Moving across the country?

[Doctobee]

Anyone planning to matriculate to a school that is far, far away from where you are now? If so, have you started looking into moving trucks, a new place to live...?

I will be moving from west to east coast!! Just the thought of packing all my stuff (and I have a lot), renting a big ol' truck and driving it across the country drives me nuts. So I was just wondering if anyone has started thinking and planning all this...

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[kenmc3]

Anyone planning to matriculate to a school that is far, far away from where you are now? If so, have you started looking into moving trucks, a new place to live...?

I will be moving from west to east coast!! Just the thought of packing all my stuff (and I have a lot), renting a big ol' truck and driving it across the country drives me nuts. So I was just wondering if anyone has started thinking and planning all this...

I’m only moving 5 hours away and I have already secured a place to live and made moving arrangements etc. However I am planning to move in mid June for reasons other than medical school. I strongly recommend that you consider moving in, to wherever you are going at least a few weeks prior to the start. Medical school is notorious for slamming students during the first few months and you want to make sure you have time to settle in.

 

[Syranope2]

i have no first hand information on this as i packed all my stuff into my hardy volvo station wagon, but i remember some threads last year talking about how awful u-haul was for anything out-of-city. there are even whole websites dedicated to u-haul's crappy service (http://www.thepeters.org/uhaul.htm, http://badbusinessbureau.com/reports/ripoff69819.htm) . so maybe try to find someone besides them to rent from.

 

[lynnier79]

my partner and i are moving from the east coast to the west coast. we have looked into the companies that supply containers that you pack yourself and they drive. quotes have ranged all across the board, but we think were gonna spend about 2K on that.

we are headed to our deistination city next weekend to try to find a place, but were lucky in that it seems that the market for rentals isnt that tight. were hoping a few days out there will be enought to find something.

we plan to move around the first week of june if we can coordinate the rental, etc.

good luck. please share your experience!

 

[DeterminedMD]

Yeah I'll be making the west to east coast move **sigh** But I am not sure where. I am still holdong out for a school I am waitlisted at. So Ihave made no arrangements whatsoever ..........It's all happening so fast!

Anyone planning to matriculate to a school that is far, far away from where you are now? If so, have you started looking into moving trucks, a new place to live...?

I will be moving from west to east coast!! Just the thought of packing all my stuff (and I have a lot), renting a big ol' truck and driving it across the country drives me nuts. So I was just wondering if anyone has started thinking and planning all this...

 

[imrep1972]

Anyone planning to matriculate to a school that is far, far away from where you are now? If so, have you started looking into moving trucks, a new place to live...?

I will be moving from west to east coast!! Just the thought of packing all my stuff (and I have a lot), renting a big ol' truck and driving it across the country drives me nuts. So I was just wondering if anyone has started thinking and planning all this...

I'm not going to enter Med school this year, going to Georgetown's SMP. However, I will be moving from SoCal to DC and I've been checking out the prices... $1500-$2000 for a do-it-yourself place like Uhaul... what a joke.

Plus, that is for 9 days... I don't need 9 days to load, drive and unload. What if someone can do it in 5 days? Nope, sorry. Has to be a 9 day rental, and they won't give a discount for less. I can, however, turn the truck in early, if I would like... just won't save any money. What a pain in the a**

Since we're discussing the topic, maybe we should discuss splitting the cost of a truck? I would be willing to consider going in on a truck with someone, if the logistics make sense... anyone else?

 

[davesnow10]

I saw that truck and trailer from uhaul (for 1300 miles) - im going 1000 from Dallas to Lexington - for 5 days is over $1000.

Crazy! thats with the notorious uhaul-reserved-sorry-we-dont-have-your-reserved-truck system. Plus I would have to unload on my own...

Must be some other companies out there that are more reliable than uhaul....

 

[jdovez]

I saw that truck and trailer from uhaul (for 1300 miles) - im going 1000 from Dallas to Lexington - for 5 days is over $1000.

Crazy! thats with the notorious uhaul-reserved-sorry-we-dont-have-your-reserved-truck system. Plus I would have to unload on my own...

Must be some other companies out there that are more reliable than uhaul....

Hey all. I think I am most likely moving from texas to ny, so Im in for the long haul too. I have started pricing (full service movers wanted almost 2500....yeah right). The best price I have seen for do it yourself is Budget trucks. I can get a 10' or a 15' for just over 1000 (and I think I have a 10% off coupon somewhere so itll be less). The real cost in doing it yourself is the damn gas price at that time of year. Itll suck, but oh well. If anyone knows any other deals, I would love to hear from you.

