The Continental Elves Spread Extra Christmas Cheer!

                This Christmas season, instead of giving each other gifts, the Seattle Continental team came together to help a family in need of some extra Holiday Cheer!

The inspiration came from two women in our Seattle office. Billing & Rating lead, Jennifer Kent, founded the idea from her own personal experience, “I have a disabled cousin whose family was sponsored for a few years when his children were young. It always made them so happy!” After confirming the idea with a few other employees we learned that our own Seattle Dispatcher, Lorelei Newman, had also had a previous experience; sponsoring a single mother with two daughters. Newman’s previous sponsorship participation had left such a wonderful impression on her; “instead of giving each other more ‘things’, why not share our blessed and abundant lives with those who may not have what we all do.”

Needless to say the idea became an absolute hit with the entire Continental family!

Through our Accounting Supervisor, Cindy Mortimer, we learned of the family at St. Stephen’s Housing Association; a non-profit that addresses the needs of homeless families by providing housing with support services to enable families to move toward economic stability and self-sufficiency. With the help of St. Stephen’s, Continental was able to Sponsor the Feo Family. With 2 or 3 CVL employees allotted for each member of the family, we were determined to make this Holiday season one that they would never forget!

We were given a wish list of items the family would be thrilled to receive. They were simple things; socks, shoes, clothing, a book or toy for the kids; but we knew our team could give more. “It was great to see how enthusiastic everyone at Continental was as we paired up to go shopping for the kids and filled a basket with games, movies and treats for them to share during a family night!” (Newman)

As the days passed, the tree skirt around the office Christmas tree began to overflow with beautifully wrapped gifts. We as a Continental family began to realize our great capacity for compassion and giving; it was truly incredible to see.

Finally, on Friday, December 20^th, four members of our team and two of their children went to deliver our gifts to the Feo Family. The experience could be described as nothing less than magical. As Mortimer described; “We saw the little ones peaking out of the windows and opening the door just a crack to see if we were coming. When I finally went to the door, I saw one of them jumping up and down with excitement! Another came running out of the door, literally hugging me at the knees. When the mom invited us in to place the gifts under the tree, they all looked at us as if we were truly Santa’s Elves. It was a magical experience and I wish everyone could have witnessed this true Christmas Miracle.”

As our Rating & Billing Specialist, Lynn Broxson shared, “the children were so adorable. They hugged us, (around our legs) and were so incredibly grateful. Their eyes kept getting bigger and bigger the more presents we brought in. Their mother said that what we brought was way more than they expected. They were so excited and gracious”. For our Office Assistant, Martha Mendoza, “it was an emotional feeling that made me feel very warm inside. Seeing the little kids jump up and down with smiles on their faces was a great experience!”

For Lorelei, our act of kindness was one she really enjoyed sharing with her son Trace. “Helping him to better understand how blessed he is and why it’s so important to be thankful for everything we have and share it with those who aren’t as lucky. I think it all really hit home for him when we got to see the bright smiling faces of the family as we delivered the gifts. Knowing that they would have a joy filled Christmas morning was the best gift of all!” Trace definitely benefited from the experience stating that he really loved seeing the children and the expressions on their faces. “They were surprised, excited, and so happy.”  Those impressions will forever add to Trace’s sense of holiday spirit.

Ultimately, we received even more than we could have ever expected when Mrs. Feo herself sent us a personal thank you; “I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. The kids are enjoying their gifts! They loved it and most of all they couldn’t take away their blessed smiles.” Although not everyone at Continental could be there to deliver the presents, each and every one of us was so grateful to have had the opportunity to contribute to such a wonderful cause. It was a bonding experience that we will forever remember and appreciate.



The Feo Family

 

                 

Continental Seattle Movers Goes Mobile!

