1-800-PACK-RAT is a reputed and well-established company which has been in business for more than 15 years. It is one of the leading companies that offers its customers a DIY style moving container move at affordable rates. You are the one who packs and loads your stuff and then they will drive your stuff to your desired location. Suitable for both long-distance and short distance moves, this company also gives you the option to avail a wide range of services.
Your belongings are very valuable and irreplaceable. So that’s why you should always want to go for a company that you trust. Before you make any concrete decisions about hiring this company, go through this review in order to understand whether this company has everything that you are looking for!
Things To Know About 1-800-PACK-RAT’s Services
Let us first examine the kind of services that are provided by Pack Rat. Like any other moving company, Pack Rat offers moving and storage services separately and a combination of both services, depending on what you need.
Moving Service – Containers
The first thing you would have to do is choose a date for the containers to be dropped off at your place. Once you receive the container, you can pack and load them according to your timeline and schedule. Once you are done loading the container, the company will pick up the container and deliver it to your new house. That way, you won’t have to worry about driving and you can unload the container according to your leisure. Once you are done with that, the company will pick up the container and take it back to their facility.
Storage Services
The storage services work pretty much the same way as the moving services. You have to choose a date for the containers to be dropped off at your place. Once you receive the container, you can pack and load them according to your timeline and schedule.
Once you are done loading, you can choose to let the container remain on site. If you live in a neighborhood where parking spaces and driveways are shared, you can opt to send the container to the company’s storage facility. The company offers both short-term and long-term storage options at their storage facility which is climate-controlled and absolutely safe. If your stuff is in storage for a longer duration, you will most probably have to pay a monthly rental fee.
If you are planning to move on a particular date but your new house isn’t ready for you to move your stuff in it; you are obviously going to worry about where your stuff can be stored. If you rent a Pack Rat container, they will allow you to make your move very flexible. Once the containers are delivered to your place, you can load them and send them to the company storage facility and store them till your new house is ready. You can either store them at a facility near your new house or you can use a facility near your current house, depending on your situation.
Who can Benefit the most from their Services?
Everyone can benefit from their services as there are endless possibilities to what you might want to move out of your house and store. However, these services are especially beneficial for:
- People who wish to renovate their houses can always store their items in the Pack Rat containers so as to make sure that their belongings don’t get damaged during the renovations.
- People who need to stage their home in order to sell it. They will need an easy storage solution as they will have to clear the clutter and move the unnecessary items out of the house.
- Students who are on their winter/summer breaks. Students need to not carry their possessions from their dorm room to their house over and over again during the winter/summer breaks. They can simply use the nearest Pack Rat storage facility and enjoy a stress-free break.
- Business owners like event planners, retailers, contractors, etc. own several business-related items. These can be stored at the nearest Pack Rat Warehouse and can be accessed at any time.
- If you have a home office and no place to store your files, you can use Pack Rat containers to store your paperwork, records, archival files, etc.
What Size of Containers are Available at the 1-800-PACK-RAT Facility?
Pack Rat knows that every customer needs a different size of containers depending on the number of belongings the person wants to move. Therefore, they offer their customers three different sized containers. The three sizes offered by them are small, medium and large.
A small container is about 8 feet long and can carry objects weighing up to 4000 lbs. The medium container is 12 feet long and the large container is 16 feet long. Both the medium and large containers can carry items weighing up to 6000 lbs. Small containers are suitable for homes with 1-2 rooms; medium containers are suitable to store stuff from 2-3 rooms and a large container can hold 3-4 rooms worth of belongings.
See also: What Size Moving Container Do You Need?
Note: You can use the 12 feet long containers only for local moves. Meanwhile, the small and the large containers can be used for both local and long-distance moves.
How to Make a Booking with 1-800-PACK-RAT?
The booking process for the Pack Rat services is a little bit complicated. When you visit the company website, you will first have to fill in some basic details which include the zip codes of your current and new house and the date when you want your containers. Based on your zip code, the company will first inform you about whether their services are available in your areas. If the service isn’t available, they might give you a link to the U-Pack website.
If a Pack Rat facility is located around where you stay, you can go ahead and book your move. If it’s a local move, you will have to give them the address and let them know the size of the containers that you are planning to rent. If it is a small-sized container or if you want to order two or more differently sized containers, you will have to call them and make a reservation over the phone. Otherwise, the website will give you a quote and then you can make your reservation accordingly. You can also check what promotions are running at the time and use a Pack Rat promo code while you book your move.
However, if you are planning a long-distance move, the website will generate a reference number. Then you will have to call that number and proceed with the process of reservation. Unfortunately, the website does not provide you with a quote for long-distance moves.
How Much Does 1-800-PACK-RAT Charge For Its Services?
When you look at Pack Rat’s initial prices, you will notice that their quoted prices are 10% higher than the average ongoing rates of the market. This is so because Pack Rat offers plenty of discounts which eventually brings the price of your move down. The price that is quoted by Pack Rat includes:
- Cost of the container/s along with 30 days of free storage
- Cost of delivering the container to your house
- Cost of transporting the container to the final destination
- Additional warehouse storage fees (depends on your package.
