The Moving Planner Blog

Here is a los angeles moving story I came across today: 

1. My movers: Manny, William, Elmer, and Dimas are the BEST!

We had an extremely long day of moving with a lot of hard to move items (60″ TV, oversized furniture, tons of DJ records, and stacks of heavy law
books) and this superstar crew made it all happen for us in the most professional (and fun) way!  You treated our items with the utmost of care, and even though we had a long set of stairs at the old apartment and FIFTY-ONE steps at the new house, everything was all delivered to their rightful places and NOTHING was broken or damaged upon arrival.  We even had a few uncertain moments where we thought we might have to put a large 3-piece Ikea closet in our living room instead of the bedroom, but Manny and the crew pulled off miracles by hoisting that beast high into the air over the stair railings and carefully avoiding the walls and ceiling to deliver the closet to the bedroom - these guys are amazing!

On a side note - the “flat rate” concept is a genius one.  If I had hired hourly movers, I would have been in a state of panic for most of the move, especially since it took approx. 14 hours!  Thank you again to the whole team.  You made us laugh and you did a job we could have never done ourselves.  We will be recommending you to everyone we know and if the time ever comes to move again, hopefully Manny, William, Elmer, and Dimas won’t remember how hard it was to move the books and closet and will come back and help us out again

2. My movers were first rate, friendly and very helpful.  I was already making recomendations to the manager of my old apartment complex before the guys left after loading the truck.  Unloading went quickly and the guys were helping me unload the wardrobe boxes and got my bed setup up as well.  This was the first move I’ve done since I’ve moved to Southern California where I was able to sleep in my bed the first night.

3. The first impression is key for me: sales was willing to take the time to answer my questions.  I don’t like to be rushed when I’m trying to understand details of services to be provided especially when I’m paying!  The movers were experienced, openminded and customer service oriented.  I do refer to the Better Business Bureau for history and background on companies, and FlatRate has an excellent rating, which was a comfort to me.  The crew called me to let me know they were going to be late due to traffic (and probably because they had to rent a truck from an outside entity since you ran out of your own trucks.  That’s a good sign!) Many thanks!
4. I was extremely pleased with the service I received before and during my move.  I do have part of my furniture being shipped to Central California next week and will be able to fully answer this survey when it arrives and is inspected.  The pickup and packing of my furniture was painless and the crew was very professional and polite.

5. Ivan, Juan and Juan were very helpful, courteous and extremely fast. They helped me pack some things that I didn’t  have the odd sized boxes for and even helped me assemble various items when I got to my new home.

I think they were all very friendly and did an excellent job with packing and making sure everything was safe and secure. I would highly recommend your service to friends/family. Moving Family Tips >

6. My experience with FlatRate was very positive.  I have never needed to hire movers in los angeles before and I’d heard a lot of horror stories about movers and was nervous.
The reason I chose FlateRate was the positive customer reviews and now I can add myself to the list of satisfied customers.
Everyone was very helpful from the start.  From Marion on the phone,  Agi coming to my apartment to give me a price quote and most of all, Jake, Ray and Brian, my team of movers.  They were friendly and professional and did a tremendous job that wasn’t easy.  I was very happy with them and would recommend FlateRate to anyone who is looking for a mover.
7. We had a good experience, although the move took a little longer than we thought it would.  There were some problems with parking enforcement demanding the truck be moved, and so two of the four men moved the truck, but they were gone for about an hour.  And the two remaining men didn’t do much during that hour.  Also, it took them an hour and a half to move from one location to the next, even though the locations were only 8 miles apart.  I assumed that they stopped to eat something, but they ate before they left, too…

Other than that, they were careful with our items, nothing was broken, and the guys were all nice.  I just felt like about 2 1/2 hours in the middle of the day were wasted.  I know people have to take breaks and eat, but that seemed a little much to me…

8. I hate moving and moving companies due to past experiences.
However, I LOVE FLATRATE!  Jerry and his crew were extremely professional, courteous, and efficient.  The movers let me know that they would take care of anything I needed and they did.  They moved me from a 3rd floor apartment in Toluca Lake to a house in Baldwin Hills.  I was stunned by how quickly they moved.  They gave me extra boxes, tape, etc and there was no additional charges!  Jerry also took good care of my furniture by making sure that everything was protected.

