Moving Experience: Cole’s Move with Allied Van Lines
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In mid-2025, Cole found himself needing to move from Joplin, MO to Myrtle Beach, SC for his medical residency program. Because of the distance of his move, he knew right away that he wanted to get help from a full-service moving company. After getting several quotes, he ultimately chose Allied Van Lines.
With ChatGPT as a starting point, Cole found a list of possible moving companies for his move – as well as moveBuddha. While he was in the process of deciding which mover to use, he also decided that he would participate in our Better Moves Project.
Cole didn’t just get a $500 moving stipend for sharing his experience with moveBuddha. He also got incredible service from start to finish from the Allied team.
Here’s a closer look at how his move turned out.
Move day takeaways for Allied Van Lines customers
- Communication: Allied offered great communication throughout from the moving coordinator and his driver. He had the driver’s cell phone number, which he could text and get a response within 15-20 minutes.
- Pricing accuracy and transparency: Cole received a not-to-exceed binding estimate from Allied. Even though his move came in at a slightly higher weight than originally estimated, this meant his price stayed the same as originally quoted.
- Timeliness: While his moving day was delayed by one day, Cole’s items were delivered in just five days – well within Allied’s estimated delivery window.
- Professionalism: The Allied Van Lines team was transparent and professional every step of the way. Cole’s movers went the extra mile doing things like helping him better wrap items he hadn’t properly wrapped on his own.
- Loss and damage: Cole didn’t have any damaged items. One box that he gave to the driver at the last minute wasn’t unloaded during delivery, but the driver was able to quickly locate the box and ship it to him afterwards.
- Would Cole use Allied again? Cole had a great experience with Allied Van Lines from start to finish, and would definitely use them again for future moves.
Cole needed help moving from Joplin, MO to Myrtle Beach, SC
Going into his move, Cole was nervous about the physical and mental work of getting all of his stuff from Missouri to South Carolina. While this made working with full-service movers a natural fit, he also wanted to be sure he chose a reputable moving company to handle the job.
In a sign of how we do things these days, Cole started his search with ChatGPT, asking which moving services he should get estimates from for his specific move. In addition to giving Cole a list of recommended moving companies, ChatGPT also recommended moveBuddha as a resource for preparing for his move!
With these recommendations in hand, Cole was ready to move forward with contacting moving companies for quotes.
Cole’s move at a glance
| Move date | May 13, 2025 |
| Moved from | Joplin, MO |
| Moved to | Myrtle Beach, SC |
| Distance | 1,100 miles |
| Move size | 3-bedroom home |
| Moving company | Allied Van Lines |
| Moving quote | $5,566.21 |
| Actual cost | $5,566.21 |
Cole got several quotes before selecting Allied
Based on the information he got during his research phase, Cole decided to reach out to several moving companies to get quotes and additional information. He spent about two weeks collecting estimates before making his final decision.
While Cole was planning to do most of his own packing, he did want some extra assistance with a few things. He had a 7’2” mirror that would need to be crated. He also wanted help with disassembling his bed and wrapping a few other items, such as his couches and zebra rug. To make sure his belongings would be fully covered in case of any incidents during the move, he also wanted extra insurance coverage for his belongings.
Here’s how Cole’s quotes came in:
| Company | Estimated Cost |
|---|---|
| Allied Van Lines | $5,566.21 |
| Mayzlin Relocation | $6,806 |
| BLVD Moving | $3,281 |
| Safeway Moving | $6,497 |
| Atlas Van Lines/Winter Moving and Storage | $6,000 |
| United Van Lines | $5,500 |
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Cole also reached out to Bekins Van Lines and National Van Lines, but never heard back from them. He was also able to lower his initial quote from Mayzlin to $6,000 when he showed them one of the cheaper quotes he got. Even though he didn’t end up using them, it’s a good example of why we recommend you always get multiple quotes. Price matching can help you save a lot!
He also noted that the initial quotes for most of the moving companies didn’t include the extra cost of crating his mirror – only Allied’s quote included that in the initial estimate.
