this company does not deserve even one star. the morning of the move. They called to say they were short a and not only were they short they were inexperienced. They did not know how to load the truck appropriately. They left us with scratched broken furniture, holes in upholstery, etc. I would never recommend them. read more

Recently Starving Artists handled my move. I was moving my personal items out of a house and into a storage unit for short term storage. My bed frames, TV, and electric fireplace were all DESTROYED. I was already under an incredible amount of stress, and now we're sleeping with our mattresses on the floor and we had to replace our TV. The TV was discovered when we were moving my property out of the storage unit, to my new home. It had been leaned against the wall, but the screen had OBVIOUSLY taken an impact- So the employee who did it was obviously trying to hide it. I'll never be working with them again. read more

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I would give them a 1/2 star if I could. The majority of my furniture that they moved ended up broken or damaged in some way. They brought blankets on request but never used them. When there was a pop up shower, they did nothing to protect the furniture. When wrapping the white silk sofa, they dropped the cushions on the muddy floor. They chipped the marble on the coffee table and a concrete outdoor pedestal. They even broke a concrete urn. The movers toward the end were rude and dismissive. When I called the owner to ask how I would be compensated for the items that were damaged or destroyed he agreed to repair 3 items and gave me $50.00 for the urn. He did not repair the 3 items. WARNING: Unless you want your furniture destroyed, DO NOT HIRE THEM!!!! read more

Let it be known that I absolutely detest writing a review that is less than three stars. I have a feeling this is going to just stir up the anxiety all over again, but here goes. Let's be real: I doubt moving is ever an enjoyable experience. We all do it because we have to and I've done it three times in the past 15 months. One of these moves was across half the country (Brooklyn to Kansas). SA seems to be in high demand in the KC area and Lawrence, so I reserved them a month in advance. They have you fill out a form where they try and ascertain how much stuff you have. Only problem is, they ask you how many boxes you have. They don't specify the size of the boxes. And if you have to rent them a month in advance, how the hell are you supposed to know how many boxes you'll have? Do people pack first and then try to find movers? So, I filled the form out and promptly received a call from the really nice lady who I believe is the wife of the owner. She was a pleasure to deal with. The morning of the move, we were surprised with our movers calling at 8am. I stupidly thought that the move was happening at 11am. It might have been nice if they sent out a confirmation email the week of the move. I'm sure it was my mistake, but still! Luckily we were up and prepared. Our movers, the *first* time (oh read on, please) were awesome. They were nice, funny and like the lady who answered the phone, a pleasure to deal with. Only problems: 1. They tagged on a charge for stairs. We had one staircase going upstairs to two small bedrooms and one half of a staircase that they would need to take the stuff out of the basement to outside (it's an old house on a weird foundation, not unlike the one we moved into). If they charged someone for having normal stairs, I wonder what they'd charge for a 5th floor walk up? Give me a break! To add to this? We were having them move all the boxes in the new house to the first floor basement garage, so no steps would be involved. 2. we were paying them the SAME amount of money per hour to drive the hour from Lawrence to KS. 3. The truck they brought wasn't big enough. We were moving from Lawrence to KC, so this truly, truly sucked as it meant a second move was going to have to take place. When I was handed the bill after the first move, I about had a stroke. Of course tipping on top of this was expected, it was a hot day and they did the best they could. So that first day cost about 1K with the tip and money we gave them for lunch. We didn't have any big appliances to move, like an oven or washer/dryer or fridge. I truly don't think we have *that* much stuff. Hell, since we have a sleep by numbers bed, that meant no big mattresses to lug upstairs either! I don't get it. Everyone we tell this to asked if they had packed all our stuff up, too. Um. No. Fast forward a few days when I expected to have to take a day off work to meet the movers in Lawrence and then drive back into KC to meet them at the new house. I called the night before the day this was to take place. The owner never called me until the AFTERNOON of the move day. By then I had given up, so we had to put off this until Saturday. Our movers on Saturday were also really nice guys, but they didn't put the heavy iron table in the yard as I had indicated, thus requiring us to move it ourselves. Fun. What are we paying movers for again? To be fair, this time at least we were only charged for an hour of labor. Because we piggy backed off another move taking place in Lawrence to KC. So, at least there's that. I asked the movers to have the owner call me, which never happened. I wanted to protest the stairs charge because why should we be penalized for having the normal amount of stairs one has in a house?! For "starving artists," they sure made more money from me over the span of 6 hours than many people make in a week. The other sucky thing: I found several items had broken in the move. I had put "Fragile" on the boxes with breakables in them and had packed everything carefully with bubble wrap. I'm truly afraid to look at our vintage cocktail glasses which are still packed up. The broken items were several of my collection of plaster angels and aliens...not worth anything, but have sentimental value and yes, these had survived about 6 moves by now. Never, in my many many years of moving has a move ever come close to what I paid for this service and left me completely dissatisfied. To recap my dissatisfaction: Lax owner who never called me back, stupid extra fees for stairs, second move inconvenience, asking you to fill out an exhaustive, useless form when at these prices they should be coming to your house to assess what size truck you need, broken angels... Rip Off Artists seems like a more appropriate name. This would be a one star review if the lady answering the phone and the moving guys themselves weren't so nice... read more

