Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with Movers

Awesome movers, short notice, Greenpoint, Brooklyn? Recommendations?

nebulawindphone — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 15:59:18 -0800

Help me send my extra-stressed far-off girlfriend some extra-nice movers on short notice. (This coming Tuesday! Ack!) 1 bedroom apartment w/furniture, fourth floor walkup, Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Everything's packed, the truck's already rented, and she has friends to help her unload at the other end, but she needs help loading. For any future ask-ers who stumble across this question: Rabbit Movers are totally awesome, have come through for the GF in the past, and we can't recommend them enough — but I screwed up and called too late, and they're busy that day. Dang.

Current answer-ers: I mean it when I say extra-nice. First off, my girlfriend's pretty intensely stressed out about the move; and second, I'm about to send a bunch of strange men into her apartment, which is not exactly a soothing experience under the best of circumstances. It would really mean a lot to have some independent confirmation from a real person that these guys are friendly and not-sketchy and good at what they do.

Can you help me find good movers in New York City?

papercake — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 13:31:40 -0800

Looking for good, reliable movers to take me from New York City to Glen Ridge, New Jersey. Yep, we're making the move to the suburbs. And it seems like every person I talk to who has used movers in NYC doesn't like them. Anybody have any recommendations they might could share?

Should I get movers for an intra-building move (so no trucks required)? Bonus for recommendations in Chicago.

anthropomorphic — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 18:26:22 -0800

I'm moving from a 2bdr (had a roommate) to a studio in the same apartment building on the south side of Chicago. I'll be moving, oh, maybe 15 floors down. The building has a freight elevator. Since I don't even need a truck, should I hire people? My desk almost doesn't fit in the door, my then-boyfriend had to tilt it in strange and crazy ways that I don't think I can do by myself. I have a loveseat, bed, giant expedit bookshelf, and a desk - everything else I could handle myself I guess.

How do I find movers / laborers in Madison, WI?

mullacc — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:28:48 -0800

Moving to Madison, WI and need some unloading help... I'm hiring a "professional" moving service to load me up in DC because I want to be sure the truck is packed up right. But when I get to Madison, I think I just need an extra hand or two. I don't need someone with a truck.

Is craigslist the go-to source for moving labor? I've scanned the Madison labor/moving page and there are a handful of people looking for general labor work. I presume hiring someone from craigslist is a better idea than picking up day laborers at Home Depot. Am I wrong? Is there another place to look?

Also, my lease begins on August 15th, which I'm told is the same day that all campus-area leases start. Anything I should worry about?

Thanks!

Who should move me to NYC?

foodbedgospel — Tue, 12 May 2009 20:27:11 -0800

What's the most reputable moving company around for cross-country moves? I'm moving from Las Vegas to Manhattan, and have about 1BR worth of stuff, mostly books and a nice bed. High BBB ratings and being New York City-based are pluses. Which two guys and a truck can I trust??

Moving from OC to LA. Know a good mover?

The World Famous — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 18:06:08 -0800

Reliable and reasonably-priced moving company for a move from Orange County to Los Angeles? I'm looking for a two-guys-with-a-truck sort of moving company for a move from Orange County to Los Angeles. I have seen the previous thread about a mover within Orange County, but I think my question is a little broader (and that one was almost two years ago). I am moving from the southern, coastal end of Orange County to around Glendale. I used a Santa Ana-based mover last time, and they were not great, so I'm hoping to find one with whom someone here has had a good experience.

Can anyone recommend a good mover? Thanks!

Adventures in Moving

Razzle Bathbone — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 13:01:58 -0800

I have never hired a long distance mover before. We are moving from Vancouver to Kamloops later this year or January. Any suggestions? My new employer will pay a percentage of my relocation expenses but they require a rough quote for approval BEFORE the actual move (yes, I know a bit strange). We have a small condo but quite a bit of stuff. Any suggestions (or companies to avoid)? Sadly we cannot use one of those pod services.

