Once we had decided on Humboldt, we were assigned a moving coordinator. She was excellent. Again, very attentive, usually responding within 4 hrs or so of any e-mail or call (often sooner). We were given a 4 day delivery window. United has several agents in Chicago. I had requested Planes as they had great reviews here and on other websites, and I was accommodated without any issue.
Moving Day:
We were told that our packers, who would also be our movers (all Humboldt employees as well as a Humboldt driver), would arrive between 8-10am. They arrived around 9am: 1 driver and 3 other packers/movers. We did an initial walk through with the crew. We were driving 2 cars down and had not yet packed them when Humboldt arrived (we just needed to carry stuff down and put it in the cars). The movers carried everything down for us without us asking and put them by our cars. They were excellent, courteous, friendly, professional, and meticulous. We had several bins full of stuff that they moved as-is. They packed everything else. We provided soft drinks/water, snacks, and lunch - which they seemed to greatly appreciate. The front door was padded. They put mats down so as not to scratch the floors. Furniture was shrink wrapped and padded, and beds were boxed. We had a TV box for our flat screen , which they packed. We had a few items in the attic which they moved for us as well. Only one thing bothered me, which I discovered in Chicago: they packed all of my "delicates". I was told by our rep and even the driver that they could move the dresser as is with clothes in it, so I hadn't bothered to pack any of that. It was a little uncomfortable to find out that they had, in fact, handled and packed my delicates, but it speaks to their professionalism that I did not know until I arrived in Chicago. No one behaved or acted inappropriately. They were very careful in moving furniture and boxes. We stayed out of their way but were around for any questions they had. They finished around 3:30 pm or so. The driver went through the inventory thoroughly. We sent them off with a $40 tip per person. Overall I was very impressed with their service and I would absolutely use them again and recommend them to others.
We found out the day before moving day that Planes could only deliver on the last day of our window (our window started 3 days after moving day as we needed that much time to drive down). Though this initially was disheartening, it was not a major problem. Apparently our stuff went into temporary storage for a few days until it was brought to us. We moved in early June, which is an extremely busy moving time. We used the extra days to spend time with family on the way and clean the place before the movers arrived.
As an aside - all of our communication was with our moving coordinator. We did not speak to Planes directly until they showed up on delivery day. Our moving coordinator was excellent, so this was actually a benefit.
Delivery Day:
We were given a window of 8-10 am. They showed up around 9:30 - 1 driver and 3 other movers. Shuttle service was a part of our move (as we were moving into the city). Again - very professional, hardworking, courteous, and friendly. They had to park 2 car lengths down from our front door. There is a set of stairs to get into the apt and we have a duplex. They unloaded everything in 1.5 hrs. Most furniture and the bed were unwrapped in the truck and moved that way. They put everything where we wanted it and coordinated getting a king size bed up a narrow flight of stairs. My husband and I held the inventory sheet. Everything arrived, and very few things were damaged (mostly minimal damage). We learned a few things from these guys on how to left heavy things. They put together the bed and any other furniture that had been disassembled, and removed any shrink wrap from the couches (in the apartment). We provided soft drinks and snacks during the move and sent them off with a $25 tip per person.
Among the damaged items: 2 champagne flutes were crushed (very delicate), a few tops of our plastic bins were cracked (but the contents were fine), there were a few scratches/chips on bookshelves (minimal) and footboard, small crack in the side of the dresser, and a small dirty spot on our couch where there was a rip in the shrink wrap (easily cleaned - the couch was not ripped).
We were charged the full amount of our GNTE (a few days before the move) and not a penny more, but I should be getting the weight tickets and such in the mail shortly (I was told that this will take a few weeks to process - especially if our weight is under and we are getting $ back). I don't know what our actual weight was, but I will know soon.
Overall we were VERY pleased with both agents. We have already been sent a claims form, which we will fill out ( we have 9 months) - though the damage was minimal. I would recommend both agents and would use them again without hesitation.
Thanks again to everyone on this forum. Our move was a success thanks to the information and advice offered here.
