Has Anyone Used Coastal Carrier Moving & Storage? (Myrtle Beach, North: sales, new home)

[ZivaDog]

I'll be moving to NMB from Kansas City, Missouri this summer and heard about Coastal Carrier as a possible moving company. Does anyone have experience using them? The good, the bad, or the ugly would be most appreciated. (I have no need for storage as I will be moving directly into my new home.)

Any other long-distance companies you'd advise to use, or stay away from, would be appreciated as well. Thanks!

[ZivaDog]

Well, I've answered my own question. After submitting the online contact form Saturday and again on Sunday with no response from them (weekend, I know, so cut them slack), I called and talked to a nice lady on Monday who said she would have their relocation specialist call me in around 10 minutes. Almost three hours later, the specialist called and apologized for his lateness as he'd had to deal with a pet-to-veterinarian emergency. Totally understandable. He confirmed they could handle my move and would either call or email me details about a Saturday morning virtual estimate later in the week (Skype, Facebook video chat, whichever program I wanted). Great!

Friday at 3:30 his time, had not heard from him, so I called. No answer. I left a message to call me back. No call back. Finally got a call from him Saturday at around 2:00pm his time, inquiring about whether I was ready for the call. Um, no thanks. If I can't depend on him for the initial appointment/details, there's no way I'm going to risk depending on them moving day.

I had also filled out an online form the same weekend with Go Diego Go. They emailed and called back within a few hours, had me fill out an online form, and gave me their quote. They might be great, but without them having seen all my "stuff" I wonder how they could estimate the weight, size, etc. to come up with that quote...seems like there might be some surprises down the road that I'd prefer to avoid. I've read so many bad reviews about moving day surprises that I don't think that's the way to go.

On the upside, had success in scheduling a Friday appointment with the Beltmann Group of North American Van Lines. Their rep came to my house and walked around with his iPad, documenting everything I would be moving. Sat down with me to discuss, explain, and give me his quote. I don't think the "perfect move" exists, but I think this is as close as I'm going to get. I'll plan to add my review of North American - Beltmann Group once the move is complete. Hope it's positive!

[Retire in MB]

I used Beltman Group North American for my cross country move 3 plus years ago. I was just some furniture and boxes, not a lot. They were fantastic. Showed up when they said they would, wrapped everything carefully, boxed up artwork, etc. They explained before I signed the contract that since it was a small load it would be loaded with other people's items and would take about 2 weeks to get here.
On the confirmed date they arrived on time and took care in moving everything in. Very professional. My load was actually weighed less then anticipated, refund arrived within 10 business days.
I would definitely use them again.

[ZivaDog]

Retire in MB that is so comforting to hear! Thank you for sharing! We were very impressed with their professionalism and experience. Like yours, ours will be loaded with other people's items, too. We're currently doing our best to shed our mass of "stuff" which is quite the challenge after having the luxury of a basement for decades. Their quote, which was quite reasonable, is good for 30 days so we're planning to sign on the dotted line to get that quote. Summer is the height of moving and with that goes higher moving prices. We want to lock that great price in now! Here's to hoping we get a refund, too!

[rrmike]

I moved about 15 miles south of Myrtle Beach last July and I used U-Pack and hired people on both ends to load and unload.They drop a trailer in your driveway for up to 3 days.I got rid of most of my furniture because it was old anyway.We packed the boxes ourselves and the total move was a lot less than any other quote we got.

[ZivaDog]

Thanks rrmike. That's our plan B! Glad to hear it works well!

[Retire in MB]

Another thing I figured out when moving. My TVs were over 8 years old, the cost of moving them wasn't worth it, and they didn't have the latest technology. I gave them to my friends. When I got here I went to a couple of electronic stores, talked to the manager and got "bulk" quotes to replace them. Using their sales and my "bulk discount" I got a good deal and the latest technology.