ᐅ Long-Distance Domestic Move – How to Find a Moving Company?

kati1337 schrieb:

Hi – I need to bring this up again: do you remember approximately how many cubic meters you had indicated?

Following your tip, I used the same platform for comparisons. We had the same issue – “apparently underestimated, needs to be adjusted upwards.”
What puzzles me is that I had already entered over 60 m³ (about 78.5 cubic yards) on the platform. They then sent me a quote for a single 7.5-ton truck, so I asked if they were sure 60 m³ would fit in one 7.5-ton truck when most sources say a 7.5-ton truck holds around 30 m³ (about 39 cubic yards) of load volume.
They replied by asking for photos, and after seeing them said, “Oh, that’s more, the price will be 1,500 euros more.”
I could understand that if we hadn’t already stated 60 m³, which I think is quite a lot and clearly does NOT fit in a single 7.5-ton truck. So I find the statement “we’ll need a second truck” a bit dubious. That should have been obvious from our figures alone, even without photos. I then asked on the phone how they arrived at that, since the initial offer for 62 m³ (about 81 cubic yards) was quoted at 3,500 euros, and what volume they would now estimate after seeing the photos. The only response was stalling on the phone, “I need to check with my colleague, I’ll call you back,” but I never received a call back.

They weren’t so precise with us. We indicated 50 m³ (about 65.5 cubic yards) and they came with a 7.5-ton truck. Shortly before the move, we even bought a piece of furniture and asked if that would cost extra, and they just said, “No, as long as everything fits in the truck, it doesn’t matter.” We still had plenty of space, but I’m not sure if the 50 m³ we indicated was realistically accurate.

So maybe you should ask them again (I sent you the name by email), if they haven’t made an offer through the platform yet. Best regards from Westerstede (just visiting now)

bavariandream schrieb:

They weren’t that precise with us. We indicated 50 m3 (1,765 cubic feet) and they showed up with a 7.5-ton truck. Just before the move, we even bought another piece of furniture and asked if that would cost extra; they just said, "No, as long as everything fits in the truck, it doesn’t matter." There was still plenty of space for us, but I really don’t know if our estimate of 50 m3 (1,765 cubic feet) was realistic.

Maybe you should ask them again (I sent you the name via email) if they haven’t given you a quote through the portal. Best regards from Westerstede (currently visiting)

We have now also chosen them. They confirmed the price after seeing the photos, so I got worked up too early. Another company asked for photos and then raised the price, but that wasn’t your company (our second choice). They justified the increase by claiming a larger volume, but when I asked how much volume they estimated based on the photos (I had already stated over 60 m3 (2,119 cubic feet), and the photos don’t really support that), they said they would call me back—and never did.

Maybe it really has something to do with fuel prices; I don’t know.

In any case, we ironically ended up with the same moving company as you. Are you staying in Westerstede for a while? Come by for a house-building forum coffee. 😀

kati1337 schrieb:

We have now also decided in favor of them. They confirmed the price even after seeing the photos, so I got worked up too early.
Another company asked for photos and then raised the price afterwards, but that wasn’t your (our second favorite).
They justified it with an increase in volume, but when I asked how much volume they estimated based on the photos (I had already stated over 60 and the photos don’t really suggest that), she said she would call me back, but I never received a return call.
Maybe it really has something to do with the fuel prices, I don’t know.

Anyway, funny enough, we actually ended up choosing the same moving company as you.
Are you still in Westerstede? Come by for a builders’ forum coffee. 😀

Great, I’m curious to see if you’re just as satisfied. 🙂 Yes, I also think the fuel prices have pushed prices up a bit. You can tell how expensive a trip across Germany suddenly is.

Unfortunately, we are driving home again tomorrow, but if we happen to be in your area before your move (which is quite likely), we’ll definitely get in touch. 🙂

bavariandream schrieb:

You can tell yourself how expensive such a trip across all of Germany at once is.

