What My Arizona to Delaware Move with Safeway Moving Really Cost Me
As told to moveBuddha
- Ryan B. moved from Glendale, Arizona, to Wilmington, Delaware, in June 2022 after graduating from medical school to start a new job, a 2,367-mile move covering 12,222 pounds and 1,746 cubic feet.
- After comparing two quotes, he hired Safeway Moving, and his Arizona to Delaware move was quoted at $16,864; his final cost came to $27,995.
- This is Ryan’s story, shared as part of moveBuddha’s Better Moves Project.
This account is based on a conversation with Ryan B., who moved from Arizona to Delaware in June 2022 using Safeway Moving. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
We highly recommend reading this entire post. You’ll walk away with a better idea of how to avoid potential issues when working with a professional moving company.
I graduated from medical school and relocated from Glendale, Arizona, to Wilmington, Delaware, to start a new job. Despite a packed schedule, I spent nearly two weeks researching movers and getting quotes before committing to anyone.
Going in, my biggest concerns were that movers wouldn’t meet my tight timeline and that my items would get damaged or lost. I found Safeway Moving while comparing companies through moveBuddha’s moving cost calculator.
Safeway met my timeline and delivered my items with minimal damage or loss. But the experience still left a bad taste due to poor communication and a final bill that came in more than 60% over my original quote. I would not hire Safeway again. moveBuddha invested a ton of time reviewing call recordings, paperwork, and text communications to better understand where my move went wrong.
My Safeway Moving experience at a glance
rating
4.9 / 5
- Communication: Safeway communicated well from my initial quote through pickup day. After pickup, communication fell off significantly, and I had trouble reaching anyone who could tell me when my items would be delivered. Delivery ended up being fast, but I had no visibility into the timeline while I was waiting.
- Pricing accuracy and transparency: My move cost increased 65% from the original quote to the final bill. Both Safeway and I share some responsibility for that increase.
- Timeliness: Safeway picked up and delivered my household goods on time. Given the distance and time of year, the turnaround was solid.
- Loss and damage: Nothing was damaged, and only one item was unaccounted for at delivery.
- Would I use Safeway again? No. Safeway failed to set accurate cost expectations upfront and communicated poorly after pickup, and those two issues overshadowed an otherwise serviceable move.
My move at a glance
| Moving from | Glendale, Arizona |
|---|---|
| Moving to | Wilmington, Delaware |
| Distance | 2,367 miles |
| Moving company | Safeway Moving |
| Moving quote | $16,864 |
| Actual cost | $27,995 |
Why I chose Safeway Moving
Despite a chaotic schedule, I found time to research movers by doing Google searches, checking online review sites, and comparing companies on moveBuddha. I contacted four moving companies but only heard back from two: Safeway Moving and Atlas Van Lines.
Both quotes were similar enough, and Safeway offered substantially better pricing, so I booked with them. After making a deposit and confirming services and dates with my coordinator, everything seemed to be coming together. I prepared by packing, decluttering, and getting my car inspected in preparation for the cross-country drive.
Quotes I compared
Comparing moving company estimates isn’t as simple as comparing prices. You need to consider the weight or cubic footage each company is estimating, insurance levels, packing add-ons, and added costs to make sure you’re comparing apples to apples. Here’s how the two estimates I got stacked up:
| Company | Size Estimate | Cost Estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Safeway Moving | 12,222 lbs/1,746 cubic feet | $16,864 |
| Atlas Van Lines | 13,526 lbs | $19,739 |
Two days before my scheduled pickup, Safeway called to go over the details and make sure nothing major had changed. I made some minor changes to my inventory and confirmed I had packed about 100 boxes.
Pickup day
My move took place a week after Memorial Day, one of the busiest times of year for moving. Pickup was scheduled for Thursday, but the truck and crew didn’t arrive until Friday morning, the designated backup day. I was irritated by the delay but understood it was a busy time of year.
If you’re moving close to a summer holiday, build some flexibility into your schedule, since delays are common during peak season.
When the crew arrived, the foreman did a walk-through and immediately noticed I had significantly more than the 100 medium boxes listed on my estimate. He determined there were 147 additional boxes, many of them large or extra large. Those boxes added over 1,000 cubic feet to the size of the move and resulted in an additional cost of over $11,000. I was not happy.
