College Hunks Hauling Junk & Moving started as a junk removal company before expanding to comprehensive moving services, including residential and commercial moving, local and long-distance moving, and add-on options, such as packing, unpacking, home staging, and storage unit cleanouts. Its junk removal services are more comprehensive than most providers, with offerings including attic and basement cleanouts, electronics recycling, storm recovery, debris removal, and more.
Read our in-depth review of College Hunks Hauling Junk & Moving to determine if this moving company will meet your needs and budget.
College Hunks Hauling Junk & Moving
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Same-day and next-day services
- Competitive junk removal pricing
- No obligation price estimate
Cons
- Hours and pricing vary by location and franchise
- Only available in 39 states
Services Offered
- Junk removal
- Local and long-distance moving
- Apartment moving
- Commercial moving
- Residential moving
- Donation pickups
- Packing
- Home staging
- Storage unit cleanout
- Loading and unloading
- Light demolition
College Hunks Hauling Junk & Moving Overview
During the summer of 2003, 21-year-old college student Omar Soliman founded College Hunks with his best friend, Nick Friedman. Over the years, College Hunks has expanded to over 200 franchise locations, and its offerings now include moving services alongside its original junk removal options.
College HUNKS is an acronym for honest, uniformed, nice, knowledgeable, and service, demonstrating the company’s drive to handle your belongings with care. We like that this provider donates two meals per service via its partnership with US Hunger, which has added up to more than five million meals since launching the program. It also prioritizes recycling and donation—College Hunks claims that up to 70% of everything its team hauls away is recycled or donated, which keeps unnecessary waste out of landfills.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- No obligation price estimate
- Same-day and next-day services
- Wide variety of moving, junk removal, and home staging services
Cons
- Only available in 39 states
- Hours and pricing vary by franchise
Services Offered
Services Offered
- Junk removal
- Packing, loading, and moving services
- Storage in transit and warehouse delivery
- Furniture moving and disassembling
- Home staging
- Light demolition
- Donation pickups
Services Not Offered
- In-house long-distance moving
- Specialty packing services (i.e., antique moving)
- International moving
Our Take on College Hunks Hauling Junk & Moving
College Hunks is a company that prioritizes professionalism with its high-quality junk removal and moving services. Our team recommends this provider for its wide range of junk removal services. We find its pricing competitive, especially for junk or debris removal and moves during the busy season.
We like that this company is eco-friendly as it prioritizes recycling up to 70% of items it hauls away, including handling the safe disposal of hazardous items such as electronics and paint. College Hunks has more than 200 locations throughout the United States, giving it robust availability for homeowners in the 39 states it services.
Our team doesn’t recommend this provider for those moving high-value or specialty items. Some customer reviews note problems with damaged items and appropriate reimbursement for the damages, and the company doesn’t offer the same level of specialty packing services that competitors like International Van Lines provide. So, if you have many delicate or expensive items like antiques or artwork, you may want to consider other providers for your move.
We recommend this provider to those interested in a local move or junk removal service.
We Recommend College Hunks If You:
- Want a company that prioritizes donating and recycling most items hauled away
- Need to move over the weekend or a holiday (we found its prices only slightly more expensive during these high-demand windows)
- Are looking for competitively priced junk removal services
We Don’t Recommend College Hunks If You:
- Need long-distance moving services (College Hunks contracts out longer moves)
- Want coverage for pricey items (valued at $100 or more per pound)
- Are looking for vehicle transportation services
How Much Does College Hunks Hauling Junk & Moving Cost?
College Hunks Hauling Junk & Moving costs between $150 and $750 for typical junk removal services, but pricing can rise to $2,000 or more if you have a massive basement that requires extra labor to clear out.
Our team found that College Hunks determines its move pricing using two primary factors. The first factor is the truck and travel fee, which covers the cost of the truck, drive time, and gas required to drive from the company’s office to the pickup location and the final destination. The other factor is the hourly rate, which is typically a one- to three-hour minimum depending on your area.
