Moving soon, paying people to do it. I have reservations about the entire industry, and I automatically assume they’re going to screw me. I am looking for tips/suggestions/information on two aspects:
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The “guaranteed not to exceed” “binding” estimates that aren’t so binding. Obviously, I’m sure the estimate is written in such a way that if you present more stuff than what was indicated on the estimate, they can shy away from their original binding and ask for more. This presents an opportunity for the estimator to lowball his estimate (i.e. not mark things down on his sheet) to give you a nice price, and then the day of the move you’re suddenly told that it’ll cost more because you’re moving stuff that wasn’t on the estimate.
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Insurance. I read something, somewhere that states that the insurance products moving companies provide are worthless, because (I think) the federal law regulating them supersedes and limits their liability in the event there is a dispute. Or something.
Anyways, looking for a “I got screwed once” or “If I had to do it again” kind of compendium post of tips and valuable information.
I’d suggest finding a reputable moving company that has been in the area for a while.
Someone that cares about their reputation. They are not going to risk their reputation for another $100 from you.
Get 2 or more quotes. Make sure that they include the volume that they are quoting. If one is well below, ask why.
Try to find someone that has full time crews. My first move, the company hired day labor to do the packing/unpacking. They were fine, but you could tell this wasn’t a long term job for them.
My second mover had permanent crews. It showed. These guys cared about what they did. My SO and I still laugh about how much packing paper they used to secure our stuff. We moved a 2200 sq ft house, and not a single thing got broken or scratched. Nothing.
Be nice to the moving crews and the drivers. They are the ones with their hands on your stuff. Be organized before they arrive. Leave out some sodas, buy them lunch. Talk to them. On our last move, I was there for both days of packing and both days of unpacking. I held doors, directed where stuff should go, bought pizza.
I’ve had 2 professional moves, and in neither case did I feel they were out to get me. Matter of fact, they went out of their way to help me, including setting up some of my furniture for me.
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Sounds good. It would sound even better in IMHO, though, so I’ve moved the thread there from GQ.
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http://www.movingscam.com/findmover.shtml
The rest of the site is a goldmine of information, but this is a very good guide.
Call a few places and get estimates. Hire a reputable local company, and don’t shy away from the smaller guys, who will probably give you a much better price. Doing your own packing will save a ton of money, if you have the time and energy to do it. The moving company I worked for back in the day charged ridiculous prices for even used boxes, plus outrageous amounts for packing them.
As far as insurance, ask them what kind of damages they cover without it, then decide if it’s worth it to you. How much damage will they cover without insurance? You should have little or no damage with experienced and professional movers.
A cooler full of soda/gatorade and ice would be nice, especially if you’ve got a bigger place and it’s going to take all day. If that’s the case, you might want to get the guys some pizzas or sandwiches for lunch.
If you pack stuff yourself, pack the boxes right up to the top, and pack them tightly, but don’t make them super heavy (don’t fill huge boxes with books or heavy dishes). If you can’t fill a box right up to the top, roll up newspapers and stuff them in there. Don’t put weights in boxes. Get a handful of sharpies and mark your boxes with the room it came from. Pack fragile things in as much paper as you can, and make sure the box is marked “glass” “fragile”, etc. Get 2-3 empty boxes (or suitcases) and have them ready for stuff you don’t want to pack until last minute (toiletries, clothes, telephones, etc).
Propane and gasoline cans will need to be empty if they take them at all. Drain your lawnmower too if you’re taking it. Movers are used to disconnecting washers/dryers/stoves, etc, so I wouldn’t worry about that. I’d unplug and defrost the fridge a day or two before the move, and disconnect water lines if you have one going into the fridge. Don’t forget to check/clean out your shed and other storage areas too.
I moved last summer and used Arpin Van Lines. They were very professional and courteous and I never felt like I was getting screwed. I got numerous quotes from different companies beforehand and dealt with at least one very shady company (obviously didn’t go with them) for a while that would NOT take no for an answer–tried to guilt me into using them because of all the time/effort they’d put into the quote!
Anyway, IIRC it is illegal for moving companies to charge based on linear/square/cubic footage–they HAVE to go by weight. In my experience, I got quotes for cubic footage about half of the time anyway (these were over-the-phone quotes and not come-to-the-house quotes). Be leery of a company that tries to quote you based on cubic footage or linear footage in a truck–they can pack the truck inefficiently and charge you more money, plus it’s illegal.
The Arpin guy came out to my house and we did a very thorough going-through-everything inventory for the quote and the final amount was nearly identical, or maybe even slightly less, than the estimate. He also came over and helped me pack some tricky items and brought me a bunch of extra (used) boxes and (new) paper and stuff at no charge (we were paying for moving only, not for having them pack our stuff).