Why my estimate was so far off
moveBuddha has seen many situations like this, and figuring out where things go wrong can be tricky. Inexperienced estimators can miscalculate, but customers overwhelmed with moving can also fail to accurately describe the full scope of their move.
With the Better Moves Project, moveBuddha collects surveys, call recordings, pictures, and supporting documentation to draw real conclusions. Here’s what the review found:
I felt Safeway’s over-the-phone estimate was inaccurate. Safeway should have performed a video or in-home estimate to correctly assess my move’s requirements. While I admit some responsibility for the inaccurate box count, I believe the $11,000 overage was excessive.
moveBuddha’s review supports that assessment. Over-the-phone estimates are generally less accurate than video or in-home surveys. But I also received a video survey quote from Atlas Van Lines during the initial quoting process, and Atlas’s size estimate was only about 10% higher than Safeway’s. Both companies were still far off from the actual move size.
The box count is the number one culprit for inaccurate estimates. The standard process is to estimate 7–10 boxes per room, with larger rooms like the kitchen closer to 15–20. Good estimators then adjust based on questions like how many people are moving and how cluttered the closets and cabinets are. A few days before the move, a coordinator typically calls to reconfirm the count.
moveBuddha reviewed the call recording from Safeway’s pre-move check-in. The Safeway rep asked me to count my boxes, then waited several minutes while I walked through the house. I confirmed that 100 boxes was still accurate.
To some extent, moving companies rely on customers to keep them informed about changes to the move. I could have done a better job updating Safeway with my final box count. But Safeway should have relied less on self-reporting and taken the time to review my inventory via video. Safeway should also have worked with me to reduce the $11,000 overage rather than simply adding it to the bill.
Bottom line: both Safeway and I share responsibility for the increase in final costs.
With the box count issue behind us, the crew wrapped my musical instruments, packed a few large pieces of artwork, and began loading the truck. I occasionally checked on their progress and answered questions but mostly tried to stay out of their way. My partner ran a few last-minute errands to avoid the stress of watching everything get loaded. All told, the four-man crew loaded everything in about six hours.
Delivery day
A few days after my items left Arizona, I received an email explaining the payment process and letting me know my household goods were in a warehouse. I called Safeway multiple times to find out when my things would be shipped, but nobody I reached seemed to know.
My items were delivered ten days later. Given the time of year and the 2,367-mile distance, that was an excellent turnaround on Safeway’s part.
When the truck arrived, it was a large tractor trailer that barely fit in front of the house. I was very dissatisfied that nobody had told me my move would be transferred to a different truck.
In the moving industry, items are commonly transferred once or twice during a long-distance move; the same truck rarely handles both pickup and delivery for a cross-country move. That said, Safeway should have communicated this upfront.
I also noticed there were only two movers instead of four. The crew seemed ill-prepared for the job. Typically, a crew of three to four is used for a move this size. Two Safeway crew members called out the day of delivery, and rather than delay, Safeway proceeded with just two men. Unloading took seven hours.
Before leaving, the driver asked me to note any damage and sign off on the inventory even though I hadn’t had time to inspect everything. Thankfully:
- Everything was accounted for (except for a moving dolly that disappeared somewhere between Arizona and Delaware)
- Nothing appeared to be damaged
Final thoughts
I would not use Safeway again. My main complaints were poor communication about delivery timing, excessive handling (my items went into storage and were loaded onto a different truck), an understaffed crew at the destination, and a phone estimate that set the wrong cost expectations from the start.
That said, the move wasn’t entirely bad. My items arrived relatively quickly and with almost no loss or damage, which matters. The miscommunications and staffing issues were frustrating, but given the busy time of year and industry-wide staffing shortages, they were relatively minor compared to what some movers experience.
The real issue was cost. A 60%+ increase from quote to final bill is unacceptable. Safeway should have done a better job on the initial estimate and should have worked harder to reduce the overage once the discrepancy was identified.
My experience does appear to be an isolated incident. moveBuddha doesn’t see a pattern of inaccurate estimates with Safeway. Since my move, the company has implemented a video survey requirement on all moves and updated their training to improve box count accuracy.
Oh, before you go. Here are my dogs making the cross-country road trip.
Planning a long-distance move? Use moveBuddha’s moving cost calculator to compare quotes and see what your move should actually cost.
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