Moving isn’t what most people consider a good time — getting all of your stuff there is stressful. That’s why many people look to professional moving services to help. Enter, United Van Lines.
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What Is United Van Lines?
United Van Lines has been helping people move since the invention of the moving truck. For over 90 years, they’ve been in the business of moves, making them one of the best moving companies in the United States.
When you combine their years of experience with their knowledge about every single aspect of a successful move, then you’ve got a company that has a stellar reputation in the industry.
Since they’re so established, they boast one of the largest moving fleets in the country. One of their 7,500 trucks can help you move your things to just about anywhere. Read on to learn how United Van Lines can make your next move stress-free.
What United Van Lines Does
United Van Lines has over 400 independently-owned agencies under their banner. That grants them (and you) centralized support and resources to help make your move smooth.
They offer services for both long-distance and local moves as well as international moves. They’ll even move your car anywhere in the country through their auto transport program.
United Van Lines offers a variety of services, some included and some a la carte, to help customize your moving experience.
These services include:
- Government relocation
- Interstate, local, and international moves
- Customized packing and unpacking services
- Corporate relocation
- Loading and unloading services
- Trash and debris removal
- Home cleaning
- Auto transport
- Shipment tracking
- Storage
- Clear add-on packing pricing
- Computer network and home theater services
- Online moving resources
Some of the most notable features of their services include:
- Full value moving coverage
- In-home tech support
- Packing pricing availability online
Those are features you simply won’t find with other professional moving services. Though you can expect to pay extra for:
- Packing and unpacking
- Home cleaning
- Trash removal
- Network services
- Auto transport
- Storage
United Van Lines Features
If you’ve ever dealt with a full-service moving company in the past, you probably had to go through the full process of an estimate before any pricing information is given.
That’s simply not the case with United Van Lines. United Van Lines offers a lot of transparency. You can get instant estimates and pricing for add-on services online.
That’s quite a bit different from the competition since many other moving companies require you to provide all your personal information before any information is given.
To give you some idea of the cost of hiring United Van Lines, here are a few examples of prices (found on the web) for moves of different sizes over about 1,000 miles:
- A studio or one-bedroom apartment that you pack yourself will cost around $2,100. If the moving company packs for you, the total shoots up to $2,700.
- A two-bedroom apartment that you pack yourself is about $3,500. If you have them back for you, it’s about $4,700.
- A three-bedroom (or larger) apartment that you pack up yourself, you’re looking at about $4,300. If they pack for you, then it’ll cost about $6,200.
- A one- to a two-bedroom house you pack on your own will run about $4,300. For a home you let them pack up, it’s about $6,200.
- For a three-bedroom home that you pack yourself, it’s about $5,400. To let them pack for you, expect to pay around $8,000.
- For a four-bedroom or larger home that you take the time to pack, you’re looking at $7,600. If you want them to pack, then you’ll pay around $11,400.
United Van Lines provides online estimates based on limited information, so these numbers are only to give you a ballpark idea of what you can expect to pay. The actual quote you get depends on your in-home estimate as well as:
- When you’re moving
- How far you’re moving
- The actual weight of your household goods shipment
- Any add-ons you purchase for your move
Optional Upgrades
One of the best things about United Van Lines is their price transparency online. Other companies tell you that they charge more for add-on services, but don’t tell you how much it’ll cost you.
United Van Lines happily lets you know how much their add-ons cost. These add-on options include:
- Essentials – This provides you with $5,000 worth of additional value protection, claim assistance, and identify theft protection for $195.
- Plus 1 – This provides $25,000 additional valuation protection, claim assistance, identity theft protection, and increased destination waiting time for $395. You also get to choose one add on from their list, which includes debris pick up, network disassembly, network set up, home theater disassembly, or home theater set up.
- Plus 2 – This provides you with $25,000 additional valuation protection, claim assistance, identify theft protection, increased destination waiting time, and delay payment for $795. You can also choose two add-ons from their list.
- Plus 3- This provides $25,000 of additional valuation protection, claim assistance, identify theft protection, increased destination waiting time, additional delay payment, and three from their list of add-ons, with move-out cleaning services available too.
- Plus 4 – This provides $30,000 of additional valuation protection, claim assistance, identity theft protection, increased destination waiting time, additional delay payment for $1.195. You also get to choose four of their add-ons, with move out and move on cleaning services added to the list.
- Plus 5 – This provides $30,000 of additional valuation protection, claim assistance, identity theft protection, increased destination waiting time, and additional delay payment for $1,395. You can also choose 5 of their available add-ons.
For International Moves
You can find United Van Lines’ services in over 180 countries, making international moving a little easier. They can also help you to navigate the move with additional information on travel, customs, culture, and even the language to help you prepare.
Visa and immigration services are also offered to help ensure all your paperwork is completed and ready to go. They also offer school assistance at your new location and pet transportation.
If you need help settling in, then United Van Lines can help with that too with their utility connection assistance, area orientations, and even assistance finding a new bank.
Some Information on Extras
You find some services offered by United Van Lines that are quite unique and they deserve a bit of a deeper dive.
Packing Services
For their packing and unpacking services, their pricing isn’t quite as transparent as the other things they offer. That’s because how much it’ll cost to pack up your home depends on how many materials you need and how long it’ll take.
You can get a general idea from the prices listed above, but scheduling an in-home estimate is the only way to really get an accurate packing/unpacking price for your move.
It’s important to note, however, that United Vans Lines’ pricing for packing isn’t all-or-nothing. You can select to have only a few of your items packed by their moving professionals.
The less stuff you have them pack up, the cheaper it will be. And you can keep your clown doll collection your own little secret.
Tech Services
Another thing to note about the services offered by United Van Lines is their tech services. They’re unique in the moving industry since they offer disassembly and setup services for your PC networks and home theater systems.
For your home theater, they’ll disassemble your stereo and television and then set them back up at your home, even if you have these items wall mounted.
For your PC networks, they can disassemble your computer, pack it up safely, then set it back up for you at your new home. This is helpful if you’re not exactly the most tech-savvy person on the planet.
Tip: Know where to buy boxes? Thought so. Head to Uline!
Full-Service Protection
Yet another way United Van Lines stands out from the pack is through their full-service protection. They provide full value moving protection for your move, which is normally a paid upgrade.
Most movers offer basic liability coverage that covers a portion of the items you’re moving. With full-value protection, you get coverage based on the weight of your move.
Where normal movers will only cover $0.60 per pound per item, United Van Lines pays $6.00 per pound. So, if your total move weighs in at 10,000 pounds, that’s a guaranteed $60,000 of moving coverage.
For higher-value items you don’t feel like this is enough coverage for, like that Picasso hanging in your bathroom, you can add additional coverage. For every $1000 of coverage you add, it costs you $5.50.
How to Get a Quote
To get a quote from United Van Lines, you can visit their website, unitedvanlines.com. Once there, you enter:
- The zip code of your current residence and the zip code of where you’re moving
- The type of home you are living in
- The number of bedrooms
- The date you plan to move
They’ll then provide you with an estimated initial quote. It’s an easy online tool to use and can help give you a more detailed estimated cost. If you want to move forward with their services, then you can contact them for a firm quote.
A United Van Lines agent will come to your home and survey what you want moved to estimate the size and weight of your move. They’ll then go over all your options and present you with a quote.
Should You Hire United Van Lines?
United Van Lines is an excellent option if you’re planning a move and think you would utilize one of their exclusive moving services.
And let’s face it – anyone can find value from their moving protection. They’re definitely worth exploring more in-depth if you’re preparing for your move.