Yes, I’m really glad once we have that behind us after the move. Expensive, stressful, wasted time. I’m not particularly fond of driving. 😉
Also, finally having family nearby. We were reminded just yesterday how valuable that is when we had our 2.5-year-old with us at the notary.

kati1337 schrieb:

Based on my final experience with them, including having to involve a lawyer, I unfortunately cannot recommend them.

But that was a recommendation from @bavariandream, right? It’s a shame it didn’t go well...

We also had a bad experience with a moving company. They lit a cigarette every half hour, packed terribly, and it was obvious they were trying to pressure us into paying for a second load. In the end, they were so slow that I had to help out myself... It was supposed to be on an hourly basis, but I didn’t expect them to take such advantage of that. I don’t even see that kind of behavior on construction sites.

The guys who helped me clear out my single apartment (which was less than half the amount the company had to move) cost me one-tenth of the price and finished in one hour, even though it was on the third floor! The shared apartment was on the ground floor...

Tamstar schrieb:

But that was a recommendation from @bavariandream, right? It’s a shame it didn’t go well...

Yes, but I don’t blame her/him for it, maybe things went completely differently at the time.

For us, they arrived with over 60 cubic meters in a single 7.5-ton (16,500 lbs) truck. The truck looked like they had bought it from a scrapyard that morning. Some damaged parts were held together with duct tape—it was almost absurd.

Originally, three movers were supposed to come. In the truck, there was only one experienced driver; the lady from the moving company then found a few local students through some student help platform. They tried hard to be diligent, but without any experience it was, of course, a disaster. We barely managed to stop them from putting tape on lacquered furniture surfaces. The driver (the only professional in the team) explained to them that this could damage the finish...

The rest of the move went similarly. They arrived two hours late in the morning and were supposed to be finished sometime early afternoon. We ended up breaking down tents (rather badly) after 8 p.m. and drove 600 km (370 miles) through the night with a toddler and two cats.

Also, our belongings simply did not fit into the truck, which is no surprise given the volume and truck size. She couldn’t find an alternative vehicle. After hours of phone calls, we managed to get a small van to fit the essentials. Still, about 10 cubic meters (350 cubic feet) had to be left behind. The buyers kindly stored those items in their shed for a few days. However, some of those things were not really meant to be stored outdoors...

The lady from the moving company was supposed to pick up the remaining items the next day and deliver them to us. Furniture assembly and lamp installation were also included in the price. But during the final call on the unloading day, she suddenly wanted an extra €700 (about 700 euros) for this, which made me lose my temper. I refused to pay extra on top of the flat fee just because they couldn’t calculate properly.

She then simply didn’t pick up the items (just left them there), and the furniture assembly wasn’t done either. We were left with a mess. Several cubic meters of our belongings were still in Lower Saxony. The house was handed over completely dirty because they took too long and arrived late. There were damages everywhere on our belongings because the students had no clue what they were doing. They even damaged some things at the sold house. It was a real disaster.

From our new residence, I had to embarrassingly call a reliable, known moving company from the north. They pulled us out of the mess, picked everything up promptly, stored it at their facility, and then brought it down to us later when they had capacity. Of course, I paid for this (and the van) out of pocket.

At that time, I was newly pregnant, emotionally exhausted, and completely stressed out, worried that the little one wouldn’t survive all this chaos. Eventually, all my frustration erupted—I even kicked the balcony door at the transition house in anger, fear, and frustration for the unborn baby. Then I started crying because my foot hurt from that as well. Everyone present hugged me first, and then I calmed down. 🤨

After all that, I contacted my legal insurance and explained everything in much more detail to a lawyer who is now handling the case. We’ll see if we get any of the extra money back that we had to spend.

Silly as it sounds, what annoys me almost the most: Since they didn’t assemble our furniture and we needed a bed, I tried to do it myself. Being clumsy as I am, I pressed the Bosch power tool too hard and the battery pack hit me hard on the head. The cut left a huge scar right in the middle of my forehead that unfortunately doesn’t seem to fade away. 🙁