As a follow up to my review below I recently discussed my experience with Montana Transfer with Jarrett, the manager. He indicated that he was not aware of the lead guy showing up for the move with an injured ankle nor was he informed that they did not finish assembling the piano. Jarrett was very apologetic and we were able to agree on a reduced charge for the moved that was mutually amicable. Thus I have change my overall review from 1 star to 3 stars.... FIRST REVIEW We used Montana Transfer to move our household furnishings, etc. 45 miles to Hamilton Montana. We set the move up for them to be at our house by 8 am and they arrived at 9:45am. The very first thing out of the main guy's mouth was that he would not be able to do the job in one day. I told him that was not an option, and that when we initially talked to his office they said it was a one day job. He also showed up with an injured ankle and spent most of his time either slowly limping around or resting his ankle in the cab of his truck or sitting on its foot step. What company would send out an injured employee to a job lianyway!!! It is too bad because the three young men with him were fantastic... hard workers with a positive attitude. Every time we tried to interject anything the main guy would say that he had 20 yrs in the business, and for us pretty much to stay in our own lane. We also set up with the main office for them to put the legs in our Baby Grand Piano. The guy with 20 years experience in moving and assembling pianos came without the proper tools to do the job... could not tightened the bolts on the legs to the piano. Then he tries to say that in his 20 years in the business he had never come across a piano like ours. This, by the way, was the 3rd time we moved with this piano with not one hiccup....And to finish the job he said we would have to have another crew come out the next day to tighten everything....at an additional charge of course. What person does not have for God's sake a simple standard 3/8 inch Allen wrench in his tool kit? Especially one with 20 years experience!!! Too bad because his helpers were super, but he turned out to be dead weight and the 3 guys had to do their job plus his. read more

Total disaster. Do not use these people. Delivery window was 9/7/21 to 9/16/21. On 9/3 they sad the truck would arrive 9/13 and tried to get me to pay a charge bassicly 1.5 times the estimate. Payment wasn't due until arrival. Jarret told me he was trying to get in touch with the driver so I could witness the load being weighed. Then on 9/10, the day of our closing in VT, Jarrett told us for the first time there was no driver, our stuff wasn't arriving on the 13th and in fact was still in their warehouse in Missoula where it sits today, 9/22. Nothing they told us from 9/3 until 9/10 was consistent with what was really happening. I am 70 years old. My wife is disabled. We chose "professional movers" because we felt this move would be more than we could handle. What we found was anything but professionalism. Renting a uhaul would have been way easier and cheaper than dealing these folks. read more

Note: we had our furniture crated for a cross-country move so it would arrive in less time than being placed into a large moving truck. The Good: Movers showed up on time. All boxes accounted for. The Bad: 1) Although 2 employees were notified that we needed 3 items disassembled, movers didn't have a screwdriver or tool kit with them. They said they'd do it when they crated everything back at MT Transfer & Storage, but didn't. 2) Several large pieces (bedroom dresser & chest, TV cabinet (with electronics boxed & stored inside) were placed on their sides in the crate (it was obvious looking at how the contents shifted). 3) Many items damaged: large gouges into wood furniture; couch back seams frayed; one side of a desk was pulled off (because it was not taken apart); 7" shard of glass broken off from full length mirror; plus many minor scratches & nicks. We're in our 70s & 80s so were not up to driving a Uhaul 2400 miles, towing a car behind, but this would have been a better alternative. read more

Do NOT use this company. Their people are very unprofessional. They don't care very well for your belongings. They damaged a lot of our items. They lost several items. One being a table leaf to a custom made dining room table. They didn't wrap my items which I was told they would. Some of my items showed up dirty. I could go on and on about how bad this move was for us and it was costly to say the least. The only thing I can tell you is if you do hire them make SURE you buy the highest amount of insurance coverage for your items cause you will need it. And get everything itemized in writing with them as well, Don't take their word or their employees word at all. read more

Called a little before they arrived, arrived during the stated timeframe, delivered the furniture we'd ordered from another company in good order, undamaged. But. There were two movers. I asked if they would mask. "No, we don't have masks." I asked if they'd wear masks if I provided them. "No, does it make a difference?" "Yes, it does. I'm immunocompromised and am having major surgery in a couple of weeks." Then, the tall one--who'd been doing all the talking said, "Well, why did you order a furniture delivery?" And that smart a-- answer is the problem. [The furniture was ordered 8/21 for delivery by 9/15, before surgery was even in the picture; it was delayed by the shipper, not these folks.] Inexcusable. Unprofessional. Rude. Uncalled for. They made other inappropriate comments and engaged in other questionable behavior. read more

