Rainier Overseas Movers

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1. Excellent international moving

   Doug has helped me with two major moves now, from CA, USA to Sweden, and back again. Both times everything went as smoothly as one could hope. Not only did everything arrive (and all in one piece), Rainier OS was significantly faster than any other moving company I got a quote from by several weeks (particularly with the move back in Sept 2021, during the pandemic, where I shipped a liftvan full of my belongings). Not only that, the pricing I got with Rainier OS was significantly lower than the competition. To top it all off, Doug has always been very responsive in communications, and flexible - like when I asked if I could change the delivery city from Santa Clara to Los Angeles. Sure, there was an additional cost to truck everything from the port in the SF bay area to LA. But it was reasonable, and the delivery was scheduled and done promptly. If I ever need to relocate internationally again, I won't even bother getting a quote from anyone else next time. I'll just call Doug again. 5 stars all the way.

   

2. 5* experience

   They are very professional and efficient. I used them to move to Hungary from the US. They are great would not consider using anyone else! They make it look so easy and it just seems to make the whole experience as stress free as possible!

3. Our second experience with Rainier Overseas Movers

   This was the second overseas move we made with Rainier Overseas Movers. The first was 27 years ago when we moved from Portland, Oregon to Jerusalem, Israel. We were more than delighted with the courtesy and professionalism of all the people we dealt with. Rainier was available and in communication with us by phone and e-mail throughout both moves.
   
   The recent move from Jerusalem involved the careful packing of 2000 special books. They professionally packed the books in boxes marked according to our instructions to retain their sequence based on their original location and organization. They packed our clothing and miscellaneous items in boxes to conserve space in the container and labeled them accordingly. The furniture, rugs, paintings, and other artwork were all carefully packed in cardboard covered with waterproof bubble wrap. They carefully packed our china and crystal in boxes and labeled them “glass.” Included in our shipment was a reinforced concrete fountain which required a custom built crate to insure safe delivery. All our belongings fit precisely in the container.
   
   In Portland they unloaded the container and carefully placed our belongings exactly as we instructed them. They arranged the boxes of books in the order marked on the boxes. They unpacked and assembled the reinforced concrete fountain. The packers and delivery personnel performed their service competently. Our choice would be exclusively Rainier Overseas Movers were we to make another overseas move.

4. Move from Oregon to New Zealand

   We moved our household goods from Oregon to New Zealand in August 2020. Don was absolutely fantastic from start to finish. Great communication - explained the process thoroughly, responded quickly to emails and phone calls, etc- which was essential with such a major move in a stressful time. We were so happy with his help and the companies he chose for each step of the way that we used Don and Rainier with a second, unexpected shipment about 5 months later in January 2021. Again, easy from start to finish. I highly recommend using them for an international move. They are awesome.

5. Exceptional service

   Above and beyond, exceptional service. Top notch on professionalism and friendliness, we were completely impressed from start to finish.

6. Best overseas movers

   This is the second time we are moving overseas with Rainier and we couldn't be happier with their service. The shipment was handled professionally and fitted to our needs. We also appreciated their kindness and genuine care.

7. Move to France

   We were leary about moving overseas to France, but Chuck at Rainer Overseas walked us through the whole way, even helping us at the end when Covid was slowing things down for us. You can depend on them & their partners for your move, and they did a great job packing and protecting our goods.

8. A few glitches, but Rainer's was great

   This was the second time we used Rainier for an overseas move. This time it was UK to USA in the middle of the pandemic. Communication with Rainier was great and all our questions were answered. We had some serious issues with lock-downs, etc., and Dave was exceptionally patient and helpful as we waited to be able to move. He quoted a price that really was the best we could find. His advice was invaluable. I would definitely use Rainier again.
   
   There were some minor problems with the sub-contractors who did the load and unload. The initial volume was badly over-estimated (12 cubic feet for a step-ladder, etc.) but Dave took care of that immediately on being made aware of it. Both work crews were exceptionally pleasant and hard-working. In the UK, we paid extra for PPE for the loaders, but aside from wearing paper masks when they first arrived, the guys did not have masks on while working in our home all day or appear to have any sort of sanitizer or paper towels as we were told they would be bringing. They used ours. As we could not afford any delay, I didn't want to challenge them over this - we just kept all the windows open and tried to stay in another room.
   
