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Checkmate Movers Inc
Rating Details »
Neighborhood: North Park
3525 W Peterson Ave
Chicago, IL 60659
(773) 539-9451
3525 W Peterson Ave
Chicago, IL 60659
(773) 539-9451
Box Delivery Special
Mention you found us on Yelp & we'll deliver boxes to your home with no delivery charge! (You buy the boxes, we'll deliver them at no cost!)
- Hours:
Mon-Sun. 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
40 reviews for Checkmate Movers Inc
This business is a Yelp Sponsor
9/23/2009
Updated - 11/14/2009
8/13/2009
8/6/2009
7/2/2009
6/16/2009
7/18/2009
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Updated - 9/1/2009
5/11/2008
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8/22/2008
6/28/2007
One of the Business' Favorite Reviews What's This?
Corey, Dajuan, Mike and (that other guy!)
At some point a man has to look in the mirror and realize he's too old to rely on friends to help him move. The days of renting a truck, bribing buddies with pizza and beer, hauling box after box down the stairs and ending up with scratched furniture and broken electronics are over.
That point came for me just a few weeks ago. I knew I had to hire professionals and not use something like eMove where one rolls the dice on contract labor. Even then you have to negotiate a huge rented truck through an alley or a one-way street, fill it with gas and return it.
A friend recommended Checkmate and after confirming with reviews here I opted to go with them.
Best. Decision. Ever.
Kevin is very straightforward in explaining the pricing. I did a cost-benefit analysis of the whole deal and found him to be very valuable as his estimate was less than the engagement ring on my fiancee's finger. (Had we attempted to move ourselves, we probably wouldn't have survived it!)
I had to reschedule from early Saturday to Sunday at the last minute and he was able to accommodate a move at 3 pm. His crew called me at 1 to ask if they could go ahead and come by and I told them absolutely! as I was ready to move asap.
Corey and his crew showed up a half hour later and immediately got to work. You might think you have an obligation to help these guys, but let me make it easy on you.
IF YOU TRY TO HELP YOU ARE SLOWING THEM DOWN. GRAB A CHAIR AND JUST WATCH!
Seriously, the way they move is so startlingly efficient, it's easier to stand by and watch rather than participate. They cleared my 3rd floor apartment and moved on to my fiancee's place around the corner. They cleared hers and it was off to the new place.
Unloading the truck is much quicker than loading it and pretty soon we had all our stuff.
The estimated time was a bit over than my quote, but it was through no fault of their own. I underestimated what we both owned which caused an increase in the time it took to load everything.
There are some big pluses here -
1 - They wrap your furniture to protect it. My fiancee's couch was damaged by the http://eMove.com guys who brought it in her place last year. Checkmate wrapped the couch was to get it out the door. Although the wrapping didn't survive getting out the door, the couch did and suffered no further damage from the skinny doorway.
2 - They really do want you to do nothing. Get out of their way. You wouldn't try to help a doctor if he's operating on you, don't try to help these guys, it's what you're paying for!
3 - They're very likable. There's no concern that they're going to try to swipe something or walk off the job. The whole time the guys were in a good mood while moving my stuff and hers.
Having moved 7 times in the last five years, hopefully this is it for a while. When I move again, I'll use Checkmate though.
So I am updating my review for Checkmate. They still rock.
Here's the thing with hiring movers who are NOT Checkmate. other companies like to use their own tape, and charge you for it. Then other companies try and sell you boxes. And they take forever, and take long breaks.
Checkmate is not like those swindlers. Sure they offer those services, but you have to ask for them and the rate is a flat fee per piece wrapped or for boxes purchased. We hired them in May of 09 to move us from our apartment in Chicago to a storage space in Grayslake IL. I can pack my own stuff, and prefer to, and Checkmate was the only company that offered a flat rate for three men and a truck. I made a reservation a month in advance, and the day of the move they showed up 15 minutes early! And they hauled butt! They even helped us move the stuff to the alley for the junk truck. They hauled butt up to Grayslake and neatly loaded all our stuff into the storage space.
Flash forward to today, they drove all the way up to Grayslake, loaded up said storage space and drove to the new place in Evanston. Even had one of the same movers, which was pretty awesome. They moved us into our new space.
It took them four hours from the drive up to Grayslake to loading the truck to driving back to Evanston to unloading the truck into our new house. Awesome! The total was $100 less then the estimate.
