Q: Tell us a little bit about Macon Moves.
A: I actually just opened the company in early 2014. I've been moving furniture for 20 years, I started when I was 12 with my dad. I've always wanted a moving company, I wish I would have started a long time ago. It's started off so good.
I've done various things and now I've finally done what I wanted to do all the time and I haven't been happier. I can't even describe how good it's been in the last three months, especially after joining Movers.com.
Q: What made you want to get into the moving industry?
A: I've always done it, always liked it, it always kept me thin. It's tough work but it's very rewarding, alleviating the stress out of customers. It's just something that I always wanted to do. I sold the other businesses and moved back to Macon and started it. I'm so glad I did.
Q: What types of moves does your company do?
A: We cover Macon but we do residential, commercial, and out of state moving. We specialize in Macon but we still cover all the big cities--and everywhere else for that matter--in Georgia and the Southeast region.
Q: What is your favorite thing about working in the moving industry?
A: Just helping people. When people are moving they're extremely stressed and it's nice going there to alleviate that stress and let them feel a little bit at ease while we handle getting their stuff moved.
Q: What is the most common mistake to avoid during a move?
A: Just overdoing it. I talk to customers every day that just start crying on the phone because they're so overwhelmed. They're trying to get a three or four bedroom house packed in three days and getting it moved. I would advise them just to prepare. Whenever they get their stuff moved to their new house, spend a couple weeks unpacking, don't do it all at in one day or you'll get stressed out and frustrated.
Q: Describe your most memorable moving experience.
A: That actually happened last week. If you've seen the show “Hoarding: Buried Alive”--the woman called me on the phone crying, telling me she needed to be out in two days. The move could have taken me a week working 12 hours a day. Instead of charging her for seven days, we worked for five days and I gave her a discounted rate of 70 percent.
Q: What's the most important piece of wisdom you can lend to people planning a move?
A: Preparation. Not trying to do it all in one day. Making sure that you pack all of your stuff. Even though we have a low price guarantee, moving is still expensive, so take the time and pack your small items and leave the heavy stuff for the moving companies.
Q: What does Macon Moves offer customers that they won't get with other moving companies?
A: There are two things. Our employees are not day laborers. They stay with us every day. They are trained adequately how to lift furniture correctly and not damage it.
Also our low price. Moving is extremely expensive. It doesn't have to cost $500 to $1,000. We offer a low price guarantee. We have the lowest prices in Macon, Georgia, and probably the Southeast region. I think that's extremely important on how Macon Moves is taking off, especially getting quotes from Movers.com. Because when we come in with half the price, [the customers] are astounded.
Q: What is the strangest moving request you've received from a customer?
A: I've had all kind of strange things. I've had people ask me to move their pets because they don't like their cats meowing in a cage on a long-distance trip. I had a woman ask me to move her goldfish and if he died in the process, my neck was basically wringed.
A lot of times I refrain from taking on lawn equipment because if you don't have a lift you're not going to get it on the truck. We always ask upfront if they have any dangerous or hazardous equipment that could possible injure somebody.
Q: What is the heaviest load you recall moving?
A: Two days ago we had to move an 800-pound grand piano. That was extremely tough. The woman told me to be extremely careful with it because it was a $25,000 piano. That's probably the most expensive and heaviest that I've done since opening Macon Moves.
Q: What's the most common reason for a delay in a move?
A: I don't have any delays. When a customer tells me to be there, I'm extremely prompt. If some unforeseen circumstance happens, I will still go out there and assist with the move so we can be there on time. If they tell us the move is scheduled for 1:00, we'll be there at 12:30. If something has happened: a wreck, somebody's missed work, I will call them and tell them,“Hey, this has happened.” But those are emergencies and those are rare.
Q: What changes do you see in the future for the moving industry?
A: I'm just excited to grow and see how we can better help people. Getting new equipment--for pianos, you have special equipment now. I'm excited to see where technology takes us, and how moving trucks can become more cost efficient getting them from point A to point B. We're constantly developing that and I'm excited to see where that goes in the future.
Q: Anything else you'd like to add about your company?
A: We're excited to be in business, we're getting really busy especially thanks to you guys. I'm extremely pleased with you guys and extremely excited to see what the future brings.