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Movers/Moving Companies

Discussion in 'General Chat Forum' started by Villager, Apr 2, 2007.

  1. Villager

    Villager Ashburn Village Resident

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    I searched the threads for info on moving companies but didn't see a lot of recent posts. Does anyone have any experience - good and bad - they would like to share to help me decide? Thanks in advance for any help!
     
  2. Zeratul

    Zeratul Well-Known Member

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    Is this a local move? I think there are lessons learned for local moves and I am sure you will hear good and bad. But local moves generally work by the hour at a particular rate. Most estimators will under-estimate you on purpose, both in weight and time and then try to convince you on how they will be able to do the job. Concentrate on what their rate is per hour for 3 or 4 guys. They all have insurance and will have a similar approach to loading but what I got burned on was the guys moving things without "care" and within the first hour I had 2 bedroom sets with scratches and dents all over them and a crew that was pointing fingers at everyone but themselves. Also, make sure you ask if they will use on truck with several trips (which sucks) or two truck, or one big.

    One way to avoid this if you are concerned is to have each nice piece reviewed and agreed with a checklist before it is moved... I had to get a supervisor out and go through that crap after I actually dared to complain. I had three guys show up when I paid for 4, and my move took 14 hours instead of the 8 that was estimated and I was given a hand-written bill on the back of a box for twice what I was estimated. I refused and at 11:00 in the evening insisted to have the manager on the phone and at that time I told him where he could stick the bill and after about 10 minutes of that garbage he charged me what the original estimate was.

    Feel free to ask any other questions but I told Collins Brothers that I would share my experience with others and that they were stupid for treating customers that way. Of course I submitted claims on all the damage and had everything repaired. They finally shut up when I started showing up at the office to submit my claim forms. I just can't believe what I experienced but I have heard similar. These are my experiences so take them as such but be very careful how you approach this... I think there is more of a desire to scam as much as they can. :mad:
     
  3. gunzour

    gunzour "Living on the Edge"

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    Just used JK Moving to move to Broadlands last weekend (from Bethesda). Very professional organization all the way around, from the estimator who comes out to your home to look at your stuff, to the care they take during the move, making sure both your belongings and your home are well protected. They were actually very close to their initial estimate -- went over by about 1.5 hours only because of extra things I asked them to do the day of the move, but that was my choosing and they did it all without complaint. They moved everything with one truck that was plenty big and very clean. The only damage was a small dent in a trash can.
     
  4. LKelly

    LKelly New Member

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    We also used J/K last February for a local move. They were within 1/2 hour of the estimate. Had a little damage, but it was less than $100 so we didn't even claim it (you can choose different amounts/types of insurance when you hire them). The only complaint we had was that the start-time change we requested a couple weeks earlier didn't get communicated to the crew, so they showed up 2 hours early. The lead guy called the office and confirmed the change, and they left and came back at the correct time without a fuss.
     
  5. mdr227

    mdr227 Member

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    We have moved locally a number of times and used different moving companies. Our last move five years ago we paid a little bit more per hour and used JK Moving. It actually saved us money as they are very efficient, have hard working crews (only break during the 8 hour move was for lunch vs other companies that took 10 to 15 minutes per hour) and they actually added a 5th mover for free which cut down on the number of hours needed for the job. A supervisor stopped by in the morning at the old house and in the afternoon at the new house to make sure things were running smoothly. I would recommend that you don't cut corners on the movers and go with the best company even if it is a couple of hundred dollars more.
     
  6. smheese

    smheese New Member

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    We also used JK, they were great!
     
  7. quailpond06

    quailpond06 New Member

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    Whatever you do, do NOT use All Pro Movers. When we moved, they showed up with a small truck instead of the tractor trailer we were promised. I called the manager and got a guilt trip about the original driver's personal life (he was the one that was supposed to originally be there). They brought another truck out, but it was two hours after the move began. They proceeded to damage several pieces of furniture, the ceiling of our foyer in our new house, AND broke our leather sofa. In the end, they charged us extra for the other truck, the extra time, and extra manpower. We were steamed!

    When I called to complain, the manager came out to our house and was EXTREMELY rude to me. He accused us of damaging our own furniture and breaking the leather sofa! He also called me "little lady" several times which just infuriated me more.

    I did file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, but they never followed up on it. :-(
     
  8. greggbroadlands

    greggbroadlands New Member

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    We used Two Guys and a Truck and were pleasantly surprised. We were moving from an apartment to a townhome, so we didn't have enough to fill a tractor trailer. But they showed up on time, worked hard and carefully and finished early compared the the estimate. For a local move I would recommend them. I have to assume it all depends on which two guys you happen to get as well.
     
