Those who have used professional movers -

[northcoast]

When getting a quote from a moving company, what sort of questions do you ask to help you decide who will move your precious belongings? We will be moving from Cleveland, OH to Angola, Indiana mid Dec. I've looked at the Better Business Bureau reports already and price is similar with a couple companies. Any suggestions on keeping the cost down? We only get $3000 paid by my husband's new employer. What would make you choose one company over another? Thanks!

[KatieJ]

We have only used a professional mover once and our choices were limited as we lived in a small town. We did meet with both companies to get an idea for how we would work with them. We made our choice final after getting a personal recommendation.

[Forget-Me-Not]

We used professional packers/movers last time we moved. My husband's new job gave him a very generous moving stipend. It was fabulous. I literally sat on my couch and read a book while they packed.

 

We asked our Realtor for a referral and she directed me to someone who was with Allied Van Lines. They were great. They packed things really well and we had no problems. We ended up having some escrow problems (our buyers lender decided to flake at the last second) so we weren't able to move into our new home on schedule. We had to store our items with them for a few extra days and when we were ready, they were able to come the very next day and deliver. The only damage we had in the whole process was when they bumped the refrigerator against a corner while moving it into it's space--damage my husband was able to fix it in 10 minutes with some texturing and touch-up paint.

 

They charged us about $3000 (though it ended up being more with the extra storage fees). We had an 870 sq ft house with a 1-car garage and we moved 2 hours away. I personally transported some items that I didn't want to leave out of my hands (jewelry, wedding photos, that sort of thing) . Overall it was a great experience, and I think I'd actually pay out of pocket if we ever had to move without a moving stipend :D

[Julie in AZ]

It sounds like you're doing everything you can choosing a company.

 

I have a suggestion about tipping. We've had excellent service several times moving long distances by tipping at both ends. Give the movers a tip up front because you so appreciate them taking such good care of your belongings. ;) Then, tip again at the end as they are moving them out of the truck. We never had a lost or broken item, and our movers were happy to put things in the shed, put beds together without us asking, etc. ;)

[alpidarkomama]

Have you looked at ABF/U-pack? Like a Pod, but cheaper. :) They were fantastic for our cross-country move. We hired movers on either end to pack and unpack. I think we paid $3K for the truck and maybe $250-300 on either end.

[northcoast]

Thanks for all the input so far. In regards to tipping - is it by a percentage like one would do at a restaurant? Or just a flat amount? I wouldn't want to insult anyone. :)

 

I had one company come out today for a quote. I flat out asked why I should choose their company. One thing I was told was they use the same people to pack, load, deliver, and unpack along with having a co rep call and check in with me during the process. I liked that idea and something like that didn't occur to me to ask other companies. I also found out their employees are full time permanent; not a contract worker. That was also something I didn't know to ask. Keep the advice coming! Thanks!

[Margo out of lurking]

It sounds like you already have found a great company! We moved 1500 miles three years ago, from the suburbs to the sticks. The company did not check out the new location, which the moving truck could not access. The truck had to park at the top of our new street, and the driver was responsible for finding a U-Haul truck to do a secondary move of all of our belongings. Because he had no cell service in our remote location, we loaned him our cell phone and fed him and his assistant. The moving company (Mayflower) was unable to find anyone else to help him unload and totally abandoned the driver when he needed them most. Dh and I helped move everything, still moving things in at 10pm on my birthday. It also cost us an additional, unexpected $800 for the "shuttle" move.

 

It totally sucked, much more so for the driver than for us. He was a contract driver and had other moves in his truck. Mayflower's refusal to even attempt to help him resulted in the rest of his trips being a day behind. He was good; I would never use Mayflower again though, nor would I recommend them.

 

I also want to add--we had several hundred items, including boxes. There was NO WAY to confirm what had been unloaded and what had not, and yet we had to sign off that all had been received. It was a miracle that nothing was damaged (short of a plastic colander and something else forgettable/minor). There was an item or two (furniture/decor) never "found"--we suspect they were broken in the truck and just never unloaded. However, considering the overall move, this was all very minor and inconsequential.

[northcoast]

Thanks, Kristine! Yikes, we are moving to a subdivision with a narrower gravel private road. I'd better check on that with people who have given me quotes. Thanks again for mentioning that!

[AHASRADA]

Insurance, insurance, insurance! Make absolutely positive that your belongings are insured, ideally for replacement value, but at least current value, and not by the pound! Also find out what the max. coverage is. I would also advise that you take photos of your belongings (which we should all do anyway), including detailed photos of any particularly valuable or damage-prone pieces (piano, wide-screen TV, large wooden pieces). That way you have proof of the condition of your belongings in case anything is damaged.

 

Our movers (who were wonderful) accidentally packed dh's kerosene heater, which was in it's original box, assuming it was empty. It wasn't (full of kerosene!) It sloshed in the truck and got all over some items. They sent out an adjuster to look at all the items we claimed, and paid in a timely manner.

 

So, yes, look for a reputable company that is unlikely to damage or lose your items, but making sure they are well insured in the event something does happen, is equally important.

[justamouse]

ask how many moves they have scheduled for that day. Make sure you're scheduled early or there are few. When the movers get tired, they drop boxes marked Fragile. Ask me how I know. :glare:

[Alyce]

As you know bedbugs (which has been a big conversation around here) hitch hike especially on wood. The TV show I watched said that using a moving company might cause you to unknowingly carry bedbugs into your house. One of the one's the interviewed said he sprays after every use and then heats the inside up to 150 degrees for several hours before he'll take on another contract. He said that if a person got bedbugs they could easily sue his company. If I were you I'd ask the moving companies what efforts they are taking to prevent bedbugs from accidentally being transferred with their units. If the unit is metal there would be less of a problem but a lot of movers have wooden insides. Just thought it might be something you'd want to think about.