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1-800-PACK-RAT is a self-service moving company that rents and delivers containers for moves and storage. It offers moving and storage services in 30 states and Washington, D.C. And the company has subsidiaries that cover some other parts of the U.S.
Locations | Pricing | Service Options | Contact Info
| 1-800-Pack-Rat: Our rating | |
|---|---|
| Overall | 3 |
| Value | 3 |
| Customer Experience | 3 |
| Credibility | 3 |
| Availability | 3 |
| *Scores are out of five. |
Bottom line: 1-800-PACK-RAT is fairly affordable for long-distance moves and storage. But that price comes at a cost: you’ll have to do the labor yourself.
The company does offer some flexibility. It has several different container sizes, so you can mix and match, only paying for what you need.
If you need help loading and unloading your stuff, this is not the moving company for you. You’re probably better off with a full-service mover, like Bellhop.
🚚 Get a free quote for your move.
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Get startedHow Does 1-800-PACK-RAT Work?
To book a move with 1-800-PACK-RAT, you call a representative and schedule a time for the company to deliver the shipping containers to your residence. You pack your things and load them into the container yourself. Then the company picks up the container and transports it to your final destination. 1-800-PACK-RAT also allows short- and long-term storage of these units.
1-800-PACK-RAT: In-Depth Breakdown
Value
📊 Our rating: 4/5
|
1-800-PACK-RAT’s long-distance moving price is cheaper than the industry average. But, unlike most of those companies, it doesn’t offer full-service moves. You’ll have to pack, unpack, load, and unload your belongings yourself — or hire someone else to do it.
The company’s site doesn’t list prices. We spoke directly to a representative to get a quote for a two-bedroom house for a long-distance move from Chicago to Seattle.
1-800-PACK-RAT offers three sizes of containers:
- A 8-foot container for up to 2 rooms of furniture or 4,000 lbs.
- A 12-foot container for up to 3 rooms or 6,000 lbs.
- A 16-foot container for up to 4 rooms or 6,000 lbs.
The representative recommended that we rent a 16-foot container to fit the belongings from a two-bedroom apartment. The container rental price was $323.
Then the rep calculated how much the delivery would cost and added it to the container rental. 1-800-PACK-RAT offers first-time customers a 10% discount, so our quote was $3,780 total That’s below the national average for a long-distance move — $4,835, according to HomeAdvisor. But remember, this isn’t a full-service move. You’ll save money, but you’ll pay in time and effort.
Here’s the cost breakdown of the quote:
We can’t definitively say that customers will have a good experience with 1-800-PACK-RAT. The company has a broad range of customer reviews on several platforms, which makes it hard to judge.
For example, the company has 4 out of 5 stars on Trustpilot, but it only gets 1.74 out of 5 on its Better Business Bureau (BBB) site. Both of these are trusted third-party platforms, so the discrepancy is confusing.
But the top complaints on each site consistently mentioned delays and customer service issues. Many of the reviewers said they experienced delays. Some said the containers didn’t arrive at the starting point on time. Others said the drivers arrived at the final destination later than scheduled.
Many of these customers added that they were unable to reach 1-800-PACK-RAT about the delays.
But even though 1-800-PACK-RAT has such a low rating on its BBB site, the company responded to the complaints and has a current A rating from the BBB. Also, the representative we spoke to was friendly and upfront about pricing.
🚚 Get a free quote for your move.
Answer a few simple questions and get matched with a vetted moving company that has the right expertise for your move. You’ll get a free quote and there’s no obligation to book.
Get startedCredibility
📊 Our rating:3/5
|
1-800-PACK-RAT has a few red flags for credibility.
The company is registered with the Texas Department of Transportation but not with the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT). That means 1-800-PACK-RAT is not actually licensed for long-distance moves between states.
In fact, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration database says the company isn’t authorized to transport household goods at all. And U.S. DOT records also show that 1-800-PACK-RAT is not currently insured.
But 1-800-PACK-RAT has moving carrier subsidiaries that carry out the deliveries. These companies, like Ace Moving and Storage, Forward Relocation, and Zippy Shell, are all insured and registered. It’s possible that 1-800-PACK-RAT keeps operating without authorization because the subsidiaries handle the actual moves. But we can’t verify that.
The company does have accreditation from the Better Business Bureau. So it at least makes an effort to resolve customer complaints.
Availability
📊 Our rating: 3/5
|
A 1-800-PACK-RAT representative told us that it can take a few weeks to reserve a container. In peak moving months (starting in the spring), you might need to wait 4 weeks to get a container delivered to your residence.
The company has locations across most of the U.S., so it will most likely be available in your area.
Like many other moving companies, 1-800-PACK-RAT does not offer online reservations for containers or storage. You’ll have to call a representative at 1-800-722-5728 to book.
About
Locations
1-800-PACK-RAT is available in 30 states and Washington, D.C. It also has affiliate companies that cover most of the continental U.S.
States 1-800-PACK-RAT Covers
Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Washington, D.C.
Pricing
1-800-PACK-RAT didn’t give us quotes for each container size. But the rental price for a 16-foot container (the largest size) was $325.
The delivery pricing depends on factors like move distance, services needed, and the size and number of containers. The company also offers several discounts, including a first-time customer discount. Call 1-800-PACK-RAT to get an exact, custom quote.
Service Options
- Local moves
- Long-distance moves
- Military moves
- Moving supplies
- Packing
- Storage
Contact
| Phone | 1-800-722-5728 |
| Website | www.1800packrat.com |
| Address | 11640 Northpark Dr., Ste. 300, Wake Forest, NC 27587 |
Methodology
Value
Our question: Is this moving company worth it?
We start assessing value by requesting a quote from the mover. A quote gives us a breakdown of the company’s fees (hourly rates, truck fees, etc.) and tells us how costs compare to the local and national average.
If a company’s costs are drastically higher than these averages, we can recommend more affordable movers that we’ve also thoroughly vetted. A detailed quote also gives us insight into any additional fees. For example, is packing included, or do you have to pay extra?
Customer Experience
Our question: What’s the common user experience for this service?
We look up the mover’s average rating on popular review sites like Yelp, Trustpilot, and Google. Then we read as many reviews as possible to verify the rating and see if any positive or negative themes stand out.
If we notice potential red flags, like lots of damage complaints, we reach out to the customers to see if there’s a cause for concern.
There are also companies who pay people to leave positive reviews. So, if the reviews are glowing, we reach out to reviewers to see if they’re real customers.
Credibility
Our question: Is this company a legitimate business?
Unfortunately, moving scams are fairly common. Lots of people have experienced losing their deposit, movers never showing up, and companies outright stealing their personal items.
To check a company’s credibility, we look for things like Department of Transportation registration, active insurance, and licensing with the appropriate state authorities.
Then we look at sites like the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to check the mover’s accreditation, rating, and any unresolved formal complaints against them.
If all the credibility signals check out, then we give the business a high credibility rating. If something seems off, we reach out to the company and former customers for comment.
Availability
Our question: How bookable is this moving service?
To check if the company can typically accommodate a customer’s desired moving date, we ask the company how soon we’d be able to move. Then we ask if the date is flexible.
We also comb Department of Transportation records to see how many trucks and drivers the mover has. A small fleet is a sign that the mover has limited capacity. The company might not be able to handle lots of moves during a busy season.
