I used CR Hamilton for a recent local residential move. Bill came to my home to give an estimate. He told me that it would be about 1300 dollars. He also suggested that I pack boxes and moved things on my own if I wanted to save a lot of money.

I closed on my new home three weeks prior to moving into the new one. Each day I made two or three trips with my SUV loaded. In the end, the only things left downstairs in the old house were two couches, tv console, large screen tv, dining room table, a couple of lamps, and a few chairs.

I watched three workers move slower than I had ever seen anyone move. At times, they were just hanging out at their truck. At one point, they asked me if I could put some boxes in my car because they were worried they'd break in the truck. In fact, they didn't come with any supplies to securely box any loose smaller items - not a single box or bubble wrap. My friends and construction workers at the new house couldn't believe how slowly the movers were walking. Toward the end of the day, I actually got into their truck and started unloading - it was sure quicker than waiting for them!

In the end, I got charged pretty much the same rate as the estimate - it took them almost 9 hours - plus I had to pay an hour extra for travel to and from their office in Huntington. When I was moving stuff on my own during the three weeks of transition, my family and friends told me that it wasn't going to matter financially because the workers would make a day out of it no matter what. I wasn't sure what the end result would be. However, I knew that either way, I'd feel better about moving things to the new house at a smaller pace than having it all dumped.

After the horrible experience, I complained to the company. They told me that my old house had small doorways and halls, so it took longer. However, Bill was aware of this when he gave the initial estimate! They also told me that the movers said they had to use the back door of the new house instead of the front because of the width. First of all, I have huge double front doors! Secondly, I watched them move things through that front door for a long time. So, I presume that they lied to the owners of the company. Then when I persisted, they told me that the slow pace was due to newly sanded floors in the new home. This was another stretch since I only had a nursery, child's room, and master room sanded. The rest of the floors had not been sanded. When I told them that my friends and constructions workers at the house were all commenting to me about how their grandmother's could do a better job, the company said that onlookers always say things like that. They did nothing to resolve the matter with me other than to make excuses that were unfounded.

The dishonesty and lack of ethics this business displayed is disgusting. To me it's not as much about how much money I pay - it's about getting the services that I pay for - and also having a low-character salesperson come to my home and lie to me about how they would charge less than the estimate if I did some of the moving on my own.

If anyone considers using this company, I'd obviously advise them against it. But if you chose to take the risk for whatever reason, please always remember, the person giving you an estimate is a salesperson - they're looking for ways to get more money from you. Unfortunately, we all know that some are honest but some are quite the opposite. Finally, I'd insist that they give you an estimate based on the weight on your belongings instead of by the hour, even if it is a local move.