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Rainier Overseas Movers, Inc.

7003 132nd Pl SE
#200
Newcastle, WA 98059-3151
(425)277-6000

Views: 1687
DOT License Number: #009364N
www.rainieros.com
This company performs international moves.

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Reviews for Rainier Overseas Movers, Inc.

Clarence O.

09/29/16

Hi folks, a quick (maybe) review on my overseas movement of our household goods from Minot, ND to Leyte, Philippine. I spent allot of hours on the Internet looking a reviews and just general "what to do" type articles. I started the process in the Philippines while we were building our house. Those three companies I asked for quotes never got back to me. So when I got back to ND, those three didn't get a second chance. This time I chose Rainier Overseas Movers Inc, United Van Lines, and Mayflower. Rainier (David Wiviott) got back to me in less than 24 hours, United in 48 hours, and Mayflower never emailed me back but wanted to talk on the phone (which I almost never carry on me unless I'm outside the house). Rainier had their contact in Minot come out and did a site survey and sent the results back to Rainier and I got my quote back before United's representatives showed up for their survey. It took another week for United to come back with their quote which included a lot of add-on charges to be determined later. Rainier's quote was all inclusive with the normal exception of customs inspections at overseas port and any customs duties and taxes that had to be paid. I chose Rainier. The day before the actual loading day, the local movers arrived and pre-arraigned several boxes (I had already packed about 90% of my stuff.) On loading day, these guys were great. Loaded a 20ft ocean container in 4 hours. Of most important to us was a very large grandfather clock. They packed and loaded it so well that it survived the journey unscathed. In the Philippines, Rainier's agent had already gotten a hold of us, determined our entry status (duty/tax exempt), told us what they would need to get the clearance and kept us informed of the date of arrival. Basically, once I chose Rainier, all I had to worry about was personal travel. Their exceptional contact agents worked their magic and my stuff was delivered undamaged. I was particularly worried about customs in the Philippines, but Rainier's agent (Goetz Moving) handled the entire customs maze. If youâ€™re moving overseas I would not give Rainier a second thought, I would use them again in a heartbeat. And oh BTW: as a retired military, I've moved overseas 5 times. This was the smoothest and worry free.

Barbara C.

07/09/15

I couldn't be more pleased to write a wonderful review for Rainier Overseas Movers Inc.
After contacting several companies online, I decided to use Rainier Overseas Movers for my move from North Carolina (USA) to France. I couldn't have made a better decision. Everything was taken care of in an excellent way.
I have been directly in contact with David Wiviott, the relocation manager, who took care of every single detail (the documents necessary for my move and the logistics) in such an efficient and professional way, that everything took so little time to organize.
David has been always so kind and well prepared to answer every single questions I had, and his answers were always very clear and extremely satisfactory.
I also want to thank the moving agent and crew (Excel Moving and Storage), who were just excellent, and the european relocation manager Jennifer Sloan. Jennifer gave me all the details for my relocation in Europe, had kept me constantly updated of the location of the container during the shipment, and organized the delivery of my items in such a way that everything went very smoothly. She has been just wonderful!
And finally I want to thank Mr Charpentier, the moving crew manager in France, who in addition to do a wonderful job moving our furniture, was even so kind to even pick us up at the train station to drive us home!
In summary I recomment Rainier Overseas Movers Inc to anyone who would need to relocate internationally.

Brandon R.

04/20/16

We recently completed our move from Boston to Brisbane, Australia using Rainier Overseas. Before selecting Rainier, we did a tremendous amount of research, from reviews to quotes, looking for the right balance between price and service. We were impressed with Rainier's reviews. And while there were other companies with slightly cheaper quotes, we felt like Mark Lawson was being straight with us-- something the others lacked. Mark's quote was from door-to-door, while others would do door-to-port, or exclude various costs from their quotes, etc. From the moment we made the selection, Mark was very quick to respond to any questions, always professional and helpful. Our shipment took one week longer to arrive than projected, but certainly within the range Mark had provided. There were no surprise fees, and they honored the quotes we discussed. From a service standpoint, the moving crews on both ends were excellent. They carefully packed all of our furniture, glassware, etc. and we were pleased that nothing was damaged upon delivery. There is no question that if I were to do everything over again, I would select Rainier again. Very impressed!

imove a.

02/05/16

I worked with Rainier and Gentle Giant to move my worldly goods from PA to France. Gentle Giant did the actual packing and loading of the container from my home in PA and Rainier did all the actual container shipping and coordination to get everything to France. Both parties were excellent. I worked with Doug Wiviott at Rainier and he knows the process backwards and was extremely helpful with all the paperwork, getting us a preliminary quote, organizing a survey, explaining the process, working with our tight dates, and staying in contact throughout the process. Rainier do not use their own crews for packing /pick up and unpacking /delivery so it is very important you know who they are going to use at each end and check out their quality but the crews they work with in Philly are excellent. Pick-up and delivery were on time, all communication and coordination with the various affiliates and links in the delivery chain. went very smoothly. I received prompt, courteous service from my initial inquiry through post-delivery follow-up.

