What to Expect From A to Z on Move Day
- A to Z Movers does pad all furniture and breakables too large to box at no extra charge. This is something you will want to make sure, if you pick another mover, is included in their price. Some movers are/were expecting the furniture wrapped before they get there and some are happy to charge their hourly fee while you pad your furniture; a recent phenomenon in a poor economy. It’s unfortunate some companies rely on dishonest sales forces that will mislead their customer, sticking them in a no-win situation. These estimators know full well the consumer has too many other plans hinging on sticking to the agreed upon moving time schedule.
- A to Z Movers will perform a final walkthru on move day to confirm discrepancies, if any, to the best of our ability. We will move everything itemized under the conditions provided by you for the mutually agreed upon price. Articles you may have planned to move but pooped out or just plain forget can be added to the move at a reasonable charge. This is done to the best of our ability at the pickup location and before the truck is completely loaded. A reasonable deal must be agreed upon prior to moving which illustrates how important it is for the person who placed the order to be present on move day. We do this to the best of our ability as some situations can make this impossible (hoarders). Please make certain the dropoff conditions are accurate as represented avoiding surprises on move day when the pressure’s on..
- A to Z Movers will place your furniture in the rooms you like, as long as it fits. If the mover feels the fit is too tight, you might be required to sign a waiver. Fitting a square peg in a round hole is not only time consuming and frustrating but is an easy recipe for a damage despite that you’ve already laid out the floorplan for that piece to go there. Again, we will try but only with the waiver, implied and/or written when possible. This is not something that occurs very often but it’s not all that uncommon in the city. Please have a floor plan ready, not necessarily written or drawn out but moving the same piece to see “how it looks there instead, or there…no, let’s put it there…”. Once or twice but please be reasonable.
- Morning moves are generally given a very specific arrival time, afternoon moves are given a two hour window as we cannot guarantee how long the morning move will take. It’s almost impossible to gauge both how long a move will take, particularly during inclement weather and sluggish traffic conditions. Our movers or office staff will call about one hour ahead of arrival for afternoon moves so you will have a better idea of exactly when to expect them. Morning spots are generally the first to go and sometimes even book a month or more in advance. Generally speaking though, a few days to a week is good for busy weekends. Weekdays are usually our most flexible times however any day within 5 days of the last day of the month can book up fairly early when most leases end. The office can always be reached during business hours from M-F, and 9-4pm on Saturdays. You can request an office staff’s cell phone for Sunday and evening moves if desired.
- Our policies on disassembling beds are detailed in full here considering the many differences between styles. A to Z Movers disassembles and assembles regular beds, dismounts and mounts mirrors from many dressers and buffets as part of our agreed upon Flatrate price. While hourly movers also disassemble these simple items, you are actually being charged for them by the clock. This is just one more way A to Z Movers helps save you money and helps ensure an easy move day. A to Z Movers will reassemble your dresser and buffet mirrors but will not hang mirrors on the walls
- Unless otherwise indicated or requested, you will receive a 2-3 man team for smaller moves and a 3 man team for your medium to large moves. If a 4th man comes along without a request there is no extra charge (does not apply to hourly moves) but this can sometimes happen on slower days. You can request a 4-man crew for an additional fee, sometimes we recommend or just bring 4 for certain moves.
Arrival - A to Z Movers will show on move day save for Acts of God, accidents, failure of machinery or something else beyond our control. As some of you may have experienced, unethical movers make a of practice overbooking and cherry picking. We’re sometimes the one fortunate recipient of this practice when we’re able to accomodate.
-Regardless of your move’s size, we will be there. We treat all of our customers with the same respect. We’ve had the pleasure of moving singles from apt to apt or townhouse, then years down the line move his/her new family into their new house.
*On the other hand, believe it or not, some people book more than one mover. A very expensive deceit for the movers.
Weather - This is more often a concern of the customer than it is for us, we’re accustomed to working under adverse conditions. However, snow and ice can sometimes get the best of us. During last winter’s blizzards (2010 with 30 ft of snow I’m sure we will all recall that for a while) we did have to delay on a couple of the worst days. In the end we did take care of all of our customers in as timely a manner as possible, some in the next day or two or thanks to Baltimore Metro’s extraordinary efforts and the customer’s schedules and general understanding. Many were surprised we would work in that stuff at all but when a lease ends, fees accrue, so we do our best to abide by our schedule.
