The Moving Planner Blog

I have collected common sayings on moving and moving companies by people who was happy, or not so happy with moving and moving companies.

“My family and I were planning a move from … to … All was exciting and scary at the same time.”

“For months, we planned, budgeted, gathered boxes and did everything that we felt we needed to do. We procured the apartment, that we found online and rented it sight unseen.”

“I called the truck rental company and complained about the slowness of the truck. After finally convincing them that something was wrong with it, (they told me there was no governor on the accelerator) they did give us a partial refund”

“I will say, however that the next time I plan a move, I will allow more time to save money and hire movers.”

“After handling all of that, there was still something that I found to be more important than any of these things: dealing with the emotional strain of moving. Leaving somewhere that I had called home for some time can be considered a loss, similar on a smaller scale to grieving for a loved one”

“Anger may not be a big part of the grieving process in the move. After all, it was planned and there were good reasons for it. But anger can pop up in little ways, probably when we realize changes we have to make that we didn’t think of ahead of time. Anger, at least irritation, might appear when one has to buy new clothes because of the change of climate.”

“Try making a list of all the things that are good about the move, big and small, and keep it handy to review every couple of days after the move. Schedule specific activities ahead of time. Set up a tee time for golf before moving. Call a church or synagogue before moving and commit to visiting on a specific day”

“Moving house brings with it much stress, stress brings forth perspiration, we then feel uncomfortable, worrying that we do not smell feminine as we should. Yes it may sound a little foolish that one would care to worry about this on such a stressful day yet so many of us do. I know I am always checking my deodorant and perfume on a stressful day. Yes in actual fact, I am so much more aware of my personal freshness than usual.”

“Psychologists classify moving as one of the most stressful occurrences of life, and this stress falls most heavily on the woman of the house. The smart woman will tap into the science and art of aromatherapy to make the day go smoothly. ”

“Trying to self-move into LA was my first mistake. Trying to navigate the maze of freeways is an adventure best left for the professionals. This may be a city built for the automobile, but it doesn’t come with easy directions. It took a couple stops at gas stations to make the intersection of the 101 and the 110 make sense to a newcomer… odds are that if a spot is big enough for a moving van, it’s probably not a legal spot. Eventually the problem was solved, the house went on to complete its journey, and one more Los Angeleno managed to complete his moving adventure.”

“FLATRATE Enterprises knows that any top-of-the-line moving company needs to have the upper hand on storage and packing facilities, as well as that of safeguarding their customers’ precious cargo. That calls for SPACE and plenty of it. That is why FLATRATE has chosen to locate their offices in…”

“You are ready to move! Your things are packed, you have a smile on your face and everything is looking good. The movers are there. In fact they were early! Everything seems to be going according to plan. You decide to go to Starbucks while the movers are carrying your things out. After all, you’ve earned it! You organized a huge move and you have everything running smoothly. You go to Starbucks and grab yourself something with loads of caffeine in it. As you head back to your soon to be old place, you smile with gratification at how well you’ve handled things. You did it! You rock! ”

“When it comes to your important possessions, play it safe. Select a reputable moving company. Make sure the company has references and make sure that you take the time to contact those references. Invest the time to go to the moving company’s office. How does the office look? Is it well kept? Is it a pigsty? How a business office is maintained can tell you a lot about the company right away. If things are out of order and in disarray, that is probably exactly how that business is managed. Make sure the company offers insurance. Make sure you know their policy on damage to your goods. Never do business with a company that just has a phone number…”

“One company with an excellent reputation for small office moves is FlatRate Moving. They’ve done this for decades, and were one of the first companies to specialize in moving home offices, and later small offices. They’ve moved companies ranging from law offices to small home based publishers across the country. ”

“When you’re unpacking, take the time to check every single box off the master packing list. Any box that looks dinged, open up and check the contents against the master packing list. ”

“A few days before your actual move, a highly skilled team of “packers” will arrive. FLATRATE packers are the best in the business. Efficient and conscientious, you will be amazed at how carefully your belongings will be packed. Within our team of packers we even have room specialist who will get right to work in the area they know best. Who better to pack your china hutch and all of its contents than someone who does that for a living? “

I’m publishing here some letters that came to my desk.

Pleased to say that the move was excellent. The four men acted as a smooth working team each knowing his responsibility. Not only were they performing physically perfect during the move but their attitudes were more than pleasant. We’ll move again in a year or two and will call Flat Rate San Francisco once again.
Flat Rate Los Angeles movers showed up on time, and did the job quickly and efficiently.

