I used U-pack in October to move from DC to Dallas and had a great experience. I researched options for renting a truck and driving myself, and also looked into other similar moving companies. U-Pack was the best option since it was affordable, quoted 3-5 day transit time, and allowed me to just fly back since I wasn't moving a car as well.
Moving Options: U-Pack has several options to choose from:
Truck vs. container: I opted to pack one of their trucks. You pay by the foot (5 ft. minimum which easily fit my studio apartment amount of stuff). With the container, if you need just a little more space you have to pay for another whole container. Whereas with the truck, if you need another foot of space, you just pay for another foot. They fill the remainder with freight and send it off.
Door to door vs. terminal to terminal (or a variation of the two): They will bring the truck/container to your house or you can bring your stuff and pack/unpack at one of their terminals. I opted for terminal to terminal because it was cheaper but also removed the need to schedule drop-off and pick-up dates in both cities, and it saved me from having to get a special parking permit for DC. That said, I ended up having to load, unload and reload in multiple trips to do terminal to terminal, so it's worth the extra cost to have it delivered to your door if you have a lot of stuff/furniture.
Price: It was a very competitive price at under $900 for 5ft of truck space. I think the quote was $1500 if I wanted door to door. There were no additional fees tacked on later. The original quote was all I paid. Driving it myself in a rented u-haul was going to cost almost as much so this was much more convenient for almost the same price.
Timeliness: I packed the truck on a Monday and it arrived that Friday so it's super fast compared to some of the other companies. You can pay extra for guaranteed delivery if you don't have much flexibility on timing. They have a tracking system on their website so you can see how fast/slow it's going. They'll store it for free for two days on the other end, but then they start charging $50 after that. I think they also have long term storage options if you do the container.
Terminal Hours: All of the individual terminals have different hours. Some are open 24 hours, but only Monday through Friday. Some are 7 days a week but close at 6 every day. So check beforehand if you're doing terminal to terminal to make sure they fit around your work schedule or whatever constraints you have. For door to door, most also have specific hours they'll drop-off and pick-up.
Customer Service: I only had good experiences with the staff in both cities. They were courteous and helpful over the phone, in their front office, and in the yard. They even helped me check that the bulkhead (the wooden wall that separates your stuff from the freight) was secure and that I had locked it correctly before I left.
Lock: You have to buy your own lock, but they give you the specifications. Make sure you buy exactly what they specify because I accidentally got one too large and had to do an emergency Home Depot run to get the right one. They don't make a lot of options in the size it requires. The bulkhead has two places to use locks, but you really only need one lock.
Insurance: The insurance they provide is measly (30 cents per pound or something like that), but your homeowners or renters insurance will cover moves so just call your insurance provider to confirm. Or if you don't already have either (like me), call and get a policy. It will be well worth it if anything were to happen to your stuff on the trip.
No damage: Nothing was damaged when it arrived, but that's because I was super meticulous when I packed. There will be lots of shifting in transit, so it's on you to cushion breakable things in boxes and tie everything down securely. I fit everything in like a puzzle, taped smaller, lighter boxes to heavier ones to prevent toppling, and tied some things down to the wall brackets. I also used old blankets to cover all of my furniture since continuous motion would definitely cause scraping if not padded. Insurance won't cover things broken due to improper packing. The trucks and containers are not temperature controlled so depending on the timing of your move, be prepared that you might have issues with heat damage to electronics (TVs, laptops, etc.). If you're also driving separately, take those in the car with you.
All in all, I'm really glad I went with U-Pack. Moving is a big hassle, but U-Pack was affordable, timely, and has helpful staff which made for a great and mostly hassle free move. read more