Simple Moving Labor

White upholstered dining room chairs were not shrink wrapped, and poorly loaded into the truck. A chaise was not shrinkwrapped and dented because of poor loading.
A black lacquer entertainment unit was damaged on 2 sides, as well as
a built in record player was not secured and damage occured.
Two side tables  not wrapped, and edges damaged.
Two bar stools not shrinkwrapped and upholstery dirtied.
Team for unloading on the other hand was very professional. Would give them
high marks.

Service cost: $900

I used Simple Moving Labor to load the Penske truck I rented. I was moving from Ohio to Georgia and I just needed help loading. I used the professional movers. The movers showed up about 30 minutes early and went right to work. I had to stop them and explain that the wood furniture pieces were expensive and that wrapping them was necessary, along with a leather Morris chair, couch and chair.  After that they pretty much wrapped all of the furniture (I provided the shrink wrap). I had the entire house packed up so they simply had to load the truck.  When I arrived in GA there was considerable shifiting of the contents but little damage/scratches.  Overall, a decent experience and I will probable use them again.

Service cost: $400

One Helper to assist loading household goods onto a Penske truck I rented for an interstate move. At the destination, 2 professional movers to assist in unloading the truck into an apartment.
 
The helper showed up on time, was very professional, and worked very hard. At the destination, the 2 professional movers showed up a bit early (which was OK) and did a very good job of unloading and taking the furniture and boxes into the apartment.  Our couch would not fit through the hallways, so they came up with an ingenious way to hoist the couch over the railing and into the apartment.  They worked very hard and were very professional. Would use SML again.

Service cost: $300

SML was a recommended partner by Penske when we rented our truck and the brief version of this story is that SML misrepresented themselves and the service they provide. We needed help packing a truck in Michigan and we were promised and paid for 2 PROFESSIONAL MOVERS and we got the service of 3/4 of ONE professional mover.  The two individuals who reported to work the morning we moved were polite and had strong backs but for one of them this was only the second truck he had ever loaded and the other was better / more experienced but still had a lot of trouble packing the truck to standards one would expect (tight and efficient).  By the middle of the time slot these packers were scheduled to work I was in the middle of the truck scrambling to help organize things and try salvage the situation.  I ended having to pay for an extra half hour just to get the heaviest things onto the truck--note I requested (demanded) a refund for that extra half hour and eventually SML refunded us for the extra time.  Later, my daughter and a small group of her friends showed up and we basically repacked the truck! In contrast to all this we hired Two Men and a Truck in St. Louis, MO for the unload and what a difference.  These individuals were PRO's and unpacked the truck and then effectively packed a huge storage room in less than half the time that they were scheduled. I only paid for the time they worked--what a difference. SML, never again. .

Service cost: $300

Our moving experience was an okay experience as I've had worse (movers never showed up) but still had some issues. The pluses- scheduling the movers was easy and they were available with less than a weeks notice. The movers actually showed up early that morning and of the two movers we booked one was very friendly and a hard worker. Which leads to the minuses- the other mover that showed up obviously had been out the night before or was coming down off something, he was useless and carried only light items. He had to take a break every 5 minutes and threw up a few times on the stairs we had to move up and down on. We called to complain while they were still here and they said they would send someone else in an hour but by that time we had already brought help with us and had finished everything before the time they were going to send someone else. They offered a 10% discount for the trouble but we basically did the move with one of the movers from SML and two people we knew to get the job done.

Service cost: $200

Movers arrived on time and ready to go!  26' Truck was packed tight floor to ceiling.   SML contacted us the week of move to confirm our appt, and also the day of to make sure our guys had arrived.   Truck was driven 2000 miles OH to AZ. No breakage of any furnishings packed by the movers. The unload crew was excellent, skillfully unloading most contents to a storage unit. The other items were placed on the ground until the truck was empty, and then they happily reloaded these items on the truck (which we took to our house).  Whole process was better than I expected.  I am sure glad I was not the one lifting all those heavy boxes my wife overstuffed, and pieces of furniture I wanted her to sell!! I don't plan to need these services any time soon but I would not hesitate to use SML again.  The whole process, packing supplies, truck rental, fuel, SML and other miscellaneous saved us 50% off the price of a moving co.

Service cost: $700

I contracted with SML to load a rental truck with my apartment items in Annapolis. The salesman (in Texas I guess) was pretty pushy about getting the contract sent and taking my deposit, but it seemed like an easy deal since they were referred by Penske where I got the truck.
But that morning the crew never showed, no calls to confirm anything, and the next 4 hours were a nightmare of calls and angry voice mails between me and the SML "managers" in Texas or wherever trying to find a replacement crew. They said they couldn't contact the original crew (really?) and gave me excuse after excuse. I had cleaners and painters coming and had to get on the road by a set time so their screw up cost me extra for delaying other help..but the only thing they said was if I wanted to cancel I'd get my deposit back. Very poor communication, few call backs and a huge run-around at their end. I finally found my own replacement crew (so how come they couldn't find one?) and they came right over, I had to pay extra for same-day but I had no choice.
After my crew came SML finally called to say they found another crew, but I told them forget it, to refund me and I would send them a bill for the difference between their quote and the cost I had to pay for my own crew. They said "no way" and gave me more grief. I also called Penske to complain and they said they were not pleased with my experience and would contact SML but who knows if they did.
So..bottom line: don't use SML. After reading the other posts (should have done that first) I'm kind of glad they didn't show. My replacement crew was friendly, quick and really took care of my stuff. If you need a mover/loader in Annapolis call Annapolis Run Moving.

