apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

We just moved from a small walk-up in NYC to CT and used Moishes. I thought they were EXECELLENT. The movers worked very hard, were pleasant, didn't break or scratch a thing and all around they were very professional. I worked with someone named John. Good luck!

I moved last year from NYC to Austin and did a ton of research on moving companies. Finally decided on V. Santini movers - they packed and moved us and even picked up stuff I had in storage in NJ. They were efficient, polite, honest and gave an accurate estimate of my moving costs. I would recommend them without hesitation.

Where in Texas are you moving?

http://www.vsantini.com/

Do NOT get quotes via the internet. Open up a phone book and call places you have actually heard of to come and look at your stuff. Make sure you get a non binding quote. Several years ago I was moving from DC to Memphis. I sent a list of all my stuff to several movers via the internet. I got a great quote, but when the movers arrived I was told my move was going to be 3X what they quoted. I told them nevermind and got Allied to move me for only a few hundred dollars more than the online quote. When the Allied rep came to my apartment she told me that DOT regulations will not allow movers to charge you extra for stairs. I have since used Allied twice for long distance moves. Allied, United, Bekins are all good. These mom and pops places will over charge you and do other shady stuff. Good luck and do lots of research - movers are right up there with used car salesmen.

I'm also moving across the country soon--NY to Minnesota--and wondering about my options. Has anyone tried one of those companies that deliver a big crate to your street corner which you pack yourself and then they move it for you? Is it practical in New York?

Also make sure they have been in business at least 10 years, check with the DOT and BBB in your state and where the company is based to see if there are complaints.

Now you know that as soon as you get to Texas, your teeny weeny NYC stuff will have to be chucked for giant Texas stuff, right?

:-P

I've used Moishes and Movers Not Shakers to move myself, but I found the best company so far that I've worked with is the moving company associated with Manhattan Mini Storage. You don't have to use MMS to use that company. I have used them twice to move my boss and some extra furniture in our office to storage, which is how I found them to begin with. The moving men were gentlemen, prompt, professional, and friendly. It seemed a little pricey, but generally, you get what you pay for in this category. Good luck.

I used NorthAmerican this past summer and had a very positive experience with them. Be sure to check out the Better Business Bureau (bbb.org) to make sure any potential companies don't have any huge red flags. Happy moving!

If you aren't moving large furniture, I highly recommend UPS. I used it to move to NYC...

I am about to move from NC to OR and I have rented a pod from upack.com (ABF) they were the best price-- $1300; Pods wanted $4k! Anyway they drop it off, I load it, they p/u and drop off in Oregon and I unload it. If you can move on off days (they have a calendar that labels peak days) you can save money -- ie don't move at the end of the month. As well as a AAA $50 discount.

I received my quote over the internet and spoke with a representative as well.

I once moved from Boston to Florida and used Benny's, but I think they're based up here. It was a great experience not to have to lift a thing!!

I recommend providing bottled water and potato chips or other snacks for the moving guys, tip them well, and participate in the labeling/numbering process on both ends of your move to make sure you've got every single item.

also you can hire movers by the hour:
http://movinghelp.emove.com/

moishe's or their sister company northstar, hands down.

I moved from NYC to SF not too long ago using Alpha Moving & Storage Co. I thought they were very accommodating & did a great job, but I did learn a few things:

- be aware of extra costs -- extra flights of stairs, extra packing material, tip (optional, but when they've just moved sixty boxes four flights of stairs, you should cut them a break :b) etc. alpha did tell me this upfront & the final cost came out to w/in a few hundred dollars of what i was quoted.

- plan ahead...a lot of cross-country movers have pre-arranged schedules depending on who/where else they're moving so the earlier you can make arrangements, the better. i was actually planning to go w/ moishe's from all the great reviews, but i called too late & had to find someone else.

- confirm payment options. alpha only takes cashier's or otherwise certified checks for some reason.

- make sure you have all contact info of the actual movers (and not just the moving company) & vice versa so you can coordinate on the day of drop off.

oh -- and have some beverages for those hardworking movers! good luck!

I used arpin van lines for my move from NYC to Austin TX for grad school. I then used them again for the move back to NY. Someone came to my place to give me an accurate quote at no cost. They were originally recommended by a friend of a friend who used them to move from Brooklyn to Portland, Oregon. Nothing was broken in either move. However make sure you ask any moving company you use if they need to use a shuttle van to pick up stuff in nyc since there are rules about such large moving trucks in the city. Good luck with the move.