Almost all our goods arrived in good shape. Our goods included a baby-grand piano that required special handling and crating and the woodwork did get some minor damage during the move (grand pianos are incredibly heavy and an absolute bear to move even with 3 or 4 strong men and a little damage is hard to avoid) but the Rainier's insurance company was easy to deal with and paid for the repair quickly with no hassle. Overall I had a very good experience working with Doug and Rainier. The total price was reasonable given all the effort required in moving overseas (a survey, a 3-4 man packing and loading crew, container truck driver, port work loading and unloading the container, space on a ship, passage through customs, container delivery and unpacking at the other end with a 3-4 man crew), not the cheapest quote I received but not the most expensive and I think it was very fair and would definitely use them again for overseas moves

The one weak link in the moving chain was with the delivery company in France which arrived with the container on a truck and no ramp/ lift gate or mechanism to get anything off the container (which is really high off the ground) other than sliding/dropping everything off the back end which was rather worrying, and the crew appeared to be in a tearing hurry but most things survived this!

I worked with Gentle Giant to move my worldly goods from PA to France. Gentle Giant did the actual packing and loading of the container from my home in PA and worked with Rainier for the actual container shipping and another company in France to do the delivery. I worked with Bob Lane at GG and he was fantastic. He coordinated everything and knows the process backwards. He was extremely helpful with all the paperwork, getting me a preliminary quote, organising a survey, explaining the process, working with my dates, and staying in contact throughout the process. GG packed my goods in the container very efficiently so nothing could shift and to minimize space and costs. Once the goods are on the container, the shipping and delivery are really out of GG's direct control since they are handled by other parties, but Bob kept in touch throughout the process, let me know where my goods were and was absolutely terrific. The GG crew of 3 strong guys in Philly were also great, very professional, calm, polite, strong. They did struggle a little with my baby-grand piano, but in the end sorted it out and were very responsive to any concerns. Overall I had a very good experience working with Bob and GG.

The one weak link in the moving chain was with the delivery company in France which arrived with the container on a truck and no ramp/ lift gate or mechanism to get anything off the container (which is really high off the ground) other than sliding/dropping everything off the back end which was rather worrying, and the crew appeared to be in a tearing hurry, but most things survived them!

Conny D.

09/15/15

Moving can be a stressful experiences and we thus have put lots of weight into selecting an efficient and reputable moving company for our most recent, fifth international move (CA-Europe). By comparing a dozen international movers, we decided to get in business with Rainier Overseas Movers as the publicly posted reviews as well as member comments in several expat forums suggested excellent services at competitive costs. Today, some weeks after the relocation, we very much can agree to this.

Everything came together seamlessly. Starting with the in-house survey by their local partner/ subcontractor in California, in our case a company called â€œMoving Starâ€ we felt to be in good hands (Avner and Jill from Moving Star always worked an extra mile to get our things done well!). They provided us with plenty of useful information concerning our move abroad and they offered us various options to choose from. All of our questions were answered swiftly before or during the move either by Moving Star or by Rainier directly. During the whole time, David Wiviott, international relocation manager at Rainier Overseas, was always courteous to us handling our issues with care, sensibility and quality, and he was exceeding our expectations of good customer service by far. Packing and picking up our household items (and storing them in a warehouse for some weeks before shipping overseas) was done by a professional and friendly team. From an overall operations standpoint, everything went smoothly and our household goods arrived at destination in the given window. In the interim, there were some additional costs, which came up unexpectedly to everyone. However, they were all absorbed by Rainier in order to truthfully keep their initial quote. A couple of items were missing or damaged despite best intentions and care taken to prevent, but this is not unusual if moving a 3 BR 2 bath household a few thousand miles, we guess. But the claims process was pretty simple and without much work on our side.

In conclusion, after the experience of five major relocations now, we are more than satisfied with Rainier Overseas. They are a team of knowledgeable, experienced, helpful, and responsible professionals from top to bottom. We also think it is hard to beat Rainier in terms of customer service and pricing. Our overall impression was very positive. When we will move next time and can choose Rainier again (at our current location), we would definitively do so. We can certainly recommend them to anyone else.

Brandon F.

12/17/15

The move went very smooth.
I was kept informed along the way.
I would defiantly recommend rainier for others in the future.
Doug did a great job coordinating the whole move. It is clear he has a strong team and only works with other good people.
The process was made much easier by all your work, and I would recommend anyone moving international to call Doug, and do the same door to door service I received.
Doug and Rainer were always professional and helpful.

Jon G.

06/30/15

We just finished shipping our belongings (approx 250 cubic feet of assorted boxes) from US to Sweden. Rainier Overseas Movers coordinated all parts of the transport from door-to-door. They kept us informed about all steps of the process and were responsive whenever we had questions. The movers were friendly and operated in an efficient manner on both continents. Furthermore, all of our belongings were in good shape upon arrival in Sweden. We will recommend Rainier to all friends thinking about transatlantic moves.

Jan Z.

09/09/15

Would I use Doug Wiviott and Rainier again? You bet I would. He handled a tricky container move from the Australian bush to an outer island of Hawaii with very little brain damage. This was by far the easiest intercontinental move I have made (four total).