When your 85 year old dad goes to the web rather than the yellow pages to find a company, you know that there has been a wholesale shift in how people are buying.
Welcome Continental's new mobile friendly website. With the dramatic growth in useage in ipads, smart phones, and tablets it only made sense for Continental Van Lines http://www.continentalvan.com/  to provide a mobile solution for consumers looking for a Seattle mover.  http://m.continentalvan.com/ is just that solution.
With the assitance of Locus Interactive http://www.locusinteractive.net/ and Formic Media http://www.formicmedia.com/ , Continental was able to develop a user friendly interface for a myriad of mobile platforms.
" The ability to provide one-click calling and a user friendly mobile estimate request form were critical components to the project. Yellow pages have simply moved to smart phone platforms. Making it easy to use us, was a simple decision," states Brad Fransen, Director of Sales and Marketing.

Seattle Movers help support local food banks

Far too many people go hungry in Washington State and Alaska. Forty percent of those in need are children.
As you are aware, many people discard a good deal of food when they move. Continental Van Lines is proud to participate in a solution to meet the needs of Seattle's hungry.  As a leading Seattle Moving Company, Continental Van Lines has teamed up with local food banks to participate in the Move for Hunger program.
"We'll be participating in all of our offices," states Brad Fransen, Director of Sales. "Our goal is to have a direct impact upon local food bank supplies."
How to participate?  When you choose Continental as your Seattle mover, or as your Anchorage moving company, simply package your non-perishable goods in the Move for Hunger boxes and they will deliver your food items directly to local food banks.
To learn more, visit http://www.moveforhunger.org/ or contact Continental to request an estimate for your move, or to learn more information.

Jamie Wood Gets Top Honors from Mayflower

Continental Van Lines (http://www.continentalvan.com/ ) is proud to announce that Jamie Wood has been recognized nationally, receiving Mayflower's (http://www.mayflower.com/ ) coveted  Heart of Quality Award. This is the second time Jamie has received this honor.
The Heart of Quality award  is given to move coordinators who have demonstrated outstanding customer service, receiving the highest ratings by their customers.

Contact Jamie for your next local or long distance move! Congratulations, Jamie!

Totes Offer Alternative to Traditional Boxes with Seattle Local Movers

As we look back on 2011, one of the significant advancements Continental has made is the addition of a plastic tote local moving solution.  These "earth-friendly" totes offer many benefits to the use of cardboard cartons:

• Reusable and earth friendly
• Solid and safe. Zip ties provide complete security
• No need to mix rooms to fill cartons
• No additional need to fill cartons with paper filler to provide stability
• Easy to pack
• Stackable
• And currently, they are free to our customers!

Continental Van Lines can be reached at http://www.continentalvan.com/   
(206) 805 3300

United Van Lines and Mayflower Transit Trucks get Makeover!

Continental Van Lines is a local agent and owner shareholder of UniGroup, parent company to United Van Lines and Mayflower Transit.  As part of its overall new approach to moving, both United and Mayflower trucks received a makeover.

Continental represents Mayflower in Seattle and Tacoma and United Van Lines in Anchorage, Alaska!

Continental Introduces ECOTOTE Moving!

Local moving has never been easier. Save time, money, and the earth at the same time. Continental's ECOTOTE moving system provides reusable totes to customers for their next local move.  Whether you plan to do your own packing or use the professional packing services provided by Continental, ECOTOTES make sense. No more taping and assembling of boxes. No more collecting boxes from the liquor and grocery store. Easy to stack and organize, these totes make the moving process efficient and trouble free.

Simply Contact Continental and they will deliver ECOTOTES to you in advance of the move, and pick them up after you have completed your unpacking. Learn more at the Continental Van Lines website at www.continentalvan.com/local-moving.cfm  

Continental Offers New Solutions for Customers!

Watch in the coming weeks as Continental offers new solutions for moving customers!  Want a hint?

Here are just a few:

• Environmentally- Friendly Solutions for Local Moving
• A Solution to solve the Charity Donation Confusion
• Self Move Options for Interstate Movers

Visit the Continental website at http://www.continentalvan.com/ to learn more!

Are Traditional Movers a Thing of the Past?

Hidden deep in the Olympic National Forest, I came upon this relic of a moving truck. I wonder whether the truck was left there because the driver and crews went on an extended lunch break of 60 years?

With the downturn in the economy and the advent of alternative moving services, some have wondered whether the traditional moving industry is a thing of the past.

