Sunday, September 18, 2011

Top 5 Mistakes To Avoid When Hiring Movers

How to Hire Good Movers

By Diane Schmidt, About.com Guide
If you’ve decided not to move yourself, finding and hiring good movers is the most important decision you’ll make when moving. And while the telephone yellow pages offers listings of local and distance movers, getting the right one can be challenging. To help you hire good movers, check out these tips of what you should avoid doing when hiring moving companies.
1.        Getting quotes from less than three movers. No matter where you’re moving from and moving to, you should always have at least three movers on your list of potential hires. I usually opt for five moving companies, of which I gather estimates, compare costs and look at other people’s experiences with that company.

2.        Not having movers visit your home before hiring.When collecting moving estimates from potential movers, you should always have a mover visit your home, to review everything you’re moving in order to provide a more accurate estimate. It’s also a way to ensure that the mover sees everything you’re moving so that at the end of the move, the inventory they quoted on will match what was moved.

I also recommend creating a household inventory listbefore the movers quote an in-home estimate. Not only will an inventory provide the mover with everything that you’ll be moving, but will also remind you to ask the movers about items that require special handling.

3.        Choosing the least expensive mover. The least expensive mover might be the best bet, however, you should always make sure you have thoroughlyresearched the company.
Just remember that if you’re comparing three to five movers, and you find that one mover’s quote is much lower than the others, this is a clear sign that the low-cost mover should be avoided. Rogue moving companies will often try to lure in customers with low costs, special deals and other enticements, such as free services.
4.        Not asking the right questions. Hiring movers isn’t easy. There are so many details you need to remember to ensure that the movers are reliable and that your stuff will be in good hands. To ensure you hire the right movers, check out this list of questions to ask.

5.        Not asking about extra costs you might be charged. You should always ask movers about extra costs that might apply to your move. These may include costs such as charges for moving things up and down stairs, not having a close parking space for the moving truck and packing supplies fees for items not properly packed. To save yourself extra fees, find out more about moving charges you might be responsible for.


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