UPDATE: Moving Tip #5: Who to rent a truck from and what to rent with it

photo courtesy of http://www.pensketruckrental.com/

Since our last post about who to rent a truck from we've learned that Budget may no longer be the way to go. We've learned that Budget as a corporation is not providing the kind of money they used to for truck maintenance and they are not replacing trucks at the rate they used to.

As a company, we now rent from Penske if we need to, which isn't often. The couple of times we have rented from them they've been a little bit more expensive than Budget, but that stands to reason if they've got better maintained trucks. Also, around September 1st we couldn't get a rental for just a few days, they wanted us to rent it for a week minimum. This might be because we are a business and not an individual, but its something to watch out for when renting.

Tipping

Image courtesy of balancetransfercreditcards.org

Honestly, I feel a little uncomfortable even bringing up this subject, but we do get asked about it fairly often.

Usually, the question goes something like this: "What is your policy on tipping the movers?" or "Do your movers accept tips? If so, how much do they usually get?"

My answer always goes something like this: We have no policy when it comes to tipping. Our movers never expect tips, but they are always grateful when they receive them.

I get the feeling many of these questions stem from a desire to have some sort of acknowledged standard for tipping movers. People seem to be looking for a percentage number like with eating out. Everyone knows a base tip when eating out is 15% and if the service is good then you tip more, but there's no universally accepted standard for moving. Unfortunately, that's not an answer I can provide. We don't track what the guys make for tips (and often don't even hear about them because they come as cash), but even if we did, the tips vary as widely as the jobs we do. There is no standard anything in moving; each job is different.

Our Cancellation Policy

image courtesy of www.savingswithshellie.com

Frequently potential and already booked customers ask us what our cancellation policy is. Its an excellent question to ask any moving company you might be dealing with

Since we do not take deposits there is no financial penalty for canceling or rescheduling your move. However, we do ask that you give us as much notice as you possibly can so that we can switch you to the day you would prefer (based on our current availability) as well as accommodate other customers who might want your original slot. For instance, if you have a closing scheduled and it gets pushed back let us know immediately so we can work with the new timeline. This is especially important during the summer. We book up far in advance during the summer months and if there's a last minute change we may not be able to fit you in. We'll do our best to make it work, obiviously, but the spot you want may have booked up a month ago.

Also, its very important to remember to let us know. A couple of times we've had customers forget to tell us they didn't need our services and then we showed up for the job. That's a situation we'd really like to avoid and that is part of the reason we send e-mail confirmations two days before a move (though the confirmations don't seem to have made a difference for the customers who forgot about cancelling).

So, that's the policy: the honor system. Except for a few minor hiccups its worked well so far and we have no plans to change it.

Updated Tariff, Updated Parking Fees

We've updated our tariff with the Massachusetts Department of Telecommunications and Energy (MDTE). You can see it here on our website. One of the things we updated is our fees for obtaining parking permits.

We now charge $100 for Somerville and Brookline parking permits. Cambridge is now a $50 fee. Boston remains at $150. If we are able to combine parking permits for you at Somerville, Brookline or Boston we charge half price for any additional permits. For instance, if you asked us to get two Boston parking permits for you the total would be $225.

As always, if you have any questions about this give us a call at 617.864.0620 or e-mail us at help@intelligentlabor.com

photo courtesy of http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2010/01/10/somerville_cracks_down_on_parking_permit_rules/

What if my Furniture Doesn't Fit: Part 2

photo courtesy of http://www.best604homes.com/category/home-improvement/

A situation we run into at least a few times a year is a couch or sofa not fitting at a new location. And, since this is usually a big ticket item, customers want to find a way to make it work. One of the ways this can be done is a knockdown.

A knockdown is the process of taking apart the couch (or arm chair or love seat), getting it through the door/up the stairs in pieces and reassembling inside the new house or apartment. There are a couple of places in the Boston area who offer this service. One, is Melo and Sons Upholstering. We know a couple of people who have used them with good results. The other is Dr. Sofa. We don't know anyone who has used them, but they are an option.

So, if your upholstered furniture doesn't fit and you'd love to keep it a knockdown maybe the way to go.

*********UPDATE*********

9.19.11

We just heard back from a customer of ours who used Melo and Sons and she said she had a great experience with them. They took apart the couch and put it back together close to estimate and she says it looks great after the fact.

Back to Blogging

Whew! That was a rush!

We love to be busy, and that we were. So busy in August, in fact, that there were no blog posts. The great Boston moving rush of 2011 has come to a close now, though, and we can all take a collective breath.

We had a delightfully straightforward September 1st and we're very grateful for it. There don't seem to have been any major disasters for anyone else either - no moving trucks stuck under a bridge on Storrow Drive or driven into a ditch in Allston (both have been seen on previous September 1sts). We're glad everyone seems to have come out of the busiest moving day of the year relatively unscathed.

Or did you? Any moving horror stories out there? Did your friends sleep in and not show up on time to help you get that couch out? Did the truck rental place give your reservation to someone else? Did the old tenant not move out of your new place in time? We'd love to hear about it. Consider it cathartic.

photo courtesy of http://radcollector.com/columns/reneerenee/category/hoarder/