Moving Companies

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xampower

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Can anyone recommend a good national moving company? A couple I have heard of are Mayflower and Allied. It will be a large move. We are willing to pay for good service to make the move as hassle free as possible. Any suggestions??
 
Graebel/Beakins.
 
I would recommend checking out any company online with the Better Business Bureau at www.bbb.org. Though Mayflower may be the carrier, another company does the estimating and loading of the truck. Go to the website and click on "movers" for your area. Get several estimates, as I've noticed they vary widely (don't feel pressured to sign on the dotted line immediately. They all know that you will get a few quotes). A good mover should be able to give you a "not to exceed" contract, which says that the charges will not exceed a certain amount. It may end up costing less if you have really light furniture. Beware the movers that simply "eyeball" everything and come up with a price. Good ones have forms with various things they can tick off and add up to come up with a good estimate. As you seem to have figured out, you get what you pay for.

"Well sir, I know we quoted you $1100, but it's going to be $2400. Since all of your worldly posessions are on our truck, pay us now or we take them away, store them, then sell them."

I've had that conversation once. It was much like a shower scene in a prison movie. Apparently, it's a fairly common scam in the moving biz.

Find out also the price difference between them packing the boxes and you packing the boxes. Also find out what their definition of "packing" is. (do you have to wrap the furniture, or is it just packing boxes? What about crated items?) If you can get the boxes (many carriers will offer free used boxes that you can pick up and use), this may save you hundreds or thousands of dollars.


'zilla
 
I've heard rumors that the mob has penetrated the moving industry and utilize tactics like this. You should really check the credentials of any moving company you go with. When I moved to CT, my father thought he was doing me a great favor by forwarding me this unbelievable quote ($800) for a move that was 1,100 miles away. When I looked into the company, I found out that the owner of the company was arrested by the FBI while operating a moving company under a different name. There were numerous complaints against them -- some on the web, some filed with the BBB.
 
Bolliger is a premiere moving company that has a great rep for int'l moves - not sure if they do domestic, but they're worth checking out.
 
If you go through Physicians Relocating Service then Bekins claims they will give you a 68% discount. However, that is before all the taxes and everything. We are planning on using them to move across the country. I'll let you know once we've moved how smoothly its worked out.

http://www.physiciansreloservices.com/faq.php

I'm sure most of you have gotten some kind of add for them in the mail already. You can also get a discount on Penske rental vehicles as well (from 10-20%).
 
I'm a big fan of UHaul. Moving sucks but at least you know where all your stuff is and have control over it.

I used them (me) to move from Texas to New York. It was alot of work but I was in control. Being the Type A I am, I appreciate that.

Take care,
Jeff
 
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Bobblehead said:
There are no good moving companies. www.movingscam.com

The best thing you could do is move yourself using a company like ABF.
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Yeah, but be really careful with ABF. They seem honest and reliable, but you really get what you pay for, and have to make sure there is somewhere for them to "drop" the trailer...no backing the sucker up to your apartment for convenience. For us, the truck was filthy (I should have figured out it would be a bumpy ride for our stuff when I spent 45 minutes sweeping out broken glass and wood slivers before we started loading 😱 ) Essentially, the price was right, but our stuff was demolished. Again, much of it was our fault because we were trying to save on space and over loaded. Essentially, if you mainly have boxes and clothes, it is PERFECT, but be careful if you have nice furniture...WRAP IT WELL!!!!, or a bunch of pressboard furniture you want to hold onto (our big mistake!)
Can't beat the price, though...especially with current gas prices!
 
southerndoc said:
Don't use UHaul. Their trucks are old, their rates are high. I much prefer Penske.
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I second this. UHaul is the pits. The last three times I had to rent move solo I used Penske without issues. You might have to search a little harder compared to UHaul, but it's worth it.
 
southerndoc said:
Don't use UHaul. Their trucks are old, their rates are high. I much prefer Penske.
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I'll second the Penske, better equipment and cheaper
 
tkim6599 said:
http://www.movingscam.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3667
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Thanks for the link. It seems that Broadway Express is a good company. However, they have a minimum requirement of 10 linear feet (ABF has min 5, Move America allows any). Since I don´t have THAT much stuff, they are probably not for me. But it is good to have info on hand.
 