The truck and travel fee varies depending on the distance and ranges from $155 to $675, while hourly labor rates are between $155 and $539 per hour for two to seven movers. Hourly mover rates are slightly higher for moves completed on a Friday, weekend, or holiday.
The table below shows the truck and travel flat rate based on the distance of your move:
| Distance | Flat Rate |
|---|---|
| 0–25 miles | $155 |
| 25–50 miles | $299 |
| 50–75 miles | $449 |
| 75–125 miles | $599 |
| 125–200 miles | $675 |
Here’s how much you can expect to pay per mover per hour on a weekday:
| Service (Monday Through Thursday) | Cost (Per Hour) |
|---|---|
| 2 movers | $155 |
| 3 movers | $215 |
| 4 movers | $299 |
| 5 movers | $389 |
| 6 movers | $449 |
| 7 movers | $529 |
See updated costs for Friday, weekend, and holiday moves in the table below:
| Service (Friday, Saturdays, Sundays, and Holidays) | Cost (Per Hour) |
|---|---|
| 2 movers | $159 |
| 3 movers | $219 |
| 4 movers | $299 |
| 5 movers | $399 |
| 6 movers | $469 |
| 7 movers | $539 |
For a local move within 50 miles of your current location on a weekday, your estimated total cost would be $609 ($299 for the travel fee and assuming two movers for two hours), plus the cost of tipping and any services you add on. We collected our quotes through secret shopping and detailed research into this provider’s average pricing.
Here are some factors that will affect the total cost of your move or junk removal service:
- Distance: The farther the movers need to drive from their office to your current home to your final destination, the more hours, gas, and labor are required, increasing overall costs.
- Complexity of the move: If your move requires more labor due to stairs, the size of your home, or the number of belongings, expect increased costs.
- Number of movers: Similar to the move complexity, the more movers required for the job, the more you’ll pay in hourly rates and tips.
- Other services: If you opt for extra services, like packing or unpacking, home staging, and storage in transit, you’ll incur an additional fee for each of these services.
Extra Fees
Like all movers, College Hunks has extra fees you may incur depending on what you’re moving and if your move requires additional time, storage, or labor. One factor you’ll want to consider is the location and the items the team is removing from your home. Some items have additional landfill disposal fees or disassembly fees, which College Hunks will pass on to you.
Here are a few extra fees you’ll want to keep in mind when budgeting for your move:
- Storage in transit: This accounts for items needing to be stored before delivery to your destination and costs $175 per night, per truck.
- Overtime packing or unpacking: This adds 10% to the hourly rates.
- Late payments: If College Hunks can’t collect its payment at the end of the move, your moving balance will accrue interest (around 1.5% per month compounded annually or the highest rate legally allowed in your state).
- Additional landfill disposal fees: Some items incur an additional cost based on local laws due to their size or hazardous components that require extra measures to dispose of safely. For example, in Arizona, you may incur an extra $20 fee to dispose of an appliance up to 400 pounds.
Discounts
College Hunk’s website advertises a multi-service discount for customers booking several services, such as junk removal and moving. This discount is custom to your order, so ask a representative for an estimate.
Moving Tips
Save money and avoid future headaches by following these tips:
- Handle as much packing as possible on your own. The more hours you hire the College Hunks team for, the more you’ll pay. Make a checklist and begin packing things you don’t need, such as out-of-season clothes, rarely used kitchen items, and books. Only hire College Hunks for packing services where needed to cut costs.
- Give yourself at least three weeks to plan, pack, and prep for moving. Organize items into donation piles to drop off or pass on to College Hunks for removal.
- Hire a professional moving company as early as possible. This is especially true if you’re moving during peak seasons or busier days, such as the weekend or summer.
- Label your boxes. You can avoid a headache later by labeling boxes by room and asking your movers to place the boxes in the appropriate rooms. Also, pack an overnight bag with your family’s clothes, medications, toiletries, phone chargers, and other items you’ll need immediately.
