I Spent $4,185 on My Georgia to California Move
Fact Checked by: 
Atlanta, GA → Marina del Rey, CA
$3,795
Revised estimate, 600 cubic foot minimum
$4,185
$390 over, in fees added at delivery
2,200 mi
Long-distance, interstate
- I hired Compass Van Lines for my Georgia to California move without realizing they were a broker rather than the company that would actually move me.
- My bill came in $390 over quote because of long carry, elevator, and “early reservation” fees nobody mentioned until delivery day.
- I shared all of it, my quotes, my bills, and my ratings, as part of moveBuddha’s Better Moves Project.
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This account is based on a conversation with Kelsey W., who moved from Atlanta, Georgia, to Marina del Rey, California, in March 2022 using Compass Van Lines. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
My move from Georgia to California
In March 2022 my partner and I moved our two-bedroom apartment 2,200 miles from Atlanta to Marina del Rey to be closer to family. Our two dogs made the trip with us.
My worries going in were delays in Atlanta and whether everything would survive 2,200 miles on a truck. We filled out a number of online contact forms and called a few movers friends had recommended, and for the next three weeks we were buried in emails, texts, and phone calls from companies we’d never heard of. Google searches didn’t help much either.
Finding moveBuddha’s moving cost calculator is what made the screening manageable, because I could compare options without handing my number to every company on the internet. According to moveBuddha, users who compare movers this way save more than 30% versus taking the first quote they get.
My Compass Van Lines experience at a glance
Here’s what stood out most about moving with Compass Van Lines, good and bad.
- Communication: Professional and responsive early on. As move day approached I was fielding calls from several Compass departments and from the carrier, Best For You Moving, LLC, which made it hard to know who was actually handling my move.
- Pricing accuracy and transparency: Getting the initial quote was easy. My final bill came in $390 higher because of long carry, elevator, and “early reservation” fees at delivery that nobody disclosed upfront.
- Professionalism: Despite the confusion, the crew handled my things carefully, including the TVs and picture frames I’d been most worried about.
- Timeliness: The crew arrived within five minutes of the agreed pickup time in Atlanta and delivered to Marina del Rey as promised.
- Loss and damage: A drinking glass and a floor lamp. Everything else made it intact.
- Would I use Compass Van Lines again? Yes, and I’d insist on a single point of contact before signing anything.
over my original Compass quote
Find out what a move from Georgia → California actually costs before a mover tells you.
Why I chose Compass Van Lines
What decided it was a reasonable quote, how professional my representative was, and a faster timeline than I’d expected for a haul that long.
We’d looked seriously at PODS containers early on, because we weren’t sure how quickly we’d find a place in Los Angeles and storage would have bought us time. In the end the distance and the volume made a full-service mover the better fit.
Here’s the thing I didn’t understand going in: Compass operates as a broker, not a carrier. They sold me the move and a different company, Best For You Moving, LLC, actually performed it. That distinction ended up mattering far more than I expected once move day arrived, and I’d want it spelled out plainly next time.
We’d originally planned to sell most of our furniture to save money. We changed our minds after adding up what replacing it all would cost and talking it through with my rep. Compass had a 600 cubic foot minimum, so once we were paying for that space anyway, bringing everything made sense. I redid the inventory, resubmitted it, and got a revised estimate covering loading and unloading, furniture assembly and disassembly, and transportation.
I took the free released-value protection rather than buying additional valuation coverage. Before the move I paid $1,518 after the initial estimate and another $150 after adding a few items and reserving extra truck space, and I was told to have a check or money order for $1,603.50 ready on move day, which they described as 50% of the new total.
My move at a glance
Here are the basics of my relocation, including what I was quoted and what I actually paid for my Atlanta to Los Angeles move.
| Moved from | Atlanta, Georgia |
|---|---|
| Moved to | Marina del Rey, California |
| Distance | 2,200 miles |
| Move date | March 16, 2022 |
| Move size | 2 bedroom apartment (600 cubic foot minimum) |
| Moving company | Compass Van Lines (broker), Best For You Moving, LLC (carrier) |
| Moving quote | $3,795 |
| Actual cost | $4,185 |
We found that when you use moveBuddha’s moving cost calculator, you can save 30% on moving costs compared to customers who go with the first quote they receive.
What the extra $390 was
My quote was $3,795 and I paid $4,185. The difference was three charges that appeared at delivery: a long carry fee, an elevator fee, and something called an “early reservation” fee. None of them were mentioned when I booked.
