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Berger/Allied Van Lines Inc

In-State Moving Service, Out-of-State Moving Service, Waste, Junk, Building Materials and Debris Removal and Hauling,

About us

Since the early 20th century, we've been helping people and businesses move into, away from, and to different parts of Chicago. Here at Berger, we feel that a big part of our success stems from the fact that in addition to treating each of our customers like our most important account, is that we provide so many different services, which include Transportation, Storage, & Relocation. DBA: Berger Transfer & Storage Inc Additional email - [email protected].

Business highlights

71 years of experience

Services we offer

Hauling. Moving. Storage Facilities.

Amenities

Free Estimates

Yes

Reviews
4.229 Reviews
Number of StarsImage of DistributionNumber of Ratings
5
66%
4
10%
3
10%
2
3%
1
10%
Showing 1-25 of 29 reviews
Monice K.
Apr 2017
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
It was an excellent experience from start to finish! We interviewed 10 other moving companies before choosing them. They were honest with me regarding the most economical time to move, so we got a great price. They had excellent movers and drivers. They were conscientious, were on time, had supplies, and were great all around. We have already recommended them to others.

Jon A.
Nov 2016
3.0
$13,000
Showed up 3 hours late and 2 men short. Packed until 11pm at which point they just wanted to finish and we're throwing things in truck. Many things had minor damage and scratches.

Gilbert T.
Jan 2015
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
unknown

Patrick M.
Dec 2014
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$2,000
I packed, they just picked up and moved.

Myron G.
Jul 2014
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$8,500

As this was my first use of professional movers in 30 years, and having read the nightmare experiences on the Internet of many who hired movers, I was concerned about the upcoming experience. I contacted over 6 companies for information, and solicited 3 formal estimates from the 3 companies that would visit my home to establish the cost. In short, I chose Allied. I was completely satisfied by the services they provided, by the cost, by their personal and professional interactions with my wife and me, and the care with which they handled our possessions. We were very impressed by the lack of damage to our household goods given the long distance move.

The Allied agent, Heidrun Balzared-Lennon, was by far the easiest of the 3 company agents to talk to, the most helpful with regard to advice on what I could pack myself and where Allied should be used, and amazingly available throughout the 2-3 weeks leading up to the pickup and ultimate delivery of our possessions. The two office representatives she identified as additional contacts (Laura and Deseree) were also amazingly available, courteous, and professional when I dealt with them. Allied was also the least cost of the 3 companies interviewed.

My wife and I packed about 80% of our household goods. Several days before the actual move, a young man came to our home to pack the remaining fragile items. He was punctual and extremely industrious. He worked quietly and unobtrusively from the moment he arrived until all was packed, several hours later.

On the day of the pickup, the driver Emillo Varela and 3 or 4 assistants arrived at our home, again punctual. They professionally wrapped furniture that required protection, and loaded the truck with all the goods.. Once again, their professionalism was exceptional. There was no damage to the home I was leaving (walls, doorways, floors, etc) or to the furniture. I was very pleased by how quickly and carefully they accomplished their task.

My wife and I planned to not be present upon delivery of the goods in Austin. We had a relative take on that task. Emillo kept us informed of his travel progress and prior to the morning of delivery, he called to make sure someone would be present to accept the goods. They arrived at the Austin home at the day and time promised and unloaded our household goods, placing the boxes and furniture in the rooms identified.

We have now been in our new home for about two months. Over 95% of the boxes are unpacked and the furniture is in place. We are very satisfied with the condition of the moved goods: the fragile goods packed by Allied, the goods we packed, and the large furniture moved.

In retrospect, our experience was completely satisfactory, in spite of the anxiety I had early on. I attribute this to the professionalism of the key personal named above, and their industrious and sensitive assistants.






