Yes, we are fully licensed under DOT#2005212 and MC#707471.

We are also fully insured, with general liability, cargo, auto, and workers compensation policies.

We accredited by the Better Business Bureau to boot!

Our pricing structure is simple. We charge a *flat* hourly rate for two movers, the truck, moving pads, handtrucks, dollies, and any other necessary equipment. Our rate generally varies from $90 – $150 / hr (pro-rated to the quarter hour) depending on the season and size of the crew, with a 3 hour minimum to justify travel and logistics. With labor crews (no truck included), the rate is $70-$100, with a two hour minimum. So there’s rate range, but we will state your exact rate in our very first email to you. We are upfront about ALL pricing. There are never any surprise fees of any kind. (There are some exceptions; breaks or discounts we give to repeat customers, teachers, and charities; but we’ll let you know if these are applicable).

Stairs and long hallways will cost you a bit more because they’ll take us more time, but we don’t charge any extra fees for it or for anything like that. The one exception is we sometimes have to charge extra if your move is far away in order to cover our gas costs. This gas cost surcharge threshold is a little bit lower for our big truck than for our other trucks. But, again, we’ll always let you know ahead of time if there’ll be that extra charge.

No backdoor fees. No sneaky stuff. We’re good guys and we have an great reputation and we’re looking to keep it that way.

The range is wide, but one bedroom apartments generally take 3 – 4 hours, and will cost you about $300 – $400. This depends heavily on variables such as the items to be moved, estimated box and bag totals, loading distances, number of stairs, and things like that. With a little of that information, we can give you a more precise estimate.

No, we only use full-time, very well experienced, and highly skilled employees. Many of our movers have done over a thousand moves by now and we consider them the best in the business. You will notice from the very start of your move that your movers are highly motivated to take care of both you and your possessions. We want to make this process as easy on you as possible.

Our movers work very fast. They are quick, are strong, and execute efficiently. There is no padding the clock *ever*, period. We have overwhelming demand for our services right now — we are fully booked all day almost everyday. We have absolutely no incentive to pad the clock. Not that we would anyway. We’re good people!

Sorry, at this time we are limited to moving within the greater D.C. metro area only. But if you are moving farther, go ahead and shoot us an email and we can recommend several quality long-distance carriers. Having us load a POD for you is also always an option.

We take cash and checks due at the completion of your move. No deposit required.

We do, and they are always incredibly appreciated. There are myriad expenses involved in providing a safe moving truck and crew, so movers rely on tips as a significant portion of their take-home pay. If you appreciated their work, let them know.

We do have a cancellation fee. We wish we didn’t have to, but when clients cancel on short notice it can be difficult to impossible to find a replacement job, and so canceling on short notice does in fact cost us a lot of money every year. If you cancel or reschedule within a week before your move it amounts to one hour’s fee. Inside of 48 hours is two hours fee.

If the rescheduling is due to an Act of God (blizzard, terrorism, collapsed bridges) these fees do not apply and we reschedule for free.

Lots! Preparation is essential to a smooth and shorter/cheaper move.

Start contacting movers as far in advance as you can. Again, the ends of months, weekends, and the whole summer are the most busy moving times. Getting in touch with movers early is particularly important if you have to move on a specific day or have limited flexibility as to your move date.

Parking
Reserving parking is especially key as a distant spot means we have to carry items farther than necessary and this can add significant time.

If you move in DC, here’s the site where you can reserve parking:
https://tops.ddot.dc.gov/DDOTPERMITSYSTEM/DDOTPERMITONLINE/Landing.aspx
For Arlington it is:
http://www.arlingtonva.us/departments/EnvironmentalServices/cpe/custserv/css/EnvironmentalServicesRow.aspx

Reserve any elevators that might be involved. You generally do this by contacting the property manager. Weekends and dates at the ends of the month are the most popular, sometimes getting fully booked weeks, even months ahead of time.

We do our best to be accurate with estimates and to get moves done within them, but it’s not always possible since so many variables are involved. Estimates generally do not take into account furniture dis and re-assembly and typically assume reserved and proximate elevators and parking.

It is also important that we know of any unusual circumstances or particularly heavy or valuable pieces during the estimate process, not after we have arrived. This allows us to make special arrangements and make sure we are fully equipped for any situation.

Packing
I always remind everyone that boxing up as many items as possible, taking smaller items yourself, furniture disassembly, removing and boxing items from dressers and desks, reserving any relevant elevators and parking; all these things can serve to speed up your move and thus save you money.

Make sure you have plenty of boxes and tape. You’ll probably need twice as many as you realize. Craigslist is a great place to find free boxes. Or if you opt to purchase them, most places will let you return any leftovers for a refund. Another great resource is Rentourboxes.com We do also offer packing services if the schedule permits. But we do need an accurate sense for the amount of items we will be packing for you.

Box up as many miscellaneous items as possible. Boxes may be moved with much greater efficiency than loose and sundry items. Dense items like books and papers should only be packing in books boxes. Desks and dressers generally should be emptied as should wooden and lateral file cabinets.

Labeling a box’s contents makes a mover’s life simpler and helps us take better care of your possessions. Noting particularly if a box is fragile or extremely heavy. Also, unpacking will be significantly more streamlined if your boxes designate their new destination by room so we can take it straight there and you don’t have to face a Himalayan mountain chain of boxes in your living room.

Leave yourself enough time for packing . This usually takes far longer than you expect. We’ve had many clients still packing when we arrive, and it can really complicate the logistics of packing items into the truck in an optimal manner. We recommend trying to have it all done the night before to give yourself a cushion.

Pack a box of things you will need right when you get to your new abode. Perhaps things like your rental agreement, cleaning supplies, snack, trash bags.

If you find that you have many more boxes or items than you initially thought, it’s good to let us know and perhaps we can add a mover or two to your crew or adjust your truck size.

Make sure your new place is clean and that you have a sense for the arrangement of the furniture before your rooms get crowded with boxes and are harder to navigate with your larger items.

We thought you’d never ask. Please fill out our free quote form here. Or feel free to email us at bookstoremovers@gmail.com or call at (202) 570-4697.