I’m moving across the country this August. I need a moving company. Even better would be a reputable moving company that will get my stuff where it needs to go without ripping me off, stealing my stuff, crashing the truck, or any combination of the three.
And this has made me realize one reason why I think the SDMB remains so valuable. If you do a quick Google search for moving companies and/or sites offering recommendations for moving companies, you quickly realize that the ones on the top of the list are all ads. I found three or four “boards” where “people” all happen to recommend the same company, which luckily happens to have purchased ads all over the site.
But I know that if I post here, I’m going to get answers from real people who are (A) reasonably bright and (B) relatively unlikely to want to screw me over for the hell of it by sending me to a crap company. It’s surprising to me how hard it’s become to find this sort of thing on the internet these days.
Yeah. So, anyway, help me find a good moving company! We’d like to get prices from both the “we-do-it-all” type movers and the “you-pack-we-haul” type, so feel free to include either. Or both. Or just point and laugh because I have to move and you don’t.
Haha!
Kidding, I wish I had to move. Minnesota just does not do it for me anymore (if it ever did).
Now I’m going to email you all kinds of invasive questions.
Good luck on the move, Smeghead. Do you s’pose it would be helpful to say what parts of the country you’re moving from/to?
I did this last summer. How much stuff do you have, and where are you moving from/to?
I spend ages panicking about this - I had a two week window in which to move and a very pregnant wife that wanted to be in the middle of everything. You know what I did? I rented a Penske truck, with a tow attachment for my car. We hired two guys who were professional movers to pack and move the heavy shit in the truck. Our big friends came over to help as well (about 3 big guys and their wives). It took about three hours to load our 2 bedroom home of six years.
The self move was the cheapest option. Every single item arrived in perfect condition. I knew where my stuff was at all times, and all of our goods got to the house at the same time. The price of gas might make this an unattractive option, but if you worry about your stuff being manhandled by idiots and moving companies dicking you over, it’s worth the sweat for peace of mind.
A couple of pieces of information would help before you could get good recommendations:
[ol]
[li]Where are you moving from?[/li][li]Where are you moving to?[/li][li]Who is paying for the move? Are you doing it personally, or is you company moving you?[/li][/ol]
That last one is the biggie. If you’re paying for it yourself, then Hippy Hollow has the best advice.
Yeah, the cross-country move is a biggie. I’ve gone Montreal-Vancouver, Vancouver-New York, and New York-Montreal.
In all likelihood, a local company will pick up your stuff, store it in a warehouse, then pack your stuff and some other people’s things in one truck and ship it cross country – where it will either be delivered to your door, or stored again and then delivered by another local company under the same national banner.
So the quality of the move can change greatly. My first move was great. The second, with the same company (Prince Movers)… not so much.
When I moved to New York, I had no furniture FOR A MONTH. Part of that is because 10 days after my arrival in NYC I had to leave town for a week, but still, I was without my stuff for a month. And when it arrived, it was damn obvious that my kitchen table had been sitting in a puddle of water for a long time. Not to mention all my lampshades were destroyed because the mover did not want to put them in a box 
Both of those moves I packed all my boxes, which can be a chore, but it means that everything will be done well with a minimum of fuss.
My move from New York to Montreal was paid for by my wife’s company, and so the movers did all the packing. And unpacking too. But there’s no way I’d do that if I had to pay for it myself. That easily doubled the cost of the move, and even with a tax write-off I wouldn’t bother unless I was physically unable to load boxes.
But even with another big company (Westmount moving) doing the move, two of the three guys packing boxes in NYC and putting them in the truck were day labourers, paid cash for the day.
I used U-Pack for NYC->Chicago a few years ago, you can guess their business model. I thought they were great, and were much cheaper than either pro-movers or driving myself. No one but you touches your stuff, although you are responsible for packing it properly.
I say this in every moving thread. But I do think they’re a good option, especially for the budget-minded who aren’t exactly moving around pianos and antique sofas. I’ve never used Pods, I’m sure they’re great too.
I’m going to put in a plug for Angie’s List which is a nation-wide company recommendation site, but you just sign up for your area. You can get other people’s opinions (good and bad) about movers in your area, and as an extra bonus you can switch your location once you’ve moved and use it to look up recommendations for other services in your new area.
The cool thing about Angie’s List is that a company doesn’t get listed until a member lists them. So it’s different than something like ServiceMagic where service companies are paying to be on there and SM gets a kickback.
I don’t work for Angie’s List, btw. I am just a member and think it’s a swell service.
We just moved last week, on the new employeers dime. They paid for a company to come in an pack EVERYTHING (goody. I imported dust too.) We used Allied Vanline and had a great crew. But if I was paying for it myself, I don’t think I could handle the cost.
Have you looked at something like PODS? You have to/get to pack up your own stuff on your own timetable, but they move it across the country for you.
Based on what I’m seeing while unpacking my stuff right now, the secret is to use lots and lots of boxes and lots and lots of packing paper/stuffing. Don’t overload the boxes, but be sure that you pack scrunched up paper in, to keep things from shifting.
Sorry for not checking back sooner - not as much time for this place these days as I used to have. I’m moving from the west to New Hampshire, as we’re going to Dartmouth for grad school. Well, I’m going there. The family’s tagging along. I looked at PODS, but they won’t go to where I’m going. U-Pack showed up early on the google search, too, and I was considering them. I’m glad to see they got at least one good review.
I think, though, more and more I’m leaning towards renting a truck and driving it myself. My wife’s parents have volunteered to come out with us and help drive and unload. Cost is the main issue. I laughed, wryly, when people asked if the company was paying for it. No. No they’re not. I’m going to be a poor grad student, and I better start acting like one. My wife, though, is nervous about having everything we own in a motel parking lot every night. I tell her we’ll be fine. We’ll see.
Thanks, everyone!