Our driver left with our stuff in Montana, even though he could not fit it all in his truck on initial pickup. The driver was then stopped near St Louis and forced to remove a portion of our load and leave it with another carrier. We had to call this random carrier ourselves only to find out that the Local Rep in Montana had yet to find a company to get it to Jacksonville. The communication was very poor and they local shop in Missoula - MT Transfer Co - did not contact us for 2 more days after this happened. They continued to not be proactive and we had to call them daily to get updates about our delivery. It arrived 2 weeks after our initial delivery, the items were not in great condition and the North American crew did not rebuild some items they broke down in MT and said they would rebuild. There were also a couple broken items. After the local company from St Louis got our goods to Jacksonville, MT Transfer Co never even called to see how it went. In fact, they never provided any update on the 2nd part of the delivery or anything. Extremely poor communication. The sales rep we were working with promised us he was speaking to corporate about getting a refund/compensation for our troubles, but he never even tried to call us back. I called the office in MT after the final delivery was made, and the front office lady, who was very curt and rude throughout this entire process, said the rep we had been dealing with would call me back. Still have never gotten that call to this day. This is why I am leaving this review. Also, the estimate turned out to be majorly under and the driver told us the rep who visited told the driver we would be eliminating everything in our storage unit, which was not true. So it ended up costing $1300 more than the estimate. Just pure unprofessionalism all around. Extremely disappointed and costly. read more

I moved from Missoula area to Spokane and I have never experienced a worst move. The packing and loading was total chaos, the inventory sheet was not explained to me, the size of the needed truck was miscalculated, so another truck had to be brought up the next day. I had to leave for Spokane, trusting everything would be loaded and arrive safely. NOT! It took 3 weeks to receive the contents of the second truck. I realized some things like a cedar storage bench and expensive trellis were left behind. I drove back to Msla to pick these up. A box containing a down comforter has never been found, and North American refuses to reimburse me for that. The did send a check for an end table that was destroyed and a folding table broken. Lots of scratches and dents. I'm planning to move back to MT, but will not use NAVL or Montana Transfer! read more

Look... If you're looking to talk about the latest indo-fusion tapas restaurant with your movers, these guys probably aren't for you. But if you need really experienced people to lift really heavy and awkward things, call them. I asked them to move a 800lbs safe out of my house and it was immediately obvious that calling them was a great idea. There are tactics to moving things like this. These guys were experienced and effective. Worth every penny. The Montana Transfer / North American guys are hard workers. Don't call them if you need someone to comfort your about your big move to a new city and that you're scared you might not make new friends. I'll absolutely call them if I need something serious moved. read more

The salesman (Marc) told me that our estimate was locked in, but he was off by almost $2000. He estimated that we had 7000 lbs and we had over 9000. He estimated it would take $850 to pack all of our things, and it cost over $1200. When I told the company that I thought I was locked in to my quote, they had me sign the paperwork and said to call corporate. Corporate was surprised that they said this, since signing the paperwork made it impossible to change and I was definitely responsible for the overage. They were to pack on Friday. They left at 3 on Friday, though we expected them to be there all day, saying they could finish on Monday when they came to load the truck. Their driver, Bob, was super rude and negative about how much was left to do on Monday morning. He also must not have been listening, because after I told him that none of the appliances went, he asked about each appliance individually. He also kept asking if they were packing ______(in every room), and I just reminded him we were paying for a full-service move. In the afternoon, Bob used the restroom and when he was finished, I found poop on my bathroom floor, smeared in front of the toilet. He had also sprayed a TON of my husband's body spray, so much so that I couldn't be in the house for over 3 hours because it was that strong. It was only out because it was aerosol and they couldn't pack it. Talk about disgusting. I had to leave the house at 4:30. I asked to sign the paperwork at 4:15. The paperwork was incorrect and Bob, though he'd been with the company 40 years, didn't know how to fix it. He also wouldn't let me leave without signing correct paperwork. He had me call the office, since apparently he didn't want to, and while I was on hold, Bob told me how he'd been passed up for promotion several times. I had him talk to the salesman to fix the paperwork since it's THEIR job and THEIR paperwork, but even after they hung up, Bob still couldn't fix it. I reluctantly signed and didn't get out of the house until after 5. Before I left, I reminded them of a few things that they needed to pack and when I got home that night, they had forgotten them. I had to take them into the office myself. They were unable to give me the actual cost of the move until Wednesday, and I was immediately livid. $2000 more than the quote and they told me I was responsible for it, even though I was sold a guaranteed quote. Turns out the salesman neglected to have me sign a form that is necessary for a locked in quote - something I figured out while speaking with corporate and that the office in Missoula has yet to accept responsibility for. Not only this, but we were told that the shipment wasn't leaving Missoula until Thursday the 22nd and would arrive the 27th or 29th. Their online tracking didn't have any information, and when I called, the new estimated arrival is the 31st. Now that I'm reading the other reviews, I'm wondering if that's even correct. Choose someone else. The estimate will be lower than the others, but that doesn't mean your cost will be lower. With all that went wrong, mistakes happen - I understand. But they made NO EFFORT to make it right, leaving me with poop on my floor and $2000 in extra cost. read more