I would contact these people below. It's a new agreement that was signed. I saw a presentation that they gave several months ago. The prices vary greatly depending on location and level of service, but they did seem reasonable. See below:
-------------------------

NEW!
AACOM-Sponsored Discount Moving Service

The American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) is very pleased to announce the launching of a new AACOM-Sponsored Discount Moving Services Program.

AACOM has entered into an agreement with a professional full service moving company, Premier Transfer and Storage, Inc., an agent for Mayflower Transit, to offer discount moving services to those within the osteopathic profession.

The key benefits of the new sponsorship moving service are:

-Best available discount level based on time of move and state of origin.
-Open to osteopathic medical students, interns, residents, administrative officers and staff, faculty members, alumni, doctors, family members, and others.
-One point of contact for all AACOM member questions and needs (see contact information below).
-Covers all moving needs, including international moves.
-Ability to tailor each move to individual needs.
-Offers packing, crating, unpacking, and storage, among other services.

Premier Transfer and Storage, Inc., has been highly rated by clients for customer satisfaction and by Mayflower Transit on performance.


Please contact Shannon Price at
Premier Transfer and Storage, Inc. to obtain more information about the discount program

[email protected] or
1-800-634-8571

Be sure to mention AACOM when you call.
 
anyone else know about quality CAR SHIPPING companies/rates?
moving from st. louis to san jose, ca
 
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The company I plan on using is PODS...they drop a storage container at your house, you fill it at your leisure...they pick it up and deliver it to your new address. You can even store it with them if you arent moving in for awhile. Nice and safe...you use your locks and it stays closed till you open it.

Pods
 
Dude...those suckers are expensive...

Try broadway express or door to door moving...not quite as convenient, but less than half the cost...

UHS2005_2 said:
The company I plan on using is PODS...they drop a storage container at your house, you fill it at your leisure...they pick it up and deliver it to your new address. You can even store it with them if you arent moving in for awhile. Nice and safe...you use your locks and it stays closed till you open it.

Pods
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Hi to all - a deal involving a Mayflower agent offering discounts to osteopathic students is being discussed on MovingScam.com as we speak, on this thread - http://www.movingscam.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3995 (I'm a long-time volunteer on that site; "tkim6599" can vouch for me.)

An osteopathic student from Omaha got a flyer describing it and asked about it. In her case they told her she would get a 56% discount. Just to let you guys know, the norm in the industry is to give every customer anywhere from a 50% to 65% discount off the printed tariff rates, sometimes even more in the slow season. The fact that there's a discount reflects the byzantine nature of the moving industry. Mid-century, people paid 100% of the published tariff rates, but once movers started giving discounts, it just went from there. Now, everyone gets a sizeable discount.

I'm not in the industry, but I asked some of my advisers who are in the industry about this deal. They said that it's legitimate, but they wanted to investigate Premier Moving (the company running the ad) a little more because Premier has been a Mayflower agent for only a short time. They added that Premier would probably not be actually moving someone in Omaha (for example) but would arrange for another Mayflower agent to move her.

One thing to know is that somebody off the street can just call a Mayflower agent and get a discount similar to the 56% that was offered to this student in Omaha. It's nothing special. What may make it different, according to my advisers, is that sometimes companies offering such deals will give people free full replacement valuation coverage (similar to insurance but not the same thing) as part of it. Also, don't be afraid of Mayflower because of the case in Chicago last summer. That was a very isolated incident.

Nevertheless, we on MovingScam.com continue to believe that ABF U-Pack and Broadway Express are the best ways to go for people looking for reliability, prompt delivery, damage-free moves, and low cost. We now have 87 good reviews of Broadway Express and 18 reviews of ABF on the website. You might want to check them out - http://www.movingscam.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1935 for BE and http://www.movingscam.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2050 for ABF U-Pack.