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Flat Rate San Francisco movers were excellent - very efficient regarding time - extremely polite & helpful. Flat Rate San Francisco was very easy to work with and very helpful!

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I hate moving but Flat Rate Los Angeles made it easy. The slight premium over the competition was worth it to know there would be no last minute charges.Like most people, I absolutely dread moving. Flat Rate San Francisco made it easy. I would use them again in a heart beat.

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EXCELLENT, PROFESSIONAL MOVE. THANK YOU FLAT RATE SAN FRANCISCO. I WOULD RECOMMEND TO ANYBODY. YOU RESPONDED FOR A MOVE WITHING 24 HOURS WITHOUT PRIOR NOTICE AND PERFORMED THE JOB PERFECTLY!

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What an easy move. Flat Rate Los Angeles staff from start to finish was so marvelous to deal with. Many thanks for a great job!

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Gregory and his staff, Eric and Louis, were our movers and they provided us with excellent service. They were very courteous and hardworking. We were very surprised with how neatly and secure all of our belongings were packed. It only took us a total of six hours to move, the guys were great. I’d recommend your service to anyone. Thanks Flat Rate Moving Los Angeles!

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Not only did you match my every expectation, but you far exceeded them. Agi was terrific on the phone helping us decide to use you and get everything coordinated. Jake and his crew arrived on time, took exactly the length of time they said it would were so careful and protective of my property and artwork, and in general were a pleasure to work with. When the concierge arrived at my office to see how everything was going, I was blown away with your commitment to customer satisfaction. I have already recommended them to 2 other tenants in my former office building, as why call anyone other than flat rate movers? Thanks Flat Rate San Francisco for making a stressful experience a pleasure.

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THANX SOOO MUCH! The complete Service was GREAT!!!!!! Thanx again Flat Rate Los Angeles & I recommend you Guys 2 Everyone!!!! The guys were great!! Very respectful with my belongings. They even got a telephone booth down the stairs in ten minutes! Would definitely recommend to everyone I know. Thanks Flat Rate San Francisco for making my move smooth!!

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Everyone at Flat Rate Los Angeles was very easy to work with and very helpful!

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YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME!!!!!! I WOULD RECCOMEND FLAT RATE LOS ANGELES TO ANYONE AT ANYTIME. THIS IS MY THIRD MOVE WITH FLAT RATE LOS ANGELES IN 3 YRS, ONE CROSS COUNTRY. YOU GUYS HAVE MADE THE FACT THAT I TRAVEL SO MUCH WITH MY JOB “OK”! ALL THE BEST!!!

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Very good thorough job on my furniture: I had United moving me (for a much higher price) just a few months ago and they didn’t wrap most of the wood furniture so I found scratches and corners buffed…all the pieces were carefully wrapped up by Flat Rate San Francisco movers, and carefully unpacked and laid out…I’m very thankful! Forgot to mention the two guys that unloaded my stuff, super nice and friendly and helpful and cheerful, which helps! Ivan and Ernesto Good job!

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Flat Rate Los Angeles movers, Juan 1, Juan 2, and Grayson were great! Thanks!

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Everything proceeded without a hitch. Thanks for your professional handling of my move Flat Rate San Francisco. The movers arrived early and worked very quickly. Not only that, but they were very careful with our furniture and put it all back together very nicely. Our belongings are in great shape still. Thanks Flat Rate Los Angeles!

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Manny and his team were amazing! We truly appreciated their professionalism and promptness. Thanks Flat Rate San Francisco. Manny and his crew were very professional, patient, and fast. I would definitely use those same guys again.

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Thanks Flat Rate San Francisco, I was very satisfied by the willingness of Ivan, Ernesto, Abundio??, Richard and Jose (I hope I got all their names correctly) to accommodate me during the packing of my things. When I asked for extra care, they gave it. They were friendly and cheerful even though they did not eat lunch on the second day because they wanted to finish and did not want to delay by taking time for lunch. It was fun working with them and I am looking forward to them returning my things in a few months.

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Flat Rate Los Angeles men were really very quick, fast, efficient and caring.
I had a wonderful experience - both with Flat Rate New York team and Flat Rate Los Angeles team…they were professional, very polite, and respectful of my things. I would gladly recommend your service to friends and family.

