A Move From Hell

Posted on March 13, 2010 by admin

EAST ISLIP, N.Y. (WABC) -- Every room of the Barber family's East Islip home is bare. The reason? Tina Barber says all her family's possessions are being held hostage by a moving company.

The family of four moved from Phoenix Arizona last summer, hiring a small California company they found on the internet, called Swift Moving and Storage. They had the mover store their goods until October when their house was ready.

"I just called looking for my belongs," said flustered homeowner, Tina Barber. "I could not get in touch with anybody. I just called and called. I started panicking."

"what happened was the company went bankrupt," added Tina's husband George. "And they gave all our furniture to another company without letting us know."

After an exhaustive 4 month search, Tina tracked the other company who had her goods. It was Hackensack-based Sovereign Trucking. But, there was a catch.

"We must pay him an additional $12,000. It was just crazy. Sovereign's rep told, you don't pay the money, we auction your stuff and the end of the month and that was it."

So we visited the Hackensack office of Sovereign Trucking. But it's rep wouldn't talk on camera. But over the phone, it's owner agreed to cut his price in half to around $6,300.

We got the head of New Jersey's Warehousemen and Movers Association involved, who called Sovereign directly. "They are entitled to some compensation," said Mr. Russo. "It is fair but the amount they are entitled to is going to depend on the paperwork."

But Sovereign never produced an agreement between the original mover, Swift a possible violation of federal regulations.

And last week, a federal investigator paid Sovereign a visit just to talk about the Barber's bill. And he was successful in getting it pared down to just $2,000.

And we were there when George went to East Rutherford to retrieve his family's life. But bad news for George. "Everything is damaged. Everything was neglected from water damage or just thrown. Everything just busted and ruined."

Every dresser scratched, every bed broken. But what was most important possessions, the family's photo albums, somehow survived in tact.

Even though the original company went out of business, we found out it still had insurance so the Barber family is going to try to pursue a claim through the insurance company and hope some of this will be covered. ----

Story by: Nina Pineda

How Moving Truck Rentals Can Be A Cheap Moving Option

Posted on March 29, 2009 by jburnham

Hopefully this little article can show you how moving truck rentals can be a cheap moving option for you.

There is no doubt, in some circumstances, that renting moving trucks from the likes of U-Haul, Penske or Budget can save you money when moving. But this is not a hard and fast rule. In fact, I would never recommend you using one of these big trucks when moving across the country. You can hire professional movers cheaper or near the same cost as it would doing the move yourself with a rented moving truck.

But if you are moving within the state (depending on the state) or even locally renting a moving truck and doing the move yourself can and will save you money.

To illustrate the expenses that you may encounter when using a moving truck lets look at the costs and hidden costs of a do it yourself move with a moving truck rental:

Truck rental (daily or flat rate for long distance)
Insurance ( you can waive the insurance in some cases)
Fuel (always at the mercy of the markets on this one; and the trucks are NOT good at fuel economy)
Mileage (if you are moving locally companies usually charge a $1.00/mile)
Labor to load/unload (that is if you hire the labor, or you can family and friends to help)
Hotel (if you traveling across the country, you may want to have a hotel -- especially traveling with little kids)
Food (this expense is reserved for the long distance moves from state to state)
Car trailer (many times you may have to haul your car behind the truck)
Time off work (especially when moving across the country you are losing money when not working)
Health costs (if you hurt yourself you have may the medical bills yourself)
Damaged possessions (if you do it yourself you can't make an insurance claim and get it replaced...it going to happen)

What usually happens when people choose this route they only look at the cost of the moving truck and when they compare that to the estimates they have gotten from the professional movers they say to themselves, "Oh we can do it ourselves for far cheaper" without realizing the full cost behind doing the move themselves. I don't want you falling into that trap. I want you to fully educated on how moving truck rentals can be a cheap moving option.

