Vote for Box Brothers Reader's Choice Award 2012

Welcome to the Los Angeles Daily News Reader's Choice Contest!

Some of the worlds best people, places and things are found right in our own community. That is why we are asking our readers to choose their favorites in a number of categories. Please take a moment to complete the survey below.

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Voting ends Tuesday, JULY 3, 2012

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Snowflakes And Moving, No Two Are The Same !!!!

I have been in the transportation (Moving) business for about three decades and what always impressed
me about Professional Moving Services was that they were always based on matching the needs of the customer with the capability of the mover and his equipment.

For example, in moving interstate, all professional movers or the legitimate ones, all charge by actual
weight.   So if a mover comes to your home and does a survey of what is actually moving from the old
location to the new location, he or she can offer a price based on the weight of what is actually moving.
Not for more or less, but based on the items that are moving.   The mover is to get a "light weight" or a weight of his van before he loads your shipment, then after the shipment is loaded, the mover returns to the public scale site to get a "heavy" weight afterwards.   The difference between the two is the actual weight
of your shipment.

Likewise, when the moving firm arranges for the actual mover to show up to do your move to another state, the carrier matches the space in the van with the load that is being picked up, as usually, a mover van or trailer accommodates multiple loads going to the same general area.  So, in essence, if the estimate is correct and the mover has the right amount of space, the system not only works well, but the overall service the customer receives is generally, very, very good.

Why, cause the interstate mover, is his/her own businessman, who owns the truck, employs the help and the mover receives the highest portion of the moving cost, as he is the one doing the move.   If he has a claim, it comes out of his pocket and his earnings, dollar for dollar, up to a certain amount.  What better incentive
could there be for the customer?

The problem with less than adequate service, or a poor move,  is usually, ask me, that a lot of customers tend to confuse purchasing a product vs a service.   Or put another way, a low price may have to do more
with getting a bargain, that does not always materialize into a good deal--sometimes you get what you pay for.

This entire discussion then, leads to the question of why are so many moving customers desiring to move
in a 20 foot container like those being rented to customers by both container firms and movers alike?  For the life of me, I simply do not understand why any person would want to take their own liability for moving
when they do not have to.   When you do it yourself, who else can you blame when something goes wrong?

I know, I know, movers are not that smart and if they can do it, so can I.....goes the mantra.  But this is not
even a fair or intelligent fight.   To move with a container and do it yourself, simply costs as much as having a mover do the whole thing for you.  Yes, it does. 

Just like moving today with a rented truck and you are going over 1000 miles away.   Anyone see the price
of fuel and how many miles per gallon trucks get, especially those in a rental fleet?   I still cannot figure out this "new new math" as I am old enough to have learned the "new math" but I cannot figure out why anyone
would want to move themselves, take full liability on themselves and the risk of injury to themselves, NOT TO OBTAIN ANY SAVINGS.   Besides, there is no one I know that can do a move better than some of the interstate owner operators I have seen in my life.

The older I get, the less things in life make sense to me.  For example, today, there are firms that want you
to rent plastic bins to move with, instead of using cardboard boxes.   Their proponents argue that this is a
"more green approach" to moving......cause you return the bins after you use them....so they are greener than
boxes made of 50% recycled cardboard and paper........and that you only need 20 bins, instead of 60 cardboard boxes.....(get this).....cause you can reuse the bins......lets just think this out.

Say you are moving 10 miles away to your new place and you have a economy car like a Chevy or a Ford
and you pack up 5 bins.   Then you have to carry those bins to your car, and load them into your car, drive
them over there (20 miles total) bring each bin up to the new place and then unpack them, and then load
them back into the car and do it again 5 or 6 times.   How long will this take to move this way and is this not harder on the customer to shlep these containers back and forth and do all the work, not to save any money?  

Please tell me so I can understand this logic as it makes no sense to me and I suggest that every person
who is moving should ask the right questions as none of these modern ways to move are less expensive
or are advantageous to the customer, ask me.

How Box Brothers Networks with Property Managers

One of the original marketing methods we utilized in growing our business, was to reach out to property management firms and to resident apartment managers, to help us ascertain just how much moving activity
there is within their properties and developments.

