Let me start by saying I had another company pack some boxes and realized what a bad choice that was (they packed a packing blanket wadded up in a medium box...what??!). So when deciding on who to contact for the remaining packing and loading an ABF trailer, I went with SW VA Moving & storage. First off, great job packing. John was here on time and we went over what needed packed. Jeffrey & Andrew (who were called in to replace some workers who were sick), showed up 2 hours later. All three worked quickly and did an excellent job. Of course everything takes longer than you think, but that was not their fault. I just have too much stuff.
Next day Austin, Wyatt, Greg, and Justin showed up to pack the truck. I could have had them pack some more, but I’m on a tight budget (which is the reason for the ABF trailer). I believe it was Austin who was stacking things in the trailer first and did an excellent job of packing it solid to the roof. The reason for 4 stars (changed to 5-see update below) is in the middle of loading the trailer, the guys switched places and another worker (who was not as good) loaded the second half. Yes, I used all 28’ of the trailer and will still need to drive a small U-haul truck with the remaining stuff to my destination.
So, I am waiting to hear back from SW VA Moving & Storage to see if they can get a couple guys back out here to unload and reload the back of the truck. The boxes are heavy, and I feel part of this is my fault for being on a limited time budget (the guys were trying to load as much as possible in my timeframe) but the load cannot travel as is or things will get broken in transit. So, I am even willing to pay for the extra time, but to avoid a penalty on the trailer, it needs done before Tuesday (they loaded stuff Friday , I called after the guys left and I realized what happened when I closed the trailer door and sent pictures on Saturday).
Once this is resolved, I will update this post (higher if they come thru for me, lower if I have to hire someone else to redo it.) But in general, this company is great. The guys are courteous, hard working and appreciate snacks, tips, etc. YES, tip your movers! I don’t know what they get paid, but they are moving your possessions and if they are doing a good job, let them know it in anyway you can. I am sure the second guy packing the boxes & stuff on the truck did not mean to do a bad job, we all get tired when packing & loading, I think he just needs more training and practice. If I were to do anything different, it would have been to be more observant when they traded jobs and I would have caught this issue earlier.
I wholeheartedly recommend this company to everyone! Just know, you need to make sure things are done to your satisfaction by periodically checking.
Quick update... SW VA Moving & Stoage will get a crew out (for free) to reload the area of the trailer that is messed up. These guys really rock. Now I am positive I made the right choice. These folks are professional and super helpful. Did I mention Hannah contacted me a couple times during the packing to make sure things were going well? Totally renews my faith in businesses. If all companies worked like this there would be no unhappy customers. There is good reason they have 5 stars from everyone including me. If I could give more stars, I would!
Update#2-They made it right and then some! If I could give more than 5 stars I would. Not only did the come and repack what was loaded, they added more till the trailer was filled solid. Moral of story: go with a quality mover...Southwestern Virginia Moving and Storage!