ABF UPack® Reviews
UPack was easy to work with. We lived in an apartment complex and identifying the space necessary for the delivery of the trailer was important to working with the managers. UPack was able to bring up the apartment complex on satellite and identify if a trailer could even be delivered and explained how much space they needed to maneuver the 16-wheeler in carrying the trailer. It all worked at without any problems.
Upack did not communicate to Old Dominion (subcontract) that the date had been moved to Monday. Once alerted, they delivered it first thing the next morning. We only used 20 feet of the truck, but were charged for 26 feet!! If you use Upack make sure you're out there with a tape measure and a camera to verify with the driver the square footage -- otherwise, you might be cheated as we were. (I was able to get Upack to change the charge). No problems with delivery on the other end. The truck leaked!!! Two boxes got soaked (fortunately it was clothes that could be hung up to dry). And fortunately I had a waterproof beach blanket covering the furniture in that spot, otherwise, it would have been ruined.
I have only just loaded the truck so we will see how my belongings arrive after a 2,000 mile trip. I am hoping it was packed well enough to survive. The truck is huge but I did use more space than I thought I would, tie downs are inside so it looks pretty tight in there and the doors seal up my section to keep it separate from the rest of the truck. Hopeful that it will fare better than a pod.
UPack was a great option that gave us the reassurance that our stuff would arrive on time. Everything was safely packed and their customer service team was easy to talk to. It was nice being able to track the trailer along its move. Hiring movers in our departure and arrival city did require more time and energy to research but the cost savings, in the end, was worth it over using a full service moving company.
Scheduling was a bit tricky as we had to allow for a full day at the destination due to the distance from the distribution center. At our origination, it was no problem. Two recommendations: 1 - follow the advice of the driver for the location to drop the trailer. They know what they're doing and have seen things that may cause problems that you would never think of. 2 - Use one size of moving box to make packing the trailer easier. The team we hired to load the trailer said it was more difficult to try and fit different sized boxes efficiently in the trailer.
The were good. Dropping and coming back within 3 days was ideal. I wish they were more clear with the delivery process. Essentially you're told 5-10 business days or something like that but they don't make it clear that it will arrive at a holding station and they will coordinate a dropoff with up to 3 days to empty which is key in hiring helpers to unload the trailer. But still a very good price point for the service.
Trailer was clean. Good ramp access. Trailers are tall - 9ft - make sure you hire someone to load it that knows how to pack a tall trailer. The movers we hired did a good job with the boxes we packed but furniture and garage items were only packed about 5-6 ft high which cost us more by using 25ft of trailer instead of the recommended 15. Don't know that we could have put every thing in 15ft but should have been less than 25. I would use Upack again. Delivery, pickup, travel time, and destination dropoff were as planned except that you can't really pin them down on the time of day for delivery or dropoff.
ABF did a good job, but the local subcontractor, Accurate Cargo, did a very poor job of communicating with us. Both in scheduling the delivery in Prescott and in scheduling the pickup of the unloaded trailer, the only guy who handles U-pack business wasn’t available each time I called. Despite the person in the office saying that they’d leave him a message to call me back, he never did, and the unloaded trailer sat in front of my house all weekend unnecessarily. The office personnel seem to take no responsibility for their company’s business, even though they answered the phone at the only contact number given. This company needs to work on its culture and organization!
Delivery was on time and all the equipment I needed to get my items in the trailer were there (the ramp and separation sections). The drivers are all experienced and capable of getting into tight spots. The trailer solution was the best option for me since I did not want my shop items mixed with my household items. They give you an excellent amount of time to pack and unpack. Trailers are in good shape and clean. They may look rough on the outside but inside it's dry and clean. After all these trailers are on the road constantly unless they are in storage with your items. Good company very nice people to work with and eager to please.
U-Pack called after my items had been loaded and left my old address, two days before they were scheduled to arrive, and informed me they wouldn’t deliver to my new address (given to them over two weeks earlier) due to “terrain” concerns. The delivery address was in Brevard NC in a gated community with a golf course, so while it’s in a mountainous region, the house is on a paved cul de sac with a minimally sloped drive way less than 1/4 mile from the entrance gate. It’s not a house hanging off the side of a mountain. They then claimed concern with their belief that the house was on a dead end road which wouldn’t allow their driver to turn around. They were only wiling you take my belongings as far as the security gate and left me with two days to hire another set of movers to move my belongings from there. They offered very little assistance in terms of finding an acceptable location to park the trailer to unload it and told me it was my responsibility to find a spot to park it and get permission from the property owner. Otherwise, they said I could pick up my items from their dispatch terminal which was over an hour away each way. They gave me an unsatisfactory discount on the total charge which didn’t come close to compensating me for the time, effort and extra expense I incurred. They need to flag zip codes in areas of concern or refuse any orders that are located on cul de sacs or other roads where their drivers can’t complete a full turn. Very disappointing all the way around and I won’t be using them again or recommending them. The only bright spot of the U-Pack experience was a gentleman named Scott at the origin terminal where the truck was taken for commercial loading after my items were loaded. My movers on the front end of the move had misplaced a lock and Scott was very helpful in troubleshooting the issue. He was the only “can do” guy encountered in the whole U-Pack experience.
Kush Movers helped us load a trailer for a cross country move. They showed up on time and the owner, Kashawn, was very responsive to several phone messages. They were quick in loading the trailer, but could have been a little more careful. I asked Kashawn to slow down a bit to allow the workers to be a little more careful, but that did not happen. The loaders were extremely considerate and kind and I can't say enough good things about them. I can recommend this company, but would suggest that they take a little more time to ensure the protection of the belongings.
Easy to deal with, affordable, and fast pickup/drop off. All services were on time and employees friendly. Edit 3/28/20: After the initial review, and unpacking all of my boxes, I discovered that a box of electronics (video game consoles, cords, controllers) was not with my moved items and is missing. I'm not sure if this was lost sometime in loading or unpacking, or which company, but hireahelper refuses to let me investigate the matter without a police report. Use at your own risk.
The relocubes are much smaller than expected, but hold quite a bit if packed and secured well - you’ll need your own blankets and straps (and locks). The non-weekend delivery/pickup can be tough, but the drivers have all been very friendly. Definitely opt for the faster freight transit if you can afford it - the regular is a long, slow route, with lots of long stops in dusty places.
The lock on the outside was broken, and the separating wall was broken as well (which took 30 minutes to assemble, same for the disassembly on the other side - both teams verified one side was busted). It was the right size for a 3 bedroom house, and our things arrived safely. We had some issues with the pick up of the trailer due to a tree that was in the way, but after some time and a return with a second driver, they were able to get it out safely. They also stored it for us for a few days at no cost.