Moving Experience: Dana’s Move With BLVD Moving
Dana was ready for a change. More specifically, she was tired of the Texas heat! Wanting to escape to the mountains and live closer to her boyfriend, Dana decided to move from Houston to Denver in late December 2024.
While she was still in the early stages of planning her move, Dana learned about our Better Moves grant program. She decided to share her in-depth, firsthand experience in exchange for a $500 stipend.
After getting a few quotes, Dana chose BLVD Moving for her long-distance move. In this guide, we’ll go over what went well, what didn’t, and what you can learn from her experience.
Move day takeaways for BLVD customers
- Communication: Communication was Dana’s biggest problem during the move. Last-minute notice that the movers were arriving a day earlier than she expected made her move much more stressful than it should have been.
- Pricing accuracy and transparency: Dana’s final moving costs were right in line with her initial quote. She did pay a little more than the quote because of a stair fee, but BLVD was upfront about the extra fees she might need to pay.
- Professionalism: The movers who loaded Dana’s belongings were meticulous and thorough. They gave her the feeling that they truly cared about her experience. The movers who unloaded weren’t as careful with her items (including boxes marked as fragile).
- Timeliness: BLVD delivered Dana’s belongings in just eight days. The movers arrived early for both pickup and delivery, which created some issues for Dana.
- Loss and damage: A few of Dana’s items, like a dog food bin and filing cabinet, were damaged. A ceramic Thanksgiving serving tray was also broken. She was not given information about the company’s claims process.
- Would Dana use BLVD again? Dana would not use BLVD again, mostly because of the communication issues she experienced throughout the move. Getting told at the last minute that her movers were arriving early was a major stressor.
Dana needed help moving from TX to CO
Dana had plenty of motivation to move from Texas to Colorado. She wasn’t just tired of the heat. She also wanted to be closer to her boyfriend who lived in the Denver area.
This wasn’t Dana’s first move — and her previous moves hadn’t always gone great. One time, the movers broke her couch. Because of this, she was understandably nervous about hiring a moving company. While she had previously handled local moves herself, she felt she would need help from professional movers for a move as long-distance as this one.
Dana did a fair amount of research to get ready for her move. She started by using Google, which quickly led her to find moveBuddha and our moving company reviews. She also asked her friends for recommendations. We think Dana got a great start by looking for a variety of info and opinions from multiple sources.
Dana’s move at a glance
| Move Date | Dec. 27, 2024 |
| Moved From | Houston |
| Moved To | Denver |
| Distance | 1,027 miles |
| Move Size | One-bedroom apartment |
| Moving Company | BLVD Moving |
| Moving Quote | $4,016 |
| Actual Cost | $4,088.50 |
Dana contacted 3 full-service movers
After doing her research, Dana followed one of our top pieces of moving advice — get quotes from at least three moving companies.
Based on the reviews she read and recommendations she received, Dana decided to seek out estimates from these companies:
To save money on her move, Dana chose to do her own packing, even though each of the companies she got quotes offers full packing services. She only wanted help loading and transportation to Colorado. She estimated she had about 20 boxes, as well as a few specialty items like an antique scooter and a piece of custom art.
Dana got her quotes over the phone and via email.
|
|
 rating
 
4.25 / 5
Licensed
 Insured
Price
|
|
Here’s how Dana’s moving quotes — based on a total approximate weight of 1,500 pounds — stacked up:
| Company | Estimated Cost |
|---|---|
| Safeway Moving | $5,170 |
| BLVD Moving | $4,016 |
| North American Van Lines | $4,775 |
Dana liked BLVD’s low cost & good customer service
While the three quotes that Dana received were all in the same ballpark, BLVD immediately stood out by offering the lowest estimate. But that wasn’t the only reason she chose them.
While she was getting her quote, Dana found BLVD’s support team to be extremely helpful. They answered all her questionsabout the moving process and gave her useful information like a list of guidelines for what they could and couldn’t move.
BLVD also gave Dana a slight moving discount if she booked her move the same day she got her quote. Since she had already gotten other quotes — and she was impressed with BLVD’s process — she felt comfortable booking her move right then. We recommend not rushing into a same-day discount unless, like Dana, you already have multiple quotes.
Most big moving companies will price match their competitors, so if you go into a call armed with several quotes, you may be able to finagle a better price, with or without an early-bird discount.
Moving day came earlier than expected
BLVD told Dana her movers would arrive on either December 27 or 28, which Dana found unhelpful. The week of the move, she still couldn’t get confirmation of the actual moving day. Dana reached out multiple times to request that movers come on Dec. 28. However, when she finally got word from BLVD on the move date, they told her they’d be arriving on Dec. 27 instead — a day earlier than she had hoped.
We have faith that BLVD would have honored her request for the later move date had they been able to do so. Movers are coordinating multiple customers and routes to maximize truck space and drive time, so schedule changes or limitations can occur.
But the Dec. 27 move date put Dana into a tailspin trying to get everything ready for the movers the next day. She was still in the middle of packing, taking photos of fragile items, and cleaning her apartment — and she still wasn’t done when the movers showed up the morning of the 27th.