- 12 moving blankets per container
If you are planning a local move, you can be expected to be charged around $150 to $790 for your move. If the distance of your move exceeds 250 miles, you can be charged in the range of $400 to $3,500. Lastly, if you are planning a big cross country move, you most definitely will be charged in the range of $1,200-7,000. The total amount you are charged is mainly dependent on how big your house is.
A great tip to reduce your moving charges would be to align your moving dates with other customers’ dates if you are going to the same destination. If this happens, the same truck will transport your containers and you can save up on the transit charges. If you are looking for storage services, you might have to pay a monthly rent of around $300 once your 30 days free storage time is up.
See also: The Average Cost of Moving Containers | 1-800-PACK-RAT vs PODS
What Happens When You Cancel Your Reservation?
The cancellation policy followed by Pack Rat isn’t very flexible in comparison to the other moving companies but it’s not that bad. If you cancel your reservation 48 hours before the container is supposed to be dropped off at your place, you will be charged no cancellation fees. Plus, any money that the company might have taken from you will be refunded. However, if there are any last-minute changes in your plan and you cancel the reservation in that 48 hours window, you will be charged a cancellation fee and most probably mileage as well. It is important to remember that these fees can be a little high.
What Kind Of Coverage Does 1-800-PACK-RAT Provide To Its Customers?
The company recommends that the customers should first evaluate what they are packing into the moving container and what would be the collective worth of their belongings. Once the customers deduce the worth of their belongings, they can decide on an appropriate insurance plan that will give them full coverage.
The company provides its customers with moving insurance which is called Contents Protection Plan. There are multiple levels to this plan and the customers have the choice to purchase their preferred level of the plan. The plan levels range from their basic plan which covers damage to the container only, all the way up to their silver plan that covers $75,000 worth of your belongings in the container.
What Are The Benefits Of Choosing 1-800-PACK-RAT?
1. Unique Containers
- The Pack Rat containers are one of the best containers you can go for as compared to the containers used by the other moving companies. These high-quality containers are sturdier than usual as they are made with a steel frame. Their door and walls are made of steel as well. The floors of the container are made up of a material that allows you to slide your furniture easily over it. This makes the containers weather-resistant and your items would always be safe inside them.
- Pack Rat containers have barn-style doors that open outwards as opposed to top roll-up doors. This ensures that you can stack your items up to the ceiling and gives you up to 30 cubic feet of extra storage space. There is an added layer of security as you can lock these doors with your own padlocks. Barn style doors do not get jammed if the items inside the container move during transit. Lastly, the containers will be propped up by the company employees so as to make sure that the doors don’t get stuck against the curbs.
- The Pack Rat medium and large-sized containers can carry objects weighing up to 6,000 pounds, as opposed to containers from other companies which can carry only up to 4,000-5,000 pounds worth of objects.
- They have containers of different sizes available for their customers. Customers don’t have to go through the tedious process of calculating how many small containers they would need. To add to it, they also let their customers mix and match and choose a combination of differently sized containers.
2. User-friendly Website
- Pack Rat is one of the best companies to consider if you wish to go for a local move. Their online management tool is absolutely user-friendly. The customers can schedule pick-ups and drop-offs, modify or cancel their reservations, change the address of their locations and even make payments with the help of this tool. You can enter your details, get an instant quote and book a move quickly as well.
3. Lower Prices
- Pack Rat also tends to be a great choice for a long-distance move. If the distance of your move is more than 1,000 miles and the size of your house is more than 2-3 rooms; we can assure you that the price of the move will be lesser than the industry average.
- Pack Rat is one of the only companies that offers tons of discounts to its customers. It will generally offer a flat 10% on every move. This means that if you are going for a long-distance move, the discount amount could be several hundreds of dollars. The different types of discounts offered by Pack Rat are as follows:
- Local movers
- First responders
- Medical professionals
- Military members
- Senior citizens
- Teachers
- If you book your containers on the phone, Pack Rat will allow you to bargain with the customer service employee in order for you to get a moving deal at affordable rates. Sometimes, their own employees initiate this process by admitting that the price is high and then they give you a chance to negotiate. If the company quotes a high price for your move, don’t worry! You can always try to haggle and bring the price down.
4. Great Customer Service
- The company offers impeccable customer service. If you are confused and don’t know how to go about assessing your own needs and renting a container, the company will assign you a moving specialist. This moving specialist will guide you through the process and ensure that you get all the services that you need.
- 1-800-PACK-RAT is a reputable company. If you check out the reviews written by their past customers on their website or even third-party apps like Yelp, you will notice that the company has gotten a majority of positive reviews for the quality of service that is offered to its customers.
5. Sells Packaging Supplies
- The company will even let you purchase the packing supplies from their facilities. These good quality packaging supplies are designed for packing stuff into their own containers specifically. That way, you won’t have to exert that extra effort of running through the market in search of good quality supplies.
6. Comprehensive Coverage Options
- The coverage options provided by Pack Rat are quite comprehensive. No other company offers coverage to their customer, which is as expensive as $75,000 worth of the customers’ belongings.