 

[MadameLULU]

Hey all. I think I am most likely moving from texas to ny, so Im in for the long haul too. I have started pricing (full service movers wanted almost 2500....yeah right). The best price I have seen for do it yourself is Budget trucks. I can get a 10' or a 15' for just over 1000 (and I think I have a 10% off coupon somewhere so itll be less). The real cost in doing it yourself is the damn gas price at that time of year. Itll suck, but oh well. If anyone knows any other deals, I would love to hear from you.

where did you get a 10% coupon? Do you have any extras or know where I can get one?

 

[jdovez]

where did you get a 10% coupon? Do you have any extras or know where I can get one?

You know I dont remember where I got it BUT.....I was just doing more searching and if you type in budget truck coupon to google, the top hit gives you an automatic 10% coupon. When you enter your info it says 10% google coupon and is discounted. I thought they may raise the estimate when you use this link so I tried entering the same info into the normal budget site and it was the same minus the 10% discount, so this is another way to do it. I wonder if my discount that I have at home (I think it was from signing up with some travel website or something) will work as well.....Ill have to try that out. Oh and prices are up since the last time I checked last week. To do the same move I wanted to before is about 200 more, and its a different price for the 10' and 15' truck......tis life I guess.

 

[Diane Moore]

Hey all. I think I am most likely moving from texas to ny, so Im in for the long haul too. I have started pricing (full service movers wanted almost 2500....yeah right). The best price I have seen for do it yourself is Budget trucks. I can get a 10' or a 15' for just over 1000 (and I think I have a 10% off coupon somewhere so itll be less). The real cost in doing it yourself is the damn gas price at that time of year. Itll suck, but oh well. If anyone knows any other deals, I would love to hear from you.

You guys might want to check out a consumer advocacy website called MovingScam.com, where I'm a moderator posting as "Diane" and a long-time volunteer. We have a thread on rental vans at http://www.movingscam.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2060 that compares Budget, U-Haul, and Penske and tells how to get discounts with Penske. Everyone is correct--U-Haul stinks and should be avoided if possible--but if you HAVE to rent with them, there are tips on that thread about how to get the best possible truck (or any truck at all, since it appears that online reservations with U-Haul are sometimes a mere fantasy).

Also, just to let you know, besides the PODS service that one of you mentioned (which people posting on MovingScam.com say is expensive), there are other You-Pack, We-Drive companies that you might want to consider if you want to avoid driving and paying for gas. On our website we endorse the freight companies ABF U-Pack and Broadway Express (BE). There are 18 reviews of ABF and 88 good reviews of BE on our site at http://www.movingscam.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2050 and http://www.movingscam.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1935 respectively.

Finally, if you just have a question about moving, please feel free to come to our messageboard and post it and one of our round-the-clock volunteers will try to help you. Most of our visitors are people who are smart but don't have much extra money to spend on moving. THE most important advice I can give you, if you're looking for a full-service moving company rather than a You-Pack We-Drive arrangement, is to Google the name of the company before signing up with them. A lot of the time that will turn up complaints about scam activity--for example if a company has given lowball quotes and then held people's goods hostage for extra cash.

 

[boardchic]

I'm moving from Rhode Island to California with a friend, and we've been puzzling over how to get our stuff out there. I really think that the you-pack-we-drive services are the most economical, and the least pain in the ass. We don't actually have all that much stuff and we're not moving any furniture, but it's way more than will fit in my car. The smallest U-Haul, with the price of gas, would probably be almost $2000, and that's not even factoring in the hassle. I think we've decided to go with the ABF portable storage unit. It's a bit of pain, because it's terminal-to-terminal and not door-to-door, but it's so much cheaper than the other options, and it means we'll get to enjoy the cross-country drive.

 

[DianaLynne]

My partner and I are gonna fork out the dough and have someone move us. (Colorado to Michigan, probably.) Together, we have an ungodly amount of stuff, even after we have our "farewell and take a blender with you" party.

When I moved from southern Cali to Colorado I had someone move me and it was worth every penny. (Worth A lot more than my $85 secondary fee to Harvard, thank you very little!) It gave me a chance to drive my car with my cat and I stopped and stayed in some cool places without having to deal with the fear of having my moving van being ripped off.