I was kept informed and updated (where the container was, when it would arrive, etc.).
I was notified of any unexpected changes or delays (container had an extra inspection).
I was given contact names and numbers of intermediaries (movers, truckers, customs).
I was given a quote, what was covered, and when payments were to be made.
Different types of insurance were offered.
The quote was reasonable and did not change.
Plus, Doug was ever pleasant and patient with my questions and concerns. I definitely recommend him.

Andrew P.

09/30/14

I was very pleased with the service I received from Rainier Overseas Movers -- and my relocation manager, Mark Lawson -- to ship ~150 cubic feet of personal belongings from North Carolina to South Korea.

Pick-up and delivery were on time, nothing was damaged in the process, and all communication and coordination with the various affiliates, subcontractors, customs, etc. went very smoothly. I received prompt, courteous service from my initial inquiry through post-delivery follow-up.

I also felt that I was given a fair price, including insurance, especially compared to some of the other quotes I'd received. I would definitely recommend them to others moving overseas.

Shaun J.

08/14/14

I used Rainier for a small household move from North Carolina to Istanbul, Turkey. This was the first time I had done an international relocation, and it was a very scary process. Rainier and their partners were incredibly helpful in answering all of my questions and helping me know what to expect along the way. We experienced very few troubles, but when we did, they were there to help us resolve it. I would highly recommend them and would rely on them again in the future.

Alice T.

04/25/14

Dear EuroGroup and Rainier Movers,

I received my invoices and final paperwork today from Lauren at EuroGroup and was asked to right a review of our household goods move from central Texas to Lowestoft, Suffolk, UK, and here goesâ€¦.

It was great.

We have been working towards retiring back in my home in the UK for many years and the big worries we had was moving our household goods from central Texas to our overseas location. Years ago we relocated several times back and forth to Germany and other places as part of US Army relocations and that was often stressful and disappointing, albeit at no cost or effort in arranging the moves to us. My husband and I are experienced overseas movers and knew what to expect. We were dreading the entire process.

This was our last overseas move and would be different. We had to arrange and pay for everything ourselves and if it didnâ€™t go well weâ€™d have no large company or government office to go cry to. I looked on the internet for a full year talking to ex-pats on forums and boards about their moves and frankly, the news they gave was pretty dismal. They told of hitches in customs, movers that didnâ€™t show up, goods that were lost and broken, movers that didnâ€™t deliver, moves that came in months late and cost overruns. It was a litany of bad news and my husband and I were dreading the move. The only mover that had fairly consistent good reviews was Rainier and I contacted them in Jan. of 2014 for a late spring moving date. Rainier was one of three companies I contacted for estimates.

From the first email to the last, Doug at Rainier was thorough, polite, helpful and professional. It was a treat to deal with someone who answered EVERY question by the next day, sometimes within hours. The bid he gave was not the cheapest, but it wasnâ€™t the highest either and fell well within the range we expected to pay. We ended up paying more for the move than estimated, but that was because on moving day we added quite a few books and heavy goods that were not a part of the initial estimate. The end total still came under my budget from my personal estimate of pervious moves and still under his competitors estimates, so I was not surprised.

The contractors he sent out were polite, honest, efficient and hardworking. Packing up day came and went without a single incident. A local team came out (hired by Rainier and obviously working closely with them) and packed up our entire house. We did nothing but offer them Cokes and get in their way.

The goods were sent out of the Port of Houston to Felixstowe, UK and landed there within a week of the projected landing date; a date that was estimated almost 6 months previously. Once in Felixstowe, our goods were moved through customs as quickly as one would expect in England and sent to a local mover for delivery to our door.

Not a single box was missing, broken or tampered with. Not a single plate or wineglass was cracked.

Brilliant.

Thank you Rainier and EuroGroup for as stress-free and pleasant a move as is possible to give and thanks especially to Doug and Lauren for their fantastic customer service.

Best Regards,

Alice Taylor

Alice T.

04/25/14

Leonard D.

01/07/14

Rainier managed my move from Portland, Oregon to Cologne, Germany. My Rainier representative was Mark Lawson. Mark made the move incredibly easy. He had quick and accurate answers to all my questions. When I was delayed in selecting a departure date, Mark made sure everything went smoothly. In the end, the move was so much easier that I ever thought possible. In fact, it was easier than most of my regional moves. I highly recommend Mark Lawson at Rainier Overseas Movers. Next time I move theyâ€™ll be the first people I call.

Derek C.

05/21/14

We used Rainier for a Door-to-door move of all of our belongings from North Carolina to Dublin-Ireland. This involved some extra steps with delivery, crossloading etc. from our existing storage location, and all related customs paperwork and interaction. With all the horror stories out there about the US moving industry we were extremely worried about this process and took a great deal of time to review and verify our mover candidates. I have to say we struck gold with Rainier, they were extremely professional, efficient, communicate and competitively priced - characteristics echoed in their agents both in the US and Ireland. Everything arrived in great condition without any extra stress or paperwork hitches. Highly recommended and I would definitely use them again if need be.

Jeff W.

04/01/14

This one came in through the comments section of the web site:

Dear Doug,

Thank you for the superb job you and your extended team did in moving my household from Budapest to Berkeleyâ€”just as you did when we went the other way three years ago.

