Up & Up Moving and Storage

Yay for finding these guys on Yelp!

So, I was preparing for a big move - from the right coast to the left and was understandably nervous about it. I did a lot of research about what the best way to move was -- would it be to hire movers who would drive cross-country, ship everything via FedEx/UPS, or transport everything via freight or plane? I found that the most cost effective and controlled way to do it would be to bring everything with me as "luggage" on my flight.

However, because I had 10+ boxes, I knew I would need movers to help me transport everything from SFO to my apartment. I also knew this would probably come across as an unusual request to the local movers, so I wanted to find a small company that might take something like this on.

I emailed SWM to see if this was possible. John replied and said he could, and because this was a "special request," he would also pick up the boxes in his pickup truck at no extra charge. This saved me an extra hundred bucks and some headache for sure. He continued to follow up with the right questions and we coordinated to make sure everything was set for the day of.

As luck would have it (or the lack thereof), on the day of the move, my flight was delayed by almost 4 hours. I was supposed to get in around 2pm, but didn't arrive until 6pm which meant I might not have been able to gather my boxes from luggage claim and head over to the apartment's leasing office to pick up my key in time. (The leasing office closed at 7.)

I texted John and he assured me that this was fine and that he didn't have another move planned for that day, so it was doable. I'm positive this wouldn't have happened if I had hired a bigger moving company. (Added points for flexibility!)

So, I finally arrived and John met me at the airport to pick up all my stuff and safely transported everything to my apartment. True to what other reviewers have stated, he is very professional, respectful, and hard-working.

I'm definitely hiring them for my next local move!

I used Up and Up Moving for my local move a couple months ago, and I was beyond happy with the service. The movers arrived promptly, were incredibly efficient, and they had lots of strategies for moving really heavy and tricky items. I was shocked at how many boxes one man could carry in one trip based on how he stacked them to carry. The workers were careful and meticulous with my delicate pieces, and they had materials ready to go for a few last-minute things I had not packed yet.

The other fabulous reviews on here are true--this company is great! I will be using them again without hesitation for my next move.

Can not recommend. I would suggest you do not hire this moving company.

While the guys worked really hard, there were some real issues:

1) Ruined our $5,000 sofa by somehow getting house paint stains on half the sofa, then tried to cover it up by placing the stained sides face down so we wouldn't see it. (They must have had a paint spill inside the tuck before our move -- we did not move any paint.) Shocked that they would be so careless.

2) Broke the glass door of our bookcase. Had promised to replace within a week but it has now been 3 weeks and we keep calling them with no response.

3) Broke our kid's Lego table.

Brandon originally promised to address these issues but now has not been responsive and we keep calling. Unfortunately it looks like they are NOT insured, which we thought they were.

4) Also: when we first got the quote, they insisted that they could move all our stuff in one trip with the size truck they have. They needed two trips, which ended up taking up more hours and costing $800 more than we had estimated.

Given these issues, we can not recommend this company.

We will be spreading this far and wide in the Oakland community to let others know.

We will also contact our bank to see our options in addition to filing in small claims court if we have to.

I really hope they honor their word, which so far - they haven't.

Short version: I'm raising my review to 3 stars which is an average of the 1-star initial experience with the 5-star effort that owner Matteo made to apologize, take responsiblity, and pay for damages.

Long version: On the same day I e-mailed Up and Up's owner Matteo and posted this review--in fact, within an hour--he called and sent me a message. "I will make this right," he said. His actions over 2 weeks since then demonstrated his strong appetite to do as he promised. We discussed how this situation happened, and he took full responsibility for all of the elements of this that were preventable. In fact he took *personal* responsibility rather than throwing his crew under the bus, which was commendable. We talked about how he might more effectively communicate the fact that moving industry contracts fully protect moving companies from liability regardless of the cause--accidents or moving company negligence. My lesson: I should include full coverage insurance in my future moving budget.

Matteo arranged for my damaged cabinet to be repaired, paid part of the costs of my unpacking crew (who had to play Jenga in order to carefully untangle the unsecured load), and promised to (re)train his crew.

Despite the shifting load, we had very little breakage, and no breakage in the boxes they packed. For a cross-country move in a UPack truck (which is not known for gentle treatment of loads) this is a very good outcome.

Matteo rightfully pointed out that I asked for help packing the kitchen the night before the move, which meant the crew moved quickly in the kitchen--hence the unlabeled boxes.

I wish none of this had happened, but I'm very grateful for Matteo's integrity in committing to make it right.

Brandon (foreman) runs a strong shop. He moved some furniture out of our house & into their warehouse for a few weeks while our floors were being redone. Then also emptied a storage container worth of stuff. A long day for everyone! Super glad to support Oakland grown & black managed business.

They did a nice job wrapping all of the furniture, so it stayed in good shape. The crew member did mark our furniture as in "fair" condition, but when I pointed out that some of the furniture was nearly new, he adjusted the stated condition for all of those pieces. The included "freebee" industry standard insurance is pretty minimal, so we bought extra 3rd party insurance (movinginsurance.com) just in case, but we didn't need it. (Note that there are exclusions on the insurance for MDF furniture and upholstered furniture). Everything came back looking the same as before they wrapped & started moving it.
I had a question about the invoice and Brandon called back quickly to discuss and I was happy with the explanation & resolution. Better to call than to stew in silence!!!

A friend recommended Up & Up Moving based on her family's recent & great moving experience with them. I hired Up & Up for a move from Oakland to Long Beach. I really appreciated that their team could guarantee a delivery date while we spoke on the phone before the move. Several larger moving companies could only give me a 3-5 day delivery window.

Brandon and team were prompt, friendly and all about efficiency. I appreciated the team's hard work and dedication to getting the job done fast and well. I am very happy that I went with Up and Up Moving and Storage! I highly recommend this moving company.

I used them last year and didn't have any issues with them. They were able to help me move at the last minute and were polite, quick, and friendly. And when I say, quick, I mean quick. One of the movers put a box on his back which I found fascinating. :)
My items are still in storage but I don't think they broke anything. :) I would use this company again.

I was really pleased with the hard work Jesus and Santo put in. They carefully, but quickly packed up a studio apartment at an assisted living facility, and a few days later Jesus and Elliott moved it all into a truck and took it to their Hegenberger Loop storage facility. The price was great, and everything about the company was very professional. I particularly appreciated the excellent communication with the staff over the phone and the itemized invoice. I would use Up and Up again in a heartbeat.

I used this company twice in a month - once at home and once at the office. Both experiences were fantastic. The team members are super friendly and helpful. They packed and wrapped better than I would do myself. Highly recommended.

They were prompt, quick and professional on the front end, picking up my one room apt, quickly and efficiently.

After tip I paid them just over $700, it took them less than 3 hours to move all my stuff into their van.

I was under the impression that amount of money covered move in-out, I've been trying to get my things back from them, I'm on my 3rd week right now, and I got one message from them, asking when I'd like to come get my things or get them delivered. Which I was confused about, because the guy who picked up my things very much made it sound like that money I paid them to pick up my goods was for both pickup and delivery, never told me picking up my items from them was an option.

I just called them again, only to be told that the apparently ONE person who handles or knows anything about getting my things back isn't answering his phone.

Will update this once my things get delivered, hopefully before next year...

This company is not insured ! When they broke my sisters bed they said that her bed was broken when they got it. How is that possible ? Why would they not mention that prior ? And why would she be living on a broken bed ? BE AWARE BEFORE USING THIS SCAM COMPANY ! Also the other reviews are family and friends. Be aware !!