Scammed by the movers

Nickel — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 22:55:46 -0800

Interstate movers gave a binding estimate ($2300) based on an accurate list that we supplied, but after all the furniture was loaded on the truck they told us it was more than twice the price ($5300)! What can we do? We paid half when the furniture was loaded and the movers want the other half in cash upon delivery. We're tight on money and will have difficulty raising $2500 in cash. I don't want to make it sound like we're complaining just because we don't have the money. I think what the company did with the estimate was shady. The list of items that we sent them was completely accurate with what they actually took. How can the difference between the estimate and actual price jump $3000 when we didn't add ANYTHING? They knew EXACTLY what they were picking up, how can they tack on so much extra money after they made the estimate?

I've done some research and the following aspects of the move seem shady:

Apparently, they CANNOT charge more than their binding estimate if we don't send extra stuff. We didn't.

They charged us by cubic feet, which might be illegal according to this thread

This website says movers can charge by cubic feet, but only if the estimate was in cubic feet. Our estimate was based on weight.

The company didn't do a physical inspection of our furniture before the day of the move, which doesn't seem exactly kosher according to some of these websites.

Is there any way we can get the charges reduced? We're not trying to get out of this bill, we just don't think we should have to pay more than our binding estimate. If we call the company and bring up the points listed above, will they knock off that extra $3000? Is there some kind of oversight organization to which we can report them? Can we sue? (although I hate immediately jumping to the "let's sue them!" thought)

Or should we just suck it up, find the cash, and take this as a life lesson?

Good moving companies in Seattle?

Margalo Epps — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 20:46:54 -0800

Can you recommend a good moving company for an in-city move in Seattle? I'd like to have actual movers carry (but not pack) my belongings from this house to our new house. I'm getting overwhelmed by the ask mefi horror stories and all the moving scam scams. So what are some actually good, reputable, not complained about companies?

We're just moving across the city, from Ballard to West Seattle. I'd love personal recommendations or other ways to discover who would be good to work with.

How to tip movers in an above-and-beyond situation?

quixxotic — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 18:05:17 -0800

Unique situation with cross-country move (at least, I think it's unique). Help me figure out what I should tip 'em. I'm getting a large moving company to ship my stuff across the country while I drive separately. After a conversation with the management of the apartment building I'm moving into, I found that there's no way to plop a semi outside the building (and certainly not in the parking deck). They suggest having the movers' semi park at a lot around a half-mile away, and having a pickup truck as the liaison between the lot and the parking deck.

A.) Is this too much above and beyond? Will the movers help get it to my place like this, or is that too much to ask? Not sure if they'll just help me load the pickup and then wait as I and a friend or two make a run to the apartment, or help me the whole nine yards. They're not putting my stuff together once it's there or anything, just helping me unload, after which I'll unpack/put things together myself.

B.) In the event that they help, I'd assume it's a bit above-and-beyond, so I'd like to tip them generously. What would be appropriate?

Background: it's a very small move, equivalent in their book to a one-bedroom apartment. It's essentially a bedroom suite plus the random boxes of my stuff...no living room/dining room/whatever furniture other than the bed, dresser, and nightstand. I'm packing it all myself, and can't stand to watch them do all the work, so I help load/unload (I've moved like this before, BTW). When I moved before, it was into and out of a house at ground level that they could essentially pull right up to, so I'm not sure what to expect. FWIW, I'm a generous tipper, having been there, done that in tipped positions.

I'd like to just make it worth their while if they help me out. Thanks!

I hate tipping....

emptybowl — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 06:27:05 -0800

How much do you tip a 3-man team doing a 12+ hour move 3 states away? There's been a couple threads on AskMe about tipping movers but all seemed to pertain to short in-town moves.

My wife and I are moving from Annapolis, Marlyand to Northern New Jersey, so in addition to the time moving our furniture, there will be 7-8 hours of drive time there and back for the movers. We plan to have coffee/donuts/water available in the morning, and order lunch for them once we arrive at the place in NJ.

The move will end up between $750-1000, so I was thinking $100 a man. Is that appropriate? Too much/little?

How do I find a good mover in NYC?

