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Two Marines & A Truck
Category: Home Services Movers Movers [Edit]
8 Van Dorn StUnit 603
Alexandria, VA 22304
(703) 623-5288
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 7 am - 9 pm
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
Jessica S. said: "My sister recommended Gary to me after using him to move twice. He went above and beyond before the moving even started by providing me with crucial information I needed to prepare- how and when to get parking signs, similar box sizes…" read more »
19 reviews for Two Marines & A Truck
19 reviews in English
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Review from Anna S.
10/24/2011
I've used Two Marines twice for moves around the metro area. I'd happily do so again.
Where it truly counts, Nick Baucom and his crew do a great job. Both times I've hired them, they've double and triple-checked our agreed-upon moving time; given me a detailed cost estimate, then come in under it; showed up bang on time, if not a couple of minutes early; and treated my things with care and respect, even going so far as to mop my hallway after they tracked in some mud. They're also cute. That doesn't hurt.
Since they nailed all the non-negotiables, it feels like quibbling to point out the minor flaws in their service...but: Three things determined the difference between the A I'm giving them and an A+:
1. Cost. They do a variety of jobs from furniture delivery to full-scale moving, and while I've found their prices extremely reasonable for the more complex jobs, they're a little expensive for the simple. The second time I hired them, I only wanted a couch moved four miles from a storage unit to my office. It cost me $238 plus tip (they originally estimated $300). That's as much as it cost me to move my whole (admittedly small) apartment with them in 2009. As they expand, maybe they could strive for more flexible pricing on the smaller jobs.
2. Left items. I left my super-vintage N64 in a grocery bag in their truck when I moved apartments, and it took me a couple of weeks to get it back from them. I know it wasn't a super high priority item, but I missed that thing!
3. Expectorating. On the last job, one of the movers kept hocking loogies onto the ground when we were outside. He was otherwise a gentleman, as was marine #2, but that was gross. -
Review from Lou C.
Washington, DC
Updated - 10/17/2011
It is with great sadness that I have to write this update. I was so very pleased with my move back in May. At the time, I mentioned that some of the items that were moved from my condo in DC to my home in VA would be moved back. "No problem" Well, it turned out to be a huge problem!
When it was time to move those items back to DC this month (October) I called Two Marines & A Truck to schedule my move. I gave the information and was told to expect a quote the next day. The shocking part was I received a phone call stating they had a new policy that they no longer do moves over 60 miles. When asked when this policy was put in place, I was told 7 months ago. Well, that doesn't make sense since they did my move less than 5 months ago. I wrote an email to complain about this. No response. About a week later I wrote an email to the owner of the company about this, still to this date no response.
Absolutely no integrity. You don't leave someone in a situation like this. I had referred them to several of my clients. Would have been a repeat customer. At minimum, someone from Two Marines should have replied with some sort of an explanation, don't just ignore me. A promise is a promise (even if it is verbal).
I will never recommend this company to anyone again.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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5/24/2011
I could not have been more pleased with a moving company. Yesterday was my move. I called 2 marines… Read more »
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Review from Mike H.
Herndon, VA
9/11/2011
I believe they have changed their name to Two Marines Moving now. Either way, they provided excellent moving services. They were able to move my entire apartment in 2 hours (short local move), coming in around 2 hours under estimate. We had no issues with anything broken or missing.
They seemed very hard working and were there to get the job done quickly and efficiently. They also seemed very amicable and open to any requests.
I highly recommend this company for anyone moving in the area. -
Review from Matthew S.
Alexandria, VA
2/1/2012
Used these guys twice for moves in the DC metro. I don't know that I will be doing it a third time simply because of the second experience.
Availability - During the summer months these guys are booked pretty solidly and are small enough that it is somewhat hard to get ironed down for anything but a weekday. Be ready to burn through some leave for that move of yours.
Price - average cost of a two-person/two bedroom move is somewhere in the range of $400-$500 with these guys. My first experience ruined me as the two movers were efficient and the whole move from Falls Church to Alexandria was only ~$300.
The Gimmick - Marines. Let's be straight here, they get random guys from the military and have them work gigs moving stuff in their downtime to make some coin. Solid strategy really. However, you don't always get marines - read you might get someone who doesn't give a lick about your stuff and is just there because they saw a Craigslist job posting. They don't tell you about this practice and you might not notice if it's your only exposure to them, but the difference in quality of move (speed, execution, and breakage of furniture) was markedly different for the two movers who were not marines.