So far they have been very responsive, which is great. I'm working to put together costs and they are preparing an estimate for me. Thank you so much~ read more

Hired Starving Artists to move two college roommates from an Apartment to a house across town. JD and Nigel were our moving associates and they were outstanding. Professional, courteous,careful and just generally really good and personable guys. I highly recommend and will definitely use again. Very reasonably priced as well. read more

The owner of Starving Artist Moving, Craig Foos, the guy I spoke with, uses predatory tactics to attain business; ask very specifically how you will be quoted, or you will be in for a huge surprise on moving day! The move: Nearly every single conceivable surface I didn't want to be damaged was damaged; entertainment center was damaged on its side; corners on both the Loveseat and oversized chair were carved up; they broke some containment straps on the Loveseat; some dining room chairs had been dragged across the cement or a rough surface (legs had visible drag marks on them); some corners of my canvass paintings were damaged; they forgot some of my items at their shop and had to return to get them (I will probably never know what is missing); they broke some plates. Are you seeing a pattern? On a side note and just as important to get some insight on how he runs his business, when I explained what damages I could see of some boxes (that had been smashed down) via the phone and before I could explain my point, he comments, "we are not responsible for damage in the boxes because we did not pack them!" So, how I interpret that, he is implying that regardless of how his employees handle customers' property, your property, in my case the boxes, he, Craig Foos, is taking zero responsibility for the outcome. I'd also like to state he never - not even one time - wanted to mention the insurance I paid for as part of the move. I do not recommend using this guy or his company - period, because it is quite clear Craig Foos is not in the business of moving/ returning your items in the same condition at which he picked them up! This guy is a conArtist, not a starving artist. read more

I have a complaint about a recent move including damaged items and more and would like someone to reach out to me regarding this issue. I have tried calling, even had an appointment for someone to contact about this issue but no one came as scheduled. Please contact me immediately. read more

If I could give this company 1 million stars I would. This morning I was greeted by the team of : Chris, Joe & John --- these three are a true moving "dream team". With the speed of a cheetah, elegance of a swan and heart of a ....hippo? Lion? (Something with a really sincere big heart!) these guys have it all. Positive, fun, extremely hard working and caring. Moved all of my heavy crap up 4 flights of stairs -- they acted like it was nothing. I climbed the stairs once and almost had a heart attack while drenched in my own tears and sweat. Besides their moving prowess they go the extra mile with customer service : I honestly just fell in love with them. They are outstanding individuals, I truly enjoyed having them with me for the morning. In a nutshell: this was an affordable, incredibly smooth and fantastic moving experience! Thanks Chris, Joe & John!!!! You guys are outstanding ! read more

These folks arrived on time, were polite and friendly, worked quickly and cautiously, and moved a treadmill from one floor of our home to another. They were done long before they were scheduled to arrive. I am happy to have this done. Although the price seemed steep for the amount of time the actual project took, the charges were actually much lower than any other movers in town. read more

Absolutely loved these guys! They did a jam up good job! From scheduling the move to signing their paperwork when they were done, nothing but professional. They have a two hour minimum which was fine. That's what I paid for. Service took longer than expected (definitely not their fault). When we reached two hours they let me know before they continued to work. I had already packed up all my stuff and rented my own truck. They loaded that thing and nothing moved at all on the cross-country drive. They did sick an excellent job packing that it only took my and my partner an hour to unload everything. Cannot say enough good things about these guys! read more