9. I was absolutely thrilled with the level of service on my move. The team of Jerry, Efram and Kenny were all extremely professional and friendly, and not to mention incredibly fast! The whole process, from the time they arrived at my first place to the time they finished unloading at my new place, was about 3 hours and was much faster than I had expected. Overall I was very pleased with the entire process and would recommend Flat Rate to anyone. Thanks!

10. Awesome! Jerry - Julio - and Ray were exceptional. They were professional, polite, efficient - they busted tail without hesitation and all the time with a smile. I have two more moves in the next two weeks - as my husband and I just got married and are joing our two households into one. I look forward using Flat Rate on all the moves and I hope I can have Jerry and his crew on these moves as well.
Thank you LA MOVERS!
Michele

I bought this Hollywood Classics DVD for $3.50 and the first cartoon my kids watched was A Haul In One (1956). The first scene about Popeye and Bluto are moving Olive Oyl, is another classic Popeye - Olive Oyl is moving so she calls the moving men - Popeye and Bluto. Both men want to woo Olive by demonstrating their moving prowess. Look out how they packing Olive’s bags, carrying extra loaded sofa and how they are moving the piano!

Enjoy boys, just don’t try it at home!

For more information about Popeye, Olive Oyl and Bluto click here: 

The plot lines in the animated cartoons tended to be simpler. A villain, usually Bluto makes a move on Popeye’s “sweetie”, Olive Oyl. The bad guy then clobbers Popeye until Popeye eats spinach, which gives him superhuman strength. Spinach farmers in Crystal City, Texas were so grateful for this they erected a statue of Popeye in the town and credited him for saving the then-dying spinach industry. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popeye

Popeye the Sailor has been well-known to comic strip fans since his first appearance in the newspaper strip Thimble Theater in 1929. At first a minor character, Popeye grew to dominate the strip as readers fell for the hot-tempered old salt with the bulging forearms and fractured vocabulary. A comical cast of characters grew up around him: skinny flirt olive Oyl, strange orphan Swee’pea, tattered hamburger-lover J. Wellington Wimpy, and the bewhiskered brute Bluto, Popeye’s perennial rival for Olive’s attention. http://www.answers.com/topic/popeye-the-sailor

 

This is a post written by my 8 years old. I have copied it as it is.

---

My name is: Freddy! 
The second time I moved to (Number of house: #143!) When I came to the house I was jumping up and down I was running everywhere out of excitement! My age was about: four or five years old when I came here. There was this big, big, big truck there was these two people they were taking out other peoples furniture out of the house. We came to this on November 18 when we came to the house it was raining, in the house it was so beautiful, the walls had red and black designs drew all over it! The kitchen floor had brick tiles that looked like Marble! The window had brick frames, and some walls was had a nice painted green on to it. There was woolen red carpet to!It was all so fantastic! When we moved I didn’t want to move my pet hamster (see picture) it was too delicate I had to feed I thought he was going to die. My mom forced me to gently put him in the moving truck. She said that” theirs lots of air inside the truck that it could live”. I said “ok” and then I said” but I don’t want to put the hamster in your room”, I want it in my room. I want to put it in my room because I want to feed it, in the house everything was so awesome!

That’s it for today. Do let me know if you want more stories like this.

Yours, Freddy.

