RELO Roundtable…a gathering place

Competitively priced alternative for moving a small amount of furniture and personal effects

The other day a California coed inquired about a small, affordable household goods shipping solution she'd recently uncovered. She's spreading her wings for the first time since graduating and, having never moved before, was quite concerned about being ripped off after hearing some of the horror stories in the media.

My Move Options (MyMO) is a relatively new hybrid relocation service. It's designed to quickly, conveniently, and 'greenly' transport a small amount of goods ANYWHERE in the country using all of the professional skills and equipment resources found inside most full service moving and storage companies.

The quote she'd received was submitted by a mid-sized local mover. Although the national van line they're affiliated with operates their own mobile/portable container transport program, the agent was planning to use MyMO's much smaller, corrugated 'lift-van' type container to expedite the few personal items and little bit of furniture my young visitor was planning to take to her new home.

As usual, the standard corporate lump sum benefit offered by this young professional's new multinational employer was designed to help defray some of the normal out-of-pocket relocation costs that do-it-yourself (DITY) new hires incur when moving to a new location. Her question suggested she was trying to allay her personal fears and spend her company's money wisely.

Company History

I've never heard of MyMO. When I started digging, I was surprised to learn both the breadth and the depth of the fairly new organization. Compared to other containerized shipping options that handle household goods as freight shipments, this new small shipment relocation service is operated and staffed by a strong cast of very capable managers. Collectively, the company has decades of sales and operations experience gathered from inside the full-service moving industry.

Unlike some of the more popular containerize shipping options offered by general freight common carriers and third-party logistics companies, My Move Options LLC is a licensed domestic household goods freight forwarder specializing in providing professional service and unprecedented load and delivery date certainty to the small shipment market of the household goods moving industry.

Three easy-to-sell highlights of the innovative services offered by My Move Options are:

DATE CERTAINTY:

• Day specific load date and delivery date, as selected online by the transferee, at no additional cost
•  Shorter transit time – typically within 1 to 8 days anywhere within the continental United States

PRICE CERTAINTY:

• Customized client online tariff based on 48 state “From and To” of shipping containers used and services pre-ordered
• Unlike many other van line or third-party 'Crate 'n Freight' programs, pricing and accessorial service charges are never based on weight
• Inexpensive, affordable storage costs, eliminating conventional delivery-out and daily storage charges

SERVICE CERTAINTY:

• A Move Options Manager (MOM) assists the transferee throughout the moving process
• Below industry average claims (10% incident rate)
• Service level flexibility
• Self pack or professional pack
• Do-it-yourself (professional mover included) or full service
• Change any component of move as situation dictates (Just call MOM)
• Full Replacement Protection available

My Move Options LLC was formed in July, 2009. Based in Memphis, their corporate office sits in the shadows of global mobility move-management company, Primacy Relocation. Industry insiders might recall that the Cartus Corporation acquired Primacy in January, 2010.

Memphis is also the home of the FedEx Corporation. The huge international logistics services company is providing most of the linehaul transportation and distribution channels for this new nationwide specialized door-to-door service option.

Container quality control

Currently most mobile/portable moving options use large, heavy, rigid, wooden, steel or plastic containers to provide coverage to their limited area service. Most options vary in size from 6' to 24' in length and their capacity ranges from 300 – 1200 cubic feet.

Today, many densely populated urban environments, exclusive residential areas, and older municipalities either prohibit or restrict the placement of unattended mobile/portable shipping containers or trailers on private property or public access thoroughfares. Service, therefore, is not only limited by the number and location of each companies terminals, but also by applicable community codes, traffic laws and local ordinances.

MyMO containers, on the other hand, are smaller. Much smaller! Think lift-van style and 'D' type containers. The company's exclusively designed non-wood shipping containers are constructed of 70% recycled corrugated material. Not only does it take less energy to produce, manufacturer, transport and dispose of the material, but, once each reaches the end of it's useful life, they are 100% recyclable.

To some, cardboard isn’t perceived as being as strong or durable as the more expensive counterparts currently being used in the marketplace. Tests show, however, that corrugated shipping containers actually protects the contents better than wooden, steel or plastic mobile/portable shipping boxes and crates because the material is more forgiving when subjected to the normal rigors of over-the-road transport, and warehouse and cross dock handling. 

This claim has been repeatedly supported by the vibration, compression, impact and puncture testing performed on several versions currently on the market.  When a component of a corrugated lift van is compromised by rough handling, it can be easily and inexpensively replaced in minutes with a similar piece. 
 
