Moving Ahead Moving & Storage

Long story short – great crews who work hard and get the job done. But do not believe the initial quote you get from their office.
I was quoted about $ 1,000 to move my 2-​bedroom apartment into a private home. I went with this company despite their many negative reviews for two reasons: 1. I had a personal recommendation from a friend who had used them before, and 2. I received a quote from another company at $ 1,600 (flat rate) and was trying to save some money. I figured $ 1,000 was low, but even a few hundred more would still have been a savings.
I had everything packed up myself – the movers were actually surprised when they found all the closets and drawers empty and everything ready to go. I had also named every item of furniture I owned to the person who gave me the estimate over the phone.
The move itself went very smoothly. The crew was professional and courteous, and nothing got damaged. I was originally charged just under $ 1,300 total (plus tips) for the move, and was very happy with that price.
I got a call from the company a few days later saying that they miscalculated the bill and that I owed them $ 396. They did in fact do some poor addition on the invoice after a second look, but I’m still not sure how we got from $ 1,000 to $ 1,700. I was told «there must have been some misunderstanding with the estimate.» So my move has now cost me almost $ 1,700, more than the original company I was going to use.
Just an FYI– Things they charge you for on the invoice other than man hours include travel time (to your current home, plus to the one you’re moving to), tolls, tape ($ 100!), any boxes of their own that they use (for mirrors, for example), and furniture covers. I would highly recommend using a company that will quote you a flat rate and stick to it if you are on a budget. They also insist on being paid in cash.

I hired this moving company in May 2015. The worst moving experience I have ever had. They sent 3 men who were very unprofessional.
One of them kept saying to me «if we don’t pack it we are not responsible». I couldn’t figure out why until I saw how much they damaged my furniture. The wood was chipped and scratched on a very expensive coffee table and they damaged an overhanging light fixture with marble base. I called to complain and spoke to Larry Armstrong who actually laughed at me when I explained the damage to me furniture. I was furious. He told me that I could submit a claim to their insurance company. An estimate to fix was provided to me by THEIR insurance company for $ 2,800 but they told me that since I did not buy additional insurance coverage that they were only responsible for 3 cents per pound which amounted to $ 15. Not sure why they made me go through that process if they were only going to pay $ 15. Someone dropped the ball! The move itself cost $ 900 (cash only) plus the $ 2,800 furniture damage so in total it cost me $ 3,700 to move a one bedroom apartment.
DONT USE THEM!

Manhattan Mini Storage connected me to Moving Ahead to pick up my son’s belongings from his NYU dorm and take them to the storage facility for the summer. Moving Ahead offered 2.5 hours free moving time, which was well within the time it took to move the contents of my son’s room (which he had fully packed himself). I spoke to Dominic to book the job and Joe to confirm the job 2x (I was paranoid that it all had to go without a hitch) and they both assured me everything would be fine. They arrived as promised ~ with a call to confirm in advance and a call the day of the move giving their eta. In and out of the dorm in record time, straight to the storage facility, my son followed in an Über and they even put the items into the storage bin for him. I could not have been more pleased and impressed. I highly recommend this company and will use them again. They are 100% professional and honest.

This moving company was incredible. They were right on time, and when they were finished with the job, the estimate quote was less than they had quoted me over the phone. No scams! I would recommend this moving company to anyone!!!

Please read the Unilocal reviews before booking these guys. It sounds like others had the same experience I did. These guys do a good job but will nickel and dime you on the bill.
I moved a 1 bedroom. When they arrived, the 4 guys they brought were on warp speed. However they worked significantly slower after the 40 minutes. By the last hour two of the guys were not working at all (it can be hard to tell who’s working and who’s not because they usually have 2 guys in the room and 2 guys at the truck, so you can’t see everyone at once, but by the last hour we could see all the boxes and only one guy was there so the other 3 guys definitely weren’t working at all). They charge $ 172 per hour for a 4 man team, and they also charge in 30 minute increments. We were pretty much done after 3 hours but they dragged about 10 minutes of work into 40 minutes of work with one guy just so they could stretch it to 3 hours 40 minutes and charge us for 4 hours.
Also make sure to ask about the $ 86 driving fee. This is a hidden charge.
Also, they only accept cash. This makes it basically impossible to argue the bill later.
Make sure you 1) agree beforehand on the fee schedule and all hidden charges 2) are ready to argue on the spot about any bogus /​hidden charges.
In terms of quality of move, I have to say they are quite good. The guys are experienced, strong, and did a great job. If quality is your priority, these guys might be right for you. Just be ready for some massive hidden charges on the bill.