My answer is sort of. Every day I read of local agents going out of business. Consolidation and reorganization of van lines is common place.

But what will come out of this transition is hopefully a more robust, up-to-date service from the survivors. In order to survive, the best companies will take this downturn as an opportunity to re-evaluate their service offerings and process to provide even more customer-focused moving solutions.

Self move and containerized storage is in some instances a fine solution for those that are willing to carry heavy sofas down stairs and into fancy painted containers with names that roll of the tongue like "Joe", "Bean Sprout" (can't use their actual names or I will get sued).

Two facts come to mind when pundits announce the demise of the moving industry.

1. Our society is aging. I can speak with some experience that once you get a birthday card from AARP, the last thing on your mind is to move yourself. Mature adults need movers, full service movers.

2. Containerized moving can actually be more expensive than a professional mover. There is no slight of hand manipulation of a cost analysis here. Check it out. In a number of different senarios, a professional mover will cost less than having a container shipped across the country. Much of it has to do with the efficiency of a mover. Professional movers can consolidate several customer's shipments on one truck. They can also load a shipment more densely. This allows more to be moved with less. Less fuel, less trucks. More green. Hmmm.... cheaper? Someone else that knows what they are doing loads my truck?

So the next time that you consider a moving company or container for rent for your next move, just remember, new isn't always better, and don't fix what isn't broken.

Brad Fransen is the Director of Sales and Marketing for Continental Van Lines, agent for Mayflower Transit in Seattle and Tacoma, and United Van Lines in Anchorage Alaska.

How Many People Ultimately Chose a Mover

Recently, I chose a company to insulate my home. Not having any means of determining the reliability of companies, I turned to several sources including Angie's list and the BBB. It turns out that was a wise move. One of the companies that I was considering had several unresolved complaints with the BBB and a poor rating with Angie's List.

Social media and customer reviews are becomming an excellent tool in determining service providers. While customer referrals and repeat customers provide a steady flow of business, many consumers, wary of movers, are looking to peer-to-peer reviews as a means of doing the initial evaluation of vendors.

Here are several sites that have produced significant numbers of leads, resulting in new customers who continue to refer us:

Moving Scam http://www.movingscam.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=77124#77124

Moving Scam writes: --Continental Van Lines, Inc. (Mayflower) in Seattle/Tacoma. Continental Van Lines out of Seattle (4 locations) was an Allied agent for years but became a Mayflower agent on May 1st, 2008. As of 9/06 their overall quality rating from the van line was 4.59 out of 5 (well up in the "excellent" range and about the highest Allied score ever reported on this website). "PMueller" (then working for Allied in FL) told a MovingScam moderator in a PM that Continental would be her choice for help in the Seattle area. "Lynn" got a quote from them for a move to Chicago but ultimately went with BE: http://www.movingscam.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2497 (interstate) Someone else was set to move with them from Tacoma to Galveston but never came back to post how it turned out: http://www.movingscam.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2492 (interstate) "seattle-jeff" was set to use them for a move to Houston but never came back to report: http://www.movingscam.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2669 (interstate)

Citydata http://www.city-data.com/forum/anchorage/183596-how-transport-furniture-car-seattle.html
Blogger "All for Cats" writes: I've moved a couple of times with Continental/Allied Van Lines -- a VERY long-established national moving company. They have a special operation between Seattle/Tacoma and various locations throughout Alaska. They're at Seattle Mover, Tacoma Mover, Seattle Moving, Alaska Moving, Continental Van Lines Free Moving Quote

The Better Business Bureau http://http//www.bbb.org/western-washington/business-reviews/movers/continental-van-lines-in-seattle-wa-500046
Continental receives an A+ rating from the BBB for reliability, responsiveness, and length of time in business.

Angie's List https://www.angieslist.com/AngiesList/Login.aspx
Angie's List is a members only website. Continental has two great reviews.

Red Tricycle http://www.red-tri.com/archives/continentalvan.php
A surprisingly important website for those folks with children in the Puget Sound area.


