We recently used Saltwater Moving for our move from Charleston to Lexington, SC. We are a retired military family, so this was our 18th move, but our first time coordinating a move completely on our own. We have a lot of experience with the moving process and understand that moving days rarely go exactly as planned.
Overall, the Saltwater crew worked incredibly hard, and there were several people who really stood out. My biggest concern was that I feel the size and scope of our move were underestimated from the beginning.
Saltwater was the only company we received a quote from that did the assessment entirely over the phone rather than having someone come to our home to see our household goods. I felt I was very descriptive about what we had, but ultimately the job required considerably more truck space, manpower, and time than originally anticipated. In hindsight, I think an in-person assessment would have provided a much more accurate picture of the size of our move.
On packing day, Larry was extremely thorough and experienced, and you could tell he knew what he was doing. James had only been on the job for about a week and was trying hard to do well, but I do feel the packing portion could have been better organized and staffed. Quite a bit was left unpacked for the following day, including a number of odds and ends that still needed to be boxed.
On loading day, the original three-man crew was great and worked extremely hard. Larry finished more of the packing that never got finished the day before. Unfortunately, it quickly became apparent that they needed another truck and additional help. Two more team members eventually came, but by that point there was a lot happening at once and everyone was trying to make sure everything would fit. Things became somewhat rushed, and some of the packing and protection of our furniture and a 2 person infrared sauna suffered. Several cloth and upholstered pieces were not covered as well as I would have expected, particularly since our belongings were going into storage.
The unloading day was one of the strongest parts of our experience. The crew had driven almost two hours, it was very hot, and they still did a great job. Having five people made a noticeable difference. They took the time to shrink-wrap and properly cover pieces that had not been adequately protected during loading and made sure things were stored appropriately.
Jeremiah and Larry especially stood out to me as leaders of the group. I really appreciated their experience, work ethic, and willingness to make sure everything was right before they left. They took ownership of the job and made sure we were comfortable with how everything was handled, which meant a lot to us.
After 18 moves, I understand how physically demanding and unpredictable moving can be, and I don't fault the crew for their effort—they worked incredibly hard. For me, the biggest issue was the initial assessment and planning. I believe an in-person assessment, along with the appropriate truck space and staffing scheduled from the beginning, would have made the entire experience much smoother and less stressful for both our family and the moving team.
I’m very appreciative of the crew, particularly Jeremiah and Larry, for their hard work and for making sure things were right in the end.