Without exception, you and your people have been efficient, knowledgeable, skilled, and courteous. I especially appreciate the high degree of personal attention you provided. Because it was such an outstanding team effort, I want to mention all three partners by name: Rainier Overseas Movers, which coordinated the door-to-door move, Move One International Movers, which packed my belongings in Hungary, and Moving Star, which delivered the contents of my 40-foot container to my new house in California.

My husband and I hope to retire in Budapest. If we do, we will be calling on you again.

With best regards,

Sybil Wyatt

Jeff W.

12/12/13

This one was posted to the old forum entitled "Reviews of international movers (June 2004 to present)" by user "goudard":

We liked very much the way Doug Wiviott from Rainier Overseas Movers handled everything. It was a pleasure working with him. Punctual, professional, polite, perfect service. Thank you, Doug. The English crew was wonderful. Delivery could not have been better. We have not yet opened the boxes but they look fine. I will highly recommend you and your team always.

You can find this review at the bottom of this page: http://www.movingscam.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=3987&start=75

Courtney W.

03/13/13

I couldn't have been happier with the service I received from Rainier Overseas. I was extremely nervous about shipping my belongings overseas for my relocation to France, and I asked for advice on an expat forum. Someone recommended Rainier Overseas, whom I hadn't heard of at that point.

I'm glad I went with them. Doug Wiviott was responsive, straightforward and always professional on the phone. The price was reasonable and he was more flexible than many of the other companies I spoke with. He was willing to find a reasonable price that worked with my budget and space needs (low-ish budget and around 100 cubic feet max). I didn't feel like he was trying to take advantage of me or talk me into something I didn't need. And he was able to work fast (I needed to be out within one week of deciding to use them!)

I felt even more confident in my choice when his local partner in Massachusetts, Debra Ruf-Carson of New England Household and Moving (http://www.atlasagent.com/nehousehold/), came to my house to do the survey (after a snowstorm!). She was reliable, friendly, experienced, and put me at ease about the process. She kept in great touch via phone and email. She really listened to my needs and concerns and proposed flexible solutions that worked with my budget, ensuring I got the most for my money in terms of space and packing.

For example, I wanted to do most of the packing myself, leaving only the really breakable items to her team, and I wanted one tailored container for my 100 cubic feet. She had a reinforced cardboard box/crate for 97 cubic feet (approximately) and was willing to make custom-made boxes for anything additional, which could be attached to the side of the main box. She also gave me packing boxes from her warehouse at no cost.

Her entire team was great, from the guys who packed and picked up my stuff, to the man who worked miracles packing everything into the cardboard crate (She even let me go to the warehouse to meet him and see the crate for myself. It was a super thick cardboard, stronger than wood). Debra and Doug were also very helpful in walking me through the paperwork.

On the Europe side, everything ran smoothly, too. I was satisfied with the communication with the local partner, and the shipment arrived must sooner than expected (only 50 days total from pickup to delivery) and in great shape.

I wholeheartedly recommend Rainier and would use them again in a heartbeat.

Frederique M.

06/03/13

Moving internationally is a stressful and expensive experience and it is very important to chose an international moving company that has proper credentials and has a good track record. I needed to empty my late parents home in France and wanted to ship only part of the household items back home in Los Angeles, California. As I am French, I first looked for int'l movers in France but could not find anyone to move my belongings from Nantes (3h outside of Paris) to LA, everyone wanted my goods to get to Paris or London first, not a practical option. In the US, I talked to four companies and immediately found Dave Wiviott at Rainier Overseas Movers very responsive and knowledgeable. His initial price quote was fair and turned out to be acurate. When I asked for the name of their French agent to check their credentials, he readily shared the information. Jennifer at European Relocation Services in Marseilles was very competent and arranged with a third company based in Nantes the actual move. The communication and the coordination with all parties involved throughout the process was outstanding with all my calls and e-mails always answered promptly. I was pretty neurotic, it was not only emotional to sort my parents belongings but I was returning to France for only a short time time to arrange the move, liquidate everything and only had a rough idea of what I would bring back home. The team helped me estimate the volume I would need. they offered storage solution for what I may want to leave in France, they explained how they would pack the antique furniture, heavy mirrors and very fragile crytal so it would arrive safely. For every question and anxiety I had, Rainier and their agents had a solution and offered flexibility. When I thought of bringing my father wine cellar, David explained what additional cost, paperwork and potential scrutiny at customs it would entail so I could make an informed decision. The man who completed the survey before the move was very professional and accommodating, he even offered to come back after the move to drop off things I was not taking to the goodwill. The day of the move, everybody showed up on time. The movers were polite, friendly and professional now...LET ME TELL YOU, IT ALL STARTS WITH THE PACKING. They wrapped everything very carefully. They used a special bubble wrap paper on all the furniture and double boxed everything. They brought in abundant supplies and did not skimp on the material. The team leader and I toured the house twice to make sure I was not forgetting anything, we double checked the packing list, I never felt rushed and the team was focused on doing a thorough job. Jennifer was on call in case I had any questions, she verified and translated the packing list for the French and US authorities and prepared the paperwork so my goods could exit the country -if it is not a job transfer, it is a little more complicated- My container was filled the next day by the same team of movers, then driven to Le Havre and boarded a ship two days later. Upon my return to the US, Dave Wiviott guided me to properly fill the US customs paperwork. If the customs forms are not completed correctly (the instructions are not obvious), you may end up paying additional duties and taxes and your shipment can be held up which are both costly. This is why you want to contract with a firm like Rainier who has expertise in this matter. My shipment arrived at the port of Long Beach on July 1, within a short month from the date of the move, it went through a "mild" customs inspection, which I had been warned about and, then, a fourth company, California Relocation Services retrieved my container cleared from customs and handled the delivery. Again, everything was coodinated flawlessly with maximum flexibility. I had decided not to keep anything in France but to get storage space for some items here. Rainier arranged for a split delivery: part in my home part in the storage space of my choice that they could help provide or that I would arrange. When the container arrived, it looked like some boxes had shifted during transport and it made me nervous. The movers, again friendly and professional (the team leader Joe is a third generation mover) said that the boxes were in good conditions and that it was usually a good sign. Indeed, they were right, that's when you see how the careful packing pays off. Every item packed was accounted for and in perfect condition. The unpacking was completely customized to my needs. Unwrapping my grandmother paper thin crystal champagne glasses was quite a moment, placing the big buffet and its 200lbs marble top in the right room was another. After this experience, I recommend Rainier Overseas Movers to anyone contemplating an international move without hesitation. They are great, compassionate professionals, who understand how stressful a move can be and take great pride in doing the best job they can.