My aunt passed away of old age here in Missoula and lived at the Villiage Senior Residences for a number of Years. Montana Transfer handled the packing and moving (during the Covid-19) lock-down. They showed up with mask and gloves, handled it all and had her stuff out and in our garage in no time flat. At no charge they even stopped and dropped a few pieces off at a Thrift Store for us. I highly recommend them. read more

I used Montana Transfer and North American to move family heirlooms from Ohio to Montana. I found the whole process easy and just as promised. This was a partial load and a little harder to coordinate. No problems whatsoever. The estimate was correct. The timing was correct. The driver for North American, Humberto Beltran, was the best. When the truck arrived here in MT, the staff sent from Montana Transfer to help unload was excellent. The staff at Montana Transfer helped make my cross country move a piece of cake. Thank you. Emily Heid read more

The movers were nice enough, the office arranged for people to come on wicked short notice for my move (thanks, military). But they really like to nickle and dime you with stupid crap like "origin" and "destination" fees. read more

Do not use this moving company. You literally cannot choose a worse business to give your money to. The only smooth part was getting a quote. After that, nothing went according to plan. It took several emails and many days to receive information about the actual pickup date. The pickup truck was late. It was also very difficult to receive an estimate of the delivery date. The worst problem was the dishonest billing. I was told that I was about 1,000 pounds under the estimate. I also waived the special insurance and should have seen about an extra $500 savings on the final bill. Instead, I was billed not only for the full estimated weight, I was also charged a $200 overage fee. I sent multiple emails over about a month, and received no response. I finally had to ask corporate to get involved. In the end, only a fraction of the overcharge was refunded to me. read more

These guys canceled on me five hours before my move. Then they told me to "lose the attitude" and hung up on me. I'm in disbelief. They are the WORST. read more

This company is aweful. They seem very professional at first but that is where it ends. They don't return calls. They give miss-information about delivery dates. Our driver turned out not to have a valid license! More broken and damaged items than any more we have made in 30 years. Definitely stay away read more

September 26, 2011 Mr. Thomas Northey President-Registered Agent MONTANA TRANSFER COMPANY North American Moving Services 209 Commerce Street Missoula, Montana Re: Unresolved Complaint - MONTANA TRANSFER CRUSHED OUR TABLE Dear Tom: In our August telephone conversation Re: #XXX you asked me to find someone to fix our dining room table damaged (due to "base loader error") in transit from our Montana home to Albuquerque. The damage (all legs broken off the base) was discovered on August 15th, when Vic unloaded the shipment here. (see enclosed photos). "They broke your dining room table," Vic told me. "They stood it on its legs and put lots of heavy things on top of it. I can't believe they'd do this! It had to be a Green Horn that loaded it. Only a Green Horn would be so stupid. --idiot! --I'll note "loader error" and fax it today. You'll hear from them in four or five days North American Van Line will pay for the repair or they'll replace the table cause it's loader error..." Letter goes on but the point is that MONTANA TRANSFER COMPANY did not keep its word to "pay for the repair" as promised by their employee that admitted it was the fault of MONTANA TRANSFER COMPANY that our furniture was destroyed after hiring you to safely move it for us. Albuquerque ex-customer Since this complaint was sent into you Tom you have refused to give me a fair settlement read more

Montana Transfer talked a good game when they were selling us their service. Once they picked up our stuff, we were dead to them, making our move incredibly stressful and frustrating. Every time we called to speak to the company rep. (Marc), he gave us excuses. Not once did any one say, "we're sorry for the delay and are working to fix the problem." Pretty basic stuff. Today, we finally got our stuff -- 3 weeks late. Even then, the driver was almost not able to unload because of a mistake Montana Transfer made in accounting for our payment. read more

