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So, what are your opinions about different methods for moving?
I'm leaning toward something like PODS or U-Pack, where they leave a big box in your driveway, let you pack it, and then drive it out for you. While it's definitely more expensive, I think it's probably worth it.
Is there anything I need to look out for with such a thing? Doe anybody know of any other companies which do this?
Are there any other options other than this and something like UHaul which I need to consider?
Posts: 16551 | Registered: Feb 2003
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If I'm going to do the packing and unpacking and moving of furniture myself, then I prefer to do the driving as well. Driving is really the least of my concerns. Now, having somebody actually move your stuff while you do nothing is a great luxury. It's expensive, though.
Posts: 13680 | Registered: Mar 2002
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You can hire someone to pack your truck for you and then you drive yourself. I know there are some local companies that do it here and the cost of that plus a U-Haul is still less that movers who do it all. That will be the way to go next time I move anyway. You can probably find similar service everywhere I'm guessing.
Posts: 1319 | Registered: Jul 2005
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My father keeps encouraging me to hire migrant workers (who hang out in the Home Depot parking lot at 7 in the morning looking for day labor) to do the packing for me, and that would be tons cheaper, but I have always felt vaguely incomfortable with that idea.
Posts: 13680 | Registered: Mar 2002
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They have those in your area? Wow, they really ARE migrating!
They're OK to use if you don't actually value the stuff you plan on moving. I might use them to move a mattress, but wouldn't let them come within twenty yards of my china cabinet.
Posts: 3486 | Registered: Sep 2002
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I think the issue for mph's family and doing the driving themselves is all the kids. I don't know if they have one or two family cars that they'll also have to move, but if mph is doing the driving, he's doing the whole way by himself with no one to spell him while bev is doing the whole way by herself in one of the cars with all the kids. For a 14 hour trip, I wouldn't want to be in either of those positions. Now, if one of his brothers could drive up in the u-haul with him or something, that would help.
The other advantage of PODS over u-haul is they'll leave the unit for you well in advance, and you can take your time filling it. (I think? I know I've seen them sitting outside of houses in my neighborhood for a week at a time, don't know if that's an extra charge.) For moving a whole house, I think that would be a big advantage, to be able to fill as you go, instead of having to have everything packed and ready, pick up the truck, fill it, drive, empty it and return the truck.
So, if I'm right about the driving issues, and depending on the cost differential, I'd lean towards the PODS method. Unless it was enough more expensive that it's not worth the conveneince.
Posts: 7954 | Registered: Mar 2004
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Declare that you are hosting a big Hatrack Utah-Con, and when everyone shows up, show them where the boxes, bubble wrap and packing tape are.
Posts: 10397 | Registered: Jun 2005
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I was trying to think about a company that was owned and operated by college students (this was a while back). I'm not sure if this is it. Otherwise, if you offer up free beer, I just might be able to show up (well not really, but hey).
Posts: 2208 | Registered: Feb 2004
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I moved about the same distance not too long ago. (not long enough for prices to have changed - if they have, probably they've gone down with fuel cost)
I looked at U-Haul. The cost of the just using their truck, not even with tolls I'd need to pay or gas sounded outrageous to me!
I called three moving companies (edit: to get estimates). In the long run, it cost me less than the U-haul estimate to have some pretty cool (they chatted it up with my grandmother which makes you cool in my book) guys carry my stuff from my second floor apt, make a second stop at my G-Mom's AND move it all in to the new place. Move it in, not just plop it where ever, but walk in and ask where do I want this to be.
Really - I (with the help of my parents cause even though i'm grown i can't help but go to them for advice) explored a whole lot of options. Getting the movers worked out to be less expensive. They gave me an estimate (which we then estimated to be about 300 more than what it'd be to rent the uhaul plus gas plus tolls). They flat out told me they estimate the cubic weight on the high side. I got a 500 credit to the card after the fact. Plus, I didn't have to move the things up the stairs, down the stairs, etc.
