Good moving companies rated????

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Orchidflower

Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
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Mar 10, 2007
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Does anyone know of a good website that will rate movers that move across country and get your things there safely?
I have found some ratings on epinions.com (put moving companies - commercial in search), but wonder if there is any other way to find a good mover other than word of mouth? Unfortunately, I am in an area where nobody seems to go in or out of now, so that is out.

WARNING: Bad moving story about WALD/Mayflower in Houston:

When I moved up north 3 years ago from Houston, I called up 3 moving companies from the yellow pages. Not the best way, but it was all I had at the time available as none of my associates had moved.
Anyway, I chose Wald because over and over they promised they would move my things safely, and--most importantly--I could store my stuff with them until I needed them even for up to a year, if necessary. I went over and over this with the Manager to confirm this with Wald.
Well, they LIED! After 2 months, the same Manager who made this promise to me over and over, called to scream at me to get my things out of his place! Nice.
When the items were delivered, a few unimportant things had broken, and a commercial fan was stolen (pricey one) by one of the movers, but the biggest error was they came to pick-up my things not at the agreed upon time but a WEEK LATE...YES!!!!!!!
I was very lucky the new buyer was a builder, and had been a client of mine before in advertising from another industry. If not, I would have been up s**t creek without a paddle, as they say. He understood, trusted me to get out when my stuff was picked up and saved the day. Whew!
So, folks in Houston, do not use a company named Wald as they are bad, bad, bad!!!!! You've been warned now.
Oh, and epinions.com does have a number of negative reviews on Wald Moving in Houston already. Wish I had found it sooner.
 
If you don't mind the "You pack it we move it then you unpack it" approach then you won't find anybody better than ABF U-Pack.
 
We used PODS for our move from Boston area to Myrtle Beach.

I fit [-]squeezed[/-] a 3 bedroom house into one 8x8x16 foot container. We moved 3 times in 5 years so had gotten rid of a lot of stuff. Also gave away a huge sectional that would have never fit and was on it's last leg..

Cost me $2800 and that included putting it in storage for 1 month before delivery.

Pack it yourself, lock it..

Open it an unpack it.

Great people, service was really fantastic..

W
 
Oh, before you choose a moving company check for complaints with your local Better Business Bureau. BBB
 
Every time we have moved, we searched for a reputable moving company. It doesn't help if the movers have a national brand like Allied, Mayflower, Atlas, etc. because they are all locally owned and operated. We got recommendations from Consumer Reports, from friends, from the relo service, from church members, from employers, BBB, etc. Everyone gave a recommendation and we got quotes from the most reputable and selected based on that.

Results: every move we have had has been a disaster. Thank goodness for replacement value insurance. So any given mover can be an angel one day and the next day they are the devil. We always seemed to get angels that had decided to be devils with us.

In one case, they lost our ENTIRE shipment coming back from Europe. It apparently was simply stolen out of US Customs warehouse. In another case, the "reputable" franchise mover declared bankruptcy while our shipment was en route.

My parents moved alot and never seemed to have the trouble we have had, so I don't know what's with us.
 
Now I feel a lot better about having moved myself on a trailer and making a few scratches in the wall.

My wife still jabs me about scraping the wall with a little "A professional mover wouldnt have done that...".

Guess I'll have to update her on the plausible alternative implications.
 
We also are looking at the possibility of moving in the next few months. After poking around on the internet and reading this thread, I am concluding:

--we must be sure to have replacement value insurance
--move ourselves what cannot be replaced
--maybe we will impose on friends to help us move
--continue selling stuff on Craigslist and giving stuff away or throwing stuff away
 
moving furniture

For interstate moves, are most of you planning to move your furniture? I wonder if the cost, physical and mental strain, and hassle of moving beds, sofas, china cabinets, double dressers, and such is even worth it. That's especially true when considering the possibility that at least some of the furniture may not fit or look right in the next home, and it might arrive damaged.

