Any moving co recommendations - NJ-SWF? (Tampa, Fort Myers: military, hotel, job)

[kdzgon]

Anyone move from NJ to SWF that used a moving company they were happy with (or for that matter, would warn about)? We'll be moving in mid-June - would appreciate feedback from anyone that has moved from NJ to Fl recently.

Thanks so much!

[121804]

Originally Posted by kdzgon

Anyone move from NJ to SWF that used a moving company they were happy with (or for that matter, would warn about)? We'll be moving in mid-June - would appreciate feedback from anyone that has moved from NJ to Fl recently.

Thanks so much!

We moved out of SWFL to OH...but, we used ABF UPack & hired movers on each end to load & unload.

We used My Four Sons out of Fort Myers. Really nice guys who did a so-so job packing the truck. A lot of our furniture was mildly scratched or dented. We've moved 5 times due to military obligation & our stuff got banged up the most this final time.

ABF UPack is priced VERY well & just awesome customer service.

My Four Sons cost us about $300 for 3 hours. They have a website w/ info & phone number.

[kdzgon]

Thanks for the response - having 3 DDs in the military, I know what a hassle it is to move - and also have seen how many bad moving companies there are!

I don't think we're going to go with a UPack style move, though...getting too old for that nowadays. Again, thanks to the military, kids live too far to help with the heavy lifting!

[121804]

Originally Posted by kdzgon

Thanks for the response - having 3 DDs in the military, I know what a hassle it is to move - and also have seen how many bad moving companies there are!

I don't think we're going to go with a UPack style move, though...getting too old for that nowadays. Again, thanks to the military, kids live too far to help with the heavy lifting!

You can hire packers/movers on both ends though. I called up moving companies in the phone book & called to get rates.

We saved about $6k-8k doing it this way compared to Mayflower & a few others.

Might want to post on the moving forum to see what suggestions people have.

Good Luck

[Keeper]

I've seen some good reviews on PODS. Some ppl hired packers from craigslist and had a good luck doing it that way. I have no idea if the ppl are insured but that would be something to check out.

[kdzgon]

Originally Posted by 121804

You can hire packers/movers on both ends though. I called up moving companies in the phone book & called to get rates.

We saved about $6k-8k doing it this way compared to Mayflower & a few others.

Might want to post on the moving forum to see what suggestions people have.

Good Luck

I didn't find the moving thread until after my post, but I have since been there - thanks!

So, if I understand you correctly, I would essentially hire three moving companies: 1 to pack up/load, UPack to move, and 1 to unload/unpack at my destination, correct? I think I'll make a few calls - thanks!

[121804]

Originally Posted by kdzgon

I didn't find the moving thread until after my post, but I have since been there - thanks!

So, if I understand you correctly, I would essentially hire three moving companies: 1 to pack up/load, UPack to move, and 1 to unload/unpack at my destination, correct? I think I'll make a few calls - thanks!

Correct.

It may take some time, but overall you will probably save $$. Mayflower & Allied would have cost us about $10k. PODS would have cost us about $4500. We spent about $3500 for the move to include the cost of us driving; hotel stays & food.

I found out about ABF through the Moving section on the site & then did my own independent research on it. Their website is really helpful.

Good luck.

[kdzgon]

Originally Posted by 121804

Correct.

It may take some time, but overall you will probably save $$. Mayflower & Allied would have cost us about $10k. PODS would have cost us about $4500. We spent about $3500 for the move to include the cost of us driving; hotel stays & food.

I found out about ABF through the Moving section on the site & then did my own independent research on it. Their website is really helpful.

Good luck.

May I ask you another question (if you know): if I get a quote for packing and moving does it include the packing supplies, or must I order/pay for that separately? Also, how large a move (number rms or weight or trailer size, etc) did you do?

