Moving Companies

January 30, 2004 10:23 AM

Does anyone in the U.S. have any experience with Door-to-Door Storage or, more importantly, their newer spinoff City-to-City Moving? We're moving cross country, and they sounded great at first - much less hassle than U-Haul, even if a little more expensive. But the more we deal with them, the more red flags are going up: one person tells us one thing, another tells us something different, etc. We're getting a general feeling of incompetence that has us wondering if it's wise to entrust everything we own to these people.
posted by gottabefunky to Travel & Transportation (5 answers total)

I would be wary. I had friends who tried one of these things, and had the company office close down while their stuff was in transit. They had no idea where their things were, and could raise no one on the phone who could help them. I think it's safer to do a truck yourself.
posted by agregoli at 11:10 AM on January 30, 2004

I've used them (just the storage service, D-t-D) and have mixed feelings about the company. I know exactly what you are talking about. They don't seem to be that organized. To be fair, I think they are a little overwhelmed with orders and are trying to keep up. Here's my experience:

I ordered 3 containers to be dropped off. They were prompt and professional, although they forgot the extra packing tape that I ordered. They took it off the bill, but still I was inconvenienced a little and they had no solution. I had to make a trip to the store to get the tape. No biggie, though.

I started filling the containers for a few hours and then knocked off for the night, locking the containers and coming back the next morning. When I came back, I noticed that one of the containers had been broken into. Lukily, the thieves didn't pick the one with the brand new color tv in it and weren't interested in the boxes of books so nothing was stolen.

I called D-t-D and asked them what we should do. The thieves had broken the clasp off the door, so even a new lock was not going to secure it. I asked D-t-D if they could come out that day (Sunday) and pick them up (I had scheduled the pick up for Monday). They said they couldn't do it. In the end, I had to park a car in front of the door so it couldn't be opened. They picked up the containers the next morning, put a new clasp on the door with a new lock and sent me the keys.

I was a little put off that they didn't have a contingency plan for this situation. Surely I was not the first person to be broken into. They did seem genuinely concerned for my plight and the guy was very helpful, but I was still upset about it.

I actually might use this service again, despite my experience. It really is convenient and if they can get their act together, I think they will be very successful. Hope this helps.
posted by fletchmuy at 11:31 AM on January 30, 2004

I set up an appointment and it felt like I was talking to 2 people in an apartment somewhere but eventually canceled and just got a U-Haul because it ended up being cheaper in my particular case. I am surprised there are not more professionally run services like this as it is a great idea. Based on what fletchy said I would be worried about theft from employees who know the ins and outs of where boxes are and how to quickly get in, make sure your renters/home insurance covers it.
posted by stbalbach at 7:39 PM on January 30, 2004

We used City-to-City to move a whole bunch of stuff from San Francisco to Austin in 2002. We got three containers, put all our junk in them, and they showed up right on time. Everything went pretty smoothly, and I frequently recommend them to friends making long-distance moves.
posted by majcher at 10:12 PM on January 30, 2004

i'd trust your gut.
posted by centrs at 3:31 PM on February 4, 2004