Local Moving:

When you are moving locally renting a moving truck yourself is the best option if you are trying to save money. I would not recommend this option, however, if you have a large home of 3 bedrooms or more. The time and effort precludes any savings. It would be better to hire a professional mover.

I have seen it over and over again where it has taken several days for the these large moves to load and unload the moving truck rental. You get charged by the day for these trucks and that will add up, so for larger moves call a mover it will save you time and money.

You also need to take in account mileage costs. Most moving truck rental companies charge $1.00/mile. So lets say you are moving 10 miles away that $10 for the mileage there, but don't forget you are also paying for the mileage to get the truck to the old home and the mileage back to the rental store. And if you have to make multiple trips from on house to the other that cost adds up.

That being said, if you are in apartment and you aren't moving far this could be a great money saver for you. Even if you hire out labor to load/unload the truck it can save you $100's.

But don't rent a moving truck and do the move yourself if you are going to:

Move a large home, or
move more than 20 miles

Long Distance Moving:

By renting the truck and moving long distance may sound appealing and on the surface it may look like a great deal but the facts are you could hire a professional mover to do the move for close to the same price or even cheaper than doing it yourself.

Look above again and check out the costs involved in renting moving trucks. There are a lot of costs and hidden costs associated with doing a move yourself. But if you have the help to load and unload the truck, or can do it yourself and are willing to drive then straight through to destination, then yes, you could save yourself a lot of money.

But be honest with yourself. Are you truly willing to do this work and are you prepared for the stress of it, because it will be stressful both emotionally and physically. Some people can handle this and God bless them, but most can't.

Just make sure you weigh all the options and factors before embarking a long distance move with a moving truck rental. You may be in more than you bargained for.

U-Haul Moving Truck Rentals:

U-Haul by far t is the largest of all the moving truck rental companies out there and it is the most well known. But in my opinion also the most risky and expensive. That being said, if you know how to avoid many of those costs, and your moving locally only, then I say U-Haul is your cheapest bet versus the other companies.

U-Haul has so many hidden costs when it comes to renting a truck from them. Sure they advertise $39/day for a large moving truck (26 foot) but that is a lie. First off, they only give you so many hours with your rental. Its a not a full 24 hours. If you rent a truck from them, they will expect it back in about 6 hours (for local moves). Go past that limit and they may start hounding you, and in some cases even threatening to call the cops. I have seen it happen and have had it happen to me.

Plus the insurance is ungodly high and they will tack it on to your cost without informing you. And insurance will cost as much as the truck or more. SO that $39 is now close to $80 (ouch!). Plus they charge an enviromental fee. And don't forget the $1.00/mile mileage charge.

Another very sneaky tactic they use is blankets and dolly. Many of their trucks have dollies and blankets already in the truck and I have found them often to be in the way. But break that seal and it is an automatic charge of nearly $20.

So you can see by renting a moving truck from U-Haul may look cheap in the end the cost of that truck can easily be over $100 not including mileage and fuel charges.

Another negative is that U-Haul has a very bad reputation in regards their maintenance of their fleet. Their trucks break down often and the service is very slow to fix the problem. I have seen take days all the while you are being charged the daily rental fees.

Just go online and look at the horror stories by people that have rented U-Hauls. It is a lot.

Just be sure to do your homework first. Be safe and be aware.

Penske Moving Truck Rentals:

In my humble opinion I believe if you are going to rent a moving truck then you should rent from Penske.

Penske as comparable rates to U-Haul but without all of the hidden fees. Plus I have found that the service tends to be much friendlier. With U-Haul it seems they find reason NOT to rent to you.

Penske also hands down has the better maintained and newer trucks.

The only real flaw with Penske trucks, especially with their big ones is that the fuel mileage is not as good as U-Haul's. Even though they both are bad, Penske seems to get even worse fuel economy. It seems st odds with what I said just a little earlier but that is what I have found to be true. Your experience may be different.