Excellent! I bought a new piano from Topeka, sold my old one, and hired Starving Artists to move my old one to the new owners. The comparison between the ones who delivered my new one vs Starving Artists was like night and day. The former did a good job, but S.A. went the extra mile in so many ways that there is no comparison. They wrapped the piano with several blankets, secured the blankets with several giant rubber bands, then wrapped the whole thing with saran wrap. The new location required going up a flight of stairs, which cost a little extra but was handled without a problem. I also discovered that they can be available to move heavy furniture around inside my house. Good people, good service. I am impressed. read more

I'm very pleased with this company. My daughter needed to move -- pronto -- from central Kansas to San Antonio because of new job, and I agreed to make the arrangements. From beginning to end, Valerie (in the office) and Craig (in the field, so to speak) were courteous, friendly and above all, entirely open and honest about what was involved, and how much it would cost (and why). The move went off without a hitch, and my daughter was very pleased with how carefully her furniture was handled, and with all the help she received at both ends of the move. I should mention that unlike some of the large long-distance movers, Starving Artists Movers will move your furniture when you need it moved, and won't put it in storage until they have a full load, or a return load waiting. We had a specific date in mind -- only about ten days after I first contacted them -- and they accommodated us. Service like this may cost a little more, but it's well worth it. read more

Fantastic. Jordan & Jessie helped me unload my moving truck last week. They worked quickly, were very professional, courteous and I would highly recommend them. Kelton also arrived that afternoon to help - he was also great. Do not hesitate to hire STARVING ARTISTS MOVING - your belongings deserve a top-notch moving crew handling your move. So important. These guys know how to do it right! read more

The Starving Artist crew recently moved my daughters apartment contents. From the first phone call to the last box moved our experience was fantastic! Professional, courteous, and fun! The four young men who did the move were awesome! They worked so hard and finished the job quicker than originally expected. They were also very careful with her belongings. I would highly recommend Starving Artists for future moves!! read more

These guys were awesome! Professional, fast, and respectful! I would recommend this company to anyone considering a move!

Started the day out by being late and when I called the company they didn't have me on the schedule despite my having a confirmation number for the appointment. The movers were very late and incredibly slow. The entire move was a disaster because the movers were unwilling to use the proper equipment to make the move safer and faster. Unprofessional overall. Very dissatisfie. read more

We moved out of state in August 2019, and Craig took great care of us. After getting three estimates, we chose SAM because of 3 main reasons: the good things we'd heard elsewhere, the competitive pricing, and the fact that they would load our stuff and use the same driver (Cody, who was excellent!) to stay with the load, driving it directly to our new home from our old place, and unloading there. Other outfits would have transferred our stuff into a different truck, using one of their national partners. We liked keeping it all in house. They didn't get a scratch on anything. We packed our own boxes to save money, so I'll give credit to our own packing job as well. But they packed all the furniture and artwork. They moved some delicate furniture, including a glass front China cabinet, plus a dozen or so large framed artworks. Nothing got damaged, which was great. Cody was an excellent leader to his team, and worked hard to take care of us. We would definitely use them again! The minor downsides were some tardiness arriving on the job and some issues getting the hired helpers to show up at our destination. They (like everyone in this line of business, I suspect) hire a lot of young guys to help pack and load, but getting them to show up on time in the morning can be a challenge. It wasn't a big deal to us, but it's something to be aware of if your schedule is super rigid. Since we moved out of state, they hired some local guys at our destination to come and help the driver Cody with unloading. There was apparently some dispatch miscommunication, or something, and the drivers were many HOURS late. Poor Cody worked alone for hours, but truly needed help, especially for the big stuff. Finally, the two other guys showed up, and they finished the job. All in all, they did a great job for us! read more

