More Like ScamShip Moving
I’m writing this so no one else has to go through what I went through with Safe Ship Moving Services. If you’re researching movers and stumbled on their friendly-looking ads or polished website, please stop here — because this company is not what they claim to be. They are not a moving company. They are a broker — and one of the most dishonest, manipulative, and predatory ones operating today. From the very beginning, the way Safe Ship presents itself is intentionally misleading. When you call them, you’ll likely be paired with a “Lead Logistics Coordinator,” who talks like an experienced mover and makes it sound like Safe Ship owns trucks, employs moving crews, and will handle everything directly. They’ll say things like “our guys will take care of you” or “our truck will be there on pickup day.” The truth is, they don’t own a single truck. They don’t move anything. They simply sell your move to a random third-party carrier — whoever will take it for the lowest price — and then wash their hands of you the moment the money clears. My coordinator was Gavin Scott, and he is a perfect example of how Safe Ship manipulates people emotionally to close sales. During our initial call, I mentioned I was a young father, trying to move my family for a fresh start. Gavin latched onto that immediately. He started talking about his own child, his “family lifestyle in Florida,” and how Safe Ship “takes care of families like ours.” At the time, I thought it was genuine empathy. Looking back, it was calculated emotional manipulation. He used personal connection as a sales weapon — something I now find disgusting and sociopathic. Gavin gave me what he called a “binding estimate” — a term that should mean a guaranteed price — and assured me that Safe Ship’s team would handle the entire move from start to finish. I paid my deposit, believing I was dealing with a reputable moving company that would actually show up. Instead, Safe Ship quietly subcontracted my move to Best American Moving LLC, a low-quality carrier out of New Jersey that, frankly, has no business being in operation. Best American Moving showed up with a rented truck, ununiformed laborers, and zero organization. They couldn’t keep track of boxes, didn’t label anything, and treated my belongings with shocking carelessness. They managed to damage or lose several items outright, and what did arrive looked and smelled like it had been dragged through a swamp. I opened boxes that were damp, warped, and reeked of rot — a nauseating odor I can only describe as a mix of mildew and body odor. Some of my things were so badly contaminated with that smell that I had to throw them out completely, including my child’s expensive stroller and several pieces of furniture. It was immediately obvious this company had no concept of basic moving standards. They packed boxes only halfway full, intentionally wasting space so they could inflate the cubic footage of the load — which is how they calculate your cost. It’s an old, dirty scam. By spreading your items across more cubic feet, they can legally claim your move “took up more space” and demand thousands more than the quote you were given. By the time the truck left, my “binding” estimate had ballooned by thousands of dollars, and I was too deep into the process to stop it. When I contacted Safe Ship about this, I was met with the same cold indifference that thousands of other victims have described. Suddenly, they wanted nothing to do with it. “We’re just the broker,” they said, as if that absolved them of all responsibility. They’re happy to take your deposit, sell your move to a carrier they selected, and then hide behind that carrier when things go wrong. It’s a convenient setup: they profit, you suffer, and they pretend their hands are clean. The carrier, Best American Moving, refused to answer my calls and emails after the delivery. I have the phone numbers of the individuals who handled my move — they’ve all blocked me. The only time they respond is when they receive legal paperwork or a formal DOT complaint. I’ve filed a claim for reimbursement for the items that were lost or damaged, which they are legally required to acknowledge within 30 days and resolve within 120 days under 49 CFR § 370.9. As of today, they have ignored those obligations completely. That is a violation of Department of Transportation regulations — plain and simple. Safe Ship’s customer service was no better. Once the deposit was paid, they disappeared. The constant “follow-ups” and “check-ins” I got before the sale went silent. Emails go unanswered. Phone lines transfer endlessly to voicemails that are never returned. Their only real skill is vanishing once accountability is needed. What makes all of this worse is that Safe Ship markets itself as “veteran-owned and operated.” You’ll see it mentioned in calls, in emails, and sometimes subtly implied on their listings. But here’s the problem: there is absolutely no proof that this is true. I’ve researched it thoroughly, and no documentation exists verifying that their CEO, Roger Vance, or his partner, Stanley Drinkard, are veterans. If they are, they should release their service records publicly. Until then, it looks like stolen valor — a shameful attempt to exploit patriotism and trust for commercial gain. To me, this entire operation is a case study in how the moving-broker industry preys on ordinary families. They take advantage of people who are already stressed and vulnerable — people trying to move their lives from one home to another. They build false relationships, make comforting promises, and hide the ugly truth behind fine print and legal jargon. Then, when everything collapses, they blame someone else. And the emotional toll is real. For my family, what should have been an exciting new chapter became months of stress, loss, and financial strain. I spent weeks trying to recover missing items, file claims, and get anyone to respond — and got nothing but silence. You can’t put a price on that kind of frustration and betrayal. If you look online, you’ll see that I’m not alone. Safe Ship has countless similar complaints — customers who lost everything, had their prices doubled, or were ghosted after the move. The pattern is identical every time. They are not an exception; they are the rule. If Safe Ship wants to prove otherwise, they can start by doing the following: Publicly disclosing the carriers they use and their vetting process. Showing proof that they are truly veteran-owned, as they claim. Removing the deceptive “our guys” language from their sales pitch. Taking responsibility for the companies they contract — instead of hiding behind them. Until then, my advice is simple: run the other way. Do not let their friendly phone demeanor or promises of “binding estimates” fool you. Once you sign that contract and pay that deposit, your move will be handed off to a third-party company you’ve never heard of, with no oversight and no recourse when things go wrong. Safe Ship Moving Services is not a moving company — they are a predatory sales operation disguised as one. They rely on emotional manipulation, misleading language, and procedural loopholes to profit off the misery of ordinary people. If there were truth in advertising laws applied to brokers like these, they’d have to market themselves honestly: “We’ll take your deposit, hand you off to an unqualified carrier, and disappear when your belongings are damaged or lost.” If you value your money, your sanity, and your possessions, please — stay far, far away from Safe Ship Moving Services. They are not in the business of helping people move. They are in the business of taking advantage of them.
