Relocating and using full service moving company--HELP!

[MushyMushy]

I have no idea about movers, but I just wanted to say I hope you're moving to a saner state than PA!

 

[Katy Belle]

We are about to do our 5th move with full service packers. Our company has us do a full inventory ahead of time, so if things are lost, or destroyed, they can be replaced. We also have to seperate into sea shipment, and air shipment this time, since its an overseas move. The air shipment can only be 500lbs and gets to us way faster.

Other than making sure you have everything you need to NOT be packed securely away from them... you just sort of stand back It can go very, very fast. We put things that shouldn't be packed, in our car. Keys, cell phones, info for the next move, school records, suitcases, cash, etc. Even if you tell them not to pack a certain table or room even, it sometimes happens when you blink!

On our last move they came very early... like before 8a.m. My littlest boy was still in his bed. I woke him up and got him ready for pre-school, and his shoes were gone. They had been by the front door and they were packed!!! So he went to pre-school wearing sandals, with socks, on Dec. 18 and we had to schedule a trip to Stride Rite into an already too busy day!

So the moral of that story...be prepared.

Good luck with your move!
Katy
PS.... throw away your trash before they arrive

 

[TwinsinCA]

I have survived several military moves. I would make a list of things you are going to hand carry. (Important papers etc) When it is packing day, put everything you don't want packed in a spare bathroom and put a sign on the door- Don't Pack!



Items You Shouldn't Pack

Professional movers won't move these items and neither should you
The following items are examples of items that the moving companies, by federal law or internal policy, cannot transport.

Hazardous Materials
Items that are flammable, corrosive or explosive:

I also wanted to add alcohol to the list. We had at least one mover who would not take any wine/whisky/etc that we had. Another let us take it but it was packed in the lower compartments on the truck.

 

[jwsqrdplus2]

You've gotten great advice here!

I definitely recommend having an OFF LIMITS/DO NOT PACK room. Anything you plan to take yourselves should be in that room. That means suitcases and clothes, toys, car keys, cell phones etc. We have even put the cat and kitty litter in that room in the past! Then shut the door and put a sign on it. If you can lock the door, I would even do that just as an added safety precaution.

I would also recommend having water and small snacks available to the packers and movers. Not a mandatory thing, but definitely a nice gesture. Especially when in our case in a couple of weeks, the packers and movers will be working in 100+ degree weather! I know of people who have literaly had donuts in the am and provided lunch for their packers and movers too! I have never gone that far, but I always make sure to have water and snacks avaialble.

Also, you need to check with your moving company as far as what will happen on the other end. Most moving companies will place the furniture ONCE, so you need to know where you want it when you are in the new location. Also, most moves, they will put the boxes in whichever room you designate, then drive off, leaving ALL of the unpacking and disposing of packing material to you! With military moves, we can request that the boxes be unpacked (little known fact that they do not advertise, nor do most people take advantage of it). The drawback to that is they unpack the boxes, place the contents on a horizontal surface and that's it! They also will take away all the packing material when they unpack the boxes (big bonus in my mind!). You still have to put everything away, but it is all out in the open. I usually pace side by side with the unpacker in my kitchen. It becomes a contest to see if I can get the contents of a box put away before the next one is unpacked! Having the moving company unpack the boxes definitely forces you to get everything organized, put away and settled much faster which I find very important with kids!

Good luck to you!

 

[punkin]

They really will pack everything. They tried to pack our litter box (including contents) I had to stop them. We were going to take the cat and needed the litter box to go with us (yes, I was going to wash it out first, but I was waiting for the last minute).

 

[mathmagic]

It sounds like you now have a better sense of what the packing will be like... Now start thinking about what happens when you get to your destination.

You will get a VERY long list of numbers of all the stickers they will put on your boxes and other loose items. When the moving truck arrives to deliver your stuff, be prepared to check off on your list every box and numbered item as it enters your house. It is MUCH easier to do this as the items come in rather than once it is all in. The boxes will come in pretty quickly, so you will have to be on top of this task all day. That means you will need someone else to keep an eye on your kiddos, because if you miss even one box coming in then your inventory count is useless unless you start all over and do a full recount.

