​​​Q: Do I need to put down a deposit before the moving date?

No, Premier Van Lines International will not ask for a deposit before the moving date. In fact, you should be wary of any moving company asking for a deposit before any move begins. It can sometimes be hard to get back your money from other moving companies if something goes wrong or the move is canceled later.  Should you need to cancel, change your move date, or postpone, simply let us know at least a couple of days in advanced so that we can notify the movers and not come to your home unnecessarily.

Q: How do I get a survey?

As a courtesy, we offer free in surveys initially by phone and then in person.  Typically, the survey will take about 30 to 45 minutes to complete.  The surveyor will be able to provide an estimated cubic feet and weight.  Once the survey is complete, we will send you the results for your move.  In addition, we will provide a quote based on the results; however, this does not mean that this is how much you will be invoiced. If the survey is more than what you anticipated, you have the option of downsizing to reduce the overall cost or just take the entire lot. 

Q: How do I avoid a shocking invoice?

Premier Van Lines International's policy is to give you an all inclusive realistic quote.  We don't quote low just to get your business and then jack the price up later on.  One of the major complaints that we hear from people who have been burned previously by other companies is the amount of the final invoice.  The actual invoice is sometimes two if not three times more than the initial estimate and unfortunately, they had to pay on the spot for the excess.  This approach leads to increased instances of resentment toward the moving company in question and this is definitely a business practice that we do not care for nor implement.  In fact, we are very cognizant about your well being and will what we term, "intelligently" move your household goods and not blindly load everything up resulting in a shocking invoice.  If you state a budget that you want to adhere to, we will help you do so. It doesn't do you or us any good if you can't pay the bill.  Please click on our tab above entitled "Survey".  You will get a overview on we can do to avoid an invoice that is too expensive for your budget.

Q: Do I pay the movers directly on the moving day?

No, our company will bill you by e-mail, usually within one week of the pickup date.  If you are having the government or your company pay for the move, simply let our company know the contact information for the person(s) in charge of payment. For some large shipments, it’s often best for the customer to contract directly with the local agent for hourly loading help (and unloading help at the destination city); our company will advise you on this according to your moving needs and budget.

Q: How does this whole moving process work?

Please refer to our tab above entitled "Moving Process" which summarizes succinctly the manner and method of your move.

Q: What kind of equipment do you use to ship my stuff?

Again, please refer to our tab above entitled "Shipping Options" which highlights the different equipments used.

Q: What do I need to do before the moving date?

There are three main things to do after you pick out a moving date:  First, you should have a survey performed, either directly by a local agent, by phone, or by a list that you fill out. For small shipments (ex. 20 boxes, no furniture), it’s fine to simply tell us what boxes you have. For larger shipments, it’s best for a local estimator to come out and provide a weight and cubic foot estimate of your move. We will then quote you more accurately, based on what you intend to move. If the items you are moving exceed your budget, our company can also help you on downsizing the shipment to fit your budget, and still take what you need to your new address.

Second, once we know your budget and the survey results, our company will send you a Rate Confirmation, stating that a certain weight and/or cubic feet will cost a certain amount to move. Since the cost of the shipment is based on the weight or cubic feet, the estimate is non-binding. This means that if the pre-move estimate is for 1,000 lbs, and you later move 1,100 lbs, then you pay 110% of the estimate, because 1,100 lbs is 110% more than 1,000 lbs. This is why a pre-move survey is so important, in order to accurately estimate your moving costs before the moving date. You sign the Rate Confirmation, and then decide on purchasing moving insurance (below).

Third, all moving companies provide a default insurance of $0.60 / lb / item damaged or lost. Less than 10% of international moves have any notable amount of damage. However, damage can sometimes happen, so if the customer has the resources, they should consider purchasing optional moving insurance. Full-coverage moving insurance is generally $324.00 for every 1,000 lbs estimated before the moving date, and will cover $8,000 worth of replacement value.

Q: What is the typical transit time to my destination?

It depends on what state (or country) you are moving from and to. For moves to Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico, the typical transit time is 4-7 weeks. If you are in California and are moving to Hawaii, the transit time may only be 2-4 weeks total. However, if you are in Florida and are moving to Alaska, the transit time may be 5-7 weeks, due to the long distance of trucking the shipment. For Australia, the transit times are generally 8-15 weeks total.

Q. Do you ship vehicles and motorcycles?

Yes, we do. You can either drop the vehicle off at the designated port or you can have Premier Van Lines International pick it up directly at your residence.  Please anticipate additional trucking fees if you decide the latter.  Shipping cars to Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico and back to the USA is relatively easy as we only need a copy of your registration and the date that you would like to ship. It doesn't matter if you still owe money on it, we can still ship it the areas mentioned above.  If you need someone else to pick up the vehicle at the port other than you or if your name is not on the registration, that is not a problem.  Simply have your ID and booking number and you should have no problems picking up the vehicle at port.  They just need to verify that the person picking up the vehicle is indeed, authorized.  Premier Van Lines will preemptively consign the vehicle to whom ever you authorize for pick up irregardless of name on registration.  Car shipping to other countries are another matter.  There will be specific steps that you will need to follow depending on the country that you are moving to.  Please do not ship your car without getting approval from customs and from Premier Van Lines less you incur severe penalties not to exclude fines or jail time.

Q: Are there any ‘hidden fees’ in my move?

Generally, as long as you move exactly what is on the survey, the invoice will come out to within 5% of the estimated price before the moving date. For example, if you have a bit less than 1,000 lbs, and were quoted at a 1,000 lb minimum for $2,300.00, then your bill will be exactly the same as the 1000 lb minimum, which would be $2,300.00. If someone has a very small shipment, our company may quote by 100 cubic feet (minimum) instead of weight.

