Please note: this page contains reviews and opinions sent in by Berkeley Parents Net subscribers. Your own experience may be different. Please always check references before hiring!

Kudos to Delancey Street Movers
I'd like to give a shout out to Delancey Street for their great service - I really could not have moved without them - and I cannot imagine anyone else being as helpful, funny and un-stressed as they were. I really felt they had my back and were doing everything possible to make my life easier. They had to get a second truck and 2 additional guys and they still came in under budget. They were the greatest and I would trust them with my most prized possessions! Yay Delancey Street! Jennifer

When my Dad passed away, we had to move his household from Huntsville, Alabama to Oakland. We used Delancey Street movers. They are national (I had used them only locally in the past), but was very happy with their service, polite, prompt and communicative. The costs were competitive, too. They are willing to work with you as well. My Dad's house was up on a mountain, and the semi they came in could not make it up the winding road. Trouble! We rented a truck that could go up and hill, and the Delancey folks did a 'shuttle move' by loading up the small truck, then transferring everything to their semi. Safe delivery on the date they promised. I was quite pleased with both the 2 local moves I've used them for and the long distance one. danthib

We are moving from emeryville to oakland and this will be our first time hiring movers. Can anyone recommend a company, tips for hiring movers and general cost? The move is not that large-a 2 bedroom, approx 900 sq ft apt. However, I'm pregnant and cannot help. Plus, we've recently bought new furniture that is heavy and it seems better to hire professionals. I know people have recommended Delancey Street a lot, but I called them and that would be about $400. I am hoping to pay around $200. I'm not sure if that is realistic. Thanks! Mazu

Someone who gives you a cheaper quote might pack everything up and show up at your new place and refuse to unload the truck unless you fork over more money because you ''had more stuff than they thought.'' Or break things and not pay for them. Or move everything as slowly as possibly to drive up the cost by spending more hours. Or, as happened to us once when we chose based solely on price, simply not show up at all. Read some of the stories at www.movingscam.com and decide if you want to pay a little bit more for the company that is the gold standard for reliability, honesty and service around here.

Also, Delancy is known for quoting on the high side, so they almost never go over and often come in under the quote.

There are other reputable movers besides Delancy, but the point is that I'd rather pay more up front and know what I am getting than think I am getting a ''good deal'' but have to pay more in the end. Go with a company recommended by people you know and trust.
satisfied Delancy movers customer

Also - be sure to get a binding estimate from whoever you choose to move you. That way you'll be guaranteed that you'll pay absolutely no more than whatever the estimate was. We were told by the guy who came out to do the estimate that if we were prepared (i.e. everything really ready to go on the truck so that the movers didn't have to pack or wait for us to finish) that it would likely take two to three hours less than what he estimated and he was right. Our binding estimate was almost $400 too high - but we knew what our limit was going to be.

As far as tipping the movers: my husband gave them each $35 (for about 7 hours of time (including the double-driving time mentioned above)). Personally, I thought that was generous, but I have NO IDEA what is appropriate. I'll be interested to hear what others do. Good luck with your move!

We have used Delancey Street Movers three times in the last three years. One very big move and two small moves. We were happy with them each time and so were our friends who used them. Delancey's number is 415-512-5110

We used Delancey Street Movers for two moves in the past six months. Both teams were extremely efficient, polite, and professional. One team literally ran in and out of our house as they loaded the truck, saying they saw it as their daily workout. They loaded our 1300 sq ft house in under an hour! The price was very reasonable and they DO accept tips (to amend a previous posting by someone who said they don't). The only difference is that they send you a letter listing the tip amount as a donation to their foundation. Happily Moved (twice)

Re: Local Movers Needed
This actually goes for both posters in the last newsletter: Between my spouse and I, moving offices and homes, we have probably done a dozen moves with Delancey Street in the last 10 years, and the experience has always been terrific. They are incredibly honest, very reasonable and FAST. They never exceed their estimate (it's guaranteed), and usually come under the estimate by quite a bit. They will pack your stuff, and they are faster than you can imagine. My last move was from a three story live-work space, and they had me packed in 2 1/2 hours! I couldn't believe it. Takes so much of the pain out of moving. Their system is set up so that there are double checks of all kinds, and they take turns being in charge of a job, so chances are most of your movers are also supervisors. Because they are a rehab organization, they will not move liquor, but unless you have quite a hobby, packing your own box of that stuff is no problem. As I recall, they are not allowed to take tips, either, so on big jobs we have gone to a local deli and gotten great sandwiches and sodas for them. Lisa

Re: Pack & Move in one day?
I've used a lot of movers, local and cross-country, and the only ones that were a pleasure to work with were Delancey Street. They were also the only ones who I felt were really honest about their pricing. They don't have hidden charges that they spring on you while all your stuff is hostage in the truck, which happened to me with two other well-known companies. Delancey charges by the hour, and for the materials when they pack your stuff. They will send somebody to your house to assess the job, and give you a quote that they guarantee they will not exceed. They quote high, and if they can get the job done for less (which they often can), they'll give you the difference.