Cole chose Allied based on their reputation and transparency
After collecting his quotes, Cole decided to go with Allied. This mainly came down to the moving company’s positive reputation, as well as the positive experience he had during the video estimate process.
Cole greatly appreciated how the Allied representative was straightforward and transparent about what would be most cost-effective for his move. For example, the rep was open about the cost of crating his large mirror and whether it might be cheaper for Cole to buy a new mirror at his destination. When talking about Cole’s wall art, the rep helped him figure out that it would be more cost-effective to buy TV boxes and pack the paintings inside using bubble wrap rather than paying the movers to do it.
This level of transparency immediately won Cole over. He decided to move forward with crating his mirror with the help of Allied’s third-party partner, but packed his paintings himself based on the representative’s advice.
It’s also worth noting that Cole got a binding not-to-exceed estimate. This meant that even if his move weighed more than initially estimated, his moving costs wouldn’t go up.
Moving day was delayed, but went smoothly
After agreeing to his quote, Cole was set up with a personal move coordinator, who got in touch with him before the move to check in, explain the payment process, and answer questions. The third-party responsible for crating the mirror also contacted him before the move.
Cole’s mover was also in touch through text messaging, which he found helpful. The mover actually texted Cole in advance asking if he could push back the move by a day so his preferred helpers would be available, which Cole was fine with. With Cole’s permission, the head mover still came on Cole’s originally scheduled move date to help finalize packing prep, such as moving packed boxes into the garage. The third-party crating company came to get the mirror on this day as well.
Allied continued to deliver great service on moving day. The workers rolled out tarps when they arrived and treated everything with care while loading the moving truck. Cole was impressed with how organized they kept all the parts while disassembling his bed, which gave him confidence that no parts would be lost.
For his part, Cole also helped the movers by offering water and Gatorade (always appreciated), cleaning up trash, and keeping things organized.
The total weight of Cole’s move came in about 200 pounds higher than the original estimate, but because he had a not-to-exceed estimate, his price stayed the same.
Delivery day went great
Cole’s items were delivered to his new apartment building in South Carolina just five days after his move. This was well within the delivery timeline promised by Allied. Cole’s driver kept him updated via text message the entire time and was responsive whenever Cole texted him. Cole appreciated how Allied kept him informed and up to date.
Delivery was a little tricky because of the narrow streets in Cole’s new apartment complex, which were too narrow for Allied’s moving truck. However, Allied came through by renting a U-Haul to shuttle belongings from the semi truck to the new apartment.
Even with this extra step, the delivery team was kind and courteous, treating Cole’s items with extreme care and asking where he wanted boxes to go if they weren’t labeled. Cole was also pleasantly surprised to see his driver had further wrapped some of his items to ensure they were delivered safely. Cole’s mirror was delivered the next day.
Cole didn’t have any damaged items, but one box was missing – a box he had given to the driver at the last minute on moving day. However, after texting his driver and providing a description of the box, the driver was able to quickly locate the box. He took a picture to confirm he’d found it and shipped it to Cole, even providing a tracking number so he’d know when to expect delivery.
Cole’s verdict – how did Allied do?
From pricing and communication to timely delivery and professional care for his items, Cole’s move was a success by every possible measure. The Allied team’s professionalism throughout the moving process helped relieve Cole’s physical and mental stress of dealing with a long-distance move.
Cole was thrilled with how Allied handled his move, and would definitely use them again in the future.
How he rated Allied on a scale of 1 to 5:
- Communication: 5
- Timeliness: 5
- Quote accuracy: 5
- Overall experience: 5
Cole’s advice for anyone planning a move like his
Cole’s move went as well as could possibly be expected. He appreciated Allied’s transparency, communication, and professionalism, as well as their sticking to the not to exceed estimate. Because his move went so smoothly, Cole would use Allied again in the future.
Going into his move, he was nervous about stories he’d heard about moving companies charging more than expected and other issues arising from a lack of transparency. Cole had a great moving experience – something he attributes to working with a reputable moving company. That’s his biggest takeaway and his biggest piece of advice for others planning a move.
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