 

[dontstuddy]

I made the move from Portland, OR to new york last year for med school whith my wife. We rented a budget truck and then put our car on a trailer behind it. After paying for the truck and trailer ($3000) and gas ($1000 last summer, so with gas prices up it would probably have been $1200-1400), hotels, food etc for 5 days of travel ($500) so a total close to five grand to move. In hindsight I would have sold all my crap except for what we could have fit in my car and then bought new stuff out here and saved myself probably a grand. Something to think about.

 

[Doctobee]

Hey Guys,

Thanks a lot for all your replies. About the 10% disount - I have seen the same on the Penske website. I have about 2 bedrooms + worth (I'll try to get rid of as much as I can, but it probably won't be much), and will be pulling a car, so with all that Penske gave me a quote of about $2200. I will still definitely check out the idea about "I pack and they move it" thing, as I would really rather not deal with driving a huge truck and pulling a car.

Diane - thanks a lot for your post on movingscam.com website and all the forums there. I will definitely check it out.

I appreciate any other feedbacks or updates

Thanks!

 

[jdovez]

Good times. After a careful evaluation, I think I am going to go with Broadway Express (upack we move peoples). They have a set quote with no hidden fees, and seem to have drivers that are extremely helpful. They are more than ABF, but when the ramp costs, the potential bulkhead hassle, etc, I just think itll be a bit easier.

If you end up moving yourself, DON'T FORGET to budget for gas prices (which will probably be a good 5-10 cents more per gallon by the deep part of the summer). Although I could get a budget truck for about 1000, I figure the gas would be over 300 added to that, and I don't really feel comfortable hauling a car attached to this larger vehicle.

Best of luck all!

Hey Guys,

Thanks a lot for all your replies. About the 10% disount - I have seen the same on the Penske website. I have about 2 bedrooms + worth (I'll try to get rid of as much as I can, but it probably won't be much), and will be pulling a car, so with all that Penske gave me a quote of about $2200. I will still definitely check out the idea about "I pack and they move it" thing, as I would really rather not deal with driving a huge truck and pulling a car.

Diane - thanks a lot for your post on movingscam.com website and all the forums there. I will definitely check it out.

I appreciate any other feedbacks or updates

Thanks!

 

[Doctobee]

Yeah, the gas prices are not cheap these days. I've been thinking about that too. I figure if I get a Budget/Penske or such, that will cost me about $2500 for the truck and the "car-tower", plus the cost of gas, which I'm sure will be a ton of money (for the gas-guzzling truck), the hotel expenses... I'm probably looking at around $4500-5000 for the 2500-mile move. And if I get one of U-pack, we move guys, that will cost me about $2900-3000 for my furniture, plus driving my car, and in that case I'll need to buy gas for that...

So, I'm also exploring the idea of having my car shipped. THat way I'd save on gas, ware/tare/mile on the car, and if I could get a super cheap plane ticket, that might be worth it. I was just wondering - do any of you know anyone that has done something like that??

 

[jdovez]

Yeah, the gas prices are not cheap these days. I've been thinking about that too. I figure if I get a Budget/Penske or such, that will cost me about $2500 for the truck and the "car-tower", plus the cost of gas, which I'm sure will be a ton of money (for the gas-guzzling truck), the hotel expenses... I'm probably looking at around $4500-5000 for the 2500-mile move. And if I get one of U-pack, we move guys, that will cost me about $2900-3000 for my furniture, plus driving my car, and in that case I'll need to buy gas for that...

So, I'm also exploring the idea of having my car shipped. THat way I'd save on gas, ware/tare/mile on the car, and if I could get a super cheap plane ticket, that might be worth it. I was just wondering - do any of you know anyone that has done something like that??

You know I forget the website, but I think it was part of one of the moving sites (broadway express I think....or moveamerica) there was a link to a car shipping service. They wanted like 600 bucks I think for my corolla from texas to ny. It was totally not worth it. For me, the mileage to drive my car (30+ miles/gallon) makes a lot more sense than paying to have it shipped. Good luck to you though.

 

[Doctobee]

Good times. After a careful evaluation, I think I am going to go with Broadway Express (upack we move peoples). They have a set quote with no hidden fees, and seem to have drivers that are extremely helpful. They are more than ABF, but when the ramp costs, the potential bulkhead hassle, etc, I just think itll be a bit easier.
!

Hey jdovez,

What hidden fees at ABF are you talking about?

Thanks for the tip on Broadway Express and car moving. I'll chek that out. We'll see what turns out to be the best. But above all, I'm hoping that my husband gets a nice job on the east coast, and that the new company arranges the move. That would really be the sweetest deal

 

[Diane Moore]

Hey jdovez,

What hidden fees at ABF are you talking about?

