The quality of your moving process will be depending greatly on your moving company. You can have the most amazing moving plan in the world, but if your moving company is unable to follow it, then that plan will be next to useless. The moving industry is hard to navigate through. There are a lot of moving companies that will try and scam you or simply be unable to provide you with good services. And since people don’t move around a lot, many of us have a hard time figuring out how to avoid companies that are bad news.
Fortunately, you can hire the most reliable movers Staunton VA has around if you are careful. This guide is all about how to identify a moving company’s capabilities. By the time you’ve read this article, you will be able to tell the good moving companies apart from the bad ones.
How to Identify a Quality Moving Company?
Any moving company that knows what it’s doing will conduct a short survey before providing you with an estimate. This estimate will gauge your moving inventory and help the company figure out the weight of your goods. Moving costs are determined by the weight of your overall moving inventory. Some companies like to conduct this survey in person while others ask you to fill online forms. Knowing how will they produce your estimate is important as well.
A good move estimator will have a thorough walk-through with you before they make your estimate. They will ask you detailed questions about what you’re planning on taking with you. If your estimator isn’t thorough, then you should probably be wary of that company.
Avoid any moving company that asks for an advance payment. You should only pay your moving company after delivery. If you end up paying in advance, you will have no way of keeping control over the moving company afterward. Also, try and pay your moving company with a credit card rather than in cash. This way, your transaction with them will get documented. Doing so will keep you safe from any potentially fraudulent activity.
Some moving companies like to operate under more than one name. This helps them avoid assessments from the Better Business Bureau. Only go for companies that are registered under one name. You can check for their legitimacy by verifying their office address and their licensing. You can also check their website and social media for customer reviews. If a company doesn’t have any reviews to show or if it has blocked reviews on social media, then you should avoid it.
Packing costs are totally avoidable and can help you save a lot of money. A lot of movers charge you extra for packaging. And in most cases, they will charge you way more for packing than you should have to pay. Instead of relying on them for packaging supplies, you can head over to your nearest supermarket. These stores have loads of extra packing supplies that you can get from them for a very low cost.
Moving companies love to bloat bills with extra or hidden fees. Most of the time, they won’t tell you about any extra fees until after they have charged them. Make sure that you are very thorough when you ask them for an estimate. Ask the company to list any extra charges that might apply to you. A bit of nudging can help you reduce the size of your final bill. Reliable moving companies will most likely be as transparent as possible about your billing.
Never sign a blank contract with your mover. It is your responsibility to make sure that you have all the details of your move in writing. Signing a blank contract leaves you at the mercy of the mover. They can omit things from your inventory list and you won’t be able to do anything about it. You should take your time and reach every line of the contract with great care.
Report Problems as soon as possible. You can report any moving problems to your mover and file for insurance within a span of 9 months. Once this duration is over, you can no longer get compensated for any losses. This is why you should check all of your boxes as soon as they are unloaded. Open each box and check its contents for damage. There are a number of insurance methods available for protecting your goods while they are being moved. Make sure that you select a company that offers these plans. If you’re not familiar with how these plans work, you can consult a lawyer for additional information.
Picking a quality moving company will not only make your move easier. It will also ensure that your stuff remains safe.
