This company is Great! I was struggling with my move on a Sunday afternoon and almost didn't make my 4hr move out/in window. I Google moving helpers and called Recession Movers. The owner answered the phone... I'll say it again...the owner answered the phone on a Sunday! Ah-mazing! Even though it was short notice he took the JOB! He was at my apt in a blink of an eye, loaded the boxes and off loaded the boxes at the new apt within my 4hr move out/in time and was very polite. When I asked the price it was so low I almost cried and INSISTED I pay more. I'll say it again "I insisted!" Great guy! Best price in TOWN! Gets the JOB DONE! Thanks again Recession Movers!!! I'm recommending you to everyone I know! read more

Request for service was answered promptly and with care. He did a great job putting everything together and worked quickly and efficiently. Beyond that, he is a nice person. Totally recommend. Quality work! read more

The only reason I gave the 2 stars is because my initial deposit was refunded rapidly. So my move was scheduled for 1:00 p.m., at 1:15 they had not arrived nor had I received a call. I tried to contact the owner but did not reach him. Then at 1:30, I tried again and did reach him this time to be told the movers were on their way. The movers arrived in a car around 1:45, because I was told to rent the truck. When the movers contacted me 2 minutes prior to their arrival, he asked what I was moving, ( 1 bedroom apartment) he said, "Are you serious?" Then once we greeted he said he thought he was just unloading, and didn't know the plan was to move furniture to a different location. He told me he had something else to do, and we would have to stop and pick up another guy on the way. Long story short, these movers left my belongings in the hall of my building and I had to solicit the help of my friend and building engineer to place my items back into my apartment. All of my items were in your totes or the original boxes with the exception of my actual furniture. I was told and I quote, "We move Europeans and Chinese people all the time and they always have they stuff together." Apparently I was suppose to wrap my furniture in plastic and disassemble my treadmill. Why hire movers then???? Needless to say this was the worst moving experience I have ever had. read more

What a great moving service! I love that you can schedule online and pay via PayPal. It's nice to see a moving company embrace the future. My husband and I were doing a huge cross-country move. We had rented a truck on our own, so we just needed some strapping movers with young backs to do the loading. The two gentlemen that came to help us were FANTASTIC. They were hard-working and polite. Initially there was some concern that the truck we had rented was too small, but the movers felt that they could get it all in there (and they did!). That saved us a lot of stress, since we had to begin the first part of our drive immediately after the truck was loaded. I definitely recommend hiring Recession for a move/load/unload. Or any lifting and carrying concerns you might have. read more

I have referred several friends to Recession Movers. I love how I could schedule at any time, and they have a very up to date online payment system. The movers were extremely personable and friendly, and not to mention efficient, reliable, and they have an outstanding work ethic. I have a HUGE couch that didn't fit in the elevator, so they carried it up 5 floors (8 flights of stairs) in no time! You can't beat the $250 flat rate for in-city moves. No, they do not do the prepping and packing for you, but I honestly did not expect that, unlike the previous reviewer. They do provide two men and a truck. Our building just got re-painted and we were warned over and over again to be conscientious of the walls... not a scratch on the walls or any of my furniture. read more

So, this company was really great to get me scheduled within a few weeks of my move. I am appreciative. However, they were over an hour late, and then I wound up having to help to get it all done in the time frame allowed. Lovell has great customer service and I could tell he was trying to make this happen as he'd planned. So, it may have been outside circumstances that created the issues. I reserved 2 guys and a truck, but 10 minutes after their time to show up, I had to call for status and was informed that Lovell was trying to find a 2nd guy last minute. Then 30 minutes later I had to call again for status. They wound up being an hour and 15 minutes late on an evening move. When they did finally show up, they worked hard. However, when you are already stressed with having to move, the issues that arose really did not help. read more

They were patient in explaining pricing to me multiple times, and staying in good communication when I confirmed my schedule 2+ times. I did a move out 7/31, move in 8/1 with overnight storage. deposit 325, for 3 hr movings and overnight storage. we ended up getting it all done so that was my final price. I lost a mirror and a vase in the move but it wasn't there fault, i actually lined it against the truck and it fell over. Friendly, respectable guys! read more