And even if the movers swear up and down that nothing happened between the time your stuff was loaded on the truck and the time it got to your new destination, make sure you do check that each and every number on your list is accounted for.

 

[hentob]

Thank you, everyone Every single post has been read and re-read.

And Mushy, I am going to NC. I don't know if it is saner than PA, but I sure hope so

 

[hentob]

It sounds like you now have a better sense of what the packing will be like... Now start thinking about what happens when you get to your destination.

You will get a VERY long list of numbers of all the stickers they will put on your boxes and other loose items. When the moving truck arrives to deliver your stuff, be prepared to check off on your list every box and numbered item as it enters your house. It is MUCH easier to do this as the items come in rather than once it is all in. The boxes will come in pretty quickly, so you will have to be on top of this task all day. That means you will need someone else to keep an eye on your kiddos, because if you miss even one box coming in then your inventory count is useless unless you start all over and do a full recount.

And even if the movers swear up and down that nothing happened between the time your stuff was loaded on the truck and the time it got to your new destination, make sure you do check that each and every number on your list is accounted for.

Thank you for this advice

 

[hentob]

I would also recommend having water and small snacks available to the packers and movers. Not a mandatory thing, but definitely a nice gesture. Especially when in our case in a couple of weeks, the packers and movers will be working in 100+ degree weather! I know of people who have literaly had donuts in the am and provided lunch for their packers and movers too! I have never gone that far, but I always make sure to have water and snacks avaialble.

Great idea!

What about tipping? Do you tip? Who do you tip? How MUCH do we tip?

Somebody told us they gave $100 to the head driver And handed $20's to the rest of the men. Thoughts?

 

[Magic Mom]

Another thing to consider in unpacking. Our movers were always contracted to unpack. I DO NOT recommend this. I have them unpack the furniture and put it in place, and put boxes in correct rooms, but nothing else. If they unpack, everyhting goes in the wrong space or put in piles on counters and beds. I had fine china stacked with pots and pans on the edge of the kitchen counter the one time I let them unpack. I would rather take my time and put things where I want them.

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

What about things that are already in bins/totes (off season clothing)? Will they just leave them in our containers, or do they transfer them to their own packing materials?

It depends on the moving company. We have about 30 to 40 Rubbermaid bins full of stuff already packed up in storage from our decluttering process to show the house for sale. The moving company specifically said that they will NOT move any Rubbermaid bins that we packed so they will have to unpack them and repack the contents into boxes and move the bins empty.

Good luck with your move! Our moving company rep comes today and the packers come on the 21st.

We will go through the house and put everything that we do not want the movers to take into the cars or into a small bathroom with a sign on the door before they get here. Be sure to keep out cleaning supplies and a mop/broom if you are required to clean your old house before leaving. If there are any sentimental toys then be sure to lock those in the car too so that those don't get packed or lost. I hand carry our photo albums, home movies and handmade quilts - just don't trust them to the movers.

 

[undertheradar]

As others have stated, the packers "pack," they do not think. Any bags or important items you are transporting on you need to be out of reach. We stored our important stuff in the cars until it was time to inspect and load them. This kept things out of the packers reach.

 

[KristiMc]

Another thing to consider in unpacking. Our movers were always contracted to unpack. I DO NOT recommend this. I have them unpack the furniture and put it in place, and put boxes in correct rooms, but nothing else. If they unpack, everyhting goes in the wrong space or put in piles on counters and beds. I had fine china stacked with pots and pans on the edge of the kitchen counter the one time I let them unpack. I would rather take my time and put things where I want them.

We did this also. I just had them put the boxes in the correct room and I did the unpacking.

I kept all of the emptied boxes in one room and had them come pick them up when I was done.

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

My parents were moved by his company numerous times. I remember with the last move, he was head of the group that got the contracts for all shippers, etc. for the firm (meaning he picked that moving company to move all employees for the firm). So he was given the "Driver of the Year" and only permanent employees to pack them. There was no summer help assigned to him. He asked not to be treated any dfifferently but he was given a little extra. He tipped the packers. Not sure if he tipped the driver. And he supplied lunch (hoagies), chips, sodas and lots of cold water as it was hot. Not sure if this is the norm but that's what he did with his special circumstances. Good luck with your move.

