In June of 2023, Janelle made the cross-country move from sunny California to Nashville, Tennessee with her husband, cat, and dog. Eager to start her new job, Janelle spent six months carefully planning every aspect of her move—she even spent three months looking for the perfect mover.

She opted for four U-Haul U-Boxes because of their affordability and flexibility. While there were some communication issues with U-Haul, Janelle’s move came in pretty close to her budget. One U-Box is still in transit, and U-Haul plans to make it up to Janelle by reimbursing her shipping costs.

While there were some minor hiccups during her move, U-Haul made an impressive showing during this move, especially considering the fact that it happened during peak move season.

Janelle signed up for the moveBuddha Better Moves Project to share an honest account of her moving experience in exchange for a $500 moving stipend.

Let’s look at Janelle’s experience moving with U-Haul U-Box and what Janelle recommends for other folks planning a cross-country move.

Move day takeaways for U-Haul customers

• Communication: Some wires got crossed when it came to picking up the U-Boxes and unloading them, but overall, Janelle’s belongings arrived at her new home with ease
• Pricing accuracy and transparency: U-Haul’s pricing was incredibly accurate, with the final cost just a few hundred dollars off. This is well within the industry average
• Professionalism: U-Haul’s team was incredibly professional and helpful
• Timeliness: Janelle’s U-Boxes arrived at the incorrect location and experienced some delays while in transit
• Loss and damage: U-Haul carefully moved Janelle’s belongings, but some furniture had scratches because the third-party loading company she hired failed to use packing blankets
• Would Janelle use U-Haul again? Janelle wouldn’t use U-Haul again, but that’s only because she would prefer hiring full-service movers instead of hiring a separate company for loading and unloading

Janelle needed help moving from Redwood City, California to Nashville, TN

Janelle received a new job offer in Nashville, Tennessee, and decided to relocate there with her husband and pets. With well over 2,000 miles between each destination, Janelle knew she needed a quality company to safely move her belongings from point A to point B.

She needed to move the contents of a two-bedroom, two-bath apartment—plus a motorcycle—cross-country with as little damage as possible.

Janelle wanted to find a punctual moving company that wouldn’t experience many delays. She also needed to find a company that offered good value for the money while preventing property loss and damage.

Janelle’s move at a glance

Janelle got quotes from two full-service movers and one container company

Ever the planner, Janelle decided to strategize her move six months before her actual moving date. She began searching for movers back in February of 2023 to give herself plenty of time to vet different moving companies.

She began her search like most people do: on Google. She quickly found the moveBuddha site, which she used to find a list of popular companies to review.

From there, she did a little detective work on each company, sifting through their Better Business Bureau (BBB) ratings and Department of Transportation (DOT) information.

Janelle got quotes from U-Haul, Safeway, and northAmerican Van Lines. Each company had its own methods for estimates. Some did in-person surveys, video calls, and itemized lists.

Janelle got a pretty big range of quotes from around $5,000 to more than $10,000.

Janelle chose U-Haul for its affordability

Janelle decided on U-Haul primarily because of their affordability, but she loved that the U-Boxes came with the option for storage.

She needed help with storage and shipping, but after planning the move a little bit more, Janelle realized she also needed help with loading and unloading—which
U-Haul doesn’t offer.

In addition to booking the U-Boxes, Janelle also paid separately for third-party labor to manage the loading and unloading. We don’t recommend that (and you’ll see why in a minute), but Janelle felt it was a good way to save money.

U-Haul told Janelle to pack everything in boxes before the U-Boxes arrive to streamline the loading process. They also told her to plan where to place the U-Boxes so they wouldn’t block traffic or break traffic laws.

Janelle prepared for moving day by boxing up items and wrapping furniture. While she packed the boxes herself, she paid extra to have professionals load everything into the U-Box for her.

Moving day was a little hectic

U-Haul called Janelle with updates on her boxes’ ETA before moving day. On moving day, the boxes arrived at her home around 1 PM, which was a little late.

Since Janelle moved during peak season, U-Haul accidentally mixed up the location of her U-Boxes. The movers she hired went to multiple locations until they located the correct U-Boxes.