- Budget for a tip. Tipping is a common practice in the moving industry. Consider your total bill and the number of movers handling your move. We recommend tipping a percentage of the entire bill or a flat rate per mover. If you tip by percentage, tip between 10% and 20% of the total cost. For local moves, tip each mover $20 to $40. If you have a more complex or long-distance move, we recommend upping this to $40–$80 per mover, depending on the time invested.
- Find cheap moving supplies. Purchase moving supplies cheaply from local shops or collect boxes and supplies leading up to your move to avoid paying higher prices for moving supplies from your provider.
What Services Does College Hunks Hauling Junk & Moving Offer?
College Hunks began as a junk removal service and evolved into a moving company over time. It’s best known for its comprehensive junk removal services.
Junk Removal Services
College Hunks offers the most comprehensive junk removal services we’ve seen from a moving company:
- Attic cleanout: A messy attic equals multiple trips up and down the stairs to clear it out, which is a massive undertaking for any one person or family. College Hunks reports that most attic cleanouts cost between $50 and $800, depending on how many items are in your attic.
- Basement cleanout: College Hunks removes unwanted items, cleans up messes in the basement, and handles donating and recycling unwanted items. The price of this service varies significantly—anywhere from $50 to $2,000 or more—based on how many items you have in the basement and their disposal fees.
- Electronics recycling: Electronics are challenging to dispose of because many of them contain harmful chemicals that pollute the environment if tossed into the trash. College Hunks responsibly recycles electronics waste, including hard drives, power tools, computers, TVs, and gaming systems.
- Hoarding cleanout: College Hunk relieves stress by clearing away unwanted items and helping individuals have a fresh start with its hoarding cleanout services.
- Junk removal: College Hunk reports that the average junk removal job costs between $150 and $750. This provider has a vast variety of junk removal services, including removing appliances, hot tubs, paint, mattresses, scrap metal, exercise equipment, carpets, and construction debris.
- Storage unit junk removal: This provider handles both junk removal and moving services for your storage unit. First, the team will remove unwanted items, then they’ll handle the labor, loading, and hauling of your items to your final destination.
- Storm recovery and debris removal: College Hunks offers same-day and next-day debris removal services if your home underwent significant yard work or was hit by nasty weather. Its teams are trained to support residential and commercial clients who need fast debris removal and flood cleanup services.
College Hunks lists average pricing for several of its services. You’ll need to call for a custom quote for some services, which may depend heavily on the size of the job or your location.
| Service | Average Cost |
|---|---|
| Junk removal | $150–$750 |
| Attic cleanout | $50–$800+ |
| Basement cleanout | $50–$2,000+ |
| Hoarding cleanup | Custom |
| Electronic recycling | Custom (varies based on state disposal fees) |
| Storm cleanup and debris removal | Custom |
Moving Services
College Hunks is a full-service moving company offering various packing, loading, and moving services. Moving services are typically priced by the hour and based on how many movers are required for the job, plus a flat truck and travel fee based on mileage.
- Local moving: College Hunks shines for its high-quality residential moves and pairs its local moves with the option of packing, storage solutions, and other moving extras.
- Long-distance moving: Long-distance moving is any move to a new state or across the country. These moves are conducted with help from College Hunks’ trucking network, meaning the work may be contracted out rather than kept in-house.
- Office and business moving: College Hunks offers full-service office moving for businesses of all sizes. Its teams know how to properly handle and move office equipment, such as servers, technology solutions, and specialized equipment.