Great guys, but the absolute worst packers I have ever had in any of my long distance moves. Glass shelves from china cabinet wrapped in cardboard with one end exposed. Needless to say, they were all broken. MANY items with pieces that go with them not packed together: TV without the electric cord; electric tea pot without the corded base. A year later and I still have not found those pieces. Matching items separated into different boxes; again, have not found the matches. These are just a few of many examples. Broken cabinet, dented and scratched appliances...two of which were brand new. Boxes not labeled correctly...MANY of those. There was no organization or logic whatsoever to the packing. They did not keep accurate record of the packing supplies needed or used. They didn't bring enough packing supplies. I cannot count the number of things I have not been able to find, missing pieces, etc.. Movers should never just assume that all boxes will be unpacked immediately so that where things are packed should not matter; mine have not been. The absolute worse experience I have ever had. I recommend paying a little extra for a major professional moving company, which is what I have done in the past. I was assigned this company because of using Moving Staffers. I would not use them either as you have no control who they send to you. I was given incorrect information about filing a claim by Moving Staffers, so I ended up being too late to file because of the time it was taking to unpack boxes. And I paid for the full insurance, too. Total waste of money. Never again! read more

Awful experience to say the least. Loading went fine despite the crew being 45 minutes late. The trouble started at unloading... First, the "manager" asked if he could use the restroom, had I realized this was going to mean blow out my restroom so badly the entire house needed airing out, I would have said no. Then, my favorite lamp, $200 lamp mind you, was tossed across the truck and broken into many pieces. This then required the "manager" to attempt to explain to me the insurance he was supposed to explain prior to moving all of my belongings and ended in them offering me $40 for my now broken favorite $200 lamp. Not only was the lamp damaged, but after they left upon inspecting my antiques, every single one if them is scratched and damaged. Beyond disappointed to say the least. I highly recommend using anyone else. read more

Wow! Just wow! I was pleasantly surprised by how efficient, professional and knowledgable John was when he came to move us. He pretty much packed our 1,200 sq ft apt.(minus the kitchen) and loaded ALL furniture under 3 hrs. How he was able to make everything fit in our 15 ft. Uhaul for our 7 hour move was astonishing!!!We were able to fit a King mattress, bed frame, full headboard, sofa sectional, two ottomans, dining table and chairs, and at least 10 more wardrobe, large and medium boxes in this 15 ft Uhaul! He didn't waste any time, and was urgently working the entire time! Even with bumpy roads along the way to our new home, there was not one thing that was scratched, dirtied or broken!!! After the three hours, I was only charged $104, and because he did such a phenomenal job-I tipped him 50 bucks! So, in all, including the $50 deposit, this was hands down the best $200 dollars I've ever spent!! Thanks for making my move so stress-free!! read more

Starving Artists Moving - John must be REALLY awesome at Tetris!!! - Movers Near Me - Lawrence, Kansas

We booked two guys for two hours, & if my review was based on the job they did, it would be one star. They loaded all the boxes in first (grumbling about any box that was slightly heavy), leaving all the heavy or bulky stuff & all the furniture until last. & so, surprise, there was no room for it! I had made my peace with the fact that we might not have room to move every single random chair we own, but they saved our DRESSERS, with our CLOTHING in them until last & didn't consult us on what our priorities were. Even when we told them, "Please don't move the mattresses, we need to sleep on them tonight," they took all the bediing, suitcases, et al, off the mattresses & tried to load them in! By the time they left, half our furniture was scattered across the lawn, every single room still had random boxes & belongings in it, & I was standing there dumbfounded that professional movers had done such an unspeakable job. Bear in mind that I have moved over 35 times. I had never experienced anything like this. I called Craig to complain--which isn't something I think I have ever done before. I was just so horrified by what the movers had done...& not done. He sent out TWO teams of two guys who unloaded EVERYTHING & loaded it back in...& EVERYTHING fit! With room to spare! They were AMAZING. One guy in particular was incredible & I wish I had gotten his name. Not only was he an absolute wizard at figuring out how to fit everything into the cubes, he was also very communicative, cheerful, & somehow managed to lift my full-sized cast iron dress form over his head with one hand! I think he might literally be a superhero. I would give him alone ONE MILLION stars, seriously, but all the guys he worked with were also great. I'm not a big online review person. I'm seriously only writing this because I was so impressed with what these guys managed to do after their colleague had done such a terrible job. I do feel bad saying that, because moving sucks, it's hot out, no one is doing this job because they think it's super-fun. But seeing what this team managed to do after confronting the possibility that we might have to abandone half our furniture in Kansas & leave for Oregon without it...I just had to let people know. With the right team, these movers are MAGICIANS. read more