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I used Flat Rate for two separate moves recently, both from Brooklyn to Los Angeles. Without exception, every representative was kind and willing to help. I had contemplated using a specialized mover to ship some very important recording studio items, but after having them move my personal items, there was no need to go anywhere else. In fact, there is no need to EVER go anywhere else. Ina Korac was an incredible help in both instances. Igor & Juan’s crews treated our possessions with care and respect. You give your life over to someone when you move - I’d give it over to Flat Rate for the next one, no doubt about it. Thank you so much Flat Rate Los Angeles.

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The movers worked fast and efficiently. My whole 2 bedroom apartment was moved out and into the new place in under 4 hours. Perfect! The team consisting of Juan, Enrique, Abundio, and Federico we’re courteous and friendly. I would give them an A+! Flat Rate San Francisco is the best moving company I have ever worked with, and will continue working with them.
Movers were very professional and hard-working! I had a horrible experience with another moving company and was delighted with your company. I’ve already recommended Flat Rate San Francisco movers to a few people.

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Thanks Flat Rate Los Angeles! Cleo and his crew were extremely efficient and very courteous. I would highly recommend them all and thank all of them for a job WELL DONE!!!
Boris is a great foreman; Jose and Abundio were fantastic! All three guys worked their

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#$%^s off and took great care of my furniture! Please give them all raises! Thanks Flat Rate San Francisco!

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I want to thank you Los Angeles Movers, for making our first cross country move as easy and stress free as possible. The movers that showed up were polite, friendly, and very professional. Our furniture was delivered as promised, on time and in good condition with no damage. Again thank you and your team very much.

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The team made my move so easy and quick. They were so friendly and careful with my things and made the whole process stress-free. I will use them again and have already recommended Flat Rate San Francisco to others. Excellent customer service and follow through. Troy Amidon was great to work with and really helped us thru the process. The moving company were extremely thorough and hard working. Juan and his team did an amazing job packing and moving all of our furniture and belongings! Will HIGHLY RECOMMEND Flat Rate San Francisco Movers!!

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I had a wonderful moving experience. As much as I hate to move I never thought that would be something I would say. But, the movers were very professional and worked quickly and got my move done in only 3-4 hours. Julio, Jaun 3, Omar, and Rigoberto did a WONDERFUL job and if (hopefully not too soon!) I have to move again I will ask for them by name. I will definitely be recommending Flat Rate Los Angeles Movers to my friends!

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Fast, friendly, and efficient - I couldn’t ask for more! Thanks Flat Rate LA!
I appreciated the promptness with which a representative contacted me once I asked for more information (24 hours). The follow up via phone and email was also really friendly and helpful. The movers did a tremendous job. They were fast, careful, and friendly. They packed our belongings in 2.5 hours and unpacked them in 2 hours. It was a great relief knowing our move was being handled in such a professional manner. It made moving 400 miles a breeze.

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Thanks Flat Rate SF for hiring such reliable people.
Moving is never easy but my wife and I were very happy with our experience. Manny and his crew did a great job and I will be sure to use them when I move again. Thanks Flat Rate Los Angeles.
Thank you Flat Rate San Francisco. My move was excellent - my movers were the best I’ve ever had. They made my move simple and stress-free!
I could not have been happier with the entire experience. All the movers were professional, courteous and incredibly hard working- it could not have gone better. I would recommend Flat Rate Los Angeles to anyone who is planning a move.
Really nice crew: fast, efficient & friendly. Thank you Flat Rate LA. Since our stuff just went from your storage facility to our new one, we haven’t unpacked to check everything. So far we’re happy with the move. The salesperson gave very good information and quotes. The crew was timely, very friendly and helpful, even with the extra that was needed to help the move successful. It is wonderful to know that a storage facility is available if you do not have one of your own. Thank you Flat Rate San Francisco.
The crew was great! Cleo really took charge and provided excellent service. Each one worked really hard, Cleo, Ryan, Gregory and Eric. They showed real team work and when I first met them they shook my hand and introduced themselves. Great Crew - I would highly recommend Flat Rate LA. They went up and above and did a wonderful and careful job of moving everything.

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I would like to tell you that my move exceeded all of my expectations.
My movers: Jose, Pasha, and Ivan were incredibly efficient, courteous,
and professional. I would recommend Flat Rate San Francisco to anyone, and the movers that worked my job were top notch!

