BEWARE!!! George gave us a 1:00 move. BUT, movers were running late and time kept getting extended. Finally arrived to our house at 3:00PM! AND the truck was way too small and they were forced to make two trips! Not to mention at the end of the move, questioned why couch leg was not sitting on the floor. Of course, after they left realized broken couch leg on the other side (was the reason). AND to top it all off, George UNRESPONSIVE a to the broken couch leg not returning calls or emails. Yes, it's forcing us for further action. read more

purchased an item from someone on Craigslist. I arranged for Movemaster to pick up the item from Greenpoint, Brooklyn and move it to my apartment in Woodlawn, Bronx. Originally I scheduled the move for 10am because the person I was purchasing the item from needed to leave for an event by 12pm. The owner of the company, George Marengo wrote me the day before the move to tell me he had scheduled a move before mine and had to move my pick up time to 11:45am. I told him that was not going to work as the owners of the item had to be gone by 12pm and nobody would be home to let the movers in. He assured me in writing that the item would be picked up by 12pm, and that the movers should even be early. At 11:15am the movers called to tell me they would be an hour late. I told them that the owner assured me the elliptical machine would be out of the apartment by 12pm. They said that the owner never conveyed that information to them, and that if he had, they would have done my move first. After they informed me they would be arriving past the scheduled 11:30am pick-up time, I called the owner to try to understand why he did not express the time sensitivity to his movers, and countless phone calls to him all day and voicemails yielded ZERO response. In fact, during the 11:15am call from the movers, they told me they would be there for the pick-up at 12:15pm. After explaining to the owner of the item that they would be late, the owners agreed to stay a bit longer to wait, even though it would make them late for their event later that afternoon. 4 HOURS LATER, the movers arrived after not being in contact with me since 11:15am. The owner of the item was long since gone and I had been waiting on the stoop of the apartment for the movers the entire time. When the movers got the item to the van, I asked if they needed to follow me to the apartment. They said they did not as they were familiar with the area I lived in. So, I told them I would be waiting at the apartment to let them in and urged them to get their quickly as I had been waiting so long for them already. 2 hours later I had called the movers and had no response. Finally after hanging up and dialing over and over, I got through to them and they told me that they had stopped to pick up storage boxes. I was furious and asked them why on earth they would stop to pick up storage boxes that had nothing to do with my move when they had already made me wait for 4 hours before picking up my item. They told me that they would "get there when we get there" and promptly hung up on me. The movers arrived at 6:30pm to deliver the item, a full 7 hours past the pick up time. This companies clear disrepect for customer's time and the fact that they made no attempt to contact me to try to apologize in any way is unacceptable. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY, THEY DO NOT CARE ABOUT CUSTOMER SATISFACTION OR KEEPING CUSTOMERS WAITING FOR HOURS. You may save some money by using them, but the don't care about making you wait for 7 hours!!!! read more

Wish I'd read these bad reviews before getting involved. Recently moved to a 1br and researched all over for a good moving company. Movemaster seemed very professional and reasonable. Well, it started rough....they were an hour and a half late with no apology whatsoever. As soon as they saw my stuff they noted that I had more stuff than I had mentioned (you know when i was looking for a moving company before even packing and had to give number of boxes and their dimensions.) Anywho, I apologized and agreed to pay a little extra. What I received was a whole lot of attitude and the comment "well now we're going to be late for our next appointment, but we always are because people want to pay as little as possible." (no shit shirlock; maybe investigate the way you do business.) And still I ignored that comment and all the other sarcasm that was thrown my way. When they arrived at the destination, they had no record that it was three flights, even though I had sent that info in an email. So Mr. Grumpy, the apparent boss of the operation had a hissy fit, and sat downstairs on the phone with his manager the entire time his partner was moving my stuff. In the end, he said that his manager was charging me $50 extra because I had more than I had noted. Because I'm awful at these situations, I did as they said, now realizing I was charged extra for 1 mover instead of 2, waiting an hour and a half, and a whole lot of attitude. Somehow they still made decent time and only broke one thing. So if you want to pay a lot of money, wait around a while, and have to explain yourself to a couple punks that YOU are paying, these are your guys. read more

I recently moved from a second floor walk-up to a fifth floor walk-up with a rather winding set of stairs on the first floor. They were able to pack up the truck and move all my stuff with in a few hours. Nothing was damaged and the movers were unfailingly nice. I'd definitely use them again. It's bit of a challenge to estimate just how much stuff you'll have before packing it all up, but the guy running it is very responsive to email and I was able to update him when I had three more boxes than I thought I would. read more

