Why Full-Service Beat Containers on my Wisconsin to California Move
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Milwaukee, WI → San Jose, CA
$3,984
Phone estimate, 4,200 pounds
$4,140
$155 over, about 4% off the quote
2,200 mi
Long-distance, interstate
- I compared four quotes for my Wisconsin to California move, including two container options, and they ranged from $3,984 to $8,011.
- American Van Lines was the cheapest and full-service, and my final bill landed $155 over the phone estimate with nothing lost or damaged.
- I shared all of it, my quotes, my bills, and my ratings, as part of moveBuddha’s Better Moves Project.
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This account is based on a conversation with Phoenix, who moved from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to San Jose, California, in March 2023 using American Van Lines. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
My move from Wisconsin to California
I was moving 2,200 miles to be closer to my family, out of a two-bedroom, 900 square foot apartment in Milwaukee and into a four-bedroom, 2,000 square foot home in San Jose. It was just me, and it was still 50 boxes, about 600 cubic feet and 4,200 pounds.
I care a lot about the arts, so I needed a company that could handle fragile pieces like my artwork and my guitars without a scratch on them. What I cared about most, though, was avoiding surprise charges, and finding a mover who would communicate on time and treat my things carefully.
I gave myself five weeks to prepare and still felt rushed. I wanted to declutter sustainably rather than just throwing things out, and finding a way to donate, recycle, or responsibly dispose of every single item took far longer than I’d budgeted for.
I knew about the move a year out and gave myself two weeks to pick a company. I read moveBuddha’s Better Moves Project stories from other customers and compared companies on the best movers list. According to moveBuddha, users who compare movers this way save more than 30% versus taking the first quote they get.
My American Van Lines experience at a glance
Here’s what stood out most about moving with American Van Lines, good and bad.
- Communication: My weak point with them, and I rated it a 2. The coordinators were hard to pin down and I changed coordinators mid-process. The movers themselves were excellent communicators.
- Pricing accuracy and transparency: I was quoted $3,984 and paid $4,140, about $155 over. On a 2,200-mile move priced from a phone call, that’s close.
- Professionalism: The movers were polite and professional from start to finish. My complaints are all with the office, not the crew.
- Timeliness: They pushed my original pickup date back because of driver delays, and once we had a new date, they hit every window they gave me.
- Loss and damage: Nothing was lost and nothing was damaged. With a few gentle reminders, the crew handled my artwork and guitars carefully.
- Would I use American Van Lines again? Probably not, and it’s entirely about the communication. I rated the overall experience a 3, and I wouldn’t change a thing about the people who handled my things.
over my original American Van Lines quote
Find out what a move from Wisconsin → California actually costs before a mover tells you.
Why I chose American Van Lines
I started with containers, because I assumed they’d be cheaper. I read moveBuddha’s comparisons of Nancy’s U-Box move from Massachusetts to Minnesota along with PODS and U-Pack, looking for both the best price and people who’d actually had a good experience. Then I did the math. I didn’t want to load and unload by myself, which meant paying for the container and a labor service on top. Once both numbers were on the page, full-service was cheaper.
American Van Lines gave me a quick quote over the phone, priced on the number of boxes and pieces of furniture I was moving. It was the lowest number I had, it came from a company with a reputation I could check, and I’d read Kathy G.’s American Van Lines move from Washington, D.C., to St. Louis before I called.
Their quote covered loading, transporting my belongings, and furniture teardown and setup. I didn’t buy moving insurance. What sold me was the balance: I didn’t have to load anything myself or hire a second company, and it was all one number.
rating
- Experienced & fully trained moving crews
- Specializes in moving art & antiques
- Competitive pricing
- Can handle last-minute moves
- Climate-controlled storage
My move at a glance
Here are the basics of my relocation, including what I was quoted and what I actually paid for my Wisconsin to California move.
| Moved from | Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
|---|---|
| Moved to | San Jose, California |
| Distance | 2,200 miles |
| Move date | March 16, 2023 |
| Move size | 2 bedroom apartment (900 square feet, 50 boxes) |
| Moving company | American Van Lines |
| Moving quote | $3,984.81 |
| Actual cost | $4,140.15 |
We found that when you use moveBuddha’s moving cost calculator, you can save 30% on moving costs compared to customers who go with the first quote they receive.
Quotes I compared
Here’s how my four quotes stacked up, cheapest to most expensive. Two were container moves and two were full-service, and the cheapest number on the page turned out to be the full-service one.
| Company and move type | Estimated weight or equipment | Estimated cost |
|---|---|---|
| American Van Lines (full-service) | 4,200 pounds | $3,984 |
| PODS (container move) | 16-foot container | $4,506 |
| U-Pack (container move) | 3 ReloCubes | $4,600 |
| North American (full-service) | 5,842 pounds | $8,011 |
The container quotes look competitive on this table and they aren’t the whole cost. Neither includes anyone to load or unload for you, so add labor at both ends and the gap widens considerably. That’s the calculation that made my decision for me.
