Moving companies

Mrs. CrazyCat and I are making a long move across the country in the weeks ahead. I was wondering if anyone has recommendations on which moving companies are the best and which ones we should stay away from.

The last time I moved, it was a whatever-fits-in-the-backseat sort of thing, so this is all new to me.

Is it also worth it to ship one of our cars? We were thinking of having a friend drive one of them, but it seems the expenses add up to be almost the same as having the mover do it. Either way, it seems like getting one one of the cars out there will be really expensive or a mess.

Thanks in advance.

 

Who's paying for it?

 

Do not give Starving Students the time of day.

I used 'em 10 years ago for a very minor move (just a few heavy things), and in one day they . . .

--- Barged into the house and stepped on some breakable items.

--- Tried to reassemble my water bed and did it . . . backwards. I don't know any other way of describing what they were trying to do, but they obviously had no idea how to do it.

--- Had the nerve to ask me for a tip when I said "Just GO!" after the waterbed debacle.

 

Our last move we used Starving Students. They brought a truck that was too small for all our stuff, which meant that the following day I had to rent a truck and get the last of the stuff. They spent a lot more time on smoke breaks than moving my stuff. They also weren't very subtle about asking for a tip. I think I gave them 10 bucks. I concur with the thumbs down here.

Previous move, it was Mayflower. They lost a bunch of stuff, then wouldn't make good on it, saying "you signed for it all." Of course, at about midnight, my wife did sign for some countless number of boxes that had been dumped in our house while I was at work. I guess it was her fault that she didn't check off each of the boxes they brought into the house. They also broke a washer and our VCR. They were very snippy when I called about the lost and broken items and basically told me I had to prove they'd been working at the start of the move.

AVOID MAYFLOWER!!!

 

Rent and drive the truck yourself. Hire some professionals to load. Hire any old Joe you can find to unload.

 

Oh yeah, and shake the dust out of your coonskin hat before hitting the road. No point in having that particular discussion with the highway patrol.

 

I truly believe it's easier to throw most of your stuff away and start over when you get there.

I used to believe you get what you pay for (and still would never use the cheap guys).....but even with the expensive 'professional' movers, you're still at the mercy of the guys in the truck.

 

I'll amend 21's suggestion and say donate as much of your stuff as possible to places like Goodwill or The Salvation Army. Take the essentials and give the rest away. If you can itemize your deductions, it will help you greatly come tax time.

 

21's right. This is one transaction where you should never base you decision on price. Hire a professional mover. Last time I moved, it was a full moving van and the guys didn't break a single thing or scratch a single piece of furniture.

 

Now I feel like a schmuck. Of course you donate it...I should have said that.

 

If you can't haul everything cross-country, donate it to Goodwill, as has been stated prior (tax write-off, so be sure to make the donations before the 31st). Also, sell stuff. I made enough cash to go toward part of a deposit on an apartment when I relocated by selling my furniture - you'll have an advantage if you're leaving a college town because students rarely turn down cheap furniture.

Rule of thumb when cleaning out for a move. If you have any hesitation about keeping something, get rid of it.

 

Is there a reason you can't drive one car and the Mrs. drive the other? Seems like the simplest solution.