Moving Experience: Kelly’s Move With Mayzlin Relocation

Newlyweds Kelly and her husband were eager to trade the swampy heat of Houston for the fresh mountain air of Denver.

The duo was ready for a fresh start — there was just the pesky task of moving all of their belongings and vehicles to the Centennial State first.

In exchange for a $500 moving stipend through our Better Moves Project, Kelly agreed to take moveBuddha readers behind the scenes for her big move.

In this guide, she shares how she chose Mayzlin Relocation — one of the best long-distance movers in the game — for the interstate move, as well as how the car shipping process worked, and what she would do differently next time.

Move day takeaways for Mayzlin customers

• Communication: Kelly wishes Mayzlin had better managed her expectations, and some misunderstandings put her on edge. However, Mayzlin was friendly and fulfilled their contractual obligations, so this mostly came down to Kelly’s lack of experience with interstate moves.
• Pricing accuracy and transparency: The final cost was $2,100 more than the move, but this is because Kelly had more stuff than estimated. The move also required long carry during both pickup and delivery. We get Kelly’s frustration, but the difference is the result of a hasty phone estimate instead of an in-person or virtual estimate, which would have been more accurate.
• Professionalism: Mayzlin and their car shipping partner, Experient, were incredibly kind and professional throughout the process.
• Timeliness: Mayzlin had to store Kelly’s belongings in Austin while waiting for a full truckload shipment. They initially estimated five to seven days, but it ended up being 12 days. Kelly wishes they stuck to the original estimate, but it’s common for moving companies to take as long as 30 days to deliver your items, so pack accordingly.
• Loss and damage: Kelly’s out a step ladder and there was some cosmetic damage to her items. She plans on submitting a claim to cover the minor losses.
• Would Kelly use Mayzlin again? She would, but with the caveat that customers should ask the right questions and manage their expectations accordingly.

Kelly needed help moving from Houston to Denver

Eager to embrace a new life in the Rocky Mountains, Kelly and her husband (and their cat) wanted a fresh start after getting married.

It was Kelly’s first interstate move, so she was understandably nervous. She briefly considered asking friends and family to help her DIY the move, but it seemed like too much craziness for an already busy season of life. After considering her options, Kelly knew a full-service mover was the way to go.

Going into the research process, she needed a company that could balance speed with affordability. She was super nervous about her boxes not making it to Denver, so she also wanted a reputable company that would treat her belongings with care.

Kelly’s move at a glance

Kelly got quotes from four full-service moving companies

Kelly and her husband strategized their move to Colorado for a year and a half, but timing got the best of them, and they soon found themselves in a pinch. Kelly needed to find a moving company ASAP!

Fortunately, she found moveBuddha early on in the process. She fell in love with the site, which helped her better understand the moving process and gave her a head start on mover recommendations. She found our guides to the best interstate movers, moving out of state, and car shipping companies incredibly helpful in the planning phase.

Kelly also checked the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Yelp, and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration database to find reputable companies.

Truth be told, Kelly wanted to take her time and request multiple in-person or virtual estimates, but she just didn’t have the bandwidth for that. She needed to make a decision fast, so she only requested companies that would do quotes for self-reported item lists.

In hindsight, she wishes she had skipped the phone estimate and requested in-person estimates, and we agree with her! Customers can save themselves a lot of grief later in the moving process by requesting the most accurate quotes possible.

Kelly chose Mayzlin for their competent, friendly staff

 

Mayzlin’s quote was comparable to other providers, but she loved how competent, transparent, and relatable the Mayzlin salesperson was. To get a quote, she requested a call from Mayzlin, who asked her to describe her items for the estimate.

Kelly signed on the dotted line and received a call from a Quality Assurance (QA) team member afterward to double-check the quote. She also paid a 25% deposit to reserve her move date.

Kelly purchased:

• Mileage, gas, taxes, and tolls
• Detailed itemized inventory list
• Moving blankets
• Basic disassembly and assembly of basic furniture
• Standard contents protection at the rate of $1.20 per pound per article

She didn’t purchase the add-on for long carry, although, as it would turn out, she would need it for both pickup and delivery. Oops!

To prepare for the move, Kelly quickly got to work packing. She and her husband cleaned out as much stuff as possible to save space and time.

Fortunately, Kelly also chose to ship their second car instead of driving it. This allowed her to pack 100 pounds of personal belongings in the car, which trimmed some of her moving expenses.

Kelly didn’t know where to start when it came to finding a car shipper. Luckily, Mayzlin recommended Experient Auto Shipping for the job. Experient quoted Kelly $675, and she took them up on it largely because she trusted Mayzlin’s recommendation. She chose an open container since it was the most affordable option.

Moving day was fast but had additional charges

Mayzlin’s moving coordinator called one week ahead to confirm Kelly’s moving date. The QA team called again five days before to validate her packing list and make any last-minute changes to the quote.

The movers arrived on time on March 19 at 10:30 a.m. It was toward the end of their delivery window, but Kelly didn’t mind — it gave her more time for last-minute packing!

The three-person crew quickly got to work loading everything. Kelly wishes they wrapped some items, like her sound bar, with more moving blankets, but otherwise, they did a good job. She was nervous about the move, so she was very present during the loading process, observing the movers and answering questions.

The process took two-and-a-half hours. Kelly paid 50% of her remaining balance through Zelle on moving day, with the remaining 25% due on delivery.

