Moving truck/company dilemmas (big move, need suggestions) (San Diego, Escondido: coupon, insurance)

[sspeedy00]

Hi Everyone,

First post ever here. I reside in Delaware (east coast) and have taken 2 road trips to California in the last 2 years, both ways in car. Loved San Diego and moving to Escondido next month.

Anyway, the issue is coming up with "The Move". I live in a 2 bedroom here (but only 1 bed). I have gotten quotes from a couple of movers and one gave me a quote of $2600 (estimate, by cubic feet, guessed mine to be 690 cu ft.) and the other gave me one "not exceeding" $3700 (@ 600 cu ft).

Of course, feeling that I don't have much to move (no fridge, no washer/dryer; temp. bed, treadmill, 1 drawer, comp desk, chair, couch, rocking chair, big screen tv and stand, small tv, and lots of boxes!), I checked out reviews for the company with the cheaper quote.

There wasn't one raving review, most people were unhappy. It "seems" most moving companies will tell you one thing before moving and then act an entirely different way before returning your furniture. I understand only mostly bad reviews will make it on the internet, but c'mon!

So I looked up online..... a 16" ft Penske truck, for 10 days, unlimited miles for about $1340 with AAA discount. However, it holds 37 gallons and gives about 6-10 mpg. If I'm doing this right, it could be ~$1500 for gas alone.

So that's close to ~3000 and now let's add $400 for movers on both sides total. Looks like $3400. A bit hefty, eh? Oh and let me add... besides me driving the Penske, my partner and sister will be driving my car with my 2 cats in it

Back to original point. I can't fathom the stress of broken flat screen, dressers, etc when I've payed a company about $3000.

However, I don't want to jump on board with driving my stuff myself without taking some opinions/suggestions. Oh feel free to chime in about insurance for the cargo and truck...

We know it'll probably take us 4-6 days to drive there. That's fine. We are okay with that. I just need suggestions from people who have done something like this before.

Thanks! Your help means a lot.
-sspeedy00

[Narfcake]

How "attached" are you to your belongings, and is any of it "heirloom quality"? I ask that because financially, it may make better sense to sell everything "unmovable" and buy new when you get to Cali.

Have you looked into container moving like PODS? They drop off a container, transport it, and drop off that same container at your destination.

[limitup]

Yeah unless a lot of your stuff is expensive or hard to replace, seriously consider just selling the big stuff on craigslist or something. You can always buy similar used stuff at great prices when you get to SD. Smaller things like flat screen TVs, boxes, etc. can easily be shipped to yourself via UPS with insurance.

[moved]

I agree. Unless you have antiques, I would get rid of the furniture, and get a POD. You pack it, they ship it, but not until you give them an address to ship it to. Much better, less hassle. You can buy lots of nice used furniture when you get here. Or new, if you prefer.

[kksand]

I have about to undergo the same thing in a month or so. We are moving from the coastal South Carolina to San Diego. I found a ton of useful info on this site: Moving: How to avoid Moving Company Scams

Most places state that you should get your estimate in weight rather than cubic feet, since most moving companies go by weight (I could be wrong on that). We used Graebel for our last move (KY to SC) and they were o.k. They damaged a few items, but the customer service team was more than helpful at getting someone over to review our claims and they sent us a check if something could not be repaired. They gave us a binding estimate that stated the move would not cost over "x" amount - which was the amount the agent quoted me.


If you decide to go with a moving company, make sure they come to your home to give you an estimate (you probably know that though). Everyone seems like they want to estimate over the internet or do some sort of phone consult! I am having that problem now. We live in Myrtle Beach, SC (small town) and lack moving companies with offices here - they all want to quote me over the phone.

I am not sure if any of that helps. I know you said you were looking at moving yourself. There are also companies that allow you to just pack your truck (or hire your own helpers) and they drive the truck to your location. Good luck with your move. I am moving with a toddler and a cat....so think we are going to just fly and ship our cars. Fun times!!

Here is another good website with a ton of info:

Mover Reviews.com - Ratings and Reviews of Moving Companies - Your Source For Finding a Quality Mover!

[sspeedy00]

Hey everyone. Wow immediate responses! We are attached to our stuff and selling it so quickly... we wouldn't get decent prices for our stuff because everything is about two years old, hence we'd lose money and would have to spend a lot more to get the same stuff new.

WTH is POD btw?

kksand--the two quotes were in person and not close enough so that makes me uncomfortable as well. I'll be undergoing th move in less than 3 weeks.

I'm still open to suggestions, people, but don't want to sell. Noone has had to move their own stuff on their own truck they rented..??

[Narfcake]

Originally Posted by sspeedy00

Hey everyone. Wow immediate responses! We are attached to our stuff and selling it so quickly... we wouldn't get decent prices for our stuff because everything is about two years old, hence we'd lose money and would have to spend a lot more to get the same stuff new.

The cost of shipping is money lost too ... and there is no harm in buying used-but-in-good-condition furniture when you get here to replace the used-but-in-good-condition you just sold over there. So yeah, a $200 coffee table is maybe worth $50 in resale, but that also means that you very well can repurchase a used $200 coffee table when you get here for $50. And you didn't shell out $$$ for the cargo space to move it 3000 miles.

WTH is POD btw?

Whenever in doubt, Google is your friend.

The Best Moving & Storage Idea Ever for Self Storage, Portable Moving and Storage Solutions | PODS

[kksand]

Here is another area of this forum that I have searching for info. I would suggest checking out that moving scam site though - it is incredible!

http://www.city-data.com/forum/general-moving-issues/

There is a ton of information there too! I know how much of a headache this all can be, so best of luck to you!!

[SYS]

In case you decide in the end to hire a company, do take the earlier mentioned resource very carefully and seriously:

Moving: How to avoid Moving Company Scams

I used to be a very actively contributing member for this site some years ago. The good folks who founded this online resource were responsible for exposing the widespread fraud and scamming going on unchecked in the moving industry in the "60 Minutes" a few years back. Most of the contributing members on this site were once victims of moving company scams -- lawyers, doctors, college students and just ordinary folks from all walks of life -- and they share their knowledge, wisdom and insights so no one else would have to suffer through the nightmare that they themselves had gone through. I was a victim of such scam myself, but I scammed them right back, so all turned out even, but I was shocked by how widespread this disease is in the moving industry and how easy for them to scam innocent folks and get away with it. So beware!

[socketz]

I've moved a couple of times with PODs (The Best Moving & Storage Idea Ever for Self Storage, Portable Moving and Storage Solutions | PODS)

Highly recommended.

You can use their moving partner, United Van Lines to pack the unit if you'd like.

You can then track the shipment online.

If you search the web for coupon codes, you can save 10% on the POD itself.