Universal Moving and Packing

There are definitely some pros and cons about this company. First the positives: Tony and his helper were friendly, experienced, the prices are good, and they charge from the time they arrive (meaning no charge to travel to the site). They were excellent at fitting all my furniture and goods into a storage unit that in retrospect could have been a little larger. In my initial call with Tony he helped me understand which type of truck was best and the reasons not to wrap my furniture in plastic for a longer term storage. He is also well-​known and well-​liked at my storage facility.
The not so positive: I learned that they don’t carry their own liability insurance. When I asked about this they said it was covered by the truck rental. What I later learned was the truck company offers insurance for a fee, but it only covers loss and breakage within the truck, not while it it’s being loaded or unloaded. Tony and his helper showed up 20+ minutes late for the move. I did appreciate that Tony called me to let me know he’s be 10 minutes late. During the move Tony took about half a dozen phone calls — some shorter but several longer. This always took away from his ability to help, but sometimes stopped the process entirely. When it came time to pay, I was given a price that was $ 10/​hour more than I had been quoted. It was reduced when I mentioned the quote. I was also charged full hours even though between the late arrival and the stop time it wasn’t quite a full hour, and there was no consideration for the phone calls that were taken. They were unable to take a credit card as they had told me they could when I scheduled my move with Tony. I was told they had lost the «square» for the credit card processing. Tony offered to go with me to the ATM to get the money. I decided to write a check instead. I asked if I should make it to Universal Moving and was told no — they didn’t have a business account at this time.
Definitely less than professional, which at least partially explains their reasonable fees

Tony & his crew are AWESOME! They were on time, friendly, & took care of our belongings. They took the time to ask where we wanted our items, were careful of our ‘fragile’ boxes, and seemed to genuinely care about how we were doing on our big moving day. I would highly recommend Tony & Universal Moving & Storage to anyone needing help with their move! A++

We relocated to Bellingham from Seattle, and, for a month, we had all our worldly belongings in Cordata Storage, which is also a great business. But this Unilocal is about Tony and Universal Moving.
First thing — Tony had another job on the day we needed him, and he was able to adjust his schedule to accommodate our move. We preferred to rent and drive the truck ourselves, but we needed affordable organization and manpower — and we got both with Universal Moving. (Thanks, Tony!)
Second thing — we had a concern about the ability of a large U-​Haul moving truck to navigate up the steep drive to our new home without bottoming out. Tony validated that concern and suggested we rent a different truck than the one we had reserved. We ended up going with a 15′ truck from Fountain Rental (made two trips) with a rear wheel span that sat further back on the frame of the truck. This was on the recommendation of the fellow helping us at Fountain Rental (another great business, by the way). It all worked beautifully — and the concern was WAY legitimate, because later that day, not a half-​mile down south State from our new home, was a U-​Haul truck that had bottomed out and was stuck on a steep driveway just like ours. (Thanks, Tony!)
Third, Tony brought along two assistants that he managed and directed. All three men stayed on task for the duration of the job — about six+ hours. We got lunch for the team about half-​way through, figuring the guys would work better if they got a break and some food. After lunch they were back at it, and they finished right on schedule. (Thanks, Tony!)
Tony is extremely professional, works very hard, and appears to be a great boss. He told us that while the Universal Moving fee is $ 25/​man/​hour, what he decides to payout to his employees is based in part on each man’s experience and performance. This seems so smart and business savvy.
We really enjoyed meeting and working with Tony, and we were more than happy and satisfied with Universal Moving.