help suggestion on moving company to use from Ohio to Conway (Murrells Inlet: truck rental, renting)

[chozz]

I will be moving next month from Ohio to Conway and wondered if anyone had suggestion for which moving company to use or which ones to stay away from. I have never moved long distance before and would appreciate any feedback.

[CTyankee54]

Don't know how much you're open to doing things yourself, but when we moved, we packed our boxes ourselves. Then we rented a truck, hired someone local to load the truck for us (furniture, boxes, etc...we drove the truck to MB and then hired Fairway Moving here to unload the truck for us. We saved a ton of money but didn't have to do any of the heavy lifting and moving. If you go this route, just be sure that whoever you hire on both ends to load and unload the truck has insurance in case they break something. We found that many of the companies that unload trucks in SC do not have insurance against breakage.

[Cynner]

Good tip.

[vrexy]

Originally Posted by chozz

I will be moving next month from Ohio to Conway and wondered if anyone had suggestion for which moving company to use or which ones to stay away from. I have never moved long distance before and would appreciate any feedback.

There is also a whole sub-forum here on C-D about moving/relocation issues that you may find helpful for moving advice. Maybe you know this, but I saw that you seem to be a new member, so thought I would mention it in case you didn't know.

Here is a link: http://www.city-data.com/forum/general-moving-issues/

The main thing is that you need to pick some reputable moving companies and get quotes from multiple carriers, etc. Most people recommend getting about 3 separate quotes. Do not make the mistake of asking for online quotes (from brokers, etc.) and having people contact you. You need to contact them. Otherwise, you are opening yourself up to possibly some shady and unreliable businesses. Contact major carriers and have someone from those companies come and give you a written quote/estimate.

It is so scary to trust all of your belongings to someone you don't know. Also, expensive, depending on how much stuff you are moving, etc. I totally stressed myself to the max when we moved here to SC from NJ a couple of years ago. We ended up using Arnoff, which is a subsidiary of or partner of North American Van Lines. After all my nightmares and panic attacks, it ended up working out well......

I used Arnoff on the recommendation of a friend, but even so, I had issues with some of their employees and felt somewhat of a lack of trust. I have made several state to state moves in the past, but this was this first time that we had to pay for the move ourselves and pick a company. All of the other times, it was a job transfer and we did not have to pick our own movers.

Best of luck to you!

[Me2SouthCarolina]

This Spring we bought a home in Murrells Inlet. We moved some items to our new home from the Northeast and we did it ourselves. The only mistake we made was using Budget Truck Rental. Why, because they use a bait & switch tactic on their customers. Meaning, they quote you one price but when you get in the door they hit you with a barrage of insurance fees. All optional of course but, you are basically screwed if anything goes wrong while the truck is in your possession. We opted not to get the insurance since the hubby drives a 18 wheeler for a living. Well, he decided to close the driver's side door of the truck (yes just close the door) and the mirror shattered! We weren't even on the road yet. Anyhoo.... we made it in one piece to SC (with a scotch taped mirror!) and I'm am SO grateful for that. It cost us though, $94 in addition to the hefty price of renting the truck. We are purchasing everything else that we need for the house in South Carolina and I'm grateful we don't have to experience that again. Good luck, get quotes, and make sure they tell you the TOTAL cost up front. Especially when hiring someone else or renting it yourself.
South Carolina is well worth it

[chozz]

thanks much for all your responses, I have decided to use a "pod" type of mover since I have read so many horror stories on here about movers holding belongings hostage for more money. I don't want to drive a truck that I don't know or turst through the mountains and since my grandson has never driven one or pulled a trailer before it would just be me doing the driving.