The Box Evidence

What was actually in the boxes

CMR billed for 88 boxes. These are photographs of their interiors, taken as each box was opened on delivery. CMR's own rates were $14.52 per small box and $22.65 per "large" box — and the boxes CMR classified as "large" measure 18×18×16 inches, the industry standard for a medium box. These per-box charges were billed in addition to the 30+ hours of pack-out labor CMR also charged. The fill levels below are approximate.

Dozens of empty and unfilled moving boxes left stacked in the apartment after consolidating — Some of the leftover boxes, after consolidating

These are some of the many unfilled boxes left over after we consolidated.

A half-full copy-paper box set loosely inside a larger moving box — A half-full paper box, set loosely inside a larger box

Medium box, billed as large · about 30% full. Contents would have fit a small box; loosely packed, items shifted and were bent in transit.
CMR "large" box rate · $22.65

Two small office-supply boxes set inside a larger moving box — Two small office-supply boxes, inside a larger box

Medium box, billed as large · about 40% full. Small-box contents in a medium-sized box.
CMR "large" box rate · $22.65

One empty box and a half-full copy-paper box inside a medium moving box — One empty box and a half-full paper box

Medium box, billed as large · about 25% full. Loosely placed in a medium-sized box.
CMR "large" box rate · $22.65

A single layer of books at the bottom of a small moving box — A single layer of books at the bottom

Small box · about 15% full
CMR small-box rate · $14.52

Paperback books in a small moving box — A small box of paperbacks

Small box · about 25% full
CMR small-box rate · $14.52

Two baking sheet pans laid flat in the bottom of a small box — Two baking sheet pans, laid flat

Small box · about 15% full
CMR small-box rate · $14.52

Two throw-pillow cushions filling a small box — Two throw-pillow cushions — a full box

Small box · full. In fairness, a number of boxes were appropriately full — often bulky, lightweight contents like these.
CMR small-box rate · $14.52

A small box filled almost entirely with bubble wrap around a few small items — A few small items in a sea of bubble wrap

Small box · about 10% full (the rest is packing)
CMR small-box rate · $14.52

A single small electronic device surrounded by bubble wrap in a small box — One small electronic, the rest packing

Small box · about 10% full
CMR small-box rate · $14.52

A handful of school notebooks and packing paper in a small box — A handful of school notebooks

Small box · about 20% full
CMR small-box rate · $14.52

A yearbook and a few graduation keepsakes loosely packed in a small box — A yearbook and a few keepsakes

Small box · about 20% full
CMR small-box rate · $14.52

Three linen shopping bags and tissue paper in a small box, a hand reaching in — Three linen shopping bags — the box from the video

Small box · the whole box weighed under a pound. I don't even know how to measure its fullness — the contents could have been the packing material itself in other boxes.
CMR small-box rate · $14.52

A box of DVDs, video games, and books — DVDs, video games, and books

Small box · about 40% full — all lightweight media. Even the fuller boxes were kept light; under-packing was not a weight issue.
CMR small-box rate · $14.52

Bubble-wrapped odds and ends at the bottom of a small box — Bubble-wrapped odds and ends

Small box · about 25% full
CMR small-box rate · $14.52

A partial layer of hardcover books with tissue paper in a small box — A partial layer of hardcover books

Small box · about 45% full
CMR small-box rate · $14.52

A passport envelope and loose documents packed loosely among bubble wrap — A passport envelope and loose documents

About 15% full — identity documents were among the stored contents (see The Passport)

A tape measure showing a box is about 16 inches deep — Measuring a "large" box — about 16 inches deep

CMR "large" = 18 × 18 × 16 inches

A tape measure showing the same box is about 18 inches wide — The same box — about 18 inches wide

Industry-standard dimensions for a *medium* box

A CMR box truck

We have no photo of the actual truck CMR billed for the move-out. CMR charged for a 21–27 ft truck on the move-out; the move-back fit in an ~18 ft truck.

After consolidating some — not all — of the under-filled boxes, we had 30+ boxes completely empty. Over a third of what CMR charged. Gone.

Video — a box that weighed under a pound

A short clip after delivery: as we started opening boxes, we joked about how light they were, given they were half-filled. Some wouldn't have qualified as paperweights. This one was my favorite — it weighed less than a pound and ended up being filled with three linen grocery bags.

A longer walkthrough of every box being opened will be added here.

See the billing analysis Hear the recordings

This site represents one family's documented consumer experience. All claims are supported by primary source documentation available on this site.