Things to Consider: How to Choose a Moving Company?
Go Back To Previous PageWhen it’s time to pick up stakes and move your home or office to a new location, hiring professional movers can take much of the stress out of the process. These companies have
the right equipment, materials, and training for packing, loading, transporting, and unloading your belongings efficiently and safely. This can provide great peace of mind and help avoid personal injury or damage issues.
Movers also know the best practices for traveling particular routes and can get the job done much faster than novices. With professional equipment like dollies, ramps, and lifting tools combined with techniques to protect doorways and walls, movers prevent scrapes or structural damage that can quickly happen with amateur moves.
But not all moving companies are created equal. Finding a reliable company that meets your specific needs is critical to a smooth move. Take the time to do some research beforehand so you can make an informed decision.
Here are key considerations on how to choose a moving company.
Licensing and Insurance
Never hire a company that can’t provide its USDOT license number and proof of insurance. Interstate movers are legally required to register for a USDOT number, indicating they meet federal requirements like minimum levels of cargo insurance. Checking this validates legitimacy.
Choosing a firm with insurance coverage is necessary. It protects you financially in case of accidents, property damage, theft, or loss of your items – ask about coverage details like any dollar value limits, exclusions for items like jewelry or electronics, or deductibles you’d pay out-of-pocket if claiming losses. Responsible movers will happily provide these credential documents so you can verify policies protecting your belongings.
Your Moving Needs
Consider details like what types of items you’re moving, the quantity, how far away your new home is, and your desired timeline. Will you push yourself over multiple trips or prefer having the pros handle everything in one fell swoop?
Are you moving specialty items like a piano, hot tub, or fragile artwork needing special handling with extra padding and secured restraints during loading/unloading? Outlining needs upfront steers you towards companies suited for your specific moving scope and budget.
Choose a Moving Company: start with Online Reviews
One of the most valuable ways to evaluate potential movers is by checking feedback from past clients on review sites. While every company will have a few complaints, look for consistent praise across many cheerful customer reviews over several years.
Warning signs include meager ratings overall and recurring issues noted regarding broken items, hidden fees, or missing belongings. Recent detailed reviews with photos provide transparent insight into real people’s firsthand experiences with that provider.
Referrals
Personal recommendations provide another helpful reference point for which movers your community has used and liked…or not. Ask specific questions of friends, family members, neighbors, real estate agents, and local social media groups about any movers they’ve used before.
While it’s wise to take all praise with a grain of salt, consistent referrals and examples of careful handling or problems resolved by a company signal good service levels.
Company History
Dig into a prospective moving company’s background to understand its track record and stability over time. How long have they been in business, specifically providing residential moving services full-time year-round? Do they have established operations serving your exact city and familiarity with the new destination?
Longevity, licensing, and specialization in household relocations can demonstrate reliability. Be wary of brand-new companies with no history or those with frequent name changes, possibly hiding complaints or poor reviews tied to past iterations.
Price Comparison Between Movers
Responsible movers provide binding estimates based on an onsite visual inspection of your home and possessions. Be wary of unusually cheap bids that may indicate corners cut or unexpected fees later.
Get detailed in-home estimates from 3-5 recommended companies. Compare their clearly outlined price breakdowns based on weight, mileage between addresses, labor hours, and material costs to understand fair market value pricing for your specific moving needs.
Company Reputation
A moving company’s reputation says a lot about how much it values client satisfaction. Search the Better Business Bureau and state/local consumer protection agency sites for complaints lodged against prospective movers under consideration.
While occasional issues can happen to any business, be concerned about patterns of negligence, overcharging after pickup, damaged belongings, or prolonged resolution times, signaling entrenched operational problems.
Experience
Please find out how long the company and its current ownership/management have focused explicitly on local residential moving services full-time, along with crew experience levels. Unlike commercial or long-distance relocations, moving households need proper techniques that come from ample practice in loading trucks efficiently using appropriate padding and restraint methods unique to fragile possessions.
Don’t let your heirlooms become some untrained crew’s first training run.
Customer Service
You can learn a lot from online client reviews, but also call movers yourself to experience firsthand their communication skills, signaling likely responsiveness once hired. Do they answer phones promptly and knowledgeable?
When asking questions, are staff patient, polite, and willing to explain terminology or processes to place you at ease? The quality and timeliness of responding to inquiries hint at actual priorities once you’re an active customer, too.
Equipment And Crews Utilized
Your valuables deserve careful handling by pros using premium moving equipment like well-maintained trucks with climate control and spotlessly clean wardrobe boxes, furniture pads, straps, and dollies to secure irreplaceable possessions properly.
Ask about employee screening methods and background checks used for crews handling clients’ most cherished belongings inside homes with unsupervised access. Don’t be shy about asking for staff credentials or certifications.
Additional Services
Beyond transportation on a moving day, many companies also offer additional services that may appeal to your needs, like providing medium-term storage options if needed between closings or during renovations, helping to organize contents by room in labeled boxes, and taking debris away after unpacking. Some offer aid in securing municipal permits required when transporting pianos, oversized fitness equipment, or weighty safes.
Using one provider for multiple facets often minimizes coordination headaches clients face trying to arrange those add-ons separately. Be sure to clarify the associated costs for those extra services upfront, though.
Your Budget
Be brutally realistic when initially planning, budgeting for, and setting aside funds to cover your entire move. Build in safe buffers above initial transport quotes to cover incidentals like extra crew hours if stairs require carrying pieces instead of dollies, heavier than expected possessions incurring overage fees, or mid-move additions like last-minute furniture purchases.
Discuss all potential fees with your mover upfront so you can accurately project total costs and have the funds set aside in advance. Avoid draining long-term savings or tapping retirement accounts to pay for moving expenses, instead consider less costly self-moves for local relocations under 50 miles if necessary.
Trust Your Gut Instincts
No checklist substitutes for your instincts when interacting with company reps on the phone or during in-person estimates. Note their professionalism, directness, and if explanations feel thorough and forthcoming vs dodgy, leaving unresolved concerns.
A genuinely dependable moving company will make you feel comfortable and informed, not anxious or uncertain about potential “fine print” surprises. Pay attention if anything seems off base on promises, avoidances, or pricing. Any initial warnings probably hint at operational issues best sidestepped now rather than regretted later.
Conclusion about Choose a Moving Company
Deciding how to choose a moving company requires weighing numerous factors, from licensing to customer service. While no firm can be perfect, scrutinizing a company’s reputation, experience, equipment, crews, and verified past performance can provide confidence you’re entrusting your relocation to trustworthy professionals committed to moving personal possessions responsibly and affordably. Being an informed consumer by asking critical questions before signing contracts leads to smoother transitions into new chapters and spaces.
Georges has been working in Wall Street for the last 16 years trading derivatives with hedge funds. He has been an active real estate investor for over a decade. Georges graduated from HEC Business School in Paris and holds a master in Finance from ESADE Barcelona.
