Tips To Keep You From Hiring The Wrong Moving Company
November 10th, 2008Choosing the wrong moving company can cost you more than the moving fee. The tips below are designed to help you choose a reputable and professional moving company. Don’t let youself be the next moving company horror story!
Hiring a moving company is a viable consideration for many people today. If you’re like me, you hate to move so having someone do it for you is worth the price. Other people may be physically unable to move or do not have the time to pack and move.
There are many benefits to hiring a moving company. One of the biggest reasons is the time you will save. A professional moving crew can have you packed up and ready to move much quicker than you could. This is a no hassle approach to moving and more and more people are choosing it for the lack of stress.
Recently the moving industry has seen a rise in the “complete package” home services company. These companies find you a house, help you sell the one you’re in, pack you up, ship your belongings and unpack you at your new home. These are very popular with corporations that are moving corporate officials on a regular basis.
Smart consumers will begin well in advance of the move in choosing a moving company. They will start their research online and look for reviews on Google, CitySearch and other consumer review websites. Angies List is also an excellent place to review moving companies as well as the BBB. You’ll also want to ask the people at the moving company some very specific questions and get everything in writing.
Fist, always ask for references from both satisfied and dissatisfied customers. If they tell you they have no dissatisfied customers, they’re lying. Every company who deals with the General public will have a dissatisfied customer every once in a while. Get firm quotes from the moving company and ask about any “hidden” or “additional” fees that might be applied.
The company you eventually choose to move you will want to come out and inspect your home, to work out what they will be moving, and to provide you with a quotation, so you may want to de-clutter before they arrive - they will take an inventory, in some cases, with you and decide what your quotation will be. These companies will also provide you with a complete overview of their insurance - review it carefully so you’re sure of what they cover and what you’re liable for, should the worst happen.
Would you be surprised if I told you some moving companies retain the right to hold your furniture until they are paid in full? If there is some type of dispute, they could hold your furniture, charging you a storage fee for doing so, until the dispute has been cleared up. This is why it’s so important to get everything in writing.
Always ask to review their policy on breakdowns or delays. You neve want to be sitting a your home waiting on the moving company. How many days late do they have to be before you can have your fee back? What if they’re a week late in showing up? These are the types of questions you need the answer for before hiring a moving company.