Chelsea Moving & Storage — Local services in New York

I chose this company after reading the many positive reviews but had a very different experience. Maybe the positive reviews are for direct moves (which mitigates the issues I experienced) but moving+storage was not pleasant.

Make sure to number your boxes (they don’t, so you should). I have several missing items from my old kitchen area (thankfully not hugely valuable but presumably in the same missing box).

They are quick/efficient but do not pack with much care. The focus is very much on speed and items can get mixed/damaged.

If you are missing boxes or have broken items, the waiver they make you sign limits liability to something like 30 cents / pound. I was offered a minimal amount which I did not accept.

They charge by the hour, which can lead to unexpected overcharges. If there’s traffic, you will get charged for any additional time on the road. If they arrive early and are done packing early but your building refuses to let you use the elevator before your reservation time starts, you will be charged for the waiting around.

Speaking of time, charges also include “time spent getting to storage” or “time spent leaving from storage” - the problem is you can never know exactly when those times start/stop. You are charged for time spent outside of when you actually see them working, which means you just have to take their word for it.

On move-in day, they arrived an hour late (apparently due to traffic, which I was charged for). They did not bother letting me know they were running late until I called them 30 minutes past the scheduled arrival time.

Be careful to check everything in real time as they move stuff in and stay on top of it. Moving is hectic and they will ask you to sign saying everything is complete - which you will because if you take your time to check through things, again, you will be charged for the extra time. In my case, I only saw after they left that they had left a piece of furniture unassembled (presumably because leg pieces were missing due to overuse in other parts when they misassembled another piece of furniture - nobody thought to flag for me before asking me to sign).

Again, surprised at the vastly different experience compared to other reviews, which seem fine. I would...

These guys literally saved me. I originally booked a different long distance moving company who brokered me out... long story short, the original movers delayed my move by 3 weeks by being MIA with my stuff half way through, couldn't give me a definitive date for move in (even as they approached NYC), nor could they apparently secure adequate insurance for the COI to be let into my building.

Ultimately, I found Chelsea movers, who amazingly understood the horrific, frustrating situation I was in, and moved mountains to be able to make sure I got my stuff. They worked with the random schedule my other TERRIBLE movers gave, met them in some back alley parking lot in Jersey at my request (long story), transferred my stuff from the old movers truck to theirs, seamlessly got it into my apartment, all at a crazy reasonable price.

They are family run. They are not a broker. They have adequate COI coverage to get into any building in NYC. They respond in a timely (i.e. urgent!!) manner, remember you and call you back. You talk to the same person on the phone each time, so you are not reexplaining yourself. As much as my last move makes me want to burn my stuff before trusting it to movers again, these guys were a saving grace and I will be using them for...

I admit, this was my first time hiring a professional moving company, however, I now know that I will never NOT work with one again; and by one, I mean not anyone except Chelsea Moving & Storage!

Donovan & Fernando set the bar and exceeded my expectations. They were not just on time, but EARLY for our appointment to retrieve my things from storage. My belongings were schlepped upstairs with ease, never once bumping into anything or having a "PIVOT" moment. They gracefully carried a monstrous headboard into my bedroom and sincerely didn't mind when I realized it was just too big for my new space. The move happened on a warm day, and they each kept their masks on at all times (which reminded me that I'm out of shape if they were doing this without even panting). The price was beyond reasonable and worth every penny for the outstanding job they did, having all my stuff situated in my apartment in about an hour's time.

I'm so grateful to these guys for the role they played in me beginning my next chapter on solid footing. I couldn't have asked for a better experience, and will quite literally, sing their praises from my balcony for whoever is...