Unfortunately, Kelly soon realized her quoted volume of 463 cubic feet wasn’t accurate — the move was actually 518 cubic feet, which increased her costs. She also needed additional labor and materials ($290) and had to pay a long carry fee ($450) because her apartment was so far away from the loading dock. This is common if you request a phone estimate since a professional hasn’t laid eyes on your items, especially if your move’s scope changes.

The car shipping process was easy as pie. Kelly paid Experient on March 14 via credit card, with the remaining balance due to the driver at pickup, paid through Zelle.

Experient Auto Shipping texted Kelly one week ahead to provide her driver’s details. The driver contacted her on March 19 to confirm the pickup time. He instantly made Kelly feel at ease, and she had nothing but praise for his professionalism.

On March 20, the driver called Kelly when he was 45 minutes away. He arrived on time and picked up her car, advising her that it would arrive in three to four days. She asked the driver to delay the delivery until March 23 because she would still be driving from Houston to Denver and couldn’t pick it up on March 22. He was happy to oblige.

Delivery had a few minor hiccups

Mayzlin stored Kelly’s belongings in Austin for nine days because they had to wait until they had a full enough truck to make the trek to Denver. The crew previously told Kelly her items would arrive in five to seven days, so she was nervous when she saw her items in the same location for a week.

Mayzlin calmed her fears, telling her the items would leave for Denver soon. She didn’t realize the five- to seven-day window was just a guesstimate and would have packed differently if she knew that. She was on the way to an apartment without pots and pans because she thought she would have everything back quickly.

It’s important to note that moving companies generally have 30 days to transport your items, so plan accordingly.

It took 12 days for Mayzlin to arrive in Denver. It surprised Kelly that Mayzlin didn’t use the same driver and loading crew, but it’s very common for moving companies to have different employees manage different aspects of your move.

It took a little elbow grease to deliver Kelly’s belongings. The driver parked in an alley and worried about the truck fitting, but it did — just barely. Mayzlin included the first 75 feet of carry distance free but billed Kelly for each additional 75 feet of carry.

She says this “burned” her at both pickup and delivery, but this is normal. Unless you can park directly outside of your home or apartment, always budget in additional carry fees.

Mayzlin’s two-person crew took three hours to unload and reassemble everything. It would have gone faster, but some essential couch screws disappeared during the move. Kelly’s husband ran to the store for new screws so the movers could finish the job.

Kelly wished the movers weren’t so rough on her belongings. She lost a step ladder in the move and noted some cosmetic damage to a shelving unit. She plans on submitting a reimbursement claim for the lost ladder.

For car shipping, the process went off without a hitch! Kelly’s car arrived in Denver on March 22, but the driver held it for a day to give Kelly time to get into town.

She picked up her car on March 23 and paid the driver the rest of the balance through Zelle. She had nothing but praise for the driver, who was communicative and friendly the entire time.

Kelly’s moving company had some small hiccups, but she wouldn’t change a thing about the car shipping process. If you have the budget to do it, Kelly highly recommends working with top-rated car shippers to reduce the hassle of extra driving.

Our take on the move

Kelly rated Mayzlin pretty critically, but she actually had a good move. Many of the perceived issues with this move came down to mismatched expectations and a lack of knowledge about the moving industry.

We recommend reading as many our Better Moves Project moving experience posts as possible to better understand how the industry works. For example, Kelly thought the delivery time frame was set in stone, but it’s usually an estimate. It also surprised her that she had different workers for loading, driving, and unloading, but this is very, very common in the moving industry.

We love that Kelly made herself available during the loading process. Many customers prefer to take a nap or run errands while the movers work, but it’s best to be there with movers the entire time so you can answer questions and generally keep an eye on things.

Kelly didn’t like how the movers handled her sound bar, which is understandable. If you see the crew doing something you don’t like, speak up! If something bothers you, ask the movers to fix it. It might feel like micromanaging, but you’re a paying customer and deserve peace of mind.

Now, let’s address the elephant in the room — the final price. A $2,100 difference isn’t typical. However, the scope of Kelly’s move changed drastically once Mayzlin saw the reality on the ground.

Since their reps relied on Kelly’s self-reported information, the quote didn’t reflect what she needed to move. This is why we recommend you take your time during the quote process so you can request in-person or virtual estimates. That’s the best way to get accurate estimates for smarter budgeting.

The verdict

Overall, the moving process went as Kelly expected. The delay and minor damage were annoying, but she expected the unexpected.

Mayzlin’s staff was very friendly and customer-service-oriented, although Kelly felt they weren’t  transparent enough about the delivery date. She understood the price difference, but she still wasn’t happy about forking over $2,100 more for the move.

If she ever makes a big move again, Kelly will plan accordingly for longer shipping times. She will bring pots, pans, and other homey items to make their empty apartment more functional while they wait for Mayzlin to deliver.

She scoffed at the idea of hiring someone to pack everything for her, but after packing herself, Kelly doesn’t think it’s a bad idea! She recommends hiring packers to save time if you have the budget. She also had a great experience shipping her car and recommends it if your budget will allow it.

Looking back, Kelly would use Mayzlin again. Damage was minimal and the people were nice, so now that she knows what to expect, she would use them again.

Here’s how Kelly rated Mayzlin’s performance on a scale of 1 to 5:

• Communication: 3
• Timeliness: 2
• Quote accuracy: 3
• Overall experience: 3

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
• Mile High Moves: The moveBuddha 2021-2022 Colorado Migration Report
• Why Moving Estimates Can Be So Different