   We had given the loaders specific instructions about four boxes that needed to be specially protected, and asked that they be put in a larger box. They were, instead, wrapped and loaded "as is". When they arrived one was damaged and had significant water damage to it. We had a desk-top that had bolts sticking out on the bottom and warned it needed to be carefully packed due to the bolts. It was also only wrapped and placed (apparently) on our Ikea wooden dresser, with more boxes stacked on top at some point. The bolts were driven by the weight into the wood on the top of the dresser, leaving several deep gouges. We pre-packed roughly 150 boxes, but left them unsealed per instructions. When we were ready to unpack them at the other end, the majority were properly taped closed, but roughly one-third of them were sealed only with one strip of tape across the top, sometimes not even all the way along the opening seam, or only perpendicular to the seam only in a few cases. Some of the boxes had popped open when that tape failed. A few of the boxes looked like they'd been forcefully thrown around. One the lighter-weight boxes heavily marked "fragile" and "do not crush" was partially crushed and split open down the side. As damage to each of the above items didn't exceed the insurance deductible we will not be filing a claim, but it was disappointing.
   
   On the delivery end the guys were prompt, courteous, and ~incredibly~ fast workers. One managed to pull the bathroom door off the hinges, but fixed it - not sure how that happened. All the guys, except one, were masked the entire time they were in our home. We did not want to challenge the one guy as we just wanted our stuff unloaded without delay. The crew seemed dismayed that they were not helping us unload all our boxes and I had to sign-off to that effect on their packing sheet (help unpacking not required), but as we did not have bookshelves, etc., set up we preferred to do it ourselves and had planned to do that from the outset. They got our whole shipment into our apartment and the wrapping on our flat-packed items and large furniture out of there in about three hours. To my knowledge the unloaders only damaged one plastic bin - we found the bits of the plastic on the floor where they'd hit the door jamb and nothing was said to us about it.
   
   I would use Rainier again, definitely. Dave was really good about responding to inquiries in a timely manner and as transparent as possible given the circumstances in which the move took place.

9. Truly excellent service

   Rainier coordinated a complicated small move with tight deadlines across a tough border and hit every nail square on the head. Chuck was amazingly helpful in getting us to understand the choices and challenges and then overcame every difficulty along the way to a perfectly-timed white glove delivery. They clearly have the right partners and contacts to make things happen. We do need another cross-border move soon and we will use Rainier again.

10. Seattle to Scotland Seamlessly.

    The service from Rainier Overseas Movers was great from beginning to end. David Wiviott responded quickly to our emails and answered all our questions. Jordan River did an excellent job packing and loading our Seattle home contents. The move was interrupted by the Coronovirus pandemic but Shore Porters at the UK end were able to store our shipment and deliver it to us once the Scottish lockdown restrictions were lifted. Doreen and Colin at Shore Porters did a fantastic job of coordinating the delivery to our new home.

11. Moving From California to Dorset UK.

    After 15 years living and working in California, it was time to return to the UK.
    
    Rainier Movers took care of all our stuff, carefully wrapped and boxed it up and packed it tightly into a 20ft container. Rainier then shipped it round the world and through Britannia in the UK delivered it safely into storage even though we were not there. It all went into a depot just outside London where it stayed for 3 years due to our own circumstances. Finally, we had settled in our new home and even though it was the beginning of the pandemic, they managed to complete the job and Leatherbarrows delivered it to us safely, (whilst keeping 'social distancing'.)
    
    It is amazing, we have been unpacking and opening the boxes and it is like we waved it goodbye only last week.
    
    All through the process, Doug Wiviot at Rainier has been great. He co-ordinated everything and was our point of contact throughout and for over 3 years has looked after us and our stuff, replying to emails immediately.. or in less than 24hrs, his team from start to finish have been totally professional, knew their stuff and cared.
    
    My wife and I are very grateful to Doug and Rainier Overseas Movers Inc and thoroughly recommend this company.

12. Excellent move from Boston to France.

    May 7, 2020
    
    A week ago today, I was reunited with my belongings from the United States. Many thanks go to a team of individuals at Gentle Giant Moving Company in Boston, DOUG WIVIOTT AT RAINIER OVERSEAS MOVERS NEAR SEATTLE WASHINGTON, and Jennifer Sloan at European Relocation Services in Marseille, France. They all worked smoothly and responsively together; each handoff along the way was well coordinated. I never once felt as if I was working with separate companies.
    
