Fast Tran Moving

I used them in June 2013. $ 75 per three people per hour. Total hours are 5 for three bedrooms. They were not carefully moving furniture. There were some damages in our furniture. We have more than 10 steps of decks. Each corner of steps got damaged. We have to replace them (cost $ 800 for repair). Also, I suppose to pay tip $ 5 per person and per hour, that is $ 25 per person in total. However, they asked $ 60 per person and would not leave until I gave them. I had very bad experience. I will not use them and will not recommend to my friends.

These guys were fast, efficient and affordable. They did a good job for me when I moved from my townhouse to my current home.

We’ve used Fast Tran Moving 3 times. The first 2 times they were fast and efficient with minimal destruction. But strike three – you’re out. The last move was horrible. Very slow. The problem was that the hard worker that was sent the first and second move was not present for the third move. The two guys that were there really dragged things out. Then when we were only going to tip $ 40 dollars between the two of them, they said that it wasn’t enough. Basically demanded another $ 40. I would not use them again after this experience. It’s a shame because the guy, who was part of the first and second move was great. Other friends, who have used Fast Tran previously, moved shortly after we did and had the same experience.

I wish I had researched more about this company before using them because to call the experience terrible would be an understatement. I’d give them zero stars if that were possible on here.
I found them through CraigsList and the Asian woman I spoke to on the phone (Lily) seemed to speak English well enough. They also seemed eager to take the job of moving a few pieces of furniture and appliances from my house in San Jose to a new condo in Sunnyvale.
Now I had already packed and moved most of the smaller items, so I just needed them for a few pieces of furniture and my appliances (the latter of which were just to be moved down to the garage). If it weren’t for my recent back surgery, one of my friends and I could’ve loaded and unloaded everything in perhaps 2 – 3 hours AT MOST.
They were scheduled to arrive at 9am (for 3 hours) at a cost of $ 65/​Hr which included two guys and their truck.
The first red flag should have been when someone from their company called and said their truck had broken down and they would arrive at noon. We were about to leave to grab something to eat when they arrived a little after 10am. I remarked that I was glad they were able to get their truck fixed and he replied (with a puzzled look) that nothing had been wrong with the truck.
The first thing that became obvious was that they were painfully slow. I didn’t hold that against them however because I thought they were just being meticulous and I had factored in 3 hours instead of two.
I started to worry when it took 3 hours just to take 5 pieces of furniture to their truck and 3 appliances from the 2^nd floor of the house to my garage on the first floor. I was concerned that it was going much too slow, especially since they still had to transport and unloading to do. And I also planned to make another trip or two with my wife to take a load of smaller items after they were done.
After more than 3 hours, they were ready to go and I asked them if they had the address (which Lily said they would) for the new place in Sunnyvale. He said no, that he would follow me. I said, «let me write it down, just in case.» but he said, «no, no, I follow you.» Ok, I thought. It was a simple enough shot up 87 to 101, then off at Fairoaks to the address.
We had no idea what we were in for!!!
First, we got on 87, my wife driving behind them, me driving in front of them. As I’m driving, I see them dropping further and further behind me and I’m worried they’re going to lose me in the traffic. I kept slowing down more and more until I’m going 30 mph on a busy freeway. The first thought I had was that their truck was breaking down and began looking for a place to pull over safely so I could let them catch up or find out if they were going to pull over and I’d have to loop back to where they were.
My wife passes them because she’s worried they can’t see me and was going to be the lead car.
In clear view of both of us, they exit 87 onto 280. We are stunned – what are they doing? We told them to stay on 87 to 101. Why did they turn onto another freeway while in clear view of us ahead?
The next 3 hours was a PURE HELL.
Their cell phone would go straight to voice mail. I kept trying to find out what happened but to no avail. I finally get a call only now he speaks ALMOST NO ENGLISH AT ALL. I try to tell them to take 280 to Wolf Road but they CANNOT even understand that. Next, I call their office to tell Lily how we got separated and if she can call them with directions. She said they should have the address but agrees to call them and call me back. By now, my wife and I have arrived at the new place. I wait about 15 minutes before calling the guys in the truck again. They answer but don’t understand anything. I say, «Where are you?» And «Do you want me to come to where you are?» but kept getting hung up on. So I call Lily again and now the office isn’t answering.
By now I’m beginning to worry this entire operation was a scam. Could they have stolen our furniture? What if that was their intent all along? Should I call the police?
Next, I get a call from the 510 area code and this person says a few barely intelligible words and hangs up. I wonder if any of my friends speak Mandarin and if I can get them to call for me.
For the next 3 HOURS, they proceed with this game of calling and acting as if they don’t understand English, then hanging up the phone. Finally, when it’s after 4 in the afternoon, they call and say they’re in Sunnyvale and what is the address. Wow! they can speak English again!
They take less than an hour to unload (interesting how fast the unloading went) and now tally up the bill. By this time, we are so exhausted I barely balk at the $ 390 bill. I got $ 500 from the ATM and he asks for the remainder as a tip. In what is perhaps my stupidest move ever, and feeling sorry for them, I oblige.
That’s it – $ 500 for a move that was supposed to cost $ 195