It was a great experience for me, hiring the movers. I thought at first like, 'who am i to be hiring movers, paying people to move my things'... it wasn't like that. I'll do it again when I move another time.
Posts: 1355 | Registered: Jul 2006
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Porter, I told my husband the last time we moved that the next time, we would have those people who come in and pack every last item, label it, and unpack it on the other end.
So, we have to be wealthy if we move.
There is no way, other than that, that is not painful for me even to think about.
Posts: 10890 | Registered: May 2003
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quote:Originally posted by Elizabeth: we would have those people who come in and pack every last item, label it, and unpack it on the other end.
That I've never done. I always packed all my own boxes. The movers packed up the furniture and appliances, and did all the shlepping.
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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I've done it rivka's way once and loved it. When my dad got transferred from Michigan to Georgia, the company paid for his moving expenses. They got a company that packed up their house for them. They went so far as to pack woodscraps and sawdust from my dad's workshop. o_O
Posts: 4077 | Registered: Jun 2003
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When my family moved from Texas to Louisiana, we had the movers pack the house. I heard one of the advantages for the company is that the average person doesn't know how to pack so things end up breaking and then they have cranky new homeowners whining. Course, this company did end up putting huge gouges in our 200-year old dining table.
I thought it was weird though. I felt very uncomfortable watching strangers go through my room and pack my stuff.
I've gone the U-Haul route before but only when moving my bed and other furniture from my parents' house to my school apartment. The drive was only four hours and we were able to pack, unpack, and return the truck in a day. My dad did have some problems with the truck mechanically but I followed in my own car in case it died completely on us.
For a big household and for a drive that long, yeah, U-Haul so not the way to go.
Posts: 1733 | Registered: Apr 2005
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We moved about 1500 miles in Feb. Luckily my husband's company paid and the movers did everything, including packing, for us. This I liked, except for the fact that I had no idea where stuff was during the unpacking process. Boxes were labeled by room, and even then weird stuff ended up together.
Still, this was the best way.
But we also have moved 3000 miles using a system where you rent out space in a huge semi-truck, paying by the amount of floor space used. They dropped it off, we packed ourselves, they drove it. This proved economical, if not totally convenient. Sounds similar to this PODS thing. If money is your deciding factor, I'd got with the POD.
Posts: 293 | Registered: Sep 2006
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LJ is mostly right about our situation. Although the drive is a nominal 14 hours, in reality it's more like 16 with all four kids. That's more driving than I'd either of us to do alone in either the UHaul or with the kids.
Buying this land out in Oregon is going to be quite a financial stretch for us, so we want to minimize moving expenses as much as possible, so having people move us is not an option.
quote:The other advantage of PODS over u-haul is they'll leave the unit for you well in advance, and you can take your time filling it. (I think? I know I've seen them sitting outside of houses in my neighborhood for a week at a time, don't know if that's an extra charge.) For moving a whole house, I think that would be a big advantage, to be able to fill as you go, instead of having to have everything packed and ready, pick up the truck, fill it, drive, empty it and return the truck.
Absolutely. In fact, that's the entire reason why I first investigated the PODS, so that we wouldn't have to scrounge around for friends and family to do all the packing in one long, miserable day.
U-Pack will drop off a trailer, let you fill it yourself, and then drop it off at your place. That looks really nice, but when I used their calculator to try to figure out how much space we'd probably use, it said that for homes as big as ours, we should call and speak directly with a consultant. >.<
Posts: 16551 | Registered: Feb 2003
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U-Haul is a lot cheaper when you know how to disconnect an odometer.
(And you drive it back and return it to the same location. And you sweet-talk the franshise into letting you keep it more than one day.)
Posts: 13680 | Registered: Mar 2002
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quote:it said that for homes as big as ours, we should call and speak directly with a consultant. >.<
>.< is right. That's seldom a good sign, price-wise. The only plus is there will be room for negotiation. You can play PODS off against U-Pack.
