Affordable /reliable moving companies?

[kmaha]

Can anyone recommend a moving company that is reliable for interstate moving, and decently priced? I've called the big name companies (North American, Bekins, United, etc) and their prices are outrageous!! I don't trust myself to drive the UHAUL/RYDER or that would be great! Any advice is great!

Thanks

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[Seal]

I don't know if this helps, but you can try looking on the web. I was doing the same thing recently after I got outrageous quotes for UHaul as well . Try moving.com--it's a great website, and I remember that they have reviews for some moving companies.

 

[Popoy]

If you want to move things that are not breakable and are within the dimentions of 3ft by 3ft such as books, albums, office supplies, pictures, etc.... You might want to consider AMTRAK Express!!! It's the cheapest!!!

 

[apple638]

Whatever you do, please do not use the National Moving Network.

My furniture was picked on July 1st and I still don't have it eventhough the ETA was 5-7 days.

 

[swdave]

Hey,

Going with a big name may not always work.

I was relocated from CA to NE and the Mayflower boyz came and loaded up the truck and I saw my stuff (AND my wife's AND my kid's) about 40 DAYS LATER!!

No table in our house, no cookware, no clothes, no toys, nothing to sit on, no towels etc.. Yes Mayflower did pick up the tab on things that we had to buy. We should've taken better advantage of this but we were constantly under the impression our stuff was coming ANY day.

To add to the insult we were on the phone when the conversation took place:

CSR: "Ma'am, we have found your things in CA and it will be leaving here immediately. It should be there in 3-5 more days. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Wife: "What? It's still in CA? Uh just a sec, someones outside my door."
Guy at door: "Ma'am, are you Diane?
Wife: "Yes"
Guy at door: "I work for Mayflower and we have your things" (Wife sees big Mayflower truck on street)
Wife to CSR: "Gee, that was quick it's here already."
CSR: "That must be a mistake, that can't be your stuff. It will be there in 3-5 days...."
Wife: "Uh, I gotta go, thanks."

Overall, it STUNK!

Best luck.

Dave

 

[lilycat]

I did some research recently -- you're right about the outrageous quotes. I called some of the big companies about shipping a few pieces of furniture (dining room table and a hutch -- they can tack multiple loads onto one truck to make a full load), and they all said they have a 1000 lb. minimum, and I got quotes from $1000-$1500.

If you go the Ryder or U-Haul route (I think Budget rents trucks as well), definitely use quotes between the competing companies to try and get a lower quote -- they will usually try to match the best deal you've been offered. Also, try to call different locations of the franchises. For instance, I'm renting a 5x8 trailer for my move from CA to Texas -- on the U-Haul website, I got a quote of $398, and also from the first franchise I called! I called another U-Haul franchise in a neighboring town and got a quote of $286. If you have the time, call around as much as possible.

To the original poster, can you get someone to drive with you, who maybe has had experience driving one of those trucks? It actually isn't too bad. Also, I was really nervous about driving with a trailer, but that also wasn't too bad -- I did it alone from northern CA to southern CA earlier this summer.

 

[mcwmark]

yeah, watch out for those smaller moving companies.

they'll often wait until they "fill" their truck before making the move across country, and then they'll usually drive to maximize dropoffs. (i.e. if they have movers from CA to kansas city, des moines, minneapolis, and indianapolis--and you're the person moving to indianapolis...you'll be waiting a while)

 

[apple638]

I had to learn the hard way. It's been almost two weeks and I'm still sleeping on the hard floor. The estimated time of arrival was 5-7 days. You do the math. I don't even want to go into how terrible this move has been because I might put you guys to sleep. I'm trying to remain positive though

 

[phd2b]

I've moved many times and have had large companies (Bekins, etc) do the pack, load, unload, and unpack (company picked up the tab), and have done all of the above myself.

I've come to the conclusion that for my next move I'll hire a local company to load what I've packed into *my* rented truck, and then *I'll* drive it to my destination, where another local company will assist in unloading. This only makes sense if you are comfortable driving a big truck and are properly insured (you'll also want the local guys to be insured and bonded). Since I have very heavy furniture, this is a good compromise.

I'm guessing that you could save 50% or more going this route.

Just my $0.02...

Good luck!