Moving companies, what do you recommend?

I looked at PODS because I'm contemplating a long distance move and they were dirt cheap. I'm not planning on taking my furniture, but my tools/machinery and certain other things are going with me that aren't too large. Anything valuable will go with me in my van and it will be a simple get in, drive out there and find a place to live without having to worry about what to do with my stuff because they'll store it, securely.

 

PODS are great if you don't mind packing yourself. And pack it WELL. I'm pretty sure they're not responsible for any damage because they didn't pack it.

 

Right. I'm enough of a control freak that I would want to pack my own, anyway. Fortunately, what I plan to move isn't super fragile and what is, I'll repack to keep it from breaking.

 

I've moved several times with Long distance movers without issue. Only issue I ever had was when I tried to save a little and there was a "moving broker" who bid out my move. I paid $1,400 to the broker for a Las Cruces, NM to Olympia, WA move who then forwards the money to the moving company. The scum of the earth broker (Moving World from Denver, CO) then filed for bankruptcy when my belongings were enroute. I had to pay an additional $1,400 to the actual movers but I filed a claim with my bank and was covered for the original amount. Thing that enrages me the most was this happened to a couple dozen people with that company (per an Internet search) where they took the money knowing the were going out of business. Did another search a few years later the owner of The now defunct Moving World was in some other business.

So...deal directory with a reputable company and look up reviews on individual movers.

 

I had a friend who worked for Bekins. he didn't have anything bad to say about them, just an inordinate amount of people have baby grand pianos that they need moved.

that's the extent of my experience.

 

"I have a big box full of large chunks of lead- how much to move it from my 3rd floor walk-up to the 5th floor walk-up two doors down?".