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Client: Peter
Date: April 2006
Move: San Diego CA to Longmont CO (30 mi N of Denver)
I was gonna use BE or ABF, but curbside tractor-trailer parking at my origin was a problem. Plus, the BE website's calculator said I'd need 7 feet but their minimum is 10, and I was nervous about ABF's non-air-ride trucks slamming my stuff around (and I dreaded the prospect of self-loading).
It was April 13, and close of escrow on my condo sale was April 24 -- no time for Tim's "How To Find A Reputable Mover" procedure. Based on good reviews here of Moovers (even the "bentpinkies" episode), I called them.
I emailed Jayson a detailed inventory -- he estimated me at 3000 lbs and gave me a "guaranteed not to exceed" ("GNTE") quote.
Deep breath, grit teeth, squeeze eyes shut ... I go with Moovers. I figured that with BE, their 10-ft minimum, hiring my own local labor, and whatever extra insurance BE offers, it would be more than Moovers, and I'd have to do the loading/unloading myself. As for ABF, I probably could've saved a few hundred dollars, but I just couldn't stomach the non-air-ride trucks.
I wanted loading on April 24, but Moovers could only do it April 21 (or 22 if delayed). My stuff was going into a self-storage unit on the other end, so I could let them be totally flexible on delivery (except I needed a couple days to drive to Colorado). Delivery window was April 27 to May 1. On April 17, Matt confirmed that loading would be on the 22nd (upstream customer requested a day's delay).
April 22, and Jack shows up 45 minutes early -- no big deal, let 'em get a headstart while I pack the last couple boxes. He also informs me that my load will go back to their SF Bay area HQ and be transferred to another trailer -- change from original direct-delivery plan. But they're supposed to be pros, so I'd just have to trust 'em to get everything. They're a small operation, so you gotta be flexible.
The local hired helper brought a friend along because he wanted to finish early, so I got two helpers for the price of one. All three were great. Jack even blanket-wrapped my beat-up aluminum stepladder -- "it might rub against something in the trailer" (I would've never thought of that).
They also moved a piano, a queen-size bed, and two overstuffed loveseats that I was leaving behind down to a storage room for a charity to pick up later -- no extra charge. All done in three hours. I bet it would've taken me six, and it wouldn't have been wrapped/packed anywhere nearly as well.
On April 25, Jayson tells me delivery will be April 28, weight was 2860 lbs, and final price was $2057.40 (including $149 "value protection"). Driver Keith calls me April 26 and we coordinate meeting time at my storage place. On D-day, he and John are there as scheduled. Everything's there and in great shape, except for one small item too trivial to take up space talking about here.
They get about a dozen boxes into my 5' X 10' storage unit, and it's obvious that they'd have to pack it totally full and way tall -- impossible to get anything out of without unpacking the whole friggin' stall. Luckily, the storage place has a 10' X 10' unit right across the corridor, so they moved those boxes into the 10' X 10' and finished unloading. Done in about two hours.
Jayson, Matt, Jack, and Keith were all unfailingly reachable, responsive, professional, and patient with all of my paranoid, persnickety questions.
Bottom line: in the future, I will only move with Moovers, Inc. unless it's just not possible. They are superb.
Salud, Peter |
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