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Two of the 3 estimates were pretty good. I'm not speaking specifically of cost, its more the quality of their work that I'm referring to. I was impressed and felt a sense of relief that they work would be good. The 3rd one was just not trustworthy, according to my gut feeling.
I suppose I will try my best to make room for the chemicals (typical garage shelf items, nail polish remover, etc) and all things liquid. The movers have said they will not transport liquids such as cooking oils or shampoos - nothing. So rather than repurchase, I will create a tub for these items and transport them. It all adds up - $5 for this, $7 for that - I'm too frugal to toss it and I dont want to risk fire in the truck. Thanks so much for all your responses, much appreciated.
One company said they would unload into closets, cupboards, etc. Another said they would, if I really wanted that, but that usually they just unload onto countertops, tables, floor, etc and they haul off the packing and boxes. I am leaning towards having them put stuff away and reorganizing it later, just to have a sense of peace and less chaos from the get-go. Anyone have varying experiences with this sort of thing? It seems indulgent but I just cant help myself, the thought of putting up my feet at the end of move-in day, with most of the big stuff 'put away' is almost too good to be true.
I always did the unpacking myself so I can't hel you with that but from my own experiences, the less you have to do after the move itself, the better.
Good luck with your move.
Two of the 3 estimates were pretty good. I'm not speaking specifically of cost, its more the quality of their work that I'm referring to. I was impressed and felt a sense of relief that they work would be good. The 3rd one was just not trustworthy, according to my gut feeling.
I suppose I will try my best to make room for the chemicals (typical garage shelf items, nail polish remover, etc) and all things liquid. The movers have said they will not transport liquids such as cooking oils or shampoos - nothing. So rather than repurchase, I will create a tub for these items and transport them. It all adds up - $5 for this, $7 for that - I'm too frugal to toss it and I dont want to risk fire in the truck. Thanks so much for all your responses, much appreciated.
One company said they would unload into closets, cupboards, etc. Another said they would, if I really wanted that, but that usually they just unload onto countertops, tables, floor, etc and they haul off the packing and boxes. I am leaning towards having them put stuff away and reorganizing it later, just to have a sense of peace and less chaos from the get-go. Anyone have varying experiences with this sort of thing? It seems indulgent but I just cant help myself, the thought of putting up my feet at the end of move-in day, with most of the big stuff 'put away' is almost too good to be true.
JC,
For the record, movers can't take aerosols, contents under pressure, flammables, explosives, corrosives, perishables, etc. The 'spirit of the rule' (and it is not a law, just each specific movers rule) the roof of the truck is aluminum so when the doors of the trailer are shut, it can get very hot inside. Especially if you are moving in the South and in the summer. I've actually gotten burned from touching the inside of the trailer roof while on a ladder once! Therefore you shouldn't move anything that can go BOOM! or leak...like batteries with acid! They can take candles or non-flammable liquids like cooking oil or shampoos. But if your mover doesn't want to take it, what are you going to do? The general 'rule of thumb' for most movers is they will check for a warning label. If the warning label doesn't say any of the things I just mentioned, the mover should take them. Any reputable mover representative should have given you a written list of "Non-allowable Items" in advance. I know for a fact Mayflower, United and Allied have these lists.
I'm a little confused with your wording. When you said ' One company said they would unload into closets, cupboards, etc. Another said they would, if I really wanted that, but that usually they just unload onto countertops, tables, floor, etc and they haul off the packing and boxes', do you mean unpacking of the boxes? Be careful what you wish for. From my experience, when you get unpacked, it sounds better than it turns out. The rule for most movers is they will only unpack items on a flat surface and not put anything into cupboards or closets. Make sure the mover that will do that for you is not going to charge you for "maid service". That is an industry term for a really expensive added charge that sounds better than it is.
What usually happens when you get an unpacking service is you end up with something equivalent to a "clutter grenade" going off in every room and before you can "put your feet up", you have to organize every room right away. If they will put items in cupboards and closets with no extra cost and you are willing to reorganize later...go for it. Make sure your mover is only charging you for a "full unpack". That way the unpacking will be charged upfront by the cwt..not by the box. It can get very expensive unpacking by the box.