Avoid this company at all costs. Yes, the price is right. Yes, one gets what one pays for... I've found higher quality help standing on the corner at Home Depot and paid the same rate per man per hour. 3 dudes and too small of a truck, despite having accurately completed their required itemization list. My estimation of the number of boxes, furniture, and appliances was spot on. Valerie, you should know better. But, you don't. You have no idea what is involved in the operations of your business. You're a mouth attached to the telephone. One dude felt a need to attempt becoming palsy and WAY too friendly with me while he was working - I don't care that you sing in a band, I don't care where you are from and where you grew up, I don't care why you moved to Lawrence, I don't care if you like my furniture and belongings and admire my good taste, I don't care that you think my daughter is cute (GROSS) and I don't care that you are an absentee father to your children. STFU and get your skinny ass to work, boy!. And... Don't be hasty, don't carry too much at one time, and don't break my shit! When I give you directions to my house Mr. Driver, heed them. Listen. I know where it is that I live and I know how to access the house from the "Road Closed" sign. Geezus, put your listening ears on when you talk to a customer on the phone. Don't tell me you understand the directions and then call me back and tell me that you can't find my house. Despite the fact that you all worked your asses off that day, which you did. I don't envy your chosen profession... When it's late in the day, you're tired and worn out, take a moment to ensure you're doing it right and you're not going to break an appliance on top of all the other shit you broke... Oh, and when I give you direction where to move items, put them where I ask not where you think they go. I took the time to label the boxes so you could read where to put them. Maybe my assumption that you can read was incorrect. Maybe my assumption that you could rub a couple of synapses together to get a brain cell or few to fire was too much to assume of a group of monkeys. Having to disassemble refrigerator doors to get it out of the old house made sense. Having to break parts of it to get it into a space with 5 mm to spare did not. I measured all of the entries and the space for the new refrigerator before I asked you to move it. How many people does it take to reassemble a refrigerator/freezer properly? Answer: 5. It takes 3 boys 90 minutes to break it, Craig (the manager, 4) to come out and look dumbfounded at what's happening. He never proffered an apology, seemed incapable of providing support his employees, had nil to say about what was happening, and Mr. Mack Price (5) to restore the appliance to proper working order (this gentlemen knows his business and appliances VERY VERY WELL, and he's cool as a fan). Craig fought with me for more than 3 days over the broken appliance. First, he opines that it's really not broken. Second, he opines that his boys didn't break it. Third, he opines that servicemen don't want to work on this brand of appliance because the manufacturer is so hard to deal with. Facts: yes in fact it is broken because your boys left me two ginormous rubberbands to keep the door sealed, your boys broke my shit, Lawrence is a Whirlpool and Maytag town, I never did ask you to reimburse me for the $250 worth of frozen food that was spoiled in all of this. Craig: you're a dck for putting Mr. Price off for another month because "money's tight, hope that half now and half next month is alright." i.e. it's a $292 bill that was slightly less than he estimated to you the previous month and asked if you would agree to pay. Which, you did and which, in fact, you're not. Seems like you lack ethic and scruple. Starving people on the street have more character and constitution. Maybe I should have paid my moving bill half at the time of service and the other half when things weren't so tight. The broken items and 90 minutes were credited on my final bill. My fridge is fixed. And, I'll tell the whole damn town how awful your company is if I'm ever asked if you're a company worth hiring. As a matter of fact, someone did ask me how my experience was and I told them it was horrific. read more

I've used Starving Artists twice during my time in Lawrence and had a great experience both times! Professional, friendly, knowledgeable, they really know what they're doing and they're great at it! Super honest and up front! Reasonable prices! They are awesome! read more

I was thoroughly impressed with the professionalism, communication and work ethic of the gentlemen who moved me in October, 2012. We had already categorized the furniture whether it was to go to a storage unit or a residence (helpful for the movers when organizing the truck) which meant we did not have to stand over them. The guys were personable, considerate and genuinely interested in being respectful of my possessions. If I were moving again, I would most definitely hire this company! Everything went just right (hard to say for a move!), even down to the gal who set up the appointment. They honored a deposit I made 8 months prior when I thought my home had sold and still had all of my information at hand. No new itemized forms to fill out! And...they are really artists! I cannot say enough about those guys... they were awesome! read more