Sometimes at the origin or destination, there may be some fees from the local agent that may (or may not) be passed on to the customer. These include: shuttle charges (your residence is in a crowded area and the larger truck or container cannot park next to the residence or storage unit); long-carry, stairs, elevator, forklifting of very heavy objects such as safes, tool chests, etc. Most of the time, accessory charges are very small and will be absorbed by our company. Sometimes the customer does have to pay for some additional charges, that are not the accessory charges mentioned above. These other costs are usually container charges from the port, if the customer is not ready to move into their residence within 10 days of the container arriving at the destination state or province. A detailed explanation of the potential extra charges are given to all customers before the moving date.

For destinations like Australia, there are customs charges that usually range from $250-600. Sometimes there are also inspection / quarantine charges that also generally range from $220-600. There are sometimes container inspections for Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico, but there is no charge for the inspection to these destinations.

Q: Does your company allow COD (Collect On Delivery) payments? 

Generally, no we do not. As mentioned above, if your company or the government is paying for your move, then often a Purchase Order is all we need to deliver the shipment before payment is made to us. Payments made directly by the customer are usually made within one week of the invoice being sent, which is usually within one week of pickup (in other words, payment is made 1-2 weeks after the pickup date).  COD’s are a form of payment made for interstate moves within the lower 48 states; they generally do not apply to international moves, which include Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico.

Q: What if I can’t find a residence ready by the time my shipment arrives?
 
Normally, it takes about one week from the day the shipment arrives at your destination city (or within 50 miles of it), and the delivery agent contacting you. The delivery agent will generally (but not always) hold the shipment another week before putting it into storage. So, you often have around two weeks to find a residence from the day it arrives at the delivery agent’s warehouse until they start charging storage. The important thing to remember is that you have already paid our company for delivery charges, so you just have to decide on storage with the delivery agent, or putting the shipment into a self-storage unit.

If you think that you can find a residence within the next month or two, it’s best to keep the shipment at the delivery agent’s warehouse, because as mentioned above, delivery is already paid for, and so you just pay the delivery agent handling and storage charges only. If you need longer-term storage for several months, or more than a year, a self-storage facility is cheaper to rent monthly than the delivery agent’s warehouse. However, once the shipment is delivered to the self-storage unit, you’d have to arrange another delivery later. At this point, you could of course choose U-Haul or Budget trucks yourself instead of a formal delivery. If you have purchased moving insurance, and have to go into storage, please ask for an extension of your insurance until the delivery date. Moving insurance is only good for ‘formal’ deliveries with inventory sheets checked off by moving company employees, and would be voided if you delivered the shipment yourself out of a self-storage unit.

Q. I am moving from a different climate than where I am now living.  How will this affect my furniture?

This is a good question. Wood furniture is very porous. If you are moving from a dry climate such as Arizona, Utah, Nevada and similar climates, your furniture is probably absent of moisture.  Once your furniture arrives to a more humid country it will absorb moisture due to the humidity in your new location. It may cause some of your furniture to expand causing it to warp or crack.  The same holds true if you are moving from a humid climate to a dry climate. Your furniture will now dry out and cause cracks and warping to occur. This is something that insurance will not cover due to the inherent nature of this problem.

Q. Can my car be shipped in the same container with my household goods?

Yes and No. If you choose to put your vehicle into a container with your household goods the ocean carriers, different carries have different rules. Some ocean lines will allow cars if they are loaded at the port but not at an inland point. Some will allow cars but have an additional fee. Also, US Customs have very specific rules that must be followed before a vehicle is exported. Not following US Customs rules have severe penalties including fines and even jail time. Do not attempt to load your vehicle without our knowledge. You will be penalized for this.

Q. Do you deliver my things into my residence?

Our full service pricing includes delivery into your residence. Our base price includes delivery to the ground floor entrance. Once inside the residence there is no extra charge for second floors or basements (except for pianos). If you move into a residence or apartment where there are more than 7 steps outside the residence, elevator or excess distance over 75 feet , there may be an extra charge. Our international  Move Coordinator can explain this to you. Caution: We see that many of the internet movers do not include delivery into your residence.

Q. Do you include packing of my boxes?

Our full service prices includes all the services needed to move you. It includes packing of all boxes, padding and wrapping of furniture, and loading of the lift vans or containers.  It also includes shipping to your new country, delivering into your residence, setting up of all items that we disassembled initially and unpacking of boxes as requested.

Q. How does your website differ from most of the ones I see on Google, Yahoo and other search engines?

If you ask for a quote online, you will often get multiple quotes from many different moving companies, some with better reputations than others. Remember that the lowest quote isn't necessarily the best quote: you are moving your cherished possessions with a company you found online, and the quality of long-distance moves can vary dramatically. Check out all moving companies you get quotes from --- go to their website, read their reviews, and then compare them to our company's pricing and reputation.

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Premier Van Lines International is a licensed moving company with Headquarters in El Cajon, California. We are fully licensed by the Federal Maritime Commission and the US Department of Transportation. We have a network of licensed and bonded local moving companies/agents throughout the United States and most countries throughout the world.  We do hundreds of moves every year to many countries for people like you.  We provide you all the information you need to make an informed decision on your move. We are committed to providing you the best service possible at a fair price.

FMC #: 024223 * US DOT #: 3662762 - MC #: 01266993 * FF (Freight Forwarder) #: 049742 * CA Corp #: C3849674 * NVOCC (Non-Vessel Ocean Common Carrier) #: 019297NF * SCAC: PVLL; PV09 * Insurance #: GSC0602872 * Bond #: SC400130

Frequently asked questions and their answers