College Hunks also sells moving accessories. The following are sample prices we found for Massachusetts, not including sales tax:
| Moving Accessory | Average Cost |
|---|---|
| Medium box | $5 |
| Bubble wrap (per foot) | $3 |
| Moving blankets | $22.50 |
| Dish packs | $14.50 |
| Small box | $4 |
| Large box | $6.50 |
| Wardrobe box with bar | $20 |
| Packing paper (per pound) | $4.50 |
| Shrink wrap (per roll) | $40 |
| 4-piece mirror pack | $4 |
| Tape (per roll) | $4 |
| TV crate | $75 |
| TV crate rental | $25 |
| Mattress bag | $14.50 |
| Wardrobe box rental | $15 |
Optional Services
Here are the optional services College Hunks provides in addition to its junk removal and standard moving services:
- Packing: College Hunks offers comprehensive packing services, including assembly and disassembly of items, furniture arrangement after moving in, and moving supplies for purchase.
- Storage: If your new home isn’t ready, College Hunks can load your belongings onto the moving truck and then transport them to a storage facility until your new home is open.
- Piano moving: Moving your piano is heavy and awkward and may result in damage to the delicate instrument or your back. College Hunks offers piano moving services with custom pricing to keep you and your piano safe.
- Light demolition: College Hunks offers light demolition services, such as a complete home cleanup, removing cabinets, and hauling away debris.
College Hunks Hauling Junk & Moving Customer Reviews: BBB, Trustpilot, Yelp, and More
College Hunks is listed as “Not Rated” on the Better Business Bureau (BBB), which the BBB shares is due to its being “in the process of responding to previously closed complaints.” We noted common issues in BBB reviews, including customers being charged additional fees, paying higher-than-expected total costs, or having items damaged.
We also noticed complaints about reimbursement for damaged items. For example, one complaint mentioned receiving only $60 for a damaged television. However, College Hunks responded to this complaint and stated that the customer had selected the basic insurance, so the reimbursement was appropriate for the level of insurance the customer selected. As a result, we take some of these complaints with a grain of salt.
Trustpilot reviewers gave this provider a 2.4-star rating with a total of 164 reviews. The Yelp page for its Thousand Oaks location features an impressive 4.2-star rating. We recommend checking customer reviews for your location to get the most accurate idea of its service quality in your area.
Positive reviews highlight the straightforward, professional moving services, friendly and efficient employees, and reasonable prices. Here’s a sample of customer reviews for this provider that highlight key themes we noted in reviews:
“I had a smaller local job but still needed it done in a timely and professional manner. I have to say the team at College Hunks performed perfectly. A quick response from Damian in the office, reasonable quote, and same day service. Chance and Aaron arrived on time and completed the job promptly and carefully. I am very pleased. Recommended” —Scott R. via Yelp
“I would give the Crew a 5 star rating as they were very professional, on-time and even swept clean my driveway. As for the price, I would look elsewhere. I was in a bind and needed some old furniture gone. The price was way over the top in my view even after taking into account the cost of labor, truck, fuel and dump fees. Sorry guys, you deserve a 5 but the price is way too high.” —Steve C. via Trustpilot
How College Hunks Hauling Junk & Moving Protects Your Belongings When Moving
Moving insurance protects your belongings while they’re en route to your new home, giving you greater peace of mind in case your personal belongings are damaged in transit. Here’s what College Hunks provides in the way of moving insurance options.
Insurance
College Hunks Hauling Junk & Moving provides two replacement value protection options, also known as moving insurance.
- State-mandated minimum insurance: According to our research, this basic insurance is defined by your state’s mandates but is typically around $0.60 per pound per article. If an item is damaged in transit, the provider is responsible for paying $0.60 per pound for the item’s total weight. So, if you have a 100-pound dresser, this amounts to $60 in coverage. While this minimum insurance is helpful for low-cost items, you may want to invest in a higher insurance coverage, especially for lightweight, pricey items like electronics and artwork.
- Repair/replacement value coverage: The maximum protection College Hunks provides under this coverage is $1–$5 per pound per article. If any item is damaged while in its custody, College Hunks is liable to repair or replace the item to the condition it is in based on its declared value and total weight. If College Hunks can’t fix it, you’ll receive the total coverage amount as a payment. Depending on the size of your home, this insurance will cost an additional $49–$249. It may be worth it if you have electronics or other pricey items.
