Questions to Ask Moving Company

Questions to Ask Moving Company: Most people consider moving as a stressful event in their life. In most cases they don’t have enough time to organize their move. And naturally, when you are on a busy schedule you are more likely to miss something, or to make a mistake which can cost a fortune. When you are about to move and you are hiring a relocating company, there are some questions that you must ask your movers. Moving is quite frustrating activity, but knowing what questions to ask when hiring a moving company will save a lot of further troubles. Here is a list of very important questions to ask your movers.

Mover or BrokerOne of the very key questions to ask when hiring movers is if they are a moving company or just moving brokers.A moving broker is definitely not a mover. Brokers do not have the operational and logistic competences moving companies have. They do not provide their own moving trucks, movers, proper moving equipment, and in a most of the cases they don’t have much moving experience. Moving brokers are nothing more than sales teams that book your move and sell it to real moving companies.

When you book your move remember to ask the company whether they are an actual movers or just brokers. As a broker won’t take any responsibility about the whole move, be sure that you are using a professional moving company. Moreover, there are cases when brokers transfer you to third party mover before asking you for confirmation.

You may be pressed by time, but you definitely don’t want to be dealing with a rogue moving company. It is very important to protect yourself from moving scams. This is why there is a set of questions to ask moving companies you should demand answers to. Every registered mover in the US Department of Transportation is obliged to follow certain rules and regulation concerning safety measures. Ask your relocating company to provide you with their US DOT number. You can run a moving company check online in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration website and find out if your potential mover is registered and licensed. You better choose carefully who is going to handle your belongings. This will help you avoid moving scams.
Moving estimate quotes

Ask your mover about a moving estimate quote. This is another very important questions to ask movers. Most movers provide their customers with free moving quotes through e-mail messages. There are two types of moving estimates – binding and non-binding estimates.

Binding Moving Estimate – Binding estimate is an agreement that you make in advance with your mover, which guarantees the final moving cost based on the quantities and services shown on the estimate.

Non-Binding Moving Estimate – Under the non-binding estimate you are charged based on what your mover assumes the cost will be, depending on the estimated weight of the shipment and the additional services requested. A non-binding estimate is not binding to the moving company. The final charges will be based upon the actual weighting of your shipment and the moving services provided.

One of the most important questions to ask moving companies is if you can see the packing materials costs in advance. Usually packing is about 20% to 30% of the final moving costs.

Require from your mover to give you detailed information on the insurance options. Under Federal law, interstate movers are obliged offer you two different liability options referred to as valuation coverage: Full Value Protection and Released Value Protection. The Full Value protection suggests that your mover is liable for the replacement value of lost or damaged goods in your entire shipment. Under the Released Value protection your mover assumes liability for no more than 60 cents per pound per item. Before making a decision make sure that you fully understand the insurance options which your mover offers you. If you are performing a long distance move make sure that the insurance is valid in both moving locations.
Payment Questions to Ask When Hiring Movers

Payment related questions to ask are essential as in most cases average moving costs differ a lot. Usually, moving companies accept most major credit cards, money orders, bank checks or payment through the PayPal system. Most times there is an initial moving deposit when hiring movers and when your goods are delivered, before movers start unloading your belongings, you pay the rest. Keep in mind that the initial moving deposit should not increase 15% from the total estimated amount.

Ask About the Dispute Settlement Program

Last, but not least, ask your movers about their dispute settlement program. You better know what to expect from your movers in case problems occur during your move. A reliable moving company should provide you with such contractual arrangement prior moving.

Before signing a contract with your mover be sure you fully understand all the clauses. Do not sign if you have any doubts or other moving relates concerns. Ask questions to your movers about every step of the moving process. If you don’t understand something, ask the moving company to explain it to you. After all we all want to enjoy a smooth moving experience. Find a professional mover that will answer all of your questions and will handle your belongings with great care.

These are the most important questions to ask long distance movers as well as local relocation companies. Make sure you do your research in advance. Let us know what you think the comments below.