What You Need To Know When Choosing A Moving Company

Whether you’re moving the entire family across the country or relocating to a nearby neighborhood alone, moving can be arduous. While there are many ways to prepare properly, such as creating a moving checklist or familiarizing yourself with all the moving tips known to man, the best way to truly ensure a seamless move is to figure out whether or not the moving company you choose is reputable. Here’s what you need to know when choosing a moving company:

1)   Check Moving Company Reviews

One of the best ways to know whether or not your move will be a success is to find what others have to say about a moving company. The internet is a powerful tool, check out moving company reviews both on a company’s site and popular sites such as citysearch.  Finding a third-party site for a review is helpful because it’s virtually impossible to remove negative reviews. Also don’t be afraid to ask around for a reputable company, word-of-mouth reviews are extremely helpful. And finally, you have every right to ask the moving company itself for references.

2)   Figure Out How Movers Charge

Interstate Moving: Understanding how a moving company charges can give a lot of insight into a company’s specialty. For example, if a moving company charges per mile, they probably don’t specialize in long-distance moving even if they say they do. Most legitimate movers charge by weight and zip codes for long distance moving. Always be wary of movers that charge based upon a rate per cubic foot.

Local Moving: You will find most movers charge based on an hourly rate depending on the amount of men and equipment needed to complete your move. If a mover offers a flat rate, don’t be gullible or naive.  A flat rate doesn’t mean the price is locked in as it can change if the scope of the move changes in any way.  Either way make certain your mover has an accurate inventory of the items to be moved, an accurate box count and is aware of any long walks, flights of stairs, elevators, etc.

Knowing how much movers cost on average is also helpful. Moving companies offer free moving quotes and in most cases will offer a free onsite moving estimate. If you do decide to hire a moving company, make sure to get the moving estimate in writing.

3)   Understand the Billing Process Fully

No legitimate moving company will ever ask for a cash payment in advance, period.  Its common practice on a long distance move to satisfy payment upon their arrival at destination, but if your local mover requires payment before unloading that’s definitely a red flag. Overall, the best option is to hold off any payment until you’ve received all of your belongings at your new location.

4)   Insurance is Required

It is absolutely crucial that the moving company you are considering has insurance. You want to make sure that in the event of any accident, your things will be covered Not only will you be responsible for all the damage when choosing an uninsured company, but lack of proper insurance is a good indicator that the moving company is not reputable. If the company is unlicensed, I would bet that they don’t have workers compensation insurance. If one of them trips and falls in your residence during the move and gets hurt, there’s a good chance you will find yourself in the middle of a lawsuit. 

5)   Check Out The Better Business Bureau

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) exists in an effort to inform the public about companies whose standards of operation and customer service are not up to par. The BBB helps keep companies ethical, so the lower the rating, the more you want to steer clear.

While all these things can understandably feel overwhelming, particularly before you’ve even started the moving process, doing the research is worth it. Knowing whether a company is truly reputable while undoubtedly make the moving process much smoother.

Consider All Jersey Moving & Storagefor your next move. We are a top rated NJ mover located in Bridgewater, NJ.  We are residential movers, business movers, office movers, and well known piano movers.  We are the mover of choice, if your moving to Washington, DC, moving to Boston, MA or anywhere in between and want direct service.  We offer local moving and long distance moving services within a 500-mile radius.  Visit https://www.alljerseymovers.com/contact-ustoday for your free moving quote.