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Hire movers to load pods, and movers to unload pods at both locations. TROSA has helped us here twice. I would also go with ABF as they have better prices than PODS or PackRat
I had a friend use PODS. It was fine but she was without her stuff for a little while.
When I was doing an in town move I hired two young entrepreneurs off of Craigslist. Similarly, I only needed them to move a half dozen pieces too big to handle on my own. I booked them for a 2 hour minimum and it was fine. I arranged it the day or two days before. I'm sure you could do the same thing.
That's what I was thinking if we go with a PODS solution. There's only two things that are really difficult so it would probably be 2 hours at most.
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Originally Posted by twingles
We used Bay Shore Moving and Storage which is the local (NYC area/LI) affiliate of Allied van lines. They did a great job. They also came in 10% less than quoted.
My sister and my parents used them too with no issues for LI--->NC moves.
I can't remember when you plan on moving but the time to get quotes is NOW. Mover from northeast to southeast book up fast for the summer months.
Thanks! We're a couple of weeks away from listing the house, so I can't book now but I want to be ready. When the time comes, it looks as though I'll be coordinating the move and coming down ahead of my husband. I like having a plan in mind so I'll have time to pay attention to all the things I didn't anticipate.
Do you remember how many days it took between the NY pickup and the NC delivery?
I forgot but it was independently owned anyway. They were half a day late in picking up and caused me to miss my goodbye party, they took two weeks longer to deliver because they took on additional loads (I was moving from a small apartment) - they ended up in the NC mountains somewhere and told me they nearly drove off a cliff, they broke several things. I had an earlier experience with my stuff held hostage that was quite epic and ended in the mover asking to sleep over that evening (uh...no).
I don't know if I could hire a long distance full service mover again, because even when you hire a name company the offices are independently owned AND those guys often subcontract. When my stuff was held for ransom and the same guy wanted to sleep over - this was a job the mover who I had used before had subcontracted out.
I'd personally go with U-pack and maybe hiring people to load/unload...but I have trust issues...
I forgot but it was independently owned anyway. They were half a day late in picking up and caused me to miss my goodbye party, they took two weeks longer to deliver because they took on additional loads (I was moving from a small apartment) - they ended up in the NC mountains somewhere and told me they nearly drove off a cliff, they broke several things. I had an earlier experience with my stuff held hostage that was quite epic and ended in the mover asking to sleep over that evening (uh...no).
I don't know if I could hire a long distance full service mover again, because even when you hire a name company the offices are independently owned AND those guys often subcontract. When my stuff was held for ransom and the same guy wanted to sleep over - this was a job the mover who I had used before had subcontracted out.
I'd personally go with U-pack and maybe hiring people to load/unload...but I have trust issues...
I'm guessing you didn't go with one of the bigger, well-known carriers? You get what you pay for.
We used Wheaton, our stuff was here in I believe four days from MA. The driver was part of the entire process. He packed, he loaded, he drove down, he unloaded. The only thing that was different in NC from MA was the crew helping him. It was all very professional.
Here is something I wrote for another forum when someone asked for tips on moving. Some of which would be applicable to you, some not. I think we are up to 8 or so now out of state relocations, and only one local move. We used TROSA for the local move and had good luck. Treat your movers well, and they'll take better care of your stuff.
I think we are up to 8 corporate moves, so I guess I'd put us in the expert category on this one. In general, we have good luck. My experience is that the moving company will go out of their way to ensure you are happy with a corporate move, particularly if your company uses one of the top Corporate Relo management companies. The last thing the mover wants is to get a black eye with a management cover that handles thousands of moves a year.
Some random thoughts:
If your wife's company is using a Corporate Relo management company, use their relo coordinator to handle any issues. That is what they are getting paid for. Handle any issues through them, not the moving company. Let them deal with it.
You should NOT get a 1099 for the cost of the move. Almost all costs associated with a corporate job relocation are not taxable. If you got a good package, those expenses that are taxable should be grossed up to cover that cost.
I agree with the comments about having water, picking up lunch etc for the movers. It's cheap and will definitely have them pay a bit more attention to your stuff.
Definitely dig into moving insurance that your wife's company is providing. There are many many variables here. For those above that said you should always pack your own high value items, it's not that simple. The insurance may specifically state they won't cover items that they didn't pack. Insurance that pays by the pound is for all intensive purposes worthless unless the truck catches on fire. Your $5,000 piece of original art probably weighs a few pounds.
You will get asked to fill out a high-value item form. The driver will then inspect, and make you sign off on the form at both ends. Assuming you are not getting the unpack service, make sure you unpack and inspect any high value items before they leave on the other end. Be conservative on values, particularly with original art, etc.
We fill the better portion of a truck, but still have had the issue of them loading multiple loads on a truck. Luckily, we've been able to push the corporate relo folks to have the driver drive directly between our two houses multiple times. Depends upon how much pull their relo company has with the moving company.
Pay attention to what they will / won't take. What they won't take is a pretty short list, aerosols, many garage chemicals, flammables, ammunition, etc. I normally get asked to run the gas out of the lawn equipment, but always leave the oil in.
We have only ever had minor damage on our corporate moves. We had the most amount of minor damage, when we got stuck in a furnished apartment for a couple of months. The moving company ended up crating our stuff in the warehouse, so it was handled multiple times during the course of the move.
