Quote:
Originally Posted by DylanTodd
Hi,
My wife and I are starting to plan the logistics for our fall move to the Villages full time.
We have looked at the cost of various ways to do it but each method seems wildly expensive. Full service moving companies seem to quote $6000 to $10000, those u-pack pods are around $4000, and even a uhaul rental from New England was $3600.
Does anyone have a reliable company that they used to move long distance where they felt they got good value?
Is there anyone from New England moving down this fall/winter and should we split a moving truck to save some costs?
I know people say don't bring your stuff with you and just buy new, we are not even bringing that much furniture, probably 4 to 5 pieces of furniture at most but we have so many totes filled with clothes, sporting equipment, mementos from over the years so we don't want to downsize any further until we get into our new house.
Thanks in advance
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Complaints about moving companies abound. My sister worked for a moving company in their finance section. So I had the inside information.
What you experience they send over a salesman titled an estimator. He pulls out his laptop punches in what you have. A couch for example his program says a couch on average weighs xxxxxxx. His estimate is based on estimated weight. They file with the government something called tariff weight-cost per hundred pounds for so many miles.
They will never tell you that. You get several estimates from movers, and it is simple math to determine the tariff rate. You will discover they are very close.
The gotchas. If, the salesman under estimates the weight his bid will be lower. On the highway you will pass signs that say weigh station. You will not be the only one on the truck. They weigh the truck when it leaves and many times on the trip. Your bill is the actual weight of your stuff. If, your estimate was deliberately or not under estimated they will shake you down for the additional charges before delivering your goods.
If, you refuse, they will charge you to store your goods. Not sure of how it works but eventually they can seize you goods and sell them at auction.
Insurance? The included insurance is, if I recall fifteen cents per hundred pounds.
If, I recall our tariff rate was fifty seven cents per hundred pounds. Keep it sell it, toss it,
if, it wasn't worth .57 a hundred pounds, I sold it, tossed it or gave it away. I am a pack rat. We were in the same house for about 40 years. We planned our retirement over two years. I sold stuff on ebay, had 5-6 garage sales etc. Roughly 20,000 dollars worth.
Money is far lighter to move than all that stuff.
Advice-I would purchase full replacement insurance and I would take digital photos of each item in inch box. Should items get broken, your proof that it was in the box and that it was well packed and not broken. In numbered each box, we had over 200 of them, along with what was in each box. The mover will apply their own numbers. They will not deliver them in numerical order. They will had you a bill of lading and expect you to sign it was all there and it arrived in good condition. If, you sign that and discover one box or two are missing or as we did that any damaged boxes were turned so you could not see the smashed side etc, they gotcha, you signed the were all there and in good condition.
Estimates-there are two major movers that are actually the same company. Both say they can't accurately determine your weight so they will add in extra weight and you will be credited back in the end. Another gotcha, they don't tell you the tariff charge is .57 per hundred and the credit is .13 per hundred. I didn't read that part either. The gotcha was roughly $800. Many, most do not fight and they know that is so. I got my $800 refunded.