The moving guys are really friendly and efficient. George was really easy to reach and organized up until the move, accounting for every single box and miscellaneous unboxed items to be tallied up for additional charges. That much was totally fair and respected. HOWEVER if anything goes wrong with the move, you're out of luck. Our wooden drop leaf dining table almost broke in half during the move. We tried to contact George and after finally getting in touch with him he offered to repair the table for us. It took him WEEKS to finally pick up the table, and when we got the table back, it was still in an awful condition. I could have super-glued it better myself. When we tried to get back in touch with George with complaints, he was totally MIA. We paid what we thought was a premium for reliable movers to move our small list of belongings ($500+ to move a 300 sq ft studio, a queen bed was our only large furniture because everything else was built in to the room). I paid to have my belongings moved from point A to point B in their ORIGINAL CONDITION. Not to end up with broken/damaged items at the end of the day. NOT WORTH IT. Not if you care about the condition of items being moved!!!!! read more

Movemaster - My table that broke during the move, newly "repaired" courtesy of George. - Movers Near Me - New York, New York

I am a REPEAT CUSTOMER. I have now used MoveMaster twice. Once 4 years ago to move a low-level amount of boxes and furniture to a new apartment. The second time was 2 weeks ago, when I had to move a HIGH level amount of boxes and furniture. Not only are these guys thorough (get ready to measure everything, and count your boxes!) but their rates are pretty good comparing to other movers out there. They were prompt both times, quick!, nice, polite, good with handling my furniture, and again THOROUGH which allowed for them to properly plan for my move. Even when I had about 20 more boxes than I thought (WOOPS) they didn't get mad -- they were professional about it, and figured out a way to make it work in the load (and while they did charge me extra for 20 more boxes, I of course expected it...) I really can't say enough great things about them. They communicated well, were nice guys, and did the job well. I've used them twice - and would def go back again for my next move. BTW - They accept credit cards for deposit -- but the balance needs to be paid in cash. Just fyi. read more

I've used George Marengo's Movemaster service four times over the course of ten years. They have done a professional job every single time. Nothing ever broke, proper care was used, and they communicated with each other well in order to get the job done right. When I moved a couple years ago, I negligently did not get them the required certificate of insurance information ahead of time. George drove a separate car back and forth to offices just to get the CoI so the move could happen. I had another successful move yesterday. I highly recommend them. read more

First off, I never give anyone 5 stars. Like, barely ever. But these guys are AMAZING and so unlike typical NYC movers that I had to let the world know. I found these guys via Craigslist and have used them twice now. Once in 2010 and once again just now (Aug 2014) George, the owner, will work with you over email to come up with a very detailed inventory for your move and give you a flat rate based on that. It can come off as a little stern and anal-retentive at times, but rest assured that he's doing that so he can give you the lowest price possible. In reality, George is a really friendly guy and is very thorough about explaining their processes and policies and -- this is such a rarity in the moving world, I've found -- he is an excellent communicator. His emails are all written in complete sentences, with proper spelling and punctuation, etc. He also responds to your emails quickly without a long wait for response times. I don't know how he does it. The crew arrived on time and moved everything quickly and carefully. They were very considerate about not making a mess, following our instructions, etc. They actually seemed like they were happy to be doing our move instead of going through some hated chore. I would recommend them to anybody without reservation. read more

I recently moved from Kensington to Williamsburg, and Movemaster was really great. They disassembled my IKEA bed for me and then reassembled it upon arrival, which was clutch in making the move stress-free. The movers were great guys, very careful with my stuff, and easy to work with. I found them because I was looking for a place that did a flat rate, which I think is best in NYC -- traffic and walk-ups and complications are always possible. Use them! read more