While our pursuit was originally for the sale of moving related cartons for those who are moving, we soon found out that many property management firms and resident managers have rules for how a firm loads
and unloads on their property.   Further, elevator management in some complexes are limited, and management as well as fellow tenants, do not appreciate not having access to their elevators, when delivery
firms and movers monopolize their use.

We have made tremendous relationships just by making sure that when we deliver moving boxes, that we
do not block entrances, restrict use of the elevators, and we are courteous and we notify the customer to
expect us prior to making the delivery.

Many firms understand extra needs when delivering to, or servicing clients out of commercial buildings
due to requirements for proof of insurance, and dock access, as well as freight elevator access, but those
same firms, do not always show the same degree of due diligence in residential settings, but I believe that
is both a mistake and a tactical error on the sales side of the equation.

While this blog is not the place to take about other firms mistakes or errors, it is not a secret that a good
firm will always give the very best service, to its smallest customers and to its largest customers.  I have
never understood how someone regulates heart, concern and commitment to do it right and how respect
are things you can dish out like condiments.  

Successful firms are full of quality people who care about their customers and about the people they service
as they tend to understand that their customers are not numbers on a balance sheet, but the people who put
food on their families table.   This is a very hard lesson to learn for a lot of workers and heads of firms, but
today, in a difficult if not impossibly competitive economy, what is the point of doing it half way, as I have one question for those who think effort and the best possible service is something to only talk about in the
class room or board room......"how is that working out for you....giving bad service....?"

There are those in sales who say that I am of base to speak about property managers in this way as they are
not our customers.   Their tenants, who are the ones who are buying the boxes, are our customers, focus on
them, not the people who collect the rent.   Maybe they are correct, but we have received so many referrals
from property managers to their tenants over the years--for moving boxes, that I would have to disagree with this opinion, no matter how successful they are.

You just have to expand your definition of what a customer is, as anyone in sales will agree, that you take care of your referral sources and they will take care of you.   Like I said, it is just a question of definition.

Here We Grow Again....Nostalgia or Are Times Really Changing?

While it is difficult to always answer a question about what true direction our economy is actually
heading in, I am fortunate to be able to announce that Box Brothers is officially growing again, like we used to......

Box Brothers of Las Vegas, is officially getting a new expanded facility, just across the highway
from the famous, Las Vegas Strip.

What is most exciting is that our Las Vegas operations will now have a centralized location near all
the Casino's, and adjacent to Highway 15; that our Custom Crating Division and our Casino Services
Division will not only be closer to our clients, but these two key divisions of Box Brothers, will have expanded capabilities to do more of these services, as demanded by our clients.

This is our 19th year in the Las Vegas market, and we are very proud of our staff and our operations
as we have a reputation in Las Vegas as being one of the best service providers in this large and ever
changing environment.

We look forward to our grand opening celebration, which is scheduled to take place just before the
July 4th holiday, but our operations will begin in our new facility on June 4, 2012.

Our new location is at 4255 Dean Martin Drive, Unit H, Las Vegas, Nevada 89103.   We can be reached
at 800 355-7917, or on our website, boxbros.com

We can actually attest to the fact that we are growing again.......

College Shipping-Getting Home For Summer

At this time of year, colleges will be freeing their student captives......as in the next 6 weeks, virtually all college campuses will conclude their spring semesters and summer begins--for college students, anyway.

For many students, the need to move or ship their clothes, their books and papers, and their household
items, is clear enough.   In California, for example, some of the University of California campuses have
upwards of 30,000 students (i.e. Cal Berkeley and UCLA) who generally leave campus for the summer.

At Box Brothers, we have been helping students get their items home or to their new homes, if graduating,
and the size of most of these moves or shipments are not big by normal moving standards, as few if any
students have time or the need to accumulate a lot of possessions while in school.

But having some idea how to get this done is important, as a lot of effort and expense can be
unnecessarily if you do not have some guidelines to go by.

First, we suggest you get the proper moving boxes to pack your items, no matter if you store them (e.g. mini storage), ship them via a package carrier (e.g UPS or Fedex) or hire a professional shipper or mover to
assist in this effort.

