Most people tend to be self-reliant when dealing with any challenges or hardships they encounter in life. Even a stressful ordeal such as an apartment move can call for a DIY approach. However, if the move becomes unsuccessful or you end up not acquiring favorable outcomes, you’ll be the only one responsible for the blame.
To avoid a disastrous move, it’d be wise to seek professional moving help from reputable moving companies. Professional movers typically have the experience and relevant equipment necessary for guaranteeing a successful move. Moreover, movers can help save you time and avoid damage, injuries, and the hassle brought about by the moving process. Although most moving companies claim to offer the best services, getting the right one to hire can be challenging.
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Below is an outline of the most common mistakes you need to avoid when choosing a professional mover:
1. Hiring Movers With The Cheapest Prices
It’d be best to consider your budget since moving brings with it many expenses. Comparing prices to get the best offer can be a great idea. However, choosing a company with exceedingly lower prices can lead you to get poor services or pay unforeseen fees.
Moving companies that offer cheap moving costs can be unreputable. Some can even start with low estimates then end up threatening to auction your property if you fail to pay the extra hidden charges they impose on the moving day.
There has to be a reason why the moving company offers cheap services. People might have made complaints, they might have a record of destroying things, or they might have disappeared with someone’s deposits. Therefore, it’d be wise to consider a company offering cheaper moving services as a red flag.
2. Getting Only One Quote
You have many alternatives to choose from when looking for a moving company. Choosing and settling for the first mover you come across can be a huge mistake since moving companies have a difference based on the rates, reliability, and quality of their services. By choosing the first company that gives you a quote, you might end up with the one having outdated equipment, little experience, or higher rates than other reputable ones.
Getting several quotes allows you to compare the rates and conditions different moving companies offer and finally narrow down to get moving companies with your preferable terms. By doing so, you can learn the fair rates and conditions in the industry, hence making informed decisions. Therefore, the more the estimates, the easier it’d be to get the best offers for your move.
3. Not Researching About Your Potential Movers
It’s wise to get recommendations from friends and relatives to get referrals of movers they might have worked with. You can also check on social media platforms for recommendations if you have no friend or relative with a moving company in mind.
After getting some leads about reputable companies, it’d be clever to check if they’re registered as accredited movers. Working with a registered moving company guarantees you peace of mind and allows you to focus on the home transition without the worry of what might go wrong. For instance, working with a company that lacks the knowledge of how to prevent the ruining or breaking of valuables can lead to multiple losses when moving out.
4. Not Performing A Home Survey
To give you an accurate quote, the movers should have complete details of everything they have to move. Any professional moving company would require you to either perform a virtual survey or an in-home survey. Failing to conduct a home survey can lead to several challenges.
First, without a complete inventory of the things they have to move, the quote they give you would be incorrect, leading to the skyrocketing of the final moving price. The final costs might upset you, but it wouldn’t be their fault.
Second, you might have large items that the moving company didn’t know about during the moving day. Therefore, the moving company might lack the appropriate equipment to facilitate the move—an inconvenience to you and your moving company. This would recommend that they make another trip to get the proper equipment for the move, costing you both time and money.
When conducting a home survey, your movers should check:
- The types and sizes of your furniture
- The insides of the closets and cabinets
- The room dimensions of your current home and their fullness in capacity
- Expensive items or specialty collections
As an additional tip, it’d be wise to consider any moving company that’s willing to offer a verbal quote without seeing your items as a red flag.
5. Not Being Aware Of Moving Brokers
Anyone acting as a middleman between a buyer and a seller is a broker. Moving brokers are sales representatives who book your move and then sell the move to other moving companies. Some might be legitimate while others aren’t. Those who aren’t might only be interested in closing the deal, getting their deposit, then proceeding to the next client. Their focus isn’t investing in facilitating your smooth move. Therefore, if they fail to get a moving company on your moving day, they might leave you without one.
When researching for a mover, ask if you’re communicating with an actual one. A real mover would show you the interest in making your moving experience positive by investing in it. Through your successful move, they’d advance their reputation, and your happiness guarantees them positive recommendations to your family and friends.
6. Excluding Relevant Information
It’s crucial to discuss all the particulars with your moving company. Tell them your anxieties, clearly state any desired special treatments and requests, warn them of any possible challenges, and communicate about any unusual conditions they might encounter during the move. It’s also crucial to give a detailed and accurate explanation of your new home.