HY Y.

02/28/13

We had Moving Star/Avner on the US side. Avner and his partner both came before the pickup. They checked our stuff and delivered boxes and tapes for our convenience. Then on the day two guys and a girl came with a MOving Star truck came for the pickup. They worked pretty efficiently and I think within the hour they uploaded everything into the liftvan (which looked a bit old I'd say but it worked). In the end they managed to put more stuff in than we originally planned: two queen size mattresses, a toddler car seat etc.

The process getting to Perth was a bit long after the pickup, which was on Feb 28, and the delivery here in Perth was almost middle of July. But I'd say it's okay since I am on the other side of the continent.

So on the Australian side Chess Moving Sydney handled everything after our household goods arrived at Sydney. Several people from the company in both their Sydney and Perth offices emailed me about the custom forms instructions etc, and were prompt getting back to my emails. The delivery was made on the 10th. Two guys came with a Chess Moving Sydney truck, handed me the list of goods and then moved everything in within a little longer than half an hour.

We unpacked all the goods ourselves. There was one plastic box for clothes which got a broken corner but it was not a big deal. And our water filter container had a crack on its cover but it's okay too. No problems with the electronics, TV, PS3, computers all worked off the box.

The only complaint we had was it took long for the whole thing, especially when our laptop we brought with ourselves here broke down three weeks before the desktop computers arrived, and we had to live our digital life on our smart phones. Again I'd add that we didn't have much to ship (just a liftvan, 1/4 of a container?) so it probably take more time to "make topping off Australian consolidation" (Dave's words).

Overall I think it's a pretty good experience with Rainier Overseas Movers and the origin and destination services. No hassles at all and our goods were delivered in very good condition. I need to mention I was charged by volume not weight, which is nice and convenient too since we just put our stuff into boxes and didn't need to worry about other things.

Srikanth R.

11/26/12

Hi,
I want to share the good experience I had shipping my stuff from Kansas to England with Ranier Overseas Movers.
The entire process went on exactly the way it was explained to me by a gentleman named Mr. Pete Hagelson when I first contacted Ranier.
The estimate was weight based 660lbs for a price of $2075 plus insurance.
The packers arrived on time picked up my stuff. I did my own packing and all they had to do was to make sure the boxes were tightly packed and load them off on their truck.
The next time I saw my things was in UK delivered to my address after 2.5 months since I chose the slow and cheap freight service).
The two shipping companies Ranier worked with in KS and UK were reliable with a prompt customer service.
The only unfortunate thing that happened was couple of my boxes went missing. That is understandable since I did not have enough boxes to fill up a whole container for myself. The insurance company was initially reluctant in reimbursing me for my loss citing some rules in the contract, but Pete stepped in and made sure I got some money back for the lost stuff.
Overall my moving experience was great and I will endorse Ranier for their professional work.

I also thank movingscam.com for this resourceful website. We almost shipped our stuff with a company in Florida that sounded dodgy from Day 1. That prompted us to check their reviews online. It is when my wife then found this website and we dropped the idea shipping with that company and contact Ranier instead. Kudos to movingscam.com!!

Regards, Srikanth R

Lior E.

03/27/13

I searched for a moving company to relocate from NM, USA to Israel. In my search I found quit a bit of unreliable companies until I found Rainier. They knew every little detail related to this move (from logistics to costumes, rules and regulations) and could give me the most competitive quote on the market. I searched a little about them and found that they have been in the market for a long time with very good references. Later I found out that my father used them for a similar relocation 15 years ago and was very satisfied.
At the moving date every thing went well and the agent from Rainier, Mark Lawson made sure that everything is going according to plan and was available to questions throughout the day. He personally made sure with me and the movers that all is well. the shipment arrived to Israel 6 weeks later (the estimate was 4 to 10 weeks) and we could not be more satisfied. Mark was in touch with me and made sure that the agent that he hired to release the container from costumes (Sonigo) walked me through the process. It was a smooth process and I a looking forward to working with Rainier on my next move.

falzman N.