 

[trip]

Another thing to consider in unpacking. Our movers were always contracted to unpack. I DO NOT recommend this. I have them unpack the furniture and put it in place, and put boxes in correct rooms, but nothing else. If they unpack, everyhting goes in the wrong space or put in piles on counters and beds. I had fine china stacked with pots and pans on the edge of the kitchen counter the one time I let them unpack. I would rather take my time and put things where I want them.

I agree. We would have them re-assemble the beds, place the furniture and the boxes in the proper rooms. I usually couldn't wait to have them out of my new house. Moving is hard work even if you have movers.

 

[traviesojmt]

My parents were moved by his company numerous times. I remember with the last move, he was head of the group that got the contracts for all shippers, etc. for the firm (meaning he picked that moving company to move all employees for the firm). So he was given the "Driver of the Year" and only permanent employees to pack them. There was no summer help assigned to him. He asked not to be treated any dfifferently but he was given a little extra. He tipped the packers. Not sure if he tipped the driver. And he supplied lunch (hoagies), chips, sodas and lots of cold water as it was hot. Not sure if this is the norm but that's what he did with his special circumstances. Good luck with your move.

I wanted to add that we always supply lunch and have the fridge stocked with water. It is not required, but I figure that these people are responsible for all of our worldly possessions so I might as well make sure they are happy. LOL

 

[RadioNate]

I'm doing this TODAY.

The packers are here now.

What you want to be doing now is decluttering anything you don't want to take. Bathrooms are great for this stuff. I found medicine that expired in 2007! Go though kids clothes and your stuff for anything out grown.

Designate 1 room or closet a "NO PACK ZONE" start gathering the stuff you need and put it in there. We are currently living out of the closet under our stairs and the laundry room. They WILL pack your toothbrush, hairbrush and soap, if you don't tell them not to!

If you are going residence to residence they will leave clothing in drawers that will be accessible.

If you have things like Christmas decorations that are packed for attic or basement storage, they generally do not repack those things so check that they are securely packed so they can be stacked, ect on the truck.

I do take down things that have matching hardware that needs to stay with the item. For example we have a hanging wine rack with a decorative 'hook.'

They will also make you disconnect any electronics yourself and get down anything that is high. They won't have or use a ladder.

That is all I can think of now.

I also pack some things in their original boxes (like collectables) but then have them put those in their boxes.

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

Oh, also be sure everything is out of the attic. Our movers specifically said they will not go into the attic for anything.

RadioNate - have fun today!

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

I also worked for a professional mover for many many years... Here are a few tidbits I would always tell friends and family...

1. Read your inventory sheet before you sign off on it. Understand the abbreviations. Make sure the condition matches the inventory sheet...

2. Reverse this at destination... DO NOT sign off on an inventory sheet until you have checked the condition of the item and condition of the box.

3. Full Value Replacement is the only way to go, if your company does not pay for it, pay the difference. 99% of homeowners insurance do NOT cover moves, this is the biggest mistake movers make.

4. Remove any high value items like jewelry and money prior to the move day. Have it in a safe place and move it yourself.

5. Video-tape your whole house with values and age while walking through.

6. Lay the ground rules immediately. No smoking near the house, wear booties in the house, etc...

7. I would not recommend an Unpack. They are not allowed to put anything actually away, they just empty the boxes.

Tipping is a personal choice, but after working with workers and drivers I can tell you those who tip were treated better than those who did not. Offering lunch is also a great idea, some worker's will want to, others want to leave for a break. Just a consideration on your part. Hope your move is smooth and effortless.

 

[MushyMushy]

Thank you, everyone Every single post has been read and re-read.

And Mushy, I am going to NC. I don't know if it is saner than PA, but I sure hope so

Anything has to be!

If I were able to move anywhere, I think the Research Triangle would be at the top of my list. I fell in love with that area, and just NC in general. Lucky you!