How to Pick a Moving Company

By Allie Caton on October 22, 2017

pexels.com

Moving is stressful. There’s really no way to get around the stress of moving. Whether you are moving your belongings on your own or using a company, there are always going to be problems and bumps in the road. If you do go down the moving company track, there are things you can do to try and prevent significant problems down the line. Picking a good moving company is an integral part of a smooth sailing moving process.

There are a lot of factors to think about when picking a moving company for your move. Here are some things to consider when picking your moving company.

Deposits

Most reputable moving companies will not make you pay a large deposit before the delivery is made. A good company will have you pay the full amount at the time of the delivery. If you pay in advance, you have no guarantee that the company will take weeks and weeks to deliver your food or, at worst, steal and resell your belongings.

Name changes

Avoid companies that have undergone name changes. Many companies do this to get around Better Business evaluations, and you don’t want a company that feels the need to avoid these evaluations. Make sure that the company has a real address and real employees. A good way to check the validity of the company further is to read reviews online, but don’t take these at face value as they can be fabricated.

References

Similarly, get references for the company. Don’t go off of online reviews alone as they can be planted and deceptive. If you do want to look at internet reviews, find a company that has a lot of reviews: too many for all of them to be fabricated. If you don’t know anyone who has used a moving company that they can recommend, you can reference The American Moving and Storage Association.

Extra fees

Be aware of any extra fees. If you pack your own belongings, don’t let the company slip in packaging fees into your bill. By packing yourself, you save money and you can better manage how your things are packaged and avoid damaging any items. There are also a number of ways that you can rack up extra fees including stairs and size of items. Be aware of these fees and compare them between companies so you get the best deal.

Inventory & Estimate

A good moving company will be able to come take an inventory of your belongings and give you a price estimate for the job. A good moving company will take a thorough inventory of the amount and the weight of your belongings and not skip or add any extra stuff. Make sure you understand their evaluating process so you can manage whether or not the estimator’s numbers seem correct.

A good estimator will ask questions about which items will be moved, so have specific answers prepared so that you can get a good estimate. Have more than one company come take inventory and give estimates. It’s best to get about three or four companies to come give an estimate.

License & Insurance

Make absolutely sure that your moving company has a license and insurance. Many companies are in business illegally, so you want to avoid using one of these. You can find out if a company has a license by searching them on FMCSA website.

Plan ahead

Plan ahead and start looking for a moving company early on. If you are rushing last minute to find a company, you are much more likely to skip steps in evaluating the companies and might end up getting ripped off or provided terrible service. Start the process early and take the time to evaluate a number of different companies. It will make your life much easier in the long run and will most likely help your budget as well.

Don’t make moving more of a nightmare than it already is. Take these suggestions into account when getting ready to move and when you are picking out a moving company. The best thing you can do for yourself when moving is to find ways to avoid costs. That’s why it’s so important to pick a moving company that isn’t going to swindle you or sneak in extra charges.

Be mindful and vigilant about the companies you are looking at so you can get the best service possible!

Follow Uloop

Apply to Write for Uloop News

Join the Uloop News Team

Discuss This Article

Back to Top

Log In

Contact Us

Upload An Image

Please select an image to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format
OR
Provide URL where image can be downloaded
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format

By clicking this button,
you agree to the terms of use

By clicking "Create Alert" I agree to the Uloop Terms of Use.

Image not available.

Add a Photo

Please select a photo to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format