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The move was great. I really want to complement Julio Lozano and his
team. They did an excellent job– very professional. Also, I really
appreciated the gesture that Mr. Vilchez came by to check if everything
was all right. All in all, a great job. Thanks Flat Rate Los Angeles.
Thanks Flat Rate San Francisco. I have used your services 4 x in the last 2 years and I would strongly recommend your moving company.

This category will help you to answer “What should you look for when moving house?” (A) In terms of the “mover” or “moving company” (B) Watch out for those “little things” you tend to forget.

The perfect moving company

Ask yourself how the perfect moving company should be:

1. I’m not going to have anything like the moves I had before!
2. Is this company worth every penny?
3. Are they professional and friendly?
4. Flatrate they promised was exactly what I paid
5. cares for my furniture and does not screwed up on the day of the move
6. I didn’t pay a cent more than what we agreed on
7. the trucks are clean and stylish looking and most important
8. My furniture arrived in one piece
9. Ask friends if they used them in the past and will use them again?
10. Are they coming on time? Would they leave you in the middle of work?
11. How many years are they in business?
12. What would they do with challenging set of stairs, or unexpected situations?
13. Abundantly clear moving team has well established procedures & training
14. Are they licensed?
15. I can move without my husband! Movers will take care for the details.
16. Can I get stress free, piece of mind move?
17. Mover not only move me but packed the apartment as well
18. Boxes are clean and placed in the correct rooms at the new location
19. They pay for they broke!
20. Some moving companies send teams that are scary - Are they?
21. Am I trust the team and not be worried things will be stolen?
22. Are team prepared for any exceptionally bad, or rainy weather?
23. They have clean record and no complains in Better Business Bureau reports.

When Moving Your SoHo Office, Use A Professional Mover.

Moving your home is stressful; everything has to be packed up and boxed and inventoried, and nothing ever packs the way you’d expect it. At least you can rely on going back to work once the move is taken crare of, secure that, aside from an aching back, and a few days of frantic unpacking, your work life won’t be disrupted.

At least, that’s the way it used to work. If you have a small or home office (SoHo), that security that your move hasn’t disrupted your paychecks isn’t there. In particular, moving your home office runs the risk of a lot of potential disruption to your work-flow, and keeping your clients happy, if you’re not careful.

Now, as a SoHo business owner, you’re indoctrinated into the idea of “do it right, do it yourself”, and probably can think back to moving in and out of dorm rooms and apartments, and have tagged this, mentally, as a “do it yourself” job. Nothing could be further from the truth. Hire a professional, and hire one that has direct experience in moving an office.

Movers with office experience understand the importance of documenting what everything is, and where it went in relation to other boxes. Particularly with movers that do “store and forward” moving, having a paper trail is critical to tracking down anything that went astray or awry. Nothing can be quite as disastrous as discovering, at the end of the move, that two cartons of tax records are missing, because the store and forward place didn’t set them together.

Just as important, a business mover with SoHo experience understands office equipment and palletized goods. Most SoHo offices rely on a few critical pieces of hardware. If you’re an architect, working out of a small office, your $22,000 plotter is a vital critical need. A good mover with SOHO experience will note not only that you have a big, awkward, fragile plotter moving, but they’ll ask for the make and model number so they can research exactly how to pack it and unpack it at the destination.

Speaking of unpacking at the destination, a good mover with SoHo experience will ask you lots of questions about that as well. As someone doing a well prepared move, you should have your floor plans already in place for the destination. Ideally, you’ll even have the utilities turned on by the time you arrive. Go over the floor plan with the movers, and let them know where everything should go when you get there. Large companies planning office moves do this, and it’s an exercise in forethought and planning that will have at least a week, and possibly more, off of the disruption of your professional life and client contacts due to the move.

In particular, knowing where everything goes at the destination makes it easier to figure out what order to load the trucks at, on the point of departure.

One company with an excellent reputation for small office moves is Flat Rate Moving. They’ve done this for decades, and were one of the first companies to specialize in moving home offices, and later small offices. They’ve moved companies ranging from law offices (with more filing cabinets than you care to name) to small home based publishers (with industrial laser printers and a book bindery setup) across the country.

