At least you get a choice - I've had Uncle Sam do the contract, thus no choice and little recourse.

I would suggest that if you have packers as part of your contract - make certain the things you want packed are in their correct rooms. And if you have stuff in storage (like your garage), that you want in a specific room in your future home, put it in the correct room a couple of days before your packers arrive, even if it's in the middle of the floor. If you have fragile stuff, like small sculptures, pottery, etc., pack them yourself in a small labeled boxes, then have your packer pack the boxes. Be honest about crating or not - I've had packers (gov't furnished) that said crating wasn't in the contract, but when they saw the items - a large shadow box and a German Grandmother clock - one time they crated anyway and the other time they packed them in double boxes.

Once you arrive, find out if they're going to unpack you and haul away the boxes. One move I was told that I could unpack at my leisure, breakdown the boxes, store them in my garage, then call them (moving company's local office) within a month and they'd come back and get them. This worked out best and spoiled me. Most times, they'll unpack and haul away boxes only that day, which is quite chaotic. You never realize how much STUFF you have until you start unpacking it - each individual piece is wrapped in a piece of paper.

I found that doing little things for the movers helped improve their dispositions and thus job performance... My last move was in August, to hot muggy south Louisiana - I offered to make an iced drink run for the guys (water, gatorade, soda) and took orders. Then knowing that *I* didn't have a kitchen, but did have a car - told the guys that I knew where some diners were, and were they ready for a lunch break? I think it may have been the first time that those older black gentlemen had a white woman willingly eat lunch with them - I just batted my eyes and said I was moving in from California. Then later in the day, did another cold drink and cookie run.

ASammy - good luck on your pending move. Watch your inventory.