If you have the plan of shifting to a new residence, you are going to need a reputable moving company. Even if you don’t plan to move, it is believed that many individuals don’t stay more than eight years in properties they own. This means that unless you are not an average person, you are going to move someday.
Here are three things to look for in hiring a moving company.
Honest Recommendations
Good might not be the ideal place to search for the best South Florida Moving Company. You stand a great chance of getting the best moving company to hire when you ask for a recommendation from friends and loved ones.
If you have lived in a certain area for some time, you definitely know individuals who have used moving services before. Therefore, talk to them and inquire about their experiences with available companies and who they would recommend.
The chances are that you will meet someone with a bad experience with a company that happens to be highly rated. Maybe they were hit with bunches of fees that they never saw anywhere on the company’s website.
On the other hand, you might realize that someone you know had a great experience with a new company that does not have a strong market or website presence.
Thus, if you rely on your family and friends, you will learn many things that you can never find on the internet about the moving companies in your area. As long as you take your time and contact the right individuals, it won’t take too long before you find the right company to strike a deal with.
License and Insurance
You must never hire any moving company that is insured and licensed. Any group or team can purchase some trucks and call themselves a moving company, but licensed and insured companies are legally bound to take good care of your valuables.
For interstate moving, you should work with a company that is licensed by the US Department of transportation. This means that they will be issued with a unique USDOT number. It is possible to ascertain that a given company has a valid USDOT number and insurance.
To do that, you want to search the database that is provided by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Unless you do these things, you might find yourself in the wrong hands.
Transparent Fees
Once you have gone through the website of a given moving company and decided to hire them, they will give you a rate. This will be determined by the amount of work and the number of movers you will need to do the work.
However, you must always note that this is just a base rate and does not encompass any extra packing materials that you might need in the moving process. If you are moving bulky, heavy objects, then you are likely to pay higher rates.
It is almost impossible for a moving company to give you a set estimate over the phone, but they will share with you a rough idea of the amount you will spend to move your house.
Don’t forget to ask them what might lead to being charged extra fees, and if they are not clear about their fees, then move on to a different company. There have been cases where movers quote prices, but they end up including fees that they never mentioned in the first place.
Also, if your items are highly delicate and need special handling equipment, you might be asked to pay a little more. Most of these extra fees should not be strictly fixed, so you should always have room for negotiation. Also, in this case, if you are not happy with their rates, you are free to move on to someone else.
Moving a house can be stressful; unfortunately, it is something that each one of us must deal with at some point. Therefore, make sure that you are hiring the right company that will move your items safely without charging exaggerated fees. Check to ascertain that they are insured and licensed. If you run an internet search and fail to find the USDOT number, then that particular moving company is not recognized by the US government.
