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Old 10-08-2018, 10:57 AM
 
20 posts, read 18,669 times
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I'll soon be moving to North Carolina. Can anyone recommend a reliable mover? (Online reviews would have you think there's no such thing!) Thanks.
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Old 10-19-2018, 05:38 PM
 
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I'll be following. We are moving cross country from IA to SC and need suggestions!
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Old 10-20-2018, 12:13 PM
 
Location: Arizona
7,461 posts, read 4,283,876 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JoBo623 View Post
I'll soon be moving to North Carolina. Can anyone recommend a reliable mover? (Online reviews would have you think there's no such thing!) Thanks.
We heard all of the horror stories too. "But Yes Virginia, There Is A Santa Claus". Not all movers are bad.

We used Allied Van Lines for our move from New York to Arizona. I have nothing but good things to say about them. They were on time both ways, nothing was lost, broken or stolen and there were no extra charges. Just make sure that you get a binding estimate from any mover that you choose. If the moving company is not willing to do that then find another mover. With a binding estimate you know exactly what you are paying for and there are no extra charges. With a non-binding estimate you will be charged based on the weight of the truck which in some cases can be more and sometimes less. But how would you know this? You'd have to ask to see the bill of lading. Often times two or more moves are sharing the same truck. I don't know how you would be able to differentiate who's load weighs more? Unless the truck was weighed at different intervals with separate bills of lading and the weight of the fuel left in the tanks at the time the truck was weighed was taken into consideration.

We had several different estimates that ranged from $8,000 to $12,000. Our binding estimate from Allied came in at $8,000 as did North American and Mayflower. Bekins was the highest at $12,000. Atlas was in the middle. However it will all depend on the estimator. The one from Bekins was arrogant as all hell especially when I told him how high his estimate was compared to the others. Maybe if Bekins sent over another estimator the estimate would have been more in line with the others, I really don't know? But overall I was impressed with the way Allied handled our move from start to finish.

I'd also advise you to have everything ready for them. You'd be surprised at how many people that don't. When the mover's arrived at our home they were happy as pigs in poop. Everything was packed, labeled and ready to go. All they had to do was load the truck and off they went. In many cases the driver is an independent trucker that has a contract or lease with the moving company. That's not an easy job, their time is money, anything that you can do to make their life easier will be greatly appreciated. They've gotta' eat too. If everything is not packed and ready for them they can charge for this over and above the binding estimate.

Before we moved I went to our local supermarket and each week I would ask them for their used 20/30 dozen egg boxes. They were glad to get rid of them. They are sturdy, you can store a lot of items in them, they have grab handles on each end and stack very easily. U-Line has a complete line of moving and packing supplies. The egg boxes are similar to their heavy duty storage file boxes.

We also had 3 antique cars and one full size 3/4 ton truck to be moved. For that we used Reliable Transport the official carrier for Barrett-Jackson. That too was $8,000. Like Allied we were very pleased with their service and professionalism. All of the vehicles were carefully loaded and unloaded and arrived unscathed. Loading the vehicles was an all day job as they constantly had to be moved in and out of the truck because of their different heights with the loading ramps having to be adjusted accordingly and the vehicles properly secured. A time consuming process indeed. Those ramps had to be adjusted a few inches at a time with the driver running in and out of the trailer while checking for the proper clearances, loading and unloading the vehicles numerous times. It was kinda' like musical chairs. Unloading was a lot quicker as the vehicles were already in position.

Depending on where you're moving to they may not be able to get a tractor trailer to your house. In which case your goods may have to be unloaded onto smaller trucks. Obviously this will add to the cost. Our moving truck for household goods was OK. But the car carrier could only load and unload at a towing company of our choice. From there the vehicles were put on flat bed trucks to our home.

As for us we rented a box truck for the cross country trip loaded with all of the items we would need to live in our new home right away for at least a coupla' days just in case the movers and car carrier were not on schedule.

