Two Men and a Truck® Full Service Movers

My move with Two Men and a Truck^®

Author: Francesca Di Meglio

Updated:

My Move Details

For the purposes of this guide, I planned a long distance move (1,100 miles) from a three-bedroom home in Fort Lee, New Jersey (New York City area) to Kissimmee, Florida (Orlando area). I ordered the service at the start of the busy moving season in mid-June. To review their customer service and checkout process, I completed the order, then later canceled it. The company actually charged me $250 for a deposit, for which I was later reimbursed.

In the meantime, I also planned a move from Fort Lee, New Jersey to Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, where my parents live, in order to give you an idea of the company's local moving service process. By keeping the particulars of the move roughly the same for each order, I've made it possible for you to easily compare.

Discover What We'd Be Having Two Men and a Truck Haul and Deliver:

I live in a three-bedroom home with two large flights of stairs. In addition to the bedrooms, there are:

• Two and a half bathrooms,
• A finished basement (which includes a bar and living area with a sofa that turns into a queen-sized bed),
• A laundry room (with storage under the staircase that includes boxes of holiday decorations),
• A kitchen, living room (with two sofas, including one that converts to a queen-sized bed),
• Formal dining room (with a large and heavy china closet filled with delicate china and glasses for entertaining),
• An attic with some items in storage (including my wedding dress in a preservation box)

My parents live in a similarly sized home with three floors and three bedrooms, but they also have the following:

• An additional room in the basement,
• A garage with landscaping equipment and some other gadgets,
• An internal patio with glass doors that houses holiday decorations and some extra dishes and platters

The quotes I received are based on the info above.

Two Men and a Truck Prices

Two Men and a Truck gives potential customers the option of either calling for an estimate or filling out a form online to determine the possible cost. If you opt for the online forms, which is what I did, you will get a phone call to finalize the estimate.

Two Men and a Truck charges a flat fee (or binding contract) for long-distance moves and an hourly fee (or non-binding contract) for local ones. Therefore, I experienced both kinds of estimates. With a binding, long-distance contract, you should have no surprises at the end of the move, the price won't fluctuate. But a a non-binding, local contract can move in either direction of your estimate.

Long-Distance Move Price

I was quoted a $10,000.80 flat fee - you read that right! - for the long-distance move. Here's how I got to that number.

First, I paid a $250 deposit after we went through the inventory. This cost guaranteed trained professional movers would:

• Disassemble and reassemble my furniture
• Pack up my stuff
• Load it onto their provided truck
• Deliver it to my destination
• Unload the truck
• Reassemble all the furniture
• Put all the boxes in the correct rooms

Also, I would have a guaranteed delivery date. We had set the pick up date in Fort Lee for June 9th, and the drop off in Kissimmee was going to happen June 12th.

Local Move Price

The local move was much more affordable than the long-distance move. But it is still an expensive option when compared to a DIY or Hybrid Move.

For starters, my parents would have had to pay a travel charge of $367.50. This covers gas, and the time for traveling from Livingston, N.J. (where the company has an office) to Fort Lee and then Ridgefield Park and back. Then, the company charges $235 per hour for:

• Packing
• Loading
• Providing and driving the truck
• Unloading
• Assembling and reassembling furniture

The sales rep who called me used the information I gave her on the online form to estimate the job would take between seven and eight hours.

Thus, the total cost was estimated between $2,012.50 and $2,482.50 for my move. Keep in mind that if it takes fewer hours to complete the job, you will pay less. (Of course, if it takes longer, you'll pay more.)

You should always inquire about about a mover's cancellation policy because you never know what might happen. In this case, the deposit is refundable as long as you call to cancel within 48 hours before the delivery of the truck at the first location of your move.

If you cancel less than 48 hours beforehand, you will be charged an additional $200 cancellation fee and only receive $50 back from your deposit.

What are my insurance options with Two Men and a Truck?

In addition, there were options for purchasing insurance included in the estimate for the long-distance move. However, on the phone the sales rep was vague about how much this would actually cost and said they would calculate it once everything was finalized. She never did go over the cost with me on the phone, but I eventually received an email regarding estimated coverage.

The minimum liability is included in Two Men and a Truck's price of the long-distance move, and it covers $.60 per pound, per article.

It would have cost $10,413.80, which is $413 more than the original estimate with the included minimum liability coverage.

Their second option is "full coverage", which means the moving company is responsible for the full value of your items should it lose or damage them. That means they would either repair the damaged item or have another company repair it at their expense, or they would pay you the sum of the worth of the item.

Full-Service Moving companies must provide an estimate, including the cost of this option. I mentioned in my online form that money was a concern. I think that's why the sales rep downplayed this portion and did not explain it to me, nor did she include the total of full coverage insurance when we talked.