Thank you Checkmate!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/11/2009
Hired these guys to move us from point A to point B.
They were on time, polite and did just that.
The… Read more »
We just used Checkmate movers and overall had a good experience. It was the first time I had ever hired movers so I was just happy not to have to haul all of our crap ourselves.
They showed up over an hour and a half late. To be fair, they did call us to warn us they were running late. It didn't really bother us at all so I am not holding that against them.
The guys were very nice and worked pretty quickly. They were true to their quote, which was very appreciated. The only real negative was that they broke our front door and didn't mention anything about it. We didn't notice until a few days later, actually, that the screen door is completely broken. It would have been nice if they at least told us about it or tried to fix it.
Be wary if you have electronics. They broke my TV. Something on the inside of my TV must have fallen off during the move because now there is no picture coming out of the tv. Just sound. But since it's not "external" they don't cover it. So now a TV that I spent $3000 on is just garbage. They provided no help, didn't even say sorry. Kevin wasn't apologetic at all. Just said, if there's no external damage we don't cover it. I actually had to call a couple of times and leave a message about it. No one ever called me back. I finally called with a different number and someone picked up right away. I guess they were trying to avoid me. If you use these guys, just make sure you move your TV yourself.
I guess they can shake the crap out of your TV but as long as it doesn't crack, they are not liable if it doesn't work anymore.
These are by far the best movers I have ever worked with, and I've worked with a few (5 moves in 5 years -- I don't recommend it!).
Here's my two cents:
1) They showed up EARLY. Yes, early. They called and asked if we were available and then came right on over. It was moving serendipity.
2) They were UNDER their incredibly reasonable estimate. UNDER THE ESTIMATE!!! (That never has happened to me before -- it made my whole week)
All of our stuff arrived in great condition, super fast and for much less than I expected to spend. Not to mention I enjoyed hanging out with our crew -- they were funny and interesting.
I can't recommend Checkmate Movers highly enough.
I have two reviews in one, because Checkmate moved me personally and professionally.
6 months ago I needed to get my basement moved for a construction project but I was going to be out of town and my wife was 8 months pregnant. We got their name from Angie's List and couldn't have been happier. They were on time, Kevin the owner gave us a great quote and they were UNDER! UNDER!
We actually got charged less than they had estimated. We were shocked.
OK, now on to the professional move. I had huge equipment that had to be moved. Kevin came to my store and had a look at the machinery. He said he could do it and was fully insured to do it. They moved an entire shop in 6 hours and two 900 pound machines.
Their quote was 1/3 of what every other mover that "specialized" in moving large equipment charged. If you don't use them you are a fool. A diamond in the rough.
I agree with the people who posted below, these guys are as good as they come. I've been in a lot of different apartments and have used movers every single time, these guys are the best in the business. The big things for me were: 1) They were very up-front and honest about cost. 2)The movers themselves were very professional and friendly 3) They moved everything very quickly, without breaking anything. 4) The cost is extremely reasonable and the service was awesome.
I highly recommend CheckMate!
I hired Checkmate movers because of the reviews on Yelp, and everyone is right, these guys are awesome! Kevin (I think he's the owner) gave me an extremely reasonable quote and got me scheduled for the day and time I needed. I did all this pretty early, because I like to be prepared, and I'm glad I did...
On moving day, I was completely frazzled. I walked into my new apt (which was new construction) and it was covered in a layer of dust an inch thick. Of course I was dismayed because the movers were coming in three hours and the management office was supposed to have the unit spotless--it wasn't. My mom and I feverishly cleaned for the next couple hours, all the while worrying because I felt like this first debacle was setting the stage for how the rest of the day was going to go. Thank God it didn't.
First, Kevin called me two hours before the movers were supposed to come just to check in on me--awesome. Then, the moving crew got there 5 minutes early--even more awesome. The three movers we got (I know one of their names was Paul) were great as well. They never stopped moving all the while entertaining us with these crazy stories (crazy meaning interesting and hella funny). They got my one bedroom packed up in an hour and were on my way to my new apt even before I was! By 3:45 (they arrived around one) they had moved all of my boxes and set up all my furniture! And did I mention they never stopped moving!!
These guys were great, I'd DEFINITELY hire them again. When it was all said and done, I paid them $375 plus tips, which is reasonable for all the crap the lugged for me. Definitely hire Checkmate movers!
This was the 7th time I have moved with professional movers.
