Moving Experience: Michael’s Move with Safebound
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Michael got quotes from several full-service moving companies, and ultimately chose Safebound Moving & Storage to complete his interstate move.
While Safebound was able to offer him the best price out of all the companies he requested quotes from, certain aspects of his experience fell far short of what you would hope to get from professional movers.
Early on in his search, Michael learned about moveBuddha and the Better Moves Project. In exchange for a $500 stipend, he shared his moving experience with us to break down what went well – and what didn’t.
Move day takeaways for Safebound customers
- Communication: While booking and pickup were responsive, Michael didn’t get any communication while his items were in transit until the night before the originally scheduled delivery.
- Pricing accuracy and transparency: Michael was able to hold Safebound to his original quote, but dealt with a moving supervisor who tried to tack on extra fees at both pickup and delivery, even though his contract specifically said he wouldn’t have to pay those fees.
- Timeliness: The pickup crew arrived late. Delivery was made two days outside the promised 10-day delivery window because of major issues with the original delivery supervisor.
- Professionalism: The supervisor originally hired to handle Michael’s delivery threatened to hold his items unless he paid extra fees that weren’t actually applicable to his move. He also warned Michael not to upset the delivery driver and told him it was impossible to provide an arrival window. Michael had to escalate to his booking agent to resolve the issue.
- Loss and damage: Aside from some slight scratches in his mattress, a broken leg on his TV stand (which the movers fixed), and some shattered candles, everything else arrived safely.
- Would Michael use Safebound again? While Michael might consider using Safebound again because they addressed his major problems, he would be very hesitant to do so.
Michael needed help moving from Atlanta to Miami Beach
Michael had reached the end of his two-year court appointment as an attorney in Atlanta, and was now ready to move to Miami Beach to live with his fiancé and transition to the next phase of his career.
Like many other people planning an interstate move, Michael was most concerned about balancing cost and convenience. While he wanted extra help with packing his belongings, he didn’t want to spend a ton of money to move one state over.
Understandably, he was concerned about potential extra fees from the carrier, especially when it came to navigating the logistics of both the old and new apartment complexes.
Michael’s move details
| Move date | June 19, 2025 |
| Moved from | Atlanta, GA |
| Moved to | Miami Beach, FL |
| Distance | 667 miles |
| Move size | 1-bedroom apartment |
| Moving company | Safebound |
| Moving quote | $2,591 |
| Actual cost | $2,801 (includes $210 in tips) |
Michael got multiple quotes before selecting Safebound
After doing research online using Google and moveBuddha, Michael reached out to several moving companies with a local presence in Atlanta. In total, he collected nearly 10 estimates, with prices ranging from $2,500 to $4,500.
Most of these estimates were collected over the phone or online, giving him pricing options for both self-pack and professional packing moves. This also gave him a better idea of how his costs compared between packing himself and letting the professionals do the work, even though he was already fairly set on getting professional packing.
Here’s a look at some of the estimates that Michael received:
| Company | Estimated cost |
|---|---|
| Safebound | $2,591.00 |
| Mayzlin Relocation | $3,309.00 |
| Muscle Flex Movers | $4,186.00 |
| Colonial Van Lines | $2,679.55 |
| Elite Movers | $120/hour |
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Michael chose Safebound because of their pricing and video quote process
Like the other moving companies he requested quotes from, Safebound provided an initial quote by having Michael document all of the items he planned to move. However, the binding estimate established during a video visit helped him feel more confident about moving forward with Safeway – especially since their price was actually lower than he expected.
During his video estimate, Michael and the Safebound rep were able to confirm the size of his move and establish a binding estimate. This also gave them the opportunity to go over the logistics of his apartment move. Based on the details of both the old and new apartments, the Safebound rep confirmed that he wouldn’t need to be charged elevator fees or long carry fees. Most importantly, this information went into Michael’s contract, which would come into play later.