We understand that fitting a move into everything else you have to do everyday isn’t easy, but we advise against putting off packing until the last minute, particularly because there is a lot you can do well in advance.
Ideally, you should start packing for a move two to three months in advance. You can start by decluttering for your move, then go ahead and box your non-essential items. Spending just a couple of hours each night going room by room to clean out and pack up would’ve prevented the bulk of Dana’s stress.
Dana was also surprised when a third-party truck showed up on moving day. This is actually standard for nationwide companies like BLVD. Partnering with vetted local movers is what allows them to offer nationwide coverage.
The actual move went smoothly
Fortunately, the movers did a great job. In addition to calling 20 minutes before they arrived, Dana thought they were quick and thorough. The movers took extra care to ensure her items were secured before moving the boxes. Their courteous and caring attitude also helped. It took less than three hours to load the moving truck, even though Dana wasn’t finished packing.
Dana had to pay an extra fee for the flight of stairs going up to her apartment, but since this was outlined in her contract, she knew to expect it. Kudos to Dana for taking time to read the fine print. We hear from people all the time who feel blindsided by “hidden fees” like the stair charge that are actually standard in the moving industry and clearly stated in the written agreement (called the bill of lading).
Delivery came with some communication issues
Dana’s belongings were delivered to her new home in Denver in just eight days, which is pretty impressive for a long-distance move. However, Dana felt like communication problems once again made things more stressful for her.
Dana wasn’t happy that she didn’t receive any updates from BLVD while her items were in transit. Again, this isn’t unusual and doesn’t speak to BLVD’s performance, although we understand Dana’s anxiousness — it’s not easy handing all your stuff to strangers, then not knowing where it is.
But moving companies will typically give a delivery timeframe, then contact customers again a day before they actually, which is what BLVD did. When they called, the movers also gave her a two-hour window. The day of delivery, they were an hour early, creating another mad-dash situation for Dana to have everything ready for their arrival.
Again, it’s important to point out that some planning would’ve avoided any issues here. An hour is early but not that early… and it’s certainly not the time to be getting everything squared away.
Our advice? Go into a move knowing times and dates are approximate, not literal, and can change due to any number of things — unanticipated weather delays or lighter traffic than planned, just to name a few. Building at least an hour buffer around those arrival and delivery windows will help make sure you’re ready regardless.
Delivery wasn’t as smooth as pickup
Unfortunately, the local movers in Colorado who delivered Dana’s belongings were not quite as careful as the ones who did the pickup back in Texas. Boxes marked as fragile or “this side up” were set upside down. A few of Dana’s items were damaged in the process — a dog food bin, plastic storage box, and filing cabinet — and a ceramic Thanksgiving serving tray was broken.
Most of the damage was minor, and Dana didn’t file a claim, in part because she said no one provided her with information about how to do so. Moving companies typically post their claims process online as part of their terms and conditions. BLVD clearly lays out its requirements for claims, including a filing deadline, on its website.
Moving is complex, and you’re not always going to get all the details spelled out for you, so it’s important to take some time researching a company’s policies and timelines. And when in doubt, a quick call to customer support can provide answers and solutions.
Our take on Dana’s move
While we empathize with Dana’s frustration with BLVD Moving, we also understand how moving companies operate.
It’s not that unusual for movers to arrive a little early — or a little late — for pickup or delivery because they are operating on best guesses, not exact timelines. It’s not always ideal — and can sometime be inconvenient — but that’s the nature of a service that involves coordinating a lot of moving parts (pun intended!).
Packing early — as Dana admits she should’ve done — would’ve circumvented that feeling of panic she got when she wasn’t quite ready on her moving and delivery days.
We wish the crew that handled her delivery had handled her items a little more delicately but, unfortunately, service with a national mover can vary, since they often rely on their local moving partners. And BLVD would have likely compensated Dana for the carelessness that led to damaged and broken items if she had filed a claim.
There’s a lot of legalese tied to the moving process, and sales reps aren’t necessarily going to go over all of it at the time of booking (that would be a lengthy phone call!). We applaud Dana for reading her contract carefully so she had a heads up on the stair fee, but reading up on BLVD’s terms and conditions, as well, would’ve given her a clear understanding of the company’s claims process.
The verdict
While Dana felt like she got her money’s worth, she also says she wouldn’t use BLVD again. Instead, she’d rather work directly with a smaller local mover (remember, though, that it was the local movers that she had issues with).
Dana was left with the overall impression that BLVD didn’t communicate well during the moving process, leading to frantic scurrying to finish up packing and make room for her items at her new home. These issues were a major sticking point for her, and that’s reflected in her review of BLVD.
Despite this, she acknowledged that the move went mostly as expected, especially since she knew going in that moves can be stressful and there are often small mishaps along the way. She’s right. We just wish she had taken that — and positives like the fact that her long-distance delivery was quicker than most — into account when rating the company.
Dana’s rating of BLVD’s on a scale of 1 to 5:
- Communication: 2
- Timeliness: 4
- Quote accuracy: 4
- Overall experience: 2
Not what you were looking for?
Check out other categories that can help you find the information you need!