- A to Z Movers will remove and remount mirrors from dressers and buffets for a reasonable fee, we do not however mount mirrors nor pictures on walls at your new location.
- A to Z Movers can NOT unhook gas lines nor hook them up.
- A to Z Movers does not uninstall or install electronics, this must be done before the movers arrive.
- Lamp Shades: It’s in everybody’s best interest to package/box these or toss them in the back seat. These are probably the number one damaged item on moves and finding exact duplicates is next to impossible, same goes for the bulbs. We will move your lampshades if you like but if by they become damaged, the chances are slim that we’ll find an exact match. Please remove light bulbs if you think of it.
Hoisting - We have to be forewarned at time of booking so we have the right equipment. A to Z Movers will only hoist certain items so please make us aware of what it is you need hoisted prior to move day. We retain the right to refuse hoisting. We require a waiver on all hoists.
- A to Z Movers takes items through the Bay Windows, when without peril, if need be but will NOT disassemble the windows. This must be done prior to the move. For some reason this rarely happens, the window being taken out before we get there that is, so we end up doing it anyways (but charge accordingly). ;)
- A to Z Movers cannot remove fixed banisters; those that are not easily removed, they’re permanently attached to the walls and frame. You will want someone with a home improvement license to tackle this job.
- A to Z Movers, nor any mover for that matter, insures PBO’s, or ‘pack-by-owners’.
- A to Z Movers can not practically test your electronics and insures against damage to the outside, scratches, nicks and dents only.
- Manufacturers of HDTV’s Plasma TV’s recommend moving them in the original box WITH original packing supplies. Few people keep these materials but we’ve had great luck moving them using thick moving quilts and much care. Some people though insist on moving these by themselves due to the intricate electronics involved and the (earlier models, much better now) short tube lives of this technology. Keep in mind, we compensate Plasma HDTVs, along with everything else, at the mutually agreed upon rate of 60 cents per lb. We’ve had very few problems moving these, but, many people treat them as their most prized possession and move them in their cars. I can’t argue the fact that a car has a smoother ride than a truck but for the most part, the modern Plasma TV is no problem for us or any experienced mover.
- Expect fully equipped, well kept vans, experienced crews and courteous movers. We go to lengths to ensure we send the best qualified people. We highly respect and appreciate the gravity of allowing us into your homes!
- Appliances – A to Z Movers can unplug and unhook your electrical appliances, some may incur additional charges such as washers and refrigerators with icemakers. Both of these items WILL trail water when moved by the way . We do not plug your electronics in after the move. We can not hook up any plumbing at your new place as we’re not plumbers. We can NOT unhook gas lines. Television and pc cable networks, stereo systems, home theaters and any other complex electronics should be unhooked prior to the movers arrival. We CAN take them apart (for a fee) but do not claim all of our movers are qualified for these sometimes intricate assemblies.
Jewelry - Items of extraordinary or personal value such as jewelry, collectibles (stamps, sports cards, moon rocks etc) firearms*, important documents and the like are irreplaceable and not covered by A to Z Movers. These are best moved by you personally, this way you’ll have total supervision and piece of mind.
Mattress Covers
We do not as a rule cover your mattresses with the flimsy and poorly made mattress slipcovers available at Storage Lockers, Moving Supply stores, dollar stores etc. Truth is, carrying a large mattress with these cheap, slippery and thin covers not only makes it quite difficult, especially when steps are involved, but they can cause considerable more damage than they save if they rip while being carried. We do keep your mattresses on top of and covered with clean moving quilt when they’re in the truck, keeping them clean and nice.
We will however, at your request, cover your mattress with these plastic sheets if you happen to pick some up. There’s no guarantee they’ll stay on when bringing them back into your house but they’ll be covered when in the vehicle. The majority of these are cheaply made and tear easily, especially when steps are involved. Again, we do not recommend these because there are much better options below, just not as cheap. This service is also free of charge as long as you supply the covers. Please allow us our best judgment and cover them when in the truck to avoid the aforementioned accidents. Careful when purchasing, two Queen covers will not cover a King but a King will cover all the rest except one end of a California King as these are a little longer mattress.
