Go Mini's® Moving Container Rental Review

My move with Go Mini's^®

Author: Francesca Di Meglio

Updated: Monday, January 15th 2024

How does Go Mini's work?

You will begin your epic moving journey with Go Mini's on the company's website.

The first thing you must do to get a quote is to input the ZIP Code of the residence from which you will be moving. Then, you'll be asked for the ZIP Code of your new residence. If the ZIP Codes are within the range of one franchise, then you'll continue on with getting the quote online. Simple as that.

Side note: You don't get a quote if you are asking to move long distance. In that case, you will be prompted to call a customer service representative. He or she will likely tell you that the local Go Mini's cannot handle a long-distance move if you input two ZIP Codes that are significantly far away.

If everything passes their online filters for distance limitations, you get asked to share how many rooms are in the home from which you're moving to determine the right container size. Here is where you will also have to pick the date of delivery. And after answering all the questions and making your selections, that's when you get your estimate.

Go Mini's claims to be the only moving container company that rents a 20-foot container.

Okay, that's the most complicated part! Now what? Once you've agreed to the estimate and the scheduled date and provided your credit card number, you will receive a phone call from the company to confirm the details of your reservation and get a chance to ask any questions you may have. (At Go Mini's, the representative will ask you whether you prefer the doors of the container be loaded onto the delivery truck facing the cab or the rear of the vehicle. Be prepared if you have a preference.)

Although you provide a credit card number as a placeholder, you don't get charged until delivery day. On delivery day, you'll be charged the first month of rent and the initial delivery fee. I planned on a same day delivery and pick up because it was a local move, but you could have the container for an entire month before being charged a second rental fee. This is pretty similar to competitors in the moving container market.

Once you have the container on property, you (or professional movers) will fill it with your stuff. Then, when you're ready for pick up, a professional driver from Go Mini's will come and haul the filled container to its final destination. Go Mini's suggests calling three to five days in advance of your pickup.

Finally, once it is at your new residence, you will unload it in a timely manner (to avoid monthly rental fees) and have someone from Go Mini's come and take away the empty container.

How does Go Mini's work with local moves?

Go Mini's is only a local moving company. As a result, the local move is pretty simple to plan. Without a sprawling organization, local customers like you can get some pretty personalized service.

Get your quote online. Once you've finished responding to questions and making your selections, you'll know the price and can decide whether to sign up for the service. If you do, you'll provide your credit card number and get a call from a customer service representative.

With few exceptions, Go Mini's only provides local moves.

On the day of your scheduled delivery, you will receive the container and you'll have up to one month to fill it up and call for pick up to bring to your final destination. Although there are no written rules, the company prefers customers provide three to five days advance notice for a pick up. You will be charged the initial delivery fee and first monthly rental fee when the container is delivered. You will also be charged fees for transportation to the final destination and for final pickup of the empty container.

My local move

A local move of a large home is reasonably priced. To move the contents of my three-bedroom home one town over, I would be charged $596.68. This includes the monthly rental fee of a 20-foot container, the initial delivery fee, transportation of the container to the final destination, and the pickup of the empty container. Not bad!

How does Go Mini's work with long-distance moves?

With few exceptions, Go Mini's only provides local moves. My local franchise serving Bergen County in New Jersey and the Hudson Valley in New York does provide out-of-state moves within the tri-state area (New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut). But that's it. You'll have to find a different moving container company for a truly long-distance move.

How much does Go Mini's cost?

Obviously, the price varies based on the choices you make, such as the size of the container you rent. But Go Mini's was reasonably priced and on par with local moves provided by other moving container companies.

Here is the breakdown of my quote for a local move with a single container:

• $217 monthly rental fee of 20-foot container
• $116.80 for delivery to Fort Lee residence
• $138.88 to move full container to Ridgefield Park residence
• $124 for final pickup of the empty container
  • Total: $596.68

Had I chosen the 16-foot container, I would have paid $186 for the monthly rental fee. For the 12-foot container, I would have paid $164 for the monthly rental fee.

Go Mini's provides no insurance, so you're on your own if you want to protect your stuff.

