It’s done! You’ve found the right home, at the right price, you’ve got a closing date and so it’s time to start preparing for your big move in earnest.
While some people do ‘move themselves’ that does involve a lot more work – and risk – than many people bargain for. The risks are not only to your precious possessions either -as in you have never been trained how to move furniture properly – but to yourself – and anyone who helps you move, as transporting a ‘ton’ of ‘stuff’ can be risky business that can get you hurt. It’s for those reasons and more that many home buyers do prefer to hire a moving company to do most of the hard work for them.
As friendly as we Canadians tend to be it would be nice to think that all moving companies are honest, reliable and provide great service, but like anything else in the country not all movers are created equal and there are a few bad apples out there who are more interested in taking your money than actually doing a good job.
Choosing a moving company is not easy when there are so many out there. Often though it helps if you know some of the warning signs that you might be dealing with the wrong company before you hire them to help you with your move and end up with more hassle and heartache than you bargained for. Here are just some of the things that you should at least take as red flags that need a closer look:
Over the Phone Estimates – If a company tells you that they can provide you with a moving cost estimate over the phone or even over the Internet proceed with caution! Every moving job is different and reputable companies know that they have to have someone come out to visit your home and discuss your needs in detail while ‘on-site’ in order to have all the information they need to give you an accurate estimate.
Companies who give out these quick phone estimates will often lure customers in with a base price that seems almost too good to be true. Unfortunately that is usually because it is. Once they are hired and the process of moving actually begins all the ‘extra’ charges that start mounting up will almost always leave you left with a final bill that is far higher than you were lead to expect it would be in those phone calls.
The Company is Vague About Crucial Information – Another big red flag that should alert you to the fact that you may not be dealing with a very reputable moving company is if the company is not very forthcoming with information about things like licensing and insurance coverage. You should be especially concerned if a rep from the moving company tells you that their insurance will cover everything involved in the move because that is very rarely the case even with the best moving companies because that is simply the way that the insurance business goes.
Before you hire any moving company you should be satisfied that the firm is fully licensed and insured and that you are aware of any insurance coverage that you should be taking out yourself in addition to the coverage being provided by the moving company as a part of the estimated cost.
The Company Does Not Actually Seem to Have an Office – Any good moving company will be able to provide you with a physical address and would not have a problem with you popping by to see them there. Unfortunately some rogue moving companies are operated out of someone’s house, basement or other slightly strange location and the truck that turns up on the day of the big move is a rental truck that you could actually have gone out and got yourself!
There is more to running a successful moving company than just having a couple of big strong men and a truck. Let’s face it if it were that easy everyone would move themselves. The way items are packed, moved and transported is crucial and a good moving company employs the trained personnel and owns the right specialist equipment to be able to offer a service that will ensure, as far as is humanly possible anyway, that your belonging make it to their new destination in one piece!