Recommend please a moving company for long distance, small load
 

Moving from upper Midwest to TV at the end of the summer.

I'll have everything boxed so just need it loaded, trucked, and unloaded. No packing.

Does anyone have a good company that you recommend?

Also any companies to avoid?

Thanks!

Hi, I have been working with Village Movers & Storage Ocala. My contact is: Nate Bragdon 352-299-4684

I checked & they would do a long distance from the Upper Midwest.

Are you in Minnesota?

Look at Pods. You will probably have to load and unload.

Thanks!! Yes I'll be moving from MN.

Is this their website? Moving & Storage Company in Florida - Village Movers

Thanks but I've checked them out. Cool idea but way over my budget.

Thank you!

Yes

I'm afraid all long distance moves are expensive these days.

Prepare for moving companies to be in the same price range. When I was pricing PODS doing the transport and hiring people at both ends to load it was no more costly than a moving company. You can contact moving companies in your area & TV - see if the quotes vary. Make sure you have proper insurance, especially on valuables.

If you know of someone willing to drive a rental truck it might work out cheaper to do that and fly them home. Might. Price mileage, gas, time and flights. If it's a friend/family member you don't have to pay that's helpful.

The Villages offers complimentary relocation services: The Villages - Florida's Friendliest Active Adult 55+ Retirement Community

If that’s way over your budget, a full service mover will be WAY, WAY over your budget. I used to be in the business. Things may have changed, but “pack and load” your own is usually way less expensive than a full-service mover.

Inexpensive movers
 

Look at Zippy Shell. They specialize in long distance moves and you lock it and unlock it yourself so no one else has access. They were the most reasonable when I moved from Seattle. They will load and unload as part of the service.

They do, but they do not provide any actual "service." They can offer advice, and give you a list of recommended companies that do the work.

Don’t use Tri-County We Haul under any circumstances. Owned by a Village Sales Person. Not insured for any services they offer, ruined 30K worth of furniture. Their insurance will pay for nothing. Constant claims against them. Awful!

Pods
 

pods

movers
 

We used 2 Men and a Truck and we were very happy with their service. The price was fair and the timing was perfect.

Are you also moving furniture? Are there breakable valuables? Make sure you get the 0 deductible replacement cost insurance. We got that and most of our non-boxed items like furniture got nicked up or broken. We filed a claim and received more money than we paid. We profited $1600 as they paid out over $8K in claims. You never know who the actual workers will be that move your stuff if you go the moving company route. Get multiple quotes. Use a reputable company. Make sure they are not brokers hiring out the labor. Our second move we used a Mayflower subsidiary called Sorensen and they were excellent. Good luck!

I looked into PODS and a similar concept when I did my move. I ended up renting a one-way moving van, drove it here from Michigan, flew back and drove my car down. It was a lot of travel but was still cheaper than PODS.

Just did it from OH
 

I rented a container POD from 1800PACKRAT and used movers to load it. Much cheaper than traditional move. Took about 3 hours for them to load it properly and it was under $3k total with delivery.

There is a company with a similar name. One is called Village Movers and one is Village Mover without the s.
make sure you contact the correct moving company. There is another company with a very similar name to Village Movers and they are a horror. They purposely keep the name similar to the legit company because when people check them out they think it’s the same company. Beware!! We used them to move to Ft Laud and they were fantastic. Again. Make sure you have the legit company. I don’t remember which is the legit one. Check out the Better Business Bureau page

A word of advice, if you are bringing your dark upnorth furniture, you may regret it. Resale stores around here are full of upnorth furniture with movers' stickers on them. That furniture really doesn't go in Florida. You may end up wanting something different in the new house. Knowing what I know now, I would sell the family heirlooms, unless your kids want it, which is doubtful. I would bring the things I treasure, and a toothbrush. Your winter clothes will never be worn, maybe keep a coat for going back to visit. My point is, you are probably paying way more than you need to for move a lot of stuff that 6 mos after the move you will wish you didn't bring.... buy a new mattress when you get here too.