I want to be fair about the first two. Long carry and elevator charges are standard in this industry, and a mover can’t always know in advance how far the truck will end up from your door or whether there’s an elevator involved. What I’d push for now is having them named in the estimate as possible charges with the rate attached, so that “your building has an elevator” doesn’t become a number I first see with a loaded truck outside and no leverage to argue.
I didn’t have much choice but to agree in the moment. That’s the part that stayed with me.
Pickup day
My pickup was scheduled for March 18. Eight days out I got a call asking whether the driver could come four days early, and I said no and asked dispatch to keep the original date, which they agreed to.
After that the calls multiplied. I was hearing from several Compass departments and from Best For You Moving, and it got tedious trying to work out who knew what. Another confirmation call on March 15 settled things down.
I eventually did agree to let the crew come two days early, on March 16. I had to contact dispatch several times that morning to confirm it was actually happening, and the driver did call when they were on their way.
When the driver arrived he handed me a new contract and additional insurance paperwork. I tried to reach my Compass rep for an explanation and couldn’t. Over the next 45 minutes I heard from six different people.
It all got worked out. I was still uneasy about how my TVs and picture frames would be wrapped, and the crew handled them well. My partner and I took turns on work calls and keeping an eye on things, and we bought the crew lunch. The last item went on the truck at 6:50 p.m., about seven hours after they’d arrived.
Delivery day
The movers asked several times to deliver early and it wasn’t an option, so we kept the original date.
When the crew reached my new place there were more problems with the contract, and one of my deposits hadn’t been credited against the final bill. Sorting that out took about 45 minutes of back and forth between the broker and the moving company, with me standing there waiting.
Once it was resolved the crew staged everything near the elevator and moved it into the apartment. My partner and I took turns directing them and starting on boxes. Apart from a broken drinking glass and a damaged floor lamp, move-in was smooth and efficient.
Final thoughts
My two real issues were communication and billing, and they have the same root cause. Compass and Best For You Moving didn’t communicate well with each other or with me, and I spent the move relaying information between two companies that should have been talking directly. A single point of contact would have fixed most of this.
The fees at delivery were frustrating for the same reason. Somewhere between the broker who sold me the move and the carrier who performed it, nobody took responsibility for telling me what a long carry or an elevator would cost. By the time I found out I had a truck at the curb.
I also wish the broker relationship had been clearer from the start. I didn’t grasp that the company I hired wasn’t the company that would show up, and once I understood it, a lot of the confusion made sense.
Despite all of it, I was happy with both companies. The crews were careful, the timing held at both ends, and almost nothing broke across 2,200 miles. I’d use Compass again. If I moved again, though, I’d seriously consider cutting out the middleman and hiring a carrier directly. It’s more work upfront, and the payoff is better communication and probably a lower price.
Planning a long-distance move? Use moveBuddha’s moving cost calculator to compare quotes from vetted carriers in one place, and ask every company whether they’re the carrier or a broker.
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Tips for future movers
These are the practical steps we recommend based on Kelsey W.’s experience:
- Ask whether you’re hiring a broker or a carrier: Kelsey W. didn’t realize Compass would sell her the move and a different company would perform it. Ask the question directly, and if it’s a broker, ask who the carrier will be and when you’ll be told.
- Get one name and one phone number in writing: Kelsey W. heard from six different people in 45 minutes on pickup day and couldn’t reach her own rep. Ask who owns your file and what happens when that person is unavailable.
- Ask for long carry and elevator rates in the estimate: These are legitimate charges and they shouldn’t be a surprise. Have them written in with the per-foot or flat rate attached, so a $390 difference at delivery is something you agreed to rather than something you discovered.
- Query any fee you’ve never heard of: Kelsey W. was billed an “early reservation” fee that was never mentioned at booking. Ask what it covers and where it appears in your contract before you pay it.
- Check that every deposit is credited before you sign at delivery: One of Kelsey W.’s deposits hadn’t been applied to the final bill, and it took 45 minutes of broker-to-carrier calls to fix. Bring your receipts to delivery day.
- Do the math before you sell your furniture: Kelsey W. planned to sell most of hers and changed her mind after pricing the replacements. With a 600 cubic foot minimum she was paying for the space anyway.
- Say no to an early pickup if it doesn’t work: Kelsey W. declined a four-day-early request and the original date held. A request is not an instruction, and the schedule you booked is the one in your contract.
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