Professional movers - what will be required of us?

[lecach]

We sold our house and have to close by the 8th. We're hiring professional movers for the first time ever. No one in our family has done this before. They'll have to store our stuff for 2 weeks until the new house is ready. On the day they come to move us, do DH and I both need to be here? What will be required of us? Do we just stay out of the way? We may have to have the movers come on a day that DH is out of town (in part because I am doubtful we'll be able to get movers here on a weekend day). So I am just wondering if this is doable on my own or do I need help? Any advice from seasoned veterans?

 

[Aimeedyan]

Are they packing you as well? Or just loading boxes?

We had a full service move in November - awesome! I was there all day and it was a good thing, too I helped them know what to label boxes, made sure things were packed okay (they got a little reckless in some packing so I checked on boxes before taping shut), and answered tons of questions.

DH worked and I boarded the dogs for the day - I had to leave for 2 hours to attend a class and when I returned they had loaded almost all of it up in the truck.

I don't know what they expect of you, you could ask when getting estimates, but I was more comfortable being there to help them and answer questions. When they got going, I worked on my laptop on the porch. I was out of their way but close enough to answer any questions.

 

[RadioNate]

are they packing for you? or are you doing the packing. I've done it several times without DH. IMO opinion you won't need him there.

Since they are storing your stuff make sure you have the list of what they will and will not take. They likely won't store cleaning supplies or things like your grill. Sometimes even candles are a no-no. You'll have to removing clothing from drawers to store. Going house to house they will generally leave stuff in drawers.

I'd put anything you don't want them to take into one room and shut the door and put a big DO NOT MOVE sign on it.

You'll need more help directing boxes to their new locations when you move in. When you move out they generally just take everything.

I may get someone to help you watch your son because you'll be watching the movers.

 

[Luv2Roam]

You will need to and want to be there when the movers package everything up.

DH's employer has relocated us twice. Once from IN to NE. And from NE to FL. Both times they used United Van Lines for packing, hauling and storage.
These moves have been twice in approx 10 years.
The first time we were told we had to take everything off the walls. The movers would not pack collectables for us, and they would not be responsible for packaging them either. So our collectables we took care of with the individual boxes they came in. The movers packaged them in a larger box for the move.
And this first move I swear I was running from room to room answering questions from the team who was packing everything up.

The second move we were not really given any instructions. And I was there most of the time, but sicker than a dog with a high fever. They did not get much interaction from me.

I have a friend who is relocating through her DH's work. Their movers told her that anything they (as owners) pack, the moving company is not responsible for. So the movers are to pack EVERYTHING.

The moving company will not pack or take items such as meds, alcohol, ammunition, gasoline, areosol cans, food, some cleaning items, etc. They will give you a list.

Even my unopened spices came up missing. So even unopened dry foods they did not pack. They just simply vanished....

On our first move the movers even packaged up and brought a fireplace log with us! Someone once told me they were using a rock as a door stop during the packaging. Their movers even packaged the rock and moved it with them.
They get paid by the pound.

 

[cats mom]

It really depends partly on how big your household is.

When we moved out of our apartment into our first house I supervised alone - no big deal. They only assigned two guys to come in and pack up and it took less than a day.

Last time we were moving out of a 3,000+ sq ft home and we had acquired A LOT more stuff. I was really glad to have DH there. We had several teams of packers and it took a couple of days.

They'll pack anything and everything and they don't always keep similar items/rooms together.

It's nice if you can keep an eye out and have them keep like items together and have them label the boxes with the room they will be going into in your new place.
My friend ended up moving her garbage cross country because she was not watching closely and they packed it with everything else.


IMO it's more important to make sure you have plenty of help there on move-in day to answer questions, direct boxes, check inventory, etc.

Good Luck!

 

[MouseWorshipin]

They do everything. The guy told me, "If your kids eat breakfast cereal, they'll pack the bowls. They may not dump the milk out, but it'll get packed." The only thing they wouldn't pack was stuff they considered hazmat, like Scrubbing Bubbles and the like. So, I packed it and marked it "Kitchen," and they put it on the truck.

They send 5 guys out for two days. 2 of the 5 spent an entire day in the kitchen!

When we move, we get all the stuff we DON'T want packed into a corner, cover it with a blanket and make all the guys come look at it with its big sign saying, "DO NOT PACK!"

I also take my underclothes out, because I don't want them to see or touch them.