Larry L.
Jun 2014
1.0
Contact was initiated Friday afternoon 6/20/14.  Received a telephone acknowledgment from Allied that Berger would be in contact with me on Monday 6/23.  Called Berger on Monday afternoon 6/23 after waiting until 4PM for phone call,  Got put into voice mail where I explained my concern over lack of follow up.  No contact.  On Wednesday 6/25, sent an email to Berger expressing my dissatisfaction and letting them know that I thought Angies List would be the recipient of a review.  Finally received a phone call Wednesday afternoon 6/27.  Appointment for estimate was set up for Friday 6/27at noon.
On Friday 6/27, a message was left on our voice mail by the estimator saying one of her appointments cancelled and she would be at our home at 10:00AM.  However, we had already left the house for another morning appointment.  She left another voice mail at 9:40 AM saying she would call us later.  At 11:30AM, we returned home and retrieved our voice mails.  I then called the estimator and left a message requesting that she call back.  At 4:30 PM, I called her again, leaving another message, letting her know how dissatisfied I was with her lack of response.
This morning (Monday 6/30), at 7:50AM the estimator emailed me with what I considered to be a condescending response with the "explanation" that she never received my messages.  Even if that is true, she still had an obligation to follow up on her missed appointment.  I responded to her e-mail suggesting that, if the Company was interested in doing business with me, she might do best to forward my email to "someone who cares."
It is now 4PM on Monday 6/30 and no one from the Company has contacted me.  My patience is used up.


Laura L.
May 2014
2.0
$4,245
We hired Berger, a company that is an affiliate of Allied Van Lines, to conduct our move out of state.  An agent provided us with an estimate to move our furniture and belongings to our home in Wisconsin.  Given that some of the furniture were antiques, we were strongly encouraged to take an extra insurance policy to protect these valuables for an extra $589.00.  They arrived for the pick up on a timely basis, but did not take any precautions as promised to protect our floors/walls/stair rails, etc.  Upon arrival at our new home, Berger/Allied told us that they would be unable to deliver our furniture to our home because of the poor weather conditions.  The movers were made aware of the long, gravel driveway at our new home, and the person who was in charge on moving day assured us it would not be a problem.  However, the since they use a large semi-truck, they refused to bring our items to our home.  We were told that they would put our furniture/belongings in their city warehouse at an additional 300-400 rental cost and we could probably get it moved in another month for an additional $1000.  We chose instead a local storage facility (close to our new home), and rented two units, one inside down a short hall and the other directly accessible from the outside. 
They moved all of our belongings to the one outdoor accessible unit.  It was bitter cold, and they did not unwrap or allow inspection of the belongings.  Antiques and other furniture was stacked like kindling on top of each other to the roof.  The next week when we had another local mover move our items to our home, we immediately became aware of serious damage to multiple items, including ones listed on the insurance list.  Berger/Allied refused to provide us with any assistance or to honor the insurance policy they pushed on us.  It was a truly terrible experience and a costly mistake.



Ryan C.
Feb 2014
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$2,500
.

Karl W.
Oct 2013
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$3,200
Berger, as agent for Allied Van Lines, estimated our move from Hoffman Estates, IL to Baileys Harbor, WI. We got bids from several moving companies that do interstate moves. We were amazed at the spread in bids. Berger/Allied was the lowest and accomodated our need to reestimate our bid since we decided to move some of our possessions ( including dozens of boxes of books) ourselves in advance using my own trailer. Berger/Allied staff were helpful, provided free wardrobe boxes that I picked up at their warehouse in Addison, and kept our move on schedule. Pickup was to be October 14 and delivery window was October 15-19. Before the date, Berger called us and provided driver name and arrival time for loading, and indicated that they were using a straight truck and we were the only load on it. Nice! We paid by credit card three days in advance of the move. That morning of Oct 15th, John the driver called and confirmed he was coming on time. His crew wrapped and taped everything in blankets as if going 2,500 miles for the 250 mile trip to WI. Clearly they worked very hard and knew what they were doing. We discussed delivery, and agreed with the delivery time of noon the next day. John was on time and arrived at noon on the 15th. He and his crew were very careful with everything. One slight mishap with an inexpensive particle board bookcase, when one shelf broke a bit when picked up and moved -- we agreed it was insignificant and repairable by myself. We had several very heavy pieces including dressers, large wall units, sofabed, and a piano -- all moved flawlessly and placed in our new home. A nice tip was provided the driver for the crew. All staff and crew were professional, helpful, including the estimator Heidrun, coordinator Adrienne, and driver John. We would recommend Berger/Allied.