The higher quality covers are a great idea and there are quality ones available if you don’t mind spending a few more dollars. The thicker the better and the bigger the better. Some of the better ones can be used more than once.
Another great way to keep your mattress clean and stain-free is to securely cover them with bedsheets. You might dirty up a bedsheet but your mattress will be none worse for the wear. Care must be taken to secure them well though, the elasticized ones slip off too easy when being manipulated up and down stairs and through tight areas.
For the best protection of your mattresses, sofas and other light colored upholstered furniture, we recommend shrink wrapping. This affords the best protection of all but comes at a higher price. Please ask your estimator when booking if you care to have any items shrink-wrapped.
- Moving Plants. Live delivery of plants is not guaranteed but they usually do well when moving locally. Plants can make a large mess in the truck though which the movers can step in and mistakenly dirty your carpets. Please encase the plantholder/pot in a lawnbag and tie it off at the trunk. Small plants should be boxed, an exception to the “no open box” rule many movers insist upon.
Some recommendations:
Light/White Carpets. Painter’s drop-cloths are a good way to protect your light/white carpet but please, NOT on the stairs. This makes for a dangerous combination. Please do not put our movers in jeopardy, it is very difficult at best to cover stairs well enough to withstand the torque the movers generate when maneuvering heavy items up or down and around staircases. The movers will wipe their feet on the mat you place in front of your steps.
A potentially cheaper way to cover your carpets, and safer in my opinion, is to use new- unopened, flat boxes for walkways. We are less likely to trip than we are on drop cloths that tend to eventually bunch up in high traffic areas. Keep in mind that one man carrying your items will be walking backwards and basically “feels” his path as he carries the piece to it’s intended location so a flat surface is preferable.
Recommendations will be constantly updated as they dawn on us. Thanks for reading this!
* Firearms. A true story.
During our second year in business in 1994, everything was looking up. The economy was good, the City and Metro areas took to our’ new-to-them-then’ Flatrate system. As I said, things were going good, too good and for too long……something had to happen, and it did.
On one our largest moves we had to that date in 94, a 4 bedroom house in a very nice part of town, complete with packing, went off without a hitch. The customer loved us, tipped more than generously, complimented and referred us to his friends. We moved a couple of them some time afterwards. Anyways, a few weeks later our fortune took a turn for the worse, a pretty bad turn. Our aforementioned customer realized during unpacking that his handgun had turned up missing. I knew we had nothing to do with this, I personally knew each member of the crew, we had all worked and played together for years at school and other moving companies. I also knew he was missing a handgun, I had no reason not to believe him and am usually a decent judge of character.
What a reputation this would make for. The new guys in town, “they do a good job, they’re quick and their pricing is fair but they have sticky fingers!” Nobody would knowingly hire us if this were true. My head was spinning.
I went round and round. Paranoia crept in. I started looking at my guys, my friends, sideways. I didn’t know what to think but I knew we had nothing to do with it. These guys would NOT do that. Still, I had to make some hard decisions. Again, anyone can make a claim like this to deceive a company and receive compensation but I knew he wasn’t one of those, he wasn’t lying.
I called him and made an appointment to go to his house, sit down and do what I could to reimburse the loss despite knowing the gun had to have been misplaced. This was about a month after the actual move. During all this time his insistence never wavered that the gun was where he had always kept it, in the drawer of this little buffet I was now staring at. Providence shone on me at that very moment. Before I handed the gentleman, and he had remained so in spite of thinking us thieves, the agreed upon LARGE sum of money, something hit me. Columbo himself struck me in the head.
The gun was in the buffet, it was this whole time. It took a month for me to even think of this, the simplest thing. We routinely flip furniture over to fully utilize a truck’s space and this buffet was the perfect candidate; flat topped. Walking over for one last look, I prayed I was right but didn’t let on about my hunch. I asked if I could remove the drawers, one in particular. “Knock yourself out Dave, I’ve checked it till the cows came home” (or something to that effect). I removed the bottom drawer and, barely containing myself, handed the gentleman his revolver. I hope he reads and responds to this. I’m fairly sure he didn’t say anything about cows and I hate misquoting.
** Please feel free to email or call us with any additional questions. These policies are subject to updates.
