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August 14, 2008 10:17 AM   Subscribe

Good, cheap movers in Chicago? Or back to the Uhaul?

I'm moving at the end of the month, and, having already done two self-moves in the last year, I'm really not eager to do it myself. At the same time, I'm a student and therefore don't have oodles of money to be throwing at movers.

Therefore, I'm looking for recommendations/general information about movers in Chicago. I'm going from Hyde Park to Lakeview, two bedroom apartment to two bedroom apartment, high-rise to fourth floor walk-up. Obviously, I'd like this to be as cheap as possible, but I recognize that it's cheaper to pay a little more for good movers than to replace all my stuff if bad movers break it.

How much can I expect to pay for this?
posted by sinfony to Travel & Transportation around Chicago, IL (14 answers total) 9 users marked this as a favorite
 
I'd expect to pay around $100 an hour for a company like Two Men and a Truck to do it. I've used them in the past, and they insure everything and generally do a good job.
posted by nitsuj at 10:36 AM on August 14, 2008


I just moved a few months ago and used The Professionals. I LOVED THEM. Cost for a 1 BR to a 1 BR was about $350, but they did a lot of packing for me too. Hourly rate was about $85. A number of my friends have used them as well and everyone has been impressed.
posted by MeetMegan at 10:42 AM on August 14, 2008


Huh. I'm moving today in the Chicagoland area and found some folks for $20/hour/person plus $50 for the truck, which seems like a good deal. Plus they have a funny posting on craigslist.

I'll report back after the move if they were substandard.
posted by lester the unlikely at 10:55 AM on August 14, 2008


Definitely do the math on the uhaul. Many times professional movers will do the job cheaper if not just a bit more, also factor in the pain of moving your stuff to that 4th floor...
Movers are probably the best route.
posted by doorsfan at 10:56 AM on August 14, 2008


i was pleased with golan's service
posted by lester at 10:59 AM on August 14, 2008


The forums at http://movingscam.com have a lot of recommendations, and horror stories as well. Whoever you decide to go with, I'd check them out there first.
posted by bizwank at 11:29 AM on August 14, 2008 [1 favorite]


I have heard nothing but horror stories about things going wrong with U-Haul rentals in Chicago. Every time a friend of mine rents a U-Haul, they wait for four hours, or the truck's air conditioning is busted, etc.

I used Starving Artist Movers a couple months ago and they were okay. They were super cheap and communicative; however they were quite a bit late (though they called every so often to let me know their ETA, which I appreciated) and they weren't particularly careful with my stuff. No major damage, but one bowl got broken. I'd recommend them if you're not overly concerned with your furniture getting scratched or something.

I've heard glowing reviews of The Professionals, and would have gone with them, but my understanding is they insist on wrapping and padding all your stuff before they move it - basically the other end of the spectrum from Starving Artists. I didn't want my stuff wrapped for me, so I didn't go with them.

I've also heard good things about Golan's and might consider using them for my next move.
posted by Metroid Baby at 11:42 AM on August 14, 2008


I used Golans. They are *very* fast. Don't leave a few things left to box up yourself, because they will have your place emptied before you know it and will just start boxing up anything that isn't already boxed. It was like being in the center of a whirlwind. It ended up being more expensive than I thought - they go through boxes and tape like mad and charge you for it. But I would use them again in a heartbeat.

Fourth-floor walk up? Oh HELL yes I would hire movers. If you want to, you could do the boxes of stuff by yourself and just hire movers for the big furniture items. But for me, having the movers show up at 9 am and being completely moved into the new place by noon is so worth it.
posted by misskaz at 1:37 PM on August 14, 2008


A friend recommended Checkmate -- I can't vouch for them personally but I've signed up with them for my move at the end of the month. Their quote was $300 cheaper than The Professionals. Yelp has active, current reviews of Chicago movers if you'd like to do more research.
posted by Bron at 4:04 PM on August 14, 2008


I've used Golan's for three moves and have been very happy every time.
posted by sugarfish at 4:10 PM on August 14, 2008


I have also had good experiences with Golan. Used them twice, and will use them again the next time I move.
posted by christie at 4:41 PM on August 14, 2008


I used Starving Artist Movers and my experience was similar to Metroid Baby's. Late, plus one mover flaked and I paid more for two guys taking longer. Someone else at work hired them and said they were terrible, but I didn't get the details.

When you make your arrangements, make sure you ask what you'll be charged for transportation to the job. The guys I hired came in from a job in the suburbs, and somehow I part for their extra miles.
posted by hydrophonic at 7:48 PM on August 14, 2008


Another thumbs-up for Golan's -- my experience is from 1998 and 2000 at this point, but they were fantastic.
posted by ahhgrr at 7:39 AM on August 15, 2008


Based on an older post I went with Starving Artist Movers because of a few suggestions but I would definitely NOT recommend them.

They were three hours late, were surprised I thought three sheets wouldn't be enough padding for my furniture, and scuffed the hell out of the front of a dresser. (The rest of our furniture managed fine because we ran out to rent moving pads from U-Haul ourselves after we sow what they were doing).

I will not be using them again and regret I did this time.
posted by ztdavis at 4:39 PM on August 19, 2008


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