Posted on 03/08/2012 8:33:06 AM PST by Nifster
I need to send some furniture to my daughter in Georgia. It is not a full sized load but rather one room's worth. I want to be sure it gets there as it has sentimental value (and is really nice furniture to boot).
Since I figure that FR is the location of some of the most knowledgeable people around I figured some of you might have a recommendation or two for me.
It would be good to know the ^starting^ point.
Rent a Uhaul and drive it. Probably the cheapest option.
BE careful....use a reputable firm....make sure they have insurance, and make sure you have copies of the list of items...and I’d take pictures of the items too, with dates. (I’ve moved about 10 times in 28 years.....have fired movers in the midst of move, etc. BE careful.
The big ones like Mayflower, Allied etc carry the best insurance and actually train their people.
Ive gone cheap and end up with a mess. Some of them will steal and intentionally damage.
In 1979 we moved a whole house full of furniture and stuff from Calif to WA State by UNITED. No complaints.
If you don’t mind loading container yourself, I would without a doubt go with ABF. They drop off the container and give you usually 3 business days to load it then pick it up and drop it off at the requested location. Of course your daughter will have to unload it at the other end. We used them to move from FL to NV and were highly impressed. We used two 6x7x8 foot containers (we gave away or sold a LOT before the move) and the total cost was a shade over $3,000. We checked with PODS and they wanted $5,000 per container and told us we’d need two of them. We opted for the ABF guys and couldn’t have been more pleased. Type in ABF freight in your search engine and check it out. Just remember to pack it high and tight. They have several different options but worth a look.
Atlas Van Lines. Have used them twice. No problems. Avoid “Bubba and Cousin Elwood” type operations.
There is no one who will take as good quality care, will be as careful moving, or be as careful driving as you.
Some will recommend U-Haul, and having moved from Austin to Seatle (U-haul caught fire), from Seatle back to Austin (had to unload/reload in Phoenix - transmission went out), and finally from South Austin to north Austin (had to again switch vehicles) I make it my point in life to bypass U-Haul. I’ve used Penske - they use NEW trucks - and have never had a problem since. Yes, a little more expensive; but spending a day with a broken vehicle and then unloading/reloading a vehicle to complete a trip will more than make up any ‘cost savings’ - and that doesn’t include the pain-in-the-butt of the unload/reload.
A freind used what appeared to be a reputable firm - no previous complaints, did work for the military, and recommended by a former client. It was incredible the number of problems involved, including overcharges contrary to the contract.
We use the pod. We pack it our selves, they pick up deliver and unpack it our selves.
If you care that much about this furniture, remember the adage, “If you want something done right, do it yourself.”
If you can’t drive it yourself, rent a uhaul and pay a friend to drive it for you.
Always moved via government contract. No issues.
Safety tip: Always feed/water the packers. . .I always buy them lunch from some fast-food place (I ask then what they prefer), and this usually gets you bonus points from the packers as they will take better care of your stuff if you show you are taking care of them.
For Uhaul all maintenance is done at the cost of the franchisee. So the place you rent from pays for maintenance.
So they dont do any maintenance unless they have to, which results in poorly maintained vehicles.
I have used uship.com in the past. Their service launched the show “Shipping Wars” on TV. You give the specifics of what you’re shipping. Be precise as you can. Where to where, give a time frame to pick up and deliver, etc. Members of the site will probably ask you more questions about the job. The members will have ratings. Since it’s one room, the shippers are always looking for loads to supplement others.
IF you have a max. price, list it…. they’ll make bids.
My recommendation: Rent a truck. Deliver it in person.
Try Greyhound. Seriously. I’m not trying to be cute.
We bought a rather large coffee table from a store in Virginia, and they shipped it to CA via Greyhound for $100.
Took about a week.
We’re former military, moved at least 25 times.
We retired a long time ago, but have moved cross country four times.
Considering cost of rental, fuel, travel, I would take a long serious look at my stuff and ask if it would be cheaper, easier to “sell out” and purchase replacements at destination.
Just a thought.
I apologize! Read without my glasses, and missed sentimental!
Happy shipping!
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