Posts: 26071 | Registered: Oct 2003
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quote:U-Haul is a lot cheaper when you know how to disconnect an odometer. [Embarrassed]
I think they'd catch on if you pick it up in Utah, drop it off in Oregon, and the odometer says 5 miles. Posts: 26071 | Registered: Oct 2003
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I have been trying to convince Porter that we ought to do the U-Haul and not the PODS. While U-Haul may seem expensive for small moves, the price jump as truck size goes up is quite reasonable. The biggest truck they have is bigger than Budget's biggest, and looks like it is actually big enough for our house.
The gas estimate doesn't look too bad, and you get to have the truck for 5 "free" days. Any days beyond that are $50 or so. So, if we wanted the U-Haul truck for an extended period, the way Porter hopes to use the PODs, it would take quite a few days before the U-Haul price got higher than the PODs price. (PODs are about 3 times as expensive as U-Haul, from the research I have done.)
My thought is, just how many extra days do we *really* need it? I'd rather pack the truck in one or two backbreaking days, like ripping off a bandaid, than trying to get people to help for days and days on end. Many hands make light work, and we have some good resources here for help. We've already filled a bedroom in Porter's parents' house with enough stuff that the house now has more space to put other boxes that we will pack.
I am convinced that U-Haul is the way to go, but Porter disagrees.
Edit: Oh, and I was just looking at their website, and they offer a host of services, driving help, cleanup, packing, loading, etc.
quote:Originally posted by beverly: Oh, and I was just looking at their website, and they offer a host of services, driving help, cleanup, packing, loading, etc.
Actual services offered by a specific UHaul location vary HUGELY. Do not believe what the website says either; call the particular location and speak to a manager.
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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Porter was giving some additional reasons why PODs and the like might be better. He has some good points.
Posts: 7050 | Registered: Feb 2004
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I came up with a new set of 12 steps replacing "alcohol" with "desire to kill spouse" during our last move. It worked for me, but in general these things are not worth getting so emotional about.
Posts: 11017 | Registered: Apr 2003
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Once you are actually paying for movers, if you get the right company it's not that much more to have them pack you out. My new apartment building paid for the movers for a specific number of hours this time around and I only used them for that long. Next time I move, I'm going to hire a company and they can pack me out and everything. It was much less stressful, and since I live on the third floor of a walk-up, it's easier on the knees.
Posts: 1214 | Registered: Aug 2005
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I've moved a lot in the last 15 years or so and I have done it every way possible. Uhaul just isn't a good way to move a big house on your own. The PODS or like idea sounds to me like your best economical option in the long run. The stress of the drive with the Uhaul alone would lead me to go with the PODS solution or a moving company.
Good luck with the move Posts: 871 | Registered: Jul 2006
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I agree. Sell and get rid of absolutely everything you can. You don't need half your stuff.
The pod is a great idea. There are a shady things going on in interstate movers where they pack and drive, and it can be a terrible experience. I didn't do the POD thing when I moved to D.C. but my moving experience was simply awful, despite me carefully signing contracts and getting reccomendations. They basically charged me half again of the promised price, did not honor the original contract, demanded cash, and held my stuff until I paid. I'll never do that again.
If you have the manpower to haul furniture on both ends, have them drive the POD for you.
Posts: 26077 | Registered: Mar 2000
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We used ABF when we moved across the country (family of 5) and we had a great experience with them. They dropped the trailer part of the truck off at our house, we packed it and then they picked it up/delivered it on schedule. For us it was the most cost effective and we were happy with them as a company. Might be something for you to check out. Good luck, this is exciting for you!
Posts: 697 | Registered: Nov 2005
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We took a huge load of stuff to DI on Saturday. I imagine we will take at least one other load just as huge.
You know, I just love craigslist. I have only recently been checking it out. It really gives me a lot of confidence in getting rid of some of our stuff here and the idea that we can get stuff as good or better there. For example, we have greatly enjoyed our king-size bed, but Porter is a bit too tall even for that. So we thought we'd leave our king-size here for someone to have and get ourselves a California king when we get to Oregon.
