Arpin Van Lines Company Review
- Before being acquired by the Wheaton World Wide conglomerate, Arpin Van Lines was a family-owned moving company that created an excellent national network of local agents.
- They are an overall good option for long-distance and international moves.
- However, some of the moving staff that the local agents employ load and unload items in a careless way that can result in damage.
- Compare Arpin to the moving companies on our list of best interstate moving companies and the best international movers.
How does Arpin Van Lines compare to other top movers?
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Arpin Van Lines: Moving Services Available:
Arpin Van Lines is now part of a merger of companies that includes Wheaton Worldwide Moving, Bekins Van Lines, and other industry leaders that are based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They have a network of more than 400 local agents nationwide.
- Local Moving: Residential customers can work with a local agent for local and regional moves. An inventory sheet of all items is created that contains notes as needed. The Priority Relocation Service is a program geared for small moves that offer fast “pack and ship” services.
- Long-Distance Moving: Door-to-door moving services are available nationwide. Logistical advantages are recognized by having established Strategic Service Centers that have responsibility for transports from beginning to end.
- International Moving: Arpin’s multinational and multilingual staff are available for facilitating moves abroad. These are handled by the company’s Arpin International Group division.
- Military & Government Moves: The company boasts of completing more than 14,000 GSA and military moves annually. Reviews indicate that Arpin has many military contracts for relocating those on active duty.
- Corporate Moves: Arpin has experience moving businesses both large and small.
- Affinity Employee Relocation: Business employees that are relocating are invited to consider this program that designates and move manager and offers flexible storage options.
- Storage: Local Arpin agents offer a variety of storage options such as secure, climate-controlled, and more. For example, Moving & Storage Solution Inc., a local agent in Bellingham, Washington, maintains a 16,000 square foot warehouse storage site that is secured with 24-hour surveillance.
- Packing & Unpacking: A professional staff will pack all items for shipment. For unpacking, all boxed items are removed and placed on surfaces. Standard unpacking doesn’t include placing items in cabinets or drawers.
- Crating and Third-Party Services: Customized moving service is offered for cars, boats, and much more. Vehicles are moved in open or enclosed shipping units.
- Moving Supplies: They don’t have an online ordering platform for moving boxes and supplies; however, the individual local agents maintain stocks of them available for purchase.
- They now offer customized moving services for military veterans and discounted rates of moves and property coverage.
- In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, local agents can conduct “virtual estimates” using a mobile device and platforms including FaceTime, Zoom, or Facebook Messenger.
- Arpin now offers discounts during the off-peak season (September through April), for realtors, seniors, and more. (see details below)
- The company is committed to environmental protection as outlined in its Environmental Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility Policies that suggests they are a “green” company.
- Some larger metro areas lack local agents including Orlando, Jacksonville, Miami, New Orleans, Louisville, Charlotte, and Richmond
- Many customer complaints result from movers that are mishandling boxes and furniture items and creating significant damage
- They were a long-standing family-owned moving company that was recently absorbed by a major corporate group. It is uncertain if the company will maintain its prior history of success.
The Good: Extensive National Network of Agents and International Moving Experience
Arpin seems to have a good agent network for long-distance moves and their international moving division seems to be thriving.
The Bad: Some of the Movers Are Careless
As is common in the industry, many of the local agents employ movers that tend to be careless when moving fragile items. This can result in entering the claims process, which sometimes has a negative outcome, particularly when the customer didn’t purchase enhanced coverage protection.
Cost and Affordability
Arpin markets itself as a “customer-centric” moving company option and doesn’t promote being the most economical or a value-priced carrier.
Pricing and Estimates
Although estimates are typically completed onsite, remote options are available in response to the Coronavirus for “contactless” quotes.
Estimates are always provided in writing (digital or otherwise) and are either binding or non-binding. Non-binding estimates are described as being “approximations.”
Residential moves typically require cash on delivery (C.O.D) payment with credit cards or certified checks accepted. Personal checks are not accepted.
“Ballpark” Estimate Price Ranges for Moving a Two-Bedroom Apartment Without Packing Assistance
| Origin Location | Destination | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles, CA | Dallas, TX | $3,171 to $4,105 |
| Dallas, TX | Chicago, IL | $2,866 to $3,719 |
| Chicago, IL | Baltimore, MD | $2,694 to $3,441 |
| Baltimore, MD | Orlando, FL | $2,676 to $3,455 |
Offers Discounts For Many Groups & Organizations
Property Insurance and Protection
Included (Standard) Coverage is the mandatory minimum coverage required of all carriers that pay sixty cents (.60) per pound per item.
Full Replacement Value Protection (FRVP): This is extra coverage available for purchase that equates to $6.00 per pound per item. Items of particularly high value must be listed in their form called Items of Extraordinary Value Inventory.
Customer Reviews & Feedback
They have a location in West Warwick, Rhode Island that has 64 reviews on Google with an overall rating of 3.8 of 5. Most of the negative feedback was related to items that were carelessly loaded and resulted in significant damage to the customer’s belongings.
Their only agent in Michigan, Changing Places Moving, has over 40 reviews on Google with an overall rating of 4.5 of 5. That had pretty good feedback with many customers that found the moving staff to be friendly and professional. A couple of posters complained of some damage to furniture that occurred during loading.
Arpin has a much lower overall rating of 1.5 out of 5 on Yelp. Many disgruntled customers stated that their belongings were damaged as a result of carelessness in the loading and unloading process. Some individuals accused the movers of changing the inventory sheet notes to appear as the items were partially damaged when they were originally loaded at the origin of the move. Most of these negative reviews were two or more years old and, in most cases, a member of the company management responded to these comments in an attempt to amicably resolve the concerns.
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) has a headquarters location page for Arpin Group, Inc. that has them rated as A+ and has been an accredited business for more than 40 years. They had received zero complaints in the last year and a total of four over the prior three years. The majority of these complaints involved delays in arrival to pick up at the origin location or the final destination.
Should You Consider Arpin Van Lines for a Move?
Arpin has a fairly extensive network of local agents making them a good option for state-to-state moves. They also seem very adept in the international moving market and for relocating military members. The quality of the staff used for loading and unloading is often inconsistent.
We recommend gathering quotes from at least of two of Arpin’s competitors, including International Van Lines, so you can better compare costs and services.
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