 

[Luv2Roam]

Another thing I ran into on this last unpack was the last movers were such bad spellers. They labeled the boxes. But reading and understanding the labels was another thing. A lot of it was phonic spelling, like STACHEW. (statue) And they used a lot of abbreviations. Coupled with bad handwriting sometimes I had no idea what was in the box until I opened it.

 

[Luv2Roam]

Another thing I found out during the last delivery --
We have a VERY heavy decorative table. That thing weighs hundereds of pounds. It must be pure cement!
Because of the weight, the table was crated.
The crated was delivered just fine, with everything else. They set it in the garage. I asked to have it in the house. Nope. They don't do that.
They had to call another source and have them come out, uncrate and move the table. I had to wait a few more days just for that.
Hopefully you won't have to have anything crated!

 

[ChristmasElf]

It also depends on your movers as I have had things crated and the movers have brought them into the house just fine.
You will wnat to keep an eye on the packers as well. The night before they come to pack you up, try and make sure that you have everything in each room as it belongs. If you have little Johnies shoes in the kitchen, expect to find said shoes in with your pots and pans at the new place-right after you get back from the shoe store with new shoes for Johnie.
Ask the packer to set a box up for you that you can put a few bath towels in, a bar or 2 of soap, a couple toilet paper rolls, shampoo, clean change of clothes for each family mamber and a clean set of bed sheets.
Then mark that box with a big X on each side so that after you get to the new house, you will be able to take a shower and get cleaned up after a hectic day.
In every move we have made, they will take all edible dry goods in the pantry no problem. No matches or lightbulbs though.
Make sure you get all your valuables like jewelry, important papers,money,checkbooks,purses,etc packed in your car and out of the way while the packers are there...just to be safe and nothing dissappears.

We have used them all United (4x),North American(2x), Allied(2x),
all of them were good with the exception of minor damage to one or 2 things.
I refuse to use Mayflower though ever-as their reputation is not as strong.
Allied is my personal favorite. Always had the best of luck with them.

 

[MosMom]

That's so true about the breakfast cereal bowls! Hahaha. They pack EVERYTHING! It is hilarious to unpack and find a plastic cup with some pens and pencils in it wrapped in bubble wrap.

 

[golfgal]

You do NOT want them to come on a weekend, they charge a LOT more for weekend moves. You should be available but you DH doesn't need to be there. You won't have to do anything but answer questions. I would put anything you don't want packed into your car so it doesn't get packed by mistake. Make sure they leave your vacuum out until the end so you can vacuum after they have cleaned out a room, by the time they are done loading the truck, you will be done cleaning the house.

For our upcoming move the packers will probably be here on Monday and Tuesday, load the truck on Wednesday/Thursday and drive to our new town on Thursday and unload on Friday.

 

[lecach]

We're packing everything ourselves. So they only have to move stuff out. Thats an interesting point about the cleaning supplies and grill - we'll have to figure something out. The neighbors would probably let us leave the grill til the new house is ready.

At least if we move on a weekday Ds will already be at daycare. Plus if its cheaper thats a bonus. And the closer we can get to the closing date the better - less time in storage for our stuff and less time staying at the inlaws

 

[Luv2Roam]

Yes, delivery or packing on a weekend is expensive. The workers don't really seem to want to do it, as it is not mandatory. And they get paid OT or double time. That causes the rates to increase significantly.
We had the movers deliver on Saturday. But DH's employer paid for the move. Even then we had to have special authorization for a Saturday delivery.
I think in their case it was either they pay more money for our temporary living accomodations, or pay for a Saturday delivery.

You will be happy with professional movers. It is the way to go. There is plenty to do even with them. More than you realize.

 

[binny]

we just had the movers last week and the had a flat per hour rate no matter what they did ( pack or move) and it was the same no matter what day of the week it was.



I wasnt real happy wit the crew they sent us, they complained a lot. I didnt chose your profession for you man, get over it. LOL


Oh well.



Good luck!

 

[UnderTheMistletoe]

Take pictures of EVERYTHING you own. Everything.

When we moved in September, the military moved us. We would have been much happier hauling it up ourselves. But, the military was going ot do it or DH's new company was going to do it. Becuase he still had the military "benefit," we were required to use them.