I booked my move into a storage room last Friday with Manhattan Mini Storage and they offered me the 2.5 hour free move-​in coupon/​deal. It seemed too good to be true. The move was scheduled for today, Monday, between 1 and 5 pm.
I was transferred to Dominic who took all the information and was very clear with me about what to expect. For some odd reason, it all seemed too easy, but Dominic assured me that all would be fine.
This morning when I called to confirm, whomever answered the phone seemed almost surprised that I called to confirm, but assured me that they were on schedule and that I would get a phone call 30 minutes prior to their arrival. They were scheduled to arrive at 1 and at the strike of 12:30, I received said promised call — they were on their way.
Billy, Rudy and Freddy arrived at my door exactly on time and I immediately started my stopwatch — I am like that. It started with the formalities of paperwork. I will admit the free insurance thing was a bit confusing and sounded almost like a hidden cost, but Billy assured me that there was nothing hidden. I then showed them all that had to be moved and voiced my concern about the amount of items I had and the size of the storage space, but Billy told me that I would be fine. He told me that I apparently did not accurately report the amount of items I had, as it was much more in person. Now that I am done, I could probably review where I miscalculated.
Regardless, the assembly line started. these guys had a plan, each had a task and they were on a mission — it was great. Admittedly, since I knew my stuff was going to storage and not to a new abode, I did pack things very well on my own so they did not have to waste anytime taping this or that or blankets, etc. that was all done. In what seemed like minutes, my entire apartment was loaded into their truck.
It was the middle of the day on a Monday and shockingly neither they nor I had traffic getting to the storage place. They started unloading by the time I got there. I had already signed for and set up my storage space, so I headed upstairs with the first elevator load with Billy. He then told me the way they work — who loads, who packs, who moves it from the elevator, etc. I gladly stepped back and watched them do their thing.
They were extremely considerate and had me specify which boxes needed to be up front and they made it happen. The room was loaded so quickly and efficiently (like tetrus) and with care. Lastly, it took us the allotted time and we even got the closing paperwork completed expediently — trust me, I checked my stopwatch. Overall, the guys were nice and gracious and when I move my stuff out to an apartment, I will request them again!
And I know I was wary that this was going to be a price gouger, but I happily report that I was proven wrong.
Be advised, however, that my apartment was only 25 blocks from the storage location and travel time is part of the deal, so make sure you take that into account, because once you get the phone call, the clock starts ticking (I started when they arrived at my door, as they were clear on the phone that the first half hour is travel time to me).

We recently used Moving Ahead for a big move. They were absolutely wonderful. It was an emotional move, and much bigger than anyone expected. These guys were professional, pleasant, helpful, efficient… anything and everything you would want. They made it as painless as possible, they unassembled and rebuilt all furniture perfectly. Towards the end, when everything was moved in but they were waiting on a couple of them to finish building the last piece, the rest of the guys could have easily sat down after an all day move in the hot sun, instead they helped us start unpacking boxes. We had Rudy’s crew, and would recommend them to anyone in a heartbeat.