In addition to their experience in moving businesses, Flat Rate understands the need to do staged moves, and to prioritize what moves when and where they know that every hour spent packing or unpacking a box is an hour that you’re not solving a problem for a client. As small business owners themselves, they understand how much that pains you in maintaining your business. An Flat Rate estimator will personally look over your existing office setup, tally up the inventory, ask you what’s the most important, and help you build a priority list, so that what gets packed last gets opened first, to minimize the disruption of your work-flow.

Flat Rate, like any other mover, carries insurance against loss or breakage during the move, and Flat Rate’s movers know exactly how important your office equipment is. They’re also organized, and will make sure that everything is packed, labeled and annotated correctly, using a double-check system, where every item is assigned a label, a contents sheet and a packing number, making sure that you’re good to go when your goods get there to restart your life.

If you’re running a home office, as opposed to a small office, you may want to talk to your mover about the differences between moving your own items, and having them pack up the rest of your house. For one, this can make your entire move tax deductible, if done carefully. For two, it gives you a lot of freedom to focus on what’s important those extra days where the movers are packing up the house could be extra days where you’re generating revenue because you aren’t playing Napoleon with a tape gun in your hand. If you have a business with a high “per day” take, or one that’s deadline driven, completing one more job can more than offset the additional costs of packing up the rest of the house.

Flat Rate movers offers the following timetable for moving your business.

1. Get the floor plan for where you’re moving to, first and foremost. You want to have this two weeks before you start packing boxes, and three or four weeks is better.
2. Build a priority list label each of your filing cabinets from most important to least important. Your office records are the sinews that direct your business’ motions.
3. Inform your clients about the move again, two weeks notice is the minimum, a month is probably better. Make sure that any projects being done for clients are scheduled around the move, and make a list of what projects start at what priority level once you’re relocated.
4. Two weeks before the move, have any maintenance people look over your equipment before it gets packed. Get a “full bill of health” on any equipment, so that if something gets damaged you can assert your claim for insurance purposes.
5. One week before the move, contact your new landlord about getting keys, and getting business essential utilities (telephone and internet) turned on.
6. Five days before the move, wrap up your last client projects. One or more of them will ALWAYS run late make arrangements to handle what you can electronically, from a laptop, during the move. Start packing up your personal belongings five days before the truck arrives, going from least used items to most frequently used items.
7. Make a hotel reservation at your destination. Trust us on this spending a night at the hotel and tackling unpacking when you’re well rested is far better than trying to do the Office Move Death Slog.
8. When you’re unpacking, take the time to check every single box off the master packing list. Any box that looks dinged, open up and check the contents against the master packing list.
9. Once you have bare bones business functionality up again, talk to your clients and let them know you’re ready for them. It’s better to unpack while you’re getting up to speed on your clients issues than to unpack and let them linger good client relationships are built on communications, and the reason you’re hiring a professional mover is so you can focus on client relationships, not packing tape.

Related Posts:

• http://www.themovingplanner.com/moving-planning/moving-your-office
• http://www.themovingplanner.com/moving-planning/how-to-guarantee-prized-items-moving-with-extra-special-care
• http://www.themovingplanner.com/moving-planning/moving-employees-and-employee-benefits
• http://www.themovingplanner.com/moving-planning/countdown-to-moving-day
• http://www.themovingplanner.com/moving-tips/moving-safety-tips
• http://www.themovingplanner.com/luxury-moving/senior-moving
• http://www.themovingplanner.com/moving-planning/moving-protect-yourself-from-moving-fraud
• http://www.themovingplanner.com/moving-planning/renting-a-car-during-your-move
• http://www.themovingplanner.com/moving-stories/a-to-z-moving-planning
• http://www.themovingplanner.com/moving-planning/tips-for-summer-moves
• http://www.themovingplanner.com/storage/moving-your-household-goods-may-need-to-be-stored-temporarily
• http://www.themovingplanner.com/moving-planning/moving-oversized-items
• http://www.themovingplanner.com/moving-tips/moving-and-your-children
• http://www.themovingplanner.com/moving-tips/which-boxes-should-you-use-when-moving
• http://www.themovingplanner.com/moving-planning/moving-plants
• http://www.themovingplanner.com/moving-planning/moving-your-computer

People have to know how to compare a few different quotes, most of them look at the bottom line which is the price and decide to go with the lowest one.

They should compare the services offered and quality of the company and not necessarily the price. They should compare reputation and reviews.

I realized that people don’t read the small words on the quotes sent to them which 99% of the times say  black on white: here are your hidden charges.