Why do we like these companies rather than conventional full-service movers like Mayflower? (1) certainty of price--you pay by the linear feet of trailer space you use and nothing more (no hidden costs); (2) fast delivery--conventional moving companies can have long delays in the summer, especially for small moves such as a 1BR or 2BR apartment, while they're waiting to fill the truck; (3) no transferring of the goods--transfers are the point at which damage frequently occurs; (4) low cost--you will pay an average of 30%-40% less with ABF or BE than for a full-service mover, and even less than for a rental truck if you figure in all costs; (5) much better control--you are the one who either supervises or actually loads and unloads your own goods, whereas with a full-service mover you hand over control to unknown "helpers" from the beginning. In addition, with Broadway Express you get hand-holding and personal service--the driver who picks up your things is the driver who delivers them and he can also be hired to help you load for a small hourly fee (VERY worth it).

The experience that one person above said she had with ABF's dirty trailer is not at all typical. No doubt it does happen, but I moved with ABF myself, and the trailer was extremely clean. There are close to 80 reviews of ABF on Epinions.com and only two or three mention dirty trailers. ABF now has a 6-foot minimum door-to-door rather than 5 feet as someone posted above, by the way. It changed last September. You can still do 5 feet if you take your things to an ABF terminal and pick them up there, and ABF also now has a mobile container service that might appeal to some of you - http://www.upack.com/moving-services/container.asp There is at least one review of it on MovingScam.com.

Some of my comments above actually refer to this parallel thread on moving companies on this website - http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=191305 Please go there and you will understand all of the references to unseen posts above.

That's my spiel for this year. On MovingScam.com we love students and we invite all of you to come there to run the names of your movers by us before you commit to them. We have information on Penske discounts on this thread - http://www.movingscam.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2060 And please, avoid www.moveamerica.com. Some companies advertise that they have lower minimums than 10 feet, but then they jack up the price per foot or give inferior service. Don't fall for it. And the person who posted that PODS is expensive is right. At least, that's what people tell us on MovingScam.com. Good luck with your moves!
 
i asked for a quote from BE. they emailed it to me promptly and it all looked OK until I read the entire agreement. It states that they can move my stuff out of the trailer to make room for other stuff and then move it back in at their expense. I am sorry, but I think if my stuff gets damaged while they are moving it out and putting it back in they should pay for it, but they have no insurance provision for such damage. That was extremely troubling to me when I read it. It makes us just want to haul a darn truck ourselves. PODS seems safer and they don't move your stuff in/out of trailers without you knowing it, but I don't think I can get them here.
 
Does Broadway Express or ABF offer full service moves where they will load and unload the truck for you using their truck?
 
So we called PODS last night. ABF and any other pack it yourself mover covers about 60 cents per pound ([pennies really, but better than nothing) if the truck crashes, rolls over blah blah, not just if stuff is damaged because of poor packing. PODS says they don't know what would happen if their driver is in a accident and your stuff goes flying all over I95. They say "I can't answer that question" and we'd have to file an incident report with legal department etc. Basically the run-around. NO thanks.
 
I am trying to plan a move across country this summer and I received a quote from a Bekins subcontractor that is quite a bit lower than the other bigger companies like NorthAmerican or Allied. Bekins gave me a quote of about $1700 whereas the other companies came in at $3500 or so. This makes me want to check for red flags, but then I wonder if maybe it really is legit. All Around Moving (representing Bekins) gave me a 60% discount, but is a non-binding estimate and the fine print says "If the total charges for the services provided exceed this estimate by more than 10%, then at the time of delivery, you may pay 110% of this amount of the estimated charges (or $1968) plus payment in full for any services provided but not shown on the Estimate and request delivery of your goods." Does anyone have any idea what the heck this means? I am totally not familiar with moving companies so this is all foreign to me. I did check the BBB and All Around Moving is a member with a history of one complaint that was resolved. Should I be weary of this big discount in comparison to the other big movers?
 
clc17 said:
i asked for a quote from BE. they emailed it to me promptly and it all looked OK until I read the entire agreement. It states that they can move my stuff out of the trailer to make room for other stuff and then move it back in at their expense. I am sorry, but I think if my stuff gets damaged while they are moving it out and putting it back in they should pay for it, but they have no insurance provision for such damage. That was extremely troubling to me when I read it. It makes us just want to haul a darn truck ourselves. PODS seems safer and they don't move your stuff in/out of trailers without you knowing it, but I don't think I can get them here.
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I have seen that contract so I know what you're talking about. This is a case where BE has to protect itself with that language but I know for a fact that (a) this almost never happens; and (b) on a few occasions--out of the thousands of moves they do each year--where someone's stuff was slightly damaged when it had to be moved, BE compensated the person fully even though it wasn't legally required to do so. Such a case is described on the MovingScam website in BE review #65 by "madz" - http://www.movingscam.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1935&start=60

Why would things have to be moved? Maybe a load had to come off the truck earlier than anticipated because of a route change, and that load was blocked in. Maybe a truck (a straight truck, not a tractor whose trailer can be detached) broke down and the shipment had to be transferred to another truck to meet the promised delivery date. Moving someone's things is done not on a whim but only in cases of dire necessity.

