Berger Moving and Storage

Had a rep come out to our apartment to help estimate the weight and how much stuff we had. He was polite, informative, and quick. He told us a great number of things about what we could expect, etc. He did such a good job that we decided to go with them for our move from Ohio to Florida.

The problem was that the rep told us things that the actual providers didn't do, know about, or care about.


1. Because of the small parking lot, we were told that the big truck couldn't fit. This meant they would use a shuttle. The big truck would park down the street. We also had stuff in a small storage unit. We could pay extra to have them make two stops or could just bring it to the apartment to load on the big truck. We chose the later since it would cost less. The driver left his big truck about 20 minutes away. So I had to drive the UHaul to a weight station, then to where the big truck is located, then help unload, then back to the weigh station. The driver paid the first weigh station, but I had to pay the second. This, plus the fact that the truck came back late and they charged me for an extra day of rental, plus the extra mileage and gas..not to mention the cost of hiring movers to help me load the truck from the storage unit, it ended up costing more to do this AND is was a much bigger hassle.

2. The sales rep made a big deal about how they had free boxes. He did mention that it was based on what was available, but he talked a big game about used boxes that we could have once we signed the contract. When I called the main number (the main office in MN) to ask how we order/pick up boxes, the receptionist was shocked and said they only sell boxes. I finally connected to the local office to learn they *could* give away boxes, but they didn't have any. It's a small thing, I guess, but a little annoying.

3) When the stuff arrived in Florida, it was just the driver and his son unloading (as opposed to hiring a couple of guys in Ohio to load). We marked each box with colored tape to indicate where the box would go. I tried to explain this to them and was cut off, told they would "just figure it out." The result was things were put into the new storage unit in the wrong order and it's a mess.

4) A number of things were damaged in the move. The sales rep told us how they wrap furniture in plastic and have blankets, etc. A few nice pieces of furniture were scraped and scratched up as if they were given no protection. Other items were dented, missing pieces, torn open, etc. This is where it gets interesting. They're claims process isn't helpful. We caught quite a few items that didn't match the inventory numbers on the paperwork. When I brought this to the attention of the driver, he blew it off and said it would even out. So, if you have a filing cabinet with a sticker labeling it 255, but the paperwork says 255 is a box..which do you trust? Especially if 255 was pre-listed as having a scratch on it. So the claims team looks and says the cabinet was damaged before it was picked up. OF course, you sign off on the paperwork after not a single person explains what it is, so you don't even know that you should check the notes, labels, etc.

5) Communication wasn't great. We also had them move my car. The company picking the car up was horrible at communicating, returning calls, or providing any information as to when the car would be picked up. I was told it would be in the morning and that I would get a call. When I didn't get a call by the afternoon, I called and was told traffic was bad. I didn't hear back until that evening when the driver was only a few minutes away.

On the plus side of things:
- the movers who loaded the truck in Ohio were fantastic: quick, polite, and hardworking
- our stuff made it to Florida way ahead of schedule
- car arrived right on time.

Move size: 2 Bedroom Home Service cost: $7000

I was very happy with the move.  The movers were quick, and thorough.  Everyone involved was honest and forthright.  It was a very good experience.  I thought all of the lead times were appropriate for such a long move. Berger wasn't the cheapest, but the quote was right on the money, and they were honest.  I never got the feeling that they were trying to nickle and dime me at all. My move from Louisville, Ky to West Texas cost me 7999.99.  I was right at 12k pounds in moving freight.  Everything was professionally boxed very well.   I recommend doing your homework and having a place at your destination where you can dispose of boxes quickly.  We had a TON to get rid of, and they were cluttering our house making it impossible to really get settled until I found a place to get rid of them. Nothing was stolen during the move.  The movers all said yes sir and no sir, and were generally polite and professional.  I had an old chair that broke, and a small gouge in the wall at our old house from the movers.  Not a big deal - I was able to fix both myself.  I didn't even put them on the claim.  They were generally careful with my things, but there were a time or two that I wish they would have been a little more gentle - especially with the heavier items.  They wanted to get done (which is understandable) so they were reticent to call another teammate over to help with the heavier items, and instead bit off too much a time or two. Overall, I'd recommend Berger (team with Allied) for any move.

Service cost: $8000

I enjoyed working with the people at Berger Allied.  My driver, Pacer, was friendly, quick and professional.  The whole group was highly responsive to my needs.  The move was quick and painless.  The showed up as plan for both pickup and delivery. Cost to move my 2br apartment was about $2600 where I packed most of my stuff.  The move was from Minnesota to Texas; they picked up on Monday morning and delivered Friday morning that same week. I would recommend getting a binding estimate with the additional insurance for added peace of mind.  It was perfect. I would use them again in the future.

Service cost: $2600