Man, I remember my last move. I was so proud of myself for being “smart” and hiring movers. The guy on the phone gave me a quote that made me think, “Okay, that’s manageable. My back is worth it.”
Then the final bill came. It was almost double.
I felt like such an idiot. But you know what? All those extra charges were technically in the contract. I just hadn’t read the fine print. I was so stressed about the move itself that I didn’t do my homework.
So let me save you the headache I had. Here’s the stuff nobody tells you.
The Hidden Fees That Wrecked My Budget
First off, that hourly rate? It’s a trap. The clock doesn’t start when they get to your house. It starts when their truck leaves THEIR warehouse. So if they get stuck in traffic for 45 minutes on the way to you? You’re paying for that. I learned that the hard way.
Then there’s the “we can’t park close” fee. My apartment had street parking only. The truck had to park about 100 feet away. That was an extra $150 “long carry” charge. Just for walking.
Stairs? Oh yeah, that’s extra too. I lived on the second floor. Another $100. They called it a “stair carry fee.” I call it a “you live upstairs” tax.
And get this – if you have anything remotely heavy or awkward, it’s “special handling.” My friend had a nice, heavy wooden desk. Not even an antique, just a solid desk. That was an extra $75 as a “large item.”
The biggest shock was the insurance. The basic coverage is a joke. It covers something like 60 cents per pound. So if they drop your 50-pound, $2000 television, you’d get about $30. To get real coverage, you have to pay a percentage of the total value of your stuff. That added another couple hundred to my bill.
How to Not Get Totally Screwed
So, how do you not get totally screwed?
- Be a Tyrant About Your Stuff: A week before the move, go through every single room and be brutal. Do you really need those three-year-old magazines? That vase you never liked? Have a “go” pile and a “throw the hell out” pile. The less stuff you have, the less time it takes, and the less it costs. This is the single most important thing.
- Pack Yourself, But Be Neurotic About It: Pack all your own boxes. But when you label them, don’t just write “Kitchen.” Write “KITCHEN – Pots and Pans.” “BEDROOM – Mike’s Socks and T-shirts.” This tells the movers exactly where to put it, which saves them time, which saves you money. A box labeled “Misc” is a time-waster, and time-wasters are expensive.
- Be Moved Before They Arrive: On moving day, you should be in “director” mode, not “participant” mode. Every single box should be packed, taped, and lined up in the garage or by the front door. All furniture should be empty and ready to go. If they show up and you’re still scrambling, you are literally burning $100 bills.
The Smartest Trick: Don’t Make It One Big Day
Here’s the best trick I figured out too late, and I see our smart customers at the storage place do this all the time:
Don’t make it one giant, expensive, stressful day.
Hire the movers, but only for the absolute minimum time—like, two or three hours. Their only job is to move the big, heavy, soul-crushing furniture: the couch, the mattress, the dressers, the dining table.
Everything else? All those boxes you packed? This is where getting a small storage unit for a single month is a genius move.
About two weeks BEFORE your official move date, you start taking carloads of boxes over to the storage unit. Just you, your car, and some podcasts. It’s zero pressure.
By the time moving day arrives, your house is almost empty. The movers come in, grab the five or six big items, and are done in under two hours. The bill is tiny.
Then, after you’ve settled into your new place, you can take your sweet time moving the boxes from the storage unit over on your own schedule. No rush. No extra fees. It completely deflates the stress of the whole ordeal.
The Bottom Line
So, the bottom line? Movers can be great. But you have to be smarter than I was. Ask them to explain every single possible fee. Read the contract like a detective. And honestly, consider using them only for the heavy lifting. Your wallet will feel so much better.
Hope this helps you avoid my disaster. Good luck.
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