We had so many problems. So many. We had all sorts of stuff damaged. Well, when we tried to claim it, on the packing manifest, everything was marked as scratched, dented, watermarked, etc. Including our week old mattress that the destroyed! We had absolutely no way to claim anything against them for the cost of replacement. I called my uncle, who owns a moving company, in tears and asked what we could do. He said, "Nothing. They protected themselves by marking everything as sub-standard." Now, mind you, our stuff was ony about 14 months old at the point they moved us. I know there were cat claw marks on one of the couches- I was not being unreasonable. But when my glass dining room table appeared here and had huge scratch marks in it, my pillow top mattress had oil and grease on it (which somehow ended up written like that on the manifest), and my furniture had dents and chips in it, I knew something was wrong. The handwriting was impossible to read on the manifest and it's coded like single letters. Of course, you sign it before they hit the road and now it's your problem.

Pictures of EVERYTHING. Find out what your high value items are. Put anything that even comes close to it on there. When my Mom moved to Florida, our stuff was in storage for about 6 weeks. We had a Tiffany lamp that's been passed through the family for many generations get lost. We still don't have it and it's been nearly 3 years. We keep hoping it was put into someone's crates who have been out of the country and they'll return and find it. This thing was in a hand-made crate of it's own though, so it's not looking too good. And, our Delftware from Holland got opened and it was shattered. And the liquor was gone. My uncle said they shouldn't have even packed it. I'm thinkig it ever got packed and ended up on the truck somewhere...

Be sure you have everything you will need for the time the stuff is in storage. We ended up taking possession of the house in Florida on New Year's Eve. It was going ot be January 15th before they could deliver anything. Two weeks in a house with nothing... no beds or dishes. When we moved, we moved into temporary housing first which was fully furnished. Be sure you know what your time period is and what you will need during that time frame. Everything you don't want them to take should be packed in your car.

Lastly, we went through and consolidated and cleaned everything before they ever came. That way, we got rid of what we didn't want or need and knew where everything else was and knew it was neat and orderly. I packed up my underwear and other personal item (jewelry, etc). If you have pets, don't forget what they will need for the period when everything is in storage. Just again, be sure it's in the car before they come a knocking!

Good luck! Hopefully, everything will go smoothly! I know that our experiences have been very bad, but most people's are not. Just learn from our mistakes.
xoxo

 

[golfgal]

Take pictures of EVERYTHING you own. Everything.

When we moved in September, the military moved us. We would have been much happier hauling it up ourselves. But, the military was going ot do it or DH's new company was going to do it. Becuase he still had the military "benefit," we were required to use them.

We had so many problems. So many. We had all sorts of stuff damaged. Well, when we tried to claim it, on the packing manifest, everything was marked as scratched, dented, watermarked, etc. Including our week old mattress that the destroyed! We had absolutely no way to claim anything against them for the cost of replacement. I called my uncle, who owns a moving company, in tears and asked what we could do. He said, "Nothing. They protected themselves by marking everything as sub-standard." Now, mind you, our stuff was ony about 14 months old at the point they moved us. I know there were cat claw marks on one of the couches- I was not being unreasonable. But when my glass dining room table appeared here and had huge scratch marks in it, my pillow top mattress had oil and grease on it (which somehow ended up written like that on the manifest), and my furniture had dents and chips in it, I knew something was wrong. The handwriting was impossible to read on the manifest and it's coded like single letters. Of course, you sign it before they hit the road and now it's your problem.

Pictures of EVERYTHING. Find out what your high value items are. Put anything that even comes close to it on there. When my Mom moved to Florida, our stuff was in storage for about 6 weeks. We had a Tiffany lamp that's been passed through the family for many generations get lost. We still don't have it and it's been nearly 3 years. We keep hoping it was put into someone's crates who have been out of the country and they'll return and find it. This thing was in a hand-made crate of it's own though, so it's not looking too good. And, our Delftware from Holland got opened and it was shattered. And the liquor was gone. My uncle said they shouldn't have even packed it. I'm thinkig it ever got packed and ended up on the truck somewhere...

Be sure you have everything you will need for the time the stuff is in storage. We ended up taking possession of the house in Florida on New Year's Eve. It was going ot be January 15th before they could deliver anything. Two weeks in a house with nothing... no beds or dishes. When we moved, we moved into temporary housing first which was fully furnished. Be sure you know what your time period is and what you will need during that time frame. Everything you don't want them to take should be packed in your car.