We moved ourselves from Texas to Chicago in March '14. When we got everything situated with our apartment, ie. paperwork, keys, move-in date, etc., I contacted Lovell that evening to see if his guys would be able to assist us in unloading our Uhaul into the apartment the following morning. He told me it was not a problem. We scheduled 4 guys for 2 hours. 3 guys showed up on time, but one guy was running late. Lovell immediately sent 2 guys in his steed, which was kind and thoughtful. My husband and I are not the "sit back and watch" type, so we assisted in moving stuff into our apartment. We had it knocked out in less than 2 hours. I know we will use them again in the future! read more

These guys were great! Super friendly and professional. This was my first time using movers and they were so patient with the fact that I was ill-prepared and poorly packed. They moved really quickly and were very organized. They went out of their way to take apart one of my tables and put it back together in my apartment so it was not damaged, and they even gave me some good home-improvement recommendations. My favorite part was THEY provided ME and my boyfriend with water when we were moving stuff around. I wish I could have provided them with water, but, again, I was very ill-prepared. The only reason I gave them 4 stars, instead of 5, was because they were a little late and didn't call me to tell me. It turns out that my apartment was difficult to get to with their giant truck. They were apologetic and definitely made up for lost time when they got there. I was very happy with them and would definitely recommend them to my friends and family. They were just so nice. read more

I hate to do this but.....My wife and I were looking for movers because we were moving of course. We searched high and low and found these guys on Yelp. They had great reviews and came to the conclusion that, since we were just paying for labor we would save money. Think again! They showed up on time, but they weren't dressed like movers on the hottest day of the year so far. over-sized t shirts, baggy jeans and gym shoes that weren't tied. We go upstairs and I let them know that our elevator is reserved and to start taking the boxes down to the truck. They seemingly got to work right away, seemingly. They were moving slow and there was three of them. I was moving back and forth to check on them and to gauge how long before our UHaul was full. Every-time I walked downstairs, one of them was on their cell phone or smoking. they were also moving terribly slow, and I mean TERRIBLY slow. When one off them asked about the place we were moving to, I told them it was down the street and it was 3 floors up. As soon as one of them found out we were moving to a 3 flat, HE WALKED OFF THE JOB!!!!!!!! Seriously, a mover who moves things for a living didn't want to move things because he didn't want to walk up 3 flights of stairs. That's why my wife and I got movers to begin with. so then, the other two, were still moving slow and passively apologized for their lost colleague. They moved slower now because their work load just increased dramatically. So I started helping them. I'm a Marine and in the infantry at that, so I'm in shape and moving heavy things and working with a team in a short period of time is just a part of the job. No time to get mad. We pack up the truck and they follow me 7 blocks to our new place. We get there and they start complaining immediately on arrival. "This really looks like 4 floors" We aren't moving those dressers up those stairs are we, because that's going to be a problem". I gave them the option to opt out like their friend because at this point I knew I wasn't getting my money's worth. They were also really out of shape, I mean, smoking while moving one box at a time out of shape. So, we started to grab boxes and take them up stairs. I noticed that they began leaving boxes on the first floor landing to skate out of taking them all the way upstairs. At this point I felt sorry for them because they looked like they were about to die. I told my wife to go grab some Gatorade from the store, we gave it to them and they took a break while I was flying by them, grabbing boxes and trying to hurry up. One of them even said "You're like 3 of us, I should've gone to the Marines" while I was thinking I should not have hired you". Midway thru unloading one of them told me, "we need to be done soon b/c I have to go pick up my wife" WTF!?!?!?!? We weren't even 3 hours in. Anyway, these guys sucked!!! I ended up moving most of things myself practically just paid them to have a conversation and watch me do a better at their job. I really don't like writing this and don't want to be detrimental toward their business but they really, really, really, really sucked!!!! lack of professionalism, sense of urgency, lack of care for boxes marked fragile, lack of everything. I should've gone w/ 2 Guys and a Truck or some other reputable company. Yelp, I love you but you really threw me off on this one. Now excuse me because I had to turn my planned one day Saturday move, into a 3 day Saturday, Sunday and Monday move. I hope this was helpful! No one should have to go through this on a moving day. These guys are terrible x Infinity. You would be better off asking friends. Terrible. Terrible. Terrible. Terrible. read more