I had SUCH a great experience with these guys and recommend them regularly to any friends who are moving. Very affordable and detail-oriented. You have to be prepared to give them very detailed information about the amount of items you're moving, but it's worth it as they are then able to give you an exact amount that doesn't change when they show up. There is great communication with the company owner before the move. On time, very friendly and helpful guys. Not a single thing broke during my move from NJ to NYC. read more

wow, reading the two existing reviews it's like i used a completely different service! i got a quote from these guys for a move from park slope to williamsburg, one bedroom apartment. i was in a duplex so there were a number of pieces that needed to be disassembled and reassembled to get them up the stairs. their quote was significantly lower than anyone else's (and a flat rate) plus i had a friend use them last week with good results so i booked them. they showed up early and got right to work, fast, efficient, super careful. they dealt with the difficulties presented by my layout with ease. i ended up with ten or so more boxes than anticipated and they managed to fit everything into the truck. they unloaded even faster, put everything back together and were super polite the entire time. it was easily one of the best and most cost efficient moves i've ever made (and we're talking like 12 moves in the past ten years. i would use them again in a heartbeat. read more

All communication leading up to the move was prompt and clear. On the day of the move, the movers called and asked if it was cool that they came a little early, which was fine with me. They introduced themselves and were very easy going, but quick and careful. Will definitely use them again. read more

I wish I could give this company zero stars. I hired them on a friend's recommendation, after asking for movers who were *specifically* good at disassembling/reassembling furniture (in this case, a very large wardrobe). After charging me over $300, mostly for the wardrobe, the staff of this company put my wardrobe back together shoddily, and -- to add insult to injury -- put a NAIL INTO MY FLOOR in an attempt to stabilize their terrible construction. Do not hire these people if you value your money or your furniture. read more

George & co have helped us move twice, and both times were rapid, pleasant, and without a single problem. I'll definitely be calling them again the next time we move! read more

I've used Movemaster twice and been very impressed both times. I gave them the information they asked for and read everything I was sent. The movers were incredibly fast and all of my stuff got from one place to another, which to me is a successful move. read more

I was referred to Movemaster by two friends, one of whom has used them four or five times, and they were absolutely as good they had said. Movemaster did both my packing and my move, and they did a great job. The guys on both teams were on time, efficient, and very careful. They were also really friendly and pleasant to work with. My move was a little strange because I was moving for a friend overseas. George in the office was incredibly patient as we gathered the details necessary for a quote. read more

I've used Movemaster twice, once in 2008 and again this past 4th of July weekend. Both experiences were seamless and I'm disappointed to see that all of their positive reviews have been filtered by Yelp. They sent an extremely detailed estimate and were completely upfront about the prices ($15 to de-assemble the bed, etc). This past Friday, the movers had a move before mine and called to apologize for running 10 minutes late, which I appreciated. They moved my boyfriend and I from 2 separate apartments into a new one in a matter of hours for a great price. They're insured and sent on the COIs to both buildings in advance and confirmed that both were approved. All three movers were professional and friendly. Not a single broken dish or scratch on any of the furniture. Overall, as good a moving experience as anyone can have. read more

Nice, but unreliable. $600 move, $300 in damages. I really liked Move Master until a few days after our move when I started unpacking and I began to find damaged item after damaged item. Expensive things too. My advice to you would be to put down more than necessary with the deposit because that's the only money you'll ever get back from them in the case of damage. The cash that you give the movers is gone, gone, gone. To their credit, George did refund me my entire deposit ($145) for the damages. Only problem is that it was $300 in damaged items. A steel stock pot that was wrapped in bubble wrap and in a plastic bin was cracked through and through. It's as if they threw it out of a third story window. For the life of me I can't figure out how they did that kind of damage. Many plastic storage bins cracked and broke. I don't think they strap things down in the truck so when they drive the boxes go flying from side to side. I'd say if you're going to use them, only have them move non-breakable items. Anything you really care about, move yourself. read more

Unfortunately, my experience with MoveMasters turned into a very negative one. They "lost" two of my giant plastic bags with a lot of my favorite things inside! From the beginning, George was responsive over email, though now has not responded to my last email. In packing, I realized (as most of us New Yorkers might!) that I had more boxes and bags than my original quote. We added those to the final numbers and all was fine. A few things were damaged during the move and I didn't even mention that to him- BUT what I am most upset about it the missing shoes/sweaters/curtains/other favorite items that were in those bags and the sheer lack of regard for my things. I asked him about Insurance coverage on their end for the missing items and he responded with a standard "We are insured for about $6 on every $1,000" type of reply (which I took as "it's not worth your making a claim for these things"). Obviously there are a few different scenarios as to how these two giant bags just went missing (believe me, I've gone through them) but all of them would be due to carelessness on the moving company's end. If you do choose to use MoveMasters- which clearly I would not recommend at this point- just make sure you have renters insurance and move any precious items on your own. read more

