Need help! most movers who gave quotes are on the Blacklist

[Atlanta gyrl]

I have 1-2 rooms of goods, a car, a motorcyle and 2 dogs to move from Cali to Atlanta. I did the online thing and got many quotes. The best quote of course came from Goldstar Moving which ive seen a couple other posts about. they quoted me for my weight of 4013lbs $2,089, which includes my motorcycle of 378lbs. this is based on the items i supplied to them. The items are accurate, but i dont think the weight they calculated is accurate.

I am really considering trying to move myself, but my dilemma is determining the best way to get all these things moved at the same time at the most efficient price and timeline. Uhaul and Budget truck rentals are both around $2200. the car trailer is $470. This seems to be almost the same price as the full service moves I have been quoted.
any suggestions?

[BigLeeCalif]

Hi AtlantaGyrl

You didn't say which part of SoCal you're moving from, but if you saw most of the movers you were thinking of on the BlackList, then I'd guess the L.A. area...

Since there are so many blacklisted movers there, consider staying with name recognition, and get quotes from the Major van Lines... There are agents for all the major van lines in the los angeles area..

Once you decide who to contact to give you estimates, you can come back here and we can tell you what we know about them...

I am in NoCal, and can help with California agents.

BigLee

[Guest]

[BigLeeCalif]

If you are in Northern California, if you look at the blacklist you will find only one mover listed there, and that company is down in the San Jose area.

The PUC regulates California pretty tightly, and there is so much competition in Northern California, that honest companies thrive.

All of the Major Van lines are well represented here, and the only company I have reservations about here is All My Sons. While I won't say anything negative about them, if you look at some of the past posts on this site, there are not too good reviews of their service.

United has offices in Alameda, Concord, and Benicia.
Mayflower has offices in Hayward, SF, Concord, Martinez, and Antioch.
Bekins has offices in Richmond, Burlingame, Livermore, Novato, and San Jose.
Allied has agents in San Leandro, Brisbane, Hayward, Concord, Sausalito.
Antioch.

This should be enough to get you off to a good start...

Request only in house free estimates, and try not to schedule them back to back.. It takes from 45 min - 1 1/2 hrs for an estimate, depending on the size of your home. Make a list of questions for the estimator, and try to ask each estimator the same questions.

Consistency will keep everyone on the same page, and the estimates shouldn't be that much apart.

BigLee

[Guest]

BigLee,
Your generic advice to just go with some agent, any agent, of the "major van lines" is not helpful at best and misleading at worst. Just picking an agent of the major van lines will reduce the chance of getting scammed, but will not guarantee it. There have been horror stories of customers getting scammed by an agent of a major van line who then gets shafted again by a headquarters office that doesn't give a sh-- because it was just another whiney C.O.D. customer. No investigation is done, no refund, just more run-around and finally the customer is told to get lost.

Also, given the fact that the major van lines are using the customers' money to fund AMSA and lobby against meaningful consumer protection laws like HR 1070, your constant selling of the majors goes against everything this site stands for.

[Jim S.]

Guest,

In the short time I've been following this site, the one thing that's absolutely certain is that this site is much more than the picture you just broad brushed, and to do so in the manner you did gives little credit to the site and what it's become. The site has evolved to include contributions from those within the industry (mostly the majors), who help out consumers coming to this site asking specific questions on a whole host of subjects. It includes consumers who, through their own negative or positive experiences, learned much about the industry and the pitfalls that are associated with it, and have steered consumers through the knowledge they've gained. While many on this site would advise DITY whenever possible, there are many who cannot for a variety of reasons.

You're correct in stating that your chances of getting scammed by a major aren't guaranteed. On the other hand, the majors have little incentive to purposely scam customers in the same way the gypsy movers of this industry do, because (1) the majors themselves depend greatly upon word-of-mouth advertising, and (2) the majors generally aren't going to flip their name into something else the minute they rip someone off because of the investment they make in their names.

Until 1070 is passed, there should be a site in which interested individuals who've invested many years in the industry SHOULD help consumers steer through the various pitfalls (and there will be many even when 1070 eventually passes) associated with an interstate move, and unregulated intrastate moves. In such a situation - it is the consumer who ultimately benefits through the knowledge shared by those (like me) in the industry, who gain nothing by helping. If this site should become such a forum (which I believe it already has), then Tim Walker has done a greater service to consumers than even HE realizes!

I know I'm going to get blasted for my observations - but the value I've seen in the advice shared by those both inside and outside the industry, makes this site more valuable than the simple portrayal you've made it out to be.

[Michael]

Bravo Jim S!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I couldnt agree with you more.

Welcome to movingscam!
_________________
Michael
************************************

Forget yourself for others and the others will never forget

[Guest]

[Not so stressed anymore]

Hello Atlantagyrl,

I am kind of in a similar situation. I am in Northern CA (San Jose) Except for me its a horse, barn and a truck. I have already made one trip to the destination to deliver the car. Not going to do that again. And I have no intrest in renting a clunky rental truck and driving it.

You may want to consider using ABF Upack. You can even load your stuff at the depot instead of worring about parking the truck/trailor at an apartment complex with parking issues. ABF has a depot in Santa Clara and they are really accomidatiog there. I actually went there to inspect the depot before reserving a trailor. It should cost about 100 bucks per foot of trailor space used.

One of the trailors I inspected had a small tractor/lawnmower in it so it may be possible to load your motorcycle in it. I am sure there is a way to secure it in there- build a crate maybe. Or secure it with a seperate divider.

That said, drive yourself and the dogs in your car.

G

PS. Go to the post office and get a "change of address" packet. There is a coupon for 50 bucks of ABF.

PSS. If you use ABF, pack everything well and in plastic bags inside the boxes. Wrap everything in plastic tarps after the truck is packed to protect against water damage should the roof leak.

PSSS...Good Luck!!!!

[Guest]

yes, this is all great advice. I think i will be going with ABF. I heard other good things about them. and i will drive my car with the dogs. thanx everyone for the info.

[Diane]

Gyrrls!

I used ABF and am a major fan, but may I suggest that you also consider another freight forwarder, Broadway Express, that has a website at www.broadwayexpress.net? People have said to tell the operator that you're doing a "private relocation" and to ask for Don Girard, but I'm not sure you need to talk specifically with him This is just to give you another option to consider. I can't "recommend" the company because I haven't used it myself, but people have said good things about it on this website.

Some differences between the two companies: the Broadway Express vans are much bigger, which is good and bad--they can't get into some locations but they can accommodate cars; the BE driver will stay with the van for eight hours while you load whereas the ABF drivers don't stay with the van, which can create a parking problem in some cases; the BE vans come with ramps and pads while you have to pay for a ramp with ABF; people have said that the BE driver helped them with basic arranging of their goods and (if he was paid a little something, maybe $50-$60) actually helped them load. Another thing to consider is that ABF has sometimes come down on its price to meet a competitor.

"Not so stressed," that was a great idea to visit the ABF terminal before the move. Someone also recommended that on www.epinions.com. He knew what the trailer should look like so when ABF delivered a somewhat yucky one he had them exchange it for a better one, which they did promptly and cheerfully, he said. The one thing I would worry about with the ABF trailers with their fiberglass tops is a tear in the roof that would let in rain. One person, in all the dozens of reviews of ABF that I've read, said that happened to her, so you do need to inspect the roof carefully for any evidence of holes or attempts at mending.

Good luck with your moves and please get back to us with a report or (if it's ABF) please post a review on epinions, which has a category for ABF but not Broadway Express.