I noticed there was a promo code already included when I went through with the quote. I did not put it there, and I'm not sure if its application made any difference. I saw no other signs of discounts or promotions like you might experience with other moving container or rental truck companies. You should be aware that the emailed reservation had a note on the bottom, which stipulated that the “price does not include sales tax if applicable.” While that is not ideal because you might be surprised by a higher bill, it's not necessarily a dealbreaker. Overall, the cost seemed reasonable for the size of my move and the extremely short distance.

How does insurance with Go Mini's work?

Go Mini's does not offer any type of insurance. Instead, in the past, Go Mini's has referred customers to Online Moving Insurance. In addition, you can check to see if your renter's or homeowner's insurance will cover your move.

Downsides of using Go Mini's

There are no long-distance moves.

If you need to move across the country, then you're going to have to look elsewhere. Go Mini's franchises are independent, local entities that serve their own communities and surrounding areas. There are some benefits to this kind of company. In this case, it means more customized attention to the needs of clients, who are also neighbors. But those who need to move far away have no options.

You can't get insurance through Go Mini's.

Go Mini's provides no insurance, so you're on your own if you want to protect your stuff. There are other options outside of Go Mini's, so it may not be a dealbreaker for you. But it will be for some, who want to be able to hold the moving company accountable if something gets damaged or destroyed.

You might get a little sticker shock when the sales tax is added at the end of the process.

The mention of sales tax is nowhere to be found until you receive an emailed reservation confirmation. This comes after you have already provided your credit card number to hold your scheduled delivery date. There is no indication whether sales tax will be applicable to you or not, so I assume the charge would be made further down the road. If you're sticking to a tight budget, this could be a problem. Frankly, everyone wants transparency in pricing.

What I learned using Go Mini's

You can fit a lot of stuff in a 20-foot container.

Go Mini's claims to be the only moving container company that rents a 20-foot container. Indeed, the more well-known competitors both feature 16-foot containers as their largest options. With a three-bedroom home that includes a garage, finished basement, and more kids' toys than anyone should have, this is super appealing. For people with larger homes, the fact that you often have to rent more than one container to fit all your stuff is a major pitfall of choosing moving container companies. This additional space could bring on board families with bigger houses.

The containers appear to be sturdy and protective.

These containers are made of steel-welded frames, strong and secure steel siding, and a coated, galvanized steel exterior. There are railings for tie ups and clothes hangers. Pressure-treated sealed flooring and locking roll-up or swing doors are among the highlights the company stresses. In addition, the containers are vented to reduce moisture and humidity.

Smaller shops provide more customized service.

When you're working with the big boys, you can sometimes feel like a cog in a much larger wheel. But Go Mini's is run by community members in each of its franchises. They are serving a smaller group of customers. As a result, they can provide personalized service. For instance, a customer service representative called just to confirm the details of my reservation and see if I had any other questions. Usually, the company waits for me - the customer - to call it with my questions.

You can cancel the reservation at any time with no charge.

The great cancellation policy is handy for anyone whose move is up in the air. While the company prefers at least 24 hours notice when canceling, it does not charge for cancellations. Can't beat that.

Should you choose Go Mini's over other container companies?

Anyone who is planning a local move and has a Go Mini's in their area, give this option a second look. Considering the largest container is 20 feet long and the service is personalized, the overall price is more than reasonable. Also, the containers are strong and therefore able to withstand the elements and keep your stuff safe.

However, there are some benefits to going with a bigger, name-brand company. Besides the long-distance, others provide additional coverage to protect your stuff from damage and destruction. They tend to offer more promotions and discounts. There's an added sense of security when dealing with these more established moving companies.

Still, the pros may outweigh the cons, depending on the level of service at the franchise with which you're working. Experiences with Go Mini's could be very different from one place to another because these are independently run franchises. Besides having to pay more for more containers, you also have to think about parking and storage of the containers in a residential driveway. Ugh! As for Go Mini's of Bergen and Hudson Valley, I had a good experience and felt the hand holding, which is only possible thanks to its smaller nature, provided security. Therefore, Go Mini's is an option I would consider for a local move.