Overall the risk is probably about on par with any other movers, but these guys are merely renting a truck and finding bodies to haul your stuff around. Keep that in mind as you use them. Some have had enough experience in the moves to be pretty solid, but others... trust at your own risk. -
Review from Maureen C.
Alexandria, VA
2/7/2012
We are terribly disappointed with Two Marines Moving. I will never use the company again and will not recommend it to anyone. In fact, I strongly suggest never using their services.
The first time they moved us was great. They were efficient, professional, polite. This time however has been a nightmare. During the move they broke a mirror, a dining room chair, chipped a very expensive frame on a painting, and scratched two book cases that looked as if they were raked. The movers pretty much broke the mirror in front of us and we signed a receipt acknowledging the damage. I might add that these things have crossed the country twice without even a scratch.
We moved at the end of December and they have yet to resolve the situation. We left at least three voicemails and sent several emails before anyone actually talked to us. At first they were really apologetic and gave me their word to "make things right." It took them five weeks to finally get somebody out here to inspect the damage and fix what they could.
The repair guy, Ryan, said that he would take the mirror to a local glass shop to have it fixed and would call me that afternoon to let me know when the crew would be by to pick it up. Six days later I had yet to hear anything from Ryan or anyone else in the company to explain why he never showed up, or to schedule a pick up. Yesterday I called and left a message for Lance - no call back. I sent an email asking for them to pick up the mirror and that I wanted it in writing that they would pay the cost of repairing it. They wrote back and said they are sending me a check for insured amount of the mirror at 60 cents per pound. They gave me their word that they would at least fix the mirror and now they have blown us off completely without even an apology.
When I first spoke with Nick about the damage, he said that he hoped that the damage wouldn't affect my opinion of the company. I replied that accidents happen and that what matters most is how a company responds to and resolves the issue. In many ways that says more about a company's integrity than does its product or service.
Unfortunately the shoddy way Two Marines Moving have treated my husband and I speaks for itself. -
Review from Stephanie H.
Seattle, WA
3/30/2011
So, this review isn't of this company's services. This review is of a few good guys who helped me out when I needed it. And they happen to work for this company.
Story: Girl and car at gas station. Car is filled up and ready to go. Car starts. Car dies. Battery is culprit. Girl looks around. Girl sees guys (two marines and a truck, to be specific). Guys offer to help. Guys jump car. Girl drives away safe and happy.
So, no, I don't know if these guys do the best or worst job. But I do know that a few of their employees are thoughtful and helpful when people need it. And at the end of the day, I'd like to know that the people I hire are good guys.
Do with it what you will. -
Review from Anjaly P.
10/23/2011 1 Check-in Here
I found these guys through the help of a friend that had a spare living social deal for their services. I emailed in my quote and I over estimated the amount they'd have to move. I mentioned that to them, and was given a quote via email the next day. A few days later, I received a courtesy call to reserve a time and place a 'deposit' of $100 to reserve my spot. This $100 is credited to the move total that you pay on the actual day of the move. Little & Buckley gave me a courtesy call approximately 30 minutes before they arrived and once they came to my apartment building. I gave them a quick tour of where they'd be working (loading dock, hallway path and what needed to be moved) and they immediately got to work. They said they were pleased with what I had already pre-packed for them and that it was helpful that I over estimated what I needed them to move. That really helps movers with time management (I don't know why people don't do this regularly anyways.) Everything was packed, wrapped and brought over to the new apartment (literally 2 blocks away) and brought up to be unpacked, unwrapped and arranged where it needed to go in just under two hours. They came in significantly under the estimate (even without my discount for the living social deal) and left no mess. I was very pleased with the work they did! I've already recommended them to a few people and now I've spread the word to yelp.
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Review from Mary L.
Fairfax, VA
8/5/2011
The 3 starts are for the movers (headed by Chris). They lost 2 stars as dealing with the office people will drive you insane. You cannot get the same person to help you and to get a call back is not easy.
Mine was a simple task - I ordered some furniture and since they are big stuff, I called them to get the furniture for me and deliver it. The movers that came were punctual, courteous and efficient. Chris is the best (and his sidekick). If I can deal with him for everything (scheduling, payment, etc), that would be great. BUT warning on dealing with their office staff - like what Queen Latifah said, the right hand does not know what the left does. -
Review from Eric H.
Arlington, VA
11/27/2010
I'm a satisfied customer.
I got a coupon for these guys through Living Social, and I moved out an average sized one bedroom apartment. I was quoted about $500 for a four hour move, and that's what I got.
The two movers -- Matt and Sam (I think -- sorry if I got this wrong!) -- were great. They were pretty careful with my furniture, taping them up with matts and what not. My furniture isn't expensive at all, so that was never a worry, but they took pretty good care of it.