Lots of us can be a little slack when we're moving our own stuff across town with our friends. It's easy to get them to be careful with a particular box, or just fling all the pillows and bedding into Hefty bags.

With a long distance move, however, your tiny NY one-bed will take up only part of a load in a truck. So it will be combined with someone else's move and anonymously handled, so you want it all well packed.

Professional movers are also more likely to use handtrucks to move lots of items at once -- they'll really appreciate that all your stuff stacks neatly and solidly on the handtruck.

So, the bottom line is: Use boxes. Lots of them. Pack absolutely everything in a box (even your table lamps). Use appropriately sized boxes (don't pack your books in an old refrigerator box). Use boxes in good condition. Seal them well (with good packing tape if they don't have solid self-closures). Label them all clearly.

It will also be pretty useful if you can make your own inventory -- at least a list of the boxes and their general contents, as well as all the separate furniture items. The boxes and furniture will all be tagged, numbering it as part of your move. If something goes missing, it will be really helpful if you know what was in the box, as well as it's tag number.

Oh, yeah. You should also get copies of all the company's licenses and their insurance policy. If you have anything of special value (grandma's silver, artwork), find out whether it's covered without extra insurance.

I moved this past summer from Boston, MA to Portland, OR and we used a one of those drop a crate at your door and they'll pick it up later services www.doortodoor.com. They delivered a wooden crate wrapped in a waterproof tarp. The inside of the crate was square so no trying to shove things around a wheel well like you do on a uhaul. The crate was about the size of a parking spot so we had no problems with where to put the crate while we packed it. Big plus the service was about $1,000 less expensive then PODZ (podz crates are made of steel and are a bit bigger) and WAY less expensive then a cross country uhaul. Mind you we had a small apartment worth of stuff and no couches so though the size of the crate was great for us it may not be for you. The only downside was that there is no price quote online you fill out a form on the website and they call you. The first time we did it we never got a call so we filled it out again. The second time around went much smoother we got a call in a couple of days got price quotes they emailed a contract over we arranged times and dates and tadaa in a few weeks we had our stuff in our new apartment and nothing was damaged because we had packed everything ourselves.

Thanks so much to everyone who has responded! It sounds like a lot of people have actually had good moving experiences, which makes me feel a little less stressed about the whole thing. A couple more questions- how much do you usually tip the movers and do you tip each one? Do you tip both at pickup and delivery?

Potluck- I'm moving to Austin, see you soon ;)

L

I also used U-Pack and was happy with them, but I don't know if you'd want to use them in NY because their system involves dropping off an empty semitrailer (just the huge box, not the cab of the truck) at your house, which you then load (using as little or as much of the space as you want). Might be tough to find a place to fit the trailer in NY. I hired movers on either end to help me move stuff btwn the trailer and my apartment, which was 1000% worth it.

In one earlier move I hired a company similar to U-Pack, whose name I can't remember, which was even cheaper, BUT the major difference was that you had to build your own "bulkhead" to separate your stuff from the rest of the trailer (because they move TVs or whatever other freight in the remaining space). That was a major PIA--involved going to Home Depot, buying 4 x 8 pieces of plywood, and nailing them together. Rather ridiculous. U-Pack supplied a bulkhead which was fairly easy to put up.

fyi: Most of the time PODS won't deliver to addresses in major metropolitan areas so I doubt you can get one delivered in the city. Plus you have to have a dedicated place they can leave it, and they are expensive. I moved across country using DHL. Some stuff made it ok, books and such were damaged by all of the tossing around.

I just moved from NY to CA. I was willing to drive it because I was paranoid of turning over everything to someone else. Well, that ended up not being an option and I luckily came across this site:

http://www.movingscam.com

Check the forums for reviews on the companies in your area.

We used Dahill (part of Mayflower) and didn't have any problems. We were also considering Moovers, Inc. and Delancey St. Movers.

I used Flat Rate for a move from NYC to Austin a few years ago. They were excellent. Not the cheapest in the world though...

For whoever mentioned getting movers by the hour-it doesn't work that way for interstate moves. They charge by weight and distance.