All in all, consumers have more access to critical information, reviews, and resources than ever before. For additional information on chosing a mover and frequently asked questions, refer to Continental's frequently asked questions page at http://www.continentalvan.com/faqs.cfm.

What is Home?

I just moved back to my house after a fire. After a year and a half living in cramped quarters, I looked forward to getting back into the house. What I wasn't prepared for was the feeling that everything was still unsettled. My new and improved house wasn't the house that I came from. When someone moves, it is rare that they end up back in the same house again.
As people hear that we are finally back into our house, most ask, "Isn't it great to be back in?"

My response, of course, is to politely smile, and say what they expect me to say, "Why, yes it is!"

Actually, that is far from the truth. After two weeks back in the house, it still doesn't feel like home. I don't sleep well. Nothing seems quite comfortable.

As I work with customers who are in the process of moving, I now understand the complex emotional issues that they go through. When the last box is unpacked, the process of moving still is not over.

It makes me think about what is exactly "home". Is it physical? Is it emotional? Share your thoughts.

Affiliated with a Van Line? You must be too costly for a local move.

In a recent marketing study, over 50% of the respondents surveyed indicated that they wouldn't call a mover affiliated with a major van line for a local move. Van Line affiliated movers were perceived as too expensive.
While I can certainly understand why people think that way, it is far from the truth. For instance, Continental's local move rates are very similar to a number of smaller movers. Continental is a locally owned company just like all of the smaller movers. When Continental performs moves locally, they do it as a local moving company, with no fees or involvement with the Van Line.
So, what's the message here? Why not use a mover with outstanding quality, certified movers, new well-maintained equipment, all for the same rate as a small moving company.

So How do you move Plasma and LCD TVs?

Several people have asked how to best move plasma and LCD TVs. For us, the process is a bit simpler. We have a customized crate with closed cell foam inserts. These crates provide complete protection to the TV. We use these crates on local moves.

When we move TVs farther, we rely upon custom cartons designed specifically for transporting the flat tvs. These have foam inserts for the corners that can be cut to conform to the TV's dimension's. They run approximately $200.

Should you decide to move a TV yourself, it is best to keep the TV upright and either boxed or fully padded. The surface of a LCD TV can be damaged if touched with sharp or hard items.

I have not heard of cartons available for purchase for self moves, so if you have a place to keep your original packing materials, it is a good idea to do so.

As with all electronics moved during the winter, it is a good idea to allow the units to come to room temperature before plugging them in.

MEGA STORM of the Century Cripples Seattle

OK. Here is Continental's office and warehouse. But, it isn't in Anchorage, it is in Seattle. Seattle goes a little bit crazy when it snows. Everyone spins out and abandons their cars on the side of the street as if an A bomb has gone off. Buses leap of ledges like lemmings falling to their death into a river

In essence, civilized people revert back to cave men, hunkering around fire, storing goods like squirrels. The only thing that has changed is that the trees and pine cones have become Safeway and Toaster Pops and the fire may be a screen saver of a crackling fire (hard to believe, but you can buy it at Costco).

For those of you who are considering moving to Seattle from the midwest, heed my advice. Stay off the roads, rent a movie, avoid watching 24 hours straight of news showing Jim Foreman of KING TV news, in this year's artic parka, on an overpass talking about Blizzard 2008, Snow Blast 2009, or worse yet, MEGA Storm of the century.

Toys For Tots, Continental gives Back

Continental in Seattle and Tacoma participated in this year’s “Toys for Tots Stuff the Truck” toy drive. Continental as a major sponsor, positioned several trucks throughout the Puget Sound area at Wal-Mart stores and then coordinated the distribution of the loaded trucks to area warehouses. Local TV and radio stations promoted the events throughout the day.

The drive was a complete success resulting in over $100,000 in cash donations, and 3 full semi trailers of new unwrapped toys that will be distributed to the many families who were less fortunate this year.

“Our participation was especially important this year. There are many children whose Christmas will be brightened by these donations. The “Stuff the Truck” drive is one of the many community-giving events that we are proud to be part of,” states Ginnie Blaine, co-owner of Continental.

More information is posted on Continental's website, www.continentalvan.com .