Lastly, we went through and consolidated and cleaned everything before they ever came. That way, we got rid of what we didn't want or need and knew where everything else was and knew it was neat and orderly. I packed up my underwear and other personal item (jewelry, etc). If you have pets, don't forget what they will need for the period when everything is in storage. Just again, be sure it's in the car before they come a knocking!

Good luck! Hopefully, everything will go smoothly! I know that our experiences have been very bad, but most people's are not. Just learn from our mistakes.
xoxo

This is why you really need to get references from people. Each local office of a moving company is independently owned and just because they are Allied or United or whatever doesn't mean you are going to have good service. We have had several professional moves and never had issues like this but I do know others that have.

Leigh, just so you know, the movers won't insure anything they don't pack so if things get broken in transit or in storage you are out of luck. You might want to reconsider or at least have them pack your breakables. Pack your clothing, bedding, towels, etc, things that can't break but any dishes, collectibles, art, etc. have them pack those things.

 

[UnderTheMistletoe]

This is why you really need to get references from people. Each local office of a moving company is independently owned and just because they are Allied or United or whatever doesn't mean you are going to have good service. We have had several professional moves and never had issues like this but I do know others that have.

You're not given a choice with the military. They're moving you whether you like it or not.

Becuase we had always moved our own stuff, the miltary "owed" us a move. When DH was hired, they hired at a national hiring conference. They picked up 33 people. 32 were military. The company knew that they were entitled to a move through the military. Only if you were not entitled to the military move (ie, you'd used it already or something like that), would they move you. We thought we were going to be stationed in Hawaii next. Of course we were going to let them pay for that costly feat. His company happened to use Cendant Mobility. The same people the military used. The same company were responsible for coordinating my mother's move. For my Mom (VA physician), there were three estimates. Cendant picked the middle one. Didn't matter if she liked the movers or not. For the military, they send one in and that's who you get. No ifs, ands, or buts. And no, we did not have the right of refusal.

There are no references when you're not being moved privately. If the company (or especially government) is paying for your move, you follow their rules. They're going for the cheapest option.

 

[pixiepower1971]

You do have the right to refuse a moving company if you are in the military. You can also ask to have a certain moving company. You can also dispute what is written on the manifest before you sign it. You can also tell them to repack something or pack it differently if you don't like what they are doing. If you are having a problem you can have a military moving inspector come to your house. You can stop all work at your house and tell the crew to wait for the inspector to arrive if you are truly unhappy with how things are progressing. You are in control...you just have to assert yourself.

We are a military family and have done quite a few moves over the years. Some moves are better then others.

 

[rlovew]

Having moved with my parents over the years in the military and having 3 moves in the 7 years of marriage there are a few things that will make you move easier.
1. Label (or have the boxes labeled) for where they will be in the new house instead of the old house.
2. Have one person who is soley responisible for watching what is being written on the mainfest and ask about it. That person should also be checking for each item number on its way in and out. They are supposed to give you a copy of the manifest before leaving with your shipment but after it has been signed.
3. Watch what is being packed and have papers with the labels that you want on the boxes (most movers will write anything you want if they know what it is).
4. In your new house label each room and list the furniture that should go into the rooms. Have this posted on the inside and outside of each door. If you already know the room layout post that(so that things start in their proper place).
5. Take your valubales (silver, jewlery, expensive music instruments, and artwork) to the new house yourself. The one time my mother had to have movers move the silver chest she had a couple of boxes left for the last minute evening packing. She unpacked the box labeled silver and filled it with old broken toys for another box of the same size and put the silver in a box labeled toys, the box labeled toys arrived in Hawii the one labeled silver didn't.
6. I would have a friend at the house with you both for the packing and unpacking of the truck- one person for paperwork and 1 to answer questions is just so much easier.
7. Clean the furniture before the movers come, if it looks nicer from being recently cleaned they can't make as many notes about scratches on the manifest.
8. We have always found that providing the midday meal (ordering pizzas, buckets for KFC, ect) for the movers makes them happier and better workers. It was well worth the money to be on the movers good side.

 

[MouseWorshipin]

I hang signs in the house we move out of and the one we move into. "Bed 1," "Bed 2," etc. The guys will mark the boxes accordingly. Then they'll put them in the right room and you won't have to be underfoot saying, "that one there, that one there."

I also pay for all their meals and drinks. But we haven't moved cross-country (YET!)

And ANYTHING near and dear to my heart I pack and move myself.

Good luck with your move!