Moving is one of the more stressful experiences in your life. However, if you select the wrong movers for your work it will make this challenging task even more difficult. You must have heard about several horrific moving stories that include stolen or broken belongings or in some cases worse. Therefore, you should not keep your moving experience to a chance. You can take certain actionable steps that can guarantee a responsible and reliable moving company for your move. The question is how will you select a reliable moving company? Here are some tips.
1. Decide the kind of moving company you need
All moving companies have certain specialties. Some movers specialize in local moves while others concentrate their efforts on interstate moves. Some movers specialize in moving delicate articles such as safes and pianos. Firstly, you have to evaluate the scope of your move. You need to ask yourself some questions and their answers will have to be verified with a moving company.
- Is my move interstate or local? Do I need interstate movers? Would a local mover be able to do this work?
- Are there some items in the stuff that needs special equipment or skill for moving? Some of these include pianos, pool tables, and hot tubes.
- Do I need other related services such as trash removal, packing, or cleaning up?
2. Locate prospective moving companies and evaluate them
Just a straightforward Google search might seem like the right way of picking a reliable moving company. But, ensure that you are systematic with your search. This will allow you to compare and contrast various movers. It is recommended that you create a blank spreadsheet for organizing all your results and then fill it with the data about all these moving companies you have investigated before you are just plain sick of it. For every moving company have a column with,
- Where did you find the mover: Here write down where you found this mover? You may note Google or something such as personal reference. For those movers with personal references add a note about the person that referred this mover. When you check out the completed spreadsheet these personal recommendations will appear to have more weight. You may ask for a quote from these movers.
- Areas they service: Is it possible for this moving company to accommodate both areas where you live and where you are moving?
- Years of experience: You will find that newer companies are less expensive, however; the organizations that have been working in this line for some time are less likely to be problematic.
- Check license and insurance: Check out if this mover has a requisite license and has provided its insurance info on its site. If these are interstate movers they will need insurance and DOT or Department of Transportation licensing information to be listed.
- Accreditations if any: Do these movers have some specific accreditations or certifications on their site that are worth noting? Some reliable movers may have American Moving and Storage Association certification.
3. Read online reviews of your top 5 contenders
One of the significant things to look for in a mover is good, honest reviews. Never choose a mover without completing this step. You do not just have to trust those testimonials listed on their sites because they may be fake. You are advised to narrow down your list to the top 5 contenders. Search for more reviews by using these platforms,
- Google or Facebook.
- The Better Business Bureau.
- Department of Transportation.
- Yelp.
4. Request for estimates
After you have a clear idea about moving companies by reading those online reviews and have narrowed down your list to five moving companies, your next step has to be getting in-person estimates. You will need at least 3 estimates. It is important that they are handed to you in person and not through phone or email. It is tough to assess a move without judging the size of your home and the number of belongings. At this point ask for their insurance and licensing details. Later you may verify these details on the net or even locally in some cases. You need to watch out for some red flags here during the estimate stage. These will help you in safeguarding from scams and unreliable scammers. Look out for,
- Too low bids.
- Too large deposits.
- Use of rented moving vans.
- Unprofessionalism.
Before you finalize a moving company, get all your decided terms on paper in writing. Also, ensure that you have gone over the moving company insurance policy and know what it covers and how much it covers? Find out there are any differences between full replacement value and similar no-cost alternatives that do not have replacement value. Pick an insurance alternative you are comfortable with and you can pay for additional protection if you are moving valuable items. If you are moving from or to Chicago, Franklin Park, Bloomingdale, IL area, opt for 2 Guys And A Van for professional and reliable services.
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