I just wanted to add to this forum since I was researching it a lot when I moved two months ago from NYC to a small town in Il.
We were moving right in the midst of the high moving season and eventhough we were moving from a 3Bdrm in Manhattan to a town house in Il some reputable companies (Bekins, Dahil, Central Moving & Storage) gave us the cold shoulder after their evaluator were gone. Flatrate was actually only the second choice because of the limited interstate experience here on the forum.
However, aside from small mishaps (my credit card was charged twice but the amount was refunded after 3 days - infact the foreman himself made me aware of the error). Our entire furniture paintings etc arrived without a single scratch. We had full service incl. packaging.
I have to give big thanks to the crew that packed & picked up the stuff. Rafael and the rest of the young polish guys did a tremendous job in over 90 degrees NYC sweltering heat. The haul was then delivered by a independent driver (no flatrate-truck) named Willy who was also great.
Overall I think we were really lucky. 

Just wanted to post a good experience (for a change!). After the very bad experience we had with Peace Movers, about which I posted on July 19, we called FlatRate Moving of Rockville. They had a move date available 2 days later, showed up in their own clearly marked truck, with 3 guys for both pick-up and delivery, as promised. And they showed up on time — 9 am on the dot, in fact — on both ends! The movers — Warren, Mario, and John — were very courteous, careful, with our stuff, and fast in both loading and unloading. And there were no issues with the price — they collected what was on the contract, no arguments. What a relief, and such a change from our first almost-experience. They helped us every step of the way, and everything came out right on time it was perfect. Thank you Flatrate moving.

I just wanted to add to this forum since I was researching it a lot when I moved two months ago from NYC to a small town in IL.
We were moving right in the midst of the high moving season and eventhough we were moving from a 2Bdrm in Manhattan to a town house in IL some reputable companies (Bekins, Dahil, Central Moving & Storage) gave us the cold shoulder after their evaluator were gone. Flatrate was actually only the second choice because of the limited interstate experience here on the forum.
However, aside from small mishaps (my credit card was charged twice but the amount was refunded after 3 days - infact the foreman himself made me aware of the error). Our entire furniture paintings etc arrived without a single scratch. We had full service incl. packaging.
I have to give big thanks to the crew that packed & picked up the stuff. Rafael and the rest of the young polish guys did a tremendous job in over 90 degrees NYC sweltering heat. The haul was then delivered by a independent driver (no flatrate-truck) named Bobby who was also great.
Overall I think we were really lucky. 

My name is Jack Holmes and I have just recently moved to LA from Florida. At first I had many difficulties arranging my stuff, I didn’t even know where to start. So I call up one of my friends which moved not to long ago himself. He told me that as he was searching the Internet last month, he saw this company called FLATRATE they don’t charge by the hour and they move over long distances. So I took my friends advice and I contacted  Flatrate.

 Ever since I did that, my moving process couldn’t have  gotten any easier. The guys from Flatrate helped me all the way from arranging the technical details, to the actual packing. They told me “If you ever need any help at all, with anything that has to do with packing we are always available”. The next day by about mid day every thing was unloaded and in its place. All the big things were pretty much in their place. They had such good service that the guys even started unpacking kitchen utilities and more things.

If you are looking for a reliable moving company Flatrate moving is it. 

I truly recommend Flatrate moving. 

  

Source: DOT Office of Inspector General

Owners of Five Unlicensed Moving Companies Charged with Racketeering in Consumer Shakedown Scheme 

This story goes back to February 2002, but I think it is still relevant. Be the judge!

“It should be noted that criminal complaints are merely accusations and that defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.”  

Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown holds up a couple of flyers from unlicensed moving companies whose owners were charged with stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars annually from scores of unwary customers by holding their personal belongings hostage and demanding unlawful and excessive cash payments to complete the moves or unload the items from the truck.