Checkmate was:
PROMPT -- they called me half an hour ahead of the scheduled time to let me know they'd be there in half an hour
EFFICIENT -- they moved my 3 bedroom apartment out of a high rise about an hour sooner than estimated
COURTEOUS and PROFESSIONAL -- Bill and his crew were conversational without being too chatty or intrusive, thereby not wasting my time and money
EFFECTIVE -- so far, I've not unpacked a single broken item
The only improvement I would recommend is for the crew to take the cellophane they used to wrap furniture and recycle the wrap.
This was my first experience hiring movers & they did a wonderful job. Showed up on time, got everything done in 2 hours flat (an hour under the estimate), and were friendly.
My only complaint is that my mattress & boxspring covers wound up with tiny holes in a few places, but in their defense, I did not tell the guys that the covers were new & ridiculously expensive, nor did I remember to go buy mattress bags like I meant to (they told me they did not provide bags 2 days prior to the move), so I can't really *blame* them. I would just suggest buying your own mattress bags if you hire this company & that's something you're worried about.
Everything else was fine, including my digital piano & several boxes of fragile items. No hidden charges or fees for things like shrink wrapping/furniture pads.
I would definitely recommend them & will use them next time I move.
I will use Checkmate again AND recommend them!!
I have very heavy furniture (couch and bed frame) and they moved ALL of my stuff in 2 hours (and trust me it's a lot of stuff) it was a little bit more time then I was originally quoted but it was still totally reasonable.
and 'Steve' was gorgeous... so it's always helpful to have cute movers ;) oh... and they have a HUGE truck. all my stuff went in 1 trip! fast. cheap. and VERY careful! A+
I have to agree with the previous reviewers--these guys are the best! From the minute I called and spoke with Kevin (I think he's the owner) to when we signed the bill, they were honest and helpful.
We moved last week - 2 bedroom/2 bath in River North to a 2 bedroom/2 bath in the West Loop. I have absolutely no complaints. The move took a little over 3 1/2 hours, which was what we expected. All of our things arrived in excellent condition. They didn't wrap things that didn't need to be wrapped (the crew leader, Paul, told us that they knew how to pack a truck so that we didn't need to wrap everything...he was right!). They could have easily swindled us into thinking we needed to wrap each piece of our furniture, but they didn't, and we really appreciated that. Also, they charge per item for wrapping instead of by roll of tape, which I really liked. Some places charge you per roll of tape/wrap, and then they use like 3 rolls to wrap one thing...but not these guys.
The guys in the crew were friendly and worked hard. They even brought up a six-person dining table and chairs that we brought from a different location and were not in our original estimate.
Another thing I really appreciated was the constant communication. For example, if I emailed Kevin with a question regarding our move, he either called or returned my email within 24 hours. As another example, after the guys had loaded our stuff in the truck and left for our new apartment, Paul called me and told me that he took 90/94, which was really backed up with traffic. He told me that he should have taken side roads, and ended up shaving off 15 minutes of moving time for taking the slow way. How many moving companies will do that without being asked!?!?
As for price, we came in somewhat over our estimate, but that was really our fault for under-estimating the amount of stuff we have. I do not feel that we overpayed at all for the move. Also, when we told Paul that we heard about Checkmate on Yelp, he gave us a discount on the amount of wardrobe boxes we rented and on the amount of furniture wrapped - - probably ended up saving us $80 or so dollars.
If you need movers, hire these guys. You won't regret it.
Today I used Checkmate to move my small studio apartment to a 1BDRM across town.
These guys are truly professional, fast, and on their game. They had my stuff moved in no time, and unloaded it just as easily. The quote was 100 Percent accurate, VERY reasonable, and I HIGHLY recommend them to others.
They were worth every cent of the cost I paid and the tip I gave. Again, I HIGHLY recommend Checkmate!!!!!!
They weren't the most gentle with my stuff, but I think most everything made it unscathed. I had a few broken glasses, and a speaker grille got a snag, but overall, I can't complain. What amazed me was the speed, they moved a whole lot of stuff in just a couple of hours. The price was reasonable.
UGH!
Just what my gut told me might happen after reading other reviews- yes they showed up with a too small of a truck!