10/17/12

***Editor's note: This review was originally published in the "Movers We endorse" forum and can be found at this link:

http://www.movingscam.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=22702

MOVING FROM U.S. TO ITALY WITH RAINIER

Rainier OS door-to-door quote & charges:

- Charges per cu.ft: $21,25/cu.foot (based on 200 cu.ft)
- Type of quote: Volume-only quote (no weight surcharges)
- Estimated Time in Transit: 70-90 days door-to-door
- Route: Trucking from Dallas to New York (Atlantic Relocations), Shipped by sea from Port NYK to Port Naples (Italy), customs clearance & trucking from Port Naples to Palermo (Fos International), trucking from Palermo to residence in the South of Sicily (Palermo Sub-Agent).
- Insurance: $25.00 per $1000.00 value ($250 deductible), $25.00 per $1000.00 value ($250 deductible). Electrical Derangement addition to the policy: +12% to total valuation. Mold/Mildew protection: +12% to total valuation or 20% to the premium for both.
- Total weight: 2,945 lbs (13,5 lbs/cu.ft)
- Actual Volume calculation: 204 cu.ft (gross) + overflow crate 13.7 cu.ft (gross)
(I know exact dimensions, and volume, because me and the local agent personally measured both liftvan and the overflow crate.)
- Actual Volume Total: 217.7 cu.ft (gross)
- Volume I got charged for: 220 cu.ft (gross) (I’m happy with the service and the price, so no real complaints though about extra 50 bucks. I surely got my money’s worth, since my load was heavy-heavy-HEAVY.)
- Total, shipping: $4,675.00
- Total, insurance: $900.00 (Value $36.000, includes 20% for mold/mildew & electrical derangement protection)
- My quote stated that the LV would be delivered to my residence and opened at residence (unless customs require inspection).
That did not happen, it was brought in loose. I wasn't informed about this in timely manner either.

Pick-up date: Oct.17, 2012 - Frisco, Texas, U.S. (Dallas-Ft.Worth Metroplex)
Drop-off date: Feb.05 Ispica (RG), Sicily, Italy

Moving company:
Rainier Overseas Movers, Inc. http://www.rainiros.com. David Wiviott, International Relocation Manager. Tel +1 (206) 462.3628 (direct); 800.422.5440

Agents:
U.S.:
(Dallas-Ft.Worth area) Atlantic Relocations; Robert Wright
Italy:
1) Fos International srl. 4, G.Melisurgo,80133 NAPLES , Italy. Tel. + 39 081 552.23.56 http://www.fos-international.com). Davide Occhicone
(If you're moving to Italy get in touch with them, I'm not sure about spoken English for I speak Italian, but you can surely send written communications in English no problem).
2) Palermo Sub-Agent

IN SHORT

I’ve had a great overall experience with Rainier Overseas Movers in general and Mr. David Wiviott in particular, with Atlantic Relo in Dallas, and with FOS International in Italy. Very professional & patient people on both ends. Very easy to deal with; capable of providing as many details as the customer wants (I emphasize this last point, because it usually IS the case in the U.S., but it usually IS NOT the case in Italy. FOS conducts business American-style, with precision, which in Italy is somewhat rare).
I felt, that I was treated like a queen by all of those people listed above.

I packed most of my stuff (I must be good at it - check the weight I fit in the LV:). I built my own crates. It was all OK with Mr. David Wiviott of Rainier Overseas and with Mr. Robert Wright of Atlantic Relocations. Nobody gave me flack; all my stuff was 100% insured (other 3 companies I also talked to said, if I built my own crates they would not insure the contents, and Daryl Flood promised a lot of things that they wouldn’t deliver; …read on if curious). Mr. Wright gave me very good advice on building the crates and visited me 4 (FOUR!!!) times, to make sure everything was good.
I was asked to provide detailed list of contents and leave crates and boxes opened for the packers to inspect if needed.
Me and Mr. Wright personally picked the best and the most sturdy Liftvan in Atlantic Relo’s warehouse, which was indeed delivered to my house later on.

100% of my stuff arrived in perfect shape. Tools work. Nothing damaged. Nothing broken. Nothing wet. FOS International in Italy who does customs clearance, has very competent people working for them. In fact, I had to ask them for help when I imported my car (I found a great deal – a direct container from Houston, Tx, U.S. to Genoa, Italy with Del Corona & Scardigli Srl., but DC&S customs guy doesn’t know his ropes, he insisted I had to pay the tax on the value of a car that I owned for a long time, which was NOT the case. I had to ask for help from FOS International and pass the info to DC&S. Thank you, thank you, Carmine! You saved me a ton of money.)

MORE DETAIL

First of all, I know how to do a lot of things myself (I know that I can spend some time and build better crates for my prized tools than anybody who just gets paid to do it, and wants to be done with it and get the money; in this case I’m working for myself, not for the money). Also, I am a bit of a control freak. If I am not fully convinced, it’s impossible to make me just go along. And I’m often right. However, I just as often wear people’s patience thin. All in all – the truth is, that I’m a difficult customer.

