Smooth Move
Kris Balakrishnan
Submitted this review about
Great American Van Lines
Review made Live: 8/28/2014 12:38:00 PM
I was very apprehensive about the move and had been researching for a while. It was a 2 bedroom townhome to a 2 bedroom apartment- both in NJ at a distance of about 45 miles. I went through mymovingreviews, google+ reviews, Moverreviews, BBB complaints, https://www.protectyourmove.gov. I had quotes ranging from 500 to 2000. Reading the reviews, I figured there is no one company that has completely satisfied all their customers. I chose great american ( they were listed #5 in moverreviews.com) - I had been talking to them for a week but confirmed the move on Thursday for a Saturday move. The BBB rating was not at the top but they had a lot of favorable reviews. Movers came in on a leased truck - which they explained as operational effeciency. The movers were Steve, Freddie and Al. Steve explained everything in detail and up front and reviewed what I had to take. I tipped them partially in advance ( they did refuse but I asked them to take it and told them itsjust to get them started).They quickly started to work and were very careful in making sure that both the furniture as well as the property were not damaged. It was 3 men and a big truck...all three were working and the entire move from 2 storey townhome to a high rise apartment that was about 45 min drive was completed in 4 hours. No damages and no issues. My king bed mattress became dirty on the side and they pointed that out - I was okay with it since it was not that bad and it will be covered. Lesson learnt is to use a mattress cover in future ( either buy one on your own or buy from the movers probably about 30 bucks).
I would highly recommend this moving company - but do note that my experience has been with this set of people ( Steve, Freddie and Al) - These guys are great!
Moving is stressful - my advice from my experience
- very few companies offer physical visits for estimates. No guarantee that they wont charge extra after that anyway..as per reviews I have read.
- Pick a moving company with most favorable reviews and look for ones who have done moves similar to your move..I was not looking for movers whose reviews were primarily out of state moves...mine was a local move.
-Inventory review is primarily to calculate the number of hours required for the move. Be clear and include everything that you may want to move and try to get that listed in the quote. If you choose not to move something later it is fine. Also make sure that the moving company charges you only for the hours it took even if the esimate was for more number of hours. Get all these in email.
- Ask them about the trucks, if they outsource the job, availability of trucks
- It gets more stressful if you have to move on the day scheduled. If you are open about the move, you can usually have the upper hand when it comes to scheduling. If the company gives you the runaround on the day of the move, you can always cancel/hold the deposit paid by CC and call a different company. Not everyone has this choice but if you have it make use of it.
- Most important...keep the movers happy :) In addition to the tip, I got some donuts and water/drink. Tip them well...
I dont usually do reviews but I was stuck between a $2000 BBB accredited mover with a rating of A+ and Great American...and I chose Great American...Reviews helped me to choose and I am just giving back. Hope this is helpful to someone who is trying to move.
