I just relocated from the US to England, and moved my gear (and everything else) with a professional mover, most via sea container. Absolutely no problems with anything - everything arrived in perfect condition (TT, speakers, etc). I don't think I could have packed my stuff anywhere nearly as well as they did. |
I'd be more likely to throw my wife in a box and put her in the moving van than let them touch my equipment. And just for the record, I do love my wife. |
That would be the biggest NO, NOT EVER ever heard.
I am an old man , hard for me to move dishes, but I'm behind that U-haul wheel with my gear ! |
Most movers have a hard time NOT damaging furniture! |
Never! I know people who packed extremely well. Bomb-proof well. The thing is, the boxes never showed up at their destination. So many unpredictable things can go wrong when the package leaves your possession. |
No. You should ask them to join the trip so you can watch your cargo at every truck stop. |
I agree with the "don't do it" group. Unfortunately Rgs92, even on this subject there can be no consensus among audiophiles. |
I moved recently and watched the movers at work. They get a passing grade on the piano and furniture, but barely. No way would I let them touch small instruments or audio equipment. No freaking way. |
I agree with Onhwy61. I also let my movers move my (extremely well-packed in original packing) equipment, save for my turntable/arm/cartridge, which I brought myself principally because I had a new cartridge installed after the movers had taken everything. The key here was that while the move was 400 miles, I used a local, family-run company that was highly recommended, got to talk with the movers who were very nice and had them realize that this stuff was not to be handled roughly. No problems at all. I might have had second thoughts with a large chain company, but after talking with the people who were actually doing the moving I had no qualms. |
Only if you purchase a special insurance rider from the moving company to cover those items, which must be scheduled into the rider. Very expensive, but it puts the moving company on notice that you are serious. I recently got an estimate for such a rider. For $100,000 of coverage, the premium for the rider was about $5,000. Rates vary somewhat depending on the insurance carrier and mover. Some movers cannot be covered, telling you something about using them in the first place. |
I've moved three times in the past 15 years and with the exception of the turntable and computers I've entrusted my audio/video equipment with professional movers. Not a single problem. Pack the equipment just like you're going to ship it via UPS and have a detailed discussion with the movers. Ideally you want a single load truck with the same crew at each end. |
avoid at all costs if possible. |
Give it to the movers only if you want your stuff trashed!! |
OMG, it's unanimous. Yep, I guess I brought us all together for a moment. OK, I guess there's a truck or, as I like to call it, a Ford Exhibitionist in my future. |
Rgs92, I think you just did what most people thought was impossible; myself included. You asked a question on Audiogon that everyone is going to agree on what the answer is. |
There's us and then there's everybody else. Don't trust the latter with audio equipment. |
I moved cross-country a year ago and carried all my valuable audio equipment in the back of my car.
Considering the considerable damage done to some of my household furniture I'm very glad I didn't trust the audio gear to the movers.
Even having insurance that covers damage won't compensate you for the hassle of making claims and trying to recover costs.
Don't do it.
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I would haul audio equipment and other valuables myself. |
If you care about your stuff, no. Moving companies do not provide insurance as normal people understand it, and it's unlikely your homeowner's will cover it during the move. Read your policy to find out. You can check with your insurance agent if you wish, but be careful with that. Simply calling your agent to inquire about coverage can constitute a claim, believe it or not. |
Make a numbers list and mark each box. That includes software such as LPs and CDs as well. If lost insurance pays out very little. |