I think they probably take a little more care than cheaper movers (who might be quicker), and that time goes toward taping up and covering the furniture. So if that stuff's important to you, then there you go.
I imagine your moving experience with this company would vary based on who your movers are, but company-wise, they were pretty responsive and gave me lots of heads up and notification about the upcoming move date. Pricing is all there, no hidden fees or anything.
Overall, a good, stressfree move. Exactly what I wanted. -
Review from Emilee H.
Alexandria, VA
4/13/2009
Based on the good reviews I read here on Yelp, I called Two Marines for a cross-town move of a 2 BR apartment. I was impressed with my initial contacts with the company because they were very good with follow through. I was quoted two Marines for 3.5 hours, or around $375.
They called the day before to confirm everything - good. The morning of the move, however, I didn't receive the promised 30 minute notice of arrival; instead I received a call 40 minutes before their scheduled arrival time saying they were downstairs.
Instead of two Marines, we had three movers arrive. The U-Haul truck they brought was not large enough to carry all of our stuff, so we ended up having to move two car fulls ourselves. We also had similar issues as other Yelpers with the movers not having brought any tools with them and taking an extremely long time to take apart our dining room table. At one point they stopped the clock for 30 minutes in order to wait for tools to arrive.
Once we arrived at the new location, things went fairly smoothly but there was again an issue with reassembling the dining room table. All in all, it took them 5 hours and cost us $700 plus tips. We were told beforehand that we would be able to rate the movers after they finished - that their pay is based on their reviews - but we were not given that opportunity.
Our biggest issues with Two Marines were that the initial price quote was way off and that they did not come prepared - and thus did not seem all that professional. -
Review from Salil M.
Arlington, VA
10/12/2009
When it comes to movers, you can write (and read) all the experience-based reviews you want.
I haven't used them. I did call them.
1. They do not do in-person estimates.
2. They do not do binding estimates.
'Nuff said. Look elsewhere, friends. -
Review from Mark M.
Austin, TX
12/23/2009
I chose these guys to do my move because of the reviews on Yelp and because as a veteran, I like to support businesses that hire veterans.
My move was originally scheduled for the day of the big snowstorm of December 2009. The day before they called me pretty early to try to reschedule, because prospects weren't looking good for getting the move done. The point being is that communication was excellent and we ended up doing the move a few days later.
The move itself went well, they showed up 15 minutes before the scheduled time and we moved a 2 bedroom apartment from Arlington to Alexandria in just under 4 hours.
They were professional, courteous, and pretty cheap. The total came out to ~$390. $100 of it was equipment rental, which is fine by me because you're basically paying $40 for them to pick up and return the truck for you, which saves you a few precious hours doing what you want to do, which is unpacking your stuff.
Anyways, I would definitely use them again without hesitation. Nice job. -
Review from Daryl N.
Alexandria, VA
9/5/2010
Why isn't every moving company this good?
Several friends and colleagues recommended this moving service. We signed up via their online form, and were contacted by a very helpful and competent office staffer. They clearly explained their prices, policies, and that they would contact us the day before the move, and again in the morning so everyone would be on the same page.
Our movers were Kenny and Daniel. They were not only early, but were fast, thorough, and very nice. They handled all of our furniture with great care, packing and padding each piece.
The movers were real troopers, given that the weather was sunny, humid, and temps in the low 90's. Also, the condo we moved into was up three flights of stairs...sorry guys!
The movers finished roughly 1.5 hours sooner than quoted. Two Marines and A Truck only charges you for the time the job actually takes, so our bill was less than what was originally quoted.
They were worth every penny, and we recommend them! -
Review from anika k.
4/11/2009
I wish my story was closer to Brian G's but it was a lot like Lydia's. We had done most of the packing up ourselves, and called Two Marines to help move larger items: a bed, dresser, etc - to save our backs from the heavy stuff.
Although we told them part of the move would involve taking apart the bed, and taking the mirror off a dresser, it seemed like these two tasks took unreasonably long. So long that we had to help, to speed up time.
It took almost 3 hours just to load up the items from our small 1 bedroom apartment - first floor of a building, so a pretty straight shot to the loading dock. And I have to say, I was equally surprised with the amount of time it took to bring boxes into the new place, also on the first floor - again, so much so that I helped take boxes out of the truck and carry them in.