I sent email after email keeping them up to date on my box count, etc. so I could avoid this nightmare, I even told them how large my basement was and that it was packed- so hence, don't show up with a small truck- when I tell them that my basement is 24 x 15, why would you show up with a 15 foot truck- well they did. And I am sure they do this to totally screw you into making more money, I mean what are you going to do- you are pretty much at their mercy- it's moving day right. My 2 1/2 hour estimate took SEVEN hours!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My ONLY positive for this company, 1) they were on time and 2) the crew was cool
otherwise, they suck and their steal and screw you method of doing business is not someone you want to be doing business with!
And by the second run, the crew was moving at a far less in-a-hurry manner, I had to start moving my own stuff outside to keep the stuff moving, it was brutal. So I paid someone else so I could schlep my own crap, not what I had in mind.
They were super easy to schedule with, showed up ON TIME...which has NEVER happened to me before, were all very friendly and polite (movers can often be buffoons as we all know) and the final price only came in a tiny bit over the estimate, which was fair enough.
They are great if you're moving on a budget and a short time line. Highly recommend!
Worth every penny! My husband and I just moved after a two year stint in a tiny one bedroom. Wow, we accumulated a ton of crap! Luckily, we were able to make several trips with our car before the big move, but the minute these guys showed up, they got down to business. They did the job in a little over three hours, which is about what we were quoted. We ended up paying about $70 over our quote and plus tip, we spent about $400. Like I said, well worth it! They arrived early, but we were expecting them any time after noon, so we were ready. They had a huge truck that accommodated all of our stuff with plenty of room to spare. The three man team was literally taking our little, but heavy boxes and stacking them inside a larger box, then strapping them to their back to carry up one flight of stairs. They did a great job with our flat screen TV and sofa, which were really the only big things we cared about. The only thing that broke was 2 cereal bowls, but it was my fault for not packing them with bubble wrap.
I would highly recommend Checkmate Movers, and would highly recommend using bubble wrap regardless!
We used Checkmate movers for our move last weekend and they were great. After reading reviews on The Professionals, I originally wanted to go with them, but they were booked for our date. Checkmate was our second choice. We needed to pick up from two locations and deliver to one, and Checkmate offered to go to our first location the night before, store everything overnight, then go to our second location and then our new apartment the next day. We were thrilled with this arrangement and it didn't cost any more than the Professionals.
We had four movers - Paul, Titus, Abel and "new guy." They were right on time, called when they were on the way and kept us updated on when they were charging and when they weren't (they charged when they were driving to our first stop and sitting in traffic, but not when they stopped for dinner.) When they arrived, they hustled like crazy - my boyfriend and I felt like lazy pieces of crap watching them run up and down the stairs. It was the new guy's second day, so he had a little more trouble - he broke a light fixture at the top of our stairs carrying a desk. Paul apologized though and told us we can send him a bill for the light. We haven't done that yet, so I can't vouch for how easy it will be to get refunded, but we were happy no one got hurt.
Our new apartment is on the third-floor with a somewhat difficult staircase. The four guys were up and down so quickly though that you never would have known how hard it was. They were extremely friendly and completely willing to move furniture all over the place. We packed everything in advance except for lamps, framed pictures and hanging clothes. They rented us wardrobe boxes for those things for $6/box.
They quoted us about $700 for two stops (one in West Dundee, one in Lakeview) and one delivery to a third floor, 3 bedroom apartment in Old Town. This included one bed, kitchen table and buffet, a couch and 2 loveseats, computer, tv, entertainment center, several dressers and about 40 boxes. It took six hours over two days and they charged us $774.
Overall, they did a great job. Fast, friendly and efficient. No fancy uniforms or fancy truck or anything, and the light fixture did get broken and one dresser was scratched. Besides those things, though, we couldn't have been more pleased with Checkmate. We will definitely use them again!
These guys were great. Kevin got back to me the same day with a quote and was very easy to work with.
They had a big house in the burbs to move in the morning and our apartment in the afternoon. They called and let me know they would be a little behind our scheduled 2pm start, but once they arrived they hustled and got everything done in advance of the quoted time. They were awesome, just got down to work and moved exceptionally fast. I bought them some Gatorade's before they got there, and tipped them well after. They worked extremely and were very nice. I would recommend them to anyone.
Had a second move by Checkmate. The office staff is still pretty gruff on the phone, but expect it and move on. But the movers hustled the whole time. I never saw them dawdling around at all. They arrived on time this time. The bill was a little higher than I expected, but all in all I'm completely satisfied with the move and will use them again.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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7/19/2008
The office staff is really pretty rude and not responsive, but the guys that moved me were truly… Read more »
I can't say enough good things about these movers. I had a three man crew for my move and they were great. Nothing got broken including the aquariums I had them move. They did not insist on wrapping everything like my last movers (Anderson Bros), and were very efficient. To top it all off, my bill was about $35 less than the estimate they gave me.
