There are some people out there that are perfectly capable of handling a DIY relocation. Their relocation is fairly simple, and they have the necessary tools and skills that it requires. Furthermore, they have capable friends they can call upon to help them out. But, for the rest 99% of people, hiring professional movers for a relocation is the best course of action. Keep in mind though that the movers you choose will be the determining factor in whether or not your relocation will be successful. So, lets us take a look at how to choose a reliable moving company.
The importance of choosing a trustworthy moving company
Now, some of you might wonder why it is important to choose a reliable moving company. Choosing a cost-effective or well-known moving company is self-evidently beneficial. But, why should one go through the trouble of making sure that their movers are reliable? Well, there is a plethora of reasons. By having reliable movers at your side, you’ll be able to avoid dangerous moving scams. Furthermore, you’ll be able to reduce your stress as putting trust in your movers will be a huge load off your mind. After all, they will be the ones that handle your possesions during relocation. So, by making sure that they are reliable, you’ll be able to handle the whole ordeal much more efficiently and easily.
The necessary steps to choose a reliable moving company
Now that we know why it is important to choose a reliable moving company to let’s go over the necessary steps of doing so. Keep in mind that every step is important and that you need to attend to it with a degree of care. By missing one, you can prolong your search for reliable movers needlessly. Or, which is worse, you can get stuck with unreliable movers that can ruin your entire relocation. So, do yourself a favor, and follow the steps we outline to the word.
Step 1: Finding potential movers online
The first step is to go online and look for potential movers. Ideally, you should find the ones near you. Local movers are usually capable of giving you a much better service quality-to-cost ratio as it takes them less fuel and time to move you. But, if it so happens that you don’t have movers in your vicinity, or the ones that you do have are unreliable, don’t worry. Even movers that are further away can be cost-effective if given enough time to prepare.
Step 2: Checking reviews
Once you find potential online movers you need to check their reviews. Go to sites like Google, Yelp, Facebook or BBB and try to figure out what kind of a reputation they have. Even though marketing is important in the moving industry, try to ignore all the flashy commercials and promises. What you are looking for is a company that has a large number of predominantly positive reviews. If a company only has a small number of 100% reviews, keep away. Those reviews are usually fake, and the company is not to be trusted.
Step 3: Getting estimates
Another thing to do with your potential movers is to get online estimates. Almost all movers offer free online estimates, which is why you shouldn’t shy away from getting as much as possible. Some even offer video estimates. So, even if you don’t plan on hiring a moving company, it is a good idea to get their quote. By doing so, you will get a much better idea of what your relocation realistically costs. Keep in mind that certain factors can play a big role in the final cost, like the timing of your move. However, that is something you will go over with your movers once you see them in person.
Step 4: Filtering
Once you have your reviews and your estimates, the time will come to filter out your movers. Right off the bat, you can do away with the ones that offer considerably lower estimates than the rest. Those are usually moving scams in the making that are only going to leave you frustrated and penniless. What you need to focus on is whether to prioritize reviews or costs. Our advice is to prioritize reviews as online moving costs are not set in stone. As we mentioned, the final bill can vary quite a bit from the online estimate, especially if your movers are experienced and they have enough time to prepare. So, try to put the quality of the movers in front of their price, at least for the time being.
Step 5: The interviews
After filtering out, you should have between 3 and 5 moving companies to choose from. Those companies are going to be the ones you have your interviews with. Call them up and ask them to send over a company representative. This representative will give you an onsite estimate. These estimates often come with a fee. But, they will reflect the final bill much more closely, as the representative will be able to take many other things into account. Just remember to ask for a binding estimate.
After that, your job will be to figure out how good their company is. Ask them about their experience and what their procedures are. If they start talking about weighing the truck or offering you some sort of a shady deal, avoid them. Moving scams are, unfortunately, known to happen in the moving industry. So, do yourself a favor and avoid them the moment something starts to smell fishy.
Step 6: Checking the contract and insurance
The final step you need to take in order to choose a reliable moving company is to check the moving contract and insurance. These will be your first and your last line of defense if a moving mishap occurs. And, although your movers should ensure that none does, it doesn’t hurt to have proper coverage. If necessary, go over these documents with a lawyer by your side. If some part of the documents is shady you need to be aware of it beforehand.
And that’s it. If you followed what we’ve outlined so far, you are practically guaranteed to have a reliable moving company helping you out.