Patricia B.
Aug 2013
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$7,000
They did a very good job. I was very impressed with them. They were very careful and expert packers.

Edward W.
Jul 2013
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$16,000
The company bent over for our needs. Our closing date in Illinois changed (3) times and our coordinater at Berger did a fantastic job meeting the changes and scheduling. The packers did a good job and packed our entire house on an 11 hour day. The next day the truck arrived on time and was loaded by mid afternoon. The drivers were very accomodating, leaving vacuums to the very end allowing us to do a final cleaning before their departure.
In Texas, our closing was delayed a day and a half. Our coordinator and drivers altered their schedules to help us out. We did not want to offload to storage for a couple of days. The drivers began unloading at 2:30 in the afternoon and completed the entire household by 7:30 PM. They worked very hard, very knowledgeble, experience (that showed) and were very personable.
Overall, our experience was very good and I would definately recommend Berger Allied to anyone making a move short or long distance.

Jerrod H.
Apr 2013
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$5,500
Theirs was a binding quote so our price didn't go up or the price didn't change, it's just what they quoted us. It was great, Allied called me and gave me the quote, I also asked some questions. They are very professional, they came in, unloaded our stuff, it had taken them 4 hours to do our house which is super quick in my mind. In that 4 hours, 8 men came in, loaded the truck out and 5 days later our stuff was delivered. They had given 5 to 11 day window after pick up for delivery and they were there as they said, it was great.

Laura O.
Oct 2012
4.0
$3,900
Didn't bring a big enough truck causing us to leave things.

Karen C.
Mar 2012
1.0
$3,600
Do not hire them. The quality of their work was not good. They were not professional or responsive.

Linda O.
Mar 2012
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$3,082
Having had bad experiences with other movers, I was not hopeful about the original move to Louisville. But a friend recommended Allied so we tried them. Berger is their agent. Wow! what a different experience. Punctual, professional, courteous and careful. Can't say enough good things about them. They even got a specialist to crate my plasma tv. Nothing was broken or damaged. We have now used Berger for 3 moves and every one has been uneventful which is a good thing.

Sonja N.
Feb 2012
3.0
$5,300
They picked up in Calumet City on 2/6 and delivered to Fresno on 2/13. The actual representative who came to the house to give the quote, Brian Weiner, was horrible. Everything went well at that time, but what I found out on the day of the move was that many of the things he said to me was not true and it made everything chaotic. Carlos and his team who showed up for the move were wonderful. Brian walked the house and counted all of the belongings and explained how items were going to be packed. When Carlos and his crew got there, many of the things were not accounted for such as packing of mirrors and other boxes. In the contract is says PBO (Paid by owner). I thought this meant it was already in the bill as Brian had said, but it was additional costs after the estimate. The total cost went from $4,578 to $5,300. We spent a lot of time when Brian came to the house to make sure we went over everything, asked all the right questions, and covered all of the details. He was not honest about all of the costs and the final quote. Once Carlos got there, I was very upset. He was very accomodating and took control. They took care of everything and was able to faciliate what we needed. Carlos was the person who delivered and was just as great when he arrived. He was the saving grace of the whole experience.
Response from Berger/Allied Van Lines Inc

"After reviewing our records I can see that she has not contacted our office regarding her complaint in order for us to discuss and resolve the issues she is having. If this is something that she would like to do, she may contact our customer service department at 800-470-2851 or [email protected]. The contract that she and her husband signed is for the total charges to be based on the actual weight of the shipment and the actual services preformed. As stated in her original estimate the items that the driver packed were marked as PBO (Packed by Owner). If they needed to be carrier packed prior to loading, there would be an additional charge. In addition, the weight of the shipment increased from the estimate by less than 8%. This resulted in additional charges as well. Car D. Customer, Supervisor"


Marsha U.
Feb 2012
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$4,000
They were great. We really, really liked them. They were really fast. They were really nice. They were really clean. They didn't break anything. They were good all the way around.

