Good move with Seamens Moving/NYC

[sj]

Thanks for all the guidelines for finding a mover! Last month I was looking for a good NYC mover but no one seemed to know of any and I promised to get back with whatever experience I had, good or bad.

I had a terrific experience with Seamens Moving! Not only did they arrive on time, but the 4 guys worked non-stop (except for a few minutes for lunch while they transported my stuff). This was a ghastly, big move from a high-rise to a fourth floor walkup apartment in upper Manhattan. We had a lot of heavy furniture (I counted about 25 pieces that would require 2 or more to carry up the stairs) and lots of boxes of books (50+ liquor-store boxes)--all of which had to be carried up three flights of steep, narrow stairs (with hair-pin turns). It was a hot, humid June day and these guys just kept on working (we tried to keep them supplied with cold beverages/water).

They helped us pack all the "last-minute" stuff we had all over the place, managed to fit an unbelievable amount in the 24-foot van and got it up all the stairs with nary a nick to the walls, stair railings or the furniture (only one item didn't survive the move: a paper lampshade that somehow got crushed inside the box it was in...and that was probably MY fault...).

Despite the awful heat (which was really bad going up the three flights in the walk-up apt!), the heavy loads and the many hours of work, they just kept on going...most amazing, when they had to call a fifth guy to work a couple of hours on the stairs at the walkup, they didn't even charge me extra!

Everyone (office people, dispatcher, driver, crew) was polite and friendly and the whole move went smoothly from start to finish. My only caveat to anyone (and I think this applies to all moving companies) is that you make sure you have enough boxes so that you don't have to buy them on the spot from the movers--it wasn't until the night before that we realized we needed a lot more boxes than we thought and this turned out to be the only unexpected expense. There were no weird charges, no pressure of any kind, just excellent service at a fair price.

Thanks for your help and advice. The only thing I would like to add has to do with how to treat the movers themselves: being helpful and friendly is a good way to get the same in return and remembering to have beverages (especially water) on hand and to tip fairly for a good job is just basic thoughtfulness. Movers are people too!!

Anyway, I hope my experience can be helpful to someone else. Thanks, again.
susan

[Diane]

Thanks so much, Susan! I think I'm going to start a new thread on NYC, Boston, and DC local movers that people have had good luck with, and I'll add your recommendation to that thread.

Do you know whether Seamens is able to move people to Boston and to the DC area? Do you have contact information for Seamens and whatever license numbers are applicable?

[AmyNYC]

I have also been researching moves in NYC and have chosen Seamen's. We're moving on Sunday (8/8/04) and I will post a response to this thread regarding our experience with them. Additionally, I have their DOT info.:

US DOT# 948491
NY DOT# 35220

[Diane]

Great, Amy! I have wondered about Seamens since I've heard nothing but good things about it here, but it's blacklisted on www.movingadvocateteam.com. I have no idea why it is blacklisted there and maybe you could ask the company about it if you have a chance.

[AmyNYC]

Diane,

I saw that, too. I did notice that it was spelled differently on their blacklist ("an" instead of "en" at the end) and I wasn't sure if that was a typo or a different company.

[AmyNYC]

Seamen's Moving was a very good experience. I was a little skeptical when three very thin men arrived to transport my things, but these hard-working, polite individuals were stronger than many body builders! They worked tirelessly and moved us in and out efficiently. There were no strange fees or questionable practices and I felt confident that my valuables were in good hands. My ONLY complaint is the fact that we were reminded that tips are customary. I am well-adjusted to giving tips and I found the reminder a little rude and insulting--especially considering they had not yet completed the job.

Overall, we were more than satified with the job they did.

[Diane]

Thanks, Amy - your feedback will help a lot of people. I'll make sure that it's added to the collective wisdom about NYC movers. We now have two good reports about the company for local moves, and hopefully someone will also use them for a longer move to Boston, DC, or Philadelphia and get back to us. I assume that they charge by the hour for the longer moves but am not sure.

[AmyNYC]

I also wanted to mention that it appears as though movers are posting their own recommendations on sites like citysearch.com. Many of the positive reviews are from the same date or are cookie-cutter form letters with different names signed at the bottom. It's really unfortunate that they go out of their way to recommend their own scam. Actually, that's just disgusting. Beware!

[gils]

Amy,
As you said, your ONLY complaint was/is that you were reminded
about a tip to be customery.
As an ex mover, I would like to tell you that tips are a crucial part in the movers' compensation. Not talking about that not always the same team
that packs and or loads the truck, is the team to unload it (except for
the foreman).
It's only in one day move that the team of course is the same.
And not everybody (EVEN IN NYC) is aware of tips to be customery, so
I don't think you should take it personally. If it was said in a nice way and not in a blunt one, I don't think you should feel bad about it.

[twalker]

Tips should also only be given out when they are deserved. I remember when I was scammed.... I had just found out what the real price of my move was after they had just loaded everything on the truck and the foreman had the guts to pull me to the side and tell me that it was okay to tip them. Ugh.

Tim Walker
MovingScam.com
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