Has anyone here used a moving company? In about 6 months there is a good chance that I'll be moving from Wisconsin to Ohio. There is no way we are going to move ourselves. IT was hard enough moving 3 hours away, and now we have a queen size bed.
I would like to know generally how much it costs to hire movers. I know that i can go online and get quotes, but I don't want to put my information out there and have people calling me
I moved 2 states away in the midwest and it was about $1250. I didn't have a whole bunch of stuff, just enough for 1 person. I also wasn't able to have them come to my home for an estimate first, so this was done over the phone as we discussed what I had. You can probably get a more accurate figure by contacting a few companies and discussing an estimate -- no committment necessary.
Be sure to check with the Better Business Bureau before hiring a moving company off the internet. Some of them scam you by picking up your stuff then basically blackmailing you for more money to get it delivered. They did a special on Dateline NBC about it a few years ago.
I used Mayflower when I moved to England. They were lovely. The quote I got to pack up and ship my things was pretty much spot on, the movers were very nice and professional and everything got here in one piece, including some delicate bits and large glass-framed artwork. It was so nice just to sit back and let someone ele do the packing because I just didn't have the time or the patience. I'd recommend Mayflower to anyone. The charge has something to do with poundage and I want to say I payed about 4 or $5,000. But that was for shipping overseas. The procedure might be different when moving within The States.
Have you ever seen "Moving"? Its a movie with Richard Pryor from the 80's. REALLY funny, especially involving the movers!! You should watch it...or maybe wait till after you've moved in one piece and everything goes uneventfully.
One thing I learned from reading on various review websites of moving companies is that they vary by where you are located. I had a horrible experience with North American in Colorado. They basically promised me something (specific move date) and then told me later that they couldn't do it. I had to end up paying extra to move on the day I needed to move.
Also I used Bekins from California to Colorado and although the move went pretty well, I had also asked them to move my car as well. It took whoever they contracted with over a month to get my car 1000 miles.
For both of the moving companies I've used, I've read great reviews and I've read really poor reviews. The best thing I can say is that find someone who moved from your area and ask them about their experience.
Just make sure that they are insured, most are but be sure to check. Also you need to check into your home owner's insurance to make sure that all your belongings are covered during the move.
Be sure to check with the Better Business Bureau before hiring a moving company off the internet.
In addition to the "blackmailing" thing, some of these internet/yellow pages bozos also "misplace" things like CD players, microwaves, vacuum cleaners, etc., and then side-swipe your car with their truck after they've delivered (most of) your stuff. (That was Charles River Movers out of Cambridge, MA in case anyone is considering using them).
I moved to the UK (and back) with Allied (Pickford's in the UK). They were FANTASTIC. I probably could have used a cheaper company, but given the experience I described in my first paragraph, I'm willing to drop more bucks to go with a nationally-recognized company. Talk to your friends and see what companies they've had good experiences with.
I've used Mayflower twice in the past, as well as Bekins once. It's been a few years but I moved from CA to AR the first time. Moved from AR back to CA and then from CA to MO. What I didn't like about Mayflower when I moved to MO was they were totally booked and said they could put my stuff in storage and then move it when they a truck was available. I specifically told them no. If they couldn't move me on the day I wanted to be moved I would go else where. Well, they did it anyway and called me to let me know when it would be delivered. And what they did was stuff and I do mean stuff my furniture in with a BIG house full plus a car, yes a car. Luckily nothing was broke but my fridge handle was bent a little and I was so angry. But so happy to finally have our furniture, especially the beds after waiting so long and sitting and sleeping on the floor.
You never know who you are going to get that will deliver your furniture. My first experience with Mayflower was GREAT! The second, not so great. Bekins moving back to CA-GREAT! I wouldn't go with a no name company though. And without seeing your stuff they really can't give an exact estimate. OF course the ones I got was a little high but all times I moved it ended up being less weight than they figured and a few hundred under the estimate they gave me. Most companies, if not all will come to your house and give you a free estimate.
Thank you all for your help and advice. When the time comes, I'll look closer into the moving situation. There is still nothing definate. I am one of those people that like to know where I'm going to be living in a year, with address and zip code. Unfortunately, it doesn't always work like that.'
We are going to be moving 10 hours away next summer.
We're just gonna get a U-haul and do it ourselves - will cost about $1200 including gas. I would NEVER hire a moving company, I wouldn't care what their reputation was.... NO ONE will pack my stuff but me... if I break it, then I can't get mad at anyone else. I have many antiques and irreplacable family items that I just don't trust anyone with; so having me, my husband, and our parents/friends do the job will be much less stressful for me. Not to mention, it would also be my luck that we would be the people stuck without our stuff for an unknown length of time, and I'm just not gonna put up with crap like that- much better off to do-it-yourself.
Have you checked with POD? Portable on Demand Storage...you can google them, they drop off the container, you fill it then go pick your stuff up at your new location...we checked into them when we were moving from a summer home we had...prices seemed fair but we were not able to use them because they didn't have a location in the area of one of our homes at the time.
Man, I WISH I ever had enough $$ to hire movers! It is such a pain to move (and I've done more than my share of moving in the past few years). I don't mind packing all my own things into boxes and whatnot, but the carrying everything to the moving truck and then unloading the truck and carrying everything into the new place is a nightmare. I've been in places both with elevators and without. The places without elevators suck because, well, you have to carry everything up stairs. The places WITH elevators suck because the elevators never seem big enough--getting a sectional couch into the elevator was a nightmare Of course, maybe it's easier if you're moving into an actual house or a ground-level place rather than an apartment on a higher level, but I've never had that privilege, either Nothing's ever gotten broken or misplaced--I pack all loose items into those giant Rubbermaid containers rather than cardboard boxes so that there is NO chance of the box ripping or the bottom falling out, and the plastic grip handles on the sides don't dig into your hands as much as those of cardboard boxes. But there's just no way to make moving the heavy items (think sleeper-sofas and 32" tv's--NOT flat panel) much easier on you (and your family/friends). We always have dollies and carts, but things still just find a way to not quite fit right
This year is the first year since 2000 that I haven't had to move at all. In fact, today marks our one-year anniversary of moving into this apartment. We looked at a few other places to see if we should move when our lease ended this year, but honestly, the moving part was the part that convinced us to stay put for another year here. We are planning to move around this time next year, though, so let us know how you make out with moving companies because I might be in the market for one as well
Now that I think of it, maybe I have a suggestion. Even when we moved ourselves (so we knew exactly how everything was being placed in the moving truck and such), we brought our computers, DVD players, and game systems in our own car trunks rather than trusting them to not get broken in the moving truck. Maybe that would be safer with a moving company, too--keep the smaller-yet-valuable items in your own possession at all times. We packed them in the trunks of our cars surrounded by big blankets and pillows so they wouldn't bump into each other nor the edges of the trunk.
Hiring movers actually isn't that expensive. I compared the price for U-haul + gas when I moved and it was more expensive than hiring the movers. Of course I boxed all my stuff myself and just had them move everything. I appreciated it a lot when they carried everything up my 4 flights of stairs. It cost me around 2k to move from Colorado to Maryland and around 1k from California to Colorado. Also, my car was fully packed both times as I drove from California to Colorado and from Colorado to Maryland with stuff that I didn't want the movers to handle or that I would want immediately. On my trip from California to Colorado, the moving van almost beat us. We arrived about an hour before the moving van pulled up. I will never move myself again
MOving companies
(That was Charles River Movers out of Cambridge, MA in case anyone is considering using them).
Of course, maybe it's easier if you're moving into an actual house or a ground-level place rather than an apartment on a higher level, but I've never had that privilege, either 