- Items of extraordinary value: If you have an item that exceeds $100 per pound in value, such as jewelry, art, or currency, College Hunks recommends that you have these items insured via a third party.
Employees
Not only do you want appropriate moving insurance to protect your valued belongings, but you should always check how the company you’re working with vets its employees—they’re ultimately the ones responsible for your belongings.
The majority of College Hunks’ employees are young men or college students who are coached and trained by franchise owners on proper moving and junk removal procedures. Local moves are handled in-house by College Hunks’ professional team. However, long-distance moves may be contracted out to this company’s trucking network.
Booking Process and Timeline
You can book services with College Hunks by either calling customer service or booking through the website. Be warned that the website booking tool is more of a call form. During our secret shopping, we filled out the information for a free estimate but had to wait for a call back (which was within the hour). The website doesn’t provide immediate information when you fill out the form. However, we like that you have the option for same-day and next-day appointments.
Ideally, you want to book at least two months out from the day of your move. However, if you need a quick turnaround, College Hunks can often provide fast appointments.
FAQs About College Hunks Hauling Junk & Moving
Is College Hunks Hauling Junk expensive?
College Hunks Hauling Junk is reasonably priced. Our team found that its junk removal prices are incredibly competitive and typically range from $150 to $750. It can cost $2,000 or more for large junk removal jobs, like basement cleanouts.
Will College Hunks disassemble furniture?
Yes, College Hunks will disassemble furniture, assemble it at your new home, and even arrange it to your liking if you choose this additional service.
What do reviews say about College Hunks Hauling Junk Services?
College Hunks Hauling Junk Services has mixed reviews. It’s listed as “Not Rated” on the Better Business Bureau and has a 2.4-star rating on Trustpilot. However, some local Yelp pages have higher reviews, such as a 4.2-star rating for its Thousand Oaks location. During our research, we noted some reviews shared glowing reports of the professionalism and efficiency of the College Hunk teams. Negative reviews mentioned the provider being unreliable or damaging items.
Does College Hunks do college moves?
Yes, College Hunks handles moves of all sizes, including small moves for college dorms and apartments.
How We Evaluated Moving Providers
To fairly and thoroughly evaluate moving companies, we developed a 100-point rating system grounded in real customer feedback, regulatory data, and hands-on testing. We gathered quotes, verified licensing and safety records, analyzed thousands of customer reviews, and even conducted secret shopping to get a full picture of the customer experience. Each company was scored across six essential categories and then given a final rating out of 5 stars.
Here’s how we broke down our review:
- Customer service (18%): We read more than 7,500 reviews on Google Reviews, the Better Business Bureau (BBB), and Trustpilot, surveyed more than 3,000 recent customers, and tested each company’s website and support team ourselves. Companies earned higher marks for having clear communication, responsiveness, and a helpful, user-friendly online experience.
- Reputation (14%): We verified that each mover has proper licensing through the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) and checked Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) safety records, specifically truck maintenance data. We also gave extra credit to companies that publicly commit to background-checking their crews, showing they prioritize customer safety.
- Value (18%): Using real quotes for 3-bedroom moves ranging from 500–800 miles, we compared average prices across providers. We also considered whether companies offer flat-rate or binding estimates and if they have a clear and simple billing process.
- Service offerings (19%): We evaluated the range of services available, from packing and unpacking to piano moving and junk removal. Movers that offer more options, including do-it-yourself (DIY) solutions like portable storage, scored higher for flexibility and convenience.
- Item protection (20%): We reviewed each company’s insurance offerings and how well they prevent damage during the move. Higher scores went to movers that offer full-value protection and use best practices like shrink wrap, padding, and floor guards.
- Scheduling (11%): We assessed how easy it is to request a quote, speak to a representative, and manage a move from start to finish. Companies with multiple contact options, digital tools like apps or customer portals, and streamlined booking processes stood out from the rest.