BE put that language in partly because you WOULD know it if your things were moved. You would see that your things had been moved a few inches from where you had loaded them, or were stacked slightly differently, or whatever. BE tries its best to avoid moving people's things, precisely to avoid liability, but occasionally it just has to.

You haven't observed this company dealing with people over an 18-month period the way I have, so I don't expect you to believe what I say. But in every case I know of where there was damage (which I can count on the fingers of one hand), BE compensated the person promptly and fairly, even though it had no legal obligation to do so.
 
xampower said:
Does Broadway Express or ABF offer full service moves where they will load and unload the truck for you using their truck?
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ABF does not supply labor itself, but it lists three companies as resources on its website at http://www.upack.com/moving-resources/moving-links.asp
I got a quote from one (Albert Relogistics) when I moved with ABF and I thought they seemed good but they were too expensive for me. We don't recommend Moving Staffers because it has bad reviews in various places on the Internet. What MS does is line up workers from local moving companies, and you can do this yourself. I hired such workers for $75/hour for two guys with a two-hour minimum. I got the name of the moving company from the apartment manager where I was moving. The third company, Best Value Move, I don't know anything about (it's newly listed by ABF).

The "labor" company that Broadway Express normally recommends is Labor Ready at www.LaborReady.com. The workers from that company have performed pretty well for people who have moved with BE and ABF and reported back to MovingScam.com. You can look at the reviews to see what has been said about them. These are not going to be skilled movers but they will be able to lift boxes and they aren't going to steal anything.

In San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York City (Brewster, NY) there is a good company called Delancey Street Movers that can supply loading and unloading labor. You can read reviews and see contact information at http://www.movingscam.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2377

Broadway Express does do full-service moves where they load and unload you, and even pack you if you want, but I think it would be too expensive for most people in this forum. They are licensed as a full-service mover as well as a freight company and in fact they used to be the largest Bekins agent in the country before they dissolved their association with Bekins to go out on their own. They are actually a very interesting company--they move race cars and movie sets and such. For some of it, they have to sign confidentiality agreements.
 
clc17 said:
So we called PODS last night. ABF and any other pack it yourself mover covers about 60 cents per pound ([pennies really, but better than nothing) if the truck crashes, rolls over blah blah, not just if stuff is damaged because of poor packing. PODS says they don't know what would happen if their driver is in a accident and your stuff goes flying all over I95. They say "I can't answer that question" and we'd have to file an incident report with legal department etc. Basically the run-around. NO thanks.
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I don't know anything about PODS except that people on MovingScam.com have posted that their quotes were more expensive than they had anticipated. In the two years that I've been following the site (I'm a moderator), no one has used them and reported back to us, despite our pleading with people to do so.

Regarding a crash, ABF and BE both carry catastrophic coverage that would cover you if there were a fire, crash, tsunami, theft of the whole trailer, or whatever. You would be covered at more than 60 cents a pound, but don't ask me for the exact details because I don't understand them. I do know of one case with BE where the trailer liftgate caught fire and there was smoke damage (not fire damage) to the contents. BE's catastrophic coverage and the customer's homeowner's insurance worked together to fully compensate the person.

Incidentally, your renter's or homeowner's insurance should cover your things in case of a catastrophe, although it won't cover them for scratches or dents or breakage, just as it wouldn't cover them if such things happened in your own residence.
 
