When it comes time to make a move to a new home, one of the scariest things to do is to find a moving company that you can trust. Everyone has horror stories to share about bad situations they have been in with the movers that they selected. I have heard tales of movers damaging or losing belongings, or worse, outright stealing or holding items hostage until an inflated fee is paid. This makes it hard to feel secure about hiring movers.
Each year there are, in fact, thousands of complaints filed against disreputable moving companies. How can you protect yourself? Don’t just pick a moving company out of the phone book or the Internet. Instead see if anyone you know has any recommendations. Then ask your potential movers the following four questions:
Are you licensed and insured?
Moving companies can be made up of all types, including a single college kid with a truck. While there might be nothing wrong with this type of service, using a company that is unlicensed and uninsured is a big risk. Not only will you have no recourse if something is lost or broken, but the movers may in fact be able to sew you if they get hurt on the job.
Do you have references?
Reputable and reliable moving companies are all too eager to show off their good service. They should provide you will a list of customers that you can call or contact as references. Call at least three different customers on the list, and ask them specifically what they liked and did not like about the service.
Do you offer “full value protection?”
Standard insurance, or released value insurance guarantees about 60 cents per pound. Full value protection, on the other hand, means that damaged or lost items must be replaced at current market value.
Is this a binding estimate?
A binding estimate is one that is firm. Your final cost will be the exact estimate. You can budget accordingly and there will be no surprises after the move. Non-binding or non-firm estimates can increase significantly on the day of your move. Theoretically, they may also decrease, but I have never heard of this happening yet.
Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, creating a home in the Home Blog and caring for little ones in the Baby Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.
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