AnyVan review: House move breach of service

Where do I even start? I booked AnyVan to move a sofa, 2 beds, 13 boxes, a coffee table, 26 framed pictures/mirrors, and a Tiffany lamp — a short local move just 11.3 miles away. The pickup window was 8 AM–12 PM, and drop-off was 1–4 PM. I made it clear in my booking and follow-up that I had a strict legal deadline of 1 PM to vacate the property due to completion.

They turned up at 12:15 PM, 45 minutes before the legal cutoff, with a van already half full of someone else’s stuff. I couldn’t believe it — and neither could my friends and neighbours who witnessed the chaos.

The driver had no idea about the 1 PM deadline and told me he wouldn’t wait more than 15 minutes at the new address — despite AnyVan’s own policy offering paid wait time for £24/hour per driver. That policy, apparently, didn’t apply then. But when he arrived at my new home late at 7:20 PM, he suddenly insisted that I pay £200 directly to him via bank transfer to cover “wait time.” This was never agreed upon, and I felt completely cornered. He was late — and I got charged for it.

In a blind panic, I had to load the van myself with friends, because time was running out. And since there wasn’t enough room on the van, half my belongings were left in my neighbour’s yard in the rain, covered with bags.

I had booked what was essentially a light move — far less than a typical full house removal. In fact, it makes me wonder how AnyVan would ever cope with a standard move involving white goods and large furniture. My items were modest and manageable:
• 1 sofa and 2 beds
• 13 boxes and a coffee table
• 26 framed items (pictures/mirrors)
• 1 Tiffany lamp

No fridge, no washing machine, no wardrobes — just carefully packed, minimal belongings.

Yet I still had to:
• Load the van myself, with friends, under severe pressure
• Leave half my things outside in the rain in a neighbour’s garden
• Accept a delivery seven hours later than expected, at 7:20 PM
• Refuse delivery of someone else’s belongings (children’s toys and nappies)
• Discover multiple missing boxes
• Unpack items that were damaged and carelessly handled, including:
• A Tiffany lamp found upside down, despite a “delicate” label — the shade was dented, the base snapped
• A smashed mirror
• A coffee table scratched so deeply I can’t even look at it

I paid £600 through AnyVan, and then, under pressure, was told to pay an extra £200 directly to the driver. That’s £800 total for a 20-minute journey, broken items, a day of panic, and a level of service that was frankly insulting.

Even the driver said, “They charged you how much? What are you moving — gold? I’d have done this all for £150 tops.” That says it all. The AnyVan platform looks polished, sounds trustworthy, but when it really matters, they fall apart. There’s no accountability, no care, no protection for the customer.

If your move matters — do not trust AnyVan.