I hope of all of this helps, obviously everyone's move is different based on what they own. Oh yes I almost forgot. If you're using a moving company they're probably gonna' need about two weeks notice before you move to have a truck available on moving day.

Last edited by Ex New Yorker; 10-20-2018 at 01:30 PM..
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Old 10-20-2018, 04:15 PM
 
20 posts, read 18,669 times
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Thanks for the detailed response. A friend used Allied--she was happy with them as well. I was thinking I should have a direct mover (Allied uses local movers for pick-up and drop off) but perhaps i should reconsider.
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Old 10-20-2018, 05:57 PM
 
Location: Arizona
7,461 posts, read 4,283,876 times
Reputation: 6106
Quote:
Originally Posted by JoBo623 View Post
Thanks for the detailed response. A friend used Allied--she was happy with them as well. I was thinking I should have a direct mover (Allied uses local movers for pick-up and drop off) but perhaps i should reconsider.
You're welcome! Not sure what you mean by a direct mover though? I'm assuming you're going from New York to North Carolina? Depending on where that's about an 8/10 hour drive. What you'll need to move will all depend on all of your personal belongings. You might even be able to get away with the largest box truck you can rent one way without needing a CDL (commercial drivers license). Probably a 26 ft. that has an overall length of about 35 ft. Obviously the more you can do yourself the more money you will save. There's alway U-Pack and Pods where they drop off a container, you load it up and they pick it up and bring it to your destination.

If you can't do it yourself the moving company you hire can and will do everything for you but at a cost. The worst part of moving is the anxiety before the move. Wondering and worrying about all of your possessions on the back of some truck out on the highway somewhere. But at the same time it's kind of exciting with the anticipation of starting a new life in a location where you've always dreamed of living.

But whatever you do explore all of your different options because what worked for us may not for you. I have antique cars and along with that extra parts including complete engines and transmissions. Along with that a lot of tools and equipment that I used in their restoration. The car carrier did not charge me extra for loading up the bed of my truck as long as it did not exceed the height of the cab and that the load was secured. I must have loaded a good 2000 lbs. of car parts in my truck including two crated engines. That's almost the weight of another car! Pretty good deal I thought.

I wish you the best of luck in your upcoming move. It's really not as bad as some people make it out to be.
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Old 10-25-2018, 03:17 PM
 
Location: New York
16 posts, read 30,811 times
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While I don’t have a local recommendation, I assume you mean an individually owned company rather than a company that subcontracts out (like Allied, Mayflower, etc). I have hired the same family owned moving company three times and have been happy with each move. They are based in VA -JK Moving and Storage. Great employees who handled everything with care. Our last move to NY was through DH’s company and was with one of big companies that sub out. While most was ok, there were several things broken and dirt tracked into our newly carpeted bedroom. If I had my way, I’d hire a individually owned moving company.
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Old 10-26-2018, 05:19 PM
 
20 posts, read 18,669 times
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Yes, Meggie t, that's what I meant by a direct moving company--one that does the entire move, not a sub-contractor. I've narrowed down my search and will make a decision shortly. I'll look into JK Moving. Thanks!
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Old 10-31-2018, 11:47 AM
 
2,684 posts, read 2,371,367 times
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I strongly recommend using Unpakt.com for moving. We've used that site for four moves, and every time it has been a good experience. Most importantly, it prevents any surprises like the horror stories about companies holding goods hostage for more payment, or surprise bills. Not to mention, in my experience it was always thousands cheaper than the other quotes I was getting.


I'm a "serial mover" and this is my go-to service when my company isn't otherwise paying the bill. I recently moved twice within a year, once the company paid and the other time I paid. The company paid about $15k for the first move, and I paid about $2k for the second. Not totally apples to apples but if it were identical my cost probably would have been around $4k (the only difference was the mileage; otherwise same services).
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Old 11-04-2018, 07:25 PM
 
20 posts, read 18,669 times
Reputation: 41
Thank you for the recommendation. I'll look into it.
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