Afroblanco — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 18:38:24 -0800

How do I find a good mover in NYC? I'm moving from one apartment to a different one in the East Village. I don't have a lot of stuff (think big bed, big TV, and a bunch of boxes) and would move it myself, except that I'm moving from a 6th floor apartment to a 5th floor one.

It seems impossible to find a good mover on the internet. All the reviews on Yelp and Citysearch seem like obvious astroturfing. Plus, lots of my friends have had issues with movers charging them more than they said they would.

So, AskMe, I turn to you. How do I find a good mover in this city? Also, if anybody knows - how much should I expect to pay, assuming that I do all the packing myself?

Help us move from MD to NJ!

MsVader — Wed, 28 May 2008 21:04:08 -0800

We're moving from MD to NJ in mid-June. Looking for information/recommendations for good movers. I've contacted several companies for estimates. Unfortunately, they all seem to do things differently.

First company came to my house and gave an estimate of 7700 lbs that will cost us almost $3500.

Second company used the 7700 lbs (from the in-home estimate provided by the first company) to get 1100 cubic feet which would cost us about $1900.

Third company estimated approximately 12 hours of labor at $75 per hour for 3 movers which would cost us about $900.

So, you see that all three are basing their estimates on different things, and the discrepancy in pricing is huge.

We'd love to use the The Green Movers, if only because we have a very limited amount of money available to us. I've tried looking for information about the company online, and haven't found anything at all. Nothing bad, but nothing good either. Just nothing. Does anyone know of this company or have any experience with them?

How can I most effectively hire movers to move out and move in on the same day, but with a giant gap in between?

AgentRocket — Fri, 16 May 2008 06:22:37 -0800

How do the logistics of hiring a mover work when I need to close my sale and my purchase in the same day (from Chicago to the suburbs, if that matters)? We sold our house (with a credit for floors), so that we can be closer to my new job. The sale of our house is scheduled for a Friday in June, and the closing on our new place is set for later that same day. I can't figure out how movers work. I need them early in the morning and late in the afternoon. I think that people must do the two-closing sell-then-buy thing every single day in cities all over the place. How does it work?

I called a couple of places, and it seems the options provided either won't work or are unnecessarily complicated or expensive:

(1) Have them come the morning of the closings and move us out, then immediately go and move us into the new place. This doesn't work because we won't have possession of the new place until our afternoon closing.
(2) Have them come the morning of the closings and move us out, then go back to their home base and put our stuff into "storage" for 5 or 6 hours, then have them take our stuff out of storage and back onto the truck, then have them come out and move us into our new place. This doubles the number of moves to and from the truck (and the subsequent time involved) and requires me to pay a minimum 10-day storage fee.
(3) Move all of our stuff out several days in advance and do the storage option. Again, this is extra cost and coordination that I would prefer to avoid.
(4) Have them come the morning of the closings and move us out, then go to our new place and chill out for 5 hours or so while we wait to close on our purchase. That would cost us $650 of demurrage time.
(5) Have them come right as the sale is going down, so that they finish up when the closing is complete. Then they can go out to the new place and only sit for a couple of hours. This would still cost us $300 of demurrage and it wouldn't work because our house is supposed to be broom clean at final walkthough time (probably no later than 9:00).

We can't sandwich the closings together because we need money from one to buy the other, and because one closing is set for the city and the other for the burbs. I am told each closing would take about an hour and a half to two hours. The sale is set for 10:00; that means the purchase could realistically be no earlier than 1:00, with possession at 2:30.

Can anyone offer insight into how they pulled this off?

A dependable movers in metro DC area?

notsogirliegal — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 09:01:15 -0800

I am looking for an efficient and dependable movers or load/unload helpers in Northern VA/Metro DC area. I am a bit worried about getting taken advantage of. I don't have much stuff, a full size bed, a desk, a large chair, and maybe 5 boxes. I don't think I'd be able to load and unload my furniture all by myself. Do you know of any dependable movers? I'd have all my stuff packed and I just need someone to load and unload them. It's better if they bring their own truck but I am guessing it'd be more.

I don't think it'd take more than an hour even with travel time included, but how do you go about making sure it's done in the time frame you want? In addition, what else do I need to be cognizant of?