I love the style and function of my present furniture, and it is in great shape. It would last for the duration if I did not move. But realistically, it is 30 year old middle-of-the-line furniture that just hasn't seen any hard wear. The former owner of my present home died in an automobile accident, and I bought it used from her daughter for a song.
Buying all new furniture when I retire sounds pretty expensive for a LBYM'er like me, but when I factor in the easier move and the fun of buying the perfect furniture for the new house, it sounds like it could be the better option. Well, maybe.

The logistics of selling my house and moving to another state is horrendous. Not having to deal with furniture might help in that respect as well. Perhaps I could rent a small truck for the move, and without furniture everything would fit easily in it.

Sorry, just thinking "out loud". The problems are perplexing. I am ambivalent about moving in the first place, and this doesn't make it any easier to make the sensible decision (to go).
 
I too have heard great things about Pod. A friend of mine used them several years ago when they sold their house to build. During the construction the family lived in their motor home while their household goods were stored in a climate controlled facility.

What interests me is that we can pack one Pod at the staging stage and another for the 'rest of the stuff'. A check of their website shows that they have 'packer' resources available.

Maybe the RedFin of moving....
 
I am nervous about moving my things like you, Want2retire; but, if I may make a suggestion, book your truck EARLY--and CHECK OUT THE TRUCKS where you are renting.
When I needed to move some of my things from Chicago to where I live now, I called a UHaul there. It was an old truck that had side mirrors that did NOT work. What a fun 4 hour drive that was. I couldn't see either side nor behind me. Thank heaven, my son followed right behind me in my car in case.
Then I later had to rent from Bekins--brand new truck and perfect condition--to make another run from Wisconsin, and that went like a dream.
I assumed UHaul would have all decent trucks. NOT! So, trust me on this one, check out the trucks at the spot you are renting from beforehand or you, too, may be driving 4 hours with no mirrors anywhere that work. It was horrible! How can they even rent those trucks in good conscience I'll never know, but that's Chicago and how they care about each other (NOT!).
 
Orchidflower said:
I am nervous about moving my things like you, Want2retire; but, if I may make a suggestion, book your truck EARLY--and CHECK OUT THE TRUCKS where you are renting.
When I needed to move some of my things from Chicago to where I live now, I called a UHaul there. It was an old truck that had side mirrors that did NOT work. What a fun 4 hour drive that was. I couldn't see either side nor behind me. Thank heaven, my son followed right behind me in my car in case.
Then I later had to rent from Bekins--brand new truck and perfect condition--to make another run from Wisconsin, and that went like a dream.
I assumed UHaul would have all decent trucks. NOT! So, trust me on this one, check out the trucks at the spot you are renting from beforehand or you, too, may be driving 4 hours with no mirrors anywhere that work. It was horrible! How can they even rent those trucks in good conscience I'll never know, but that's Chicago and how they care about each other (NOT!).
Click to expand...

That's amazing! If I go ahead with the truck rental when I move (2009 or 2010), I will definitely check out the truck, after reading about yours. I am hoping to pare things down to where it is one of the smaller rental trucks. None of them sound very easy to drive, even if I got a perfect one.
 
cute fuzzy bunny said:
Now I feel a lot better about having moved myself on a trailer and making a few scratches in the wall.

My wife still jabs me about scraping the wall with a little "A professional mover wouldnt have done that...".

Guess I'll have to update her on the plausible alternative implications.
Click to expand...
Put me down for the club of people who had their house dinged up by professional movers. The issue is that the driver hired local help to unload and the money comes out of their pocket so they hire whomever is hanging out at the day labor center.
 
UHaul trucks are often in very poor condition. Their rental agreement puts all the responsibility on the renter (it says if it is not safe you are to decline it). Often they do not have safe suitable trucks available if the one they offer you on the day promised is a POS. Explore all other alternatives.
 
Sell everything, move take only your most valuable items on a rental truck you drive, buy all other stuff new when at new house.
 
Basically u-haul gives you the crappiest truck they have and sees if you're going to complain.

Tell them up front that if they give you a busted up crappy truck that they're going to keep it. If they give you something substandard, ask for the pretty new one they have sitting out front with the big sign in the windshield. If that doesnt work, go to ryder or budget.
 