The owners of five New York moving companies were arrested on charges of racketeering, grand larceny, criminal possession of stolen property, and other offenses after they repeatedly lured customers with “low ball” moving estimates, only to hold their household goods hostage unless an additional payment was made in cash. In scores of instances, these demands raised moving costs by several thousand dollars more than estimated. Those charged were Daniel Mantoza, his wife Ronit Mantoza, and Morad Alfar, of Queens, NY, who controlled Allstate Moving and Storage, On Budget Van Lines, Eilid Moving and Storage, Online Moving and Storage, and In & Out Moving and Storage in Deer Park, NY The investigation, known as “Operation Moving Day,” is believed to be the first to employ New York’s Organized Crime Control Act against the owners of moving companies. This investigation was performed by a task force consisting of the OIG, NYPD, the Queens County District Attorney’s Office, and New York State DOT, with assistance from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

Full details at: http://www.queensda.org/Press%20Releases/2002%20Press%20Releases/02-February/02-13-2002.htm

Source: FAREWELL REMARKS FOR THE HONORABLE NORMAN Y. MINETA SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION

FACING THE TRUTH ABOUT TRANSPORTATION IN THE 21st CENTURY
U.S. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
WASHINGTON, DC

JULY 6, 2006 11 AM

Thank you very very much everybody. I appreciate it. I want to thank my very, very good friend, Tom Donohue, for that kind and wonderful introduction. Tom and I have been friends for some 30 years. My wife Deni and I very much appreciate our friendship with Tom and Liz and I, especially, am grateful for Tom’s advice. And my thanks to Tom and to the members of the United States Chamber of Commerce for everything that you do to keep our economy strong and vibrant.

Today, I come full circle. I delivered my first policy address as the United States Secretary of Transportation to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in February 2001. Now, I return to make the final speech of my tenure as the Secretary of Transportation. In a broader sense, I leave my public service career as I began it four decades ago – as a passionate believer in the power of transportation to build prosperity and to improve the quality of our lives.

I am grateful to President Bush. He reached across party lines to give me the high honor and privilege of serving in his cabinet, to guide the transportation policies of this great Nation. And I am proud of all that has been accomplished working as part of a tremendous team.

There is much talk of the bitter partisanship that coarsens the political dialogue here in Washington, D.C., and seems to stymie effective action. But I would like to believe that we have shown – at least in some small measure – that it is still possible to place country ahead of party affiliation, in the noble tradition that defines public service at its best.

Our transportation system today is at a critical juncture that cries out for such bipartisanship – or, more accurately, for statesmanship. And while we have laid important legislative and policy foundations over the last five-and-a-half years, continued progress requires facing some basic truths.

The first is that the modern economy – and by extension, our transportation systems – are global in nature.

When I began my public service career many years ago, trade with the rest of the world represented a very small percentage of the United States’ overall economic activity. For sure, certain international markets were heavily developed. But, by and large, American prosperity was determined by what Americans bought from and sold to each other.

Today, international trade is propelling the American economy – and the world economy – in ways previously unimaginable.

The United States has the strongest, fastest growing economy in the developed world because we have some of the world’s strongest transportation systems. But we will lose that competitive edge if we make a habit out of turning our noses up at investors in our seaports, airports, and highways just because they are headquartered outside the United States.

Security is, and must always remain, a foremost concern. But it is pure folly to think that economic isolationism is an option in today’s interconnected world.

Around the globe, I find a growing recognition among my counterparts that the development of transportation systems has become a major determinant of a nation’s economic success. And while the rest of the world is building up its infrastructure, the United States can ill-afford to close the door on much-needed investments – even international investments – in our transportation network. Not when our economic competitiveness depends on our ability to move products and people more efficiently in our growing economy.

Our growing international linkages compel us to face a second transportation truth: Americans must be concerned with the safety of not just our own, but of the world’s transportation systems.

With our unprecedented focus over the past five-and-a-half years, the United States has gained important momentum when it comes to safety on our roadways, along our tracks and at railway crossings, and in our skies.

But the recent series of airplane crashes around the globe stands as a tragic reminder that a weak link in aviation safety, anywhere, reverberates throughout the international aviation community and the global economy.

And the mounting traffic deaths on the world’s roadways can only be described as a public health crisis of epidemic proportions. Each year, more than 1.2 million members of our world family lose their lives – and tens of millions of others are injured or disabled – as a result of road traffic crashes. In addition to the sobering toll on humankind, the economic costs are a staggering $518 billion a year.

If we do nothing, the World Health Organization projects that, by the year 2020, traffic crashes will run ahead of malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS among all contributors to the global health burden.

