We hired Wheaton for our NYC to San Francisco Bay Area move via Moving Man, Inc. in New York City. Moving Man, Inc. is a Wheaton affiliate. We had used them before for local moves and they were always outstanding, so when my husband was offered a job starting in five days in California, we knew whom to call. They had already come by for an estimate as we expected to be moving in the spring, so we were able to schedule for Moving Man, Inc. to come to our large two bedroom loft to pack everything on Saturday (I called on Thursday). They finished the packing in four hours. This was incredible since we had fourteen foot ceilings and walls of built in shelving full of books and pictures, not to mention tons of wine classes and crystal servingware. They moved us out of the apartment on Monday. Because they can not park 18 wheelers on the streets of NYC, they picked up our belongings in a smaller Moving Man, Inc. truck. From there they took our stuff to a storage facility, and on Thursday Wheaton picked it up from there. Moving Man, Inc. said it could take as long as a month for our stuff to get cross country, which sounded long and disappointing to us. Imagine my surprise when "Big Joe," the Wheaton driver, called me telling me he would be able to deliver our stuff on March first, just ten days after it left NYC. He was very courteous and arrived on time. I was surprised when he arrived with just two men to unpack everything, but they arrived at nine o'clock and were finished in the early afternoon. Mostly because of Moving Man, Inc.'s excellent packing, I have yet to find anything broken. However, Wheaton did unwrap some of our furniture in order to return Moving Man Inc.'s blankets, and I'm not sure these pieces were wrapped again. If you suspect this could happen, try to have them pack the furniture in paper and plastic so it won't be unwrapped. I was adamant with Moving Man, Inc. about my wedding dress being transported properly (it was already preserved and in a box). They wrapped it in corrugated cardboard and handed me a sharpie to label it. When Wheaton arrived I went into the truck, and sure enough my wedding dress was at the very top, right side up with nothing resting on it.

My advice based on reviews here and my experience:
-get the estimate of the arrival date from Wheaton, not your local affiliate
-call your local affiliate the day after your stuff is moved out to ask how much your load weighed, as the price is generally per pound
-confirm the price and method of payment both with your local affiliate and Wheaton
-walk through your house and determine where you will want your furniture before the movers arrive, so you can easily direct them
-do your best to determine ahead of time whether your move will require shuttle services or if an 18 wheeler can be parked in front of your home
-when in doubt, label it yourself

General moving advice:
-bring toilet paper, paper towels, soap and bottles of water for your and your movers. You're not going to want to be without any of these things.
-as you're unpacking, give away your boxes, packing paper and bubble wrap on Craigslist. It's eco-friendly and good karma. You'll be surprised how many grateful people will show up at your door.



Recommended: Yes

Punctuality: Showed up early
Ease of Filing Claim: N/A
Lost Goods: No
Amount Paid (US$): 8500