I had a couple of conditions that were a must:
1) I wanted to build my own crates for my fairly large table saw, my huge chop saw, my 1.000.00-dollar custom-built bicycle, and my 48”x24”x19” 75-gallon aquarium. I didn’t have the original boxes for the power tools, so I had to make sure that they were were bolted to the crates from inside, couldn’t shift inside them; that there would be no pressure sideways on the head of the chop saw, so that everything would arrive damage-free. I also wanted to pre-pack all crates (subject to inspection if required by the movers upon pick-up, as long as they put everything back the way it was). All contents to be insured. The chop saw crate ended up being extremely heavy (easily 300 lbs).
2) I wanted to pad the aquarium with foam and fill it with light-weight empty plastic mini-drawer chests, since I couldn’t justify shipping it empty. To be 100% insured for damage as well.

The chop saw crate eneded up being HUGE and HEAVY (easily 300 lbs). Mr. Wright came to look at it after it was already filled with the saw & the stuff, and said it would be just fine. So it was.
(Compare to: on my previous failed attempt with Daryl Flood 2 weeks earlier, they refused to load it, since it was “too heavy for their guys to handle”. The dimensions and the approx. weight was known to Daryl Flood long in advance; I was promised “no problems”. Liars).

Rainier and Atlantic Relo didn’t have any problems with my 75-gal aquarium either – I had it carefully padded inside and outside, and crated. My prised mini-drawer chests we tightly packed inside and topped off with a few coats to avoid any possible rattling and sliding around. All approved, packed as I planned & insured 100% as promised.
(Compare to: on my failed attempt with Daryl Flood, they refused to insure the aquarium completely. As with everything, I discussed it in detail with the D.F.rep, and was promised a “no problem”. I was lied to again: on pick-up day they wanted me to sign a waiver of insurance on this item.)

When I told Mr. Robert Wright, that I would feel better if I could pick out the liftvan (you’ll understand why in just a few secs), he invited me to come to the company’s warehouse. He showed me around, explained all procedures, we picked up the best liftvan they had available, they brought a fork-lift, took it down from the top of the stack, and in my presence put my name on it.
Nobody’s perfect: when Rainier’s packers showed up at my door, they had a great choice of 2 liftvans, none of which was the one we picked at the warehouse. Mr. Wright immediately sent the driver back to bring the right one, while the other packer worked on getting the stuff ready to be loaded. When the LV made it to my house, to my pleasant surprise the inside was lined in brand-new plastic top to bottom. I never gave it much thought and never specified if it was done or not. Probably the only thing I missed in the whole moving process…
This kind of attitude to customers is prescious. The fact that Mr. Wright had his driver just turn around and go back for the right LV told me that they do care about customers at Atlantic. (Unlike some other folks…)

(Compare to: On my failed moving attempt with Daryl Flood, the manager, who showed up at my residence after I complained, that the LV was no good, - and the packers tried to rather arrogantly convince me that the moldy rickety piece of junk they showed up with – was “just fine”, and refused to ever admit that it WAS a piece of junk. On another occasion I needed to go to D.Flood’s warehouse with the payment; I was barely let in past the front door of their big shiny establishment. Forget a guided tour!)

Even badly-packaged last-minute addition of 2 ceiling light fixtures made it to destination in perfect shape. The packers told me that the glass might brake in transit, since there was only room for light-fixtures themselves, with one layer of bubble-wrap. I told them it will be a pleasant surprise if they come intact; and they did. Otherwise I would have to either chunk them or give them away.

The only bone I have to pick.
I was promised that the LV would be delivered to my residence and opened in my presence (except if customs requires inspection of the goods). It was written in black-and-white on my Quote.
Well, no customs inspection was required.
However, under a feeble pretence, that “they did not know if the roads were wide enough” (verbally, by the movers), and "the LV wouldn't fit in the truck" (by e-mail less than 1 day before the scheduled delivery), the Palermo Sub-Agent, without my authorization, pulled all the stuff out of the LV (at their warehouse in Palermo) and delivered the goods loose, in a smaller truck. They had my phone number; we talked a week or 10 days before to set the delivery appointment and the lady who called never mentioned anything about opening the LV. Then, all of a sudden, one day before the delivery date, they hurry up and requeste authorization to open the LV from Rainier?
Pardon me, but if the contract was with me – shouldn’t I be informed in a TIMELY manner?... Maybe a few days in advance?
After the movers left and things calmed down a bit, discovered that e-mail from Rainier that I mentioned earlier.
The excuse of “narrow roads” where “a bigger truck would not pass”, or "crates didn't fit into the truck" was just that – an excuse, and very feeble. (As some of you might know, gas is almost 3 times more expensive in Europe, compared to the U.S. From Palermo to my house it's a good 4-hour drive.)
I guess, the Palermo Agent knew they were going to do that all along, they just failed to say so. I don’t know if Rainier knew in advance or not. Either way. It’s last year’s snow now.
The movers showed up with a print-out of the map that I prepared, where it was stated clearly that I marked only wide roads where a 37-foot (12 meter) 3-axle truck can pass easily.
They’ve had that map 10-14 days prior to the delivery date.
Well, sure, since the stuff arrived just fine, I didn’t raise too much hell.
But I would have. If something happened. That was breach of contract, as far as I'm concerned. At this point I don't know who knew what and who didn't know. Ant it's no longer important.
The movers have treated all the stuff really well and with care.
However if I sign a contract that states certain thing - I do expect to get that thing.

