So, you’re ready to move house or office, but the idea of taking multiple trips and lugging all the equipment is too much to bear.
If this sounds like you, you probably need to think about hiring a moving company to get the job done for you.
But…
How do you choose the right moving company for you? And what things do you need to look for you?
Well, this article is going to explain everything for you, so don’t go anywhere:
When To Hire A Moving Company
We often get asked when you should hire a moving company. And the disappointing answer is that it depends on you.
Sometimes you’ll feel like you don’t need a moving company to help you. Maybe you haven’t got much stuff, or you’re not moving too far, or maybe your friend has a truck and is willing to give you a hand.
The time you should think about hiring a moving company is when you have a lot of large/heavy equipment, or you’re moving state or country.
Hiring a moving company for the above can be very beneficial. It stops you from worrying about the logistics of moving and overall saves you a lot of energy, stress, and time.
But here’s the thing:
It’s not just about knowing when you should hire a moving company; it’s also about how long before you move should hire the company.
Leaving things till the last minute can lead to disaster if all your local companies are busy.
Ideally, you should give yourself about eight weeks to book your moving company and plan things out. The quickest you can get things sorted is around the four-week marker unless it’s in the summer.
The summer is the peak period for moving companies, making it challenging to find the right company for you.
How To Find A Trustworthy Moving Company
Finding a trustworthy moving company in this day and age can be very tricky. But what does this mean for you?
Well, ideally, it means you need to do some heavy research on moving companies before placing your bets on one company.
To help you find the right company for you, here are some tips to get you going:
Get Referrals
One of the best ways of finding out if the moving company is legit is to get referrals. Not from the internet though… you never know who has written them.
Instead, ask friends and family you have moved before or know people that have moved. They would have gone through the same issues as you previously and hopefully found a trustworthy company.
And if the company they used wasn’t good, you know which one to avoid when you move house.
Ask For Estimates
Ring around different companies and ask for a quote from at least three companies. The idea isn’t to find out which company is cheaper… it’s to find out which one knows what they are doing.
No respectable moving company will give you a quote over the phone or online without first coming to scope out the job.
If they send someone to your house, you know you’re hiring a company that knows what they are doing.
Verify Their Credentials
If you’re moving from state to state, your moving company will have a number issued by the Department of Transportation.
It’s a license that allows companies to haul cargo interstate. Your moving company will provide a DOT number on its website and in their advertising. They should also carry a number from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
Checking your moving company has both of these numbers is a sure-fire way to know if your moving company is legit.
But what about in-state movers?
Well, it really depends on the state. Thirty-three states require movers to have a federal DOT number, so you’re best checking the information for your state.
If you live in a state that doesn’t require DOT numbers, you could see if they are certified by the American Moving & Storage Association’s ProMover Program.
Any moving company in the ProMover Program needs to go through background checks and must stick to their standards.
Keep An Eye Out For Red Flags
We’ve all been there before; we ignored little red flags and got stung for it. Don’t let it happen again by looking for red flags from a moving company.
Here are a few red flags we know of:
One of the biggest red flags we hear about is companies asking for a cash deposit. Most reputable companies won’t ask you for a deposit, and it definitely wouldn’t be with cash.
If the company seems too insistent to get you to part with your cash, it’s probably not the best company to go for.
Another red flag is when the company accepts a job without actually coming to look at it. If they send someone, try and note how professional they are while they’re walking around.
Another big tell is when they turn up in a hired vehicle. Any self-respecting removal company will have its own cars.
Read Reviews About The Company
Read through the reviews and complaint’s about the company to see what the company is all about. If the reviews are all glowing, it’s unlikely they are using genuine reviews, or they’re at least manipulating the results.
You can also check to see if the company has a report with the Better Business Bureau; they review around 20,000 moving companies.
Verify The Address
Check the address they’re using is actually legit; you can do this in a few ways. Check their website or business card to find out the address they have listed. Once you have the address, you can do a drive-by to see if they are actually located there.
If you don’t have time to drive by, use Google Maps to see if it actually looks like they have a presence there.
If the company is listed in a residential area, that should be a red flag. Avoid the company at all costs and find a new one to vet out.
Best Moving Companies
If you haven’t got the time to find the best moving companies, or you want to check out which ones come highly recommended… don’t go anywhere.
Below we’ve listed some of the best three moving companies on the market:
International Van Lines
The company IVL is a moving broker and carries that has over 3,000 partners around the world. What makes the company so good is the wide range of services they offer to its clients. They can take care of piano transportation, crane lifting, full-service packing, or motorcycle hauling.
They can also take care of short hauls or international hauls, which makes them very versatile.
Pros
- International service
- Available worldwide
- Trash removal
- Transparent pricing
- Free cancellation 48 hours before
Cons
- 25% up-front deposit
- Expensive
- Reports of movers turning up late
American Van Lines
Many companies that provide the number of services American Van Lines does are brokers that outsource to offer companies. AVL is different; they use their own staff to help you move your equipment.
They handle anything from auto-shipment, full-service moving, storage services, long-distance, military, and more. The best thing is they do it at a reasonable price.
Pros
- Easy to book
- Flat-rate pricing
- Storage options
- Price matching
- Certified piano and antique movers
Cons
- Some weight limits
- Frequent phone calls
Allied Van Lines
Allied Van Lines is one of the largest moving networks in the world. The moving company provides basic and full-service packages for local, interstate, and international moves.
One of the great things about the company is they provide a detailed walk-through showing you exactly what their service offers,
They provide an excellent experience to all their users, a wide range of services, and competitive prices.
Pro
- Very responsive
- Appliance disconnection and reconnection
- Transparent pricing
- Great quote process
- Custimozibale services
Cons
- High cost for local moves
- No affordable storage options for small loads
Finals Thoughts
Moving is something that no one enjoys, but it doesn’t have to be a tedious as you may think. The trick is to find the right company for the job, and by following our tips above, you’ll have no problems finding the perfect company for you.
There’s plenty of reputable companies out there, but there are also many bad companies that offer shoddy services.
If you are stuck with who to choose, any one of the three companies we mentioned above will do an excellent job. Just make sure you ring all of them to see which company is going to work best for you.