Pickup day
I did most of the chasing before move day. I called American Van Lines proactively to sort out payment, ask for packing tips, and finalize arrangements. They did call me to confirm the inventory list and check I hadn’t added anything.
Two things made staying in touch harder than it should have been. My phone flagged their number as spam, so I didn’t recognize it and didn’t pick up. And they changed my moving coordinator partway through, which made it difficult to get consistent answers about pricing and policies.
Shortly before the move they called to ask if they could push my pickup date because of driver delays. That gave me more packing time, so I didn’t mind at all.
The loading was handled by one of American Van Lines’ partner companies, and the driver’s communication was the best of the whole move. He’d told me 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., then called at 9 to narrow it to between 10 and 10:30. The team arrived in that window and started loading at 11.
I’d packed everything myself, which took enormous time and energy and definitely sped up move day. One thing I didn’t know: because I dismantled my own bed frame to save time, American Van Lines wouldn’t reassemble it at the other end. They loaded my boxes, disassembled the rest of the furniture, and wrapped everything carefully in the truck. While they worked I itemized the inventory, marked boxes with red tape, and started cleaning the apartment behind them. They finished loading around 3:30.
Delivery day
They arrived early in San Jose and I couldn’t be there, so my mom and my aunt oversaw the unload for me. That’s on the schedule rather than on the company, and it’s the argument for keeping the whole day free at both ends.
The movers called me while they were unloading to ask which boxes went in which room, which I appreciated. They covered the floors to keep them clean as they went in and out, put everything in the room I’d marked, and were careful with my artwork and guitars. Nothing was lost and nothing was damaged.
Final thoughts
Here’s how I rated American Van Lines on a scale of 1 to 5: communication 2, timeliness 4, quote accuracy 4, and overall experience 3.
The gap between those numbers is the whole story. The people who touched my things were excellent. The office was not. I ended up doing a lot of the follow-up myself to keep the move on track, and that’s not what I thought I was paying for. If I move again I’ll go with someone else, purely on that.
A few things I understand better now. Their staff call from numbers other than the main company line, so if I’d known to expect unfamiliar numbers during the quoting and moving process, half of my communication problem would have disappeared. On the bed frame, if you’re paying for a full-service mover, leave your furniture alone and let them take it apart. Once you disassemble something yourself, the company treats reassembling it as a liability and won’t touch it. I saved an hour and lost a service I’d already paid for.
I also thought the quoting process was too generic. A phone estimate can’t account for how big and heavy my boxes actually were, and an in-home or video survey gives a mover a far more accurate picture. Having said that, they landed within $155 of a number they generated over the phone on a 2,200-mile move, which is better than I had any right to expect.
Overall, American Van Lines was good value. Everything arrived safely, they handled loading, transportation, and unloading, and the price was fair for the work.
Comparing full-service movers against containers? Use moveBuddha’s moving cost calculator to price both on your route before you assume the container is cheaper.
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Tips for future movers
These are the practical steps we recommend based on Phoenix’s experience:
- Answer calls from numbers you don’t recognize: Phoenix’s phone flagged American Van Lines as spam and she missed calls from her own coordinator. Staff often call from personal or branch lines, so expect unfamiliar numbers from the first quote through delivery.
- Don’t take your own furniture apart: Phoenix dismantled her bed frame to save time and the crew wouldn’t reassemble it, because self-disassembled furniture becomes a liability the company won’t take on. You’ve already paid for the teardown, so let them do it.
- Price containers with labor included: Phoenix’s PODS and U-Pack quotes looked competitive until she added loading and unloading help at both ends. Compare the total cost of getting your things moved, not the equipment rental.
- Push for a video or in-home survey over a phone estimate: Phoenix’s quote was generated from a phone call and couldn’t account for the size and weight of her boxes. Hers came in $155 over, and a survey removes the guesswork.
- Keep the whole day free at both ends: American Van Lines arrived early in San Jose and Phoenix had to ask family to cover the unload. Movers can’t predict a window precisely on a 2,200-mile route, so plan to be on-site all day.
- Start packing far earlier than feels necessary: Phoenix gave herself five weeks and still felt rushed, largely because donating and recycling responsibly takes time that throwing things out doesn’t. Price professional packing as an add-on before you rule it out.
- Ask who you’ll be working with, not just who’s driving: Phoenix’s crew was excellent and her coordinators were the problem. Find out who owns your file in the office and what happens if that person changes.
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