Well this review is not on the actual move, specifically. Here is the scoop..I had hired Recession Movers in mid-October for a move occurring 12/1. Just like other reviewers have mentioned, I paid for 3 hours via PayPal which is quite convenient but feels a bit like a leap of faith. I like to have documents and contracts in order for larger purchases like this. This experience wasn't quite like that though you do receive a confirmation email and the price really can't be beat. Well of course, plans changed about a month later and I needed to cancel the move and the movers indefinitely. I contacted Recession Movers, Lovell, and within a few days the money was back in my account. While I can't comment about their moving capabilities, honesty goes a long way in my book and the fact that he gave me the money back in a timely fashion means I will definitely consider using them in the future (if the move ever happens). read more

I really wanted to give Lovell, the owner of Recession Movers, a 5 star rating, but you'll see why I had to settle in at 4 stars: Started off with me quoting and pricing around and found that Recession Movers was by far the best priced. I hired them for a Saturday move at 8am and setup the deposit (pay before move FYI) and everything seemed great. I setup the time about only 4 or 5 days out too. I received a call shortly after requesting that we move it back 30-45 minutes back. I had already reserved my freight for 10am-12pm, so I was nervous, but figured 30-45 minutes wouldn't be bad. I show up at 8:30am and Lovell shows up as well at this time. Little did I know, he is a middle man to hire the two guys actually moving my stuff...side note, I had a 10x10 storage unit 75% full to capacity 3 blocks from my new place...So Lovell and I wait, and wait, and wait and the movers do not arrive until around 9:30am. We were waiting for an hour. This is the reason I would give a 4 star instead of 5 star. I hate mornings and waiting outside (in the rain) wasn't how I wanted to start this move. Movers start moving and things are going smoothly. I have an electric piano and ask Lovell if him and I can move it personally as I don't want the liability on anyone else. We do and it's the last thing. Lovell helped a ton in the move too even though he didn't need to. He felt bad for the wait and wanted to help catch up. The drivers/movers end up getting lost when the place is three blocks away...these guys were not bright at all. They finally arrive 10 minutes later after Lovell and I walked there faster. We start unloading and they ask for part of the money for the move from Lovell. Now, this is not my business and I start the clock of "not moving" at this point because I had asked for 3 hours for total move time. They give Lovell a price and it seems high...long story short, they charged for the piano even though Lovell and I both personally handled it. Lovell calls their manager and works everything out, but everyone is fired up at this point. The movers start taking their time and estimate over 3 hours, so Lovell helps them move. In the end, we finish around 12:15 for a total time of around 2 and 1/2 hours and only 15 minutes over my estimated time. In the end, I would DEFINITELY do business with Lovell again. He is hard working, cares about his customers, is direct, honest and up front with his customers and has their back. The two moving guys, I would not want on my next move unless necessary or get a contract on who's going to be where when. If I were to give Lovell a score, it would be 5 stars easily because I bought him pizza later and even tipped him later. I just didn't enjoy the stress that occurred throughout the day due to the two moving guys. read more

This review should really be 2.5 stars, but I'm rounding down, because while there are a lot of strong pros, the cons caused me a lot of unnecessary trouble. Pros: - were available at the very last minute (I booked them the night before my move) - very competitively priced - Lovett was willing to work with me to make sure that I was happy. They were an hour late showing up, and he greatly discounted the price to make up for this. - They moved very quickly and the price was much lower than I expected. - English was their first language and for the most part they followed my instructions. Cons: - They were an hour late and I only had a four hour window in which to move into my new apartment. The move was completed on time, kinda. - They left a lot of items behind in the apartment, due to their poorly arranging the items in the truck. This meant that I had to make multiple trips from the old apartment to the new one in my friend's small car, because the moving truck had to be returned. Isn't the whole point of hiring movers and renting a large truck to avoid this kind of problem? I easily could've packed the truck better than they did. - They destroyed my bookcases. I told them that these bookcases were destined for the alley, because I no longer needed them. They took this to mean that they could bang them down three flights of stairs, risk damaging the stairs and my landlord's property, risk greatly upsetting my neighbors, and destroyed furniture that easily could've found a new home. Also, as I expected, my landlord called me to complain, and said that if he gets a fine, he'll pass it on to me. I haven't gotten my security deposit back yet, so I don't know if there was a deduction. They also broke a glass item, that while I didn't need it, they left the glass in the alley and so I had to come back later to clean it up. Thankfully, it was safety glass. - A small cat tree, that I said I did wanted to keep, fell down the three flights of stairs, straight down next to the stairs and not on the stairs themselves. No one owned up to it, so I don't know if it was purposely dropped or if it was an accident, but the base broke as a result. The bookcases and leaving the broken glass is what cost them the stars. After reading lots of reviews for other companies, them being an hour late didn't bother me, though I did get very nervous. I kind of blame myself for not being on top of them more to make sure the truck was better packed, even though as experienced movers, I think they should've done a better job. There's no excuse for destroying the bookcases in the way they did though. I sincerely hope that Lovell talks to his crew about never doing that kind of thing again. read more

