Choosing a Mover

How to choose a mover: Making wise choices

At some point in your life you will be faced with the onerous task of moving. You could be off to college, or faced with a job transfer, or may be moving to a bigger and better house. The prospect of moving home can cause both excitement and anxiety; after all, there are new experiences to look forward to, and at the same time one is faced with the unknown. If you decide to rely on a moving service for your needs you will be faced with the primary question – “How to choose a mover?” This article will provide you simple guidelines on how to choose a mover who will answer your moving needs and provide you peace of mind.

Where to look?

• The Web: The first place to start your hunt is the Internet. All good moving companies will have a proper website listing their services. A little research on your part and you will be able to zone in a few good options.

• The Yellow Pages: This is the other place that you can find moving companies.

• Friends and Family: Ask around amongst your friends and family if they have had any moving experience and if they could recommend a moving company to you. A pertinent question you could ask them is whether the moving company followed up on its promises or not i.e. did they arrive on time and transport all the goods in a safe and sound condition. You could also inquire about their packing methods and the amount of care that they exhibited during loading and unloading and if there were any hidden costs that were revealed at a later date.

How to choose a mover?

• Better Business Bureau: Check out the background of the company you are considering with the Better Business Bureau. You should find out sufficient information that would tell you about the credibility of the business.

• Ask questions: A lot of us are shy when asking questions. This would be a major mistake when choosing a mover. You need to ask a lot of questions and get appropriate answers from the moving company before you decide to choose them.

Find out whether they are licensed and insured. Moving companies need a license from the FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration).

The moving company must be insured. You would not want to run from pillar to post if any damage to your belongings occurs during transport. Proper insurance will give you the level of protection that you need. You should also find out if the mover under consideration has any partner insurance firms and if they offer you the option of purchasing additional insurance if you so desire.

Find out how long the company has been operational. If the answer is less than five years then you should consider taking your business elsewhere as the amount of experience is less.

Find out whether the company is capable of handling long distance moves or is only handling local moves. Long distance movers are equipped to handle interstate moves which your local mover may not be capable of.

Find out working hours. If you are involved in an office move then you would want the moving company to offer non office hours moves and services on weekends and holidays.

Find out if the moving company is registered with any local, state or national associations such as the American Moving & Storage Association. AMSA administers the industry’s ProMover quality certification program. This should give you a good idea of the professionalism that you can expect from your mover. If you are looking to make an international move then find out if your mover is a member of international movers associations like FIATA, FIDI and IATA. This would ensure quality service and also provide you with a referring body in case of disputes.

Ask about the services being offered – e.g. if you need storage facilities then the moving company should be providing you with these.

Once you have good and positive answers to these questions you will be well on your way to finding a good mover for yourself.

Compare prices: Get moving quotes from a minimum of three companies before you choose your mover. Movers.net say Be sure to get binding estimates from the moving companies as then you will be assured that there are no hidden costs lurking around the corner.

As you can see how to choose a mover is not a difficult question to answer when you take some time to sit down and do adequate research. Once you have gone through our tips you should not be in a quandary with regards to “How to choose a mover?”