Part of being a grown-​up means not asking your friends to help you move. But being a grown-​up is expensive. That’s where Fast Tran comes in. They’re cheap and quick, but also not careful. I’ve used them a few times with mixed results. Twice it went fine. Once though, they banged up a few pieces of furniture. So if you’re attached to your material possessions, or expecting professional service, Fast Tran is not for you. Me? I’m still in that IKEA stage of life so I can live with a few dents in my furniture in exchange for rates that can’t be beat. (Their standard rate is $ 75 an hour for a truck with 2 guys, plus a $ 15 transportation fee. I say standard because it’s possible to negotiate.)
If you too are in that cheap-​furniture-​stage-​of-​life, here’s a few tips for dealing with them. If you know what you’re getting into, it’s possible to have a decent experience with them.
1) Though the guy answering the phone in the office speaks English, the guys they send out only speak Mandarin. This surprisingly hasn’t been too problematic. (After all you’re just pointing at what stuff you want moved.) But if you have a Mandarin-​speaking friend, ask em to hang around.
2) Don’t book afternoon or evening appointments — they will surely be late. When you call for an appointment, you might notice they don’t ask you where you’re moving *to,* only where you’re moving from. Clearly, they have a problem with time management. So go for the morning appointment.
3) They may or may not shrink wrap your furniture for protection like most decent moving companies do, so if you’re concerned about a piece of furniture, insist upon it or protect it yourself.
4) Have a cold beverage or two on hand for the guys. They will appreciate this small gesture. And be prepared to tip. They aren’t shy about asking for it. A friend of mine who used them once tipped them $ 20 a piece and they asked for more, so I’ve always tipped more than this right off the bat. Even with a large tip, the total cost was much less than what it would have cost to use another company.
That said, if you are willing to pay more for better service, you should.

I had to get a mover during my last move due to a torn ligament in my ankle. So, I did some research (this was before I knew of Unilocal) and supposedly Fast Tran movers was a great value for decent service…
Boy, was that wrong. So the situation was such: Two guys came for two pick ups, both consisting of stuff from a small bedroom… one queen sized bed, one 27″ TV, and a computer with two monitors… that was all the big stuff. The loading was fine, they got to all the locations on time, and got everything loaded pretty quickly.
We got to our new place, and I let them know where everything was supposed to go… I made it easy, everything into the living room, except for the bed. As the unloading went on, they kept unloading slower and slower… as well as having a few instances of them taking a few minute break to talk to each other in the truck. (On my dime.) Everything finally got unloaded, 1.5 hours later than they told me it would take to get the whole move handled. (They did everything they could to be as slow as possible, including guy B bringing up one box at a time, and waiting to be told by guy A to go get another one.)
Finally, they finished, not much damage or scratching… we get to the money time. So, I get gouged for an extra 1.5 hours of billing… I pay them via check, and give both guys $ 20 each as a tip, which I didn’t think they deserved… they wasted a LOT of time.
The kicker, guy A asks for another $ 80 for a tip, and that a check was ok… He said the reason was so guy B could get paid for the day, and that the company doesn’t pay him.
WTF? I didn’t bite, and closed the door. Screw that. You wasted time, to the tune of 1.5 hours billable, and you want MORE money?
STAY AWAY FROM FAST TRAN.

The reason they get even 2 stars is that they were cheap and they know how to hussle.
The reason they barely get 2 stars is because they are sloppy movers so if you dont mind your stuff getting banged up… then go for it. But if you got nice stuff, forget about it. Also, they tell you how much they want you to tip them. Although they didn’t speak English and couldnt communicate, they knew how to squueze that money out for tip. They came one hour and a half late, could not communicate with them cuz they only spoke Chinese and then scratched our hardwood floors and banged our furniture. I guess thats enough said… but hey, the move got done and we didn’t break our wallet.

This Co. sucks
Don’t DO IT!
Please read my other review of them

As I’m at the end of my lease and considering moving, I needed to post a review for the moving company that I used to get here… Recommended by a friend, who admitted to me that his move was less than smooth after telling him my woes.
Everything went well on the pick-​up end; furniture and boxes were loaded promptly and safely. Then the Mr. Hyde of movers came out on the delivery end. Basically, the movers wanted to leave all of our things in the garage (we forewarned how many flights of stairs (only one for most stuff) and were told it would not be a problem and that the team would be properly staffed.) We were able to get all the furniture in the right places, but they refused to carry any boxes labeled ‘Books’ past the garage.
We tipped adequately, especially considering the refusal of pre-​agreed service, but the team leader actually asked for more money for a tip (double what we offered!).
Now that I know about Unilocal,I’ll check out reviews before I call movers next time.