Boston to NYC Move

[jmc4]

Hello,

I recently made a move from Boston to NY and found this site extremely helpful as a resource, so I thought I would share my experience here, in case it helps anyone.

My company was moving me to Manhattan, and was paying for a fixed amount of moving related expenses (e.g. broker fees, movers, moving supplies, etc.). I had a tiny 2-room 1BR apartment to move, and after getting three quotes from companies recommended on this site, I found that it would cost between $2400-$3000. This would have put me way over the amount allotted by my company, costing me $1500+ out of my own pocket.

What I ended up doing was renting a U-Haul truck, and hiring loading/unloading help on both ends of the trip. The total cost (including tipping the movers) was well under $1000, saving me between $1600-2000. Following the advice on these boards, I hired loading/unloading help from reputable, insured moving companies, staying away from craigslist moonlighters, movinghelp.com, etc. In fact, the building I was moving to in NY required proof of insurance from our movers, so this was a must for the unloading, anyway.

I used Mini Moves and More, Inc., located in Arlington, MA, for loading. I cannot recommend these guys enough: they were fast, efficient, professional, and had a great attitude. They loaded the truck so well and carefully, that only half of it was utilized, and nothing shifted on my drive. True professionals.

For unloading, I used a company highly recommended here--All Star Moving & Storage in NY. Again, I cannot recommend these guys enough-- true professionals and on top of it really nice guys. They ran 1 hour late, but were in touch by phone throughout, so we didn't much mind at all. They even paid for the extra hour of meter time that we incurred, which wasn't a lot of money, but was an extra touch that made me glad I hired them.

So overall, I would highly recommend both of these companies to anyone.

I would add a few more things regarding a move done this way. We were able to move a few days before the end/beginning of the month, and it seemed this made a big difference, in particular because our move was a relatively small one (and so small potatoes for a full-service moving company.) First, it seemed both companies were willing to lower their time minimum to 1hr + travel time, instead of 2hrs + travel time. (Both loading and unloading in our situation was 3 man-hours: so with 2 guys, 1.5 hours, with 3 guys, 1 hour. Not having to pay for extra time saved us money.) Second, as the agent at All Star put it, we were able to get their "best guys", since it was not a super busy moving day.

Thanks again to all of you on these boards for the invaluable information and advice. This website is truly a great resource.

[Movinghelper]

Glad you had a great move and thank you for coming back and reporting it. It is really nice to hear that people use the advice given here to make their lives easier and less complicated.

[MusicMom]

I've also done the "build it yourself" type of move, so I really appreciate you coming back to give your review of the two companies providing labor. Glad it went well!