In addition, Two Men and a Truck suggests looking at your own homeowner's insurance to see if you are covered or could add a rider to save yourself some money.

Who Is Two Men and a Truck Good For?

You are a good fit for Two Men and a Truck if budget is not an issue and you can't or don't want to do virtually any heavy lifting. This is a particularly smart option for those with disabilities or elderly people who simply can't physically handle a move on their own. As a Full-Service company, they do all the work, and you just have to oversee the workers and move in. Healthy and young? Maybe consider other ways to move.

Upsides

Everything Is Done for You

What is most wonderful about any reputable, Full-Service Moving company is the convenience and ease. Truly, Two Men and a Truck promises to make this process as simple as possible, and not just with the labor part; there's a lot of hand holding and solid customer service right from the beginning of contacting them about your move.

On moving day, you don't have to do much more than point at what needs to be packed and make sure everyone is staying on track. Just grab a margarita and lie back on your recliner as someone else carries it out of your old place and onto the truck. (Well, you can't actually travel that way, but you get the idea.)

You Can Easily Snag a Free Estimate Online

All you have to do to get a price for a move is head to the company's website and answer a few questions. This only takes few minutes. Within a few hours at most, someone will call you to explain how much it might cost and what that includes. Then, the sales rep also emails you a written estimate for you to consider.

Unlike some other Full-Service Moving companies, you complete the inventory digitally instead of having a rep of the company come to your house to see for him or herself. It's all instantaneous without having to clean up.

Customer Service Reps Are Fabulous

While the Two Men and a Truck Full-Service Move may almost literally cost your arm and leg, its staff is accommodating. Within hours (or even minutes) of completing the online form requesting a free estimate, I received a call from someone in the office. I spoke with two different reps at different points in my planning. They quickly responded to any question I had and walked me through the entire process.

They put in lots of effort to put my mind at ease. While filling out the initial forms, I was asked to share concerns I might have. I was given lengthy, personalized (!) explanations about why I should not worry about the things I had written. When I spoke with the customer service reps, they went even further by describing how the company could work with me to alleviate my worries.

However, I'll admit no one had much info to offer in the way of saving money, even though I imagine changing the date to a time during the week, rather than a weekend, might have slashed the price.

Still, I was impressed with the representatives, their responsiveness, and their kindness in working with me.

Downsides

There's No Question, the Long-Distance Option Costs a Ton

Full-Service Moving companies do everything - absolutely everything. It's great, but it does not come cheap, especially if you're moving a long way. When considering a Full-Service company like Two Men and a Truck, really ask yourself, "Do the perks justify the cost?"

Also, you have to consider your budget. Not everyone has even half of $10,000 available to them in a pinch. If it's not in your budget, you can always opt for a Hybrid Move, which offers the best of both worlds - a much cheaper price and little, if any, back-breaking work.

Online Inventory Could Be Problematic

Although I loved the convenience of the online inventory, I felt a bit uneasy. When I've previously received an estimate from a Full-Service company for my reviews, they've always sent a representative to my home. They would walk through the whole place with a tablet and calculated weight and size to determine how much to charge me. (This also helped to determine the size of the truck and how many professional movers to send.)

But here, I was telling the company what furniture I had, but no one was actually seeing the enormous size of my four-door china cabinet with buffet or the inordinate number of delicate wine glasses I had inside it. While I'm grateful no one had to see the piles and piles of superhero toys littering my living room (thanks, son), I still felt as though the estimate would have been more accurate with a real-life person coming to my door.

You Will Get Charged a Deposit Early

You always provide a credit card to secure a "moving date." While rental truck and moving container companies always charge a deposit on moving day or the night before delivery, Full-Service companies are different in that it's typically more of a placeholder.

But Two Men and a Truck charged me for the $250 deposit well in advance of moving day.

When I canceled, the company reimbursed my credit card, so all was forgiven. But there is definitely more of a commitment there than with companies that compliment a DIY or Hybrid Move. Be aware!

Find out more about Two Men and a Truck

History

More than 30 years ago, two high school kids launched Two Men and a Truck as a way to make money after school. With its hand-drawn logo, the business was expected to stay local. But today, Two Men and a Truck boasts 380 locations worldwide and experienced 95 consecutive months of growth. They claim to have completed "nearly 7 million moves and counting."

What Makes This Company Cool?

Two Men and a Truck has a long history of doing charitable work. After the first year in business, one of its co-owners created inroads with 10 charitable organizations. That spirit definitely remains alive today, as Two Men and a Truck franchises in 2017 alone have donated more than $3 million in moving services to mothers and childrens in shelters, as well as to military veterans.

Fun Fact

During the run up to Thanksgiving, Two Men and a Truck collects non-perishable items from schools, pantries and businesses every year to help feed the hungry.