U-Pack Reviews, Plans, and Pricing 2020

U-Pack Reviews, Plans, and Pricing 2020

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Planning a move—whether it’s local or cross-country—requires careful preparation and budgeting.

Many homeowners enlist the help of a professional moving company, while others prefer to do it alone. Read our U-Pack review to learn more about this company’s services and pricing.

U-Pack is a moving company that helps you move while still giving you the convenience and independence of do-it-yourself packing. To help you find the best moving company, the This Old House Reviews team analyzed some of the top moving companies across the nation and compared factors like customer service and state availability.

Read on for U-Pack reviews, plans, and pricing to determine if this moving company is a good fit for your next move.

Our Take on U-Pack Founded in 1997 and currently headquartered in Fort Smith, Arkansas, U-Pack is a nontraditional moving company. Its self-move service style offers flexible options for homeowners and renters, alike. The company claims to offer affordable services because it eliminates the need for movers to pack and load your items and includes the cost of transportation, storage, and moving supplies in your quote.

U-Pack earned an A+ rating on the Better Business Bureau (BBB) with reviews that are above average. It may be a good moving option for the DIY-ers out there who don’t have the budget to hire a professional moving company.

U-Pack Services U-Pack provides door-to-door moving services for residential homes of various sizes and offers customizable options to fit your needs for both local and long-distance moves. However, U-Pack uses a service model that’s pretty different from the traditional moving company.

When you hire U-Pack, you’ll be using its self-pack method, during which the company will drop off a pack trailer or moving container at your home for you to pack yourself. You’ll have three business days to load the container with your stuff. When you’re finished, U-Pack will return to pick the container up and drive it to your new home.

Services from U-Pack include the cost of the driver, equipment, transportation, and mileage. This allows many families to save money on hiring movers to pack and load their items. While U-Pack doesn’t offer moving help, it can refer you to a service provider that offers these services. The company partners with local companies that offer moving labor, which you can add to your move.

When you request a self-pack moving service from U-Pack, you can choose from the following types of moving equipment: ReloCube—This is the main product used for packing and shipping belongings. This small storage container is ideal for smaller moves, as it’s small enough to fit in a regular parking space.

Moving trailers—If you have more furniture and belongings than what fits in the ReloCube, you may opt for a moving trailer. This can be parked at your home, then driven to your new place.

Availability U-Pack has over 240 locations across all 50 states, as well as some branches in Canada and Puerto Rico. Its team can drive your belongings virtually anywhere in the United States.

For a full list of U-Pack locations, visit its website to view the service coverage map.

How Much Does U-Pack Cost?

The cost of self-pack moving services from U-Pack will vary based on the linear footage you need for a moving trailer or the number of ReloCube containers you need, as well as the distance of your relocation. Other fees will include the cost of fuel, taxes, and the driver’s time.

On its website, you can get a free quote for your upcoming move. U-Pack also has a space estimator tool that can help you determine how much storage space you may need for your belongings.

Note: When requesting a moving quote, U-Pack has a mileage requirement for its moving services. A request for a local move within California was rejected, so we inputted information for a crosscountry move. Check with the company for details on a local move. Here are a couple of sample quotes we received:

Move a one-bedroom home or apartment from California to Nevada: $780 Move a one-bedroom home or apartment from California to Georgia: $4,423 Your final price may be different from the original quote if you use more or less space than initially quoted, add extra services, or are planning to move to Canada.

Note: Customers can save $25 when they book a move online. U-Pack also provides discounts for students and military members. While you must reserve services with a credit card, you won’t be charged until the day of the move.

Scheduling When you’re ready to schedule a move with U-Pack, you can book your move online or over the phone. U-Pack recommends booking your reservation as soon in advance as possible to secure services. Your reservation will guarantee your move date and the equipment you requested, and you don’t have to pay a deposit to reserve your spot. Note: same-day services may be available in some locations.

When scheduling a move, U-Pack encourages customers to ask their driver or customer service representative for a one- or two-hour delivery window to estimate the time their belongings will be delivered.

If you need to cancel your reservation, call the U-Pack customer service line. If you cancel more than seven days before the moving date, you won’t be charged a cancellation fee. However, if you cancel within seven days of the reservation date, you’ll be charged a $50 cancellation fee. For same-day cancellations, there’s a $150 fee.

Customer Service U-Pack has a 24/7 customer service line for getting quotes and making reservations, but unfortunately, there’s no mobile app to help track your move. You can, however, add on the provider’s U-Pack Guarantee to your services.

This guarantee will let you know the exact day you can expect your delivery. The driver is guaranteed to be on time, every time, offering homeowners a 100% satisfaction guarantee. If your container is not delivered on your guaranteed date, you’ll get a refund of the transportation charges.

U-Pack Reviews U-Pack is accredited with the BBB and has an A+ rating from the organization. U-Pack reviews are mostly positive, with some customers complimenting the professionalism of the customer service representatives and service people and other customers praising the company for working around their schedule and having an easy booking process.

On the other hand, there are a few unsatisfied customers who mentioned that their moving containers were either damaged or messy when a U-Pack driver dropped it off. Other negative reviews mentioned extra fees that made the price way higher than the original quote.

Here are a few U-Pack reviews from the BBB: Pennie W. said:

“Everyone from start to finish…acted with the utmost professionalism, and the entire process went well beyond my expectations. I cannot say enough good things about this company and the lengths they go to take the stress out of moving.”

Jennifer R. said: “[They] failed to deliver our shipment on the expected date, [causing] me to miss work, delayed us moving into our new home, and [we] had to stay in a hotel since our beds were on the shipment for the entire weekend. [I] would not recommend this company. They have horrible customer service that’ll tell you anything just to get you off the phone.”

Our Conclusion If you’re on a budget and just need help to transport your items during a move, U-Pack may be a good option. U-Pack is staffed by courteous service people, allows homeowners and renters to pack their own belongings, and offers a satisfaction guarantee to ensure your move is as seamless as possible. This company may be a good choice for people with fewer belongings who have the desire to pack and load their items on their own or the do-it-yourself homeowner or renter who just needs help getting their belongings from point A to point B.

Frequently Asked Questions Are my belongings covered by insurance with U-Pack?

Each move includes carrier negligence liability and catastrophic liability coverage. Because customers are packing their own belongings, U-Pack doesn’t cover damage due to poor packing and loading.

What is the size of a ReloCube from U-Pack?

The moving containers offered by U-Pack are six feet long, seven feet wide, and eight feet tall.

According to U-Pack, a ReloCube can hold about one room’s worth of furniture and belongings. You can order multiple containers and use tools on the company’s website to gauge how many cubes you should order.

Where will U-Pack drop off and park the moving container?

U-Pack will use a moving truck to drop off your ReloCube in a residential driveway or an approved parking lot or street. Check that there’s legal parking available in your area before requesting the equipment. If you’re using your driveway, make sure it has a slant of no more than five degrees. If you’re looking to drop off a container at your storage unit, check with the property manager of the facility to ensure the best dropoff times and whether it’s okay to leave it overnight.

To share feedback or ask a question about this article, send a note to our Reviews team at reviews@thisoldhousereviews.com.