The general rule is that heavier objects, like books or tools, go into smaller boxes, or book boxes, as they
are called in the moving business.   If you had a large TV type box and filled it with books, you might need
only one, but who is going to lift it, and it will cause damage in transit if the box tips and it is too heavy.
Besides, filling a book box with books or papers will already, on average, weight about 50 lbs.

Always fill the box to the top as boxes are stacked in storage and in transit, so if they are not packed full,
they will crush and cause damage to the contents.   Tape all sides and seams--with good tape as you do not
want the tape to open in transit or in a hot storage unit--so that no bugs or water can easily penetrate the
cardboard.  Label the boxes with more than books, as if the box is heavy, also note that the box is heavy so
no one gets hurt lifting them.   This also tells the shipper, if they look at all (package shippers are notorious for ignoring fragile stickers on the outside of boxes) that these heavier boxes need to be on the bottom of the stack so there is no pressure on the bottom box.

For clothes, since they compress and are light, you can use larger boxes, same with linens and towels,
but you may want to use some of the towels to cushion your boxes with breakables, if you choose not to
purchase bubble wrap paper for protection.   This is not a bad way to save some money, but be careful to
really protect your breakables, as normally, if you pack the box, and the contents arrive broken, the carrier
will claim they are not responsible cause they did not pack it, you did.

If you want insurance protection, you have to let the shipper pack the items, as this is the same rule all movers have, packed by owner boxes (PBO) are not covered unless there is evidence of mishandling by
the carrier, which is hard to prove.

Once you have all goods packaged, you can then compare some prices and different ways to moving
these items.

Or you can just call Box Brothers and we will assist you in the procurement of the proper supplies, boxes or you can simply use us for packing advice, as we have stores staffed 7 days a week for your convenience and we even offer on site pick up at any college, packaging services, and a multitude of shipping options
for whatever your needs might be.

This is a service we have provided to college students for over 2 decades now, and we are happy to answer
any questions you may have that relate to packing materials costs, packaging costs, insurance, storage
and shipping services.   Whatever your budget, we can help.  Visit boxbros.com for more information and congratulations on finishing another school year.

Mother's Day is Coming........

Just a friendly reminder to all of you that Mother's Day is only 14 days from today, May 13th.
It is very important not to wait till the last minute to ship Mom her gifts, as if you do it early, it
will be less expensive to ship, since we have time this week to ship the presents ground, and not
air, which is a lot more money.

My mother, unfortunately, is no longer alive, but I remember what she often told me in her later years, which, for some reason, still rings true: a mother can take care of 10 kids, but 10 kids cannot take care
of one mother......I think my Mom told me this when I first forgot to get her a mother's day gift.....but
after hearing that statement, I was never late again.

Ask me, one day is not enough to celebrate mothers, as without them, where would be all be......
Happy Mothers Day.

Another Problematic and Inadequate Moving Alternative: Atlas' Smart Move Program

As someone whose firm has helped over 100,000 customers with shipments less than 2000
lbs, moving from one state to another (interstate moving), I was shocked and surprised to see that one of the nation's leading Van Lines, Atlas, chose to embark on a unique Small Shipment
Program, aptly named, Smart Move.

I can't find anything smart about it.

As the first firm in the nation to actually interact with the Less than Truckload Freight Industry,
Box Brothers simply created a system that allows for small shipments to be transported across state lines, by utilizing the existing infrastructure of the United States Freight system.

At the time, everyone in the moving industry, simply felt that they had nothing in common with the freight industry, as plain and simple, the movers were specialists and the freight guys were just haulers. As is often the case, there has always been more synergy between these two industries than anyone in either industry has admitted.

After all, about 25 years ago, it was a railroad, Norfork Southern, who owned North American Van Lines, and who decided it was foolish to have drop frame trailers, as someone there theorized that if they had equipment and orders but not the right equipment to haul freight, even if they were going in the same direction, they could not capitalize on it, due to the fact that
drop frame trailers were not suitable for palletized freight shipments.