I sent a same day request for moving help to movemaster via email. They responded right away and provided in time , fast reliable movers at good prices. Movers were professional. fully equipped and fast. Will recommend to anyone looking a quick help at good value read more

I am very surprised with the ratings that Movemasters received on Yelp. I have used this company twice and had no problems what so ever. I first used this company when I was moving out of 1 apartment and into another apartment. The move went very smoothly. I had two men complete the job - they were both extremely nice and hardworking. I remember tipping them extra because they went above and beyond. I recently bought a house and I hired Movemasters again. (I met with 5 other local moving companies and none of them could compare in price or attention.) This time I had three men complete the move. They worked extremely hard and got the job done early than expected. If you are looking for movers, I highly recommend this company. Don't be deterred by these bad reviews. Understandably, the ones who usually have a bad experience are the ones who write these reviews. I wish I wrote this positive review sooner. :) read more

I was surprised to see so many bad reviews about this service. I had a move this morning from a Manhattan Mini Storage Unit up to a 5 floor walk up (no elevator!) and I actually had a wonderful experience with them and wanted to give a current updated review cause several of those negative reviews go pretty far back I scheduled over email and had it booked in a matter of an hour, very prompt with their responses and were very clear and thorough. The day of my move came (this morning) 2 friendly guys arrived 15 minutes early called me and once they arrived. I had a couple of small items that I didn't list that they were willing to move also. They move quick and painless. They give you a flat rate quote before you book so no matter how many hours your move takes you won't be charged more. I've moved several times in New York City and this was the best service I have used. read more

The three movers I got - Juan, Jesus and Michael - were wonderful guys. They could not have been nicer, arrived 5 minutes early and did not once complain, even though it was the 3rd move they were doing that day. They were fast and efficient and nothing of mine was damaged. Moved from a walk-up to another walk-up. The email questions you have to respond to are overwhelming and a bit annoying, but the owner of the company, George, was very nice to me, and the movers he sent out could not have been better. So it was worth the questions. I recommend. read more

I used them for a move three weeks ago from Queens to Manhattan and I had a lot of stuff (furniture and almost 40 boxes), including some valuable and fragile pieces.These guys were recommended by my friend who used them twice for moves and had a great experience. I am surprised by some of the negative reviews as I found the service excellent. George (the owner) was seriously on top of the emails and the organization went like clockwork. He sent three guys - Jesus, Mike and Juan. I'll admit I was a little nervous when they arrived as they are lean guys, but they did have any trouble hauling my stuff up three flights of stairs. They also just couldn't have been nicer or faster. The whole move started at 10am and they were done by 1pm. The only reason I didn't give full stars, was there were a few minor scratches on some of the furniture and the start time was moved back about 45 mins the day before, but I would absolutely use them for another move and recommend them to all my friends. The price also seemed fair. Not too crazy expensive or too cheap where you worry what you are getting. I paid $470 for the move and then did the tips individually. Great service all around and would definitely recommend. read more

HORRIBLE!!!!! They DESTROYED my couch (by getting it fully jammed in a doorway and then shimmying it back and forth until the upholstry was shreaded and the frame cracked) and seemed excited to throw around boxes clearly labled "fragile." I was disgusted and when I called to place my claim I was told that they were not ensured so would not be offering me anything to compensate me for the damages...all I got was a lot of frustration and a big dent in my wallet by having to pay to replace 60% of my belongings thanks to their carelessness! read more