Moving in London

Mossy — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 05:51:24 -0800

Does anyone have any recommended movers for London? We are moving from Bloomsbury to St Johns Wood and have a studio apartment with some furniture to move. Any recommended packing services would also be good

chicago movers

shotgunbooty — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 16:30:31 -0800

Please recommend movers in Chicago. It is for a short intracity move, and on short notice.

Movers:flat rate vs hourly!

spacefire — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 13:50:53 -0800

Movers flat rate, or per hour? I asked for a quote on citimove.com All the flat rates are get are ridiculously high. I also got some quotes of movers that charge per hour. If those same rates were applied, it seems that the flat rate movers would spend 10 hours moving the stuff in my 1 bedroom, which will be already packed, for a distance of ten miles. That is impossible!?!?! Is there a catch, hidden charges, or something? Because the per hour movers seem much cheaper than the flat raters. I don't want to get burned.

I Am Too Weak.

modernsquid — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 09:45:36 -0800

I need someone to move my stuff! NYC area. I'm moving from Brooklyn back to Manhattan and i'm looking for inexpensive, trustworthy movers. There are dozens on craigslist but i'd prefer to use a mover who someone has experience with.

It's a small move. 1 room 1 flight up (elevator) to another room also 1 flight up (no elevator). No major furniture except for a wooden twin size bed that breaks down to a headboard, footboard and mattress. Kind of short notice as i need to do it Sunday.

Thanks!

Affordable movers: Minnesota to Wisconsin?

airguitar2 — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 22:34:59 -0800

How can I find affordable movers to move my stuff from Minneapolis to Madison? I have about one one-bedroom apartment's worth of furniture, plus clothing and books. Not much. Help me find a couple folks with a truck who'll accept cash for moving my stuff. I'll pack; they'll load, drive, and unload.

Thank you!

Reliable Moving Company in Orange County

sciatica — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 11:00:59 -0800

Can anyone recommend a reliable moving company in Orange County, CA? We are looking at a local move (< 25 miles) and would like packing services as well. We are unable to do the "beer, friends and a truck" route and packing ourselves is not an option.

Save my sofa

FlamingBore — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 15:57:23 -0800

My movers finally arrived in Boston (Somerville) with my furniture and various items. Yay! But neither my sofa (my beloved red microfiber sofa, the whole reason I hired movers!) and my bed frame won't fit up the stairwell. Short of leaving them on the street is there anything I can do with them? I only have a Honda, so I can't move these myself. The movers have been great about trying repeatedly - but it's clear they won't fit. Is there a service that I'm just not imagining that might help me out?

Recommend a Mover in Toronto

id girl — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 08:38:15 -0800

Can anyone recommend a reliable moving company in Toronto? We're moving from a 2-bed to a 2-bed in the same city and I am just too old and broken to do what I've always done in the past -- buy a case of beer and ask every friend I have to help out. I am hyper organized so packing will be taken care of (and I also found some great general moving tips in this thread). Most of our furniture is of the knock-down Ikea variety and we don't own a piano or anything odd like that so I expect professionals could move us in no more than a half-day, maximum.

I'd prefer not to spend more than $400 (including tipping) but have no idea if this is reasonable or not. I have never hired movers in my life so I really have no idea what to look for from a reputable company etc, and google searches and craigslist mostly turn up ads. Also, we're planning on moving mid-week and mid-month and are flexible about specific dates, hopefully this is good for a price-break since we can move "off-peak" hours.

Who's the captain?

kaseijin — Sat, 19 Aug 2006 22:34:45 -0800

Are you supposed to tip movers? You know... like movers...the guys that come in the truck and charge an exorbitant fee to take your random detritus from point A to point B -- do you tip them? Having never hired movers, I am totally in the dark on this point of etiquette.

Moving-cross-country-filter

bshort — Wed, 03 May 2006 09:24:11 -0800

Do you have any recommendations on how to move from NYC to Tuscon? I'd like to use movers, although I have no idea where to start. Do you have any moving companies you'd recommend? Are there cheaper options that I should know about (hiring a shipping container, etc.)? Are there companies I should avoid? (posted for a friend)