I'm back again after having used Recession Movers for the THIRD time. This time around my move was a bit tricky as my move out and move in dates were different. To my delight Lovell and his crew knew just what to do. I was moved out of my apartment on a Sunday, my items were stored overnight in a secure location and the following morning the movers arrived at my new apartment at our agreed upon time and within a couple of hours I was fully moved in! The pricing reflected the two day move but was still unbeatable compared to other moving companies. The movers were polite, patient and professional. Will continue to refer this company! read more

Recession Movers did a good job. Let me tell you why: - Price: Their rates are reasonable and they did not have an unreasonable minimum hours. They also did not "trick me"...rather, they charged me as quoted - Professional: These guys took the time to help me configure my furniture so that I would have the best lay out and even helped me nail a mirror to the wall. Not part of the job description - these guys care. - Flexible: I originally scheduled a date which didn't work out. I called them and they were flexible about coming on the date that I needed them to be there. They came when expected Overall, these guys did a good job for the price. I would not hesitate to call them for my next move. read more

My husband booked these movers a week and a half in advance to help us unload our moving truck in Champaign. While we were driving across country, he gets an email the day before our move-in day that the amount paid had been refunded. No phone call, no email explaining why, just a notice that the money was refunded. I tried calling Recession Movers and left two voicemails to get clarity on whether they were still showing up the next day but we never received a call back or follow up email. And no, they never showed up. Very poor service. read more

I was quickly approcahing my move out/in date and I found recession movers online and booked some help. I made a deposit online and paid the rest upon completion. The minute I booked the help, Lovell texted me the the next day introducing himself and confirming the move. Everything went smoothly and I was all moved out of my old apartment and moved into my new place in about 3 hours. Lovell and his worker were very professional and while I did notice that one of my picture frames got broken (nothing that some super glue couldn't fix), over all they did a great job. I would definately hire them again. read more

I was scheduling a last minute move (7 days before the 1st), and Lovell was able to accommodate me, but told me that it was a first come, first serve based on who puts a deposit down. I promptly put down the deposit, and received a confirmation email, but no follow up call. I tried calling a few days later, and the phone number said it was out of service, I panicked thinking it was a scam, and booked other movers. Lovell called me back quickly, and was still able to do the move, but I decided to use the other company. My deposit was quickly refunded. Other than the difficulty with the phone message, I would recommend this company based on Lovell's customer service. read more

I highly recommend these guys! They showed up on time and got me moved in under 3 hours, and wouldn't let me lift a finger! When my sofa wouldn't fit into my new place, they even took it to Brown Elephant for me! read more

Arrived on-time. Nice & strong guys. Cheapest place I found in Uptown/Edgewater. An easy move overall. read more

I would also put 2.5 stars if it were available, but rounded down. Pros - Available last minute for a 2 part move (out on the 30th, in on the 1st). Crew was nice. Cons - Was not told upfront about thet $75 overnight storage fee for keeping my stuff on the truck. Even though I warned the crew about the step down from the front entrance, one of them managed to drop a box anyway because they didn't pay attention. Furniture and doors were not treated with care. I had to hire someone to come in and prep the furniture beforehand because it was not clear whether they would do it for us. They were an hour and a half late for the 2nd part of the move. Overall, they did just okay. The price is right, but you get what you pay for. read more