I found these guys on Craigslist before I knew about Yelp. If I'd read these reviews, I definitely would have stayed away, but actually I didn't have any problems with these guys. It was a last-minute move, but they arrived on time, loaded my stuff fast, and unloaded it just as quickly, with no gripes or add-ons. It seems like the people who had problems with them were moving furniture; maybe I got lucky because I was just moving 12 boxes/suitcases. They quoted me a flat rate of $155 to take my stuff from Morningside Heights to Inwood, and that's exactly what I paid. I underestimated a tiny bit, and they loaded two extra boxes without charging me extra. That said, there are two reasons I wouldn't use them again: - Though the movers were nice, their van was a rickety old thing that was practically falling apart on the Henry Hudson Parkway. I rode with them, and I had to sit in the middle of the front of the van on an oil-covered swivel chair bolted to the floor. Kind of scary, and my stuff was sliding around in the back, so if there'd been anything breakable, we would have had problems. - No insurance, as people have noted. Here's how they account for that in their confirmation email: "Insurance: We do not carry insurance against damage that may occur. However, if any damage is incurred by our movers during your move, we will take care of it on the spot (this does not apply when a client is assisting instead of utilizing 2 movers as we can't fairly determine who caused the damage). We will either send our furniture repair division to satisfactorily repair damage. If damage cannot be repaired we will reimburse up to 50% of the present value of the item. All items must be inspected PRIOR to the movers' departure to qualify for compensation. This coverage does not include poorly packed items in boxes. We are so confident about the level of service we provide that we can make this guarantee. Certificate of Insurance: We do NOT hold a certificate of insurance (movers who do charge 40-60% more). However, there is a loophole that almost ALWAYS works. Tell your managing agent that you have decided to move yourself with help from friends/family/hired helpers. Your agent may require that you leave a deposit before the move actually starts if they want some assurance that no damage will occur to their hallways or elevator (even though it's padded for the move). By law, they cannot refuse you to perform a self-move without using professional movers. USING THIS METHOD WILL ALWAYS ALLOW US TO PERFORM YOUR MOVE. To this end, our vehicles have no markings and our movers do not wear uniforms. If you'd like some references of clients we have moved utilizing this method, just ask. If your agent tells you that you are not allowed to perform a self-move, you should immediately call 311, state your complaint and you will be directed to the correct city agency that handles these matters." So yeah, there are probably better options out there, but my experience wasn't quite the horror story everyone else had. read more

I've given this company SO much money over the years and each time something shady is done. My storage unit was packed in the worst way I have ever seen -- in such a way that it was guaranteed the furniture would be damaged. In addition, they packed my partner's storage in such a way that the leather was ripped clean off the bed. Icing on the cake, after paying them thousands of dollars for a move, they left things of mine in their truck, including a very valuable table that I was promised would be shipped to me. More than two weeks have gone by since the promise, no table and total silence from the otherwise quick to respond George. They destroy and break your things with ABANDON. Communication breaks down when it most matters. Will NEVER use them and recommend that you do not either. read more

The movers were super nice initially, and very fast. However, they left my TV in the courtyard of my old building. I didn't even notice until after they had left. Thankfully, security in my building informed me it was still in the courtyard and no one had stolen it. I called the movers and they promised to use a company car to pick it up and deliver it that evening. Okay, fixing your mistake, I can forgive you. However, they never showed up and after finally reaching them hours later they mention they don't have time to do it that night and would do it in the morning. Are you kidding me? I end up retrieving my TV that night and still no word from them the next morning. While I appreciate that they were very nice and efficient, it's unacceptable to not right a wrong. But I guess I had already paid/tipped them so what obligation did they have to finish the job? I HIGHLY recommend not using this company if you want all of your stuff. read more

Yesterday was the second time I have used these guys and they were awesome. They moved my boyfriend's 1 bedroom in Astoria and then made a second stop at my studio in Brooklyn and moved all of our combined stuff into a 3rd floor walk-up. They were running late because of rush hour traffic, but texted twice to let us know exactly where they were. I even had a small couch at my old place that I wanted to put out on the curb, and they moved it for me for no extra charge. We had a ridiculously large couch that they got up to the third floor and then realized it wouldn't fit through the apartment door. But the movers tried every angle possible and eventually took the door of its hinges and miraculously got it inside. The whole process took 5 hours (much longer than they had expected) and we were their last move of the day and they never complained once. Super nice guys, and careful with our things. I told them at the end, "We never want to move again, but if we do, we'll call you." As other reviewers have mentioned, yes you do have to give an extremely detailed list of items to get your quote. But the prices are reasonable and they won't try to get extra money out of you for no reason. You have to send 25% deposit via Paypal to reserve, and the remainder, plus tolls & tip, is due in cash at the end of the move. Overall highly recommended! read more

These guys did a great job moving my 1 bedroom apt. We had a last minute move, and they were able to accomodate an early Sunday morning move. George was incredibly responsive from start to finish, on the initial quote, asking for a COI for my building, and then during the move - I really underestimated my original quote and he gave me a very fair and reasonable flat rate with the additional boxes. Movers showed up on time and were quick, friendly and professional (and all spoke English which is unheard of from any other movers). Very trustworthy, reasonably priced and professional movers, would recommend to anybody! read more