A very unprofessional and illegal moving company. I went on two trips with one of their employees. I was paid cash along the way while the boss didn't even know I was on either trip. The employee I was with was smoking weed the whole trip while hauling a customers load 1500 miles. He in fact passed out at the wheel at one point when taking a hit of weed. The delivery was a day late. The next delivery was also a day late due to alcoholic beverages in the rear of the truck, with the customers items. 24 hour suspension off the road while a customer patiently waits and the boss doesn't care. After all deliveries, the employee decides to use the company truck to stop and purchase marijuana and haul it back to Kansas. The second trip, the employee left me stranded 8 states away, not paying me for my time or anything. I called the boss of the company and once again, he didn't even know I was on this trip. The boss seemed concerned, but only for his truck. I was left stranded on the atlantic ocean with no money or food and had to find my own way back to Kansas. This company is very unprofessional. I should have never accepted the side work. Beware, because your items being hauled may have drugs or alcohol hidden in them...if the truck even arrives to you on time, or at all. read more

First-class experience throughout the moving process. We shopped around 3 moving companies in Lawrence on price alone, and after meeting Craig it was no-brainer to use his team's help. He was quick to give us a thorough bid, responsive on questions we had for clarity on moving day, and his team of 4 guys was professional. We were surprised to see the hustle in the squad, Taylor was the foreman and his guys Derrick and 2 others were moving quickly and efficiently all day long. I'll recommend Craig & Starving Artists to any friends that need a trusted mover. read more

Props to the team at Starving Artists. My 3 guys worked very, very hard! They were polite - efficient and fast. Thanks guys!

Great movers! Friendly, helpful and careful! I was very pleased with how smoothly things went. Nothing broken or damaged. Will use them again on next move. read more

We recently finished a ground-floor master suite addition and called for help moving bedroom furniture from the upstairs and a washer and dryer from the downstairs. The two young men showed up punctually and got the job done quickly, with no damage to either the items or the newly built addition. There were challenges with narrow doorways and stairways, but they handled it very well. Even though we called at the last minute, they accommodated us within two days. The flat hourly rate made it easy to know exactly what it would cost -- no surprises or extras. Would definitely hire them again. read more

On time and did a GREAT job! They treated our things with care and respect. Not a scratch or bump. Thanks!

I called and reserved them for a specific time (3:00) and date. We moved across several states and were exhausted with many heavy items we needed help with. They did not show up or call at the appointed time. I gave it a few minutes and called, it went to answering machine. I called again a little later and was told the crew that was assigned to us was still on the prior job but they could be there in an hour. We started unloading as much as we could and waited. They still didn't show up at the "new" appointed time. Another call resulted in voice mail and then finally I called and got a person again who told me they were stuck on that same prior move but they could be there around 5:00. Our moving truck had to be returned by 6:00 or we'd be charged another day. At this point we only had 3 large/heavy items left that we needed help with and he said that it shouldn't be a problem to get that done in time for us to return the truck. I had previously agreed to their 2 hour $180 minimum when I was going to be ABLE to use them for 2 hours. I asked if he would waive the minimum and only charge us for the less than an hour that they would be needed and he laughed at me! At first he said no and then he hemmed and hawed and said "we could work something out." That's not concrete to me, I needed to know an amount before agreeing but he wouldn't provide that. I again stated that I shouldn't have to pay for a two hour job when THEY were late and I couldn't utilize them the entire two hours. He got ANGRY at me and said "it wasn't his fault that the job before us had a lot more to move." Wow! I said it wasn't MY fault either, why should I be penalized and pay for their over-booking? He was very unfriendly and said he didn't know what my problem was, that "no other mover would be willing to give me a discount and 'work with me'." Seriously, work with me?? Moves are stressful enough without having someone pull this stunt and then get an attitude with me. I told him I was cancelling his service, do not show up, it's too late. And I told him I would leave a negative review. He was not very happy about that. In my opinion based on this experience, they over-scheduled themselves and made it impossible to fulfill their obligation to me as well as tried to charge me for two hours when they themselves made it so I couldn't utilize the full two hours. Moving is difficult, it's stressful and this is the last thing we needed. So my husband and I (who has an injured knee and is scheduled for surgery) had to move the remaining items ourselves. Save yourself the trouble, do not use this company. read more