Overall experience: I am a happy camper and would recommend Rainier Overseas Movers, Atlantic Relocation and FOS International as top rated companies for all your moving needs. They will do right by you.

Paul R.

01/16/13

We recently completed a short notice relocation, our 4th major move, from Seattle to the UK. Before selecting Rainier we also entertained bids from Southern Winds, Sterling, and Stevens. The bids all came in pretty close price-wise but our initial interactions with Rainier and their local agent (Crown Moving) made us feel the most comfortable.

The Crown Moving team did a great pack and load into our 20 ft container and our shipment departed Tacoma right on schedule (Doug @ Rainier kept us informed the whole way). Estimated time door-to-door was 5-7 weeks; our unload was exactly 6 weeks after we said goodbye to our stuff.

Coordination of the UK end was assigned by Rainier to Eurogroup, who oversaw customs clearance and arranged the destination agent, L & G Movers. These guys deserve special mention. Not only did they show up ontime to unload the container, completing the task in the time allotted by the shipping line, they stayed to help us with some initial unpacking while one of their guys was busy re-assembling our dining room furniture. And then, when done for the day, they gathered up all the debris and trucked it away. As if that wasn't enough, two weeks later Gordon had one of his vans that was passing nearby stop at our house and pick up the rest of our empty boxes.

When you consider all the players involved and the ways in which an international move can go wrong, I find it hard to imagine how our experience could have been improved: kudos to Rainier, and thanks to Doug and his crew, Don and crew at Crown, Abigail at Eurogroup and especially Gordon, Josh & Joe from L&G.

Nigel J.	01/29/13
We used Rainier Overseas Movers to move from Florida back to London, Uk. It took 4 weeks door to door. The service provided was fantastic, a realistic price paid, just paid a small deposit up front. International removals is a minefield, forget the rest, This is the company to use, for quality service and peace of mind. You get what you pay for with this company. Highly recommend.

Jennifer S.

11/09/12

The move went very well. It seemed to take a long time on
the US-side, and I'm not entirely sure why my goods were picked up
from my storage unit November 9th, but didn't get on a boat headed to
Europe until the 23rd of December. That wasn't communicated to me, so
I was surprised my goods ended up arriving a month later than I
thought. But other than that delay, the move seems to have gone very
smoothly. I wasn't at the pick-up point in the US (a friend was there
for me), but from what I hear that went fine too. As to the rest -
people updated me at every step of the journey, and I knew when my
goods arrived in the UK. It took about 3 weeks for the goods to pass
through the UK customs. I was selected for random checking and they
wanted justification of some of my items on the enumerated list of my
goods (such as a martial arts sword), but the people in the UK sent me
frequent emails requesting documents, and they seemed to try to move
the process along as best they could. Then my goods were cleared, and
just 5 days later, 2 moving men delivered them to my house (in Belgium) and were
very accommodating about carrying some boxes up 2 floors. They worked
fast and then everything was done! And everything has looked in good
shape as I've unpacked. So all-in-all the move was a success, and I
thank Rainier Overseas Movers for coordinating it all for me!

Charles N.

11/01/12

We just completed the third phase of our move from Texas to Auckland over the past two years. All phases were arranged by Rainier who handled two overseas shipments and an air shipment. All three shipments were done professionally, very reasonably, and without any issues. Our removers were very thorough and careful with our goods during packing and unpacking on both sides of the Pacific. We couldn't be more pleased with Rainier Overseas and World Moving in Auckland. Both companies are high recommended!

Adriana V.

01/08/13

Rainier overseas movers moved us from California to Spain end 2012 beginning 2013 We couldn't be happier with the way the move went. They packed everything for us, put it in storage for 2 months and after that our 20 foot container made it to Spain without a scratch. We were very impressed with the way things were handled. The destination agent kept us updated all the way and precisely informed us on what paperwork to get in order for customs in Spain. For every question we had they had the answer almost instantly via e mail. Delivery was last Friday and the crew couldn't have been more profesional. Our belongings have been unpacked now and thanks to Rainier overseas movers everything arrived without any damage.
I highly recommend this company to anybody! Don't hessitate hire them these guys are good!

	12/10/12
Reviews of Ranier Overseas Movers can be found here: http://www.movingscam.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3987 For the Latest Reviews, select the last page in the forum list. Please click the link below to add your own review.

10/30/12

Rainier Overseas Movers, Inc. did an outstanding job in moving me from Delray Beach, Fl to Boquete, Panama. They arranged to have irelocations.net pack up and ship my belonging to Rainier. The shipment arrived on time in Colon and then B&B Moving of Boquete arranged everything with Customs and then delivered my 20 ft. container to my door in perfect condition.

The whole operation what done with perfection.

A Great Job!

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