U-pack is a good alternative to truck rental
Written: Jan 19 '00 (Updated Mar 14 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: inexpensive, saves some budgeting gymnastics, lots of time for loading/unloading, you don't drive it
Cons: local offices are uneven, pack carefully
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| nita's Full Review: ABF U-Pack Moving |
I was moving 1100 miles. My options were thus:
*Spend several thousand dollars on professional movers. Nice, but out of my league.
*Rent a U-Haul or comparable. Tow my car and spend those 1100 miles in the cab with my friend and my dog. About $1000 plus gas. Plus I would have had to do it all in 5 days.
A little more research revealed a Do It Yourself hybrid, in which you pack and load your goods into a trailer and then entrust them to a commercial shipping company.
I called three companies of this ilk. One quoted me a price more than even U Haul. The other two I considered were moveamerica and U-Pack. MoveAmerica was cheesy. I can stand a little cheese. But when the man on the phone was both a)vague about the details of how I would use the service and b)started badmouthing his competition (ABF) and c)then told me he used them as shippers, I decided to go with U-Pack.
A run down on how this works:
1)You negotiate a rate with ABF's U-pack folks and reserve the trailer.
2)You make arrangements to have the trailer parked on your street. Be sure and figure in the space they'll need to park the trailer. (This takes some phone calls and maybe some cash.)
3)You call the local ABF shipping office to have the trailer dropped off. You get two business days to load it. If that butts against the weekend, you get the weekend too. When you're done loading, you block off your stuff with a plywood divider, that they provide.
4)You call the local ABF office to have them pick up the trailer. You get to where you're going. They'll have given you a ballpark idea on how long this takes.
5)At your destination, your trailer can sit there for two business days before they start charging you. Then you get two days to unload it, plus a weekend if it works out that way.
The folks on the 800 number are accessible, meaning that you don't leave a message and wait for a call back. U-Pack is a very small part of ABF's business, but these folks didn't treat me as small potatoes. I usually talked with one or two reps, and when I didn't get them initially, I was transferred to them quickly. Again, without having to do the call-back phone tag thing.
They both emailed and faxed me my quote ($737/7 linear feet of space +$95/additional foot). They let me make my reservation even though I didn't have my credit card with me when I called. They let me switch cards too. Always cheerful. I called several times with questions, and I was never treated as if I were a Dumb Customer.
When it's time to actually move, though, you call the local branch of the shipping company. On both the origin and destination end, I had to nag the dispatch person to get the trailer delivered. Incidentally, they were happy to pick it up without my being there. (FYI, I had a friend monitor the loaded trailer, and when they picked it up from my new home, I didn't care. My stuff wasn't in it.)
The local offices weren't quite as helpful. In addition to having to nag for drop-offs, at my destination, they seemed a little dotty. OK, more specifically, Edna was a little dotty. Edna left me a voice mail message saying my shipment was there. (Fine.) She also said that I owed them something like three times the amount quotes. (What?!) I called to clarify, and it turns out that that was a glitch. They charged what they ought to have. The person I talked to said "I have no idea where she got that number." Unfortunately, when I gave directions to my new home, I ended up giving them to Edna.
Keep in mind, you have to be a good packer--most of their trailers do not have tie-downs. Good packing means your belongings won't heave around the trailer. Nor does ABF provide ramps. I recommend bagging your mattresses and furniture, as the wood portions of the floor are splintery and dirty. Set aside some time for nagging their dispatch offices.
Despite the Edna's of this world and the legwork involved in arranging to park the trailer at my old residence, this was a worthwhile service for me. I didn't have to drive a moving truck, or deal with the hassles of getting a (working) truck from a rental company. Time budgeting was less of an issue. We were able to relax on the drive, spending almost a week visiting people. I didn't have to budget for gas. I got a very nice cushion of time for unloading the truck, and an even nicer one for loading it. (I highly recommend scheduling your drop off for a Friday.) Finally, I used a touch over 7 and a half feet of space in the trailer, but they only charged for 7. (!)
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
nita
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Reviews written: 13
Trusted by: 175 members
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