When it says packing materials are excluded, they think that the fact that they are packing their own boxes means that they will not be charged for packing materials but it is not true, because when you move, you have to get your sofa covered (and usually you don’t do it yourself) and if you have a glass coffee table, you cannot expect to move it without protecting the glass, protecting this glass is packing materials. When you get an estimate that says this and this is not included ask what it means so there will be no misunderstandings later.

Natalie, FlatRate Moving  www.flatratemoving.com

Small moves in Florida takes a lot longer than moves in NYC. The distances are bigger and if you choose to go with a company that charges by the hour, don’t be surprised if a move you thought will take four hours will take six hours.

Also, a lot of the building here in Florida allow four moving companies to use the elevator at the same time, imagine how long it takes to complete loading the truck if four different companies are moving four different customers?

We have seen customers that were so stressed, looking at their watch every five minutes and praying not to have to pay for another hour, while our customers didn’t really care. They knew how much they are paying from the start and didn’t have to worry about a thing.

Also, some movers here don’t carry sufficient insurance  for the building and if you don’t ask them or if your building management didn’t tell you to ask, on the day of the move your building manager will tell you they cannot work in the building and you will have to look for a moving company that is available to move you right now. If it is the end of the month, I doubt you can find one. So make sure to ask.

Posted By Natalie FlatRate Moving

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.

Source: DOT Office of Inspector General

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

It is not a dream! 

Imagine the decadence of a truly luxurious move—with everything planned on your behalf, no boxes to pack or unpack, and with even your electronics, computers and TVs connected upon arrival. The kind of move you’ve dreamed of, where all you have to do is come home.  Introducing Elite Luxury Moving. 

Moving home is often quoted as being one of the most stressful experiences we ever go through in our lives. The whole process of packing up our belongings, leaving our home and moving to pastures new is bad enough - add to that the fact that we have to entrust our possessions and their transport to complete strangers and it’s no wonder our stress levels soar!

The problem is we don’t tend to move often enough in our lives to make it a process we get used to. We’re generally all novices when it comes to moving and it shows! But, like any process, moving is all about being smart and knowing what you’re doing. You’re about to find out more about the hardest part of the process - choosing a moving company. You’ll find more information on the other ins and outs of moving on the menu on the left of the page.

Choosing a good moving company is difficult. We’ve all heard horror stories from friends and families about disreputable companies and it’s vital to sort the good from the bad as soon as you can. Wherever you live, you can guarantee that there will be various moving companies just waiting to help you out. Your hardest task is choosing one that’s right for you - it’s vital that you get this choice right. Getting it wrong can cost you time, money and heartache. Choosing a moving company is very much an individual choice and your decision should be tailored to your actual needs.

Nowadays, moving companies can offer you a wide range of services on top of their basic removal competencies. These can include packing, the sale or hire of packing materials, unpacking and storage facilities. Some companies will even pack your possessions, transport them, clean your new home, unpack your possessions and arrange them at the other end according to your instructions. These additional services will obviously cost you more money.

As a guideline you should have chosen your moving company at least 4-8 weeks before your moving day. Leave it too long and you’ll find that the good companies are fully booked and you’ll have less choice in the matter. It’s far better to choose and book your company as far in advance as possible. You should be talking to your shortlist as soon as you have an estimated moving day. Bear in mind that movers are often busy at the end of the month, on Fridays and at weekends and may charge more for these premium times. Many will tell you that they have certain quiet days - such as Mondays - they may even be prepared to offer you a discount to move during their less busy periods. It’s always worth asking!

To make the best choice, you need to think about what you want from a move - and the first thing you should do before contacting moving companies is to make a quick checklist of what you need them to do. This list will help you get the best quotes, as you’ll be able to be very exact about your needs. Examples include:

Your preferred moving dates
Are you looking to move locally, long-distance or, even internationally?
Do you want help with packing, want to hire/buy packing materials or simply want to pack up yourself?
Will you need the moving company to transport valuable or fragile items?
Do you just want to hire a vehicle to move yourself?
Do you need storage facilities?
How much stuff do you have?
How much insurance will you need?
The best way to find a reliable moving company is by recommendation or reputation. If someone you know has had a good experience then copy it! You do still need to be careful, however. If a local moving company successfully moved your mother-in-law across town, they won’t necessarily have the skills, resources and experience to move you internationally, for example. Talk to your Realtors or estate agents - they should be able to give experienced and knowledgeable recommendations. If you’re looking to move relatively close to home then a quick and easy way to spot local companies is to keep your eyes peeled on the street as soon as you start thinking about moving. You’ll see the vehicles of certain movers time and time again and you can take some comfort from the fact that they are busy.

