In the moving industry, it is the experience of a company that sets it apart from its competitors. When you want a hassle-free moving experience, a company that has been around for decades ranks higher on the reliability scale.
Bekins Van Lines has been around for more than a century and offers a wide variety of services covering all types of moves. As a full-service mover, it covers interstate, international, and corporate relocations as well.
What makes Bekins Van Lines a worry-free option for packing, hauling, and storing your household goods?
This Bekins Moving review takes a closer look at the company to find out the answer.
What Is Bekins Van Lines?
Bekins started its operations in Sioux City, Iowa, way back in 1891. That makes it one of the oldest moving companies in the US with more than 130 years of experience. In 2012, Bekins was purchased by Wheaton Van Lines.
Bekins focuses on customer commitment and uses measurable data to improve its service at all levels. This has allowed the company to win multiple quality awards in the past years. Bekins also ensures that their team delivers a professional and reliable service at all times.
The Bekins Moving company has a network of around 400 licensed agents across the US. All their agents have to follow a stringent set of regulations and meet specific quality standards. To safeguard your goods, it offers limited liability as well as full replacement value protection.
What’s more, Bekins plays an active role in the community by helping children with critical illnesses. It helps in the fight against hunger by donating all the non-perishable food that customers cannot move. The company is also on a mission to reduce its environmental footprint by recycling and using energy-efficient practices.
Bekins Van Lines, Inc Moving Services
Here are the main services offered by Bekins Van Lines.
Household Moves
Bekins has been a trusted residential mover for years and takes special care to make it a hassle-free experience for families. It supports both local and long-distance residential moves and its well-trained team manages the technical aspects of a move efficiently. A move manager is assigned to consult with you and oversee the entire process.
Corporate Relocations
Bekins can plan and execute corporate relocations based on the budget and time requirements of each business. The move managers at Bekins can coordinate with HR departments to plan the move and deliver the best moving solutions for the employees. It can handle the packing and moving of office equipment, including computers and IT equipment.
Beyond that, Bekins has other offers for corporate clients like customized services, free replacement value protection, direct billing, and more. The move managers from Bekins Moving can also visit the employee homes to ensure a smooth service and finalize the logistics of on-time delivery.
Specialized Moves
It needs special equipment and experience to handle the move of heavy commercial equipment. Bekins Movers can handle all forms of commercial moves that may not be suitable for typical freight haulers.
Bekins handles the moving of medical equipment, heavy machinery, large furniture, and specialty items like pianos and pool tables. The Bekins team has the right experience to move and ship these items safely, without causing any damage. It can also assist in relocating automobiles across the country.
Moreover, Bekins offers secure storage facilities for all types of equipment to help you match moving timelines. Both long and short-term storage facilities are offered in warehouses that are temperature controlled and fully secured.
Bekins also supports military personnel with moves and has the General Services Administration (GSA) permissions needed for handling government moves.
Senior Movers
One aspect that sets Bekins apart from other movers is its expertise in helping seniors to relocate. Older adults may need special support to move a large variety of items collected over the years. Apart from handling the entire packing and unpacking procedure, the Bekins team can help the seniors with the downsizing process if needed.
The company is also silver certified by the National Association of Senior Move Managers (NASMM). This means that the moving team has undertaken special training to safely move older adults.
International Moves
Bekins can also help in the planning of international moves through Crown Relocations. It ensures special packing for the safe transport of goods and also arranges proper documentation as per customs rules. It also has features like shipment tracking.
Beyond moving, the company can also support customers with services like intercultural training, post-arrival orientations, school search, partner career support, and more.
While Bekins Moving’s reviews are generally positive, there are some negative reviews of the services provided by Crown relocations. But, since Bekins Van Lines, Inc. ensures that its partners adhere to quality standards, you can depend on its services.
Average Cost of a Move Using Bekins Van Lines
To start with, the Bekins website has a moving cost calculator to give you a free ballpark moving estimate. All you need to do is fill up a form. This way, you can get a low-end and a high-end moving estimate which will help you to plan better.