I do not recommend Penske for the shorter local moves because of the costs. U-Haul is the best option here when it comes to money. But I am willing to pay a little extra for the better service and better maintained trucks.

The really cool thing about Penske which is a secret is that they are willing to negotiate on price of their trucks, especially on mileage costs. They won't bring it up so you'll have to mention it to them obviously. Just simply ask them, "what kind of discount can I get on mileage?" And I think you can find you can bargain them down to below that of U-Haul. Give it a try and write me back and let know your results.

Budget Moving Truck Rentals:

The last of the notable moving truck rental companies is Budget.

But truthfully you are set between U-Haul and Penske. Budget really doesn't bring anything to the table.

I personally never consider Budget. There are fewer rental stores making them harder to rent, and usually further to go get thus making the mileage fees higher. And they really don't have better prices or trucks so why even bother. Now if they were smart and marketed their company better then maybe I'd consider using them. For instance, lower the costs of the trucks. Offer freebies like blankets and dollies. Charge less per mile. etc. But that is pure fantasy in opinion.

But who knows. May be some big mucky-muck will read this and think I have some good ideas and change their ways. But I think I have a greater chance of winning the lottery. Another thing, I heard a rumor last year that Budget was selling to Penske. I think it is just a rumor, but if they do sell to Penske, then I'd also consider renting from them.

Other Moving Truck Rentals:

There are a couple of other moving truck rental companies like Ryder or Star etc, but those companies mainly deal with commercial rentals and not really something that you should consider. I mention them because I'd be remiss if I didn't.

In my opinion stick to U-Haul or Penske and you'll be just fine.

Finally,

So I hope that this article was educational for you. I hope that I gave all the data that you needed to make an informed decision on doing a move for yourself and renting moving trucks. But, if you find that I wrong in my info, or if I left something out, please feel free to email me at usavemovingandstorage@gmail.com.

Remember, we are here to help you move. Feel free to call us anytime or fill out our FREE moving quote form above.

Thank you.

20 Questions That Guarantee Moving Day Sucess

Posted on January 26, 2009 by jburnham

The key to a great moving day is the moving estimate. All in all, most reputable moving companies, in the end, provide the same service at about the same cost. Where they differ is in the quality of service. And how you can glean this information is through the moving estimate.

Scam movers are notorious for giving you what I term the "no estimate estimate." Meaning that they will only estimate your move over the internet or over the phone, for an unusually low ball price. They will never come to your home. Reputable movers will come to your home to give you an estimate. Sure, on the smaller, more routine moves, they will bid the move over the phone, but NEVER the larger ones.

The moving estimate is where you can interview each potential mover. By asking the right questions and getting the answers from each mover will help you in determining the right mover for you and to help avoid the moving scams. The questions that you should minimally ask for a successful moving day are:

Is this the actual moving company or a brokerage?
Who will be my contact in case of questions or concerns?
How do you determine the cost of the move?
How do price additional services?
How do increased valuation affect the moving estimate?
Is this estimate based on weight or volume?
What is the exact full name of your business
How long have you been in business?
What is your company's website and email address?
Do you own or lease your own vehicles?
What type of vehicles do you use? Box truck? Semi? Pick-up and trailer?
Are you licensed and insured?
What is the coverage of the insurance?
What are your US DOT and MC numbers?
Do you have references that I may see?
Are you members of the BBB, Chamber of Commerce, or Other industry affiliations?
Are your estimates binding or non-binding?
Do you give flat rate estimates or by the hour?
Do give discounts for seniors, military or students?
Are there any other discounts?

Once you are given your estimate, take the time to look it over. Never sign anything until you have read and understood the agreement and all your questions have been answered. In my company I write up the estimate and then hand it over to you, I never ask for a signature locking you in.

Before you sign any agreement locking you in to any mover make sure that you have considered all your moving estimates, then sign the estimate/agreement for the moving company that you choose. Lastly, the moving company should be engaged in questions of their own during the moving estimate process. And be leery of moving company's that only say "yes, we can do that." No they can't. Not all the time. And these questions are the key to a successful moving day.