Also, I had this small black clip (used to hang a DIY CO2) on the back of one of my aquariums that had fallen off. My fault for not being more careful. I figured it was a gone, but still asked if I could check the truck. The head mover asked what I was missing, so I described the piece, thinking he'd have no idea what I was talking about. His response was, "Oh yeah, I already found it on the floor or the cab, it's right there on your counter."
GREAT workers, and incredibly fair prices. I will never waste time calling elsewhere.
So, of course, I was guided by my fellow yelpers and chose these movers. They were late however, they did call in advance to warn me. There were three guys and when they got to my place, they were on a system. They knew exactly what to do, and didn't waste one moment. They never complained (even when my husband decided the dresser should be moved from the second floor to the basement), sent any bad vibes, but did their work.
These are no nonsense movers so don't expect anything fancy but not one item got damaged. Let me reiterate this further, they were careful with all of our items and moved them efficiently and timely.
I had "professional" movers move us from Miami to Chicago called United/Suddath and they had twice the amount of people and they still damaged some of my furniture and items both the packers and the movers and took twice as long. This time, I packed my own stuff and I am pleased with Checkmate.
This company was great.
I hired these guys to help me move on August 10. It was my first time ever hiring movers.
I was moving out of a 2nd floor 300 square foot studio into a 3rd floor 2 bedroom apartment that was three miles away. I was completely packed, so I didn't need them to help with that. They quoted me 2.5 hours for 3 guys at a flat rate. They showed up on time, and were great and very polite. I was AMAZED at how fast they were, and how strong, too. I had several boxes of books. I couldn't even pick up one box, but these guys were strapping 3-4 of these boxes at one time to their backs and hauling them. It was amazing.
They actually finished under time, so I was charged for only 2 hours. They also never broke or damaged anything, which was a big relief. I was so happy with the job they did, I gave each guy a 10% tip.
Anyway, I chose to go with these guys after reading reviews on YELP, and I am SO glad I did. I highly recommend them. As another reviewer has written, though, follow up with them before the move to make sure they have you down and everything is set. That was the only part I was ever really concerned about.
I've used these guys for three or four moves and recommended them to numerous friends, all of whom have had very positive experiences. Next time I have to move, it's a no-brainer that I'll hire Checkmate again. They have always been prompt, friendly, reasonably priced and (even though they get paid by the hour), unbelievably FAST.
I would give them a 5, but I'd never used a mover before so I have nothing to gauge this against.
They arrived early and got straight to work. I grabbed my kitties, called a cab, gave them the address to bring everything to and left them to do what it is they do. Besides, they were scaring me and I didn't want to watch them move my stuff. That's not to say they were damaging anything - because they weren't. They treated everything very well. I was just not used to OTHER people moving my stuff.
I moved from Lincoln Park to Rogers Park. They got my stuff to the new place in record time and they had to come up two flights of stairs - and like the first reviewer said - they did it all without complaint. It cost me a little less to move, but I was only moving a one bedroom apartment worth of stuff. I'll probably use them again, and do the same thing I did this time. Again, cos I can't watch. I'm easily freaked out.
All in all they work really hard and very fast.
After using another highly recommended local moving company for my last move, I was kind of nervous to use checkmate, but they called twice to let me know their ETA, and when they arrived they started hauling things immediately! The other movers I had used did not wrap or protect anything, so I was surprised to see my couch in protective film, and moving blankets draped over my wooden furniture. They had wardrobes to rent for $6/each, which I thought I would just drive over after they were done with the move, but I was really happy I didn't.
And, everyone is really nice. Bill, Bill & Timmy, at least. And I there was a 4th fella, who is also nice, who helped once we were at my apartment, but I fear that he wasn't actually employed with them, and that he was just my neighbor who was being helpful and nice as my husband and I moved nothing. He definitely lives in my building, though. And I'm kind of embarrassed.
I'm not moving again for a REALLY long time, but when I do, I'll definitely use Checkmate.
These guys did an awesome job. They were not only on time, but early- which was nice. My move was fairly small- I was only moving my bedroom and assorted boxes- but they really worked quickly- despite the not-so-fun stairs at my new place (on the 3rd floor).