I don't see why they couldn't get your job done in a day, as long as you didn't have lots of complicated items to pack. Bear in mind that in order to pack breakable items quickly with the least risk of damage, they use A LOT of packing materials. They used 38 boxes and 90 pounds of newsprint paper to pack our kitchen and breakables--it took a lot of time to flatten out 90 pounds of crumpled newsprint and put it out for recycling. But they did a fantastic job, worked their butts off and were unfailingly polite. Heidi

Re: In-state movers
I unequivocably recommend Delancey Street movers. See the website at http://parents.berkeley.edu/recommend/services/movers.htmldelancey.html for all the glowing recommendations of Delancey Street (one of which was mine). We will use them again when we move sometime this year. Lori

Re: Moving a Piano
Delancey Street moved our piano (and everything else) last August. We were going to hire a piano mover, but Delancey Street persuaded us to let them do it. The movers maneuvered it expertly and carefully through the tight spots and down stairs in our old house and up stairs into our new house. Not a scratch. Robin

We used Delancy Street to move the contents of our 1200-square-foot house (including a piano and some garden furniture) within Berkeley (about 2 miles) in August 2001. As all the previous recommendations have said, Delancey Street was GREAT.

We did most of the packing ourselves. They brought a big truck and four men, and they worked for five or six hours. The cost was about $650 (slightly more than half of what they estimated) -- and so totally worth it.

They charge by the hour, not the space, so you pay more to have them move more stuff only to the extent that it takes them more time to load and unload it. We ended up having them move a few things that we initially thought we'd move ourselves, just because they were there and it was so easy to have them put the things in the van. Based on the previous comments on the website, I did not tip them (oops, did I mess up?). We moved on a Saturday; I don't think there was any extra charge for the weekend. Weekends may be more popular, however, so reserve your date early.

Everything arrived at the new house in the same condition that it left the old house, even the cheap particleboard bookshelves that they warned us might be damaged in the move. We'd recommend them highly and without hesitation. robin

Laurel
I highly recommend Delancey Street Movers. Delancey Street is a drug treatment program for serious offenders. They accept people in their program who they believe can handle a rigorous program -- and it is rigorous. It is a 12 month, residential, very difficult program. Among the components is job training (and responsbility). They have a restaurant in SF which is wonderful, staffed by their residents (bus people, waiters, chefs, etc.), the moving company, and they have Holiday Tree farms every December around the bay area. Their prices are fair and the people who come to your home to move you will work very hard and be very careful. I can't recommend them highly enough.

We used Delancey Street movers when we moved from San Francisco to Walnut Creek 6 years ago. They were GREAT and I can't recommend them highly enough. Regarding typical cost and tip, we found that we saved a ton of money by doing a really good job packing our own stuff and labeling each box very carefully with the destination room in the house. The movers told us that what ends up costing so much is when folks aren't completely packed and ready to go when the movers arrive, and when the people who are moving don't know where they want the movers to put each box. We were so thrilled with the job Delancey Street did that we gave a tip to the foreman or whatever you would call the mover in charge. We later got a receipt for our donation, as it turns out the movers are not allowed to accept tips. If you are not familiar with Delancey Street, by hiring their movers you are also helping folks get back on their feet. We will absolutely use them again next time we move. Lori

We just moved and used Delancy Street Movers (based in SF). They were really, really, really goodycareful, friendly, extremely hard-working, and very conscious of the fact that our two-year-old was darting about. The moving company is part of the Delancy Street Foundation, which helps rehab felons, so you're supporting a good cause, too. (One of our movers, who was about 6' tall and 225 pounds was also scared of our rabbits, but that's a whole other story...) One of the movers was a father and he took apart and then put together our crib, which we greatly appreciated, given how horrifically stressful moving day can be. I would use them again in a heartbeat, although I might spare that poor guy the sight of our FEROCIOUS house bunnies.

I strongly recommend Delancey Street Movers. We used them to move from San Francisco to Walnut Creek. They were extremely efficient and we saved a lot of money using them, and they were very honest. We were so pleased we gave them a big tip at the end. A few weeks later we got a letter thanking us for our donation to Delancey Street. Apparently they can't take tips, so we ended up getting a tax write-off instead. In addition, the folks who work there are recovering drug addicts and you are helping them earn an honest living and get their lives back together.

I HIGHLY recommend Delancey Street Movers. They were highly recommended to me when I moved 3 years ago. They arrived promptly, worked quickly (they were even willing to take stuff that I was planning to take myself!) and were EXTREMELY polite and helpful. I had a side-by-side refrigerator and queen sofa sleeper that needed to be taken down a flight of almost 30 wooden steps and they managed both without a problem. They even set up the furniture in the new house! It cost about $300 for 3 men and a huge truck and I think the whole process took less than 4 hours.

I want to second the recommendation for Delancey Street Movers. Two guys came to evaluate our move and provide an estimate on the cost and time it would take. When the movers showed up, there were four instead of two (at no extra charge) and they were simply wonderful, taking great care with our possessions and loading up most of the items we were going to take ourselves. I found they needed very little oversight and understood immediately where things should go (e.g., items taken from the living room should go to the new living room). They finished in less time than they had estimated, and charged us less than the quote. These guys were so wonderful we tried to tip them the difference, but they asked that we make it a contribution to Delancey Street instead. We will definitely use them if we ever need to make another move and I recommend them highly to all our friends.

I'd like to strongly second the recommendation for Delancey Street Movers. After an unpleasant experience with an S.F. moving company the first time we moved, we used Delancey to move from S.F. to Berkeley. They were hard-working, pleasant, and honest. I HIGHLY recommend them. Furthermore, it's a good cause.