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DrSmiles said:
I am trying to plan a move across country this summer and I received a quote from a Bekins subcontractor that is quite a bit lower than the other bigger companies like NorthAmerican or Allied. Bekins gave me a quote of about $1700 whereas the other companies came in at $3500 or so. This makes me want to check for red flags, but then I wonder if maybe it really is legit. All Around Moving (representing Bekins) gave me a 60% discount, but is a non-binding estimate and the fine print says "If the total charges for the services provided exceed this estimate by more than 10%, then at the time of delivery, you may pay 110% of this amount of the estimated charges (or $1968) plus payment in full for any services provided but not shown on the Estimate and request delivery of your goods." Does anyone have any idea what the heck this means? I am totally not familiar with moving companies so this is all foreign to me. I did check the BBB and All Around Moving is a member with a history of one complaint that was resolved. Should I be weary of this big discount in comparison to the other big movers?
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I would say YES. There are several questions in my mind about this company. First, I assume that you're referring to the one in Michigan, which has one complaint with the BBB, and that company is a Bekins agent. However, there is also a company called All Around Moving located in Illinois that is a known scammer. To know what company you're really dealing with, you have to get its DOT license number. Have they come to do an in-home estimate? Legitimate companies would do that.

Also, the language that you're quoting is not the legal language that companies are supposed to provide. So you can "request delivery of your goods"? Whoop-de-doo! What it SHOULD say is that with a nonbinding estimate, which is apparently what you have, you have to pay no more than 110% of that estimate on delivery day. The company can't bill you for any additional services "provided but not shown on the estimate" until at least 30 days after that. You can see that there is potential for overbilling here, if you have quoted the contract accurately.

Finally, even if All Around is a Bekins agent, Bekins is the lowest-rated van line on Epinions.com and in most people's eyes.

There is so much that needs investigation here that I urge you to post on MovingScam.com (you can post as a guest without registering) to get people's full input. Be afraid. Be very afraid. Any quote that much lower than others is very suspect.
 
Thanks for the insight Diane. I think it is getting to the point where I will just use the BE pack it yourself. Do you happen to know if they are good about arriving for pickup on the dates selected?
This All Around Moving company is based in Michigan and the legal language I put in the post is word for word.
I am glad I raised the red flag, I don't want to be overbilled or even take the risk.
 
Yes, BE is very good about coming on the agreed-on day. Over the past year, I know of only a few cases where they were delayed one day by weather (like a gigantic snowstorm), a truck breakdown, or the driver having to go to an emergency room. These things do happen with any moving company, but with BE they are very rare. I know of a couple of other cases where the driver was actually early and asked the people whether he could pick up a day early. If they said yes, he did, and if they said no, he didn't. No hard feelings.

Just a quick note to everybody--I'm going to NYC tomorrow to visit my son who is an oral surgery resident in Brooklyn and I'll be off line for a week. Please do go over to the messageboard at MovingScam.com if you have further questions as there are lots of volunteers there who like to help people. (You can also read and be amused by all the angry illiterate attempts at rebuttals by the scam companies.)
 
If you're looking for someone to load an ABF truck I would suggest calling the terminal. In my move I had good success with calling the terminal and being referred to a good, reputable company to provide assistance for loading/unloading. Especially for loading it's important your loaders realize that you're paying by the foot and maximize the height of the stack of boxes without crushing things.
 
Need to move from St Louis to Calif, and am CLUELESS as to where to begin.

can someone PLEASE recommend/comment on the following moving companies (i'm not looking the type where I have to drive the truck myself; i.e. i assume that means a professional company not do it yourself):

United
Mayflower
Allied
Wheaton van lines
2 men a truck moving company

other good ones???

THANKS!
 
I've heard bad things about 2 men and a truck.
I'm looking at United and Mayflower for a move I'll be making soon.
ABF doesnt' go to where I'm moving and BE quoted me something very similar to what Mayflower quoted me so that is why I'm not using either company.
 
Diane Moore said:
ABF does not supply labor itself, but it lists three companies as resources on its website at http://www.upack.com/moving-resources/moving-links.asp
I got a quote from one (Albert Relogistics) when I moved with ABF and I thought they seemed good but they were too expensive for me. We don't recommend Moving Staffers because it has bad reviews in various places on the Internet. What MS does is line up workers from local moving companies, and you can do this yourself. I hired such workers for $75/hour for two guys with a two-hour minimum. I got the name of the moving company from the apartment manager where I was moving. The third company, Best Value Move, I don't know anything about (it's newly listed by ABF).

