Insured and bonded - They make moving look easy!
Written: Mar 20 '05 (Updated Nov 19 '07)
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Pros: Trained professionals, dependable, flexible
Cons: Costs more.
The Bottom Line: I couldn't ask for a more professional group. Very pleased with my three experiences.
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| xyzwyatt's Full Review: Two Men and a Truck Moving Company |
Two Men & A Truck is the largest local moving franchise and the fifth largest moving company overall. I have used Two Men and a Truck on four different occasions and have been extremely pleased with their service. Let me first start by saying that Two Men and a Truck are individually owned and operated so results may vary in your area. I can only recommend for sure the offices in Tampa, FL Orlando,FL and Franklin, TN.
We have used professional movers in the past and the older we get the more it makes sense to have someone else do it. I called several movers that I had seen in our neighborhood. Two Men & a Truck was one that quickly came to mind. (I’d like to warn you that there are other companies that have similar names such as 2 Men and a Van, 2 Big Men, 2 Man Moving Van). You can click there website to find a location near you: http://www.twomenandatruck.com/locations.php
My first experience was in Tampa. I was looking to move from city to city. I calculated how much the move would be for me to move myself and called some local moving companies for quotes for someone else to move me.
I called Two Men & A Truck and requested a free written estimate for my move from Tampa to Orlando. A representative visited me and surveyed my items and gave me a written quote on what it would cost. The majority of the cost was driving. I would be charged a one time travel fee plus per hour from the time left the office until the time they arrived back to their office. Since we were leaving the city the travel time really didn’t make the move feasible.
I went with plan B which was having Two Men & A Truck load up my own rental truck and we would drive it away ourselves. This method was more affordable for us and we had more control over how much we spent. My situation was a little more expensive because we were moving down stairs. We were charged $110/hr for two men with no travel charges which was a little higher because the rates are higher on a Saturday. We chose to have the men load all of our furniture and heavy items and then they left and we finished loading ourselves. They called before arriving and showed up in their uniforms and marked truck. One of the reasons we wanted a mover was because we had just gotten a lot of new furniture and didn’t want it destroyed. They wrapped our sofa and dressers in a clear moving wrap that reminded me of saran wrap. This meant that the drawers wouldn’t fall out and the sofa wouldn’t get dusty.
We moved again while living in Orlando and called Two Men & A Truck again because we were pleased with their service the first time. This time we were dealing with a different company but in the same franchise. I researched the Orlando location and found that everything checked out okay so gave them a call. This time I was asking them to move my previously packed items with their truck.
I arranged for 2 men to arrive at 8AM. I scheduled it as early as I could because I knew that it is sometimes difficult to get the date and time of choice if you wait. They charge an additional $10 an hour more for Saturday service.
I scheduled the move with Two Men & A Truck by phone. No one came out to see me this time for a quote because I didn’t need it. I had a 1 hour minimum with 2 movers for $89/hour. There was an $80 travel charge for me but will be different for each person as it is based on mileage. I soon received a letter in the mail confirming what we discussed on the phone.
The movers gave me a courtsey call about 15 minutes before they arrived to make sure that I was dressed and ready. They were at my door at 8AM on the dot, maybe earlier. They worked quickly and were done loading before I expected.
Our closing date for our house ended up getting all messed up so we ended up needing to move our items into a storage facility for a couple weeks. Like most moving companies, Two Men & A Truck charges more for moving items into a storage facility. Not only does it take more skill to get everything to fit in one tiny room it also takes a lot longer so allow that in your calculations.
Our third move was a couple weeks later from the storage facility to our house. This move went very smoothly. I had three guys for the final move and they were finished in record time.
Our fourth move was from a 2-story townhome to a 2-story house. They also stopped at our storage shed on the way. They took their time and they were very cautious with our things especially the furniture.
