Athena's Movers & Junk Removal

Around Yucaipa, Athena’s Movers & Junk Removal (a lot of folks still call them Greek Movers) has a pretty recognizable way of operating. And it starts with Peter. You’ll hear his name over and over because he’s the one who actually answers the phone, gets back to emails, and keeps the schedule moving. People mention him being responsive and communicative, sending times/dates, even dropping stuff into a Google Calendar so there’s less “wait around and wonder” on move day. If you’ve dealt with enough crews in this town, you know that alone puts them ahead of the pack.

On the work itself, the consistent theme is: on time, ready to work, no fuss. Crews show up and get into it—fast and efficient, “worked tirelessly,” “didn’t take breaks,” knocked out a 2-bedroom worth of stuff in under a day, loaded trucks quick, and handled complicated moves without making it everybody else’s problem. And they don’t just muscle things around; plenty of reviews call out wrapping pieces, being gentle with items, respectful of the home, and asking where boxes should go instead of dumping them wherever. You want a crew that actually listens and organizes as neatly as possible? Most customers sound like they got exactly that.

Pricing and scheduling usually come off as fair price / worth every penny / great value, plus they’ll do next-day pickup in some cases and they’ll work with tight time constraints or a last-minute reschedule. That “easy to deal with” part is real—less paperwork, less runaround, just get it booked and get it done. But, however, the company also runs like a lot of busy local outfits run: different crews, different outcomes. And that’s where the rougher reviews land.

Because the negative stuff isn’t small. A few customers describe slow pace, overtime friction, poor prioritization (loading boxes first so there’s no room for the big items), and some pretty serious “execution” problems—like careless TV mounting, stripped hardware, and especially a gas dryer hookup that allegedly leaked. That’s not “oops, scuffed a wall” territory, that’s safety and competency territory. Then there’s the other recurring pain point: when something goes wrong, some people say they can’t get a callback, voicemail is full, or they feel avoided. And in this line of work, claims and damage handling is where reputations get made or broken, right?

So what’s the honest local read? Most of the time, Athena’s/Greek Movers runs like a solid, hustle-heavy crew—on time, professional, good attitude, fast, and genuinely smooth from scheduling with Peter to the truck getting unloaded. Yet if you’re hiring them for antiques, high-value pieces, or anything involving install work (TV mounts, washer/dryer, gas), you’d be smart to ask upfront: who’s the lead, what exactly are you installing, what tools are on the truck, and what’s the damage/insurance process if something goes sideways. Why leave that part fuzzy when the messy realities are exactly what you’re paying to have handled?

End of the day, they’ve built a reputation locally for being responsive, easy to work with, and getting moves done efficiently—and when they’re on, they’re really on. That consistency with communication and showing up on time is what people keep talking about, and that’s usually the tell.