    Doug and his team at Rainier were incredibly easy to work with over the Internet, extremely responsive and clear in their communications. Both Doug and Jennifer patiently guided me through the lengthy documentation process required for international shipments by governmental, transportation and customs officials. They made that complicated process which could have been a nightmare fairly easy. Doug made sure the container arrived on time for loading by Gentle Giant, arranged for the container to be loaded on the ship in Boston, and then worked with Jennifer to organize delivery in France. Though his work behind the scenes was invisible to me, except for our frequent email correspondence, Doug provided exceptional service at what I consider a very reasonable price in spite of all the challenges caused by the coronavirus epidemic!

13. Flawless and stress free move.

    We did a move of artwork and personal items from Oro Valley, Arizona to Bainbridge Island, Washington. Rebecca Valentine at Rainier Movers arranged with Belkin movers in Oro Valley. Packing was quick and easy including third party crates built for two pieces of high value artwork. Delivery in Bainbridge Island was 12 days later.
    
    I highly recommend the professional services of Rainier Movers and the leadership and customer service of Rebecca Valentine.

14. One of the worst experiences ever.

    Everything you read here is factual and the absolute truth.
    In January 2017, I set up a container shipment from Texas to Thailand. I paid the local company the total cost of the shipment ($7692.96) from packing loading, shipping, delivery in Thailand, and unpacking. I assumed they in turn paid Rainier who paid the shipping company and the destination mover.
    On February 16, in Thailand, I received an email which reads: "Your shipment was inspected by US Export customs in Los Angeles. There is a total of $1,460.00 due for this. This must be paid before delivery of your shipment can be made." and "We have also advised Boonma to deliver after we have notified them of payment." (It was written as if I had no intention of paying). I was never warned about a possibility of an inspection at any time.
    The container was effectively being held for a ransom. The only way I could pay from Thailand, is send my credit card information to Rainier.
    
    When the container was delivered at the dock in Thailand, I developed two medical issues and needed to return to the US. So I also decided to have the container returned to the US since I could not stay to receive it. Rainier told me it would cost $8,570.51. I was surprised again that it cost MORE to ship it to the US especially when it was NOT delivered to the house in Thailand and NOT unpacked. I asked for a breakdown of the costs of $7691 & $8570; in other words cost of packing, shipping, delivery and unpacking, but NEVER received it. I AM STILL WAITING FOR A REFUND FOR NOT DELIVERING AND UNPACKING THE CONTAINER IN THAILAND. I believe legal action is now necessary to recover the cost of delivery and unpacking in Thailand.
    
    I was very uncomfortable doing business with Rainier because I felt the administrator was unreliable, poor communications and because of the surprises.
    Everything you have read above is FACT AND THE ABSOLUTE TRUTH.
    I initially filed a review but the response was demeaning and slanderous. He always includes other movers to support his insults. Just read his response. And those are just more lies. I have contacted those other movers and they agree he is lying. Therefore I am filing another review with more details. I believe legal action is now necessary.

    

15. USA to Israel -- Aliyah.

    I learned of Rainier by asking online, where I could source information from others who'd "been there, done that." I'd already had two experiences which didn't turn out as well as they should, by a long shot, and I was nervous.
    On top of that, my mother had just died, and these were precious family heirlooms being shipped.
    Turns out, this third shipment was happening right at the peak of business for the industry, very hard to schedule and fulfill, but there was no way around it, really.
    And, in the end, though I reached out to two other shippers, only Rainier responded. Their agent, Mark, subcontracted a local mover to pack things up, and the care given by that team was exceptional -- a huge difference from my previous experiences! The transit time was just as anticipated. And the delivery was subcontracted to the very shipper I'd previously given two chances to fail. They might have failed this third time, too, but for Mark. He stayed on top of everything, responded to every communication, kept me in the loop, remained patient and understanding even when I was struggling. I just wish I'd hired Rainier for the first two shipments!
    Oh, and they charged less, too! Best service imaginable, and for less than others charged!
    For anyone making aliyah, look at all the movers and shippers you have time to check into, but, if you want things done thoroughly and well, even to the very end, call Rainier, ask for Mark, and feel free to tell him I referred you. It's my way of saying thanks for a job perfectly well done.