After moving to South America with Atlas International, Rick Jones is a believer in the Atlas brand and the service it represents.

Rick Jones has an adventurous spirit. When he decided to retire a few years ago, Rick and his wife, Ellen Bryson, saw Argentina as the ideal place to live. And though Rick had made several international moves during a career in the military, this would be his first time to go new places on his own nickel. The unknowns made it more than a little daunting. It was downright scary.

“I was petrified,” says Rick. “I started by researching international moving online. I learned a lot about what to look for in a mover, starting with ISO certification. I found seven companies in the Washington D.C. area who met the standard.”

With his military experience, Rick knew that shipping cost is determined by shipment size. He also had a good idea of the weight and “cubes” (volume) of his goods. So he called the movers on his list for estimates. “Atlas was one of three movers who agreed to give me an idea of cost over the phone,” says Rick.

He whittled the list to two, and ultimately decided to go with Atlas after he talked with the people who would handle his shipment at both origin and destination. “Atlas got me into my comfort zone,” says Rick.

“Everyone we dealt with, especially Julia Ives (Sales, Paxton Van Lines 1610), Matthew Hagenah (Partner Director, Atlas International), and Daniel and Noelia Oviedo (Sales, Argenmove) knew what they were talking about and were willing to take the time to explain the processes to me so I knew what to expect.”

Rick even had the opportunity to meet with the folks at Argenmove, Atlas’ partner provider in Argentina, beforehand. “They were completely helpful, absolutely fantastic,” says Rick. “Any doubts I had about getting good service in Argentina vanished.”

When Rick and Ellen arrived at destination, they moved into temporary housing until renovation of their apartment was complete. When at last they took possession of their permanent residence, the destination crew made the move-in easy—even with many carries up the apartment building’s spiral staircase. Argenmove also supplied a translator to relay instructions from Rick to the Spanish-speaking crew.

“Now, I tell everyone I can:  If you don’t want to worry about anything, use Atlas.” 
–Rick & Ellen Jones

About a year after Rick and Ellen had settled in, a funny thing happened. “I realized I wasn’t ready to retire,” says Rick. The adventurous spirit stirred, and the two decided to move again. Rick, a data management consultant, took a consulting job in San Diego, and the couple returned to the U.S., and made the decision to use Atlas International and its partners yet again. Since the move to Argentina, Rick and Ellen have moved with Atlas two more times, and they are planning their next upcoming domestic move with Atlas Van Lines.

“Atlas International showed they cared about us and our move,” says Rick. “I was full of anxiety and a lot of questions. But Atlas kept us in our comfort zone with accurate, complete and timely information. Everyone worked hard to address my concerns, and I knew what to expect every step of the way. Now, I tell everyone I can: If you don’t want to worry about anything, use Atlas.”