Michael chose to get full packing services (including for his TV). His service rep told him to just stick with basic value protection for his belongings, rather than paying extra for full value coverage. He appreciated the rep’s helpfulness and straightforward approach.
After signing the contract, most of Michael’s communication with the scheduler and sales rep occurred via text, aside from more formal aspects like getting the confirmation details for the estimate sent via email.
Moving day started late and brought concerns about extra fees
Safebound told Michael that his moving crew would arrive between noon and 2 PM. However, the movers didn’t arrive until 3 PM, and nobody gave Michael a heads up that they were running late. Because of the late arrival, Michael had to make sure the apartment gate didn’t lock them in toward the end of packing and loading.
Michael was pleased with how the movers treated his items with care while they packed everything and loaded the truck. However, issues came up when the supervisor said he would need to pay extra fees for the elevator and a long carry. The supervisor who oversaw the pickup was so insistent that Michael actually got out a tape measure to prove that the distance didn’t meet the qualifications for a long carry – and that the details of his contract stated the added fees wouldn’t apply to his move.
This battle over the extra fees definitely soured Michael’s moving day experience. Despite this, he felt the movers who packed and loaded his items were spectacular and did an excellent job.
Delivery had significant employee issues
While moving day had a few hiccups, Michael’s delivery process quickly got out of hand. Safebound gave him a 10 day window for completing the delivery, which isn’t unusual for a long-distance move. However, Michael didn’t get any updates about his items until 9:30 the night before his delivery.
Because the delivery notification came so late, the freight elevator at Michael’s new apartment complex was already booked. When he expressed frustration about this during the confirmation call, the delivery employee hung up on him.
To make matters worse, the pickup supervisor from before called back later, trying to tack on additional fees that weren’t supposed to apply to Michael’s move. When Michael told him that his move contract said those fees didn’t apply, the supervisor warned Michael that the delivery person was “350 pounds of pure muscle” and he shouldn’t upset them when they arrived. Michael took this to be a threat. The supervisor also removed his estimated delivery window, telling Michael it was impossible to say when they would arrive. He also threatened to hold Michael’s items until he paid the extra fees that weren’t part of his contract.
Michael understandably notified his booking agent immediately, who in turn escalated the situation to upper management that night. The next morning, Michael received a call that the problematic employee had been fired and that his delivery would be rescheduled with trusted deliverers. This delayed the delivery date outside the original window.
Fortunately, the delivery crew who actually showed up at Michael’s new apartment arrived on time, and provided courteous and professional work while unloading everything and reassembling furniture. Michael’s items also arrived in great condition, aside from minor scratching on his mattress, a damaged TV stand, and some broken candles. The moving crew actually fixed the TV stand for him, and Michael didn’t feel a need to file a claim for the other items.
The verdict – how did Safebound stack up?
While the movers who handled the packing and physical labor of Michael’s move did a great job, other parts had significant issues. Obviously, the phone confrontation with the supervisor should never have happened. No customer should ever feel like they have been physically threatened by their moving company. Nor should they have items held hostage to try to get them to pay extra fees that were specifically excluded from their contract.
While Safebound ultimately took steps to make things right and Michael’s belongings were handled with care, these other factors added an incredible amount of unnecessary stress to the move.
Ultimately, because of the issues he experienced, Michael wouldn’t recommend Safebound to others, and wishes he had paid more to work with a more reputable company.
How Michael rated Safebound on a scale of 1 to 5:
- Communication: 3
- Timeliness: 4
- Quote accuracy: 4
- Overall experience: 3
Michael’s advice for anyone planning a move like his
Michael’s move didn’t go as smoothly as he would have hoped, particularly when it came to the delivery. Fortunately, because Michael had read the fine print in his contract, he was able to resolve the situation by reaching out to his booking agent so he could avoid the extra charges.
He advises that others planning a move take a similar approach to their own moving contracts. By carefully reading through your entire contract and being willing to stand up for yourself, you can avoid unnecessary fees, even when facing a stressful moving situation.
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