I really wanted to like this company more, because they are a local family-owned business and also came highly recommended by a friend. We used both the Dependable Packers and Movers for our recent move, so I will comment on each service separately. Packers - did a pretty good job, I felt like they cut corners with some items. For example, electronics were not wrapped or packed separately; cords were not bundled up to avoid tangling. Items in drawers and desks were not packed up -- they told us furniture would be moved as-is until we pointed out that for some furniture, the items were not secure in drawers. They missed an entire cabinet of items that we ended up packing ourselves. I found this annoying, considering the fact that we paid close to $500 to pack a very modestly sized apartment. We were also not informed up front that packers would not pack refrigerator, freezer, or liquor items. This would be okay if we had just been informed along with the quote, but we ended up having to go back to pack and move these items ourselves after expecting that everything was included in the packing/moving services. We also incurred a box charge of $2-3 per box; I felt a little like they intentionally used smaller boxes to maximize the number of boxes they could charge for. Wish they just rolled the cost of this into the estimate; I hated the feeling of being nickeled and dimed.
Movers - did an excellent job. They were careful with moving items to avoid damage. Helped assemble some furniture and install washer/dryer after move. Main issue again was nickel and diming with hidden charges, as another reviewer mentioned - things like extra fee for moving a large number of boxes (can't remember if it was for 20+ or 30+ boxes), $10 for a bike, etc. Random 10% fee added on without a line item notation, that we didn't realize we had payed until reviewing receipt again to figure out how we paid so much more than estimate (maybe a tip that was added in?? If so, I'd be upset we tipped on top of this amount). We ended up paying about $250-300 over the original estimate.
Bottom line: Dependable Movers were probably a bit more dependable than the Packers, and they overall did a pretty good job but I really resented feeling nickel-and-dimed with all the hidden charges. I would have been okay with paying a little more for their services since it's hard to find good movers, but wish they had just been up front and honest with a closer to all-inclusive estimate. Their packing and moving services are good, but I'm not sure I'd call them again or recommend them to other folks until they can resolve their issues with all the hidden fees. If you decide to go with them, ask about *everything* including travel fees, large item fees, etc and buy your own boxes at Lowe's or Home Depot!
UPDATE:
I am further downgrading to 2 stars from an original 3 stars. On unpacking our boxes, I found that our expensive kitchen knives were haphazardly thrown in a box rather than packed in the knife covers we had set aside. This not only dulled our knives, but could have been very dangerous since the boxes were unmarked and knives were not wrapped. We also had several new non-stick pans which are decidedly much less non-stick after the scratches they accrued with rough treatment they got in packing. WTF? If your job is to pack and move, then you should be expert in both, and you should handle your customers' items with care, as though they were your own. I felt very disappointed that ultimately, this company was not as 'Dependable' as the name would suggest. read more