Thanks for the tip on Broadway Express and car moving. I'll chek that out. We'll see what turns out to be the best. But above all, I'm hoping that my husband gets a nice job on the east coast, and that the new company arranges the move. That would really be the sweetest deal

There aren't any hidden fees with ABF. I think "jdovez" was referring to some other companies. The only way you can pay more than the quoted price with ABF is if you use more space than you reserved or you can't take delivery of the goods on schedule, so the trailer is tied up with your goods.

The cheapest price I have heard of for shipping a car cross-country with an auto transporter is around $800. On MovingScam.com we have a thread on this at http://www.movingscam.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1470 Also, Broadway Express can move your car on the same trailer with your household goods. The only problem is that it's rather expensive to do so because you pay by the length of the car, and the average car length is 17 feet. However, unlike with regular auto transport companies, you can load stuff IN the car and also, BE will construct a plywood platform above the car where light items can be loaded.

 

[tacrum43]

I'm not going to enter Med school this year, going to Georgetown's SMP. However, I will be moving from SoCal to DC and I've been checking out the prices... $1500-$2000 for a do-it-yourself place like Uhaul... what a joke.

Plus, that is for 9 days... I don't need 9 days to load, drive and unload. What if someone can do it in 5 days? Nope, sorry. Has to be a 9 day rental, and they won't give a discount for less. I can, however, turn the truck in early, if I would like... just won't save any money. What a pain in the a**

Since we're discussing the topic, maybe we should discuss splitting the cost of a truck? I would be willing to consider going in on a truck with someone, if the logistics make sense... anyone else?

I'm stilling waiting to hear from Georgetown about the SMP, but assuming that I get accepted, I will be moving from CA to DC too. I can't believe it costs like $2,000 to rent a truck. $4,000 to hire a professional mover! I'm just going to store some stuff at my parents house and just take my clothes and computer with me to a furnished apartment. It's only for a year, and I can use the $2,000 I save towards buying some things that aren't included with the apartment.

 

[jdovez]

There aren't any hidden fees with ABF. I think "jdovez" was referring to some other companies. The only way you can pay more than the quoted price with ABF is if you use more space than you reserved or you can't take delivery of the goods on schedule, so the trailer is tied up with your goods.

The cheapest price I have heard of for shipping a car cross-country with an auto transporter is around $800. On MovingScam.com we have a thread on this at http://www.movingscam.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1470 Also, Broadway Express can move your car on the same trailer with your household goods. The only problem is that it's rather expensive to do so because you pay by the length of the car, and the average car length is 17 feet. However, unlike with regular auto transport companies, you can load stuff IN the car and also, BE will construct a plywood platform above the car where light items can be loaded.

Thanks, actually I was referring primarily to the cost of renting a ramp on both sides of the move ($75 each side) and the potential cost of movers for longer than expected (if you pay for separate movers and get a crappy bulkhead).

 

[jankanator]

I think I decided to just sell the crap I have and start from scratch in California. I'm thinking lugging all my stuff is just too expensive and I'll feel pressured to keep moving all the time. Is anyone going to try to take it easy and see some stuff along the way? What are some suggestions for must-sees of the USA? Also, does anyone know of any places that may not be as popular but are worth a look?

 

[Diane Moore]

Thanks, actually I was referring primarily to the cost of renting a ramp on both sides of the move ($75 each side) and the potential cost of movers for longer than expected (if you pay for separate movers and get a crappy bulkhead).

ABF changed its policy on the ramps several months ago in response to complaints about the cost. This is its current policy (quoted from its website at www.upack.com/ramp/default.asp -

ABF offers complimentary ramps on U-Pack shipments 12 feet in length and greater. For shipments less than 12 feet, the rental fee is $50 per use, which includes pickup and delivery of the ramp. This fee also includes the 2 business days allowed for loading of the trailer. Separate arrangements must be made for each rental use (loading or unloading). The ABF ramps are 14 feet long, 2 feet wide and weigh 145 pounds.

As for the ABF bulkhead, that is indeed a weak link (so to speak). But in my experience, the ABF driver will help you install and/or remove the bulkhead if you have problems. The drivers are motivated to get going with the truck.

 

[jdovez]

ABF changed its policy on the ramps several months ago in response to complaints about the cost. This is its current policy (quoted from its website at www.upack.com/ramp/default.asp -

As for the ABF bulkhead, that is indeed a weak link (so to speak). But in my experience, the ABF driver will help you install and/or remove the bulkhead if you have problems. The drivers are motivated to get going with the truck.

