Interstate Movers that are reliable (relocation, packing, moving company, Allied)
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Following. We’re moving from Connecticut to Arizona in the spring, and I’m nervous about finding someone reliable. I’d like everything to arrive, and in one piece, including our large oak and glass curio cabinet.
Most if not all interstate movers, including the large legacy ones, subcontract with individual owner operators or smaller operations. In the end you really don't know with whom you are dealing. I have used both United and Allied for interstate moves and have been disappointed both times with damaged goods and an insurance adjuster which they choose. The other kicker is that federal enforcement of interstate movers is now almost nil, the enforcement wing has been declining over the past three decades.
There are direct-expedited/exclusive load moving companies. The people who load the truck are the people who drive it to the destination and unload it. Only your stuff is on the truck and it never gets switched to another truck. You know exactly when the truck will arrive at the destination (the company I used gave me a 2 hr window on a Boston to Phoenix move).
The catch is that you will pay more. However, the contract I had was flat rate with no add-ons allowed - the quote was the price no matter what. So when they came to load in a blizzard and the truck wouldn't fit on the street because of snowbanks, and they had to send 4 extra guys in 2 small box trucks to shuttle everything down the street to where they could load the big truck, I didn't pay a penny extra (but I did tip extravagantly). For me the extra degree of comfort and certainty was worth it.
From one company's site:
Quote:
Choosing the right company
Long distance interstate moving presents challenges for both customer and moving company, which is why it’s so important to choose the right people to help you with your relocation. Make sure you understand the details of your contract, what’s included, and what’s not included. Interstate moving is federally regulated and you should know your rights and the movers’ responsibilities. Check out www.protectyourmove.gov. It’s a website created by the federal government that includes all sorts of information you will need to know when selecting a moving company. From that site you can look up your prospective movers histories and current status. All you need is their USDOT number.
It’s also important to choose a company based on their reputation. There are numerous review sites online (yelp, citysearch, angies list, bing, google, etc.) as well as MovingScam.com which chronicles people’s bad experiences with movers. A lot can be learned about what not to do and what sorts of companies to look out for.
Price is always important. However, it is vital to remember that just because the price seems right that doesn’t mean that the cost of the collateral damage from a bad experience won’t be more in the end.
How we’re different
There are many different ways to get your goods from point A to point B. You can find 10 different companies and you’ll find 10 different ways of going about it. Here’s how we do it:
People: We send the same workers to load your goods, to drive the truck, and to deliver your goods. We think moving is about the personal touch of having one project manager that is there for you the whole way through from start to finish. You’re busy making big changes in your life, you don’t have time for a brand new set of faces at every turn. Many moving companies will load with one group, another worker will drive, and then they’ll hire a new group of workers to unload at the delivery. This is of course a very economical way of going about it, but very impersonal.
Solo Loads: Money can be made by loading multiple families goods onto a single tractor trailer and dropping them off one by one, but that’s not how we do it. We offer single-load service to all our customers and it is our default way of doing business. This eliminates confusion, contamination and damages by limiting exposure.
Direct Routes: We put YOUR goods on OUR truck and drive them to your new home. It sounds simple right? Well it is. That’s the idea. We don’t take your stuff to a warehouse, we don’t take it to a hub and put it on a different truck and then switch it again. This has a couple benefits. You know where your goods are, you know who has your goods, and to a much more accurate degree, you know when your goods are going to arrive.
How to compare our quote with others
Make sure you’re comparing apples-to-apples. Are the other companies going to transfer your goods from truck to warehouse to truck? How many different people you’ve never met before are going to be handling your belongings? How many other loads are going to be combined with yours on the truck(s)? Are the same workers going to be unloading your goods that loaded them? What if the truck can’t make it down your side-street?
It’s important to remember that quite often there’s a reason one quote may be cheaper than another. Check it out and make sure you’re going to get the service you think you’re paying for. There are many different options for moving; we’re just one of them. You may find a lower cost option suits you fine, or perhaps you might like the peace of mind that comes with doing it our way.
My son is moving from Louisiana to Arkansas.
Flurrycat, how would he find exclusive load moving companies?
That's not far. A "traditional" mover or a local company might do that as a straight run. Anyhow, just google it and start calling. They're out there.
Other benefits of a dedicated truck:
--No size or weight limits - If it fits, it goes (unless you have 50,000 books). You won't have to ditch a bunch of stuff to save $2k on the move then spend $3k to replace it on the other end.
--Don't need to pack every item - A lot of stuff can just get thrown loose on the truck, rather than boxing larger stuff that doesn't need the added protection. And you can use non-standard boxing - plastic bins, duffel bags/suitcases (I used most of my clothing as protective wrap for breakables, so I didn't need the suitcases for that). This saved me a ton of time and energy.
I used Atlas Van Lines for a move from West coast to East coast. My employer was paying for the move, so wasn't concerned with cost TBH. They packed everything up for me. And I mean everything...they even packed my Starbucks blueberry muffin that I had bought the morning of the move. I remember looking for my muffin and couldn't find it. Finally 2-3 weeks later when I was unpacking the boxes, I found the muffin wrapped up nicely in a moving box.
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