When was the last time you heard someone rave about a positive experience they had with a moving company? I never got to see my parents’ wedding China because it was smashed in their moving truck, my mother-in-law’s couch was ruined in her last move and a few months ago my co-worker was charged three times her estimate by her moving company. Moving companies can be extremely unpredictable as well as frustrating for your sanity and your wallet. Moving is an expensive season in life and the last thing you want to spend money on is replacing the items you already own and love.
The following four moving companies have different are highlighted for local moves, luxury moves, and long-distance moves.
Bellhops
If you are moving locally and have a one or two-bedroom home try out Bellhops. Bellhops is a start-up moving company that originated in Chattanooga Tennessee. Have you ever heard of Southern Hospitality? Imagine a moving company that was founded on those very principles. The moving teams are made up of college students at top universities in Birmingham, Phoenix, Denver, Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, Atlanta, Indianapolis, Louisville, Baltimore, Kansas City, Saint Louis, Charlotte, Raleigh, Durham, Chapel-Hill, Columbus, Pittsburgh, Charleston, Chattanooga, Knoxville, Nashville, Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, Richmond and growing to many more.
Bellhops’ website user friendly and makes it easy to specify your moving details so you can see an estimate without ever having to make a phone call. Bellhops is an excellent option to use for moving homes as well as just moving items to a storage unit. Bellhops works best if you are moving locally but if the stars align and you happen to be moving from one of the 28 cities they service to another one of their 28 cities, Bellhops will take care of moving your items in and out of your home but the catch is that you must provide the vehicle and also be the one to drive. Bellhops only provides their 16-foot truck for local moves in Atlanta, Austin, Chattanooga, and Nashville. If you just want to use Bellhops to load up your truck because you trust their efficiency and careful service, you can hire them for a “Labor Only” move in any of their 28 cities.
Bellhops charges a flat fee for the moving truck and are straightforward with their estimates. Their estimates will still average $350 but the upside to using them is that there will be no surprise fees accrued by the end of the move and they guarantee themselves as reliable movers.
Black Tie Moving
If you are moving locally, have a large home with expensive items and don’t mind paying for quality service, Black Tie Moving is your team. Black Tie Moving company is the whole package no matter where you live. This five-year-old business has been able to establish incredible rapport in a very short time. Not to mention their customer service is off the chain. As a luxury moving and relocation company, Black Tie Moving found a niche clientele and has served them so well that their growth evolved exponentially.
Black Tie Moving services clients in various capacities including residential, commercial, international, specialized and storage moves. The Black Tie Moving company is a boutique-style moving company personalizing each move from A-Z. The same individuals who come to pack up your home are the same individuals who drive and deliver your belongings safely to your new home. As a client, you know exactly where your belongings are at all times.
Their reviews on Google, Yelp, Angie’s List and BBB prove that this company is respectable and trustworthy but their high level of service doesn’t come cheap. To get an estimate you must call in and speak directly to a representative, don’t be afraid of their representatives though, they are pleasant to say the least. You will soon see that the costs of this service add up when you count the truck’s mileage, per person hourly wage and hourly load time, travel/trip expenses, necessary hotel arrangements, and efficient delivery. With all the expenses adding up quickly many might stomach the rates solely for the $100,000 accidental damage insurance policy they offer to each client that is nearly unheard of in the moving industry.
Black Tie Moving is not the most cost-effective option especially if you have few belongings and are moving thousands of miles. A small move from Dallas to Denver could be somewhere from $5000-$7000 but the quality of service is priceless in may minds.
Two Men And A Truck
If you have a good friend who highly recommends your specific Two Men and a Truck Franchise you can try them out. The next best thing to a personal experience is a best friend’s personal experience. Two Men and a Truck have a 96% referral rate which means Two Men and a Truck have a pretty freaking good reputation. What is tough about Two Men and a Truck though is that it is a franchise which means there are countless owners that will run each company differently and each staff will be different as well. This variation can, in turn, deliver inconsistencies with levels of service from city to city. Two Men and a Truck is the largest franchised moving company in the United States and have locations in almost every state so the chances of having a Two Men and a Truck company accessible to you is likely, but we only recommend them if you have done your research and know personal references.
Two Men and a Truck assists with residential and commercial moves and rates vary depending on independent franchises. It is hard to get a clear answer and clear estimate how much you will be charged but the general answer they give is that they charge your move by weight and mileage. Their insurance policy is iffy and also vague. If items break they first try and repair them, if unfixable they compensate you for the current value. The only expense estimate they make clear is that they will deliver boxes to your home for free if you spend a minimum of $50 on purchasing boxes from them.
The saving grace of Two Men and A Truck is they report to have excellent referral ratings and the fact that you don’t have to drive your own truck. If Two Men and a Truck are one of your few options available to you make sure you do your homework in your specific city; it is absolutely critical to study others’ experiences with a particular company before you regret it.
U-Pack
If you are moving a long distance and don’t mind using a little elbow grease of your own, U-pack is your guy. U-Pack is a different kind of moving company that specializes in long-distance moving. We would not recommend them if you are moving locally because their pricing strategy does not complement local moves well. Their goal is to try and be the most cost-effective way to move your belongings long distances, safely. With U-pack you rent the truck, pack it as you please, they drive the truck filled with your belongings to your new home and then you unload. In our opinion, if you don’t mind packing up your truck or you have friends who can help you, it is a good idea to let a professional take the wheel. Trucks and trailers can be dangerous to drive and are not like maneuvering a normal car. Driving down your street for the last time has enough baggage sitting on your mind, you don’t need to be carrying literal baggage in an unevenly weighted truck.
One thing that is important to note. Their prices vary depending on the popularity of the moving season. In the summer costs will increase somewhere from 20-40%. For one studio apartment moving 800 miles from Dallas to Denver, you will be charged over $1000 (which is a pretty good deal). In the summer months, you could be charged almost $2000. A local move in the same city could be almost $500. If you aren’t up for the job of physically moving your items in and out of your home, call up Bellhops. These two companies would be a good duo to get your job done.
My Utilities is always here for our users and want to make each move as simple as possible. We want to find you the best deals on utilities and help you make informed purchase decisions in the most efficient way possible.