Thanks I sit corrected. But if I read this correctly (not sure if I do), you still have to pay $50 bucks (yes thats less than 75) for each destination (as long as you have less than 12 feet of space). So thats still an added $100 bucks on top of their "quote". Not as much, not as hidden, but still good to know about. Thanks for the info, and I'm sorry mine was outdated, I do appreciate being brough up to speed.

 

[reddyroo]

Has anyone used or thought of using Allied Van Lines to move across the country? Any opinions would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Diane Moore]

I'm a volunteer on MovingScam.com and am reposting some tips just posted there on all the threads here having to do with moving:

1. -->June 7, 2005 - Someone has just posted that you can get a 30% discount from Penske just by asking a customer service rep for it on the phone--no fooling around with web discounts. - http://www.movingscam.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4639 In addition, someone else posted that a Penske phone rep offered to match a Budget price in Manhattan as long as it wasn't more than 40% lower than Penske's price - http://www.movingscam.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4571 These things are definitely worth checking into.

2. Also, "yc" (who is moving with ABF, not using U-Haul) posted on 6/9/05 that you can get a month's free storage with U-Haul if you use any of the loaders, etc. listed on their www.emove.com website - http://www.movingscam.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4610

Since ABF does not offer free storage (which I will need for 2 weeks) I'm going to be storing my things at a local U-Haul storage center. The good thing is that if I use an emove.com helper to help me load/unload (or basically do any part of my move), U-Haul give me 1 free month storage. You just have to tell U-Haul that you are using emove.com.

Hope this helps someone.

 

[DeterminedMD]

I made the move from Portland, OR to new york last year for med school whith my wife. We rented a budget truck and then put our car on a trailer behind it. After paying for the truck and trailer ($3000) and gas ($1000 last summer, so with gas prices up it would probably have been $1200-1400), hotels, food etc for 5 days of travel ($500) so a total close to five grand to move. In hindsight I would have sold all my crap except for what we could have fit in my car and then bought new stuff out here and saved myself probably a grand. Something to think about.

I came to the same conclusion. I dont need anything fancy, Getting a truck/trailer or hiring a company like ABF are somewhat pricey. It is easier for me to just buy what I need when I get to the east coast. Less hassle and about the same amount of $

 

[Diane Moore]

I came to the same conclusion. I dont need anything fancy, Getting a truck/trailer or hiring a company like ABF are somewhat pricey. It is easier for me to just buy what I need when I get to the east coast. Less hassle and about the same amount of $

You may not even have to buy anything. My own son, a dental resident, has furnished his Brooklyn apartment completely from castoffs that he found on the sidewalk since he moved there from Los Angeles a year ago (he couldn't afford a moving company). The castoffs include two complete bed sets--one twin and one double (carefully inspected for cleanliness), a really nice glass-topped table originally from Pottery Barn, end tables, a computer table, three office chairs, a small chest of drawers, two lamps, an nice armchair (it's pink, though!), draperies, a huge mirror, a vacuum cleaner, and a working computer monitor. Maybe you could do the same. The only thing he actually had to BUY was chairs for the glass-topped table. People put really good stuff out on the sidewalk in NYC.

 

[cammy1313]

I think I decided to just sell the crap I have and start from scratch in California. I'm thinking lugging all my stuff is just too expensive and I'll feel pressured to keep moving all the time. Is anyone going to try to take it easy and see some stuff along the way? What are some suggestions for must-sees of the USA? Also, does anyone know of any places that may not be as popular but are worth a look?

Yeah, I'm starting from scratch myself. Moving from San Diego to Boston (bring on the snow!). I've done the drive across country before so I'm probably just going to focus on getting there this time. But when I did the drive from SD to B a few years back we made a point to stop in New Orleans, NY, and D.C. We also stopped at Duke and Wake Forest as my friend was applying to PA school at the time. But since you're heading to the Bay area for Stanford I'd suggest stopping at the Grand Canyon and possibly Las Vegas. They're a bit south of where you're headed but if you have the time they're worth a visit.

 

[DrBuro]

Moving from San Diego to Boston (bring on the snow!).

Oh man! Good luck in Boston.. I've been to San Diego during the winter and it is quite different. I've been here for a couple of years now in undergrad. Honestly, the summer and spring are like 2 months long. Buy the heaviest and warmest damn coat you can find on earth. It's not uncommon to have -30 degrees with wind chill in January or February.