By giving thorough information about your desired preferences and needs, your moving company can create a beneficial plan that’d guarantee your successful move. Your moving company needs to know:
- Whether you have big appliances like dryers, refrigerators, and washers
- Closing dates of both houses
- Access issues they might experience like elevator timing and parking
- Items requiring special packing like a pool table or artwork
7. Ignoring Appropriate Insurance Measures
Apart from careful packing, the only appropriate protection you can offer your treasured possessions is through proper insurance. Despite the unavailability of an insurance plan to prevent the moving truck from an accident or burglars from looting your items, imposing appropriate insurance measures can impact how the movers handle them.
The valuation levels movers need to offer you are:
- Full valuation stands as a better insurance option that most movers offer their clients by default. It covers the entire costs of any belongings that are destroyed, damaged, or lost, meaning that the moving company would be responsible for replacing or repairing them.
- Released value protection is an insurance type that offers only 60 cents compensation per pound. If you have a treasured item that’s heavy and gets damaged, the compensation might not even be enough to get you a new one.
Therefore, get additional insurance to encourage the moving company to do their best, ensuring your peacefulness. It’s also crucial to note that your property’s level of protection depends on whether the movers packed them or the customers. Typically, movers fully compensate for the items their staff pack and move. To be on the safer side, ensure to know how to make claims for damages caused by moving companies.
8. Not Planning In Advance
Failing to make moving plans in advance can make the move more stressful and hectic. You have to know what you need to move, who will assist you when moving, how to successfully move, and when to move. Answering these few questions can reduce the stress of moving.
It’s essential to research and prepare for the move. Research your preferred mover before the moving day and make sure to alert them about the estimated dates you want to be moved. You might find all movers booked when you wait for the last week to call one.
As a matter of fact, last-minute mover services tend to cost more than the standard pre-booked ones. Besides being costly, you might have to deal with the available movers who might be inexperienced or operating at inconvenient collecting or delivery times. The result would be incompetent services or damaged items, hence a depressing moving experience.
9. Underestimating The Amount Of Work In Packing
Moving can be quite expensive, whether you’ve paid rent, down payment, or both. Therefore, it’s in the best interest of every individual to keep their costs as low as possible. However, most people tend to underestimate the amount of work packing demands.
You might be confident with the hope of having a few family members and friends helping you pack. However, you can end up running out of time or packing boxes to finish packing before the moving day. You might even have to book a packing session with your movers, costing you more than you anticipated.
10. Ignoring The Paperwork
It’s your sole responsibility to carefully read all the paperwork and ensure that you comprehend and agree to all the terms of the moving company before you sign it. Pay attention to the particulars and take note of all important details and special conditions. Confirm that the inventory sheet contains all the items entrusted to your moving company and that their current condition corresponds to the noted details.
Moreover, it’s inappropriate to sign an incomplete or blank document, and no reputable mover can tell you to do so. If your moving company does, it’d be best to find another mover. Documentation is for setting clear rules that provide additional protection to your items, so make good use of it.
11. Not Asking Relevant Questions
Information is a crucial aspect of the success of any adventure. Moving is also another adventure that requires you to have all the relevant information. With more information, you can be better prepared and you can also make more beneficial decisions.
Make a list of the key questions you need to ask your potential movers, then analyze the acquired data to get the best moving company for your needs. Seek to know about the company’s details like its customer service policies, history, storage facilities, insurance policies, and available equipment, among others.
You can also ask about their quality of service such as how they prevent damage to property or handle special items. Get to know how the moving company handles the delivery. Ask if they can guarantee a specific delivery time and what would happen if they delivered your shipment before you arrive, for instance. Ask about their storage options and how they deal with claims or conflicts.
It’s also crucial to ask about any hidden charges. The moving company should include all the charges when giving you an estimate. Double-checking is vital since some moving companies tend to exclude extra services such as moving to a home with many sets of stairs or mileage or gas charges for moving to an apartment. These charges are typically given upon successful completion of the move.
12. Failing To Recognize The Complaint Record Of Your Moving Company
Finding a moving company that has no complaints record is scarce. However, knowing about the previous customers’ complaints and how the moving company handled them could save you from a disastrous move.
It’s crucial to understand that you’ll be entrusting all your valuable property to the moving company, so one fatal mistake might cost you a lot. Therefore, knowing about their previous mistakes and how they tackled them can allow you to make informed decisions.
Conclusion
The moving process can be stressful, hectic, and costly. Choosing a professional moving company can also be challenging. However, learning about the common mistakes people make when choosing professional movers is a crucial aspect of guaranteeing a successful move. Therefore, with proper information about these common mistakes, you’d have a smooth and stress-free move, saving you from time wastage, money loss, ruined plans, nervous breakdowns, or damaged possession, among others.
