Know a Good Mover?

We moved to San Francisco in 2001, just as the economy went bust. It was a good thing our movers didn't break too much of our stuff, because it was at least a year before we were gainfully-enough employed to be able to replace any of it.

Every now and then someone writes in asking for a recommendation for a good mover. We'd offer up the name of the company we used for that cross-country transfer if we weren't still a little bitter over the (no doubt inadvertent) trashing of a Victorian dining table from our grandmother's house.

So we're putting this question out to you: got a good mover? Let us know by e-mail or tell us all about them in the comments below.

(MOVERS are among our August themes.)

Image: wayne bremser

Comments (15)

I have used Delancey Street Moving, based in San Francisco, twice. Once from Phoenix to Santa Fe and the second a local move in Santa Fe. Both times I was more than pleased with the company and crew. They were professional, on time, within quoted estimate and nothing was damaged. I would definitely use them again.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/IszFCMcq8wjGNEvOPeGTlw

Have to agree with sharki and give a big thumbs up to Delancey. A highly professional crew of 3 guys arrived early, packed up my stuffed storage unit, and moved everything safely and without damage to my third story north bay walkup with no complaints. And they came in under their estimate. They wrapped everything, too. Very pleased with their services and I highly suggest them.

We used Hanson Bros Moving in Seattle for our office move. They were very prompt, polite and efficient. I know 2 other people who have used them for their portabox storage...

Hey, we moved here in 2001, too. Since then we've moved half a dozen times (not by choice) and I have to agree, Delancey is the way to go!

Ditto on Delancey. They've moved my office twice. Also, "One Good Man and One Good Truck" are outstanding - I used them once for a personal move. http://www.onebigman.com/. (And despite the name, they have numerous movers). Whatever you do, avoid, at all costs, Starving Students. They're cheap, but you'll pay in other ways.

I'm getting nervous, now....I'm moving Friday and I hired Starving Students. Someone please tell me I didn't make a huge mistake.

Paul Arpin Van Lines moved us from SF to Phoenix, and I love them. They are not the low-cost pick, but they gave us the most trouble-free move in my long history of hauling a household cross-country. They keep their schedule, they take care of your stuff, and their estimates are firm and realistic.

(As far as Starving Students, when we moved to SF from East Bay, they overloaded our building's freight elevator, which caused the gears to catch on fire, which caused the fire suppression system to spray all over about half of our belongings -- leading us to set the land-speed record for unpacking, since we were terrified of damage and/or mold. The movers fled -- leaving before the fire department showed up -- with the result that the building retains possession of a very handy dolly that they left behind. This still doesn't seem all that funny in retrospect.)

Jordan River Moving in Seattle. They have moved me three times and were wonderful. One move was up four flights of stairs. Nothing was lost or broken and I never felt nervous that it might be. They worked very hard and carefully, and were friendly and cheerful.

I've had many bad moves, so I know the difference!

Atlas Moving, we used in three times moving from Florida to New Jersey to Florida to New York.

No complaints, anything we had complaint with the reimbursed us.

Used Delancey Street three times myself for local move and no problem. My coworker once used Starving Students and movers never showed up.

I see they're already listed here, but I thought I'd put in another good word in for One Big Man & One Big Truck. Besides the fact that they worked quickly and carefully, I loved the fact that they charged by the quarter hour--most companies charge by the hour.

Moving scam has great summaries of people's moving experiences over several years, and after several moves I wouldn't think of hiring anyone without checking there. I don't think Delancey has ever gotten a bad review, and I don't think Starving Students has ever gotten a good one. My sister used Starving Students once and one of the movers claimed he was allergic to her boyfriend's rabbit, refused to go in the apartment and just stood around, and they charged for all the extra time it took for one guy to move all their stuff. A colleague scheduled with Starving Students and they never showed up. He ended up going down to one of those street corners where guys stand around waiting for temp work to salvage his move.

we used Starving Students for a move from Los Angeles to the Bay area and they were awful. it took them 10 hours to just load up the truck (our boxes were already packed)! a lot of our belongings were damaged, including our practically brand new 46" LCD flat screen. then we got shafted on the replacement value.

a friend of ours used them for a move within Los Angeles and he didn't have any problems. maybe its more for long distance moves? we'll never use them again, though.

Golden Bay Relocation is fantastic. I've used them a couple of times, and my friends who have worked with them per my recommendation are all repeat customers now. They are professional and take the time to go through all the costs and time estimates beforehand. I would recommend Fernando and his team to anyone who wants their move done right. They only do local moves.

We've used One Big Man & One Big Truck and Delancey for moving when we did all the packing. They are both fantastic! I would HIGHLY recommend either one.

This time I didn't want to do any of the packing and we went with Shamrock. They came in packed, loaded and were out of there quickly, efficently and they were very courteous. Very friendly office staff too. We haven't moved into our new place yet but I expect it will be just as good.