I could only do so much as it is the weekend, but according to UPack's online estimator, their fee would be $3609. They recommend 2 companies for packing and/or loading. One online quote (packing and loading outbound, unloading only inbound) was >$4,500, and the other was <$1,300! My best existing quote from a mover several family members have used is ~$7,500 including full packing. His price is already several thousand $$ less than quotes from the larger lines. Moving the cars (and us) will be an added cost no matter what.

While My Four Sons was relatively inexpensive, your experience doesn't sound great. Come Monday AM, I'm going to make some calls to UPack & their referrals, the local mover (see if he'll quote pack & load only on this end), and my realtor in SWF and see if she has any recommendations for someone to unload in Florida.

I really appreciate all your help and time. It looks like I might save some $$, or if I don't I'll at least know my quote is "reasonable" for my area (reasonable being quite relative here!)

[121804]

Originally Posted by kdzgon

May I ask you another question (if you know): if I get a quote for packing and moving does it include the packing supplies, or must I order/pay for that separately? Also, how large a move (number rms or weight or trailer size, etc) did you do?

I could only do so much as it is the weekend, but according to UPack's online estimator, their fee would be $3609. They recommend 2 companies for packing and/or loading. One online quote (packing and loading outbound, unloading only inbound) was >$4,500, and the other was <$1,300! My best existing quote from a mover several family members have used is ~$7,500 including full packing. His price is already several thousand $$ less than quotes from the larger lines. Moving the cars (and us) will be an added cost no matter what.

While My Four Sons was relatively inexpensive, your experience doesn't sound great. Come Monday AM, I'm going to make some calls to UPack & their referrals, the local mover (see if he'll quote pack & load only on this end), and my realtor in SWF and see if she has any recommendations for someone to unload in Florida.

I really appreciate all your help and time. It looks like I might save some $$, or if I don't I'll at least know my quote is "reasonable" for my area (reasonable being quite relative here!)

No, it does not include packing supplies. We had actually saved our boxes from our last move b/c our stay in Punta Gorda was only long-term temporary (if that makes sense ) & then my husband went to Goodwill & bought a bunch of blankets to use to cover the tv, certain pieces of furniture, etc. As you probably know you can go to the grocery stores & big box stores & ask for boxes & more times than not they will give you what they can. I went on Mons in the past b/c that is a common unpacking day for stores.

We used 20 s ft w/ UPack. We were 3 bdrm; dining room;living room; but no large appliances were packed. It was right around $2k. We also needed same day drop off/pick up & they had no problem doing that for us. The truck left Tampa on a Mon & arrived in NEOH on Wed night. I was fairly impressed.

I was 7 1/2 months pregnant & had a 2 yr old when we were packing & my husband literally worked until the day we moved, so I am sure if we had better "eyes on" with My Four Sons, things would have been better packed in the truck.

We have a family member who runs an Allied company & he got us down to $5500. Mayflower came in close to $11,500 & a few others were b/w 10-12.

Like you said, no matter what you will, in the end, have done the legwork & found the best deal for your needs.

We just finished up our taxes & the move offered a very nice return, so no complaints

UPacks referrals in SWFL were about $100-$200 more than My Four Sons. I would definitely do as much research as possible on the loading & unloading part. We also prestaged everything as close to as possible to doors & steps to keep within a 3 hour time frame (which was the min time for most moving companies I called). Found the movers also appreciated it & were a little more "friendly" when they saw how we were packed. The day we moved it was 99 degrees; in Oct none the less; & we lived on the 2nd floor....

Again, best of luck. Hope you save some $$$!!

[kdzgon]

Yes, I "get" "long-term temporary" - I should be so lucky to do something like that - St John's is my dream, but looks like Fl is the closest I'll get to living in a tropical setting (it could be much worse, IMO).

I have boxes already, but I'm concerned I will not have enough. I saw just how much they charged per box w/ DD's move, hence my question.

I'll only need Four Sons to unload, so sounds like I'd be OK with them. I'm figuring 28' for now (better to estimate high), so the UPack price is $3,609. Our move is more miles, plus fuel prices are up too so the price is not too bad I guess. I'll be making lots of calls today so I'll know soon!