After reviewing 3 quotes I chose Best Price, and glad I did!
Ellen M
Submitted this review about
Best Price Moving and Storage
Review made Live: 2/22/2009 9:36:00 PM
When I decided to relocate from Illinois to Colorado I wanted to hire professional movers. About five weeks before the move I had two moving companies look-over my possessions to be moved and offer quotes. Although Best Price was somewhat higher in price than American Pro Moving, I went with them for a variety of reasons, and it turned out to be a good choice.
Getting Quotes
I originally intended to get quotes from three companies. But American Pro Moving and Nationwide Relocation Services offered similar prices to do the move, plus Best Price's agent was much more professional and organized than both the competitors. One big factor is that Best Price offered a Binding Quote, which meant the price would not go higher than 10%, but could go lower if the actual weight of the load was lower than estimated. I also liked how the Best Price's agent explained the whole process and exactly which steps I would need to take to make it a successful move.
Before the move
I made sure I packed everything so items were not rattling around and boxes would not mash down. Items that were hard to box-up got wrapped in shrink wrap. (Some items the mover will wrap, like furniture). Also, I confirmed the move date about two weeks ahead of time, just to make sure the mover remembered me.
Moving Day
A representative from Best Price (Mary) called the day before the move with a 2-hour window when they would arrive on moving day. They arrived on time the next day with a full-sized moving truck (there were other loads on the truck). They first double-checked which items would be moved, which should not be loaded, and laid-down protective covers on the carpets. Next, they went through and numbered every item with a small sticker. This is your inventory of contents. It took just under 4 hours to load everything, which included disassembling a queen-sized bed and boxing up both the mattress and box spring. The movers pointed out how some items were already scratched and/or dented before they touched them.
If you move in winter (like I did) be aware that the doors will be propped and it'll be very cold in the house. My dog was freezing and I had to move him to a room far from the doors. Also, it'll help to have all the boxes labeled for which room they will go to in the new location.
In the end the move-out went well. The movers and driver were reasonably courteous and careful about moving everything. I tipped the two movers and the driver $25 each, and gave the driver very specific directions to my new place. Mary called me a few hours later to confirm the pick-up, which I greatly appreciated. They called again a few hours later to say the load was weighed and the original price of $3,200 would ''only'' be $2,500. This largely occurred because I donated or threw out quite a few items I originally planned to move.
Delivery
I was given a 3-5 day window for delivery of the goods. The driver called the morning of the first possible day and said: ''I'll be there in 15 minutes''. Yikes! I had to run to the bank and get a Cashiers check for payment. In the meantime the driver and two movers scoped out how to move my stuff up to the second floor of an apartment building. I got lucky in that the road in front of my apartment was big enough to accommodate a full-sized truck. If it was too narrow they would have off- loaded everything onto a smaller truck and charged over $500 more!
At first I tried to keep track of each numbered item off-loaded by looking at the inventory of contents. However, I was soon overwhelmed with so much going on and gave up. But I did keep an eye out for specific items like the big furniture and some very important possessions I simply labeled ''Misc. Kitchen Supplies''.
Once everything was moved-in (I'm still wondering how they fit the mattress in the elevator) they reassembled the bed and helped move a few items into the specific rooms where I wanted them. Overall the movers were professional, and I tipped everyone $25 (the driver I ended up tipping on both ends of the move).
Overall
I was very happy with the service provided by Best Price. Only one minor item was broken (a $10 clock), they picked-up and delivered on time, and I was called to verify that everything was going as planned. In hindsight I may have been able to find a lower-priced mover by using a moving broker (BEWARE), but the good service and professionalism outweighed pinching pennies. Based on my experience I wouldn't hesitate to use Best Price Moving again.
