Avoiding Big Trouble with Short Moves

By Scott Boone

Image courtesy of wikipedia

In past blogs, I have told you how to prepare for a long-distance move.  Today I thought I would cover what you need to know about making a local move.  Whether you are moving a home or an office a few miles or even a few feet from your present location, if you want to save time and money, there are a few things you need to be made aware.

How Much Stuff Do You Own?

When it comes to making a short move, less is more.  What I mean by that is there is only so low that a mover will go to provide you with a couple of movers and a truck.  Our minimum charge is for 3-hours.  If you are only moving a small office or an efficiency apartment, you need to take this into consideration.  However, it’s still worth it when you consider what it takes to move heavy furniture.  Spending less than $300 is far better than getting hit with a doctor’s bill when you get hurt by trying to move that refrigerator all by yourself.  Any local move larger than 1-bedroom is going to take 3-hours or more to load and unload the truck. 

The DIY Gamble

Consider the implications of what is involved when asking your friends to help you move locally.  You still need to rent a truck, which may or may not be in perfect repair.  Your friends may decide not to show up as they had promised, leaving you stuck with a truck and no way to load or unload it.  There is also the possibility that your friends could damage or destroy some of your most precious possessions since they are not trained, movers.  Even worse, one or more of your friends could be injured during the move.  This possibility could cost you big since you will be required to pay for any doctor visits or chiropractic adjustments your friends may require in order to recover from an injury sustained during the move.   

Choosing the Right Mover for a Local Move

If you are going to make a local move, pay by the hour, not by the pound.  Any time a mover charges you by the pound, you could be in for a rude awakening at the end of the line since they will “guestimate” the weight.  Only later will the mover be able to put the truck on a commercial scale to determine the actual weight.  If the estimate was low, guess who gets to pay more for the move?  That’s right, you do. 

Image courtesy of flickr

Paying by the hour means you know what you are getting.  With that in mind, it is up to you to make sure your belongings are all packed up and ready for loading when the movers arrive.  If they are forced to stand around while you finish boxing your stuff, the clock is running.  If they have to wait for you to disassemble a desk or sectional sofa, the clock is running.  To save you the hassle of pulling apart furniture or even packing your belongings, either of these can be handled by your movers for a fee.  The best way to see if this service is worth the price is to ask the mover to give you a quote before you sign on the dotted line.  You could discover that it’s worth leaving the packing and unpacking to the crew.

How Solid is a Mover’s Reputation?

Just as your friends are not trained movers, don’t assume that every moving company trains their staff.  You would be surprised at how many local movers hire day laborers with little or no moving experience.  The last thing you want to find out is that an expensive electronic component or priceless antique was lost, damaged or destroyed by ham-handed movers.  Ask any prospective mover their hiring and training process to make sure you are getting experienced movers who know how to handle your belongings.  Also, ask the mover their policy should any of your possessions wind up getting damaged or destroyed.  If you don’t ask, you could come to discover that you are only going to be reimbursed 60-cents per pound for damages.

It’s also a good idea to ask for local references from people the moving company has recently dealt with.  Call their references and ask them whether the movers were prompt, courteous, energetic and careful.  Find out whether they cleaned up after themselves.  Also, ask whether there were any unexpected fees the mover levied after the fact.  Everything from carrying items up and down stairs, to carrying items more than 10-feet to and from the front door and shuttling your belongings to and from the truck should the movers find it impossible to park near the door can all be tacked onto the estimate after the fact.  Don’t wind up being shaken down by an unscrupulous mover that gives you a lowball estimate only to demand a big fee before the truck will be unloaded.

Image courtesy of wikimedia

Also, make sure you Google the name of the mover to see if you can find any reviews posted by past customers.  If you find a lot of negative reviews or none at all, beware.  No reviews can mean a business owner either has little or no experience, or the owner has closed one business only to open up under another name.

Here are some other questions you need to ask a prospective mover:

      ·         Are you a broker? (There are companies that own no trucks and have never moved a single box, that will try to sell you moving services.  These companies are called moving brokers, and you need to be aware that if you book a move through one of these, you are going to be dealing with a middleman.)

      ·         Do you charge an upfront deposit? (Especially on a short move, you should never be required to pay any upfront fees.)

      ·         Are you licensed and insured?  (Anybody can place an ad online for moving services.  All licensed moving companies can provide you with their USDOT number, which you can Google to verify.)

      ·         Where are your offices located? (Do you want to trust all your worldly possessions to a company that only lists a PO box as their business location?)

      ·         Are your estimates binding or non-binding?  (A non-binding estimate could leave you holding the bag for charges levied after the fact.)

      ·         Do you charge extra to insure my belongings? (A reputable moving company will not charge extra for this.)

Provided you perform your due diligence and know what the mover expects from you, making a local move shouldn’t leave you holding the short end of the stick.

With over 4,000 moves, Scott's Discount Movers has handled moves of all sizes, including local and cross country. If you are looking to move your home or office, you can depend on Scott's Discount Movers to provide a stress-free relocation.