Hiring a moving company?

[Koronin]

I have no clue. Sorry I can't be of help. When I've moved, I've always done it myself with help from family and friends. That does seem very strange to me as well that one would be that much more expensive than the other two.

Good luck.

[PamNY]

I got absurdly lowball estimates from a couple of companies. I wouldn't assume there's a logical reason for the difference. There might be -- but there might not.

I ended up using Graebel -- they were not the least expensive by any means, but their service was superb.

Do you have recommendations/references? I'd pay attention to that. There are some bad actors in that business. Good luck. Moving is never easy.

[jessmarimba]

My best guess might be truck size? Companies that use enormous trucks (like Atlas) will sometimes charge you for extra unused space if they can't fit another load in the space that would be leftover...but I wouldn't expect that much of a difference.

I thought about going with PODS when I moved out here, since I was in a furnished apartment for a few months until I bought my house. But in the end, I just moved the stuff in a uhaul with my mom and then put it in storage until I found a place.

[tangentgirl]

That big of a difference is kind of nutty. Remember, though, these are just quotes, and you will actually end up paying time and materials. Unless the contract has a cap at X% above the quote, you could end up paying a lot if they lowballed the estimate to get your business.

+1 on recommendations, even if it's something like Angie's List or Yelp. Look for things like the estimate being close to what people actually paid.

Good luck!

[GLC1968]

I think you are already considering this, but often times, you get what you pay for. I have moved dozens of times and used moving companies for at least half of my moves. Sometimes they packed, sometimes I did. Some were good, others were not. Without knowing all the details, it's hard to guess why the estimates would be so different. Did you ask them why? We did that when we got estimates to have our house re-sided and it turns out that the company that was the most expensive also was the only company officially certified by the siding company and therefore the only ones who could offer the 30-year guarantee. The other companies were using the same materials but because they weren't certified by the supplier, no guarantee! I was SO glad I asked!

I agree that getting recommendations is a very good idea. For our last big move (NC to OR), we used Graebel. They were by far, the best moving company I've ever dealt with. I would use them again in a heartbeat!

[westtexas]

All the companies are local companies since this is an in-state move (heaven only knows why Texas is so big). They are all insured and have the proper legal things under control should something happen to my furniture and they all come highly recommended by others on the internet and from people I know. My dad suggested I go with the low bid... especially since the high bid is not in my budget (and it's $1000 more than what my brother paid to move to Wisconsin from Houston with the same amount of stuff).

Thanks for the advice for sure... seems to confirm what I already know. Hopefully the end result will not be horrible!

[Possegal]

Many years ago I could have helped. My family owned a moving company (a United Van Lines company) when I was a kid. If my Dad were still alive, I bet he'd have an answer for you. Good luck with you move.