For a more accurate estimate, you can get in touch with a local Bekins agent who will do a virtual or in-home walkthrough of your belongings. Bekins has multiple forms of virtual surveys to help you out. You can use a telephone survey or a video survey to arrive at an estimate. Another option is to use Bekin’s AI software for a video survey of your home.
If you are looking to save money while moving, Bekins has plenty of discounts on offer. Special discounts are offered for members of NARFE or the LCMS. Discounted rates are also given to the members of the Association of Professional Ball Players of America.
Bekins has a transparent pricing policy and beaks down the costs in great detail. Also, you can pick from the three different types of estimates that it offers. These are non-binding estimates, firm-binding estimates, and option-binding estimates.
Note, you do not need to make an initial deposit to Bekins for the move. However, you need to make the full payment before the packed goods are unloaded at the destination. In case of any damaged goods, you can contact the Bekins claims department which is listed on its website.
While the exact cost of a move will depend on multiple factors, we can form a rough idea depending on the type of move. Let us compare by considering the costs for moving a three-bedroom apartment.
Local Moves
For a local move within 100 miles, the quotes provided by Bekins can be between $800 to $1,500.
Long Distance Moves
Considering a long-distance move from San Diego to Seattle, the cost estimates from Bekins can be between $4,000 to $6,000.
International Moves
It is difficult to provide an estimation for an international move as it has multiple moving parts. Depending on the distance and the weight of goods, the costs can be as high as $10,000.
Bekins Van Lines Cost Factors
Time to take a quick look at the various factors that influence the Bekins moving costs.
- The distance between the origin and destination points is one main factor that determines the moving costs. For example, instead of San Diego, if you are moving to New Orleans from Seattle, the charges will be much higher,
- The size of the move or the total weight of the goods will affect the number of movers being used and the fuel costs. So, the costs will rise with more items.
- The moving charges will vary depending on the moving dates. In general, the period between April and October is the busiest and the charges are higher.
- The additional services you pick will have an impact on the costs. This includes choosing between full and partial packing, special appliance handling, storage, etc.
Bekins Van Lines Availability
Bekins Van Lines does not list the states in which its services are available. However, it mentions that it offers covers 95% of the US.
Bekins Van Lines Pros
- Reliable movers with Silver certification
- Over 125 years of experience in handling all forms of moves
- Quick online quotes and virtual surveys
- Special services for older adults
- No initial deposits needed
Bekins Van Lines Cons
- Limited information about International moves
- The website is not easy to navigate
- Insurance options are limited
Bekins Moving Reviews FAQs
Does Bekins offer any discounts?
Yes, Bekins offer multiple discounts for various consumer categories.
Does Bekins offer storage services?
Bekins offers both long and short-term storage in their warehouses spread across the country.
How do I contact Bekins customer service if needed?
You can contact Bekins customer service through their website or call them at 1-800-248-4810
What type of payment does Bekins accept?
Bekins accept cash, traveler’s check, money order, certified check, or cashier’s check. With prior credit approval, MasterCard, Visa, Discover, and American Express credit cards can be used too.
Conclusion
For long-distance moves with a wide range of delicate items, or corporate relocations, Bekins Van Lines is a reliable option. You can leave everything from planning to packing in the capable hands of its moving team and expect a seamless move.
Not all Bekins Van Lines reviews are positive, but that is the case with almost every moving company. However, Bekins can be an expensive choice for local moves, or when you are moving a small condo. In other words, if you are on a tight budget, you should look into the quotes provided by other moving companies.
That said, it’s hard to ignore its vast experience in the moving business and its expertly-trained team of movers. Besides, it also has responsive customer service and gives special importance to customer satisfaction.
All in all, whether you are moving to Denver or San Francisco, you can trust Bekins with your valuable belongings. But before you choose their service, make sure to check the reviews of the Bekins agent in your location.
One of the easiest ways to compare various moving companies is to use the Agoyu app. This free AI-based tool helps you to pick the right mover that matches your budget and book your move in a few simple steps.