It seems, though, that there are certian furniture items that are really hard to find, that people hang onto them as long as they can. Among these are shelving, wardrobes, and dressers. I think we'd better hang onto those, even though ours aren't good quality.
Yeah, ABF is starting to look more attractive. Having to drive a truck as well as our car just brings a whole mess of problems that would be good to not have to deal with.
Posts: 7050 | Registered: Feb 2004
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I don't think I've ever had a good experience with UHaul. There's always something wrong with the equipment or truck. The last two times I've moved I've used Penske, and had very good experiences. If you have a AAA membership, they can actually be cheaper than UHaul, and the trucks are so much better quality. The downside is that there aren't as many locations.
California kings are awesome beds. And these days getting sheets to fit them is only slightly harder than getting for a regular king -- not bad at all.
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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quote:I am convinced that U-Haul is the way to go, but Porter disagrees.
Uhaul is the devil, Beverly.
Their truck broke down on us when we moved from Utah to Virginia-- it took an act of Congress to convince them to repair it. When it broke down again, two hours after we'd fixed it, I had to practically threaten them ("I'm a WRITER, durnnit! I can make your life a living Heck!") to get it replaced.
These were different regional offices we were dealing with. I don't know of anyone who has good things to say about Uhaul's customer service.
Posts: 14554 | Registered: Dec 1999
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I keep trying to come up with something to threaten you with to get you to knock it off, but I cannot come up with any that have any teeth.
Posts: 16551 | Registered: Feb 2003
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Paring down as much as possible and using PODs sounds like a really smart way to go, to me.
Good luck, guys. Moving is always such a bear. But you'll have so much fun setting things to rights and nesting down in your new place.
----
Edited to add: we move again on Wednesday, but we have so little that it will only take a few hours. Such a relief. harder to pare down so much when you have kids, though.
Posts: 14017 | Registered: May 2000
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It doesn't bother me Rivka. I'm just giving you a hard time. Sorry for the miscommunication. I should have used a winking smiley.
Posts: 16551 | Registered: Feb 2003
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PODS seemed to work well for my Brother-in-law (2yr old and 3 month old), coming from NC to PA. Of course, they didn't have a house to move into right when they got there, so the offsite storage ability of the PODS was a big plus.
Posts: 5422 | Registered: Dec 2001
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We actually had an awful experience with Penske not fixing a truck that had smoke pouring from under the hood I wouldn't recommend them either based on my experience.
Whomever you end up going with, I'd research them with something like www.movingscam.com It seemed like we looked at a site like this and it had info regarding the number of unresovled "issues"/complaints each company had. (FYI I didn't mess around with this one too much though)
Good luck some more!
Posts: 697 | Registered: Nov 2005
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PODS ended up being as expensive as hiring movers when we looked into it in TX (moving 1500 miles from Dallas to L.A.), the only advantages being you have more time to get stuff packed and you're doing it yourself so you can do it the way you want it done (and not let people into your home, if that's important to you.)
We ended up with me taking the baby (one at the time) on a one-way flight (a little early 'cause it was cheaper) and my husband driving a U-Haul and towing the car on a car-carrier. The cats rode with him and they stayed in pet-friendly motels on their two overnights (being the only person in the truck, he didn't want to push it, so he drove for 3 days even though he probably could have made it in 2.)
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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PODS -- $3400 UPACK -- $2500 UHAUL -- $1500 (including gas and a hotel stay)
PODS is the only one that will give us free extra time to pack. UPACK will give us more than 2 days at a rate of $75/day, and UHAUL will do it at a rate of $50/day.
As much as I don't want to drive a UHAUL, I think I might be willing to do it for $1000.
posted
So.. but that means you pretty much have to have everything ready to go and just pack it all the truck when you pick it up, right? No leaving the truck in the driveway a couple of days and gradually packing....
..which I think would be difficult for a whole houseful of furniture, etc.
Good luck. I hope you have lots of friends around there to help. I would help lift and carry if I were there...
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I wouldn't recommend them either based on my experience. ![[Grumble]](graemlins/grumble.gif)