MyMO's corrugated containers are also multi-functional.  Because of their construction, compact storage characteristics, and simpler assembly, these versatile units can be used in a wide variety of shipping and storage environments by the full service moving industry, self-storage facilities and DITY shippers. 

Unlike the much larger POD-type alternatives that require specialized transport equipment and expensive, heavy-duty lift systems, MyMO's light-weight corrugated containers are compact and easy enough to construct that they can be handled with normal local delivery service vehicles driven by one person equipped with a conventional pallet jack.

My Move Options LLC is a member of the American Moving & Storage Association, the non-profit trade association representing members of the professional moving industry. As a dedicated service supplier, MyMO supports the national group's quality initiatives by using ProMovers certified exclusively by AMSA's consumer protection program to provide both origin and destination work.

By comparison, some of the other small move options managed by general freight carriers and move brokers offer 'pseudo' moving services arranged through a loose network of unregulated contract labor services and small independent local movers.

Service Options
 
My Move Options offers 3 levels of moving service that range from simple do-it-yourself (DITY) packing and loading for domestic interstate moves all the way up to complete full-service professional handling and comprehensive transit liability protection for domestic relocations.

Pro-Dity Standard

“Transportation” for the Pro-Dity service includes:

• My Move Options Shipping Containers
• One Professional Mover/Driver to assist the customer in loading items into Shipping Containers at the origin residence
• Transportation of Shipping Containers from origin residence to destination residence
• One Professional Mover/Driver to assist in unloading Shipping Containers at the destination residence
• Debris removal at time of delivery.

“Cargo Liability” includes $.60 per pound per article at no cost.

Pro-Dity Upgrade

“Transportation” for the Pro-Dity Upgrade service includes:

• My Move Options Shipping Containers
• One Professional Mover/Driver to assist in preparing furniture for shipping and assist the customer in loading items into Shipping Containers at the origin residence
• Transportation of Shipping Containers from origin residence to destination residence
• One Professional Mover/Driver to assist in unloading Shipping Containers at the destination residence
• Debris removal at time of delivery

“Additional” for the Pro-Dity Upgrade service includes:

• Paper pads for furniture protection (10 per Large Shipping Container, 5/Medium, 3/Small)
• Professional packaging of one flat screen TV.

“Packing” for the Pro-Dity Upgrade service includes:

• Packing material and labor (intended for breakable items) of 2 Dishpacks, 5 medium cartons and 2 Picture/Mirror boxes).

“Cargo Liability” includes the opportunity to place a total value on the shipment declared by the customer based on a minimum of $3000 per container and a maximum of $10,000 per container, creating a total shipment value of $3000 to $60,000 to be used for settlement to lost or damaged goods based on the terms of the Forwarder protection Plan which references Replacement Cost Protection.

Go-Pro, Premium Service

“Transportation” for the Go-Pro service includes:

• Cost of Shipping Containers
• A Professional Moving Crew at origin to properly pad and prepare all items for loading and to properly load all items from residence into the Shipping Containers
• Transportation of Shipping Containers from origin residence to destination residence
• A Professional Moving Crew at destination to unload all items from the Shipping Containers and unwrap and place items in their final resting place in residence
• Debris removal at time of delivery.

“Additional” for the Go-Pro service includes:

• Paper pads for furniture protection (10 per Large Shipping Container, 5/Medium, 3/Small)
• Professional packaging of one flat screen TV.

“Packing” for the Go-Pro service includes:

• Complete packing service, material and labor, for all items requiring such preparation for shipping.

“Cargo Liability” includes the opportunity to place a total value on the shipment declared by the customer based on a minimum of $3,000 per container and a maximum of $10,000 per container, creating a total shipment value of $3,000 to $60,000 to be used for settlement to lost or damaged goods based on the terms of the Forwarder protection Plan which references Replacement Cost Protection.

My Move Options – Your Small Move Solution

If you're in the business, you know the high service expectations that many discriminating individuals, corporate clients, HR and mobility service firms; relocation management companies, and education and healthcare professionals place on obtaining a quality interstate or international moving service at competitive rates.

Under MOM's watchful eye, My Move Options provides 'executive' type managed relocation service to small moves for an affordable price. MyMo is designed for:

• Lump-sum relocations
• Full service moves less than 4000 lbs.
• Temporary job or offices assignments
• New hires, or someone just starting their career
• Downsizing homeowners or empty nesters
• Small businesses moving products or displays
• Anyone looking for price and service certainty

I sent my recommendations to my young guest with two thumbs up. I'm anxious to hear how her new life is starting.