10 Ways To Identify A Trustworthy Moving Company

When you are preparing to relocate to a new address, there are some critical decisions you need to make to avoid time wasting and causing yourself unnecessary stress. Some of the decisions include methods of storing your items and choosing an ideal professional moving company.

The choice of moving company can be the difference between a relocation experience that is satisfying or one that is downright disastrous. If you plan to move out of your present location and need information on hiring a trusted professional moving business for the task, reading through this article will provide you with relevant tips to guide your decision-making on choosing the right moving company.

1) Referral from a friend or family member

Before you entrust your items to a moving organization, you need to know you can trust them with your belongings. To decide on trust, you can ask your co-workers or family to recommend a moving company they know can handle your relocation without any of your items missing.

2) Positive reviews from a reliable website

You can get relevant information about a company's ability and professionalism, by examining their previous customer reviews. Some clients they have worked with in the past may have a favorable opinion of them, while others may be critical of the services they received.

It's important to evaluate the reputation of the moving company based on multiple platforms, including Google, Yelp, Facebook and others. Searching for a moving company's name in a search engine such as Google, may also uncover instances of discontent among previous customers, who have chosen to voice their concerns on a message forum such as Reddit, for example.

3) Experience on the job

You can determine a company's capacity and understanding of the job through their years of experience on the job. A company with two decades of experience on the job will have more diverse experience than a company that started within a few months.

4) Valid operational license

Before hiring a moving company, you must verify if the company is licensed and registered with relevant statutory bodies. For instance, in the U.S, all moving companies need to be registered with the department of transport. If a moving company does not possess such a license, consider it a red flag.

5) The moving company must be a member of a professional body

A professional moving company must maintain a high level of professionalism on and off the job. Also, you need to know whether the company belongs to a professional body like American Moving and Storage Association (AMSA). Hiring a moving company registered with a professional body provides a guarantee and safety of your items.

6) Transparency on rate moving charges

When dealing with a professional moving business, one of their policies should be to conduct an in-home survey. Through this survey, they will know the correct truck size and determine your rate and charges. A professional moving company will be transparent with you throughout the process, without including any hidden costs that inflate your bill.

7) Affordability

The average cost of hiring a moving company varies from one country to another. According to the American Moving and Storage Association, the average cost of moving interstate within the U.S is just over $4000. Due to this relatively high price, many people try to arrange interstate moves at cheaper rates. However, your priority shouldn't just be about finding a company that offers bargain basement service prices. You should only consider a company that has cheaper rates, if they have an excellent service rating as well.

8) Insurance

Insurance is one aspect you simply cannot ignore when you are dealing with a moving company. Ensure that the moving company you are dealing with has all the relevant insurance policies for you and your items in case of uncertainties.

9) Customized services

The best moving company will have customized services for their clients. Some of the customized services are in conjunction with the company's contractual obligations. But you can also go for policies that can be tailored to your needs.

You should hire a moving company that can provide specialized services like disassembly and reassembly of furniture, creating, hoisting and warehousing.

10) Availability of customer support in case of disputes

It is best to deal with a moving company that is equipped with essential services such as customer support that can effectively handle disputes whenever such arises. For instance, conflicts may occur in the area of payment or fixing of damaged goods. When a moving company has standard customer support, you can be assured that you are dealing with an organized establishment.

Need to move on a tight budget? Here's how

One of the things we all want to do when moving, is reduce our costs. Relocation is quite a challenge, especially when it is a long-distance move. However, there are ways that you can reduce the stress and costs associated with long-distance moving.

The following is a list of moving tips that can help to drastically reduce your moving expenses.

1) Always plan ahead

The best way to plan an on-time budget is to get a journal or planner on time and write down the things you will need for the move. You can start by listing the items that are most important to you, such as your favorite/costly clothes, furniture, electronics, among others.

After writing the list of all the items you will require in your new home, compare them with what you already have. It will help you know what else you will be needing.

After that, you can add the price of the items you need. It will make it easy for you to know how much you will be spending during the cause of the move.

Having a pre-budget plan will also give you a clear understanding of your move and all the items you need to put in place. Without having a budget plan, you will overspend and end up exceeding your budget, which can be very dangerous.

2) Seek guidance from online DIY websites

You can find a lot of budget-friendly help online that can help you save money. All that is required is high-speed internet and search for easy doing it yourself (DIY) moving hacks.

Getting a DIY move can help you save $1000 and even more as renting a truck is less costly than hiring the service of a moving company. It is one of the best ways to save funds. Although it might require more hard work, the result is worth it.

3) Offload items that are no longer needed

People often make the mistake of spending a small fortune in moving items that they no longer need. Items that are just lying around the house without being used, such as old sofas, books, TVs, and tables.

Why leave all those items lying around when you will never really use them? There is no need to take those items along. Instead, choose to either sell them, give them away for free, or take them to your local landfill.

4) Sell items that still have value

After determining which items you no longer need, the next step is to identify which ones you can sell off to make some money. They may include items like electronics, gaming gadgets, sofas, or any other furniture you think you will not be needing. Selling items will further offset the costs of moving.

After sorting out these items, you can sell them to a neighbor or any online platform you think might need them. You can also check some Facebook pages/groups where people get their items sold and sell yours there.

5) Pick the right time to move

Moving during the weekends can be very expensive. When picking your moving dates, consider opting to move on weekdays as they are less expensive. Also, some days are very expensive, and you can avoid moving during those days to prevent paying a premium price.

Final thought

While it is possible to undertake a home or office relocation on your own, it is far better idea to enlist the services of an experienced and trusted moving company, if you wish the process to run smoothly. However, when doing so, there are some criteria you must consider before hiring any mover.

Following the 10 tips outlined in this article will assist you in identifying the significant features of a moving company and how to avoid dealing with the wrong establishment.