  9. cmbm

    cmbm New Member

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    We used Able twice. They were great. I also have a few friends who used them. We had Sean's team both times. They came in under budget with 4 or 5 guys and they had a huge truck.

    They wrapped all of our furniture and didn't damage anything.

    Everyone I know who used them was happy.
     
  10. Lee

    Lee Permanent Vacation

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    I used them several years ago when I had some stuff in a storage unit while I was building my home.. I was pleasantly surprised also very professional and no damage and we had some extremely heavy pieces that hat to go upstairs and they moved them without no damage.

    I don't know how they would do on a large move tho!!

    I would use them again.

    Lee j
     
  11. redon1

    redon1 aka Aphioni

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  12. Villager

    Villager Ashburn Village Resident

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    Wow! Great responses! Thanks, everyone. Between these and some others I got through email I called JK and scheduled them to come give an estimate.

    I have one estimate from Boxcart Moving and Storage and have had good experiences (although limited) with their storage end but they contract out the moving part to a place called Carmack Moving & Storage, which I found a lot of bad things about online. Even the Better Business Bureau lists them as not recommended. We talked to the owner of Boxcart about our concerns and he assured us that Boxcart does all the billing and management and just contracts the labor to Carmack. If there are any issues with the move Boxcart should be handling them, not Carmack directly.

    Still, we'll get an estimate from JK and if it's competitive and they can do it on our schedule then we may just go with them for peace of mind.

    Thanks again!
     
  13. cmbm

    cmbm New Member

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    I know multiple people who had issues with carmack. They were cheap but they damaged a lot of their stuff. In fact one person had stuff missing from the move.
     
  14. kcchoi

    kcchoi New Member

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    I recently hired Town and Country Movers for my mom's move from Arlington to CountrySide. They arrived on time, started moving things to the truck seconds later, and worked non-stop. No damage to the furniture or either house. Expensive? Yes. Worth it? Yes.
     
  15. Villager

    Villager Ashburn Village Resident

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    ...and that's what we're concerned about. We have, however, been assured by the owner of Boxcart that our move will use boxcarts and not a Carmack truck, thus lessening the contact with Carmack. Even the labor may be the regular Boxcart loading people. When we talked to the owner of Boxcart this morning we must have scared them! ;)

    We also got another call from the estimator, who worked for Carmack for 12 years and now works for Boxcart.

    Why partner with a company that will cause you to lose business? Supposedly Carmack went downhill while the couple who owned it got a divorce. Sounds reasonable but who knows.
     
  16. CdnJess

    CdnJess New Member

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    We used Three Daves on recommendation from my husband's boss who'd used them a couple of times. Now owned by Adam, they did an awesome job. They arrived on time, very accomodating, clean vehicle and equipment, and were quite upfront on how you can make the move as economical as possible. They will also take back any boxes you've not used, but purchased from them. Phone Adam Mirsky at 1-(800)-967-0314. http://www.threedavesmoving.com
     
  17. jblnd

    jblnd New Member

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    Last year, when we moved within the Broadlands, we decided to use Town and Country. They did a great job. We had no damage and they finished ealier than expected. Plus, it beat JK Movers price by over $800! I would definitely use them again.
     
  18. kahlua1

    kahlua1 New Member

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    Another vote here for JK Movers. We've used them twice and have been very pleased. Also, you can go and pick up free (gently used) boxes and packing materials from the nearby warehouse. Since our moves were both local we packed most stuff ourselves and they moved the boxes and furniture. No damage and no complaints. http://www.jkmoving.com/
     
  19. clwjl5

    clwjl5 New Member

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    We have used JK Moving Company twice. The first time in 1993 when we moved from Herndon to Florida (company relo). We had absolutely no damage and they did an awesome job on both packing, moving day and held our items in storage until we our home purchase was complete. We just used them again to move from Broadlands to Leesburg and they did an awesome job on estimating, boxing and moving us. We did go over the estimate a little, but it was due to us asking them to move additional items. Also, they had charged us for a piano on the estimate (my fault) it was actually a keyboard and they refunded the charge with no problems. They are definitely worth following up with.
     
  20. Nova Native

    Nova Native New Member

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    When we moved from my townhouse to our current home here we used two friends, two fathers, a uhaul, and a case of beer. They were free and did a great job. Got 90% of it their largest truck. That was 6 years ago though, so it might be 2 cases by now.
     

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