Service cost: $229

Found Simple Moving Labor through Penske's website when I was reserving the truck.  Signed up for two "helpers" for two hours to help load the furniture from a two bedroom apartment onto the truck in Denver.  We were going to load most of the boxes and random stuff ourselves.  They were to show up at 1:00 p.m.  One of them did show up at 1:00 and said that he was the only one scheduled to be there.  So I called Simple Moving Labor and asked where the other guy was.  They promptly found another guy to help but by the time he got there, it was 2:00 p.m.  Because of that, I had both guys for only one hour to move the furniture so we ended up having to move some of the furniture ourselves which is not why we were paying Simple Moving Labor.  The first guy moved pretty slow and seemed more interested in socializing.  The second guy was a really hard worker and really wanted to do a good job.  I would give Simple Moving Labor a better rating if they would have made some concession for the fact that both of the helpers were not there for the same two hours.  They could have had the first guy stay for an additional hour at no extra cost so that I would have had my full "two guys for two hours" that I paid for.

Service cost: $219

The contact persons in customer service are excellent. They are timely in their responses, availability and keeping you informed of timelines.
The contracted movers in my case were delayed by several hours both ways. The contracted local unloaders were upset with this delay because they had another job later in the day that they had to cancel due to the delay.
Overall the contractors were nice and courteous and hard working.
I packed my own things. There were a couple of minor damages that I took responsibility for and did not submit a claim.
Overall it was a good experience.
I really appreciate the fact I was able to contract with SML on very short notice.

Service cost: $6800

As an Army family, we are well aquatinted with moving. I paid a bit extra for the "professional" loading crew, and wasn't impressed.
- They showed up early, which was good.
- They brought none of their own tools, which was supposed to be part of the professional thing, so that was bad.
- They were very slow. I actually had to address it at one point, and though they were defensive at first, they did pick up the pace noticeably. That was bad, then better.
- They only used two of the 4 dozen moving blankets I supplied. Not two dozen, but two. Of course, we now have numerous new scratches on our furniture. Very bad.
- They did a great job of fitting everything into the 26' truck, and even left a bit of space for a few things we had intended to leave behind. I was sure they would not have space, and they proved me wrong. That was good.

I only paid for the normal unloaders, and other than taking far too many breaks, they weren't bad. They got everything unloaded, in place, and ready for me to assemble in a reasonable amount of time.

This was our first time to use Simple Moving Labor, and though I hope we're done with moving, we won't be using them again either way.

Service cost: $600

SML's team was sharp and helpful. I wasn't as impressed with the contracted labor (SML subcontracts with other companies to provide moving labor) who helped me unload the truck. I had the distinct impression that the two guys really wanted to just empty the truck as quickly as possible and leave, rather than help me put furniture together and take boxes to correct rooms, etc. I paid for a minimum of three hours of moving labor, and didn't like that they made me feel guilty about having them work for nearly the full three hours (with me alongside them, mind you--it wasn't like I was sipping a pina colada in a lawn chair, telling them what to do without moving a muscle myself).

Service cost: $384

I hired SML for unloading labor in California. I hired two "Helpers" which were background checked, although not considered professional movers. My ONLY complaint was the cost with a 2-hour minimum. My loading-labor in Oregon was $100 and took nearly 2 hours. This team was very speedy and had the whole truck unloaded in under half an hour. I realize that unloading is quicker than loading, but was still a bit regretful to have to pay the full $236. One of the Helpers arrived early and went ahead and started unloading. They took direction well, were nice and worked fast/hard. I'd use SML again, but probably for the longer loading work due to cost. .

Service cost: $236

We hired the pro-movers in the Nashville area to move from one condo to another within the same building. They arrived on time, and we had no issues with them moving items. We only used them to move the furniture and heavier items. They had to move some very heavy items, and nothing was broken.  They were efficient with their time, and were very friendly. I would recommend and use them again. The one thing I did not like is that we were charged a $75 travel fee, and they did not actually use the truck..moved from one condo to another in the same building.

Service cost: $477

LOAD: The team was late; did not call ahead. Young men, appeared to have little or no "professional" moving experience.  Truck was poorly loaded, some damage to items during move because of this. UNLOAD: Completely unprofessional; younger of the two immediately (before unloading) began to hit me up for a $50 tip "to make sure everything goes OK". Later increased his pitch to $100.  Also said "don't tell my partner." Seriously damaged a piece of furniture while unloading.   Would never use this company again; both subcontractors were not worth the money.

Service cost: $650

We paid for two pro-movers to load our truck. Clearly one was experienced and the other was not.  One of the movers placed my portable BBQ unprotected on top of a patio chair seat cushion. What would that seat cushion looked like after 1,400 miles?  I had them re-pack, but should have been common sense.  Several furniture items were not wrapped correctly and were damaged. The leg of a dining room chair, night stand and dresser all have deep scratches and wood chipped away! Also a tear in our leather top coffee table!  These guys were not careful as they should have been. On the back-end with the helper movers who unloaded the truck. They came with NOTHING.  No gloves, no straps, nothing. Consequently, they worked way harder than they should have and took much longer carrying heavy items.  We recently had a dry delivered from Home Depot. The guys had the proper straps and harnesses. They easily maneuvered the dryer upstairs. where our help movers had to use all the brawn they could muster to push, heave, our washer upstairs.  Just not prepared. Again, taking more time and effort than they needed. Overall, we were not too pleased with the service we received for $700.

Service cost: $700