The problem is you often just can't find a replacement in 15 minutes if the UHaul truck is a looser.

Better to reserve a truck from a reliable company. It is not only the safety of your household goods at risk, it is the safety of the family members riding in the cab.
 
If you avoid renting on weekends, and stick with tues/wed/thurs...about half of the u-haul trucks on the lot will be unrented...and so will quite a few at the competitors.
 
cute fuzzy bunny said:
Basically u-haul gives you the crappiest truck they have and sees if you're going to complain.
Click to expand...
Interesting observation. I've noticed that businesses tend to rent Ryder or Penske or Hertz trucks when necessary. I can't ever remember seeing a business renting a U-Haul truck. OTOH we stumbled across a good U-Haul franchise owner (not an easy accomplishment) and she likes us, so we get a good deal on the one or two times a year that we need a big truck.

cute fuzzy bunny said:
If you avoid renting on weekends, and stick with tues/wed/thurs...about half of the u-haul trucks on the lot will be unrented...and so will quite a few at the competitors.
Click to expand...
Hey hey hey, you're giving away some of the best ER secrets!!

Want2retire said:
For interstate moves, are most of you planning to move your furniture? I wonder if the cost, physical and mental strain, and hassle of moving beds, sofas, china cabinets, double dressers, and such is even worth it. That's especially true when considering the possibility that at least some of the furniture may not fit or look right in the next home, and it might arrive damaged.
I love the style and function of my present furniture, and it is in great shape. It would last for the duration if I did not move. But realistically, it is 30 year old middle-of-the-line furniture that just hasn't seen any hard wear. The former owner of my present home died in an automobile accident, and I bought it used from her daughter for a song.
Buying all new furniture when I retire sounds pretty expensive for a LBYM'er like me, but when I factor in the easier move and the fun of buying the perfect furniture for the new house, it sounds like it could be the better option. Well, maybe.
The logistics of selling my house and moving to another state is horrendous. Not having to deal with furniture might help in that respect as well. Perhaps I could rent a small truck for the move, and without furniture everything would fit easily in it.
Sorry, just thinking "out loud". The problems are perplexing. I am ambivalent about moving in the first place, and this doesn't make it any easier to make the sensible decision (to go).
Click to expand...
Martha has pointed out that the only reason people would want to move is if the new place is ever so much better. Lower living expenses doesn't necessarily make it better. So maybe it's best to accept other lifestyle compromises in order to stay in place... that's a tough personal decision without an easy "right" answer.

I'm surprised that more veterans haven't weighed in on this discussion. Spouse and I are [-]victims[/-] survivors of 19 moves, including five ocean crossings and a car that spent 119 days on an unaccompanied open-air government-funded tour of European ports... while allegedly enroute California.

The best moves I ever had were the ones where I packed my stereo speakers in my compact car (back when big speakers were a good thing), padded everything with trash bags of clothing, and drove I-95. As we accumulated more possessions (and family members) the moves just got nastier.

There are essentially two choices: (1) buy indestructible furniture that you don't give a rat's ass about or (2) sell before moving and buy other stuff after arrival. (1) used to be cheaper but in today's Internet environment I suspect that (2) is a better deal.

You can move yourself, but you'll soon find yourself questioning your material lifestyle. Everything you bother to pack has to be unpacked at the other end. The thill of moving yourself via a rental truck lasts for about one move, and if you have kids then maybe not even that long. Rental trucks & PODS may be an incremental improvement over your buddy's pickup but you're still paying someone to facilitate your slave labor.

We've seen all the movers. Even the best make mistakes, and the worst movers... well, we've told them to leave and to give us another crew. (At least the second-stringers didn't need to drink beer at lunch... or for lunch.) The only difference between an experienced mover and an amateur is that the experienced one can do it faster and is smart enough to use the moving equipment instead of muscles. None of that is for the benefit of the customer.