My quote was for 2 hours, but they were done in 1 hour and 40 minutes- and so it ended up costing me less than $200. I ended up tipping them the difference of what I expected to spend because they were great.
If I could give Checkmate 6 stars, I would! None of the moving companies I've used in the past were even half as good as Checkmate.
I had 3 guys for my move. They were fast, friendly and they are very affordable. I was amazed at how quick the move went. They did not damage any of my stuff. Not a single scratch!
The next time I move, I will definitely use Checkmate!
These movers were great...definitely a lot better then my old movers.
I moved less then a mile from home (still in Lakeview). I was moving out of a third-floor walk-up at the back of the courtyard to a first-floor apartment. They estimated it would be 3.5 hours and it was actually less, so I paid less then what I was quoted.
The movers did arrive late, but that was because the first woman in the suburbs for the day had way more items then she stated that she had. They called me before my appointment time to tell me they would be late and that they would call en route. And that is exactly what they did.
We ran into a minor snafu with parking (getting those "No Parking - Moving Day" signs from your Alderman is a waste of time, 311 will NOT come and tow the car, no matter how many times you call them during the day), but that was not their fault and they handled it professionally.
Unlike another moving company in Chicago, they actually ASKED me where my boxes went in my new place, and they all spoke English. They also did not ask for additional tip money like the old movers (and I did tip them well, since they did a great job).
Would I use them again? Absolutely. Would I recommend them to a close friend? I already have. They made the huge pain of moving as easy as possible.
Based on the reviews on here, I really expected to give these guys 5 stars too...but I have a few caveats that make me think the next time I move (hopefully not for a long, LONG time) I may look elsewhere.
The good news is that everything got moved in a little over two hours (for a usual 1 Bedroom apartment load of clutter) and the price was definitely right. My original quote for 2 hours was $233. I was floored. For the 2 hour and 40 minute job, I still came in under $300. Ultimately, in the big picture, a very very good thing. And the two "worker guys" (who never told me their names) were wonderful.
But...
I find moving very stressful and I have to say that a couple details from these guys really made it more, and not less, stressful. First, my appointment was for 10am...they showed up at 10:25 and didn't call until they were standing outside my place. That annoys me...25 minutes is pretty late. It should warrant a call. Second, they showed up in a Budget rental truck and really looked like a rag-tag crew. In the end it doesn't really matter, but I was surprised at the level of professionalism. I expected a little more. Third, the "head guy" didn't really say anything to me except to convey that I had misled them as to how much stuff I had and was visibly pissed at what they had to move. I'm sorry, I don't move every day and the dude on the phone asked for an estimate IN BOXES. (What kind of boxes? How big would those be?) I felt like I was being reprimanded...and yet, I was paying for it. I'm a Catholic and I know about self-imposed guilt, but I draw the line at having to pay for guilt.
There are other things (like a complete lack of personality or sense of humor about anything, continually huffing about clearly annoyed that I'd put them behind schedule....b/c of my "misleading" estimate...) but in the end the move occurred for cheap so I guess that's the lesson.
But a complete lack of customer service on the movers' end will make me think twice about calling back. And from the way he left after the job was done, I'm sure Kevin will be all too glad never to see me again either.
disoriented management, 2.5 hours late, overcharged me, dumped out my desk drawers, broke my microwave.
After reading lots of yelp reviews and checking out Checkmate's clean professional website, I called to schedule an appt. The guy REALLY wanted my credit card number. I told him I'd prefer not to give it out until they perform the move and he told me he'd still prefer to "hold" my CC# until then. I gave in. Moving day, the guy didn't have my credit card number. Who knows where that's floating around by now...
Appt was for 3 and they said they would be in touch if they were running late. At 4pm, hadn't heard anything and called them. Mgr said he would call and find out what's going on. At 4:20, still hadn't heard anything. I called back "So have you heard from your team yet?" "Oh...no...what's your number again?" By this time, I'm panicking that it's 4:20 on the last day of my lease - no chance of hiring other movers now. I call all my friends freaking out to borrow a truck. At 4:35, the team lead calls me and says they should be there in about an hour, their last move took longer than expected. They showed up at 5:30, 2.5 hours late. I don't mind their tardiness so much as the fact that one simple phone update from them would have saved me hours of stress.