This is a review of my experience with Moving Ahead from June of 2012.
I was recommended to Moving Ahead from my employer, who does quite a bit of business with Moving Ahead. I decided to use them because of this recommendation.
A sales rep Joe came out to my apartment and surveyed everything. He gave me a quote, gave me a GUARANTEED price and promised that it wouldn’t go over budget due to how many guys he was giving me for the move, and gave me the day I wanted. I was pretty happy that everything went so smoothly.
I had to call back a week later and give a credit card number for deposit. Speaking to the gentleman who took the payment, he said he was going to authorize $ 1300 on my credit card (which was more then $ 300 more than the quoted move). I asked the gentleman why so much, as I was given a guaranteed price by Joe. He said they never do guaranteed prices, and he doesn’t understand how I was given one. He passed the phone to Joe, who again guaranteed me this move will not go over the estimate (infront of the guy who just told me they don’t do guaranteed prices). «There’s no way in hell it’s going over that price». Flashing red lights should have went off in my head at that point.
The day of the move, the movers showed up on time and ready to work. At around 11:30am/12pm (move started at 9am, and was a 4 ½hr move) Joe shows up saying that the move was going to take extra time. I was fine with the move going over, I was not fine with paying more. Joe told me there was some kind of miscalculation with the amount of boxes and time needed to pack the kitchen. Mind you, this was just regular dish sets, etc, for maybe 6 people. He estimated 2 boxes, and it took 7, and the extra time. I was also told that I had made the movers do more work, because I asked them to pack things that were not included in the move (which was false). He offered at most $ 10 off for each additional box that was used, but nothing for labor. Anyway, he ended up leaving saying there was nothing more that could be done. I ended up calling the office, who directed me to Joe, and told me he would call me.
Joe calls me, and I explain that this is clearly not my fault. I am not the expert, I don’t know how many boxes are needed to do a move. He came, and surveyed the area. To me, this is the fault of the estimator. He told me that this was just that, an estimate, and nothing could be done to compensate me. I tried to explain that when you use a word like *GUARANTEE*, this is no longer an estimate. Joe then told me that because he sees this being a problem, the guys wont unload the truck unless I authorize another *$ 500* on my credit card, or pay the movers in *CASH*. I then called the office to speak to the owner, John.
As soon as the gentleman at the front desk gave the phone to the owner John, John begins literally hammering me in a rather loud tone. «Joe told me that you’re going to smear my name with your employer, if you do this I’m going to sue you for defamation of character», etc etc. At this point, I was not yelling or screaming at John, so didn’t understand why I was getting this from him. As well, any conversations I had with Joe or John was IN FRONT of THEIR movers. I had explained this to John, and denied Joe’s claims, and asked him before calling me a liar to please speak with the movers so they could tell him what they heard. In any case, through the entire conversation, I remained calm and cool. After about 20 minutes of trying to plead my case to him, and having him really defame me (ironically enough) by calling me a liar, he calmed down. He didn’t apologize, but said maybe he shouldn’t have jumped the gun. He offered me what I thought was 20% off the extra labor and materials. This was a fine resolution to me, and was all that I was looking for.
In the end, the movers were great, and I ended up getting 20% off the entire bill, which made it literally $ 2 more than the original «guaranteed» quote. So it was just stress and aggravation for nothing.
While the issue was resolved in the end, I would not recommend using this company due to the headaches and stress that was involved in getting my stuff moved.
The movers themselves were great, the sales guy/​office staff were not.

I am just quoting one of the comments. And is 100% right:
«Terrible quality, terrible customer service. The only reason I used them was because I was moving to Manhattan Mini Storage.»
Manhattan mini storage shoud NOT suggest them !
People in their office are just plain rude !

Absolutely horrible experience.
I had to move my belongings into long term storage, and when I unpacked them a few months later, found my antique couch broken, due to their negligence in packing the storage facility. They are not taking any responsibility for it.
They told me that I was well over the statute of limitations, in a way that showed they could care less about me or my business. Fine, but your guys are incompetent and your manager that emailed me was a rude piece of work.
Don’t use them for anything but the most basic of moves. Maybe not even that: they didn’t bag my mattresses adequately — I paid for bedbug bags, and they raked them over concrete sidewalks such that they got holes. I honestly thought about just throwing them out, but that’s an expensive mistake. Additionally, they didn’t bag my mattress pillowtop cover, and I did throw that out. So disgustingly dirty.
Terrible quality, terrible customer service, and populated by assholes in management. The only reason I used them was because I was moving to Manhattan Mini Storage. Don’t do it: use Oz Moving instead.

All in all, a great experience. They were very quick, and began moving immediately. They were on time (time slot was 8 – 11 and they arrived at 8:15), very kind, and spent a good deal of time wrapping our items. They even offered to take down some (very heavy) items we didn’t want to the trash for us.
Price was higher than we were quoted, although there were some items that we had forgotten to mention so it wasn’t unexpected.
They were very familiar with manhattan mini storage, the company that had referred us to moving ahead. They knew the deal, helped us out with navigating the storage process.
I would recommend them to friends.