I recommend getting a "debris pick-up" and unpack yourself. "Debris pick-up" is an industry term referring to a mover who will go back to your residence in 2 to 3 weeks and pick up all the packing debris. (NOT TRASH!) They will recycle that material to another customer who is packing themselves hopefully and the debris pick-up usually only cost less than $150.
Debris pick-up isnt something I had heard of before but sounds very appealing. Although, any unpacking help still sounds fairly dreamy even if I have to re-arrange things. Moving is such a mess and turns living quarters into a disaster for so long...
One of the companies that gave us a quote would not come see our stuff. They just basically said here's how much per weight, and here's the range amount per box packed. They are located in the closest large city 1.5 hrs away so they "cant" send out an estimator (even though another company sent an estimator from 2.5 hrs away).
On that last company, I have a question. They said that if the weight of my household contents was 7,000 lbs, that the 'minimum amount of coverage' would be $35,000 worth of coverage for slightly over $460. Why do they determine my coverage amount (regardless of what it weighs) - shouldn't I determine what amount of coverage I want? And does that cost seem high to anyone else? Evidently "the price reflects the cost of the labor to do the inventory notating the status of your goods prior to us moving them"...
So where this particular company is concerned, am I dealing with a local mover where I shouldnt be, or are they just not that good? They will not send an estimator, which is what bugs me. They are 1.5 hrs from me, and the move is to a town 2.5 hrs from me.
Debris pick-up isnt something I had heard of before but sounds very appealing. Although, any unpacking help still sounds fairly dreamy even if I have to re-arrange things. Moving is such a mess and turns living quarters into a disaster for so long...
One of the companies that gave us a quote would not come see our stuff. They just basically said here's how much per weight, and here's the range amount per box packed. They are located in the closest large city 1.5 hrs away so they "cant" send out an estimator (even though another company sent an estimator from 2.5 hrs away).
On that last company, I have a question. They said that if the weight of my household contents was 7,000 lbs, that the 'minimum amount of coverage' would be $35,000 worth of coverage for slightly over $460. Why do they determine my coverage amount (regardless of what it weighs) - shouldn't I determine what amount of coverage I want? And does that cost seem high to anyone else? Evidently "the price reflects the cost of the labor to do the inventory notating the status of your goods prior to us moving them"...
So where this particular company is concerned, am I dealing with a local mover where I shouldnt be, or are they just not that good? They will not send an estimator, which is what bugs me. They are 1.5 hrs from me, and the move is to a town 2.5 hrs from me.
JCTX,
Do NOT do business with anyone who won't go to your home to do an in-home survey. There is too much wiggle room for problems to occur. You can avoid a lot of issues by simply having a representative come to your home and that way he is responsible for any mistakes...not you.
What he is talking about with a 'minimum amount of coverage' is called valuation. Valuation is not insurance! Only insurance companies can sell insurance....movers offer valuation. The difference is valuation is coverage while it is in the movers care, due to movers negligence. It is not all risk coverage. What you are buying with valuation is a value umbrella over your entire shipment. The minimum coverage you can purchase depends on the carrier. For instance, with Mayflower or United the minimum amount you can buy is $6.00/lb. In your case, 7,000 lbs X 6.00/lb = $42,000 which puts you in the $40,000 to $50,000 bracket. For $50,000 of coverage with Mayflower or United, it would cost around $500. If he explained this to you by stating "the price reflects the cost of the labor to do the inventory notating the status of your goods prior to us moving them" that is completely wrong. It has nothing to do with that. It sounds like the mover who gave you that quote uses a smaller coverage minimum at $5.00/lb. 7,000 lbs X $5.00/lb = $35,000 of coverage. What that means is you could file a maximum claim of $35,000. If your truck were to get totaled on the highway, for example, you would only get a check for $35K. Total loss is very rare however. Lets say a more likely scenario is if there is damage, they damage a TV. As long as it doesn't cost more than $35K to repair, replace, or reimburse you for that item in todays market price, you would be covered up to that amount. With one caveat though....the most any carrier will ever reimburse you for any one item is $100/lb per article. If you had something more valuable than that, (like China, Crystal, Artwork, Antiques, etc) you would need to list these items on the "high value inventory" list prior to the load day. This all should have been explained to you by your representative....I'm surprised he didn't go over this with you.
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