This morning I was greeted by an email from a potential customer looking for a little help with his pre-packing planning.
I felt very nostalgic as I answered his questions carefully today, coffee in hand, cool morning air coming in from my office window...
I might not be Dear Abby, but this morning I took on the persona of Dear Abby of the moving world, lol, it's not much, but it's something.
Well, enough of my babbling on, here's the gentleman's email, and my responses. Maybe you have some of the same questions about your packing too? Take a gander, you never know what you're gonna learn!
I am in the process of looking for a house in Livermore (I currently live in Fremont). When I find a property there, I will need to move from my current residence in Fremont to the new one in Livermore.
In order to ensure that packing doesn’t turn into a serious stress inducing experience, I am doing a bunch of pre-packing before I have found a home. This has led to a bunch of questions. If you could answer them, it would help me select the best moving company for the job. These questions are:
1. Do I need to box pictures?
2. How do I pack computers, keyboards and monitors?
3. How do I pack printers?
4. I have a midi keyboard, which is 38” long. I don’t have the box it originally came in. How will it be handled?
5. Do I need to box table lamps?
6. Can my dresser and chest of drawers have clothes in them?
7. Do you supply a wardrobe box?
8. What about a guitar in case, a sewing machine, and a reel-to-reel tape player?
9. What about luggage?
10. Will you disconnect and reconnect my washer and dryer?
11. Will you disconnect and reconnect my refrigerator?
12. How do you handle microwave ovens?
13. How do you handle stereo equipment?
14. I have a free standing glove of the earth. How do we handle it?
15. How do you handle floor lamps?
16. How do you handle garden tools (shovel, rake etc.), a awn mower, a wheel barrow?
17. Will you disassemble and assemble my desk (this requires only removing a couple of bolts that connect the top to two base units?
18. Will you disassemble and assemble beds?
19. I have some lumber (redwood), some of which is 8 ft. long. Will you move it?
20. Can you give me a list of things you will not move?
Once I have a house purchased, I will be asking for companies to bid the move and I will contact you for an estimate. Thanks for helping me with this.
Regards,
Potential Client"
MY RESPONSE:
"Hello!,
Thank you for your questions. I wish you all the best in your house hunt! I'm happy to help answer your questions for you!
You may also find my blog helpful:
www.fairpricemovers.blogspot.com where I share a lot of helpful moving tips!
Here you go:
1.We can wrap pictures in the free quilted blankets, shrink wrap and tape for you, or we can sell you a picture box, or these are sometimes best moved in your own personal vehicle since they are so delicate.
2.Again, computers, keyboards, and monitors are best inside a personal vehicle for a softer ride.
3.Same thing with printers, although they tend to be a bit sturdier than a glass monitor, you can either pack them up in a box with padding, marked fragile, or move it in your car so that electronics don't get jostled around by the truck.
4.The keyboard can be crated for $30 and put into it's own special box, or if it goes in your car, it's safe too.
5.Table lamps if the base or shade is breakable, are best wrapped up in a box marked fradgile, or put in your vehicle. Or we can sell you a lamp box to protect it. Taking out the light bulbs is a good idea too.
6.If you need us to carry a dresser or chest of drawers up or down any stairs, it must be emptied, not only for the safety of the dresser drawer tracks, but it makes it easier for the men to move these big pieces of furniture carefully through your homes without causing accidental damage to walls or floors due to the furniture being unruly and heavy.
7.We do supply up to (10) wardrobe boxes to use during the move free of charge, each box is about 6' tall and 2.5' wide, had a cross bar across the top where you can hang your clothing. Each box depending on the thickness of the clothing (i.e. puffy sweaters vs. thin houses) can carry about 20-30 pieces of clothing each. If you need more than (10) they are $15 a piece. We do not bring them to you prior to the move, we put them up in front of the closets right when we arrive so that you can fill them with clothes while the men disassemble furniture, wrap it up, and move it into the truck with the boxes, then at the new place the wardrobe boxes are the first thing off the truck so you have plenty of time to unload them into the new closets while the guys put the beds back together, unwrap the furniture, and put the boxes where they belong.
8.Guitar in case is fine in the truck. A sewing machine I suggest you pack up in a box with padding and mark it fragile, or move in your car. Same thing with reel-to-reel tape player.
9.Luggage is fine how it is, you can even fill them with the clothes from your dresser.
10.Yes we can disconnect and reconnect your washer and dryer. If you have a gas connection, please turn off the gas for our safety, and have all supplies available for the connections.
11.Yes we will disconnect and reconnect your refrigerator. If it has a water hookup, and the set up is easy, we can do it. Keep in mind for both the washer, dryer, and refrigerator, that we aren't handy men, but we'll do our best, and we do have experience, but if you are really concerned about it being done properly, please hire a professional.
12.Microwave ovens are fairly sturdy, just pack them up in a box with padding, and mark it fragile.
13.Stero equipment packed up in boxes with padding is fine.
14.We will wrap the globe up in padding quilts, shrink wrap and tape, and if it's really fragile we can suggest a little bubble wrap as well to protect it for an additional cost.
15.Floor lamps are much like table lamps, if the base is breakable, we need to wrap it up properly, take off the shade and wrap it separately, take off the light bulb. We can sell you a lamp box, or you can have us use quilts and shrink wrap and tape, or you can take it in your car for extra security. Loose items bouncing around the truck aren't safe, so we have to properly secure it somehow.
16.Garden tools should be boxed up or put into tool boxes or bins prior to our arrival. Wheel barrow can just go in the truck on it's own, it won't break. Lawn mower too, but it can't have fuel in it, we can't transport flammable.
17.We will disassemble and reassemble any furniture that needs it, free of charge, including your desk.
18.See 17, yes, especially the beds.
19.Yes, we can move the lumber.
20.Only things we can't move: Live plants that get soil inside the truck, plus their breakable pots don't tend to stand up well to the vibrations and bouncing of the truck, flammable like propane tanks, and fuel for mowers and such, and livestock=)
Thank you, I'm happy that you plan to reach out to me for a quote. I promise to give you a thorough quote you can depend on, and the best customer service you've ever had. We are an exceptional company, and we plan on doing a great job for you just like we do for all our customers.
Warmest Regards, Happy hunting,
Nancy Jensen
Director of Sales"
Have a happy weekend! Happy Spring!
Warmest Regards,
Nancy and Team
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