Honest Answers Before You Even Book
These are the things St. Pete households raise most often the moment they reach out, each one answered without spin by the same crew that will carry your furniture down the stairs. Fill out the short form and we will have your exact figure ready. Something on your mind that is not covered here? Call Dean and the team at (888) 711-4778, or send a quick note to [email protected], and we will walk through it with you one-on-one.
Do you run your own crews, or are you a broker?
We run our own. Alpha Movers owns every truck in the fleet, keeps its movers on payroll, operates a climate-controlled warehouse, and stays fully licensed and insured across Pinellas County. Local work rides on our Florida intrastate authority (FL IM); cross-country jobs run under our own US DOT and MC. Your move belongs to our people from the first box up the ramp to the last item set down, and it is never handed off to an outside hauler.
If our two closing dates do not line up, will your warehouse cover the gap?
That is exactly why the warehouse exists. Hardly anyone in this market closes their sale and their purchase on the same afternoon, so we roll your belongings into the dry, climate-controlled building and hold them as long as you need — a few days, a few weeks, a whole season through the summer. Once the keys to the new place are in hand, the same crew loads everything back up and finishes the job. Flag it on your call and the storage folds into a single binding figure.
Our building is a downtown high-rise that wants a certificate of insurance. Can you handle that?
Constantly. A big share of our calendar is condo and tower work, and management at those addresses will not unlock the freight elevator or the dock until a COI naming them is on file. Renee handles those certificates as routine, then locks the elevator window and the dock slot with your concierge ahead of time, so the morning starts on schedule instead of stalling at the front desk.
We are in a downtown building with no driveway and tight street parking. Where does the truck go?
No problem, as long as you mention it before we price the job. Plenty of our addresses leave one real option: a permit-parking spot off Central Avenue we lock down ahead of time, or a scheduled dock slot. Securing that permit or window is part of how we plan the day, and the resulting walk is baked into your number right away. Because it is a binding flat rate, that distance cannot resurface later as a 'difficult access' surcharge once the truck pulls up.
How does a binding flat rate work, and can the price still creep up on me?
We total the full list of what is moving and hand you one locked number to approve in advance, and that number is what you owe. A slow crawl across the Howard Frankland stretching the day out will not push it higher, and nobody is relabeling your safe 'oversized' to inflate it. The only thing that moves the figure is you deciding to add items or services later. No hidden meter is ticking off to the side.
Do you take moves that leave the bay area for another state?
Without question. Reuben runs our long-haul side, and St. Pete families head out with us regularly — north up I-275 toward Atlanta and the Carolinas, up the coast toward the Northeast, or west across the Gulf states. Because we carry our own US DOT and MC authority, whoever loads you here in St. Petersburg is the same crew that sets your things down at the destination. The keys never pass to a stranger.
Could a hurricane or a bad storm throw off our scheduled date?
We plan for it rather than hope it skips us. A named storm or even a hard summer squall can flood Shore Acres streets and close bridges for a day, so our hurricane-season schedule is padded and the forecast stays on our radar. If conditions turn genuinely dangerous, protecting your belongings and our crew on slick ramps beats pushing through, so we would sooner move your date — and you will hear that from us directly, clearly, with plenty of lead time.
Can your team get heavy pieces down the narrow stairs in an older bungalow?
All the time. The 1920s bungalows in Kenwood and Old Northeast come with cramped, winding staircases and shallow landings, so Marcus — our point man on delicate, high-stakes pieces — surveys the whole route before anything is lifted. Threading a sofa, a china hutch, or a piano around a tight century-old corner without nicking the plaster is exactly his specialty.
Does an estimate cost anything, and do you require money down?
Pricing is free, no asterisk. When you are ready to lock a definite day onto the calendar, the only ask is a small, fully refundable deposit, which we credit against your final balance. Cancel inside our window and that deposit comes back to you.
Do you genuinely carry the proper licenses and insurance?
Yes, on every front. Local jobs sit under our Florida intrastate authority (FL IM), and interstate runs under our US DOT and MC — all of it properly licensed and insured. Every move carries a full $1M in cargo coverage, and we will hand over documentation on request, including a formal certificate of insurance whenever an HOA or building office demands one.
On a standard local job, what is actually bundled into the rate?
A local rate folds in the crew, the truck and fuel, pads and blankets, stretch wrap, dollies, floor and door-frame guards, and the standard disassembly and reassembly of beds and everyday furniture. Want packing supplies or a full white-glove pack? Each of those lands on its own line, so the bill reflects only what you actually use. Local crews run $125/hr for two movers, $175/hr for three, and $225/hr for four.
What happens if something of mine ends up damaged along the way?
Unlikely, since every item is pad-wrapped and entered on the inventory long before it nears the truck. But if a mark does happen, it is on us — we repair it, replace it, or pay you for it — with $1M in cargo coverage behind the job and base released-value protection at $0.60 per pound. Hand the claim to Renee at the office and we carry it from there. That language is written into your contract, not a marketing line.
Do you move pianos, and what does that run?
Yes. An upright runs about $320 to $480 depending on the stairs and access, and a baby grand lands in the $520 to $780 range. Marcus handles the piano work himself, surveys the route first, and crates or blanket-wraps the instrument before it leaves the room. It rides on the same inventory and the same $1M cargo coverage as everything else.