.
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has anyone ever used Albert Relogistics??? I called and got an estimate, seems kinda pricey but it's nice b/c they pack (and load everything else too) by only what you need help with ...
i.e. i pack all the easy crap ala clothes etc. and they properly pack the glass tables, etc.
 
I noticed the link to physician relocation services on this thread - has anyone used the Bekins service that they offer? They say they give a 62% discount, but I guess from what I've read here that's not really a big deal.

We had someone come out and do an in-home estimate tonight - where I live, the Bronx, Bekins operates through Whiteglove movers - it seemed pretty reputable. The person doing the estimate kept referring to this as a "corporate" deal - I'm not totally sure what he meant, but what I gathered from this was that since it is through physician relo svcs, it may be more on the up and up - ie, I'm not just doing this as an individual, I'm working with them as well. I'm just not sure if that's really any more reassurance or not - anyone out there done this before?

Thanks!
 
jene5978 said:
I noticed the link to physician relocation services on this thread - has anyone used the Bekins service that they offer? They say they give a 62% discount, but I guess from what I've read here that's not really a big deal.

We had someone come out and do an in-home estimate tonight - where I live, the Bronx, Bekins operates through Whiteglove movers - it seemed pretty reputable. The person doing the estimate kept referring to this as a "corporate" deal - I'm not totally sure what he meant, but what I gathered from this was that since it is through physician relo svcs, it may be more on the up and up - ie, I'm not just doing this as an individual, I'm working with them as well. I'm just not sure if that's really any more reassurance or not - anyone out there done this before?

Thanks!
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let me know what kinda $$$ estimate they gave you...
that does sound appealing, i should give them a call. I've already got estimates from allied, maylfower, and united.
 
jene5978 said:
I noticed the link to physician relocation services on this thread - has anyone used the Bekins service that they offer? They say they give a 62% discount, but I guess from what I've read here that's not really a big deal.

We had someone come out and do an in-home estimate tonight - where I live, the Bronx, Bekins operates through Whiteglove movers - it seemed pretty reputable. The person doing the estimate kept referring to this as a "corporate" deal - I'm not totally sure what he meant, but what I gathered from this was that since it is through physician relo svcs, it may be more on the up and up - ie, I'm not just doing this as an individual, I'm working with them as well. I'm just not sure if that's really any more reassurance or not - anyone out there done this before?

Thanks!
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Hi - what you're describing seems to be very similar to the Premier Moving (Mayflower) service referred to above, only it's for White Glove (Bekins). It's an "account" set up for an affinity group (in this case medical people) and there's nothing wrong with it. HOWEVER, you might want to look at this thread on MovingScam.com where White Glove is discussed - http://www.movingscam.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4068 Bekins is the lowest rated van line on Epinions.

The NYC area is tricky for finding good movers. I don't think White Glove would cheat you or anything (it's not a scammer, in other words), but you might have better choices depending on how far you're moving.

By the way, one of our MovingScam volunteers went to look at the Premier Moving facility in VA, more or less undercover, and reported back that it looked fine. Also, a moving professional checked out Premier's record and said that it was a good, well-established company. It just seemed new because it changed its name a few years ago. HOWEVER, there is a Mayflower agent in NYC that isn't very good (Meyer's), and if Premier assigned your move to Meyer's you might not have a good experience in my opinion. As I said, it's tricky in NYC.
 
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Diane Moore said:
Hi - what you're describing seems to be very similar to the Premier Moving (Mayflower) service referred to above, only it's for White Glove (Bekins). It's an "account" set up for an affinity group (in this case medical people) and there's nothing wrong with it. HOWEVER, you might want to look at this thread on MovingScam.com where White Glove is discussed - http://www.movingscam.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4068 Bekins is the lowest rated van line on Epinions.

The NYC area is tricky for finding good movers. I don't think White Glove would cheat you or anything (it's not a scammer, in other words), but you might have better choices depending on how far you're moving.