You can insure your really good stuff but it'll eventually arrive damaged someday and getting repairs is a huge hassle. Even if the repair is "free" (insured) you'll spend way too much of your "free" time dealing with the logistics of getting it repaired. It's easier to lose it so that you can replace it through replacement-cost insurance.

The only two articles of furniture that have come through a dozen moves in good condition have been two identical solid-oak desks that we bought raw and finished ourselves. When they got dinged up we were able to sand, putty, & refinish to their original condition. They cost $700 each in 1984, have been a huge hassle to move, and mostly serve as file cabinets. I could upgrade them from Craigslist for under $200 each in less than a month.

We haven't bought retail furniture in nearly a decade and Craigslist has done amazing things for furniture liquidity. When you buy a couch for $250 and treat it right you can probably sell it a few years later for $150. You can also buy its replacement for $250-$300 with the savings from avoiding the moving fees.

If I was moving across state lines next month, I'd have the mother of all Craigslist sales. I'd keep the photo albums, the kid's furniture, and the indestructible sentimental items but even my indulgence for that has a limit. I'd budget $5-$10K for Craigslist/Goodwill replacements at the other end and I'd just keep upgrading for a few years until I was happy.

But it's far better never to move in the first place.

Our Craigslist purchases over the last few years:
- Diningroom table + two leaves & six chairs
- 3x barstools
- Leather livingroom sofa
- Velour double recliner
- Computer desk & hutch
- Fridgezilla
- Two 4'x6' and one 4'x4' bookcases
- Two brand-new plastic-wrapped queen beds (frames, headboards, mattresses, box springs)
- Triple-wide dresser & mirror
- Five-drawer chest dresser
- A bedroom of kid's furniture
- Kid's TV cabinet
- Kid's study desk
- Five sets of mirror closet doors
- A motorized treadmill, elliptical trainer, weight bench, free weights, and a universal-style weight machine
- Lanai table & 4x chairs
- 200 watts of photovoltaic solar panels
- $400 Dell Inspiron D505 laptop with wireless card
- More artsy crap than I care to remember having to hang on the walls.

Every purchase has been easier than the last. Two years ago the Hawaii Craigslist had maybe 30-40 new postings a day. Today it's over 200...
 
Thanks, Nords. That was a great post and it's easy to see that you know what you are talking about. There was a lot in there to think about.
 
First, the Bekins truck was not hard to drive at all. It was just a small rental truck. If you have valuables like photos, heirlooms and irreplaceable items, it would be worth it to rent one and move it yourself--if there is too much to fit into a car.
Second, after much thought, I am coming to the conclusion that it might be smarter to just have a huge estate sale for so much of this stuff. Then I will put the real valuables I want to keep and family heirlooms in storage while I travel around looking for a place to plop.
My mother bought a dining set and new living room stuff with the thought that I would keep it a few years ago, so it all is brand new. In fact, this is the last purchase she ever made, I think. But, I also suspect, she thought I would settle back into my old hometown. Why? I left over 40 years ago with the idea I would never come back then, and still feel that way. This area was never for me: dead economy, wonderful people...but dead, dead, dead despite the fact they are really trying hard to attract people with festivals and other activities. Much better than when I was growing up, but still not for me.
I wouldn't tell her about selling her things as it would break her aging heart, but her house is huge--and I don't plan on having a huge, backbreaking house when I leave after she passes.
You make good points and ones I have been mulling over for months myself.
I do think it makes more sense to rid myself of all of this stuff--and boy! is there ever alot. And it's good stuff, too.
Now I just have to work on my guilty feelings of not keeping the things she so lovingly picked out for me....and that's a hard one.
 
As Cute Fuzzy Bunny said in her post about UHaul giving you the crappiest trucks they have and see if you complain--wow! what a great marketing concept that is.... Just one little detail: I will NEVER rent from freak'in UHaul again because of it.
Having been in hard core sales over 30 years, if UHaul screws enough of us like this it will eventually catch up to them. I've seen more than one salesperson and certainly more than one sales company go down because of treating their customers like crap...and UHaul would deserve to tank. Just my opinion, folks, is all.
 
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