Starving Students FAQs
Picking A Moving Company
When choosing a moving company, get as much information as possible. Below are some helpful questions to ask moving companies you're considering:
- Are they licensed and insured?
- How do they charge hourly or by weight?
- Are there any additional fees?
- Do they charge extra for large items?
- Is there a minimum number of hours or a minimum charge?
- What is the cancellation policy?
- What are the procedures if damage or loss occurs?
- Are the movers full-time employees or day laborers?
- How will you be charged for travel time?
- Will my items be insured during the move?
- Are there things they will not move?
- Ask for references.
Since local moves that are charged by the hour, anything that you do, we don't have to, and you save money. We are happy to do a full-service move and we do it all the time. However, if you are trying to control costs;
- Be completely packed before we get there.
- Take apart your stereo and computer and pack them in boxes.
- Take apart your bed frame.
- Move boxes near the door.
- If it's not too far, do a couple of runs to the new place yourself.
- We're happy to do everything, but if you want to cut costs, be our guest.
Local moves are charged by the hour, and long-distance moves are charged by weight and distance. Determining the number of hours a local move will take is not reliable over the phone, so we don’t try.
This practice is both un-ethical and illegal in most states. We won’t try to lowball an estimate than stick you with an unexpectedly high bill on moving day. Our moving consultants will take you though the process, and rate quote you a competitive hourly rate, and our movers will do a quick, efficient job.
Yes, Starving Students is licensed and insured. Below are our permits and license numbers:
US DOT 318223
MC 166404
Arizona 33132
California CAL PUC T-116476
Nevada CPCN3241
Texas TxDOT 6263856C
Virginia HG437
Washington HG41035
We do long-distance moves anywhere in the continental United States, and we do local moves in Arizona, California, Washington, D.C., Delaware, Maryland, Nevada, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Washington. Have questions about moves in your area? Give us a call at (888) 931-MOVE or send us an e-mail here.
Like cab drivers and waitresses, it is customary to tip movers, but it is completely up to you. If you feel the movers worked hard and took care of you, then a tip is very appreciated.
We constantly remind our movers that they should not ask, hint, or in any way make you feel uncomfortable. You'll get a customer survey (if we have your e-mail address) and in the survey it asks if the movers pushed for a tip.
We have an extremely low rate of claims for our industry. About 2 – 3%
We have a professional claims process with experienced adjusters who follow state and federal claims guidelines. Please bear in mind that how much you are compensated for a lost or damaged item depends very much on the "valuation" that you put on your goods when you do your paperwork at the beginning of the move.
We have 100 trucks running out of 20 Branches in California. We have 15 trucks running out of three Branch Offices within the city of Las Vegas. No one else provides this level of coverage.
Our company was named Starving Students in 1973 because it was started by two starving students.
Today we have more than 750 movers, and while many are students, most are grown up, ex-students (we've found that students have a bad habit of not being available on a Tuesday during the school year).
In terms of "starving" in general the company has done pretty well so we're not exactly starving, but maybe we're just hungry for happy customers.
We move most things, but there are certain things that we cannot move for you. These items include: pets, plants, weapons, medications, jewelry, coins, grand pianos, and items in plastic bags (please pack items in boxes).
Most of our trucks are 26 foot straight trucks called "bobtails." We also have stylish trailers in many lengths pulled by gleaming pick-up trucks, and we even have some classic 53 foot monsters. We'll bring enough truck to get your move done right. Please make sure that there is a place for us to park the moving truck.
Yes, if you'd like us to stop at a storage unit or drop off a couch at your a friend's, we're happy to oblige.
We did not make this up! Different states require movers to account for drive time differently. In California, all movers are required to charge "double drive time." Double drive time means we don't charge you for the time it takes us to get to your origin and we also don't charge you for the time it takes us to get back to our branch at the end of the day. Instead, to pay us for this time, we double the time in the middle. Get it? It's weird, but it's the law. Nevada and Washington State both require that we charge "portal to portal" meaning from the moment we leave our branch until we get back.