By the way, one of our MovingScam volunteers went to look at the Premier Moving facility in VA, more or less undercover, and reported back that it looked fine. Also, a moving professional checked out Premier's record and said that it was a good, well-established company. It just seemed new because it changed its name a few years ago. HOWEVER, there is a Mayflower agent in NYC that isn't very good (Meyer's), and if Premier assigned your move to Meyer's you might not have a good experience in my opinion. As I said, it's tricky in NYC.
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Thanks for your response, Diane. I actually stumbled onto that string on movingscam.com by accident, since I am also moving from NYC to Chicago! I haven't had a chance to check out the epinions.com postings about Bekins yet.

Also, I know that this string mentioned that White Glove would not give a GNTE estimate - however, the person doing my in-home assessment said that since this is a "corporate" deal (he at first thought phys relo svcs was PAYING for my move - I WISH!), all he would do is hand over his cataloguing sheet and then they would get back to me with an estimate - and he said they would definitely give a "no greater than" estimate, or something of the like.

My main suspicion is that with all of the parties involved here, there is bound to be miscommunication and intentional/unintentional deception - and, if nobody has heard of or done this deal in the past, it makes me all the more hesitant about it.

Maybe I'll try contacting someone at Phys Relo Svcs to get more details about their arrangement with Bekins, and maybe they might have some references of people who have already done this.

Any other thoughts?
 
Hi - I see that you've registered over at MovingScam.com. That's good, because I don't check this website every day.

Frankly, if I were you I would not use White Glove (Bekins). Bekins is not well regarded by moving professionals and I don't know anything about the specific agent. It sounds as if the sales rep was a little confused, also.

Whatever you or anybody else does about this Bekins offer or the Mayflower (Premier) offer referred to above, you should get an in-home estimate and it should be a Guaranteed Not to Exceed (GNTE) estimate. Again, I'm quite sure that people will not be scammed if they go with these special offers aimed at affinity groups (osteopathic students or whatever), but it may be advantageous to go with a different company depending on the quality of the Bekins or Mayflower agent that is actually assigned to your move.

In the NYC area, people have had very good luck with University Van Lines, an Atlas agent in Rahway NJ. Their main sales rep, Bill Quigley, has very good comments about him on MovingScam.com and he would go to the Bronx to do your estimate, I'm sure. The only problem is that University, like any other company, sometimes can't use their own truck and driver to do moves as far as yours. Instead, they might farm it out to a long-distance driver who works for the Atlas van line system. This is a bit riskier than if University does the move on its own because University would lose control. However, most of the time things go OK on such moves. I am just telling you that if University could move you using its own truck and driver, that would be a big plus. I think it would be worth calling them to see what Bill says. I know that they do sometimes send their trucks as far west as Chicago. Hope this helps.
 
UHS05 said:
Dude...those suckers are expensive...Try broadway express or door to door moving...not quite as convenient, but less than half the cost...
Click to expand...
Someone just posted something about Door to Door (same as City to City) on MovingScam.com for a move from Los Angeles to NY, as follows -
Update on my City to City move (I posted the original post in this thread):

I decided to use Broadway Express. City to City is not competitive. I did a spreadsheet calculating everything - and I mean every single expense associated with the move. I also designed the spreadsheet so I could play "what if" numbers, e.g. "What if I don't bring any large furniture? Is it cheaper to simply replace it at the other end?" "What if I ship all my books USPS media rate (very cheap btw)?" etc. It turned out be cheaper to bring everything and replace nothing.

Here are my totals to move the exact same amount of goods:

City to City - $7876
Uhaul - $6268
Broadway Express - $4948
http://www.movingscam.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4057
Click to expand...
 
Diane Moore said:
Someone just posted something about Door to Door (same as City to City) on MovingScam.com for a move from Los Angeles to NY, as follows -
Click to expand...


how do you know so much about movers? Are you a rep?
 
cloudnine said:
how do you know so much about movers? Are you a rep?
Click to expand...
No--I have no connection with the moving industry. I'm a college professor and a long-time volunteer on the consumer advocacy website www.MovingScam.com, where I post as "Diane." I became interested in helping people find low-cost alternatives to scam companies after I myself was almost scammed myself two years ago. (I eventually moved with ABF U-Pack.)

People might want to know that over at MovingScam.com we have stickies at the top of the messageboard containing reviews of rental van companies (Penske gets the best reviews) as well as reviews of auto transporters and the U-Pack, We-Drive companies ABF and Broadway Express. Unpaid volunteers on the website (like me) also answer questions 24-7.