NOTE: This moving company has several similarly named companies on Unilocal.They are all the same (address starts with 101 5^th Ave, but has different cities).
Don’t use these movers.
I seriously think some of the positive reviews are bogus. I had a three-​man move from my UES, 2^nd floor apartment, with an elevator, to a storage unit in upper Manhattan. I used this company because Manhattan Mini Storage gave me $ 414 credit towards my move.
I have several complaints about this company:
1. They charged my credit card without my permission!
I had to give a $ 138 deposit when I booked the move, which was fine. After the move was done and the head mover and I went through the charges he mentioned that another $ 138 was authorized on my credit card during the move. I DID NOT authorize this charge. I would have authorized it if I had been asked, because the move was going to take an extra hour over the 3 hours that I was given, but I should have been notified. No one should ever charge your credit card without your permission!
2. They took a 20 minute smoking break!
They were super fast the first 20 – 30 minutes, but then, all of a sudden, two guys disappeared, and only one was left. And he was about to walk out and go downstairs (with no boxes or anything) when I told him that my bed still needs to be moved. He took his time wrapping my bed and, again used a sh*t load of tape (see #3 below). After that point, there was only ever one person in my apt at any given time. How do I know that they took a smoking break? Because my friend was waiting in his car for me to finish up and saw them!
3. You have to pay for tape!
The guy I talked to over the phone didn’t tell me that tape wasn’t included in the move. After the move was finished, the mover-​in-​charge told me that I was going to be charged for the tape they used. First of all, the tape quality was sh*t. One of the boxes they packed totally fell apart (luckily it only had hangers. But then again, how does a box with hangers fall apart??). Second, they used soooo much tape, going over and over and over again on the same spot. I understand you need to go over the tape a few times, but they were ridiculous with it. It’s not a big deal that I had to pay for the tape, but I’m pissed that the guy at the office didn’t tell me that it wasn’t included. I had made a Home Depot run to get some extra boxes and I would have bought my own tape for a lot less
4. They did a poor job packing my storage unit.
I had a lot of stuff and they were able to fit it all into my storage unit, but I had asked them to keep some boxes at the front of the unit so that I could retrieve them easily in the future. I had even numbered those boxes and specifically said that all boxes with that specific number should go to the front. They didn’t listen and instead put the boxes into the storage however they felt. It’s going to take me forever to find anything, and I won’t be able to do it myself. I’ll definitely have to get movers to help me take the boxes down.
5. They chipped off a piece of the table legs for a side table.
I didn’t notice it until I went back to the storage unit later that day. It’s not a big deal because it’s an old table and not that important, but it could have been much more important. They didn’t wrap it at all.
6. The office is rude.
I called to complain about these issues the next day and the guy I spoke to was an a**hole. He told me that I should have called during the move to complain, which is a ridiculous thing to ask. First of all, anyone who has ever moved knows how hectic it can get. Second, I didn’t even know about the smoking break or tape until after the move. Also, after giving me attitude and saying that there is nothing they can do, I asked to speak to the owner (since he claimed to be the manager), but he refused to put the owner on the phone, saying that the owner is not going to take a call about tape. Well, maybe he’ll take a call after I complain to Manhattan Mini Storage about the lack of professionalism of the moving company they have partnered with (Manhattan Mini Storage partners with this moving company exclusively).
I will say one thing positive. The $ 414 credit was helpful. I think I did end up saving some money. BUT. I think the extra cost would have been worth it for a better experience.

Flawless. They did all the packing and the move. They were courteous, respectful, careful and fast. It couldn’t have gone any better.

Wow. I couldn’t believe these guys. This was my free move from Manhattan Mini Storage, and I had a ton of stuff. No messing around here whatsoever. They were fast, strong, totally professional.
There was a lot of paperwork, but I guess that’s necessary in this business, and city.
But I couldn’t have asked for a greater group of guys to move me. Paul, Kevin and Dante – THANKS!!!

Simply outstanding, start to finish. In advance of the day, Moving Ahead patiently planned and scoped my move, setting all expectations, preparing an accurate estimate, and ensuring that they brought the right supplies. On the day of, they communicated their ETA well, were on time, and hit the ground running. Each member of the team displayed utter efficiency and yet the utmost care and professionalism in packing and moving my apartment. Compulsive as I am, I was completely satisfied with their expert wrapping of my paintings, sculpture and vintage furniture. Moving Ahead’s interface with Manhattan Mini Storage (I, too, took advantage of their coupon) was hand-​in-​glove). And they fit an entire apartment into a compact storage space with Tetris-​like economy. At the end of the day (it actually only took a little over four hours for a very large move, sans elevator), there were no surprises, and every last item of mine was accounted for. Truly the best moving experience I’ve had.