However, the movers themselves caused a few issues with Janelle’s move. They incorrectly balanced the U-Boxes and only filled a few of them halfway.

To make up for the lost space, Janelle asked a family member to loan her their pickup to drive cross-country with the extra items that the movers said didn’t fit into the boxes. Spoiler alert: they would have fit.

The third-party movers—who had no affiliation with U-Haul—also failed to use furniture pads and covers while packing. This led to a lot of damage to Janelle’s items, which is why it’s so important for you to check movers’ work as they go.

If Janelle had spoken up and insisted on using the packing blankets that came with the U-Box rental, it could have minimized damage to her furniture.

In total, loading took six hours. Janelle did need one U-Box more than she thought she would, which is why the final cost was a touch higher than the estimate. U-Haul did help Janelle out by covering the shipping costs for the extra box.

Delivery went smoother

It took one month for items to arrive at Janelle’s new home in Nashville, which is longer than what U-Haul estimated. Keep in mind that Janelle moved during peak move season, which can make wait times longer and communication more sparse.

Once the U-Boxes arrived, unloading went smoothly. Janelle hired third-party movers to unload everything into her new home.

However, she’s still waiting for the final U-Box to arrive. She’s filed a claim with U-Haul for the delayed shipping in the meantime.

It wasn’t until Janelle unloaded her belongings that she realized how poorly her movers packed everything in the U-Boxes. The only piece of furniture without damage was a curio cabinet she wrapped herself.

This is a great example of why it’s so important to play an active role in the loading process. Ideally, Janelle should have said something during the loading process when she saw the movers didn’t use the furniture pads U-Haul provided.

She also realized how empty the U-Boxes were, which was another issue with the third-party moving labor. But if Janelle did a walkthrough during the loading process, she could have avoided booking an additional U-Box and borrowing a truck to drive additional items cross-country.

Our take on the move

All in all, U-Haul did a great move for Janelle. You have to remember that June is insanely busy for all moving companies, so delays and communication hiccups are bound to happen. If possible, try to move outside of the busy summer months.

In terms of pricing, U-Haul really hit this one out of the park. It estimated $4,303 for this job, and the final cost was $4,523, which is pretty close. That’s also pretty darn affordable for a 2,000-plus-mile move.

Janelle wasn’t happy about the damage to her furniture, and we get that. It’s important to note that this was an issue with the third-party company she hired for loading, not U-Haul.

Janelle is a great example of why it’s so important to take charge during the loading process. If you notice the movers aren’t using packing blankets or if they aren’t loading things correctly, speak up! Janelle could have avoided some damages with proper packing.

U-Haul also offers metal ReloCubes, which are a more durable alternative to U-Boxes, which have a canvas cover. For a cross-country move, it’s often better to pay more for a sturdier transport method to prevent damage.

The verdict

Looking back on the move, things didn’t go as Janelle expected. She does wish the movers packed more carefully.

Janelle recommends you watch the movers very carefully during loading. Don’t assume they will do things the way you would like them, so speak up and take charge. This is your stuff, after all.

She moved during the busy summer season, but Janelle did expect more communication from U-Haul, especially during transit. If you prefer more timely updates, Janelle recommends placing an Apple Air Tag inside the moving containers for real-time tracking updates.

Overall, Janelle believes U-Haul was a good value for the money. However, she regrets hiring a separate company for loading and unloading. Looking back on her move, Janelle thinks a full-service mover would have been a better choice.

Here’s how Janelle rated U-Haul’s performance on a scale of 1 to 5:

• Communication – 3
• Timeliness – 4
• Quote accuracy – 5
• Overall experience – 4

Do you have an upcoming move? Share your moving story with the Better Moves Project to earn a $500 stipend. Sign up now.

Check out these helpful resources before signing off:

• Moving Cost Calculator
• U-Box vs PODS vs U-Pack: The Ultimate Moving Container Smackdown
• How Much Can You Fit in a U-Box Container?

The post Moving Experience: Janelle’s Move with U-Haul appeared first on moveBuddha.