But, as we have shown here in the United States, we have the power to change that grim future. Traffic crashes are among the most clearly preventable causes of death in the world. And government leaders – as well as every company doing business overseas – have a moral obligation to ensure that there is no easing up on the safety throttle.

Just as morbidity should not be accepted as the price of mobility, so too must Americans reject the unhealthy notion that congestion is a fact of life and that they must learn to live with growing gridlock and an unreliable transportation system.

We can and we must address the congestion that is so pervasive in today’s America before it seriously undermines our economic competitiveness and quality of life. Nationwide, the economic price tag of congestion is already a whopping $200 billion a year, not to mention the largely unmeasured social costs when parents leave for work at dawn, only to get home just as their children are about ready to go to bed.

But we do not have to resign ourselves to live with congestion. To the contrary, a little over a month ago, I announced a plan that can begin to seriously reduce traffic congestion nationwide – now, and not ten or fifteen years down the road – if we have the leadership and political will at all levels of government to see it through.

Some of what we have suggested will be controversial. It will necessitate a cultural change to move from a government-monopoly model for much of our transportation infrastructure toward acceptance of the private sector and market forces.

If we can fix the policy problems, I am confident that the conditions will be ripe for substantial investment. Virtually every major financial institution on Wall Street has created – or is in the process of creating – an infrastructure fund with transportation as a major component.

They correctly recognize the enormous potential in American infrastructure. And it is imperative that future transportation decision-makers continue to foster this interest, not take steps to discourage it.

History may very well reflect back on this as one of the defining public policy debates of our time – as consequential as the one that gave birth to the Interstate Highway System some fifty years ago. And the business community must be active participants.

Finding a way to tackle congestion more meaningfully and successfully is not a problem for some future generation. It is an urgent challenge for today’s leaders.

And the risks of inaction are magnified when one recognizes this final transportation truth: Our transportation systems are lifelines in times of emergency.

We saw these lifelines in action in the aftermath of the horrific attacks of September 11th, 2001, and again during the hurricanes that devastated the Gulf Coast this last year.

Whether an emergency is caused by a deliberate act of terrorism or results from a natural disaster or a health care crisis such as avian flu, we must be able to depend on our transportation systems to evacuate people in need, to move critical supplies and emergency workers, and to provide essential resources rapidly into affected areas.

It is no coincidence that terrorists target our transportations systems. They are the heart of modern societies and modern economies. And I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to help strengthen the heartbeat of America’s transportation network during the first half-decade of the 21st Century.

Let me conclude by gratefully acknowledging the support that I received from President Bush and Vice President Cheney, for whom I have the utmost respect. And the wise counsel, advice, and assistance that I have received from the United States Chamber of Commerce and Tom Donohue, from across the transportation community, and from the highly competent and dedicated staff at the United States Department of Transportation.

Travel safely. May God bless each and every one of you. And may God continue to bless the United States of America.

 

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Separate Beds is without a doubt one of the best books I’ve ever read. It is a wonderfully written book about two people and how their lives change when their actions on a blind date result in an unexpected and unwanted pregnancy.

Catherine Anderson is a college student who comes from a poor family. Her father is an abusive alcoholic and her mother is a frail creature who doesn’t stand up for herself. Catherine’s life is a struggle and she isn’t shown any love by her family. Clay Forrester, however, is the guy who has it all–money, great looks, a fast car, a family who loves him and everything he wants at his fingertips. These two are set up on a blind date and when Catherine shows up at Clay’s house with her father Clay doesn’t even remember her. Clay’s pressured by his family to do the right thing and give the baby a name. Clay and Catherine agree to a marriage that will keep Clay’s name reputable and will give the baby a name. Catherine will get a college education and financial support for the baby. They agree to divorce after the baby is born. Their marriage though must look legitimate and not like the business deal that it is. However, they begin to have feelings for each other but their pride stands in the way. Will the marriage work or will they go their separate ways?

Get the book here