We have used Moving Ahead twice and been especially pleased both times.
We just moved from Conn to NY and they showed up on time, packed us up quickly and professionally, and moved us with no problem.
At all times, the movers were friendly and courteous. Highly recommend.

I also was referred to this company through Manhattan Mini Storage — they moved my stuff from a 5^th floor walk-​up apartment in Williamsburg into a storage unit in the East Side, and then into a 2^nd floor walk-​up in UWS a few months later.
PRICE/​ESTIMATES: I feel like they are competitively priced; hiring movers is an expensive prospect regardless. I never paid over my estimate — actually the second time my cost was less than estimated. A big tip to get a great read is to be completely thorough in telling them how much stuff you have and pack it all neatly in easier to lift boxes if possible. No surprises for them means no surprises on the bill.
SPEED: The team I had both times (actually, one guy was at both!) was really fast. I wish I could remember names, and that will now drive me crazy, but they were friendly/​fast/​awesome. I was moving out of an apartment I shared with my ex-​boyfriend, and they offered to beat him up for me. Kidding. Kind of. No yeah, I’m kidding.
PACKING STUFF UP: I told them I had a couch for the estimate, and they came & wrapped that sucker up in this special cloth thing, which is disposable so I had to pay, but it was great protection. I already had mostly everything else packed up nicely and ready to go, which made packing up the truck faster. I’m not bragging, I’m just sayin’ — I did not feel like paying any more than I had to.
INSURANCE CERT: They do this for you! I never lived in a nice enough building that actually required one of these, but I actually had to request one on the second time around, and they did it quickly. I think there was a $ 25 – 30 charge that’s basically the cost of the insurance company spitting this thing out.
I would recommend! In fact, I am.

Well, my experience with Moving Ahead was a bit different than most it seems. I hired them to move things from storage into my new apartment… enough for a two bedroom… quite a lot of stuff. They were on time, they were courteous and professional and they were fast. There was still some final work being done on the apartment as they were moving the furniture in and it still went smoothly. The dispatcher went over the costs with me and there were no hidden charges. All my things arrived and nothing was broken. Based on my experience, I would recommend them.

I had a very good experience with Moving Ahead. The representative’s estimate was very accurate for both price and supplies. The men who packed and moved my belongings were prompt, courteous, careful and efficient. I would definitely use them again and I would recommend them to others.
D.B.

I had an OK experience with Moving Ahead when they moved my things from my apt. to storage in May, but I felt that they underestimated the cost either carelessly or deliberately. The 3-​man moving team who showed up were great and get 5 stars.
When I called Moving Ahead, the rep was able to accommodate me at the exact day and time that I wanted to move. After giving him my pick-​up and drop-​off location and list of items to be moved, he gave me an estimated 3.5 hour move time for $ 420. After that, it would be $ 120 for each additional hour after that (pro-​rated for parts of an hour). Note that an hour of this time is travel time to and from my location, not my actual move.
They gave me an arrival window of 8 am to 12 pm. The 3-​man moving team showed up at 8:15 and called me 20 minutes before to let me know they were on their way. So far, so good. The 3 men were very nice, professional and fast.
I was moving from Morningside Heights to a storage facility on the LES near the FDR. I hopped in a cab and arrived in about 25 minutes. Then I proceeded to sit in the storage facility and wait for an additional, torturous 55 minutes for them to show up. The men apologized, explaining that, as they have a truck, they are not allowed to use the FDR or West Side Highway and had to drive through city traffic. The rep who gave me the estimate should have accounted for the 1 hour 20 minute travel time between my apartment and the storage location and given me a more realistic estimate.
The total move ended up being 5.5 hours, or 2 hours more and $ 240 than they had quoted me. Total price $ 680 + $ 80 tip = $ 760. To move nothing but bedroom furniture and boxes within Manhattan.
Ultimately, when I had to move my things out of storage this fall, I went with a flat-​rate company. The service I got from Moving Ahead was great, but I felt burned by the much higher than expected price. I don’t think that the movers dawdled at all, they moved very efficiently, but I do think that the rep seriously underestimated the price.