Suddath.
We moved from TV to Michigan. They were outstanding loading, unloading, padding items, communicating with us, and the time it took for travel. Can't praise them enough. We got four estimates and considered renting a u-haul. This company was well worth it.

I agree. I have never owned any furniture that was worth paying someone to move.

Uship dot com worked well for us several years ago. Shipped a motorcycle, some furniture and household stuff too. There was one foul-up, a table saw was unloaded at the wrong location, but the driver retrieved it within a few weeks and brought it here. Label your boxes and items well, and make the labels obvious.

Really expensive

Moving companies
 

The "national brand" moving companies, while a bit more expensive, provide a much safer moving experience. Among other things, they background check every worker that is handling your possessions.

We use United Van Lines and their "vault" service to move from Denver to TV in 2020. The vaults are sized to fit, side by side, in moving trailers. The local rep loads them (we needed 2) and "seals" them. The vaults go into the local rep's warehouse and then shipped on a long haul carrier to Orlando. Nobody needs to handle or repack your belongings until they reach here. The Orlando rep brings the vaults out, unseals them and unloads your possessions, putting your stuff inside the house and/or stacked in the garage.

Smooth, safe and, gratefully, no breakage...

Best reply
 

I agree 100% with the poster. We sold all dark furniture. Doesn’t work in Florida.

PODS is the way to go!

Use PODS cheaper then a moving company or renting a truck, you can use a company called Work Staff on both ends to load and unload. It cost me less than 9k to move here from NH. I had 2 PODS one large one small and brought down 4 rooms of furniture and a ton of misc. stuff that they store up to 30 days for free if you need them to. Also if you plan on buying new furniture it will cost you and most of it is particle board not sold wood.

I used LaterGator Moving Co from Minnesota to TV. Very good, reasonable and reliable. Contact Clay Shanks 352-275-1769

I've actually gotten 2 quotes from reputable movers that are less than PODS and for a bigger load.

Thanks everyone for your reponses!

Thank you, this is exactly what I plan to do. Just moving a small amount. Some art and several boxes of my kitchen stuff that I can't do without. Not a lot of clothes. I donated all my winter clothes and career wear. Bringing a few small side chairs. Some kids stuff as they will be in the dorms. Just a few of their boxes. Couple of TVs. My antique tea cup collection. :a20:

Thanks everyone for your recommendations. I'll be looking into all the info!

serv·ice
/ˈsərvəs/
service
The action of helping or doing work for someone.

Offering advice, and providing a list of recommended companies falls under "helping" someone.

I never stated that The Villages employees would be personally loading moving boxes on the truck.

A good friend was in a similar situation about a year ago. She found Brian...who has been moving small loads between the Midwest and The Villages for over 25 yrs. I do not remember what he calls his service...but this is his phone number. 414.520.1613.

My friend was 92 yrs old at the time...so I was on hand to help her and did make the arrangements too...plus tracked his arrival at her new home in Michigan.

I add this only to assure anyone who is considering contacting Brian...that I had a very good experience, my friend would agree. Also, his home is in WI. All these best..

I recently moved with a similar scenario. I used PODS for the move and arranged for loading and unloading labor through U-Haul (on-line). This was by far the most cost effective solution I could find. Good luck.

Off topic
 

if moving to the Northeast { Connecticut } Do Not Use DAILEYS

We also used Pods and they had a long list of loading and unloading companies that were very well priced
Many moving companies charged 3 and 4 times what Pods charged..we were very happy with the pod customer service and the delivery people

As a former salesman for a moving company, most have a 1000 pound minimum, a few might have 500 pound minimum. Depending what’s in the boxes (no breakables) might be cheaper to ship UPS. If Breakables, the a moving company is your best option. Might want to check with you real estate agent for recommendations, usual have a company that like to use

If you have nothing really valuable and no packing needed, Uship is the way to go. When someone coming the way anyway and they don't want to drive empty then they bid for your shipment. I had a large recliner need to go to 1000+ miles and the quotes I received was $600-$1200 almost the price of the chair. Uship driver charged me $80 and he said he did not need a mechanical lift to load/unload the chair. But if something happens it may not be covered so check their website..

Cheers!