Mary H.
Feb 2012
4.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
I used them to move home in November. Their service was really good.

Richard S.
Jan 2012
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
They were on time and we didn't have any damage! We would recommend and use them again! They were very professional, kept to their schedule, and made the move easier.

Angel V.
Sep 2011
1.0
$2,900
My experience with Pete Callan was awesome. He called back when he said he would and he brought extra boxes and paper to use if necessary. He was with me every step of the way. I received a call to remind me that the movers were coming. They showed up 5 minutes early. The crew was respectful and polite. They were very concerned with how they removed things from my house. They were meticulous about how they did things. They systematically put things in the truck and explained everything to me. I was able to get last minute things done while they were working. When they arrived in St. Louis, they called me to let me know they were there. They contacted the storage facility so that they could unload my items. The only negative was that they didn't follow my directions to put certain things in front for easy access that I had marked with stickers.

UPDATE 11/21/11

Late October I went to pick up my furniture with another moving company from the storage facility. Much to my surprise I had many broken items. The furniture was broken, and boxes were crushed. There was no care when placing my personal belongings in the storage facility. I had a laptop box that was completely crushed and there were 5 boxes on my brand new printer which was in a box clearly labeled fragile. There were also missing boxes. I left messages and no one returned my calls. After my fourth phone call someone emailed me a claim form. The claim forms are not user friendly and make it very difficult to make a claim and I can't make a claim on missing boxes. After my experience and knowing what I know now I would not use them again.

Marilyn S.
Jun 2011
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$3,500
I moved from Houston. I had a great experience with them. They did everything that they were supposed to do and showed up when they were supposed to show up. I did the packing. They loaded up everything for me and nothing was lost or broken. Their price was good. I would use them again in the future if need be.

Phyllis S.
Jun 2011
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
They were very responsive. We always had a contact to speak to. They handled the move very well.

Katie F.
May 2011
3.0
$1,600

The move was horrible. I called them and they gave an estimate. They were supposed to pack my apartment and also move me. I called them a week before to tell them to pack a night before moving because the moving period to the new apartment was between 1pm and 4pm. They came with only three movers. They should have probably used four movers. I didn’t arrive at my new apartment until 5:30. The movers were fine it was not their fault; it was managements fault. I’m now getting fined for not getting here during that time period. So it wasn’t a good experience. Their price was a good deal. They did a good job but they didn’t do the work on time. They arrived on time. I would definitely not use them in the future.


Anita A.
Mar 2011
1.0
$4,000
Initially we thought things were going well, as they were very nice to us during the pre-contract days. However, we received complaints from our storage company that the movers were in and out of our unit (actually leaving the premises) many more times than they should have been. When 'our delivery truck' arrived at our new home - the nightmare began. The truck drive spoke no English - it was impossible to communicate with the crew on placement of boxes, etc. We did not receive many of our things - asked to help look for them, found that the truck was also packed with other client's furniture, etc., it was impossible to look for our things. We filed a claim with the company and received a whopping $73 to cover our losses of several thousands of dollars in antiques and personal belongings. The company is irresponsible, does not exercise due diligence, they contracts movers that are not qualified, then take no responsibility for their failures.

Steve M.
Jan 2011
4.0
$14,000
There was some damage done to our table and I had to go through a lot of problems just to get it all settled. Although there was so damage done to any of the other furniture. The driver was very good, on time, and professional. The price was on the heavier side.
Showing 1-25 of 29

Licensing

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FAQ

Berger/Allied Van Lines Inc is currently rated 4.2 overall out of 5.
Yes, Berger/Allied Van Lines Inc offers free project estimates.
No, Berger/Allied Van Lines Inc does not offer eco-friendly accreditations.
No, Berger/Allied Van Lines Inc does not offer a senior discount.
No, Berger/Allied Van Lines Inc does not offer emergency services.
No, Berger/Allied Van Lines Inc does not offer warranties.

Contact Information

1515 W Fullerton, Addison, IL 60101

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