When it comes to moving from one house to another, the hardest part would be finding a good moving company to assist with moving all your belongings. Once you’ve found a company though, the rest is quite simple. Each company is unique, and will offer different services than the next will, and have different rates as well, so it really depends on what’s in your ballpark and what you’re looking for in a company.
With some companies, like All N 1 Stop Moving and Storage, all of the services you might need are available under one roof instead of having to source and research more than one company to help you move.
That said, here are some tips on how to find a moving company that best suits your needs:
1. Search For A Local Company
With the number of moving companies available online, the best route you could possibly take would be to hire a local business. Not only are you helping keep their lights on while having found someone to take care of your needs, you’re potentially avoiding any seedy or underhanded agreements you might come across with an online or big-name company. It’s best to support local businesses any time you can, since if you utilize local services, the money you spend stays in the community rather than going to some national chain. Also, the more money a local business receives, like a moving company, the more jobs they can create, thus hiring more hands to help the moving company with their business. There’s a list of benefits when it comes to shopping locally before considering national brands to help with your move so weigh your options before signing on a company.
2. Get Estimates
When searching through businesses, be sure to gather estimates so you have a number of options to choose from, and come to a sound decision on which one offers the best overall service for the money. When dealing with estimates, be sure to avoid ones that are considerably lower than the others. If they give you a quote without sending a representative out to gauge the situation, there’s a good chance these are scams. Not only would a scam take your money and run, but they will leave you in a worse situation than you were before financially, not to mention you’d fall behind your schedule.
3. Verify Their Credentials
If moving is a new experience for you and you’re unsure of which company to help you move from one state to another, this is where you need to check their credentials. Basically, any moving service that would be transporting cargo and/or passengers via the interstate require a number, referred to as the DOT number, from the Department of Transportation. If the company you’re considering is licensed, they are required to provide their DOT number on their website and within their advertising.
If they have a DOT number and you’re still unsure, look for their carrier number, which would be issued by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. With these two credentials in place, a company is qualified to help you move your belongings across the states. Even if you’re moving from one city to another in the same state, some moving companies are still required to have these federal certifications. It just varies on the jurisdiction of the area they reside in.
4. Read Online Reviews
Just like with any product or business you’re viewing online, be sure to take a look at the reviews and complaints. Reviews from past customers will tell you more than enough about the company you’re researching. Pay attention to trends between the reviews whether it’s overall a great service, or negatives like more than one customer complained about damaged or missing items. You wouldn’t want to hire a company without having an idea of what their past business says about them, especially if there are complaints about surprise charges or anything else of the sort. No one wants to be blindsided when they already have their hands full with a big move.
5. Get Everything In Writing
When it comes to the details of the move, and everything discussed regarding the business transaction, make sure you have every detail in writing. This way, if anything happens like surprise charges, damaged or lost products, or a miscommunication between the business and you as a customer, you want to make sure you’re protected. If you’re protected by the contract, and legal actions come into play, you’re covered because of the agreement you initially signed as there would be sufficient documentation for your side of the case. Plus, it just helps to have everything in writing to ensure both parties between yourself and the business itself stick to the agreement and there are no underhanded deals going on.
Conclusion
Whether you decide to hire a national company, or you’re giving a local business a try, moving is a big deal, and deciding which moving company is a big decision to make. Once that decision is made, though, the hardest part is over, and you just have to focus on the move itself. Just take a step back and enjoy the fact that you were able to find a group of professionals to help with your move, relinquishing you of any possible injuries and stress that might come as part of doing the whole project yourself.
