[Part 2 of 2]
+/-You can purchase some items (ex: packaging tape), but they're a bit pricey (some of our things had to be secured better, and I'm glad that we weren't charged for the tape- some of ours may have been used, but I'm not sure).
If you're moving, save yourself some time and money by being at least somewhat prepared before movers come (the more time movers spend securing things or waiting around for you, the more you're going to pay).
+/-The trip to the house was slightly dramatic. After 10 minutes, the truck fell way behind (it was loaded down, but the lead guy was also driving slowly- I can't complain, though, if he was just being careful). We drove as slowly as we could (we even pulled over twice) in order to keep it in sight (we didn't want the movers to get lost- I was also wondering, at least for a moment, if the truck was suddenly going to turn down a street and disappear), but it didn't catch up to us until we reached the cross street (it was good when we had to stop at 2 red lights). Anyway, the guys had drinks in the truck (I think just energy drinks), and I'm glad that they had some time to catch their breath (they really only took bathroom breaks).
-The day and time we were given were basically assigned to us. Speak up if you can't be flexible (no, I need you guys to come on this day).
-The movers weren't fully prepared. I agreed to rent a queen size sheet (at one point, it was starting to sprinkle, and our mattress wasn't protected). After checking, however, the lead guy came back and told me that they didn't have any (they only had a full size sheet- I think renting the queen size sheet, by the way, would have only cost $4). I don't believe the movers had any scissors either (the 2 small guys briefly borrowed a pair of ours to cut some tape).
This is written on the freight bill: "PLEASE INSPECT YOUR GOODS PROMPTLY."
As far as I know (we didn't really move into the house until 11/1, and we haven't unpacked everything yet), only 1 thing is missing, some K-Y Jelly for Her (a dresser and 2 nightstands were taken). I told my wife that she's shit out of luck (no, we have a few dozen boxes full of lubricants and lotions). Anyway, maybe one of the guys really wanted to please his girlfriend (it was full, and I didn't secure the drawers well, and so some things fell out of my nightstand- I didn't see it there when I looked, but I wouldn't be surprised if the Jelly was placed in my wife's dresser). If the K-Y was taken (I'll provide an update if it suddenly turns up- I'm still looking, baby), I'm not too bugged about it (I still have my Snoopy slippers, and that's what counts).
Update (11/25): The Jelly finally turned up yesterday. Some work is being done on the house now, and one of the workers found it and placed it near the dresser. The bottle was dusty, and maybe it had fallen out of a drawer and onto the floor (the workers were gone when I saw it, and I don't feel like asking anyone about it anyway).
I wasn't blown away by the lead guy (it's okay if you're a smoker, but smoke after a job, not before- I also think that the guy could have done a bit more), but the movers impressed me overall (they were quick, and there really was no wasted time- they even made a real effort to be done in 3 hours so that we would only be charged the minimum).
The total came out to $407. Even if everything was taken and another trip was made, we wouldn't have been charged more than $700. That's pretty awesome.
Again, I highly recommend Storage and Moving Center. My wife and I are very pleased by the job our movers did.
This isn't a perfect fit, but it'll do:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcggr_23WJU&NR=1&feature=fvwp read more