The Best Deal on a Long Distance Mover is Not Always the Cheapest Deal
When you are planning a long distance move, you are sure to have a lot of questions. You may be wondering what you should look for in a long distance moving company. The most important thing to keep in mind is that you must be sure to hire the best long distance movers with a significant amount of experience and good recommendations from satisfied customers. Once you have located a few possibles who fill that bill, you can get down to the nitty-gritty in asking questions about equipment, insurance, costs, and so on.
There are a lot of places to find good long-distance movers. You can ask friends and family members for recommendations, look in your local yellow pages, or do an online search. In many ways, looking online is your best bet because you will come up with a lot of possibilities very quickly and be able to sort them out very efficiently.
Do Your Homework When Seeking Long Distance Movers
Once you have isolated a few good companies that fulfill your requirements in terms of years of experience and good on-site testimonials, check to be sure they are listed with the Better Business Bureau (BBB). This is very easy to do by going to the BBB online website and following their step-by-step instructions to find out if businesses are listed with them and, if so, what sorts of ratings they have. Eliminate companies that are not listed with the BBB, and check the consumer comments regarding the ones that are listed. If a company has a lot of complaints against it, eliminate it from your list. If a company has a few complaints, check to see if and how these problems were resolved and whether or not the consumer was satisfied with the resolution.
By now you should have a fairly short list, and you can begin finding out some specifics in terms of cost, insurance, scheduling, and so on. Many long distance moving services have an online calculator tool that you can use to get an idea of the cost of your move. This is very handy, but if the companies you have in mind don’t offer this, don’t worry. You will want to call and talk with their representatives anyway to get a good idea of the level of customer service they offer. You will want prompt, courteous, respectful customer service. If you are put on hold frequently or the person you speak to on the phone does not seem to be professional, mark that company off your list and move on to the next one.
The Best Deal On Long Distance Movers is Not Always the Cheapest
Once you have gotten firm quotes from several moving companies that you feel very comfortable with, ask questions about insurance, rates for having your items packed, and what sort of ETA you should expect on having your belongings delivered to your new home. Most moving companies offer a per-pound rate in terms of insurance, and this is alright if you just have a lot of average furnishings; however, if you have very expensive furnishings or a lot of artwork or other valuable items, you will want to find out if the company offers additional insurance. If not, you should talk with your own insurance agent about insuring your items in transit.
Some long distance moving companies will offer discounted rates if your pack your own belongings. While this might be a good idea in some instances, for the most part, it’s better to have professionals pack your belongings; even though, it may cost a bit more. If the professional movers from the moving company pack your things, they will be insured against breakage and loss. If you pack them they may not be! Of course, you will want to pack your very valuable items, such as jewelry and heirlooms, and transport them yourself.
How Long Will it Take Your Long Distance Movers to Deliver?
Your chosen moving company should be able to give you a very good idea of when to expect your belongings to arrive at your new home. This may vary depending upon whether or not you have rented an entire truck for yourself, or if you are sharing with another household. The latter is a less expensive option, but sometimes it can mean slightly slower delivery.
By following these guidelines in locating the very best and most reliable long distance movers, you can save yourself a lot of heartache and headaches at the most reasonable cost. Doing such an exhaustive search and asking so many questions may seem a bit like overkill, but remember that you are entrusting the long distance movers with all your earthly belongings. You want to be more than reasonably certain that all will go well and that, if the worst does happen and your belongings are damaged, destroyed, lost or stolen in transit, you will be properly and promptly reimbursed.