Deals on moving companies?

[Venusaur]

I'm moving across the country in a few months so will need a moving company to move my tons of stuff. Does anyone have any deals on a good moving company?

[freesia39]

sadly no but research the company thoroughly about how much they charge, how they charge, and their insurance claims process. there are way too many stories of things getting damaged or even stolen.

[Ripn]

whatever you decide...make sure you get what is called a "binding estimate". Without that, a company can charge you whatever they feel like and you will have to pay to get your stuff back.

http://moving.about.com/od/hiringamovingcompany/a/binding_estimat.htm

Edited February 5, 2008 by Ripn

[BoulderChick]

When we moved from Ohio to Colorado we saved money by packing our own stuff.

Also make sure to label your boxes clearly and check the boxes in when they are delivered. The companies will put small stickers on your boxes, but I prefer to write in large letters and numbers with a thick permanent marker in a bright color like red. If I have 50 boxes I number them, 1 of 50, 2 of 50......47 of 50 and so on. I also designate the room for the box and have a list to check off the boxes. It is soo much easier to see if a box is missing this way.

 

I'm not sure of any deals, but most companies will come out and give you a free estimate. Make appointments with a few different companies and see how they differ.

Edited February 6, 2008 by BoulderChick
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[sas377]

Just a heads up...

 

Do NOT, I repeat, do NOT, use Graebel!!!! After my mom passed, we moved my father back to PA from NC. The movers took almost 12 hours to load the truck (everything was already packed). The delivery was supposed to be on a Sunday. Well, my dad gets a call that Saturday saying that the truck broke down and it wouldn't be here until Wednesday. The main office calls him Monday to see how the delivery WENT and when he told them what happened they had no clue! Wednesday comes and no truck. The driver calls that evening to get directions with absolutely no explanation for the delivery not taking place. He states he will be here around 8am on Thursday. Well, he ends up getting here at 12:30pm because he states he missed the GIANT exit sign. He would not have been here on time anyway because the detour took him only an extra hour. The guys that came to unload the truck did not speak ANY English and nobody that was home/the driver spoke Spanish. Until I got home (I speak functional Spanish), all the boxes were just sat in the house wherever. In the end, a lot of my mother's fine china was broken due to the load shifting when he dropped off another delivery. In addition, some of the legs on the furniture were broken due to the same reason. They refused to do much about any of the damage. I think my dad ended up with $200 back. They were unapologetic and had VERY poor customer service.