that the company performed a “bait and switch” scam by offering them surprisingly low rates, demanding a large down payment upfront, and then refusing to actually perform the services promised.

Mega Van Lines took my money but did not provide any services. I paid a 50% deposit for an interstate move. They did not show up, nor call, nor call back when I did get a hold of someone. They did not deliver on services in which I paid. — Anonymous BBB complaint on product or service, BBB.org, 06/08/2021.

Company asked for a deposit, I paid within the time frame given. The company never showed up to pick my furniture to move from Colorado to Texas. Last communication I had with them was the movers were coming to get me but never came. I ended up hiring a uhaul and moving myself as I was on a time crunch.— Anonymous BBB complaint on product or service, BBB.org, 04/08/2021. 

Reputation for Efficiency

No matter which review site you compare, efficiency complaints are a common frustration among previous Mega Van Lines reviewers. Some of the most common efficiency complaints include the following.

• Lateness: Reviews with 1-star ratings frequently mention that their moving team was late and that they never received phone calls informing them that they would not be arriving at the scheduled time. If they did receive a follow-up, it was almost universally at the last minute or beyond the time when the movers had claimed that they would originally be arriving on the day of the move.
• Extra charges: Extra fees and dishonest pricing is a common theme among negative reviews of Mega Van Lines. Customers frequently claim that on their move date, they received a quote that was sometimes double the original estimate that they received from a Mega Van Lines agent. Some customers even went so far as to refer to the company as “liars” or the “worst company” for long-distance moving.

While these issues may come as a result of Mega Van Lines acting as a broker and using multiple moving companies to complete jobs, these complaints are common and frequent. 

I put down a $640 deposit and waited for moving day. When moving day arrived, I received NO call and I had to reach out to them. They told me they were going to be a day late and did not communicate this to me whatsoever. Finally, when the movers actually arrived to move my storage unit, I received a call from the 3rd party moving company that my move was now going to be $3000 – DOUBLE what they assured me would be a BINDING estimate. — Kenzie S., Yelp, 1 star, 02/23/2021.

Begins with lowball offer and quote, followed by “pre-move review call” within 36 hours of move, price goes up 2x on this call — too late for you to change services.  Then they outsource to fly-by-night movers (MAP, Ft. Lauderdale, FL) who miss delivery dates 5 times and move takes more than 25 calendar days for delivery – leaving you helpless. — Bob D., Yelp, 1 star, 08/18/2020.

Terrible service hired for an interstate move, had two dates for pickup said it would be the second day. Never heard from them after that never received call for ETA. I had to call everyday difficult to get updates. Never showed up on scheduled day I called they said next day truck had problems. No call for ETA and no show for nice next day. — Mark B., Yelp, 1 star, 07/24/2020. 

Reputation for Handling with Care

Broken items are another frequent complaint across review platforms. Customers claim that the movers they worked with through Mega Van Lines did not take care when moving their possessions, with complaints of broken items popping up on nearly every review platform.

Move was guaranteed in 21 days and I received on day 42. Had to file reports with the BBB and federal moving agency dispute to get items delivered. Items delivered yesterday ( Saturday October 10th)  and  many boxes are missing. Most furniture is damaged with missing legs, broken doors, scrapes, scratches, broken glass. One chair not delivered, the base to my dining room table is missing so its worthless, all of my bedding.  This company is a complete scam and highly unethical. — Kelly M., Yelp, 1 star, 10/11/2020.

They left a mess in the apartment too–empty rolls of tape and trash, and I had to stuff all that in my car and take with me to my new house. Once there and unpacked, it’s the first time I found items that were broken in the move, including an irreplaceable antique lamp. I was so HAPPY to be rid of that whole experience. — Laurie Z., Yelp, 1 star, 04/12/2021.

BUYER BEWARE! Where do I start? The company stole my mother’s urn, broke a majority of our furniture, and the boxes showed up completely destroyed. I called numerous times to speak with someone for an attempt to rectify the problem, but with numerous failed attempts. Do yourself and family a huge favor and choose someone. — Steve J., BBB.org, 1 star, 01/27/2021.

Reputation for Reliability

Like we previously discussed in the efficiency review, Mega Van Lines has gained a notable reputation online for hiring moving companies that fail to provide reliable services. Bad reviews frequently claim that, after paying a large down payment, the moving team hired by Mega Van Lines simply never showed up to move the family into their new house.

This company cannot be trusted. They outsourced the movers to another company that actually has a class action lawsuit against them for stealing people’s stuff and surprise our entire truck was stolen. Mega van lines is denying any responsibility, will not even refund the money we paid them to move the stolen items, and is refusing to even talk to us when we call. AND the other company Konami will not even answer the phone. — Troy, BBB.org, 1 star, 07/01/2020.

THEY TOOK OUR DEPOSIT AND NEVER SHOWED UP! We hired Mega Van Lines for shipping items from California to Texas. Boy were they consistent trying to get your money. Consistent, consistent, consistent. Then they get your deposit and BOOM! They will leave you high and dry. — Vivian A., Yelp, 1 star, 07/02/2021.  

As this seems to be a common issue reported across multiple review platforms, we believe that Mega Van Lines and its customers would highly benefit from an internal audit on the companies that it hires to complete its moves.