I dealt with the office staff quite a bit. I had to change dates, moving addresses, and change things many times. Each time I called I spoke to one of the two customer representatives in the office. They were very helpful and thorough. They gave me the impression that they really knew what they were doing. I called back to check the information after I changed it and they had all of the information correct. Days had passed since I had talked to them and they still remembered me and what my situation was. We left messages on the after hours voice mail and our information was relayed correctly. The office also called us while the move was in process to make sure everything was going well.
I had originally planned to make more than one stop to pick up a new mattress at the store on the way which they will happily do. You can stop and pick up more things or drop off as long as it fits in the truck. Whatever stop you need to make they are happy to wait for you.
The first thing that I have to say about the company is that they hire their own employees; they don’t use staffing agency workers. I had some of the same movers on the third move as I did on the second. These movers were every day people that were obviously trying to do a good job. Each of them took a moment to talk with me. They were well mannered saying all of the right words and careful with their body language. There was no doubt that these employees were trained. There was always a team lead and he was always obvious to pick out. He watched closely and monitored breaks and made sure that I was happy.
I later found out that the employees go through a three month training program at Stick Men University. Can you imagine the laughs you’d get by putting Stick Man University on your resume? There is ongoing training after the three month session as well.
Comparing the employees from two different locations it was obvious that they were trained to work and behave in a certain way. I was very impressed with all of my interactions with them.
It is not required however tips are greatly appreciated and greatly earned. I would recommend having extra tip money available in case they send a bonus guy. Tips can be added to the grand total if needed.
They usually bring their own drinks however ice water or weather-appropriate beverages are also appreciated. They will need to take breaks after all they are men not machines. Do not get nervous that they are taking breaks when you’re paying them by the hour. My jobs were all done ahead of schedule.
Once we were finished packing we paid the bill. I paid with credit card and the man wrote my information down and called it in on his hand held device to the company. The company ran my card and gave him the confirmation number. You will be given a receipt for the services rendered and a comment card which you can fill out and mail back in with whatever comments you want to make.
Keep your receipt for a tax write off. Information is available on the IRS website: http://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc455.html
Two Men and a Truck also offers commercial services but I am not familiar with that aspect.
Again I would like to point out that I am speaking for Tampa and Orlando locations. Results may vary with other owners. I verified that my location had a satisfactory report with the Better Business Bureau. You can check your location at www.bbb.org
Attention procrastinators. One thing that I have learned it is important to have your work done. Packing and organizing needs to be done ahead of time so you can get out of their way and let them work. You will not have time to finish packing a room or finish anything while you wait for them to arrive or while they are there. They will arrive on time if not earlier and they move so quickly.
I wish that I would have packed lunch for the kids. I planned on running to get some fast food but the timing didn't work out.
I have used Two Men & A Truck three times so yes, I would definitely use them again. I preferred having 3 men, it went a lot faster so although it is a little more per hour it saves a lot of time. Indeed I have found movers that were less expensive but I needed a dependable company and when you’re hiring some guy or even some buddy you never know if they’re going to show up. Two Men & A Truck did a much better job handling our personal items than our personal friends do. In fact, I would go as far to say that they do a much better job than we even do because they really know what they’re doing. They make the very stressful task of moving much easier. There’s no substitution for experience. Another thing that I liked is that I didn’t have to tell the movers what to do, just tell them what you want and they know how to get the job done.
I know that everyone would be interested in how they handled my damage claim but there wasn’t any damage. They were very careful with my items. I was told that any damages would be covered. I would recommend packing like it were going to be dropped and kicked to avoid any damages. If they are loading into your truck you can provide padding for them to use otherwise they use their own.
My advice to anyone who has never had a mover before is to treat them as nice as you can. The nicer you are to them the better they treat your stuff.
The mission of Two Men & a Truck is “To continuously strive to exceed our Customer's expectations in value and high standard of satisfaction.” In my opinion mission has been accomplished three out of three times.
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Recommended:
Yes
Punctuality: Showed up on time
Ease of Filing Claim: N/A
Lost Goods: No
Amount Paid (US$): 1000
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Epinions.com ID:
xyzwyatt
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Location: Nashville, TN
Reviews written: 542
Trusted by: 171 members
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