Many of us will simply pick a moving company from a Yellow Pages type directory or from an Internet search. Some of us will simply choose a known name - i.e. a national company - and others may opt for a smaller local company. In all cases, it’s especially wise to choose companies that have taken the time and trouble to become accredited members of a moving association or trade body. You can assume from this that they take themselves seriously and you can probably do the same too. They will probably have to adhere to certain standards and you’ll have recourse to action if you do have problems. But you should still beware - if you are at all suspicious, check out their membership. You can even ask them for referrals from previous satisfied customers. You don’t have to follow up on this but, if the company seem less than keen to let you talk to people they’ve dealt with in the past, then you need to start thinking hard about whether they’re right for you.

When you’ve drawn up a shortlist of potential moving companies you need to start the negotiation process. You’ll find a wide variety of costs and services out there and various types of pricing. Some companies will charge you on an hourly rate, some by estimated volume based on the rooms of your current property, some by estimating what types of furniture and goods you need to move and others by the estimated weight of your load.

It’s wise to draw up a quick list before you start talking to people, as you don’t really want to be thinking on your feet here. Write down how many rooms you have, list big items of furniture and try to estimate how many boxes you’ll be packing. The easiest way to do this is to mentally go through every room in your house, list the big items and then work out how many boxes it’ll take to remove the rest of the stuff in the room. Don’t forget to think about garden furniture and the contents of your garage! Don’t worry about it being exactly right - the moving companies don’t expect it. But it won’t suit either of you if you get it completely wrong and they send a mini-sized vehicle for a juggernaut-sized job! If in doubt ask a couple of the moving companies for advice on how to estimate. You’ll be surprised at how helpful they’ll be - many will happily send estimators to your home to put together a quotation, especially if they price by weight.

When it comes to costs, you should be looking to get at least 2-3 quotes before you make a decision. Don’t just look at price but look at what they’ll offer you for the cost. It may be more cost effective to pay a little more to get more services. Don’t be afraid to ask them about how long they’ve been in business, their experience or for customer referrals. Talk to them about how long it will take to move you. DO ask them about their insurance cover and claims protection and how far it extends (and doesn’t!). You should NEVER choose a moving company that doesn’t have adequate insurance. It’s also important to get a quote in writing and to make sure that you completely understand how the quotation works. This is one of the times in your life when it really does pay to read the small print. For example, some moving companies won’t cover you for damage if you pack goods yourself unless they play an obvious role in damaging them. You must make sure that they not only explain your quote to you but that you get a full copy that includes any relevant terms and conditions, bills of lading etc. It’s also good to ask how many people will be assigned to your move - the more there are, the quicker it’ll go. Most people generally find that 3 is an ideal number - this gives you 2 people to do most of the loading/unloading and 1 to sort out the vehicle. It also means that somebody is with your possessions most of the time for added security.

You need to be particularly careful if your moving estimate is based on weight. This type of quotation has specific problems, as it is hard to estimate the weight of goods before you actually weigh them. In these cases, an estimator will generally work out the weight for you before you are given a price. But, your goods will be weighed once they are packed up and, if the weight is higher than the estimate, you might be liable for extra costs. In these cases always check first about how the moving company’s system works and establish how binding their quotation is or isn’t. If you run into problems here, you really will be stuck between a rock and a hard place. Refuse to pay excess charges and the mover will simply hang on to your possessions until you resolve the dispute. It’s vital to spend time here assessing the company. For example, you have the right to be present when your goods are weighed to check the accuracy of the process and you can ask for a reweigh if you aren’t sure - make sure that the company agrees to this upfront.

Once you have talked to your shortlist of moving companies and have read through their quotes, you’ll be ready to make your choice. You may simply choose on cost or may prefer to go with the company with which you feel most comfortable. Once you’ve made a decision you’ll probably be asked to sign some kind of confirmation that outlines your agreement. This is always a good idea, as all parties then know where they stand. All you need to do now is get ready for your moving day - just don’t forget to give your movers a call a few days beforehand to confirm your arrangements!
 

Source:http://www.moving-company-guide.com/

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.