What to Expect from Moving Companies

What to Expect from Moving Companies



What Should You Expect From Moving Companies?

  1. Key Factors to Expect in a Reliable Company
  2. Look for Affiliations with the Moving Industry
  3. Employee Treatment
  4. Getting Accurate Estimates
  5. Find a Company You Can Trust
  6. Essential Tips to Finding Trusted Movers
  7. Beware of Rogue Movers
  8. How to Determine if a Moving Company is Trustworthy
  9. Moving Authority Makes Finding A Moving Company Simple



1. Key Factors to Expect in a Reliable Company




When you are conducting research on moving companies, the years of experience is very important. Licensing and
insurance are also essential factors. You want to hire a company that has been successful in business – moving other families without too many issues involved. Don’t do business with novice moving companies. Choose one that offers impeccable service and affordability. While cost is important, you don’t want to get one that is cheap; only to have the process end up being expensive.


No one wants to do business with moving companies that don’t have experience, professionalism, fair pricing and affiliations with industry organizations. Moving companies are similar to voting for the best idol in the American Idol contest. You want to find the entire package – the contestant with a voice that can blow you away and one who will connect to the audience. The same is true for the moving company that you hire. You want one that will connect to your needs and one with a service that will blow you away. It is ideal if you could do business with a company with skilled movers. You also want to ensure that the movers are efficient, strong and honest.




What To Expect From A Moving Company (VIDEO)



2. Look for Affiliations with the Moving Industry




If a moving company is affiliated with certain industry organizations, it speaks volumes to the consumer. This means that the company has taken extra measures to be a part of the industry to stay abreast of changes and advanced technology. American Moving & Storage Association is one such organization, providing the consumer with guidance to soliciting quality moving companies. To be associated with an organization like this – tells the consumer that you are worth doing business with.


Always pay attention to how you are being treated.



3. Employee Treatment




Moving companies are as good as their employees. That means you should also pay attention to the movers and
administrative employees. Watch how the movers operate when the time comes for your relocation. If the company hires full-time employees and not just part-time workers, you can tell that they want to provide the best service all year round.



4. Getting Accurate Estimates



When you request quotes or estimates from moving companies, you shouldn’t accept just a few. It is best to do comparison shopping of at least five companies. If the cost has a slight variation, choose the one that meets your needs instead of just looking at pricing. Choose the company based on whether the company will accommodate you. If you want to save money on moves, feel free to look for free moving boxes so you won't have to pay for them.



5. Find a Company You Can Trust




You want to know that you are doing business with a company that values your valuables. You want the ultimate protection for your belongings. Choosing one of the most suitable moving companies means that you may have to dig deep to find what you are looking for. Be sure to choose a company that offers the whole package.



WHAT TO EXPECT MOVING COMPANY




6. Essential Tips to Finding Trusted Movers




Every year millions of Americans are moving all over our great country. On average 1.6 million of us are moving each year, making our highways look like one giant game of musical chairs. It is very important to hire quality movers to ensure that both your belongings and your wallet remain safe.




7. Beware of Rogue Movers




Sometimes it can be confusing when you search online to know how to tell the good companies from the bad. Every year when the moving season starts, which is considered May-August lots of movers will suddenly ‘appear’ as if almost out of thin air. This is because many people think moving is an easy and quick way to make money for the summer. Then disappear come Autumn only to repeat this process the next year under a new name. When companies operate this way, usually they are rogue movers which mean they are running their company outside of the law, and cutting corners on mandatory operating sanctions which result in the customer paying more than a fair price. Most likely you will find your things in less than perfect shape when or if you finally get them back.




8. How to Determine if a Moving Company is Trustworthy


  • How Long Have They Been In Business: If the company has no previous history, this may be the first red flag. As we stated earlier many companies pop up only for the summer so be wary of someone that started their business. That being said, new legitimate companies can come on the scene but if they are new make sure to know where they fall on the rest of this list of questions.
  • Know Your Price: Make sure to get at least 3 estimates for your upcoming move. It’s always best to take the best-priced option but the prices should be within a reasonable amount of one another. If you have one moving company offering a price that is lower, such as half the cost of their competitors, this is an offer too good to be true. It seems like you are dealing with an unlicensed moving company.
  • Do They Have a DOT Number: What is a DOT number you may ask. It is a unique license number that is issued by the DOT (Department of Transportation), which legally allows the business to operate. If they don’t have one of these numbers or try to give you the run around if you ask for it, do yourself a favor and hang up the phone.
  • Do They Have Arbitration: An Arbitration program is essentially service that provides a legal mediator if either the mover or the moving company have a dispute with a certain move. This type of dispute could range from damages to lost property to cost dispute. Arbitration is an alternative to going to small claims court. All moving companies are legally required to have an arbitration service as well as required to present information to their client before the move. Arbitration has to be renewed each year, so if the company does not have one or their paperwork says 2002, find another mover pronto.
  • Get Everything in Writing: Having a piece of paper that is legally binding means everything when it comes to movers. Any legitimate business will have iron clad documents that you will also have a copy of. Most movers that are operating outside the law, (the same ones that quote you amazing prices) generally do so with verbal agreements alone so later they can change what they said and you end up paying way more money! In this case, it would be called a moving tariff.



9. Moving Authority Makes Finding A Moving Company Simple




This is why Moving Authority is striving to make sure the world of moving is more transparent. Moving Authority is represented by professionals that have worked on all sides of the moving industry for years. We want to help inform the public because there have been so many cases of fraud within the moving company. All of these components add up to the often times bad reputation that moving companies have. This can be detrimental to all the great American moving businesses that are operating with integrity.




Moving Authority has made finding better movers so much easier. Other websites that rank companies allow anyone (including the business) to make their review page and then fill it with content from potentially non-real reviews. Many companies will offer to pay people who have never used their services to submit reviews. Moving Authority does not allow unlicensed or ‘shady’ moving companies to thrive by not allowing them to be recommended on the site. The comprehensive list of movers that Moving Authority has is updated and reviewed daily to ensure that all the movers are the best quality on the scene. All the moving companies on the Moving Authority website have been in the business for many years, have active DOT numbers, offer Arbitration, and put everything in writing with a tariff to ensure that your move is as safe and hassle free as possible.