Great Moving Service
Michael Byrd
Submitted this review about
LIGHTNING VANLINES
Review made Live: 10/18/2011 8:58:00 PM
Y'know how it's really nice when you get married and your friends and family buy you everything that's on your wedding registry? It's super nice, until the time comes to move it all!
I heard about Lightning Vanlines from a friend who used them a few weeks prior and she loved them. For this move, we were moving a 2-bedroom apartment, including tons and tons of books. It's just me and Hubby, and he was traveling away on business for 10 days (conveniently around the move...) so I was stuck organizing it all by myself, while also having a full time job. I knew I wouldn't have time to pack everything, so I hired Winter Movers to help pack the kitchen as well.
XXXBefore The Move
From the start, I knew Lightning Vanlines were a good idea. I called them to get an estimate and they were very clear and straightforward and explained really well how they do estimates so they end up pretty accurate. I also needed to get a parking permit to park a moving truck in front of the apartment building I was moving out of - Lightning Movers organized this end-to-end so I didn't have to worry about this detail at all! During the estimate call, they told me they will call me a day or two before the move to confirm everything is still on, that I haven't changed the date, etc. etc. As promised, they called me on Wed (my move was on Friday) and gave me a heads up about when they'd be arriving, how many people, gave me phone numbers to contact, etc.
XXXMoving Day!
On the day of the move, movers showed up on time, at 9:00am SHARP! They came up to the apartment to introduce themselves, ask me details about the building (elevator, stairs, etc.) and see what needs to be moved. They also brought all the move paperwork double-checked with me that everything was in order. The three movers were Adam, Renato and Fernando. Adam would stay up in the kitchen packing all the fragile items there while Renato and Fernando started moving things to the truck and disassembling some of the furniture that needed to be disassembled (namely bed and desks).
These guys move FAST! Before I realized, Renato and Fernando had all the book boxes in the truck. One of my cats was hiding under the bed (sneaky cat!) so they were super careful about not letting the cat escape while at the same time moving items out of the room. It was like an elaborate moving dance! These guys are definitely experienced in moving and a household with two cats wasn't news to them.
BTW, they bring their own wardrobe boxes, so you don't need to pack your closet - they will pack your stuff into wardrobe boxes and unpack as well! They also bring packing material to pack computer monitors and TV, in case you require that.
I think it's important to point out here that moving day can be really really stressful and annoying and what can add to that stress is basically strangers moving all your stuff. This moving company is amazing, though, possibly the best moving company in SF! I swear they've all got A+ in classes on Great Social Skills and Advanced Small Talk! What could've been an extremely stressful day ended up being mainly an inconvenient but mostly alright day spent in good company with guys who were always professional and careful.
The movers took small breaks throughout the day, but were extremely careful about letting me know when they're off-the-clock. Not that I would think they were slacking - they were working so fast!
There is no elevator at the place I was moving to. Instead: two flights of daunting stairs! This is no obstacle, however, to this great moving company! They started with doing a quick scan of the new place and some instructions from me regarding where stuff would go and started moving things in. It was going really quick! The couch slowed them down slightly as they had to stop to take off one of its legs to fit it thru a narrow door, but they had the proper tools, so it went pretty fast regardless.
In the meantime, Adam and I were unpacking the kitchen items. They were providing all the boxes and packing materials for fragile kitchen items, fancy china and glassware, but said they wouldn't charge me for those if we manage to unpack them and they could take the boxes away. (Which is really a win-win - I didn't want to have to deal with the remaining boxes and packing material!)
The entire move took just under 12 hours! They were driving away right about 9pm. Once again, they were very professional about payment and making sure that I understand completely what I'm paying for. These guys are for real!
Overall, this is probably the number one moving company I have ever dealt with! What I needed was a moving company that would get the job done (moving everything and packing and unpacking some things) and get some of the miscellaneous things done as well (getting the parking permit and providing sane estimates).
Because of their courteous and friendly attitude, this move turned out awesome! Best movers in town! Thanks, Adam, Renato and Fernando!