In regards to boxes. If your move includes an unpack, it's not an issue. I've also found that most movers will do a free "box pick-up" as well. I suspect they are re-using or selling the used boxes. I've also never had a problem with free on Craigslist.
Assuming you are getting a "pack" included, don't be surprised when it is obvious that the packers are getting paid by the box. On one move, the packers decided to remove every individual wrench from my rolling tool box and wrap and box them. Most times they just wrapped the box, and put it on the truck.
A few times with damage, I just had them cut me a check in lieu of repairs. It was cheaper for them to just give me a few hundred dollars rather than pay someone to come out and repair furniture scratches.
Make them put down protection on all your floors. We've had to deal with dirty hand cart wheels a couple of times.
If you got the unpack service, note that that means unpack, not put away. You'll find you will run out of counterspace in the kitchen long before they finish unboxing. Shove the stuff into cabinets as they are unpacking it, you can deal with it later.
My wife has handled almost all of the packing / loading side on her own. I've only been present for one pack (I'm always starting the new assignment in a different state). It's very helpful to have two people for the unload. You'll need one person checking off the inventory at the truck, and one person in the house handling where to put what. Unless you enjoy moving furniture, get them to put it in the right spot the first time. They are generally not thrilled with moving furniture between rooms. Managing an unload as a solo person would be tough.
Also important to understand if your corporate move includes things like installing the move kits in a front load washer, disassembling exercise equipment, etc. The mover is likely to just disassemble and reassemble furniture. Anything beyond that they hire a specialist for.
Thats verbose enough, I think I could write a book on corporate relocations, house hunting, house purchase / sale, etc. My parents still live in the same house that they bought after high school, they don't quite understand our life style :-)
I'm guessing you didn't go with one of the bigger, well-known carriers? You get what you pay for.
We used Wheaton, our stuff was here in I believe four days from MA. The driver was part of the entire process. He packed, he loaded, he drove down, he unloaded. The only thing that was different in NC from MA was the crew helping him. It was all very professional.
I did - I just forgot which as it's been 10 years (yeesh). Allied, maybe. Honestly can't remember and it doesn't even matter because each office was independently owned and managed, and each crew was different.
We used a pod system moving from NYC, but you have to pack the whole thing yourself. I was fine with the boxes, but was totally unequipped to wrap up my furniture. It was annoying to have to buy things like blanket pads to wrap things up.
We hired movers to load and unload the pod on either end, and honestly I don't think I saved much money. I prefer to box everything myself, but for them to handle my furniture and TVs.
Also the company we used wasn't Pods, maybe U Pack. I don't really remember.
T
Thanks! We're a couple of weeks away from listing the house, so I can't book now but I want to be ready. When the time comes, it looks as though I'll be coordinating the move and coming down ahead of my husband. I like having a plan in mind so I'll have time to pay attention to all the things I didn't anticipate.
Do you remember how many days it took between the NY pickup and the NC delivery?
It was 2 weeks which was perfect for us - any less and we would've had to store stuff. They knew we wanted it to take as long as possible; I think our stuff went up and down I95 a few times as they picked up other loads and delivered them.
This probably goes without saying, but there was stuff I did not put on the truck - Not a ton of stuff, but things that were irreplaceable.
Again, if you have a time friend in mind, getting estimates and booking as early as possible is the way to go. We pretty much were left with few options as to when we moved but luckily the date we wanted was one of the few available.
Nora's Mom is right - the movers have national names, but it is all dependent on the local office. We had the same driver who oversaw the move coming and going. Had him and 3 guys to load in NY and him and one guy to unload in NC. This is why it's important to get your recommendations from people who are local to where you live.
Op - I can't speak to PODS. But as to how long the move will take for your stuff to get to NC - only the mover can tell you this - so many variables such as available manpower on key dates, length of time belongings might need to stay in the warehouse if no drivers are available or have maxed out on their legal drive times/limits. Time of year - July/Aug being the busiest with May and June being shoulder months, mostly. Currently, these dates are getting booked pretty quickly!!
Someone mentioned plastic wrap for furniture I think? That stuff is useless! An armoire I have received a big dent in the wood - decent quality cherry wood, as it was not blanket wrapped but had that crappy plastic wrap. I would make sure your furniture all gets blanket wrapped.
Know there is a hi probability of damage - dropped items, theft, water damage if items are stored in transit somewhere in a warehouse that the original mover has no control over. Check insurance (homeowners - make sure all items are covered, take photos). With the moving co - ask how they settle claims - local vendor or corporate or?? Ask what the process is when an item gets damaged. If you have an heirloom, something you cannot live without or bear to lose, keep it with you, don't trust the mover as you can be sure that will be the item that will get damaged.
Be sure to take photos of items you'll list on the hi value items form. Not sure why the poster said to be conservative with estimates? Hopefully they'll elaborate. Myself, I would put what their true value is or it will harm you if you make a claim. As mentioned, be there to watch while they pack, and unpack. Also, they will tell you you need someone at the new place to check off all your boxes, and items as they are removed from the truck and placed in your house. If you don't do this, you put yourself at huge risk!! And do not sign ANYTHING they give you before, during or at the end of the move without reading and understanding, all the documents states. If you don't do this, then if boxes or items are missing, you don't have a leg to stand on.
Moving co will charge a lot to pack for you. A couple to a few thousand depending on house size. Some posters have offered good suggestions for loading and off loading.
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