What Most Home Movers Won’t Tell Us

Moving is one of life’s most stressful experiences, whether it’s to a new apartment or home within the same city or country — or across the globe. Unfortunately, while many moving companies claim to have your best interests at heart, this isn’t always so.

Without knowing exactly what to look for in selecting movers, you can waste a lot of time and money.

Selecting a professional and accredited moving company isn’t as hard as we may think, fortunately. To get the best deal for your family (and save your sanity), here are a few insider tips to help you get through your next move unscathed.

1.) An Accurate Quote Does Not Happen Online
While most moving companies have an online quote request, this is typically only a starting point when it comes to determining the complete cost of your move. The online form will give you a ballpark range according to the size of your home, but in my experience, an in-person consultation is always necessary since many people, especially those in big cities where homes tend to be smaller, have a lot more stuff than they realize and the time and amount of people it takes to get their move done can be much different than anticipated.

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2.) Your Final Quote Should Never Change
Many movers will try to charge you more when it comes time to settle the bill at the end of your move. The easiest way to circumvent this is by getting your in-home estimate and knowing exactly how your mover is reaching that estimate. Is it by weight or cubic feet? If possible, always request to be quoted by weight, be there for the weighing, and keep your own records of the items and their weight.

Also, be wary of any company that notes it has potential “added services” in case of unforeseen events. Typically, most movers use this to squeeze extra dollars from customers and change the quoted price.

3.) Certain Times of the Year Are More Expensive
Between May and September are the busiest times for most moving companies; however, the summer months tend to be the most hectic and you’ll find that many companies will simply take business they can’t handle. The easiest way to save yourself the stress of movers that either show up too late — or not at all — is to book long in advance. Reputable moving companies are those that provide and schedule and stick to it, something that shouldn’t be ignored when reading the reviews of potential movers for you.

4.) Some Movers Outsource
Whether they simply did not have trucks available or they were overbooked, many moving companies outsource to contractors to handle relocating the items, many times without notifying the customer.

The problem is that when a third party who did not pack your items or load them into the truck handles the relocation, items tend to get lost without explanation. Avoid this by asking your moving company if it uses any other companies to help relocation nationwide (or even worldwide) and if so, ask how they will ensure all your items arrive safely. Get this in writing.

The easiest thing to do is to book with a company that sees your items safely from door to door, with no truck changes or third party storage or trucks involved.

5.) You Have the Right to Know Your Movers
Even if one company does handle your entire move, don’t assume the movers who show up are actual employees of that company. Companies have been known to hire day-laborers on moving day, especially if they’re overbooked or too small to have a full-time team.

More often than not, these movers are inexperienced and will not package or handle your items the way they should, leading to damages that many companies refuse to pay back. An easy way to ensure you’ll get great and reputable service is to ensure that your moving company is certified by both the American Moving and Storage Association and ProMover. These initiatives fight imposters, known in the industry as “rogue operators,” like never before.

Ross Sapir has worked in the moving industry for 16 years. He is CEO and founder of Roadway Moving, based in New York City.

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