7. New Tech Service
- The company used its own patented lift system which ensures that the containers are lifted upright and placed at the ground level when you load or unload. As the container is lifted upright, the items inside it do not shift and break. Moreover, the container being on the ground level ensures easy loading and unloading of items.
8. Secure Storage Facilities
- If your container is in storage, you can make the company deliver it to your house for a nominal fee if you ever need to take out or add something to that container. If you want access to your container when it is in the company warehouse, you can notify them 24 hours prior and they will move your container to a well-lit and car-accessible part of their warehouse.
- The company has ensured that the warehouse is safe and secure in all ways possible. The warehouse is under surveillance 24/7. The warehouse has automated sprinklers and the doors are heavily guarded.
- The warehouses are climate controlled in nature. The company has appointed engineers who understand the optimal temperature at which your belongings should be ideally stored. The temperature of many warehouses ranges between 55ºF to 80ºF with humidity below 65%.
Things To Consider Before Hiring 1-800-PACK-RAT
- The final cost of the move tends to be higher than the quoted price. The price difference isn’t very vast, but you must remember that there are certain extra charges (mainly fuel surcharges and some taxes. that you will be asked to pay later on. You must ask about all the hidden fees before you hire them so as to make sure that there are no surprises in the end.
- One other thing that Pack Rat must improve on is its booking schedules. The customers have to place an order for the container 10 days prior to when they want it to be dropped off. To add to it, the company will ask the customer to make a payment of $500 five days before the container is dropped off. So that’s why Pack Rat does not order last-minute bookings. If you are in a rush and there are last-minute bookings that need to be made, Pack Rat most probably won’t accommodate them.
- Pack Rat has outlets only in 29 US states. Their stores are not available in all states because of which a move to a state with no Pack Rat store isn’t sometimes accommodated by the company. If you insist, Pack Rat might allow you to book a move to a state with no Pack Rat stores at a much higher price. They do this as their containers have to travel a larger distance to reach you.
- Their online system is great for booking all your moves. But if you are planning a long-distance move, you will definitely have to book it over the phone. According to us, this isn’t necessarily something you should worry about. Long-distance moves tend to get expensive, so it is better if you talk to a company representative over the phone. While talking, you can bargain and get the price down. These representatives assist and guide you to plan a great move as well.
Frequently Asked Questions about 1-800-PACK-RAT
Is Pack RAT legit?
Pack Rat is an excellent option for anyone making a move in the city because it has locations nearby. If you’re moving long-distance, Pack Rat still seems like a perfect choice if you don’t want to pay for full service with another company!
How much does 1-800-PACK-RAT cost?
The cost varies depending on how far away your destination is and what type of service you need. If it’s local, like going from one house to another in town or within proximity, the costs are relatively low at approximately $1,750 per job. Whereas if you’re moving long-distance across states or overseas, which requires more labor and equipment than just loading boxes into trucks, that will set customers back around 5200 dollars! 1-800-PACK-RAT can offer an all-inclusive package for the average price of $3,290.
How does 1-800-PACK-RAT work?
1-800-PACK-RAT is more than just a moving company; they are also experts in packing and storing your possessions. The best part about the service? You can pack their containers at your own pace; it’s not like you have to rush!
Is Pack RAT or PODS better?
There are so many options when it comes to moving containers. PODS and 1-800-PACK-RAT both offer competitive prices, but they’re different in other ways too. If you want a wide variety of locations or higher quality units for your belongings, go with PODS; if budget is more important than anything else, then choose 1-800 PACK RAT as it has lower pricing after discounts.”
How do I cancel my 1800 PACK RAT?
You can cancel your order anytime-just give one of their representatives a call at 1-800-722-5728. They will be able to walk you through it or assist in any way possible.
Does PACK RAT price match?
1-800-PACK-RAT is proud to offer the best price match guarantee on all of its services if you find a lower-priced service with another provider.
Is PACK RAT climate controlled?
Pack Rat Self Storage offers various facilities nationwide with different approaches in order to meet customer’s needs. Choose from on-site storage or co-op style units that are climate controlled and drive-through access when needed – all at affordable prices.
How big is a PACK RAT container?
A pack rat container is large enough to hold the contents of a small living space, but don’t worry about moving yours. It’s 12′ wide and 7.5′ tall with an interior size of 620 cubic feet!
Does PACK RAT provide movers?
1-800-PACK-RAT has partnered with Hire A Helper, so you’ll be able to find packers and movers in any area of the country for all types of moves! You are eligible for 1-800-PACK-RAT’s great discounts when mentioning that you’re already one of their customers.
Conclusion
1-800-PACK-RAT is a well-known or famous company for all the right reasons. It is a great choice for you as it offers high-quality moves at affordable prices. Pack Rat is a great company to hire if you are going for a local move. Even for long-distance moves, you can rest assured that all your items will reach the new place safely. Their storage facilities are undoubtedly one of the best services offered by them. Overall, Pack Rat is a company you should definitely consider hiring and we trust you to make the right choice for yourselves.
