Question About Hiring Movers

[Jeff in BigD]

Ok, between working my tail off, looking for a new place, getting it & deciding what to pack, store at my folks' house & what to pack, I've put off actually getting movers. Considering the hernia I nearly gave myself when my friend & I tried to haul our 36" TV, moving things with the help of a few friends is probably out of the question.

We got a great place: gated, 2 bed, 2 bath, outside storage & it's in the nice upper-scale community we used to live in with our folks for $649. That's $130 less a month we're paying for smaller apt. in a semi-okay area. I'm jazzed because my room has a sweet view of the country club, there's an awesome pizza parlor on the corner & I shaved 10-15 mins off of my work commute.

The new apts. have been really cool about letting us move in a few days early & I gave myself Monday evening all the way through Friday morning to deal with the moving. I'm planning on having the movers come either on Tuesday or Wednesday.


Here's the question:
I'm moving 10-15 mins away & the items we need moved are bookcases, beds, washer-dryer & furniture for a 2 bedroom apt. Aside from the beds, it's a lift & load job. I've checked a website that compares prices & most of the movers are asking for around $60 an hour. What can I expect as far as the amount of time it'll take? Also should I tip & if so, how much & before, midway or after they're done?

 

[Poohnatic]

Jeff,

I have to move an upright piano, and now hire movers everytime I move (that seems to really weed out the fly by nights, let me tell you!). I'm in the DC/Baltimore area, and the quotes were around 60/hour five years ago when I moved into my house.

Most moving companies will tell you a 4 hour minimum, so even if it takes 2, you're paying for four. So far, the longest move (1 1/2 hours drive time) took me 5 hours. The closer move (50 minutes drive time) took 3 3/4, so I haven't really paid for what I didn't use. Ask about a minimum when you get your quote.

My move to my last house (12 years ago), I only hired movers to take the piano and the first floor furniture, and didn't have a minimum. That time, I hired a piano store's movers-they were really quick, too.

I tipped the actual movers $20 each those last few times. Additionally, I made sure there was something for the guys to drink at both ends of the move.

Good luck. Enjoy that pizza parlor around the corner!

Suzanne

 

[janette]

We used Movestar the last time we moved. It took about 4 hours but that was from a house to a house and we had more stuff. The distance between was about 5min.

They charged from the time they left their office and did have a min I think 2 hours.

 

[Serena]

No advice, I just wanted to say hi, and good luck.

 

[Lisa F]

How long it takes will depend on a number of factors. What floor is your current apartment on? What floor is the new apartment on? How many boxes do you have on in addition to the furniture?

We just did a local move a couple of years ago from a 2 bedroom, 2 bath apartment to a 2 bedroom + den, 2 bath apartment also about 15 min apart and it took 3 guys all day (probably about 10 hours). Part of the reason it took so long is that the apartment we were moving OUT of was on the 4th floor of a walk up building and we were moving into an apartment that was essentially on the 2nd floor of another walk up building. We also have a LOT of stuff, probably around 250 boxes, mostly of books and kitchen stuff and a couple of wardrobe boxes (they allowed us to leave our clothes in dresser drawers). We had four 8' bookcases full of books (in some cases, two rows of paperbacks per shelf) so that's a LOT of books and DH has a small ton of computer equipment (trying to convince him to get RID of most of it before our next move).

Here in the DC area we paid $99/hr for 3 guys and we had water and some soda available for them, and gave them $20 each when the move was done. They did take about a half hour lunchbreak in the middle of the day (which we were not billed for). When we moved we got 3 quotes and I have found that some movers will lowball the number of hours that they think it will take to get the job (we had a HORRIBLE experience with another set of movers, learned that lesson the hard way, and we had to get the more expensive movers in).

Oh, and most moves happen on the weekend. Since you are moving in the middle of the week, you shouldn't have a problem getting a mover with less advance notice than if you were moving on a weekend.


Lisa

 

[arminnie]

Check with some real estate agents for referrals. I find that they hear all of the good and bad moving stories and know who is reputable. I've always been pleased with who they recommended and I've moved a LOT in several cities.

 

[olena]

Hey Jeff! It's been too long!

We were in a similar situation. We moved 15 miles from an apt to a house. Our movers came highly recommended by our real estate agent, and they were great. I have heard of horrible experiences though. I'm including some excerpts from a consumer site that will definitely be helpful.

Moving tips:

Get a binding estimate in advance specifying the cost of your move.
• Check to make sure the mover you pick is a member of the American Moving and Storage Association's "Certified Mover Program," and not a fake mover out to steal your belongings.
• In your contract, require the mover to pay a penalty if he doesn't deliver your belongings on or before a specific date.
• Buy replacement value insurance on your possessions, in case something breaks during the move.
• Before you choose a moving company, get a clear understanding from that mover what happens if something is broken that you've packed yourself.
• When the mover drops off your furniture at your new residence, do not sign the release form until you've examined your furniture piece by piece.
• The best way to protect crystal, china, and any other extremely valuable and delicate possessions is to move them yourself in your own car.
• If you want to risk your back and move yourself, be careful about what packing materials you buy for the move. You'll generally do better renting the truck from the rental company and buying your boxes and other materials somewhere else.
• To save money on truck rentals, move during mid-month or during the week.

Be careful when hiring moving services - June 5, 2003
The average American moves once every six years and summer is moving season, so heed this warning before you hire a moving service. There are three types of moving services: Criminals, companies who do an unsatisfactory job and a small percentage are reputable, certified companies. The criminal element of the moving industry has been growing exponentially, especially in South Florida. Some of these crooks just pick up your stuff and keep it. Others will lowball you on an estimate, then they’ll take your goods and hold them hostage until you pay thousands of dollars to get them back. Category #2 includes the movers who actually are real movers, but they are not professional at all. So there may be long delays in delivering your goods, and when you get them they may be broken. The third group abides by the industry code of ethics and should be the choice for you. You can go to moving.org to see which movers are certified movers. The biggest problems happen when people hire “moving brokers” to handle their move. They are either part of organized crime or they get their money from the bandit movers who hold your stuff hostage. If you choose not to hire a certified mover, remember that the only estimate that counts is a “written binding estimate.” The key word is binding because a plain old written estimate can change. It’s also a good idea to insure your move with replacement coverage. Another way to protect your possessions is to videotape as you are packing them, so there are no questions about what you own. And if you still end up in a dispute, moving.org will have steps for resolutions. Clark also advises you to document your attempts to file a claim.

Here is the source of this info.

You seem to have put so much effort into bringing this about. I'd hate to see some crook ruin it for you.

Good luck, Jeff....

 

[olena]

www.moving.org

 

[Poohnatic]

Since we're on a mover thread...

Has anyone ever hired movers to load up their moving truck and then hired movers to unload? My next move is going to be almost 1,000 miles! I think I should be calling the moving company I used last time to ask before I start calling the storage facilities!

If it wasn't for that piano, it could be done without the movers!

Suzanne