I told them the only thing to shrink wrap was my desk drawers. They told me it would be fine but then proceeded to tip it up on it's side. They looked at me and grinned as we listened to the contents of my desk drawers (pens, mail, CD's, etc.) go spilling into the inner cabinet of the desk. "I hope there was nothing breakable in there!," they joked.
The move was done in 2 hours although the estimate was for 2.5. However. They kindly charged me for 2.5! I couldn't believe this after they showed up so late and dumped out my stuff. I figured, "eh, you can't expect too much from movers anyway - oh well." And then discovered my microwave would no longer turn on. That's when I decided I should create a yelp account to save others from this bullsh*t. Seriously. Pick someone else. Not cool.
I recently had a last minute move, and these guys were able to accommodate my busy schedule within just a few days. They estimated 2.5 hours to complete the job, but were so fast that it was done in 1.5. They called me about an hour in advance to warn that they may be about 30 minutes late, but called back shortly after when they realized they would be on time. I had a three-man team, and they were all very cautious and careful when moving my things. This is the first time I've used a moving company, and I would definitely use them again!
I give Checkmate 4.5 stars. They were late for my move, but they called several times so I wasn't worried that they were standing me up. They originally told me they would have three movers, but one had car trouble so we only had two. But they reduced their hourly rate so that was ok. Our two movers -- Cory and Steve -- were friendly, polite, and great at their jobs. Working with them was great. The best movers I've had, by a lot.
Fast, affordable, they did a great job! everything arrived unharmed. I will use them again hopefully not for a long time though.
These guys are seriously great movers. Its hard to trust people in this business but at no time during my move did I worry about these guys. They were courteous and careful with all of my stuff and their prices were lower than everyone I compared them with. If you are making a local move I highly recommend you giving these guys a call.
this was my first time using professional movers & i selected checkmate after reading their yelp reviews.... they are fast, efficient, nice, and affordable.
they originally quoted me based on 2.5 hours, and finished in 2.25 - love that! it was the easiest move i've ever done.
I L-O-V-E these people! I moved from Oak Park to the city about a year ago and they were nice, cheap, and quick. I had only told them about half of the stuff I ended up having them move and they didn't even charge me any more than the quote. Overall I paid around $280. To avoid the hell that is moving, it's so worth it. I'm using them again for my next move and will continue to do so as long as I can. They rock. Simply put.
Checkmate Movers are the best in town. Unlike many other moving companies in Chicago, they actually charge you close to what they quote ahead of time! The cost is much lower than other places as well. They are friendly, fast and careful with your things. Book them early though! They fill up fast!!!
I would recommend Checkmate Movers to anyone. Over the phone I was given an estimate of 8hrs to move me from a 2 bedroom 3rd floor walk up to a 4th floor elevator building. I had some time constraints in the move that would have seriously been pushed if they had taken 8 hours or shown up extremely late. However, they called to let me know they were on their way and showed up exactly when they were scheduled. They started off with 3 guys, but they added a 4th right after they started. These guys had been moving into 1 am that morning and it was obvious they were tired but it didn't effect their work at all. They took no time in getting started and before I know it all 70 boxes that we had packed were in the truck. I'm not quite sure how they can strap 4 boxes of books to their back and go down three flights of stairs, but they did it over and over again. Then there was the furniture, which they seemed to get down just as fast and without any damage that we could find. Just under 2 hours into they move they had completely emptied my apartment and were heading to the new place. Somehow they beat me there and as soon as I got the door open for them they were bring stuff in. They were extremely careful with my stuff on this end and were happy to place things wherever I asked. Paul and his crew were so fast that they were done in exactly 4 hours. This was a very busy moving time (July 31st) but that didn't seem to faze them at all or effect their attitudes.
The ONLY minor issue I had with the company had to do with my initial contact. I talked to a guy on his cell phone out of the office who told me to leave my info on his voice mail and he would call back the next day. He never called back so I called again and talked to a different guy in the office who took down my info. It took them a little while to e-mail me a confirmation, but I did receive it. I also e-mailed them a list of all of the items I would be moving and that was apparently lost in the shuffle, but they truck was plenty big and they had enough guys. If you have a similar experience don't be afraid to call back just to confirm.
Checkmate Movers saved me many friendships this past weekend in our move from Printers Row to Southwest Lakeview. I can't say enough good things about how quickly they worked and how professional they were. Not to mention their rates were great!! I fully recommend them for your next move - I am confident they could handle anything after making our move successful!