I can't tell how amazing these guys were. Not only were they friendly, efficient and professional, they went above and beyond to help me in a rough situation. I had a uhaul franchise cancel my reservation at the last minute & went into a panic. Not only did they reschedule the same day, they helped me find a replacement truck. Josh went to another uhaul location to try to find a truck for me and gave me the regional manager's phone number to make another reservation for later that day. If it weren't for that I would have been completely screwed & probably would have had a nervous breakdown. I would recommend Lovell, Josh and I think the third gentleman's name was Giuseppe (sorry terrible with names) to anybody. read more

I'm a single chica who desperately needed movers the night before my big move. Fortunately for me, Recession Movers came to my rescue. Luvelle, the company manager was prompt with contacting me by phone. I was very pleased to find that he found a way to work around my schedule. On the day of my big move, he was able to deliver two very hardworking, young men to assist me. They did a wonderful job assisting me with my load of prepackaged boxes & furniture. Julius was prompt & punctual; he arrived fifteen minutes before our scheduled start time. Alex was great in that he drove my rental truck out into the burbs. Thank you, Recession Movers. I will seek your services again in the future. They're not the best, of course, as some of my belongings received minor damages, like scratches hear and there. read more

fyi: this review is for only half of my move with remainder following upcoming wknd. lovell and crew come to work! ! i ! understand: these cats come to work so have your stuff ready . no bags boxes best, use empty suitcases too. these men come to work not pack what you already should have. . setup staging area prior to their arrival. as a courtesy have elevators reserved on both ends of your move. be honest about your items for moving and they will quote a very reasonable price for a honest and hard day's work provide cool water and watch"em go. read more

Recession movers did a fantastic job for us. We had a complicated move from 4 locations to a single endpoint and they handled it perfectly with great attitudes over many hours. At one point some boxes ended up on the third floor that were supposed to be in the basement (but we had not labelled them) and I was just going to move it myself later and one of the guys said, "doing the job means doing it right" and switched things for us asap. Their pricing was on par with my expectations, even a little less and those gentlemen earned every dime of their top. I would use them again and highly recommend their service to anyone else. read more

WOW. Really NICE people, prompt, fast, honest and strong. FAIR PRICE (better than fair -- I got quotes for three TIMES what I paid today!) and a low-stress pleasure from beginning to end. The paypal system works beautifully. I can't thank you enough, Lovell!! I most highly recommend Recession Movers!! read more

Never showed up. Had to file a dispute with pay pal. Was patient and tried to reach Lovell many times. Obviously he never called back.

These guys helped us with a move last weekend and they did a wonderful job. Not only did they arrive on time; they were courteous, friendly, and extremely efficient. Their pricing is very fair considering how quickly they moved everything. I highly recommend them. read more

The movers are great: fast, careful, and very inexpensive. We will never use anyone else again! They unloaded our huge truck (20") in under two hours in a snowstorm. We love Recession Movers! read more

I've used them a couple times. They're cheap, but you get what you pay for. They dinged up a lot of our furniture and scraped up the walls to our building badly enough that we had to pay out of our security deposit. They also showed up an hour late and smoked pot while driving from one apartment to the other. However, for $250 for 3 hrs, they got stuff moved. read more

Booked these guys well ahead of time and now that it is 5 days before the busiest moving day of the year in Chicago, they cancel. They do not have proof of insurance which is required to move out of most buildings in the city. When I booked them they assured me they did have it and now....they don't. Buyer beware with this company. Not professional, you get what you pay for, or apparently you don't at the last minute. read more

OK. This by far was the best moving company I've ever used. We needed help at the last minute with Unloading a 17ft Uhaul truck. We moved across country and were behind on arriving for our scheduled move in time. WE were 45 minutes late and the movers were there on time. The start time began when we arrived! Had this been any other company, we would've definitely been charged for the time we booked whether we were on time or not TRUST ME! The movers were quick, efficient, professional and didn't let us lift a finger. They were very nice and pleasant to work with, which was a blessing after driving nearly 24hrs. They were very careful with moving our things and placed them where we wanted them. Our rental time was 2.5hrs in total but the owner only charged us for 2hrs!!! How great is that??!!! The payment process was easy as pie too! I totally recommend this company!! You'll be treated well!! read more