Here are a few of my posts from last year with additional information about moving:-

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/sho...603#post1526603
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/sho...080#post1610080
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/sho...128#post1715128

I think that THE most important precaution is to Google the name of any moving company that you're thinking of using to see what opinions or reviews have been posted about it. There are a lot of low-balling scammers out there.
 
Diane Moore said:
No--I have no connection with the moving industry. I'm a college professor and a long-time volunteer on the consumer advocacy website www.MovingScam.com, where I post as "Diane." I became interested in helping people find low-cost alternatives to scam companies after I myself was almost scammed myself two years ago. (I eventually moved with ABF U-Pack.)

People might want to know that over at MovingScam.com we have stickies at the top of the messageboard containing reviews of rental van companies (Penske gets the best reviews) as well as reviews of auto transporters and the U-Pack, We-Drive companies ABF and Broadway Express. Unpaid volunteers on the website (like me) also answer questions 24-7.

Here are a few of my posts from last year with additional information about moving:-

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/sho...603#post1526603
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/sho...080#post1610080
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/sho...128#post1715128

I think that THE most important precaution is to Google the name of any moving company that you're thinking of using to see what opinions or reviews have been posted about it. There are a lot of low-balling scammers out there.
Click to expand...



Thanks, but I am going to go with one of the big companies which stick to their contracts and time frames. I am going with North American Van Lines for my across country move.
 
DigableCat said:
Has anyone heard much about Lucky Moving?

http://www.luckymoving.com/english/about_us_en.asp

I've been looking and haven't been able too find much information on them.
Click to expand...
If it's the company in La Puente with MC (motor carrier) license number 282688, there are two main threads on it on MovingScam.com -
http://www.movingscam.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2453
http://www.movingscam.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2588

The second thread contains a report of an actual move with Lucky by a woman named Rose who was assigned to it by Movex. You'll see that I was suspicious of her and the company at first, but I corresponded with her and ultimately decided that she was bona fide. Note that she gives her email address in the second thread above so you could contact her too if you want. Please make sure that the company you are asking about is the company with the license number above, since there is another Lucky in Northern CA that is bad. I notice from the website you gave that your company is supposedly in the City of Industry (as well as NJ), not in La Puente.

I guess my opinion now is that a move with the Lucky that has MC #282688 would probably be kind of bare bones and the company might be employing illegal immigrants, but I don't think it is a scammer. Again, you could try to contact Rose for details.
 
we are moving next week from nyc to l.a. the company was recommended by my sister after she made the same move in 2002. our contract is $1050 for 150 cu. ft. no furniture, just clothes, some books, some kitchen supplies, lots of tools for home renovation, 2 pr skis, 2 bikes. it is piled in a corner now and we hope it fits! otherwise it's $5.80 per extra cubic ft.
 
openyoureyes said:
we are moving next week from nyc to l.a. the company was recommended by my sister after she made the same move in 2002. our contract is $1050 for 150 cu. ft. no furniture, just clothes, some books, some kitchen supplies, lots of tools for home renovation, 2 pr skis, 2 bikes. it is piled in a corner now and we hope it fits! otherwise it's $5.80 per extra cubic ft.
Click to expand...
I hope you will be OK, but I must warn you that you are taking a big chance if you use California-New York Express (CNYX) with website www.moveeast.com. (It sometimes uses the name New York-California Express but it is the same company.)

CNYX has had 47 BBB complaints with the Los Angeles BBB over the past 36 months, which is a very big number, and it has a "C" rating there, one of the lowest. - http://www.labbb.org/BBBWeb/Forms/B...ry.aspx?CompanyID=13093412&hAKAID=1&hAddrID=1

See this thread for a complaint about the company by "Lynn" - http://www.movingscam.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=96
Some people, especially from a couple of years ago, have reported on MovingScam.com that they had fairly good moves with CNYX, but that $5.80 per extra cubic foot that you mention worries me. Reputable companies don't quote by cubic feet but by weight. Cubic feet are too easy to manipulate by loading the truck in weird ways, etc. If they asked you for a deposit, that's another red flag. You should really come over to MovingScam.com and use the "Search" button to see what has been said about this company before you move with them.
 
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