Thaxil said:
I think I will have ValueMoves haul my suff for 1500 bucks. They seem to be the cheapest door to door service.
BEWARE! ValueMoves with an
s is not the same as the reputable company ValueMove operated by United Van Lines. ValueMoves is a very dubious company, as you can see if you go to this thread -
http://www.movingscam.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=858
I worry when I see comments like this posted on this board: "ABF's quote was almost as much as the quotes I got from full-service moving companies on the Internet, so I'm going to go with a full-service mover." If any supposedly full-service company gives you a quote similar to ABF's, it is almost certainly a scammer that is lowballing you and will later raise the price in a hostage freight situation. Not only that, delivery delays of many weeks or even months are common, and your things will most likely be delivered damaged, often by a company different from the one you hired. The scammers are totally charming when they are trying to sign you up, but later they are rude or unreachable.
I myself moved with ABF and I'm a volunteer for a website called MovingScam at
www.movingscam.com. In following the messageboard there for almost a year, I have yet to see one case in which a company found on the Internet (other than a major van line or a U-Pack, We-Drive mover like ABF) turned out to be reputable. I know that some people posting on this board are familiar with MovingScam. Please, warn others when you see trouble coming. One thing to look for:
no reputable moving company requires a deposit except for auto transporters.
People should especially avoid websites like
www.123movers.com and
www.vanlines.com that specialize in funneling victims to scammers. I saw someone mention 123movers here and cringed. Even Monster Moving is suspect, and the Yahoo Yellow Pages are infested with scam companies.
Extremely intelligent people have been taken in by scammers--attorneys, college professors, and yes, even doctors and dentists. I spoke with a dentist today who was scammed after getting quotes from several major van lines and one scammer. The scammer's quote was 40% below the others so he hired that company. His things arrived in LA six weeks later delivered by a different company. All the legs were broken on his furniture and the movers demanded hundreds of extra dollars in cash or they said they would take his things away.
Bottom line: do not go with any company that contacts you as a result of contact information that you posted on the Internet. That's how the scammers get their victims.
If money is a concern, consider hiring a U-Pack, We-Drive mover like ABF at
www.upack.com, which has 67 mostly positive reviews on Epinions, or Broadway Express at
www.broadwayexpress.net, which also has many positive reviews on MovingScam. Of the two, Broadway Express is better for most people because the driver will help you load for a small hourly fee and all equipment such as a walkboard (ramp), dolly, moving pads, and material to construct decking is included in the quote. The prices for ABF and Broadway Express are usually quite similar. If you need to estimate how many linear feet you'll need in the truck, go to the ABF website and click on the Space Estimators link on the menu at the bottom, and then click on "Advanced" on that page. Broadway Express can move your car in the same van with the household goods if you want.