Is Hiring A Moving Company Worth It?

Posted on January 3, 2009 by jburnham

Many people wonder if hiring a moving company is worth it? As the owner of Professional Moving I think that it is worth it. But you must realize that I am biased in my opinion. But it is a good question: Is hiring a moving company worth it? So I set off to find a really good answer.

In my search I came across this very question on a polling website called Hundreds of Heads. Cool name, huh? They had a poll regarding if moving companies were worth it. here are the results:

Yes                                 56.3%

No                                    25%

No Difference              18.8%

So more than half believe hiring a moving company is worth it.

Without a doubt there have been many people that have been scammed or have had a horrible moving experience. So I read a good 50 or so of those reports and I surveyed them to set if they used a moving company again...Guess what? My little informal survey said yes they did use moving compnies again. Close to 75% used moving companies again. So even though they had a bad experience they still thought hiring a moving company was worth it.

So what makes hiring a moving company worth it?

Very good question, and I for one, think it is about time that that question was answered:

Moving companies save you time.
They save you money.
They ease the stress of moving.
They save you from injury.
They prevent damage to your home and belongings.
They haul your household goods so you don't have to.
They are professionals with years of experience.
They are stronger and physically fit.

These are just some of the reasons that make hiring a moving company worth it. Now I could go through each and every one of those points and write an entire article on why those points are true, but I am not going to now...maybe later.

Moving companies provide a service and 95% of the time that service would be a good investment. Of course there will be that rarity where you may have a bad experience, unfortunately that happens, but if you research the companies first and follow the advice here in this blog you won't have a bad experience and you'll be saying that hiring a moving company was worth it.

Hire-a-Helper Scam: Fact or Fiction

Posted on December 31, 2008 by jburnham

I can't believe the number of people that come to my website because they were asking about Hire-a-helper website scams. Inevitably they are confused as to what Hire-a-helper is and isn't. And what they are really looking for is information on moving companies using moving brokerages. Lets actually see if we can sort this out so that the confusion is eradicated.

Hire-a-helper is an actual company that has listings of people that will do various jobs around the house for you. One of those services is moving. But they also list Lawn help, Cleaning and Day labor services as well.

How hire-a-helper works is simple. Someone like myself is a mover (or any of the above service providers). We sign up with Hire-a-helper for free. Hire-a-helper will then advertise the services mentioned above on the internet and other places. You find the company. Then you go through the listings noting the individuals that provide those services.

You chose which provider you are going to use. You do this by looking at the customer reviews that each provider has on them with the hire-a-helper service. You can also see how much each of the providers will charge for those services. All the service providers charge a different amount so you can pick the best one based cost and customer reviews.

Some of these providers may be actual companies and many have proper licensing and insurance, others do not. You are free to do your own research and pick the right one for you. Then you pay Hire-a-helper using a credit card. Hire-a-helper will then give you a coded number which you will give to the provider when he has done the contracted job satisfactorily. If the provider is bad you can withhold the payment code and the provider will not then get paid.

Based I what I just described to you above, you cannot be scammed using Hire-a-helper.

Now moving brokerage companies are a whole other matter. What this is a website. A website like 123Moving.com. You enter in your information about your move. You will then get a call from the brokerage and they will sell you a bill of goods (no pun intended) and making all sorts of promises. However, they are NOT the moving company and sometimes the moving companies that brokerages hire are not all that ethical or reliable. Or the brokerages make promises that the moving companies cannot keep.

Needless to say you then have a bad moving experience which you will then chalk up to being scammed. Honestly, the moving brokerages have a horrible reputation, and should NEVER be used. You should either use Hire-a-Helper or call a moving company up directly and do your research on them yourself.

So I hope that this little article has helped you understand the hire a helper scam a bit more. Leave a comment below and let me know what you think of this article and let me know what else I can write about to more inform you about moving.