Many years of being in the moving business has allowed us to understand how paramount finding a moving company you’re completely comfortable with is. Movers enter your home and come into contact with your family, your pets and your valuable household items. In addition to trust, scheduling and costs are other factors to consider when making your decision. Every household is different, and doing your research is the most important piece of the puzzle. We’re obviously biased and know that after all your research, Fox Moving will be your top choice, but of course considering your options is always necessary. We’ve put together some helpful information on how to choose a moving company.
Before you choose a moving company, do some research.
Word of Mouth:
Get out and about, speak to your neighbors, co-workers, friends and local real estate agents. You are more likely to trust the people you know as opposed to some questionable online reviews with scattered points of view. Look in a phone book or local online directories. Finding locally owned and operated moving companies will allow you to visit their locations and get an in-home estimate. Try to find the right moving company for yourself as opposed to using household-goods brokerage services. These services are not regulated by the rules moving companies must follow. Most of all, find the factors that matter to you the most. These may be prices, location and convenience, or how available the companies are for your schedule (Fox Moving is available on short notice, by the way). Make it a point to gather a handful of names and eliminate companies as you go so you don’t become overwhelmed with choices.
Online Resources:
Once you have several options in mind, begin to do a little more digging before you choose a moving company. Like previously mentioned, don’t depend on one or two random people’s bad reviews (or good!) to make your choices for you. Check out the websites of your moving company options? Are they professional and do they answer most of your questions? You can also check consumer advocacy sites such as movingscam.com. Sites such as this will have blacklists of companies with notoriously bad reviews and complaints and will provide license numbers for legitimate moving companies.
Choose a moving company to visit your home.
Estimates
So you’ve done your research and have a few great names in mind. It’s time to contact them and have them do an in-home estimate. Be careful not to agree to an estimate until every square foot of your house is seen. Consider asking for a written, binding or a “not to exceed” estimate. Having these on hand will assure your moving budget isn’t surpassed by unexpected moving issues. Make sure to ask questions! You don’t want to be surprised on moving day by information that was left out of the conversation. Once any and all of your chosen moving companies have visited your home, and quoted you an estimate, it is time to compare and examine costs. Note considerably high or low bids. Most moving companies are happy to answer any questions you may have, so feel free to call should a bid bring up some confusion.
Scheduling
Most importantly, when you choose a moving company, scheduling is key. While some people are okay with providing little supervision while movers are in their homes, you may find this uncomfortable and choose to be there as the movers work.
The process of how to choose a moving company may seem like a lengthy one, but rest assured that doing your research and paying for a quality moving company will save you stressful days, unexpected expense, and a sore back in the long run.
Have more questions about how to choose a mover – or want to consider Fox Moving for yours? Give us a shout! Request a free quote online or call us at 615-770-3000.