I am agreeing with Andy S at being surprised to see anything negative about Oscar's Moving Company of Cambridge, as I could not have been happier or more relieved with the job these guys did with my move on Saturday, 15 January 2011. Contact with them stemmed from my general online inquiry, looking to move from storage in Massachusetts into a 5th story walk-up in Manhattan. They differentiated themselves right away by responding to the inventory I submitted and my request for an on-site estimate, by offering a non-binding estimate based on the inventory and recognizing that my getting up to MA from NYC to be present for quotes represented an opportunity for them to make the most of my trip by suggesting it could actually be my moving day. Their estimate came with their willingness and availability to load, drive to NYC with my belongings, and unload all on that same Saturday (just 48 hours from our initial contact).
A two-man team (Michael and Julian) showed up at the beginning of the hour window we'd scheduled, padded my furniture, and loaded all my belongings in a half-hour less than estimated. They deducted the time it took them to eat lunch on the drive down to NY and to clear traffic at the tolls. There is a LOT to complain about when you're lugging anything up five floors of narrow stairs, with snow and trash piled high on a city street, where there is never ample parking and no shortage of crabby drivers to begin with. Julian and Michael worked efficiently and without complaint, even when, mid-move, they had to close up the truck and find another place to park. This meant parking farther from the door, down a bit of an incline. They did not use this as an excuse to take longer; in fact, they were resourceful enough to unload it all up five flights in just two hours (again, beating the estimate by a half-hour). Their good humor, patience and resourcefulness kept them ahead of schedule, both in Massachusetts and somehow in Manhattan.
It was a great relief to get this all taken care of in one full day. Julian was meticulous in executing and explaining the paperwork once everything was unloaded. Never did I imagine such a move could come in below estimate. I have moved a LOT in my lifetime, and Oscar's made this one, which had potential to be the most complicated, as easy and painless as possible. I would recommend Oscar's moving highly, based on a very straight-forward experience, starting with Will's responsiveness to the date I had in mind for an on-site estimate (making it my move date instead -- so helpful!) and accuracy of their non-binding estimate, continuing with John's help in answering my investigative follow-up questions as I worried over every loophole imagineable and in processing the paperwork efficiently on the day before the move. Even when I don't consider all the nightmare stories you hear about NYC moves, I could not be more grateful for Oscar's level of service and professional transparency in costing the job, following through, and helping me put this move behind me. read more