Have just talked to Montana Transfer's rep changing our move date for the third time. ouch. Marc has been incredibly helpful in working around our schedule. His information up front is great in helping us do a lot of the packing before they arrive next week. Super appreciate the delivery of extra boxes weeks ahead of our pack up date. Looking forward to a great moving experience next week. Thank you Marc Peterson. read more

This is the most inept company I have worked with. Like the reviewer in July- Mark talked a good game but once they got our $12,000 + He nor anyone else cared whether we got our stuff or not. They blamed it on "North American" and gave a 1 800 number to get the run around from. Not only did they NOT come thru with their end of the contract, they provided terrible packing, spent more time taking breaks and talking than working, AND they forgot a load that a friend had to call and tell me that it was left.... Just do not use them.... read more

I have done several cross country moves with various moving companies, and this company is HANDS DOWN THE WORST MOVING COMPANY I HAVE EVER HAD THE DISPLEASURE TO DO BUSINESS WITH. After the initial estimate and signing process, everything was a nightmare. On the packing day, two movers showed up to pack when there were supposed to be four, claiming two people had called in sick. The following day, My actual load date, the movers arrived three hours late. And when they came into my house, the first words out of their mouth were, "we will never be able to finish this today...NO WAY." I replied that I was closing on my house the following day and that they had to finish. They eventually got everything packed and moved out at 8pm with a lot of complaining and calls to their boss in Missoula. The movers were, with one exception, all rude and unprofessional (one even mentioned that he had to go to a court date the following day). I waited over eight days after loading with not a word, and when I called (BECAUSE THEY NEVER CONTACTED ME FOR ANY REASON WHATSOEVER AND ALWAYS EXPECTED ME TO CALL THEM). When I spoke with a representative I've the phone, he claimed a truck had arrived in Montana fuller than anticipated, and only a portion of my goods could be loaded (this all would have been a mystery to me had a not called and insisted upon information). The rest, he claimed, would arrive "as soon as they could get another driver." When the first shipment arrived, nearly two weeks after my load date, only about 20% of my things made it. My bed was delivered without a crucial piece, and could not be assembled. My couch was delivered without legs. My kitchen and bathroom things were also non-existent. So basically this made my apartment uninhabitable, and I had to find alternate housing. I then waited another TWO-AND-A-HALF-WEEKS (and nearly a month after my load date), to receive the rest of my things. They called the second shipment an "overflow shipment," but when 80% of your things are being delivered I think that is a laughable misnomer. When my things finally did arrive, the missing bed part and couch legs were still missing. Countless additional items were missing as well, and a significant percentage of my items were not inventoried or marked. Further, the second driver revealed that when he was loading my "overflow shipment" the company in Montana did not even know what the first driver had taken because they made no record of it. I also noticed, as I was unpacking, that some of the pharmaceutical painkillers I had forgotten to set aside (from an old dental procedure), were missing as well. They were clearly stolen by the packers/movers in Montana (who I can only assume by their rudeness and incompetent packing and moving skills were drug users). This moving job was indeed so utterly incompetent that BOTH drivers at my destination were EMBARRASSED. Lastly, my car, which was moved by a third-party company contracted by this Missoula-based franchise, arrived at my destination damaged. The claim I filed was denied. The claim I filed two weeks ago on my bed is still unresolved. I plan to file more claims for all my missing items. Long story short, AVOID THIS COMPANY AT ALL COSTS. They are the worst of the worst, and the people they hire to pack and move your things can not be trusted. read more

Dealt with Marc who set up my move. After months of trying to leave MT my date was finally set. I had issue with my closing so I had to call and make last minute change which Marc assured me would be no problem. I was rescheduled for pick up two days later. On that date, I was told noone would be available. As if I were punished for my last minute change. Then my form stated a price for a large load for an estimate I was given that included furnisher I did not own. After that was 'corrected' I was still given a weight I know is incorrect. My daughter had just moved an entire house and her weight was the same. I only moved a bedroom set, sofa, chair and my personal belongings; she moved her home and belongings for her sefl and two kids. Go figure. My shipment was suppose to delive on or around the 10th of the month, it is the 23rd and I have not even gotten a call from anyone regarding my property. I BETTER NOT HAVE ANY DAMAGES as I carefully boxed my items as I take good care of my belongings. If you plan to move, go elsewhere, these people, especially Marc and rude Tom are not worth saving a few bucks. The truck driver was very nice. read more

We had an excellent experience with Montana Transfer. Our move was from rural Montana to rural Wyoming, a distance of about 700 miles. Everything about the process from getting an estimate to delivery of our things was very organized. The movers were very prompt and did everything they could to make the move as easy as possible. I would highly recommend hiring Montana Transfer to help with your move. read more