HOW TO HIRE A LOCAL MOVING COMPANY

Moving is often ranked as one of the more stressful events in life. So it’s completely natural to be a little apprehensive when a move is imminent. Maybe you or someone you know has had a bad experience. Well, don’t worry – you’ve come to the right place. This guide will help you hire a moving company!

By following these three simple, effective steps you will ensure that you have a solid, reliable team at your door on moving day.

Step 1 – Use the Better Business Bureau Sorting Tool to find member companies:
“Furniture Removals” is by far the most researched category on the BBB and is a great place to start your search for a removals company as well. To do this, visit the BBB website and click the

• “USA Site” or “Canada Site” link (this generally works better than the option to enter ZIP Codes or ZIP Codes).
• When the next page appears, click on the orange link titled FIND A BBB ACCREDITED BUSINESS.
• Next, click the Business Type tab and enter “Moving Company” as the business type and your city and province/state. Also, make sure that the “Restrict my results to BBB-accredited companies” option is checked.
• Then click “Relocations” again to further specify what type of business you are looking for. Next you should see a list of BBB accredited movers in your city, listed in order of whichever is closest to you. This is convenient as movers usually charge for travel time to and from their office. So, all other things being equal, your best bet is to find a moving company nearby. Most companies have a direct link to their website on their BBB Company Profile.

Step 2 – Arrange 3 PERSONAL offers
Each company is rated from A+ (highest) to F (lowest). Look for companies with a decent rating that have information on their website that meets your needs and makes sense to you. (For example, if you’re moving long distances, focus on umzugsunternehmen berlin that specialize in long distance moving). Hiring a mover is not the same as ordering a pizza or a taxi. So if your move isn’t easy, it shouldn’t just be booked over the phone. Note that not all companies are willing to come in and make a personal offer. Therefore, you may need to contact multiple companies to receive your 3 offers. Be prepared to create an additional offer in case one of the companies doesn’t show up or doesn’t get back to you with an offer after their visit.

Step 3: Evaluation of the offers

Now that you have your three offers in front of you, it’s time to take the final step – selecting the best company from among them.

The central and most important part of the bid will be the correct valuation of the furniture quantity, which should be listed somewhere on the bid in either cubic feet or pounds (1 cubic foot = 7 pounds) .

Everything else needed to plan and price your move follows from that – number of movers, number and size of trucks, and so on. For an on-site move, the quote should include at least 1 mover per 400 cubic feet of furniture , assuming average moving conditions. Note that this 400 cubic feet per moving truck ratio should be lower if your move involves difficult access (lots of stairs, steep driveway, or whatever).

If one of the listings doesn’t come with an estimate of how much furniture there is (or has an unusually low estimate*), the resulting estimate of time and cost is a shot in the dark at best, and will almost certainly appear lower than the other quotes that calculated this number accurately. When you come across it, be mentally disciplined and resist the temptation to be tempted by a low-sounding price.

In the end, you will most likely not save anything and jeopardize your move. A firm or “not to be exceeded” offer is a special treat when offered!

*A general rule of thumb when moving locally is 1 cubic foot of furniture for every 1 square foot of living space. A 600 square foot apartment would have 600 cubic feet of furniture, a 1200 square foot house would have 1200 cubic feet of furniture, and so on. Note that when moving house across the country, the amount of furniture is often reduced and this ratio is usually lower.

Before making any hiring decision, make sure you are happy and can abide by the company’s terms and conditions, especially regarding damages. Both parties should be aware of their respective obligations in the event of a claim (e.g. partial/full replacement, deductible to be paid, etc.) before starting the move . If these are not included in the offer, politely ask the company to send them to you.

Your appraiser is the go-to person for your move, and it’s a good sign if he or she, when preparing the quote, recognizes and proactively resolves any issues that might arise on the day of the move, such as: B. the reservation of elevators and parking spaces for loading and unloading, moving-out and moving-in periods or objects that are difficult to transport such as pianos.

Additional questions to ask:

Does the offer include special packaging such as mattress bags for mattresses, shrink wrap for sofas?
The cost of these packs is small, and it’s a good sign when your calculator automatically adds them without asking. However, be sure to request them if your offer doesn’t automatically include them.

Are the truck(s) equipped with ramps or tailgates (or neither)?
A truck without a ramp takes much longer to load and unload. A company that has passed screening step 1 is probably well equipped, but there is still no harm in doing a system check.

At this point you have done your homework and are ready to make your decision. Once you have made the decision, immediately let the company you have chosen know that you want them to book you. Don’t procrastinate as movers are often fully booked. You don’t want to hesitate and let fate choose your mover for you rather than your good choice. As umzug berlin with anything else, good things come to those who act decisively. There will always be an element of trust, but if you’ve put in the hard work and followed these steps, you’ve maximized the chances of having a good crew at your door on moving day.