Yes, they were courteous, communicative and helpful. However, having done another inter-city move (M&M movers in Austin) that took half the time, with the same amount of stuff, and involved a more complex entryway to the new place, I have to say I was sorely disappointed and surprised at the bill. I raised my concerns to customer service, and while I hope it will help their next set of customers, I really don't feel better at all. Just a lot poorer. -
Review from Keith-Bethany H.
Warrenton, VA
3/24/2010
I chose these guys because of the rave reviews on Yelp. They did not disappoint.
Three guys moved all my stuff out of storage into my new house. They worked quickly, took care of my stuff, and were complete gentlemen. I've moved several times and nothing is worse than having people move your stuff who make vulgar comments towards you or hardly speak English. These guys were polite and worked hard to get everything done in a timely manner. I'd recommend them to anybody! -
Review from Melinda M.
Arlington, VA
6/4/2011
This was the worst experience I have ever had. First, their policy of shrink wrapping every single item was over the top. Especially since they wrapped every single plastic wheel on a plastic chair, but left the Tiffany lamps to be hand carried! I also paid 1K for them to pack me. I told them if there were items they couldn't pack (i.e. cleaning supplies) to set them aside and I would take care of them. Instead they packed them with my clothes and ruined items bought in Germany that can't be replaced! Plus, I have moved many times in 21 years of service and never have things been brought off the truck in an order that made unpacking IMPOSSIBLE. They brought in pictures, then boxes, then furniture than the area rugs! It took 5 days to get this undone and start unpacking boxes, which weren't labeled and many placed upside down. This also resulted in many glass items being broken. Bottom line, until they train their crews on HOW to move (btw I only moved 2 miles) DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!
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Review from Lydia M.
Burke, VA
Updated - 12/29/2008
Based on the customer service follow-ups after my move, I feel that its worthy of an additional star. I appreciate that my concerns were addressed and think that my concerns will be used as a learning experience in order to move forward.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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12/21/2008 First to Review
I would love to give Two Marines and a Truck 5 stars but after taking a day to process my move as a… Read more »
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Review from M. C.
Washington, DC
5/27/2009
A few positives warrant the star: 1) my actual movers were very nice, 2) I like the idea of this business and 3) responses to my initial inquiries regarding prices and moving dates were prompt and enthusiastic.
Now with the negative. A few weeks before my already scheduled move I received a call...asking if I'd like to schedule a move. Uh oh. Fortunately they found my moving date on the books and I just attributed it to a mix-up.
The next set of problems arose when I inquired into ordering a few boxes (just wardrobe and dish). The company called my cell phone to set up a time for someone to drop them off the next day. The next day I received a call on my work phone informing me that the crew couldn't reach my cell phone. I called back promptly from my cell phone, but didn't receive any response for the rest of the day. Or the next day, when I called again leaving both my work and cell phone numbers and e-mail.
Finally, the NEXT day, after several e-mails I received a response informing me that boxes could be delivered that night. (Mind you, opportunities to pack were dwindling.) I was informed that they couldn't reach me at a particular number--a number that is the generic caller ID number that shows up when someone calls from my office. A number I never would have given anyone, since it doesn't exist. And not the cell phone number they called me on mere days before.
Getting frustrated, I come home to get my boxes, only to discover at my front desk 1) wardrobe boxes with no bars on which to hang clothes and 2) dish and glass packs sufficient to pack three boxes, but with only one matching box. Useless. Two e-mails and a call the next day, and someone finally responds, repeating my initial inquiry, as if you imply I asked for the wrong thing. However, they did say they'd bring my materials that day. I leave work early and wait for several hours, and finally call the company around 9:00 pm. (36 hours before my move). I am told there is a team in Fairfax who can go back when they are done, get my boxes, and bring them do me (in the District), and that they wouldn't charge me for them. Needless to say, I was asleep when the boxes arrived, and spent the following day going back and forth from work to my apartment just to finish packing.
Moving day: I was quoted at a 3 hour move for $400, ballpark. I assumed it would take longer, as these things do, and scheduled afternoon appointments at my new place about 3 hours later, thinking we'd at least be at the new place by then. 4.5 hours after the movers arrive, we are still not quite ready to leave my apartment. All told, the process took over 7 hours, and $860 (not including the rather generous tip I gave the slow but nice movers). And yes, I was charged for boxes. -
Review from Aly M.
Alexandria, VA
Updated - 4/26/2010
Movers were good, customer service from the owner/manager in response to an issue took a while but was resolved to our complete satisfaction.
'The movers were good guys, worked hard and fast.....1 Previous Review: Show all »
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3/8/2010
Did a good job and we would use them again.
They were careful with our stuff most importantly with… Read more »
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