Conceptually, this was not a bad idea, but it never worked and North American Van Lines, never seemed to get up to speed hauling a lot of freight. It could be that the Moving and Storage Industry is sometimes, decentralized with agent drivers and agents, who did not want the freight and of course, there were those who argued that it would be penny wise and pound foolish
to have a van line driver miss a job to load 5000 lbs when the freight firm needed 400 lbs picked up and delivered in a few days--something that the household driver and industry was simply not prepared to work out--then.

So here comes Atlas with this idea to create these heavy duty plastic type containers, similar to what we call a lift van, but much sturdier, and I suspect, as a very high cost. Never mind the carbon footprint so often discussed today.

But then, Atlas did something new in its program, it announced that it would not use the Atlas
over the road fleet to help facilitate the movement of these units, instead, deciding to put the
whole program onto a freight platform, to most likely obtain the benefit of quicker delivery dates than the moving industry can deliver, due to its structure of utilizing owner operators for interstate service.

Of course, the problem here is the same problem with all of the other small shipment solutions
the van lines have come up with in the past, merely addressing the need to offer a small shipment alternative, but with nothing compelling to the customer or nothing that moves the service and price quotient any closer to giving the customer a good and valuable transparent service, which is just what the industry is lacking today.

How does one size fit all a good solution. If you have 200 pounds to move, it will cost over $10.00 a pound just to ship it through their system. How come they can't tell the customer that the coverage they claim to provide to the customer that is included with each shipment,
is bogus. I think you would need to have a spaceship land on your container for you to be able to make a claim, as the whole issue here as with all of these new alternatives, is that the customer, becomes self insured and two, he moves himself, but pays as much as he would for a
full service move and does not have insurance to cover any losses.

This is the crap we get from one of the nations largest van lines. No transparency, no value in pricing and they do not tell anyone that their coverage will not cover the customer for self loading or packed by owner boxes. If this is a do it yourself service, how come they can't just tell you the truth? Why do they need to lie. Do you go to the market and buy fruits and vegetables, do you have to pay for 5 lbs of carrots, if you only want to buy one lb?

How does this help the moving industry, to promote a non transparent and one size fits all service, when the entire industry is about being able to deliver good service for a fair price. In
this day and age of renewed called for more regulation, not less, do we get a service that only promises an 11 day transit, over the freight system.

Maybe someone should tell Atlas and their "Smart Moving" program that Fedex, for example,
will take LTL freight from my dock on Monday, 4/16/12, and have it delivered to someone's
new home by this Friday, in New York, on 4/20/12, with standard freight delivery.

I might be wrong, but when we created our Small Shipment Services Program at Box Brothers, over 20 years ago, we set out to create an environment that leveled the playing field for the
smaller loads and their customers: We gave them certain dates and specific times for our crews
to do the pick ups; we took professional inventories; we packaged their possessions like they were our own, utilizing more and better packaging (air cushioning, void fill, eps foam sheeting, ethafoam for very heavy and breakable items like stone, glass, and statues, piano's, etc, and we boxed everything in customized cartons that were made to fit the item, not the other way around, and finally, palletized the shipment so that the only way that the shipment was moved, was with a forklift or a pallet jack--so that no item would be moved individually.

We also worked to obtain a mutually beneficial insurance program with a third party insured,
who specifically covers all items which need to be declared and valued prior to the move. We offer different deductibles, replacement cost protection and in the event of a claim, 99% of them are closed within 30 days after a formal claim form is submitted by the claimant.

But the biggest factor in our continued success is that we have a top to bottom commitment to the customer and to rendering top quality service, no matter how small the job is. You turn your lemons into lemonade and and you do not mislead your customer, nor do you convince him or her that a one size solution is best for all.

Atlas is a fine van line, one of the best, but I think this program, including suggesting the use of stock boxes, not official moving boxes is also a mistake by Atlas here, as on the one hand, they tell people that dish packs should be used for packing dishes and glasses--the standard for many decades in the moving industry--and they encourage the use of a single wall carton if you do it
yourself. Why?

I just wish that sometimes, large firms do their due diligence correctly, as we seem to forget what we have learned over the years, that we need to be service oriented and we need to provide good solutions for our customers, not something that is only a partial and not a complete
solution for their current and future small shipment customers. At the same time, these efforts only ensure that firms like Box Brothers will continue to play a part in this segment of the industry.